1. Maxi

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $24.97 for 24.

2. Super C

-Beck’s, Heineken, Stella Artois- $24.99 for 24.

3. IGA and Tradition

-Sleeman Selection – $24.99 for 24.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

4. Métro

-Blonde de Chambly, Blanche de Chambly, Cheval Blanc, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, St. Ambroise, Tremblay, Unibroue – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $27.99 for 24.

5. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickards – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

6. Inter-Marché

-Sleeman – $14.99 for 12.

-Boréale, Griffon, Moosehead, St. Ambroise – $7.99 for 6.

Cheers!

The Bugler

We’ve scoured the local Phoenix store ads for the best Hensley Beverage Deals for the next week. These are the specials in the store circulars released Sunday.

Walgreens

Prices effective Sunday, Feb 26th – Saturday, March 3rd

Budweiser/Bud Light – $13.99 – 18 pack 12 oz cans

CVS Pharmacy

Prices effective Sunday, Feb 26th – Saturday, March 3rd

Budweiser, Bud Light, or Michelob Ultra – $13.99 – 18 pack 12 oz cans

Popchips – 2 for $5 – 3oz size (with CVS Card)

Busch or Busch Light – $14.99 – 30 pk., 12 oz cans

Stella Artois – $12.99 – 12 pk., 12 oz bottles

Sierra Nevada, or Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen – $12.99 – 12 pk., 12 oz bottles

Moosehead – $11.99 – 12 pk., 12 oz bottles

1. Maxi

-Alexander Keith’s, Moosehead, Rickards, Sleeman – $24.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

2. IGA and Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickards – $26.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

-Griffon, Grolsch, Moosehead, St. Ambroise – $14.99 for 12.

3. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Belle Gueule, Boréale, Rickards, St. Ambroise, Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

4. Métro

- Heineken, Stella Artois – $27.99 for 24.

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickards – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

5. Inter-Marché

-Boréale – $14.99 for 12.

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

Cheers!

The Bugler

-Beck’s, Heineken, Stella Artois – $24.99 for 24.

2. IGA

-Heineken – $24.99 for 24.

-Stella Artois – $24.99 for 2 cases of 12 bottles or cans, or $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Boréale – $7.99 for 6.

3. Loblaws, Maxi, Provigo

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $24.99 for 24.

4. Inter-Marché

-St-Ambroise – $12.99 for 12.

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

5. Métro

-Belle Gueule, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Cheval Blanc, Boréale, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, St. Ambroise, Sleeman, Tremblay, Unibroue – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

6. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

7. Tradition

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Boréale – $7.99 for 6.

Cheers!

The Bugler

Moosehead Lager

Brewery

Moosehead Breweries Limited (Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada)

Review

Moosehead is a great example of a light-colored lager with its mild skunky start.

It has a mild carbonation and a semi-rich body with a skunky hops note.

The aftertaste is a smooth, clean skunky hops note that fades quickly.

Rating

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the pinnacle best of beers, I rate Moosehead Lager an 8. It’s a great example of a light-colored lager, especially considering how cheap it is at our local CostCo ($17.99 for 32 bottles).

Notes

To shed light on my rating, I consider a 5 to be worth buying again, and certainly worth drinking again. In perspective, I rate Coors Light a 2.

1. Maxi

-Alexander Keith’s, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $24.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

2. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Belle Gueule, Boréale, Canadian, Moosehead, Rickard’s, St. Ambroise, Sleeman – $12.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

3. IGA and Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Sapporo – $8.99 for 4 X 500 ml cans.

-Guiness, Kilkenny – $8.99 for 4 X 440 ml cans.

4. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

5. Inter-Marché

-Boréale – $14.99 for 12.

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

Cheers!

The Bugler

1. IGA and Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s $26.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

2. Maxi

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $13.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

3. Métro

-Belle Gueule, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Boréale, Cheval Blanc, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, St. Ambroise, Sleeman, Tremblay, Unibroue – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

4. Esposito

-Tremblay – $13.99 for 15.

-Grolsch – $7.99 for 4 X 500 ml cans.

5. Inter-Marché

-Belle Gueule – $14.99 for 12.

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

6. Richelieu

- Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $7.99 for 6.

7. Loblaws and Provigo

-Grolsch, Sapporo, Tastes of Belgium – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Carlsberg, Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

Cheers!

The Bugler

1. IGA

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Ephemère, Sapporo, Sleeman – $15.98 for 2 X 6 bottles, or $8.99 for 6.

2. Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s- $13.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Ephemère, Sapporo, Sleeman – $8.99 for 6.

3. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12.

4. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Boréale, Cheval Blanc, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, Rickard’s, St. Ambroise, Sleeman, Tremblay – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

5. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

6. Inter-Marché

-Griffon, Moosehead, St. Ambroise, Sleeman – $14.99 for 12.

7. Maxi

-Grolsch, Sapporo, Tastes of Belgium – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Carlsberg, Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

Cheers!

The Bugler

I’ve never been a fan of Lagers. I find most of them to be a bit…skunky for lack of a better word. I don’t like Heineken, because of that reason and I didn’t like Moosehead either. It was bitter and skunky and simply not great. I enjoy ales, porters, stouts, trapiste ales, but lagers I’m not into. That isn’t Moosehead’s fault and I’m sure that they have a loyal following, but don’t count me as one of them. I enjoyed a four cheese pizza with bruschetta tomatoes and arugula on top. Basically,  a margherita pizza. If a beer can’t go well with pizza then it really has no place in my home.

They didn’t seem to pair well and perhaps it’s my fault, but again I’ve had beers like Chimay with pizza and it was delightful. Pizza is a universal pairing with beer and it’s rare that a beer doesn’t go with it. What I will give them credit for is a great website. Beer companies in general seem to take the time & effort necessary to craft great, engaging sites that bring fans of their beer into the fold. Moosehead, while not my favorite by a long shot, has a fascinating and storied history and is work a look if you’re interested in history of beers at all.

Here’s a little taste:

Moosehead has a long and storied history. Since 1867 we’ve survived two fires, expanded our line of beers, began distributing worldwide, and even discovered a little known part of the human psyche called the Outer-self. But, believe it or not, we had very humble beginnings.

I’m willing to take the blame on this one as my predilection towards lager distaste clouds my judgement. Not sure when I’ll be tasting my next beer, but I’m certain I will enjoy it more than Moosehead.

Total caps: 490

Breweries Represented: 28

Breweries with more than 10 caps (and % of total):

Schlafly – 17.8%

Firestone Walker/Nectar Ales – 12.4%

Budvar – 9.4%

Stone – 8%

Homebrew – 7.3%

Founder’s – 5.9%

Bell’s (all Two-Hearted) – 4.9%

Weihenstephaner (all Festbier) – 4.9%

Goose Island – 4.9%

Moosehead – 4.5%

Odell – 4%

Capital – 3.2%

Sierra Nevada – 2.2%

As “interesting” as these raw numbers are, I must add a few points for context. First, thanks to the generosity of Portland-bound friends Zac and Kate Duncan, I returned to the privileged class of people with kegerators, when Zac and Kate donated theirs to my cause.  Since that point, I’ve enjoyed the following:

1/4 bbl of Odell St. Lupulin

2 – 1/4 bbls of Odell IPA (2d keg in progress)

1 – 1/6 bbl of Urban Chestnut Zwickel (which lasted all of 7 days during the worst of this hateful summer’s heat)

1 – 1/6 bbl of Founder’s Red’s Rye

1 – 1/6 bbl of homebrew (still in progress)

So, taking the kegs into account,  Odell was far and away the most consumed brewery this year, basically tripling Schlafly. I’m very much in love with Odell’s IPA, and their St. Lupulin and (incredibly boringly named) Red Ale, all of which meld a serious punch of hop aroma and flavor, with a velvety malt load that just works for my palate. Founder’s also would get a significant bump, and Urban Chestnut would jump into the ranking.

Also missing from the above numbers are canned craft beer. I know I went through a couple of 12 packs of Capital Supper Club (thanks, Annie!) , and several (4, 5, 6?) six packs of Ska Brewing‘s Modus Hoperandi. I just did a crap job (read – no attempt at all) to track those this year. Sorry to the fine folks at Capital (who’d be finer if they distributed to St. Louis!) and Ska. Love your beers, but caps are easier to keep than cans.

Finally, I feel a need to explain the Moosehead entry. I grew up in Michigan, and, during college, Canadian beer was cheap.  Really cheap. In fact, when I moved to St. Louis, a case of Moosehead bottles at the store where I worked would set you back all of $12, and it was the most expensive of the Big 3 Canadian brands. When we were too flush with cash for bottom tier stuff like Weidemann’s, Beast or Schaefer (all at about $5 a case), but not spendy enough for craft, we went Canadian.

So, the summer of 2012 went through a rather oppressive phase. This isn’t uncommon (especially for someone from Michigan), but I was desperate for a beer I could chill and swill. I had been reading some mysteries set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during this period, many of which featured Canadian beer prominently. This triggered a nostalgic craving for some basic Canadian suds. Moosehead being the freshest of those at the Schnuck’s, I went with it. And enjoyed it. I might even do it again.

Previous years are here:

2010

2009

2008

Here is the weekly list yet again. these prices are valid from December 29th, 2011, right through to January 4, in the New Year, 2012, unless other wise noted.

Early-week special Valid From December 26th through January 2

Adonis Supermarkets

-Stella Artois, Beck’s – $11.54 for 12.

Weekly specials

1. Loblaws

-Beck’s – $11.54 for 12. Until December 31st only

-Heineken – $23.08 for 24. Until December 31st only

2.  Provigo

Grolsch, Sapporo, heineken – $11.99 for 12 bottles or cans Until December 31st only

3. IGA

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s – $24.99 for 2 cases of 12, or $13.99 for 12.

-Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Sapporo, Sleeman, Unibroue – $12.99 for 12.

4. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Boréale, Cheval Blanc, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sapporo, Sleeman, Unibroue – $12.99 for 12.

5. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $12.99 for 12.

6. Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Sapporo, Sleeman, Unibroue – $13.99 for 12.

7. Esposito

-Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

-Sapporo – $9.99 for 6.

8. Inter-Marché

-Sleeman – $14.99 for 12.

-Griffon – $7.99 for 6.

Cheers and Happy new Year!

The Bugler

1. Loblaws

-Beck’s, Stella Artois – $11.54 for 12 bottles or cans. Valid until December 31st.

-Heineken – $23.08 for 24 bottles or cans.

2. Maxi

-Beck’s, Stella Artois – $11.54 for 12.

-Heineken – $23.08 for 24.

3. Super C

-Beck’s, Heineken, Stella Artois – $23.08 for 24.

4. Provigo

-Grolsch, Sapporo, Stella Artois – $11.99 for 12 bottles or cans. Valid until December 31st.

5. IGA

-Heineken, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $24.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

-Stella Artois – $24.99 for 2 X 12 bottles or cans.

6. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Belle Gueule, Blonde de Chambly, Blanche de Chambly, Boréale, Griffon. McAuslan, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sapporo, Sleeman – $12.99 for 12.

7. Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Sleeman – $24.99 for 24.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $27.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12.

8. Richelieu

-Heineken, Stella Artois $13.99 for 12.

9. Inter-Marché

-Boréale, Moosehead – $13.99 for 12.

Happy Holidays from The Bugler and his Elves.

The Bugler

> BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY I want to be able to hand the company over to the next generation in better shape than I got it. The second one is that I don’t want to be the biggest; I just want to be around the longest. I’m coming up to 50 years in the brewing industry and I’ve seen an awful lot of small and big companies disappear, particularly in the Canadian brewing industry. We’re the biggest Canadian-owned brewer in Canada, and we’re here in Saint John, New Brunswick. There are an awful lot that have gone south and east, and one went west. It’s tremendously satisfying and it’s great for the people here in New Brunswick and the Maritimes. We’ve got solid brands, great management.

> BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT The single biggest one was bringing the U.S. market to Moosehead. It not only gave us tremendous volume and improved our sales and marketing, it allowed us the confidence to move across Canada. The other one is that we’re still here. I’ve been able, with the help of a whole lot of great people, to keep this company growing. And I feel very happy that two of my four sons are in the business doing what I did and my father did and what my grandfather did.

> BIGGEST CHALLENGE Dealing with succession with my brother and my father. I solved it by keeping at it, keeping my head down at the right time. Actually, I quit once to make my point and it had the desired effect. My father had decided my brother should be on my level and I said, “No, I want to lead the company and if you make him level with me, it makes things more difficult.” It was difficult, but that’s the price of leadership, the price of success.

> DEFINITION OF SUCCESS Having a successful business, a successful family life and having respect in the community. Part of that you get by giving back. There are a lot of things people do to make their communities better and I believe in that. That’s why the whole Wallace McCain Institute for Business Leadership thing is so satisfying, because there are more than 100 people who have gone through or are going through the program from all over Atlantic Canada who are going to be better businesspeople because of it.

> LEADERSHIP It takes vision, guts, determination, intelligence, good luck, fortune, a great idea, great mentors — there are all sorts of things.

> SUCCESSION You’re very fortunate if your sons and daughters successfully take over the business, because too often it doesn’t work. We don’t allow our children to come into the company once they graduate from university. They can work here before, just like any other son or daughter of our employees, but then they have to go out and do their own thing. When they do join the company and they want to, it means they’re making a definite commitment and the company is making a commitment. Three of my four sons have a master’s in business so they’re all well-prepared scholastically, but then they have to compete within the company. I firmly believe that in a family company, unless you have non-family people who have the ability to become the top manager, you’re not going to have a top-notch management team. So many people play the ego game and decide their son or daughter is good enough to run the company when that isn’t always the case. If you set it so that will happen, that’s not a recipe for success.

> LONGEVITY We love the business, we’re good at it, we’ve survived because we are good at it and we’ve continued to evolve and work on it. The biggest thing we didn’t do was go public. John Sleeman once told me he spent a third of his time just keeping the market happy. That’s not productive time when you’re selling beer and producing it. All you’re doing is trying to beat the market each quarter. The tyranny of the quarterly market must just be awful. In a family company, you don’t get very wealthy, because you keep plowing the money back into the company to make it more efficient and better and grow, but you also have to use that revenue to pay out to family members and buy back the shares with each generation.

1. Loblaws

-Beck’s, Heineken, Stella Artois – $23.08 for 24 bottles or cans.

2. Maxi

-Beck’s, Heineken, Stella Artois – $23.08 for 24.

-Rickard’s – $11.99 for 12.

3. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Griffon, McAuslan, Moosehead, Rickard’s, St. Ambroise, Sapporo, Sleeman, Unibroue – $11.99 for 12.

4. Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, mBelle Gueule, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $11.99 for 12.

5. Inter-Marché

-Sleeman, Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

-Griffon, Moosehead, St. Ambroise – $7.99 for 12.

Cheers!

The Bugler

The Titan, Clarke’s fourth QMJHL team in four seasons, cut the former Halifax Mooseheads defenceman yesterday, citing disciplinary reasons. Clarke, 19, had two goals and 14 assists in 24 games.

The Mooseheads, who acquired the former sixth overall pick from the Lewiston Maineiacs in 2009, also sent him home last year for disciplinary reasons before trading him to the Shawinigan Cataractes for a draft pick. He lasted just 11 games with the Cataractes before they passed him off to Bathurst in a deal that brought back veteran forward Vincent Arseneau.

Clarke was a candidate to be picked in the 2011 NHL draft, but his stock dropped sharply after his fallout with the Mooseheads. After being passed over in the draft, he earned an invitation to the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie camp as a free agent, but was unable to earn a contract.

He had seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points along with 218 penalty minutes in 63 career games with the Mooseheads. In 52 career games with Bathurst, Clarke had 32 points and 105 penalty minutes.

Practising with contact yesterday for the first time since suffering a pre-season concussion in August, the high-scoring Halifax Mooseheads right-winger passed the biggest test yet in a long and difficult comeback. Although he didn’t take any bone-crunching hits, he didn’t shy away from physical play and skated to the point of exhaustion at the Civic Centre.

“It was a good practice,” said Frk, who did a lot of smiling and is clearly enjoying his reintegration with the team. “I’m so much excited for my first game of the season. It’s been a long time since I (played) hockey, but I will be so happy and we’ll see what happens.”

There is still no word on whether Frk will play at home on Friday against the Gatineau Olympiques or Saturday against the Quebec Remparts. If he’s not back this weekend, it will probably be next.

The 18-year-old Czech will see a doctor today and is trying to get back down to his pre-concussion weight of 204 pounds.

“Now I’m too heavy,” said Frk, who couldn’t exercise at all for two months. “I know I can’t skate (well enough) and I’d feel so much better if I lost some more pounds. I’d be faster and in better shape.”

He’s expected to be eased back into the lineup once cleared to play, but the Mooseheads – sixth overall at 17-7-3 with the sixth-best offence – will get an immediate boost. Frk was one of the QMJHL’s top rookie scorers last season with 22 goals among 50 points in 62 games.

“We have a high-powered offence as it is,” said Mooseheads defenceman Sawyer Hannay. “Adding arguably the best European in the league back in our lineup, it’s going to be huge.”

1. Super C

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $23.08 for 24.

2. Maxi

-Alexander Keith’s, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $23.99 for 24.

3. Loblaws  and Provigo

-Sapporo – $14.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Carlsberg, Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

4. Inter-Marché

-Moosehead, St. Ambroise, Sleeman – $14.99 for 12.

5. Richelieu

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12.

6. IGA and Tradition

-Boréale – $13.99 for 12.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

Cheers!

The Bugler

1. Loblaws and Provigo

-Until Sunday November 20th ONLY: Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Stella Artois – $12.99 for 12.

2. Maxi

-Belle Gueule, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

3. IGA  and Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Blanche de Chambly, Blonde de Chambly, Unibroue Mixed Case – $15.99 for 12.

-Sleeman Draught – $15.99 for 15 cans.

Special Note: IGA only – Get a gift box of 710 ml Molson ‘M’ Free on the purchase of a case of 12 beers or more, or 750ml or more of wine, with grocery purchase of at least $4.39.

4. Esposito

-Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

5. Inter-Marché

-Boréale – $14.99 for 12

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

6. Métro

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

Cheers!

The Bugler

1. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Heineken, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $24.99 for 24

2. IGA

-Stella Artois – $24.99 for 2 cases of 12 bottles or cans, or $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

-Heineken, Rickard’s – $24.99 for 24.

-Unibroue Mixed Pack – $10.99 for 8.

-Boréale – $15.98 for 2 cases of 6, or $8.49 for 6.

3. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Belle Gueule, Boréale, Molson Canadian, Moosehead, Rickard’s, St. Ambroise, Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

4. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

5. Maxi

-Sapporo – $14.99 for 12.

-Carlsberg, Heineken, Stella Artois - $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

6. Tradition

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12.

-Boréale – $8.49 for 6.

Cheers!

The Bugler

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $11.97 for 12.

2. Loblaws and Provigo

-Beck’s  – $24.99 for 24.

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $26.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

3. Métro

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12.

4. Esposito

- Sleeman – $13.99 for 12

5. Inter-Marché

-Moosehead, St.Ambroise, Sleeman – $14.99 for 12.

-Boréale – $7.99 for 6.

6. IGA and Tradition

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $17.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

Cheers!

The Bugler

73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, and 79.....

As a family, we went downtown and watched the St. Louis Cardinals victory parade down Market Street. Afterwards we went home and as our wives went shopping, we started drinking.

I’m going to stop saying that we have any kind of set number for how many beers we do in a sitting, because it never seems to stick. I do believe, however, that we have eclipsed the number that any sane person should do in a single sitting, but this is what happens when we are left to our own devices. We thought of the beer in terms of time and not beers.

In this round, we have seven different pale lagers from literally all over the world. We went with some macro lagers, imports, craft, etc. I think we have a very good mix of them. Because we’ve chosen beers from all over the world, we’re just going to call these pale lagers instead of Pale American Lagers, but it’s close enough for government work.

Michelob Original Lager (5% ABV)

The nights belong to Michelob....

Nik: Michelob Lager has a good head with clear bubbles. Like all AB/Inbev products, it has crystal clarity in its golden color. It has a malty aroma with a hoppy taste. It’s pleasantly bitter and it has a very smooth finish. It’s a standard AB Style Lager, but it’s definitely among the best they produce.

Bob: It’s been a while since I drank one of these, and it was much better than I remembered. A dark straw color in the glass, perfectly clear, with just the right amount of carbonation. A very nice white head that lasted well and laced the glass nicely. Hoppy aroma and pleasant bitterness. If this is not the best of the American light lagers it is certainly in the top two or three. Made will all barley (no rice or corn adjuncts) and it shows.

Pabst Blue Ribbon (4.7% ABV)

Hipster Gold, PBR

Nik: PBR, the choice of hipsters and broke college students alike. I had a brief phase a few years ago where I drank this lager fairly regularly, but I could get them for fifty cents each at the bar. PBR pours out a big head with tiny bubbles. There is a nice hop smell in the nose. It’s color is very clear and very pale. This beer’s color is nearly as pale as myself, and that’s saying something. This is one of the blandest beers I’ve ever had. Beyond its bitter finish, there’s just really not much to this lager to even mark it as a beer.

Bob: Now brewed in Illinois, PBR has not held up nearly as well across the decades as Michelob. A pale straw color, it had a good white head that laced the glass very well. Had a different hop aroma than Michelob, but not upleasant. After that it was all downhill. The taste and mouthfeel was watery and very light, as if rice were a major component in the brewing. Not nasty, just not very much taste there at all. Reminded me of a very delicately flavored carbonated water. Perhaps that’s what they are going for–who knows? In this style category I prefer Pellegrino.

Heineken Lager Beer (5% ABV)

Heineken or the go to Import Beer for many Americans.

Nik: Another hipster beer, but of another sort. This one is for refined hipsters, or just me too people. Heineken has a big head full of small bubbles and it is very long lasting. This lager has a nice golden hue without any hints of cloudiness and a strong hop aroma. This beer is very bitter and very enjoyable. This is a great session beer.

Bob:  Medium straw color with extremely good lacing and a very attactive characteristically spicy hop aroma. Outstanding bittering for a pale lager. This continues to be one of my very favorite go-to pale lagers, especially during the summer. Somehow I can always drink just one more squatty green bottle.

Aris by Mythos (4.7% ABV)

Greek Lager, Aris.

Nik: This one is a Greek lager. As you can see, we’re continuing the around the world feel that Heineken started right? Mythos has a big head with small bubbles. It has a good, but not great aroma. It has a cloudy yellow color and a yeast flavor. This beer is very unique and I can’t think of another I’ve had that tastes like this at all. It’s not my favorite, but it is something interesting.

Bob: Picked this up on sale because it is brewed by Mythos brewery in Greece. I’ve had their flagship Mythos Lager several times and always enjoyed it, but this offering is not nearly as good. The best things about it were the aroma, which was a nicely balanced blend of malt, hops and yeast, and the white head that lasted well and laced nicely on the glass. A medium straw color, but with a watery mouthfeel and very sweet taste. Some of the flavor components were strangely offputting, too, and it didn’t leave a pleasant aftertaste. Won’t be buying or drinking this one again.

Moosehead Lager (5% ABV)

Oh, Canada...or Nova Scotia's #1 Export...Moosehead

Nik: Now we head north of the border for a fine Canadian lager from Nova Scotia. It has a very big, long lasting  head of tiny bubbles. This beer has a very skunky aroma to it, but in a way that’s great and very pleasing to me. It’s pale yellow and wonderfully clear. Moosehead has a hoppy and sweet taste, but only mildly hoppy. It’s very smooth and has a nice hop flavor on the finish.

Bob: A skunky hop aroma that I find rather attractive. Medium straw color, with a nice head and lacing. Excellent balance of malt and hops, with good carbonation and a slightly sweet aftertaste. Moosehead is not my ultimate pale lager, but it is very pleasantly drinkable. Certainly the best Canadian lager I’ve tasted (though my range is limited.)

Schlafly Summer Lager (4.5% ABV)

Summer Lager is good to drink in October right?

Nik: Sorry, but we didn’t get to this beer in the summer time, so we’re lumping it in with other pale lagers. This beer has a another good, tight head. This is another of the very pale colors in this tasting, but it does have a bit of cloudiness to it. Like most of their offerings the aroma is very weak.  I really can’t quite put my finger on what’s going on in with this beer. It has a bit of a strange mouthfeel and a subtle hop finish. It’s not one of my favorite offerings by Schlafly, and drinking this makes me pine for their “American Lager”  that they released for a short time years ago.

Bob: It is probably heretical to criticize St. Louis’s first real craft brewer, but for my money Schlafly puts too many styles of beer into retail distribution to do all of them very well. They seem to want to be all things to all people, which just isn’t possible. We like many of their offerings, but others, as you can tell from our reviews, just completely miss the mark. This one had a pale straw color and good white head that laced the glass, but a cloudy appearance, an unusual hop odor and a very watery taste reminiscent of PBR–mostly carbonated water. Won’t be drinking this again.

Baltika 5 (5.3% ABV)

Russia...do they know how to beer?

Nik: And the final beer in the set is a Russian pale lager. Russia is definitely not on my mind when I think of fine import beers, but here we are. Another large head, but this one has big bubbles. This beer has a very translucent golden color, definitely living up to it’s reputation as a golden lager. It’s very sweet, and that’s about the extent of the flavor of this beer. It has no bitterness, hop taste, or malted flavors. All in all, there’s not much to like about this one.

Bob: This is Russian brewery Baltika’s golden lager offering. Have had their dark lager before, which was pretty tasty, and was looking forward to this. It was a big disappointment. Medium gold color in the glass, with a head that laced well but didn’t last. Little to no aroma of any kind, and an unpleasant taste, with too much sweetness and a strong phenolic aftertaste. Yuck.

1. Maxi

-Beck’s, Stella Artois – $23.77 for 24.

2. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $23.99 for 24. Until October 30th only.

3. Inter-Marché

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

4. IGA

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s – $26.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

-Unibroue Mix-You-Own Pack – $10.99 for 8. Until November 16th.

5. Tradition

-Alexander Keith’s, Beck’s, Rickard’s – $26.99 for 24 bottles or cans.

6. Métro

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $16.99 for 12 bottles or cans.

7. Richelieu

-Beck’s – $16.99 for 12.

UPDATE

Bugler readers take note that I will be in attendance at the 1st annual La Grande Dégustation de Montréal (successor of the Montreal Wine and Spirits Show), to take place at Palais de Congrès de Montréal – 201 Viger Avenue West, Montreal this coming Thursday through Saturday. Although the focus is on wine and spirits, with scotch whiskey and the country France featured this year, The Bugler is nevertheless sure that there will be some beer present.

The festival is open to the public for three days, Thursday Oct. 27 – 4PM – 9PM, Friday Oct. 28th – Noon – 9PM, and Saturday Oct. 29th, Noon to 9PM. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Cheers!

The Bugler

1. Maxi

-Alexander Keith’s, Moosehead, Rickard’s – $24.99 for 24.

2. IGA

-Beck’s, Rickard’s – $13.99 for 12, and receive as a bonus Bavarian sausage (approx. 375 g) FREE!

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $27.99 for 24.

3. Tradition

-Heineken, Stella Artois – $27.99 for 24.

4. Loblaws and Provigo

-Alexander Keith’s, Belle Gueule, Boréale, Molson Canadian, Moosehead, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $13.99 for 12.

5. Richelieu

-Alexander Keith’s, Rickard’s, Sleeman – $14.99 for 12 or 15.

6. Esposito

-Tremblay – $14.39 for 15.

-Grolsch – $7.99 for 4 X 500 ml cans.

7. Inter-Marché

-Tremblay – $22.99 for 24.

-Griffon – $7.99 for 6.

Cheers!

The Bugler