Labor Day Beer Reviews

The first weekend home in two months means not getting dressed, grilling a rack of ribs on the charcoal and drinking beer. I've really started to figure out the whole charcoal thing as the ribs were the definitely the juiciest and most delicious thing I've cooked on either grill. I also mananged to make one helluva salad, something that I didn't really think was possible, so it was a tasty meal all around. Combine that with a lot of time spent on the couch watching television and you have the perfect way to celebrate the holiday.

The Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse is right up my alley. It's a wheat, which I really dig, creamy and tastes of cloves and a bit of honey. I've had quite a few hefeweizens in my day and this is probably one of my favorites. I wouldn't think I'd like such a prominent clove taste in beer, especially a wheat, but I really like it in this. There's also some citrus but not so much that it tastes like someone fruited your beer. (A bad habit with wheats, I think.) Some reviews I've read complained of too much carbonation but I don't agree. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes wheat beers and will definitely be buying it again. It's a good summer beer, now that it's over.

I can't say I'm as much of a fan of Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I'm not really a huge fan of stouts but have been known to enjoy the creamy or honey versions of them. I figured the chocolate was a gimmick but decided to try it anyway. There's definitely an initial taste of dark chocolate, then a strong stout and the aftertaste reminds me of a bitter chocolate. I think the combination works with the stout and I really want to like the beer, but I don't. I love dark chocolate (the darker the better) but I just can't get over the bitter aftertaste. If I really enjoyed stouts, in all their forms, I'd probably love this... but as it is I'm not a fan. If you've had it, or buy it any time soon, let me know what you think.