Good Beer on a Budget 3: Stoudt's Fat Dog

As opposed to usually where the thought storms into my mind "Maybe I should write a blog post... ah, nevermind, I'll do... anything else," tonight I actually will publish a post! Tonight, I'd like to share with you the wonder of the Fat Dog.

Taste: Similar in many ways to Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout, another of my favorite good beers on a budget, this like liquid chocolate velvet cake (without being overly sweet.) The mouthfeel is fairly thick without being like Southern Tier's Choklat, which is like Syrup. This beer is excellent, there is a subtle hint of coffee, a decent amount of dark chocolate that becomes more intense and builds up to a sizable amount if you're like me and can't just have one. For those of you that are partial to beers that are utterly delicious, you simply MUST try this. It's a self described "Imperial Oatmeal Stout," which means it will have a tendency towards being a little more sweet. This beer is in my wheelhouse for sure.

ABV: This beer is no shrinking violet, checking in at around 9% ABV. You'll definitely get what you pay for in terms of taste and warmth. I actually like the fact that it's not above 10% because that means there'll be more showcasing of the flavors than the hot-ness of the ABV. After two, you'll be warm and pleasant... and possibly be ready for bed.

Price: This is the best part... ready for it? How about now? Ok... $11 per 6 beers! Oh hells yes! I actually am physically struggling not to bolt off the couch to hit Total Wine down the street and pick up another Sixer... I think I can exercise some self control (but who would want to if you could get some of this stuff?)

Bottom Line: Like stronger stouts? Are your favorite Nature Valley bars the Dark Chocolate ones? Do you fancy chocolate cake? Are you alive? Ok, then run, don't walk, to the store and acquire some of said beverage, it's beer geek ambrosia.

Good Beer on a Budget 2: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

This one is very late, I know, but its necessary for me to publish a post on this. This beer, after all, was the whole inspiration for me to write such a post. This beer is an absolute steal on three fronts: taste, ABV content, and price.

Taste: This beer excels at being a smooth stout. If you're looking for something roasty, you're going to have to look elsewhere - the only bite you'll find here is from the hints of dark chocolate. Having been a while since I've had one, I'll have to update this post the next time I get one just to be more accurate.

ABV: Clocking in at around 10% ABV, this beer really gives you the nice warming experience of a good beer because, well, it is a fantastic beer! Anyways, two of these will put you over the edge, but you'd never know it from how smooth the beer is.

Price: And here's the kicker. You can get a four pack of this beer, which should easily retail for $10 or over, for $7.95. I believe, although I've not seen it, that they have been known to carry this beer at Trader Joe's, in which case, we could be looking at prices even lower.

Yet again, Garrett Oliver gives me reasons to really like him.

Good Beer on a Budget 1: Sam Adams Noble Pils

This is the first in what I hope to be a long series of entries that helps beer geeks out there get their fill of good beer even if money is an issue. The first beer that I'll mention is the latest addition to the Samuel Adams family - the Noble Pils.

What's so Noble? - Samuel Adams, usually known for its 24 (now 25) different styles of beer, most often succeeds in crafting a decent beer and a somewhat reasonable price. The Sam Adams Boston Lager (or, as it's known most everywhere in America, Sam Adams) is a decent vienna-style lager that focuses on two things - Crystal 60 malt and Hallertau Noble Hops. "Noble" is to the Hop as "hierloom" is to Tomato. That being said, the five varieties of Noble Hops are native to Germany and tend to be low in bitterness-infusing alpha acids. So, by using noble hops as opposed to say, Cascade or its beefed-up cousin, the Centennial Hop, you get a nice crisp hop bite that focuses less on back-of-the-tongue sting and astringency and more on flavor. The Noble Pils actually contains all five Noble Hops.

The Taste - The first word that comes to mind with regards to Noble Pils is refreshing. It's a lot like what Americans can expect from their pils' with such similar brews as Victory's Prima Pils that focus on hops, much like Dale's Pale Ale brings to the Pale Ale genre. However, the earthiness of the hops comes through nicely while remaining drinkable making the Noble Pils the perfect beer for a warm spring afternoon.

Cost - This beer usually goes for about $12-13 per 12 pack from what I've seen, and it's worth every penny. The best thing about this beer? Sam Adams, being as widely known as they are, has distribution is just about every state in the nation. Not only that, stores that don't necessarily specialize in beer, such as 7-11's and grocery stores, are more likely to carry this than Prima Pils or any other decent beer.

Bottom Line - If you're out and about, looking to pick up a good beer without it being too bitter and without it being sweet (like many of the faux-witbiers that are out there today) this should definitely be at the top of the to-try list. I will say that this beer even appeals to me, who is a very avid fan of Barrel Aged Barleywines and Imperial Stouts - obviously not in terms of similarities in taste, but that it offers a lot of good flavor for a good price. Normally I would be less than pleased with a new Sam Adams addition, but they can keep this one around as long as they want; I know they'll have a devoted follower in me. The one warning? It's getting pretty late in the season for Spring Seasonals. Yeah, I know it's the end of March, but breweries always push the envelope with Summer Beers, trying to get them out as soon as they can for some reason or another. I think perhaps those faux-witbiers that I was talking about earlier have a decent amount of popularity (but aren't nearly as good as this.) Anyways, check it out.