199. Stoudts Pils

Another dinner, another opportunity to crack open a beer to compliment my food.  The beer was poured into a pilsner glass.  3 plus fingers of white frothy head paired with a hazy golden color.  Nice looking beer.  Solid retention with the head, it leaves a lot of sticky goodness on the interior.  Aromas are muted and simplistic.  Floral hops paired with some grassy notes and crackers.

The taste isn't what I'm expecting.  Has a sourdough bread type of taste blended with some peppery notes from the carbonation, some faint citrus (lemon) notes, and butter.  The buttery taste gives it a slick mouthfeel, to go with a moderate body and moderate carbonation.

I have to admit, the taste was something I had to get used to.  Wasn't expecting the sourdough bread to come through as it did.  Still, I found the beer to be easy to drink.  I don't know how representative this beer is of the style, but it was a solid brew and I'd drink it again.  Agree or disagree?  Just let me know!

Grade: B-
Price Paid: $2.50 (12 oz bottle)

133. Sweetwater Road Trip

I thought this beer was fitting since I found myself in Charlotte for work and wasn't near home to enjoy this brew.  After a solid three hours to get to the hotel, I was more than ready to enjoy a beer with some dinner from the comfort of my hotel room.  I had packed three beers with me while I was on my work trip, but this was the only one that I actually got around to drink.  Don't worry readers, I was able to compensate with some other beers.

Again, I was lacking in the beverage holder department and had to resort to the coffee cup.  The beer poured a hazy straw color into the cup, with about a finger or two of head.  When I last used the coffee cup to hold a beer, it was with Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA and I mentioned that the head on this thing goes on forever.  I got the same result with Sweetwater's Road Trip.  I think it's something to do with the cup.  Insane.  Anyway, I got tired of waiting and opted to suck down some of the head.  Aromas were pretty light, some malts and some grassy notes and that was all she wrote.

The malt comes out in the taste, followed by the familiar grassy notes and a little bit of wheat.  I thought I detected a little bit of spice as well.  There's a nice bitter, dry finish that makes you want to take another drink.  Not bad at all.  I thought the beer was medium bodied with moderate carbonation.  I could see this beer as a very sessionable summer beer, certainly better than some of the adjunct beers that are readily available.  While this didn't wow, it was still enjoyable.  Try one if you can!

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $1.80 (12 oz bottle)