Day 38: 02.07.10 Dixie Brewing - battle o' the lagers

Programming note: What's this? Two beers? C'mon man! It's Superbowl sunday. You can't do just one beer on a day like today! 


Dixie Brewing Co.
New Orleans, Louisiana


Dixie Lager v. Dixie Blackened Voodoo


Style: American Adjunct Lager - Munich Dunkel Lager
Availability:
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 4.6% - 5.0%


Bottle & text Info:
No website? What's with that. Here's what. And yes, this has been copied and pasted from wikipedia so the below information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate:

"The Dixie Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dixie Brewing was founded and began production in 1907 and is the only remaining large volume brewery within the city of New Orleans^[2], a city that once was home to several major breweries (most notably, Falstaff). Several microbreweries and brewpubs exist in the city, and the popular Abita Brewing Company is located nearby.

In 2005, the Dixie Brewery was severely damaged when Mid-City New Orleans flooded from the levee failure disaster during Hurricane Katrina. After the area was dewatered the brewery complex was looted with much of the equipment stolen. Despite early claims that the brewery would be restored, it remains off line as of October 2009 and the future of the facilities is uncertain. The brand remains in business, brewed under contract by breweries elsewhere (Minhas Brewery/Joseph Huber Brewing - Monroe, WI.)." 

Additionally, word is that the remaining facility will remain intact as it is considered a historical landmark and it will become part of the LSU/VA's facilities.

Tasting Notes: 

Dixie Lager: Pours a bright straw gold with small head and lots of rising bubbles. The nose you ask? stop it. It's an american adjunct. Serve it so cold it has no smell. Taste of sweet grain, corn and a sweetner not too far from corn syrup. ew. save yourself a couple bones and just pick up some PBR. Same difference.


Dixie Blackened Voodoo:
Pours a deep amber with a cream colored head that shows good retention. Smells of caramel and unsweetened molasses. Some slight grain throughout but mainly carmel with a smoky and slightly dry finish. A surprisingly successful representation of a style that American brewers routinely butcher. See this? It's my surprised face.


The winner? Let's hope the Super Bowl is better than this! Blackened Voodoo in a blowout!


Post Katrina: yikes.

Day 27: 01.27.10 Red Oak Amber Lager

Red Oak Brewery

Whitsett, North Carolina


Amber Lager


Style: Munich Urtyp Lager
Availability: Year Round
Format: 12oz - 12pk
ABV: ?
Malt: Two Row, Munich
Hops: Spalt
Yeast: Weihenstephen 


Bottle text & Info:


From the brewery: Red Oak Amber is a Munich Urtyp (Old Style) Lager. We begin the brewing process with custom kilned imported Munich Malt. Red Oak is then hopped with Spalt Noble Hops imported from Bavaria, the oldest hop growing region in the world. Before fermentation we add a yeast strain from Weihenstephen, the oldest brewery in the world, founded before 1040 AD. Weeks of aging gives Red Oak the smooth taste it is known for. 


Tasting Notes:
Pours a bright, clear amber with a two and a half inch billowy cream colored head. I'll give this beer two things: great head retention, nice mouthfeel. Had a Yuengling before? Yeah, me too. Then you know what this smells like. Some sweet malt in the front followed by a lengthy grain notes with some souring and buttering on the finish. Perhaps no diacetyl rest stage for the folks down at red oak. What is an amber lager anyways? is it an amber? or a lager? is this an austrian style lager using german ingredients? Cripes. Overall, this is ok. A mass appeal beer with a lot of followers here in the N.C. From a retail standpoint, I'm glad to see this finally bottled so I don't have to field anymore "do you guys carry red oak?" A solid option if you're at a NASCAR event or an airport. That's where it ends for me. I'm a little irritated I fielded three phone calls in the last two weeks badgering me about how cold this had to be stored since it's unpasteurized. Whatever Red Oak. You guys bottled with screw caps. How's that for preserving freshness. And what's with this "we brew with all german malts, all german hops, and according to the German Purity law." You're brewing in the heart of NASCAR country. No one cares.