Type: Beer – Pale Lager
Name: Cusqueña – Regular
Price: S. 16 for a six pack
Made: Arequipa, Peru
Alc/Vol: 5%

Cusqueña, my first of many pale lager beers that I expect to enjoy while traveling through South America. It seems that this style of beer seems to be more abundant than most, the variety of beers tends to be limited. Although, there are a few other Cusqueña styles that I’ve enjoyed, their red lager, de trigo, and malta, these tend to be more of a novelty than the norm. My brother and sister-in-law would much rather drink a Corona, though I can’t understand why.

Cusquena, I guess you can call it regular but it is simply the standard one, has a sweet light scent about it. It pours a gold color with no head, except for a slight ring that laces the glass. The taste is light and carbonated as it tinges on the tongue. The flavor is that of a typical lager, malts come through but nothing overly special. This would be hard to distinguish from other lager beers, even though this is labeled “cerveza premium.”

It has drinkability, they are easy to go down, which if you think the total cost is about $6.25 for a six pack it isn’t that bad. However, as one of the only Peruvian beer exports I’m not sure I would pay an import price on this one. I give it 2.5 out of 5 bananas. It is middle of the road, and on a hot day is enjoyable but nothing more than that.

Samual Adams White Christmas Property of SamuelAdams.com

Type: Beer – Witbier
Name: Samuel Adams – White Christmas
Price: Gift
Made: Boston, MA
Alc/Vol: 5.8%

“As crisp as the first snow fall of the year, this unfiltered white ale is blended with holiday spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, & orange peel. The familiar citrus and wheat characters of the ale are complemented by the warmth of the spices for a festive brew that’s perfect for the season.”

I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a fan with any of these holiday Christmas beers. Usually, the are so overly doused with nutmeg and other holiday spices that I can’t really even call it a beer anymore, it’s like a liquid Christmas cookie. However, with this brew I was pleasantly surprised in the overall subtlety in its flavors.

The beer, in true witbier fashion, poured a nice hazy straw color. There was a small head that stuck around, always a good sign of a quality beer. The scent, well it could be the change of weather or allergies, but I didn’t pick up much of anything from the nose. There is just a tiny hint of citrus and maybe some background spices but nothing that I could pick up distinctly.

The taste was light, with the citrus flavors and a bit of holiday spice, but again light. Which is a good thing, too often beers are overly doused in nutmeg and cinnamon so that everything else is lost. If this beer had nutmeg it was just a sprinkle full and that is how I like it. This beer isn’t what I would consider a holiday/Christmas beer but it is a decent witbier with a hint of seasonal seasonings.

The mouth feel was heavy, which seemed unusual for the light scent and taste. It was thick, almost creamy as it washes over your tongue. I would have to give this beer a 4 out of 5 bananas. It was pretty good, I like what they did with the flavorings but it isn’t something that I would search out. I tip my hat to Sam Adams for making a holiday brew that I can enjoy, and that is commendable to me.

Type: Beer – Smoked Beer
Name: Rivertown Brewing Company – War: Smoked Red Ale
Price: $2.99
Made:   Cincinnati, OH
Alc/Vol: 5.1%

“War is a smoked Irish-style red ale, brewed with a wonderfully potent domestic cherry wood smoked barley. Rye and roast barley are there to remind you that war means fire as well as smoke, and a liberal dose of traditional UK amber malt provide the bold body war deserves. Save one for December 21st 2012

Batch No. 2 in The Brewmaster’s Reserve Limited Release Series. War is the second of four brews released centered around the Mayan apocalypse of 2012 signifying worlds end on December 21st 2012.” (more…)

Image property of www.flens.co.uk

Type: Beer – Hefeweizen
Name: Flensburger Brauerei – Weizen
Price: $2.99
Made:   Flensburger, Germany
Alc/Vol: 5.1%

“Flensburg beers have been brewed to a premium quality and in accordance with the German Purity Law of 1516 since 1888. With a unique water for brewing, that originates from North Scandinavian underground glacier flows. The typical ‘plop’ sound when the bottle is opened has long become the Flensburg trademark and stands for unique freshness and the good taste of Flensburg beers.” (more…)

Type: Beer – Dunkelweizen
Name: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan – Hefeweissbier Dunkel
Price: $2.99
Made:  Freising, Germany
Alc/Vol: 5.3% (more…)