Entire Butt English Porter?  We laughed too, until we read the back of the bottle.  “Historically the term used to describe a Porter blended from a variety of ales, ‘Entire Butt’ uses 14 different malts and 3 hops to recreate this forgotten style of Porter.”  We were not laughing, however, when we got a taste of this one.  The Entire Butt English Porter by the Salopian Brewing Company (UK)  is an excellent porter, amongst the top five we’ve tasted– and we’ve tasted a lot of Porters in our day (Porter is this reviewer’s favorite style).

The Entire Butt English Porter (as comped from our friends at the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club– check them out) poured a deep brown into our pint glass with plenty of head.  To the nose, Entire Butt gave off aromas of toasted malts, nuts and chocolate with a slight hint of berry fruit.  The flavor continued those notes with the same roasted malts, flavors of coffee and chocolate and a medium-bodied finish.  If you drink one, you’ll want more.  Expect to be very selfish with this brew if you find yourself a six pack…  StyleCrave Rating: A

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Licher Pilsner Review – It’s about time we sat down with a nice German Pilsner for a beer review.  In our most recent package from Beer of the Month Club, we received a bottle of Licher Pilsner by Licher Privatbrauerei.  This premium pils poured a pale-ish, light yellow into our mug with a thick, fluffy white head.  Like most pilsners, this one had the signature sweet citrus and malt aroma that continued right into the first sip.  The taste starts with a hoppy nibble and continues into a refreshing, clean flavor of citrus and hops, giving the Licher Pilsner a very drinkable quality.  By “drinkable”, we mean the three that came in our package were gone in a heartbeat.  Since Oktoberfest is in full swing, maybe we should head out there to pick up a few more?  StyleCrave Rating: B+

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Diamond Bear‘s Presidential IPA arrived in our recent package from the Beer of the Month Club.  While IPA is not our favorite style, we’re always eager to try new things.  This makes our monthly arrival of the beer of the month package like a mini-Christmas, filled with 12 bottles of beers we’ve likely never heard of.  This IPA pours a golden amber with thick, fluffy head and an aroma of sweet malts and citrusy hops.  To the tongue, Presidential IPA has flavors of caramel, toasted malts and citrus that finishes with a spicy, hoppy bitter aftertaste.  Presidential IPA is drinkable, not too pricey for a pack of six, and is well complimented with a lighter meat dish.  Take the lower StyleCrave rating in stride, we tend to avoid IPAs and may not be the best critic of this style.  StyleCrave Rating: C+

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StyleCrave’s weekly beer reviews continue, this time featuring Alley Kat Amber Ale from Alley Kat Beer in Edmonton, Alberta.  Alley Kat’s Amber was one of the four beers that arrived in our Beer of the Month Club twelve pack, the first we’ll cover from that group.  This Amber poured a golden brown color with plenty of frothy head and an aroma of freshly toasted malts.  The flavor is as malty as the aroma, rounded out by a slightly bitter hop finish.  For an amber, this one goes down quite smooth, making it quite drinkable next to whatever you’d prefer to pair it with.  We suggest a grass-fed beef burger with a slice or two of artisanal cheddar.  StyleCrave Rating: B

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Boulder Beer‘s 30th Anniversary Flashback Ale was another solid addition to one of the best Beer of the Month Club packages we’ve received yet.  This dark ale poured a golden brown color with plenty of thick, lacy head.  To the tongue, Flashback Ale is a healthy mix of malt and hops with the bitter after taste reminiscent of an IPA.  Both the aroma and the flavor had notes of coffee, chocolate and caramel with a hint of citrus throughout.  For an ale with the bite of a traditional pale (not to mention the high ABV count), it is surprisingly drinkable.  Three came in this month’s twelve pack of assorted beers from BeerMonthClub.com, and they did not last.  Join a pair of these with a freshly grilled ribeye, you’ll be in summer BBQ heaven.  StyleCrave rating: B+

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It’s like black gold in a bottle.  Pivovar Herold’s Bohemian Black Lager is among our favorite beers from the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club we’ve received yet.  This  black lager pours a lovely deep amber color with a thick head and a warm chocolate aroma.  The taste follows suit, with a roasted coffee, chocolate and caramel flavor and a drinkable medium body.  With a single sip, this beer is instantly recognizable, it is true to it’s style without compromise, one of the best we’ve tasted in black lagers.  If you can find it at your local beer boutique, try it.  Otherwise, visit our friends from BeerMonthClub, who were kind enough to send us this one gratis.  StyleCrave Rating: A.

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Blue Moon Beer the Right Choice for the White House? – While we are a 100% politics-free publication, we’ve got a lot of pride in our president and our beer.  To help ease the racially-charged tensions between Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley, President Obama invited the two for a beer at the White House.  Obama served his guests the options of Blue Moon White Ale, Budweiser and Red Stripe.  What is peculiar about these choices?  None of them are produced by wholly U.S.-owned breweries.  Blue Moon is produced by Coors, under shared ownership of SABMiller in the UK.  Budweiser is produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company based in Belgium after its recent purchase.  Red Stripe is produced by Desnoes & Geddes, based in Kingston, Jamaica.

So what would be the best choice of brews to share with the President’s guests?  We submit Samuel Adams, brewed by Boston Beer Company, the largest 100% American-owned brewery in the United States.  While the quality of Sam Adams beer is respected by beer lovers (and brewers) throughout the world, the brand carries a lot of symbolism in the American Spirit.  What started out as a true underdog has become the largest in the United States, additionally igniting a new wave of microbrews and craft breweries in the U.S.  Sam Adams led a revolution in the beer world, taking it to the big dogs and coming out the winner.  To us, that sounds like a truly American story.  Take this as a message to the White House chef– drink American!

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• Father’s Day Gift Pick: Beer of the Month Club (1)

So what are gift are you getting for Dad this coming Father’s Day?  Skip the neckties, the golf accessories and the desk toys and get the man what he really wants– beer, copious amounts of beer.  A gift subscription to the Beer of the Month Club gets him 12 fine, microbrewed beers each month from breweries all over the world.  To see why we think this is the perfect idea for Father’s Day, hit the jump for our review.

For the beer lover in me, the monthly arrival of my Beer of the Month package is a moment of pure excitement.  I’m not overselling that one bit, it has become a near ritual in this StyleCrave editor’s household.  The package arrives, and in it are 12 beers I’ve likely never tasted before– their identity unknown until the package’s seal is broken.  It’s like the old pre-Christmas excitement once a month, a package on my door step with twelve bottles of mystery in it.

The May Beer of the Month package (I subscribe to the variety pack) included four beers, three bottles each, including the following beers:

• Santa Fe Brewing Company’s State Pen Porter
• Penn Brewing Company’s Penn Kaiser Pilsner
• Lion Brewery Ceylon’s Lion Stout
• Lion Brewery Ceylon’s Lion Imperial Lager

Those last two, from Lion Brewery Ceylon, are Sri Lankan beers– the first I’ve ever tasted a product of the Indian island country.  This is a common theme with the club.  After four months, I’ve yet to receive a beer I’ve already tasted, and I consider myself to be a well-traveled beer snob.  While not all are sure-thing hits, the majority have expanded both my palette and my buying preference when at my local beer boutique.

Why is it the perfect gift for Dad?  Beer is the quintessential man’s drink, and a good knowledge of beer should accompany every man through life.  What’s more, this package will arrive monthly, reminding Dad of your appreciation every time he takes a sip.  Besides, if he lives close you can always talk him into sharing it with you!

Visit BeerMonthClub.com for more.  Packages start at $20.98/month.  To see what we’ve thought of each beer we’ve received from the Beer of the Month Club, check out StyleCrave’s Beer Reviews column.

Beer of the Month Unboxing Gallery

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Eisenbahn South American Pale Ale is our last remaining bottle from Beer of the Month Club‘s last shipment.  We drank carefully, slowly, and saved this one for last.  We won’t say this one is our clear favorite, but it’s a solid pale ale with an interesting story.  Eisenbahn is located in Santa Catarina, Brazil, a Belgian-style brewery in the southern tip of the country.  Eisenbahn’s SAPA, or South American Pale Ale pours a light, amber-ish color with a sweet, malty aroma with plenty of yeast character.  SAPA’s flavor is a bit on the light end for a Belgian pale ale, yet matching its aroma with the sweet, malty character (and a slightly bitter finish).  SAPA is enjoyable, not necessarily a “rush-to-the-store-and-buy-six-now” type of beer, but we were happy with it while tasting.  StyleCrave Rating: B

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Fisherman’s IPA by Cape Ann Brewery arrived this month thanks to our friends and beer donors over at The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club.  Fisherman’s IPA pours a rich, golden amber with a thin-to-medium head that leaves light lacing as it recedes.  To the nose, this pale ale has the earthy, hoppy scent you’d expect from the style, albeit a bit on the lighter side.  Fisherman’s IPA has the slightly bitter approach of a classic IPA, rounded out with citrus, caramel and a smooth hoppy finish.  It’s going to be a nice weekend, so we suggest ordering up a six pack of this stuff, calling over a few friends and grilling up some fresh Salmon with lemon, butter and dill.  It’ll match this (or any other good IPA) bottle like destiny.  StyleCrave Rating: B-

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After a short break, our next package from the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club arrived last week.  In it were four surprise beers (three each), including two from Grand Teton Brewing Company.  The brewery’s Teton Ale is our stand-out favorite, so we thought we’d start off with a bang.  The Teton Ale poured a dark, reddish amber with nice head, giving off aromas of floral malts, citrus hops with hints of caramel.  To the tongue, this amber ale starts with that light caramel sweetness and rounds off with a soft, slightly bitter finish.  It’s medium bodied, so if you’re in the mood to have more than one this one will accommodate.  Finding a bottle might be a bit difficult, but your local beer boutique should be able to track down a pack for you without a problem.  Thanks to BeerMonthClub for sending us a case for review, it won’t last out the weekend!  Check out more of StyleCrave’s beer reviews for more suggestions on what you should be drinking this weekend.

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We’ve got a soft spot for white ales, and cherish every chance we get to taste a new one.  When Colomba Witbier arrived this month in our package from the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, we were intrigued.  One of two Corsican beers in the package, Colomba is marked as a “white ale brewed with spices” on its otherwise unappealing label.  Colomba pours a cloudy, pale color with a thick head that recedes quickly.  Its scent is both spicy and sweet, with prevalent notes of wheat.  To the tongue, Colomba White Ale starts spicy, with malt and citrus flavors ending with an herbal finish.  In comparison with other white ales we love, this one didn’t leave a solid impression, as the taste was a bit medicinal and underwhelming.  I can’t say that you should rush out and grab a bottle of Colomba’s white ale, but I do suggest you should try one if offered.  Beyond the three that arrived in my package from BeerMonthClub, I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up any more of these…

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