Country House Red Ale

Jen and I picked this up prior to going to the pottery building to throw some pots and attempt my long lost skills on the wheel...with little success. I've been interested in Argus brewery, because they are Chicago based, and began as a contract brewery. Their products recently appeared on the shelves of the Rock Island Hy-vee in a mass variety of options. Finally reviewed Saturday evening before our weekly beer dinner.
4.14% ABV

Appearance: Rusted copper with a very hazy texture. The head is well sustained and soapy white along the glass but gets more dense the towards the center. Lacing is linear and dry. Particulates and other flocculates are present, more than likely hops/yeast/trub proteins.

Aroma: Bready with a prominent spicing to it. Floral and sharply hopped. Some fruitiness is present along side a vininess and other tannic smells. There is a bit of oxidation and off flavor revolving around byproducts of the yeast, mostly strange esters.

Taste: Some cane sugar sweetness up front with a minute amount of breadiness for a malt foundation. There is a lot of astringency in this beer that follows the wake of the hops. Woodsy and floral. Fruity esters and a sharp spicing hit the back of the throat at the finish. A bit of solvent alcohol is tasted too. Kind of maintains a "homebrew" flavor to me of poor temperature control. A bit stale and peppery. Dan came up with a good reminiscent description for it..."tastes a bit like the smell of that model airplane glue we used to build airplanes with when we were younger."
Mouthfeel: Lightened body with a high carbonation that bites in the second half of the beer. Soft going down, but very resinous, woody and dry.
Overall Impression: Not at all clean tasting. Oxidized and papery. I was disappointed with this beer, especially after having the Pegasus IPA, which was fantastic in comparison. This beer had a lot of off flavors to do with the yeast. Hop profile could be improved too. Instead, my template for a good red ale would be:
North Coast Red Seal;
Summit Horizon Red

Quigley's Patrons Reserve

Thanks to Joshhua Schipp for getting this at Hy-vee within an assorted Six pack a coulpe weeks ago. Reviewed Christmas eve in the house by myself after spending the day cleaning up for tomorrow's Pizza making fest!

Appearance: The optimal copper color of a beer, represented with a overall  frothy head that results in a crater'd lacing accross the surface of the beer.  Generally very still lookinhg with wet lacing.

Aroma: Definitely bready with an undertone of biscuit kilned malt. The backbone is upfront and personal while the yeast contributes an afterthought of dryness and crisp hop character, Woody and reminiscent of hay and harvest corn.

Taste: Biscuity and again, bready. The malt bill isn't very substantial, but it certainly contributes a palatable flavor and base for the rest of the beer. Reminds me of Anchor's Steam ale....Technically I believe it is a steam ale. Dry flavor rounds out the finish with an assertive hop character. The aftertaste retains what was acknowledged in the foretaste while reducing to a lesser grainy flavor. Earthy hops and a touch of herbalness. The pinnical of a steam/california common ale!

Mouthfeel: Light to meduium bodied with a very subtle carbonation that only makes a slight zip on the tongue. Relatively uneventful texture while maintaining a kind of gluey feel on the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: They claim a low level of sweetness, but I think the sweetness is drawn out longer than most beers and distributed overall, there is a mesh of hop and malt flavor throughout the entire thing, and little division. Certainly balanced and extremely palatable, and local! I appreciate beer brewed for certain bars! Down the alcohol and then I can even call it a session ale.

Holsteiner Lager

500th Post! Thank you Kaylee Vande Voorde for bringing a six pack of this over last night for a micro-brew tasting. I'm interested in Argus because they were mostly a contract brewery and they seem to be popping up everywhere, so they must be doing alright. Tasted Monday afternoon while making my second attempt at Foccacia bread.

Sound: When opening, the beer let out a fresh, over-pressured pop. Nice.

Appearance: I'd say more ambered with a reddish tinge when the glass is filled. Perhaps coppered when poured. Head is sustained a couple minutes after pour, but falls thereafter into an entire off white film caressing the surface of the beer. A dense ring coats the perimeter of the glass. Lacing is wet. Clarity is optimal aside for the color inhibitory factor.
Aroma: Lightly toasted malt parallels a rich caramel backbone. Floral hop undertones reside against a near fruity character. A bit of a soapy smell is present however.
Taste: Toastiness appears to be more prominent in the foretaste of the beer, but the caramel transcends the rest of the sweetness. Midtaste is complemented by a brief note of fruity esters, only to be completely masked by a noble, floral hop bitterness. There still remains a subtle soap like element in the back of the mouth once the beer has left the palate. It remains in conjunction with the re-appearance of the toasted barley flavor in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with somewhat of a watery profile at the tip of the tongue. Carbonation braces the sides of the tongue and is on the lower side, but nothing too far noticeably negative. Crisp, but still leaves a cloying coat on the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: Definitely a beer worth trying. A base of toasted malt and noble hops from your Bavarian brewtheran. Everything was well balanced except for that soapy element that was retained in the aroma and taste. Something certainly needing to be worked out in order to reach it's fantastic potential.
Price: $9.49/6-pack

Pegasus IPA

Thanks to David Misewicz for allowing me to have this beer. He had first tried this beer on tap at Finnegan's Irish pub and liked it enough to buy a six pack. I got the last one and got an opportunity to review it following a quite Thursday evening with a vegetable medley stir fry with Singh family eggs, brown rice and goat cheese.

Appearance: Poured into a wine glass, this beer exhibits a rubied copper color. For the most part this beer is relatively hazy, but just clear enough to see through. Visible carbonation. No head whatsoever.
Aroma: Aroma is citrus and grapefruit immediately tempting the nostrils. Hops hold prominently in this beer with a floral undertone and a grassy bill. Some strong zestiness remains continuously present after swirl or not. Caramel malt definitely takes a background in the aroma. Some pine and hop resins also noted. As the beer warms it does develop some mild fruitiness.
Taste: Very grassy at first leaving little room for any malt sweetness or complexity within the hops. Gradually though, as the bitterness mellows and the palate adjusts, the time of bitterness with each taste shortens and extends a developmental complexity, while a malted foretaste emerges. The first rush to the taste buds it a short lived caramel toasted maltiness that then transitions into a blast of grass. Following is where much of the assortment of flavors may emerge in the form of bittering grapefruit zest and floral hops. The magnum hops used in this beer are made extremely apparent with the strength of the bitterness. Pine and tropical fruit husks may be picked out especially originating from the cascade hops.
Mouthfeel: Very clean. Medium body with a higher carbonation that doesn't spike the tongue but instead froths over it making the beer quite crisp and refreshing, while smooth and drinkable. From the magnum hops, the final sensation is a dry resinous texture on the palate.
Overall Impression: best tasted warm to appreciate the full potential of the hop flavors. I wasn't impressed in the beginning with the indistinct bitter taste, but allowing short sips and the beer to warm will generally help one to appreciate this beer. I like it, and you can to if you give it a chance. I really like the label with this one both for its simplicity and the readability of the brewery's origin and the character profile of the beer.