Type:  Fruit Beer – Ale

Before I start flinging my opinion let us see what Wells and Youngs have to say about their own beer…

“This unique brew combines all the traditional qualities and style of a Charles Wells beer with the subtle flavour of banana

Wells Banana Bread Beer is a popular beer in the Wells and Young’s range of ales. The beer has achieved a number of accolades including winner of “Beer of the Festival” award at CAMRA’s London Drinker Festival in March 2002.

Available as a draught seasonal cask beer, Wells Banana Bread Beer can be found on the bar and, in its popular bottle format, in all leading supermarkets.”

Now on to what I have to say about this BANANA bread beer, emphasis of course on the BANANA! I’ll try to be subjective and not freak out over the fact that there is a beer with banana, well banana bread but does that really even matter because banana bread still has bananas.

Did I mention I’m a monkey? …. BANANA + BEER = well I’m not quite sure but I think you get a Nobel Peace prize for something like this.

The beer poured a nice amber color and smelled just like it should, fresh banana bread. It gave off a strong malty taste, a sweet bitterness. Not like I just bit into a banana taste, but a mild smooth banana bread taste, emphasis on the bread. If you inhale a deep breath after a sip/gulp you can really get that banana-y goodness.

I’m really not sure what this beer would pair well with but I would chalk it up as a dessert beer, although not sweet like other desert beers that are overly fruity because this one had that bread/malty aspect to it.

I really likes this beer (Shocker) but it was more of a novelty beer and I’m not sure this would be a beer you’d want to tilt back a twelve pack of for the whole night. No, this is more of a sweet tooth filler. Some people have an after dinner mint, well this is for those who need an after dinner sweet beer but don’t want the feeling like they just blew the ginger bread man’s lolipop.

Overall I give this beer a 4 out of 5 bananas (hehe that’s funny because it’s a banana beer, yeah I know you get it but it stills bares mentioning…..monkey damnit!) for a fruity beer, because it gives fruity beers a manly kick where others are more like a champagne of sorts.

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New Brew Tuesday: Wells Banana Bread Beer is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Photo Property of Paper Moon Vinyards via Facebook

Type: Wine – Lake Erie Cayuga White
Name: Paper Moon – Cayuga White
Price: Free for me, but for you?
Made: Vermillion, OH
Alc/Vol: 11%

I must seem to luck out on local wines because like Matus Winery – American Concord review I did, this lovely bottle came free of charge as well. How did I manage free wine you ask, well just get really upset when someone disposes of the wine  you had. A few weeks back I helped work at a local festival in my hometown of Lorain. After cleanup there were a few bottles of wine left over, I was ready to enjoy these delicious wines when I left them at the festival site. (I know, cardinal sin-esque) I rushed back the next morning only to find they had been pitched, to prevent the high school clean up crew from having at the bottle. I still fail to see why the bottle was punished for this. this left me devastated, truly, alcohol abuse in it’s worse offense. My mother shared my despair at a similar festival with the vineyards, thus the thought of a cute and cuddly little monkey without his wine tore into their hearts. They left a bottle for me, who needs puppy eyes when you have monkey everything?

Now I’m a red wine drinker preferably but I’ll never pass up a free wine especially when it is as good as this Cayuga White. Recently watching Bottle Shock I’ve been affirmed with the idea that great wine can come from anywhere. This one just so happens to be located in my hometown’s backyard of Vermillion, Ohio.

The soft subtly aroma matches its light taste, the cool wine gives off a sweet taste of something I just can’t put my paw on. Is it pear? The finish is not dry, it is listed as semi-dry, but I’m not sure how I would describe it. Their is a slight thick syrupiness that coats your tongue. Not in a spread it on your pancakes syrup but in a doesn’t wash over your tongue lightly leaving only a dry after taste, kind of way.

Where the light taste seems to fade away, the presence of a spicy finish goes down my throat finding a poetic mixture of sweet and spice to create a delicious wine. Where others may say that this wine is mild and forgettable, I say the subtle complexities give it its redeeming characters.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 bananas, and I hope to find more chances to taste this delicious wine soon. What is your take on this wine, have a different opinion or want to echo what I said? Then leave a comment below.

You can find our more about Paper Moon Vineyard by following them on twitter @PaperMoonVineyard or liking their fan page on Facebook

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New Brew Tuesday: Paper Moon – Cayuga White is a post from: Monkey Brewster

In 1990, Ichiban’s debut made a splash in the world of super premium beers. The luxurious single wort (or first press) process yields a unique, complex flavor. With his gold label and “Special Premium Reserve” appellation, Ichiban outclasses and outperforms. But don’t be fooled by a snooty attitude — this is a great beer that goes with anything.

What makes Ichiban great

Prominent wort. Finest barley malt, premium hops, smooth finish, no bitter aftertaste.”

I happened to have flung together a nice dinner of sashimi (tuna and salmon) along with a few rice balls for a nice Japanese style dinner, and had this beer in my fridge. My first assumption was that it would be a perfect pairing. It didn’t necessarily fall short of my expectations but it didn’t exceed them either. It is a good beer but it seems like Anheuser-Busch was holding this mystical kirin back from greatness, like a pit bull on a leash it just wasn’t what it was all cracked up to be.

The beer has a nice malty taste with a spicy finish, the malty flavor threw me off because I was expecting a rice beer flavor more like Saparro. Yet here with Kirin Ichiban there was a malt flavor, so I can’t tell what is different since this one hails less from the east where the sun rises and more towards the west coast of California. The spicy finish had a sweet lemon like twist to it that came off nice and full of flavor. So with all this malty spicy goodness why am I complaining, well it tasted as if it was slightly watered down or diluted which is definitely not how I like describing my beers. Especially after you just read the ego stroking description with words like ‘special’, ‘premium’ and ‘luxurious’.

I give this mystical beer a 2.5 out of 5 banana rating. I had higher expectations, especially since I drank this with a Japanese dish. What’s your take on this beer – does it tickle your taste buds or fall short of expectations. Who knows maybe Japanese lagers just aren’t my favorite, but I’ll do some closer examining when I visit Japan this December.

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New Brew Tuesday – Kirin Ichiban is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The Legend of ‘Hop’ Wallop

“So Horace ‘Hop’ Wallop headed west a broken man. For in the city of Blues a Miss LuLu Bell Lager had left him thirty for more. Drawn by wild tales of riches to be had in the gold mines, Hop pressed on westward. His last nickle spent on a prospecting pan Hop’s hunger got the best of him. Two fist fulls of barely and three of some wild and Wayward hops tossed in a pan with some clear water was to be his meal but sleep overcame him and he later awoke to a bubbling cacophonous concoction overjoyed with the beautiful ale he had made, Hop realized the secret of the green gold he had discovered in those fresh hops. Celebrated far and wide Hop Wallop lives on this vivid ale with his words, ‘Hoppyness is Happiness’. Enjoy!”

That is one mouthful of a story to place on a beer bottle! I’m not sure how true the story is but one look at that lovable face of ‘Hop’ and you just can’t help but want to believe it. I believe this may be my first double IPA, now I’m not to sure what the difference between an IPA and a double IPA but I assume it means double to hoppy bitter taste.

This beer didn’t let me down, it has a good strong IPA taste. Was it double what your average IPA is? Well I don’t know, but it sure was hoppy. No not hoppy as in my friend @BouncyMcTigger likes to bounce, hop and skip (it’s really just bouncing, she would best leave the hopping to rabbits). The aftertaste lingers with that rich bitter taste and there isn’t a strong taste of alcohol even though it has 8.5%.

I could picture myself drinking this beer on a regular occurrence, which is why I give this beer 4 out of 5 bananas. Are you an IPA drinker, because if so I’d recommend you picking up a bottle with that lovable guy ‘Hop’ Wallop on it.

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New Brew Tuesday: Victory – Hop Wallop is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer – Belgian Dark Ale
Name: Rinkuškiai Werewolf
Price: $1.99
Made: Birzai Region Lithuania
Alc/Vol: 8.2%

This big bottle o’ beer knew how to get a drunken monkey’s attention – a big red tag that says, ‘Hey look at me I’m full of alcohol, good and strong not like that sissy crap that might as well be a Zima.’  OK so it actually just says 8.2% alc/vol however on the bottle it does say, “You must be sure you want to taste it.” Which I like because if the she-wolf wasn’t sassy enough that statement makes sure it is.  Truth be told the only thing out of Lithuania that I can name, other than this beer now, is Žydrūnas Ilgauskas who plays for the great Cleveland Cavaliers and I can’t even say his name I just say ‘Z’. Although,this could explain the giant bottle because if the average Lithuanian is 7′ 3″ tall then this wouldn’t seem like that big of a bottle.  So did this beer have me howling at the moon….

Not exactly. I liked the beer and expected a strong bitter taste due to the high alcohol content, but instead it surprised me with a soft sweet taste. The aroma was mild and sweet, which should have tipped me off that this was no malt liquor alcohol stooped broozer of a beer but instead a delicate flavor-full drink. There was only a hint of bitterness to it, with a spicy-hoppy flavor that rested in your throat. The flavor was hard to describe because nothing stuck out in the flavor, which gave me a 180 from what I was expecting.

It has been awhile since I’ve had one, but for some reason I kept thinking of a Sam Adams Winter Lager as something to compare it to. That sweet spiced flavor that was good but more of a specialty beer, not something that I would drink all night. To be honest by the end of the bottle I was done with this beer and ready to move on to a different drink.

I gave this beer a 3 out of 5 bananas, and even then I don’t know where to put it. It’s good but in small doses, full of flavor and spice but not distinctive and it has a high alc/vol but not a strong alcohol taste. I think I was more confused by this beer than anything else which is why it ends up somewhere in the middle. Have you ever tried this beer before, what’s your take on it – love it/hate it let me know and fling me your opinion.

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New Brew Tuesday: Rinkuškiai Werewolf is a post from: Monkey Brewster

I feel pretty oh so pretty and witty and bright...

Type: Beer – Pilsner
Name: Stiegl Pils
Price: $1.59
Made: Austria
Alc/Vol: ?%

“World Classic Beer – since 1492″

“Imported beer brewed since 1492 by the Stiegl brewery brewed from malt, hops, yeast mountain spring water according to the ‘Purity Law of 1516′”
Now this is a beer that I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of setting my paws on. I mean when Columbus was off getting lost and discovering inhabited lands by accident Austrians were stumbling onto a real discovery, beer. Golden delicious pilzen beer, sure beer has been around before 1492 but do you know of too many other beers still around from that time? I didn’t think so, which tells me one of two things either the Austrians know how to stick with a good thing that or they’ve been too drunk since then to create anything new.

This beer doesn’t feed you a story of collected from pure mountain spring waters of yadda yadda mountain. No it adheres to the purity law of 1516,  maybe it’s the history geek in me but I think that is pretty friggin cool, but enough about the history and onto the beer.

The beer had a good smooth hoppy flavor, not too strong, but with a good bitter taste with a dry finish. The more I drank this the more I liked it, which says a lot since I though this beer was delicious from first sip. It is simple but delicious, no fluff added to it and none needed either.

While other pilsner beers like Budweiser tastes watered down or Red Stripe has a cheap taste to it, this beer will bring serious beer drinkers to take a second look at where this beer came from. On the other hand, it is sad to see how far pilsner beers have fallen when succumb to commercial marketing, but fret not my thirsty friend for there are those that hold strong to their beliefs.

I dare say that this beer is worthy of the first ever, 5 out of 5 banana rating on New Brew Tuesday, I was leery at first to give out a perfect rating but after so deep personal soul searching and a watering mouth just from talking about this beer I realize it’s the right thing to do. Have you ever had this beer, what was your take did you love it as much as I did or would you not even fling this beer at an enemy?

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New Brew Tuesday: Stiegl Pils is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer – Full Pale
Name: O.K. Beer Okocim
Price: $1.59
Made: Brzesco, Poland
Alc/Vol: 5.6%

“Okocim O.K. is a fine and delicate brew, deriving its quality from a recipe which incorporates the best of indigenous Polish hop varieties, luxurious barley and only the softest mountain water

The O.K. label remains mostly unchanged from its original design from forty years ago. The beer itself helped define “Polish Pils style”, which in turn separated Polish beers from the many other European brands.”

I’m not sure what it was trying to distinguish itself from, because European beers tend to be pretty good – I mean it is  where beer was perfected by monks who had nothing else in their life but to pray for and study beer. I know pilsener beer is a light beer but I was hoping for a more full bodied beer from Poland, I mean it’s friggin cold over there.

Anyways, this beer had a sweet yet watered down taste, even for a pils. I really didn’t notice anything that would set this apart from a domestic beer that would make me search out this beer. I could have been drinking a bud light for all that I would of known. It was, as the name says, an OK beer, nothing more nothing less. I give this beer an medium/OK rating of 2.5 out of 5 bananas. Have you had this beer, did you have a different impression?

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New Brew Tuesday: O.K. Beer Okocim is a post from: Monkey Brewster

This beer hails all the way form the land of the rising sun, a certified beer drinking culture. True, I’ve never visited Japan but I had done some serious research when I thought I had a job teaching English. What did this research bring to light, well never use your chopsticks as drumsticks and the Japanese people love their beer. Sure there is sake, but I’ve never had any and I’m not sure if I want to ruin my possible future love for sake by drinking some cheap liquor store import. But beer, oh glorious beer I know so I was excited to see what would be my first alcohol induced experience to better understanding Japan. (yes you can get that deep about beer)

So what did this beer bestow on me, unfortunately mediocrity. Maybe it is the fact that this beer is made with rice and corn instead of the grains I’m used to, but this beer was OK at best. It is not that I didn’t like this beer it’s that I just didn’t anything this beer, it really left no impression on me. I would recommend this to new beer drinkers after they want to take a step up from the soda pop beer Warsteiner Lemon. I give this beer 2 bananas, what do you think? How did you feel about this beer, love it/hate it? Let me know.

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New Brew Tuesday: Sapporo is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer – Stout
Name: Lion Stout
Price: $1.99
Made: Sri Lanka
Alc/Vol: 8%

Similar to Estrella Damm this beer gives its own introduction, so what does the bottle have to say about the beer?

“…the stout was soft, fresh and quite delicious. This was the top-fermenting Lion Stout … It was bottle-conditioned and had an extraordinary chocolaty, mocha … character.” – Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter

OK so there is a picture of Michael Jackson on the back next to his quote and no it’s not that Michael Jackson – this is a white guy. No, I mean a real white guy, the singer was more of a Black boy turned white woman. Any who, how do you get a title like ‘The Beer Hunter’ I mean he isn’t just any beer hunter but ‘The Beer Hunter’ – notice the capitalization and ‘The’ placed before it. I’d be happy with just being an everyday beer hunter – hmm a monkey can dream….

I digress, back to the beer. That Michael Jackson beer hunter guy was right on it had a chocolaty mocha taste. The problem was this wasn’t what I’m looking for in a beer. This beer had a rich full bodied scent that was sort of similar to a Guinness but I personally think that is the basic stout smell breathing through the beer. The sweet full bodied taste was good but lacked that bitter taste that comes with a Guinness. I want to compare it to that but Guinness is in its’ own category of stout beers. If you like that typical sweet chocolaty coffee like flavoring than you will like this beer. I give this stout 3.5 bananas out of 5. What keeps it from a 4 or maybe even a 4.5 is that I liked it but wasn’t exactly craving another one after I finished my first – my sweet tooth had been tamed and didn’t want any more.

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New Brew Tuesday: Lion Stout is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer

Name: Estrella Damm

Price: $1.99

Made: Barcelona, Spain

Alc/Vol: ?%

So before I tell you how I feel about the beer, let us see what the bottle has to say about itself…

“La Cerveza de Barcelona: Since 1876 when August Kuentzmann Damm arrived from Alsace, Estrella Damm has been brewed as a premium quality beer in Barcelona. Estrella means star in Spanish and its name suggests the brand has become a star to the people of Barcelona. It has evolved with the city reflecting its character – sophisticated and passionate yet at the same time relaxed and welcoming. Estrella Damm is THE BEER OF BARCELONA”

I would say that the little introduction to the beer is cocky, but it really is that damm good. I think the most notable thing is that it leaves a dry taste that washes over your mouth after the initial taste. Which depending on what you like could be a good or bad thing. A couple reasons explaining my liking of this beer are the  facts that the overall taste of the beer provides with a good smooth flavor, and it goes well with a meal.  I would buy a 6 pack of Estrella Damm for a beach lunch with friends. Which of course would make me the star host. (ok I’m sorry about the bad puns)

This isn’t your fancy strong flavored German bier but there is something about it that I like. I dare so bold a move as to give it 4 out of 5 bananas.

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New Brew Tuesday: Estrella Damm is a post from: Monkey Brewster