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Latest Reviews

Explore The Beer Connoisseur® magazine's database of most recent beer and cider reviews as evaluated by our panel of judges in the Official Review.

Haywire Hefeweizen

Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
81
Aroma:
17 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
35 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
15 / 20

Arguably one of the progenitors of the American wheat beer genre, Haywire’s antecedent, Pyramid Wheaten Ale, helped define a uniquely American style. Staying true to its origins, Pyramid’s Haywire is a clean, refreshing beer that doesn’t color... Read More

Purple Haze

Purple Haze

Louisiana
United States
Purple Haze, Abita Brewing Co.
Description 

Purple Haze® is a lager brewed with real raspberries added after filtration. It is brewed with pilsner and wheat malts and Vanguard hops. The berries add a fruity aroma, tartly sweet taste and a subtle purple color and haze...you may see fruit pulp in the beer.

This beer is best served with salads or light fruit desserts, such as soufflés or chiffon cakes. Many people enjoy it with chocolate desserts. Purple Haze® pairs well with certain cheeses, such as ripened Brie or any dessert made with mascarpone. It’s also great paired with entrees prepared with fruit, especially citrus. Consider enjoying Purple Haze® alone at the end of your meal as dessert.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
4.2%
IBUs: 
13
Served at: 
38° F
Malts: 
Pilsner, Wheat
Hops: 
Vanguard

 

 


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Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
81
Aroma:
19 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
34 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
14 / 20

For nearly 25 years, Abita has been synonymous with New Orleans, and their beers are now widely distributed.

Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
82
Aroma:
20 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
34 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
15 / 20

A tipple that has developed a dedicated, and rightfully deserved, local fan base in its hometown of Salt Lake City, Golden Spike is a beer that one judge deemed “the stuff of liters.” Exceedingly quaffable and unabashedly unobtrusive, this beer... Read More

Saison Rue

Saison Rue
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
84
Aroma:
18 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

The Bruery produces somewhat esoteric beers in the Los Angeles suburbs, constantly building upon an already avid, loyal following.

Circus Boy

Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
86
Aroma:
21 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

A distinctly fruity example of the style, redolent with notes of lush tropical fruit and bright, tangy citrus, Circus Boy is a complex, intriguing brew. It presents as a pale golden, notably hazy beer, with a surprisingly low head for the style... Read More

Red Barn Ale

Red Barn Ale Lost Abbey Beer
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
88
Aroma:
21 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20

For the past four years, the former Pizza Port director of brewing operations, Tomme Arthur, has been producing some of California’s most sought-after beers at Port Brewing Company/ the Lost Abbey.

Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
89
Aroma:
21 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

Available in the United States since 2000, Hitachino Nest has garnered somewhat of a cult following among American beer lovers. Although its availability can be limited at times, this is a highly sought-after brew, and rightfully so.

Double White Ale

Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
90
Aroma:
23 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
7 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20

With his Double White Ale, Southampton Publick House’s brewmaster, Phil Markowski, has taken a sublimely American turn on this classic style.

Saison Vos

Saison Vos Sly Fox Beer
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
92
Aroma:
23 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

The good folks at Sly Fox, nestled quietly in the western Philadelphia suburbs, have been brewing quality beers for close to 15 years, and they have developed a large, seriously loyal fan base.

Allagash White

Allagash White

Maine
United States
Allagash White by Allagash Brewing Co.
Description 

Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
5.0%
IBUs: 
21
Served at: 
38 - 50°
Malts: 
two-row pale malt, wheat, and oats
Hops: 
Perle, Tettnanger, and Saaz

 

 


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Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
92
Aroma:
21 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

Tucked away just off the Maine Turnpike in the seaport of Portland, Allagash Brewing has been turning out superb beers since 1995, and Allagash White – the brewery’s original brand and still its flagship – is no exception.

Oberon Ale

Oberon Ale

Michigan
United States
Bell's Oberon Ale Beer
Description 

Bell's Oberon is a wheat ale fermented with Bell's signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer beer.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
5.8%
IBUs: 
26
Served at: 
42° F
Hops: 
Saaz

 

 


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Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
93
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

An effervescent, refreshing example of the rather ubiquitous American wheat beer style, Bell’s Oberon deftly balances hop, malt and yeast characters in a highly quaffable brew. It pours a pale, cloudy straw color topped by a creamy, meringue-like... Read More

Cuvée René

Lindemans Beer Cuvee Rene
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
94
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
39 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

A classic example of what some consider the oldest existing beer in the world, gueuze, Cuvée René is a traditional blend of young and old lambics produced in Belgium’s Senne River Valley.

Hofbräu Hefe Weizen

Hofbräu Hefe Weizen
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
95
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Hofbräuhaus, in Munich, is truly a “must see” spot for beer lovers, and their beers are rightfully legendary. Hofbräu Hefe Weizen is an elegant interpretation of this classic style, displaying all the trademark aromas and flavors of banana,... Read More

Saison DuPont Beer

Saison DuPont Beer

Belgium
Saison DuPont Beer
Description 

The Saison Dupont is a top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle.
Coppery blond, the finest aromas and a strong bitterness transform this beer into a thirst-quenchener with no equal, just the way it was created. Dupont's selection of yeasts is the perfect base for these typical aromas and ditto taste. A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result into this complex and particular aromatic beer.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
6.5%
IBUs: 
28
Served at: 
48 - 52° F

 

 


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Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
96
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
20 / 20

For more than a century and a half, Brasserie Dupont has produced what is surely the benchmark by which all farmhouse ales are measured – Saison Dupont.

Hefe-Weissbier

Hefeweissbier Weihenstephaner Beer
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
97
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
39 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
20 / 20

Though it is unclear precisely when Weihenstephan began producing weissbiers, beer has been made at their site for close to a millennium – at least as far back as 1040.

Hanssens Oude Kriek

Hanssens Oude Kriek Beer
Reviewed by: BC Review
Judges Rating:
99
Aroma:
24 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
40 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
20 / 20

In the interest of full disclosure, this was a sample from my cellar that had roughly two years of age on it, in addition to the three-plus years it already matured prior to shipping. Still, this is truly a world-class beer, irrespective of its... Read More

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