MURPHY'S - RED ALE

Murphy's - Red Ale

-Origin: Brewed by Heineken in the Netherlands.
-I paid: $1.89 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 2/5
-Verdict: PASS
-Appeal: Murphy's brand name.

-Review:

The first red flag for this beer is that it's not even made by Murphy's. It's overprice. It's got a head like you'd get on a Coca-Cola. It doesn't really have any complex flavor. It tastes like just another generic Ale. It just seems like a way to cash in on the Murphy's name. Murphy's should stick to what they're good at, which is stouts.

STONE - OAKED ARROGANT BASTARD ALE

Stone - Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

-Origin:Escondido, California
-I Paid: $2.89 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 5/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: Honestly... I bought it because of the name.

-Review:

The first taste of this beer is like being punched in the face. After a couple more tastes though, it gets really, really good. It's not just the 7.2% alcohol content that gets you, it's also the very strong oak flavor, which is really delicious... once you get used to it. This is probably the most memorable experience you'll have trying a new beer. Also, be sure you read the very arrogant description on the back of the bottle. It had me laughing pretty hard.

MAX

MAX

-Origin: Seoul, South Korea
-I Paid: $1.99 for a 640ml (21.6oz) bottle at H Mart
-Rating: 4/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: Hard to beat for the price.

-Review:

I was 18 years old and visiting South Korea for 3 months. The drinking age is South Korea is 18, so naturally I tried every type of alcohol I could get my hands on. One type of alcohol shined through all the others. It was beer. In particularly, Max. Yes, the first beer I ever fell in love with is a beer from South Korea. I tried plenty of other beers before this, but this one really knocked my socks off. Let me be clear though, Max is not a top self beer or anything. I don't want you to try it and expect too much from it. What it is, is an absolutely phenomenal cheap beer. It's cheaper than Budweiser, Coors or and any of that other crap, and about a hundred times better. It's safe to say that it puts American Lagers to shame. In fact, I'd say it's more on the level of Asahi or Sapporo. I can't help but think that if it was just marketed better (by which I mean the label looks cheap) it would be much more successful internationally. Until the day when they do change the label, I hope you'll give it a try.

H MART - Garden Grove, CA ***STORE REVIEW SPECIAL***

H Mart - Garden Grove, Orange County, California

-Type: Asian Grocery Store
-Prices: Best prices are fantastic, worst prices are still better than average.
-Selection: Fantastic on Asian imports; below average on domestics.
-Rating: 4.5/5
-Verdict: SHOP HERE
-Appeal: You'll find a lot of stuff here you've never heard of.

-Review:

Whether you're looking for beer, sake, soju, makgeolli or want to experience something new and unfamiliar, you can bet H Mart has it. Overall prices are great. Often, they have truly amazing sales. One of the bargains of the century they have right now is 6packs of Black Beer Stout for $3.99 (on sale). A word to the wise though, not all H Marts are created equal. This one in Garden Grove however, is exceptional. It's clean, it's organized, the employees are friendly and browsing the food is a lot of fun too.

SPATEN - OPTIMATOR DOPPELBOCK

Spaten - Optimator Doppelbock

-Origin: Munich, Germany
-I Paid: $1.69 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 3.5/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: Old beer company (est. 1397) and high alcohol content (7.6%).

-Review:

Another tasty, hearty German beer. It's smokey and rich. To be honest though, nothing about it really stood out to me. I think it would really be best with a meal. I don't know if I'll buy it again, but I'm still recommending it because it's at least worth trying once.

ASAHI - SUPER DRY

ASAHI - SUPER DRY

-Origin: Japan (This bottle was actually brewed in Canada.)
-I Paid: $2.99 for a 1pt 5.4oz bottle at H Mart
-Rating: 3.5/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: Well, everything from Japan is cool, isn't it?

-Review

The Japanese are known for packing a lot of quality in everything they make for a good price. And of course, Asahi Super Dry is no exception. This is one of those Asian "Draft Beers" which is kinda like American style lager. However, in my experience draft beers are about a thousand times better than the American version. As the bottle says, it's dry, smooth and refreshing. I'll tell you something I didn't expect though. I think I actually prefer the Tsingtao from China I reviewed the other day. Don't let that put you off though. This beer is definitely worth trying, and for the price you can't go wrong.

FRANZISKANER - WEISSBIER

FRANZISKANER - WEISSBIER

-Origin: Munich, Germany
-I Paid: $1.69 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 5/5
-Verdict: BUY! BUY! BUY!
-Appeal: Brewed since 1397; That monk looks pretty freaking happy.

-Review:

I'll cut to the chase. This beer is ridiculously good! I'm not what you'd call a beer snob. I'm a simple man. I can't tell you every little hint of a flavor in this beer. However, I can tell you that it's yeasty, it's spicy and it has a lot of other stuff going on in there too. Once you drink this, you'll understand why I gave Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen a bad review. Franziskaner Weissbier is, without a doubt, one of the best beers I've ever had.

WEIHENSTEPHANER - ORIGINAL PREMIUM

WEIHENSTEPHANER - ORIGINAL PREMIUM

-Origin: Freising, Germany
-I Paid: $2.99 for a 1pt 0.9oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 4.5/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: From the world's oldest brewery (est. 1040).

-Review:

Mild but flavorful, this would be really good with a steak. This really is a great beer. However, I do have a word of caution for those new to the brand. Weihenstephaner Original Premium is great, but Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbeir is UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'll properly review it one of these days. Until then, if you're at the liquor store and don't know which to buy, get the Hefeweissbeir.

FIRESTONE - DBA (DOUBLE BARREL ALE)

FIRESTONE - DBA (DOUBLE BARREL ALE)

-Origin: Paso Robles, California
-I Paid: $1.59 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 4/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: It's won a bunch of awards and has a cool picture of a lion and bear boxing on the label.

-Review:

I'll be honest. I haven't been the biggest ale drinker in the past. I had a bad ale when I was new to beer and was turned off them ever since. This beer though, has just about changed my mind. Rich with a woody finish, it's not hard to see why this DBA has been so successful in The World Beer Cup. I look forward to trying Firestone's other beers, and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

GUINNESS DRAUGHT - BOTTLE

GUINNESS DRAUGHT - BOTTLE

-Origin: Dublin, Ireland
-I Paid: $1.79 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 3/5
-Verdict: PASS
-Appeal: A Guinness you can drink straight out of the bottle.

-Review:

One of my favorite things in the whole world is a good Guinness. And Guinness, even though I love the way it tastes, is all about the texture. Something about the thickness and rich head of a Guinness is enough for me to call it a bona-fide comfort food. Unfortunately, the bottled version doesn't have that. Maybe I wasn't supposed to pour it in a glass. Maybe it would have been better straight out of the bottle. This time though, was just okay. It tastes like a Guinness, but it doesn't feel like a Guinness. Next time, I will definitely put up the extra money and get the cans.

TSINGTAO BEER

TSINGTAO BEER

-Origin: Qingdao, China
-I Paid: $1.39 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo
-Rating: 4/5
-Verdict: BUY
-Appeal: It's beer... from China?

-Review:

I guess I've watched too many YouTube videos about copycat cars and iPhones from China, which lead me to believe that Tsingtao would just be a watered down version of something I've already had before. But I was very, very wrong. This is a good beer. Lots of malt, hops and barley, but not too much. So well balanced that I could imagine drinking it everyday. I would tell any skeptical beer lover to give it a try. China makes good beer. Who would've guessed?

WIDMER BROTHERS - HEFEWEIZEN

WIDMER BROTHERS - HEFEWEIZEN

-Origin: Portland Oregon

-I Paid: $1.39 for a 12oz bottle at BevMo

-Rating: 3/5

-Verdict: PASS

-Appeal: An American unfiltered Hefeweizen... sounds great, right?

-Review:

When you first pour it in your glass you see that beautiful, golden, cloudy, rich looking liquid and think, "This is gonna be so good." So you drink it. The texture is fantastic. It has those tiny hefeweizen bubbles dancing on your tongue. It feels as rich as it looks, but suddenly... you realize that it has almost no flavor. Sure, it's a little citrusy, it's not bad, but you've had much, much better. Widmer Brothers - Hefeweizen falls short of being a great beer. If it just had more flavor, combined with it's already great texture, it would really be something special. It's sad to be honest. I really had high hopes for this beer. And considering the price tag compared to other Hefeweizens out there, I can't in good conscience recommend it.