Center of the Universe Pocahoptas

Pocahontas is a fine IPA. I like it better now than in my first
review. It is often a good choice at a restaurant.

Brewer's notes: This hop forward India Pale Ale features four different hops from the Pacific Northwest combined with a base of imported English 2-row barley and Crystal malts. Dry-hopped for additional hop flavor and aroma.

Beeradvocate

Tasting notes

20260329: I drank a can with gumbo and savory beef and mushroom stew after the Bikes for Kids ride. It has a nice bitterness. I like it better than Hardywood The Great Return. I am increasing the rating for Pocahoptas and decreasing the rating for The Great Return.

Rating = 3.5 glasses

20130407: A big IPA w/ lots to hops. More bitter and pine than I like. 

Old rating = 3 glasses.

Hardywood The Great Return

The Great Return is Hardywood's take on a West Coast IPA. I like it. It combines a nice bitterness from a big dose of hops and a sweet malt backbone.

The name, Great Return, alludes to the return of Atlantic Sturgeon to the James River in Richmond.

BeerAdvocate

Tasting notes

20260329: I have drank several glasses of Great Return since my last review. I am liking it less. The flavor is too harsh. When I compared it to Center of the Universe Pocahoptas, I like Pocahoptas better. I am downgrading the rating.

Rating = 3 glasses

20201005: Previously, I rated it as my favorite Double IPA. The correct category is IPA. I am downgrading the rating from 6 glasses. 

Old rating = 6, 5 glasses.

Tucher Festbier

Festbier is a great example of a festbier. It is brewed to celebrate Fruhlingsfest and may be available year-round.

Brewer's Notes: I could not find this beer on the brewer's web page. The following quote is from Beeradvocate. I think BA took it from the brewer.

To many, the festbiers of Bavaria are a liquid voyage to the tents of Oktoberfest. For Tucher, nestled in its home in northern Bavaria and out of reach of the festivals that overtake Munich’s fairgrounds each fall, the focus is on Fruhlingsfest and celebrating the end of the cold winter months. As such, this festbier is brewed as a fuller-bodied helles lager with a slightly louder presence of old world hops instead of a marzen and is available to festivals year-round!

Tasting Notes
20260414: I think that my four-pack is almost a year old. I want a fresh one!

20260327: I drank the second can after drinking a can of Surly Hell. Hell is good. Festbier is better. I has more flavor and complexity. 

On my bike ride a day after writing the review, I kept thinking about the beer and how good it and Surly Hell are. I am upgrading the rating.

Rating: 6 glasses

20260326: I drank the first can in a four-pack. I drank at least two four-packs back in the fall during Oktoberfest time but must have failed to write a review then. I really liked it and followed the first four-pack with at least one more.

The beer did not disappoint. As in the brewer's description, it is a full-bodied Helles. It is quaffable. It has a tiche of sweet. It has flavor but is not big or heavy. It is just what you want in a Festbier. It may become a regular visitor to my "cellar".

Old rating: 5.5 glasses

Rothhaus Tannenzäpfle, aka Pils

Tannenzäpfle is a fine German pilsner.

Brewer's Notes: The Rothaus Tannenzäpfle is the absolute classic among our beers - and has been since 1956. That is why it is also the namesake and figurehead of the Gäpfle family. The best aromatic hops from Tettnang and the Hallertau as well as local malt made from summer barley and the purest spring water from the Black Forest give Rothaus Tannenzäpfle its uniquely spicy and fresh taste.

Beeradvocate

Tasting Notes
290330: I drank the second bottle after drinking Hardywood Pils. I liked Pils better. It has more bite. Tannenzäpfle is earthier with a lemony (grassy?) element.

Rating: 3.5 glasses

29260327: I drank the first bottle in a six-pack. The beer has an earthy flavor with biscuit and grassy notes. I think that the hops are noble - and just enough to give the beer a nice bite. Its not Prima Pils but may be my new "go to" pilsner.

Old rating: 5 glasses

Surly Hell

Surly Hell is a great example of a Helles.

Brewer's notes: "German for “light,” Hell is a pale gold lager with bready malt sweetness, floral hops, and a crisp, balanced finish."

Beeradvocate: "Not unlike a Zwickel Bier from Germany, Hell is not filtered and fermented with lager yeast. American hops takes a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma. The color is well... hell (Deutsch for light). It's fiendishly drinkable, and you don't have to sell your soul to get another."

Tasting notes
20260327: I liked the first four-pack so much that I purchased another four-pack. Tonight I compared Hell with Tucher Festbier. I drank Hell first. As I drank it I was thinking what a good beer it is and how it might replace pilsners in my rotation. Then I drank the Festbier and liked the Festbier better.

On my bike ride a day after writing the review, I kept thinking about the beer and how good it and Tucher Festbier are. I am upgrading the rating.

Rating: 5 glasses

20260111: The first can of a four-pack purchased on somewhat of a whim from Total Wine. I was surprised by how much I liked it. It fits the description of the style in BeerAdvocate well. "Helles lager beers offer a touch of sweetness that balance a measurable addition of spicy German hop flavor and light bitterness. The malt character is soft and bready, making it a terrific complement to light dishes such as salad or fresh shellfish, like clams. Clean and crisp, this is a refreshing beer with substance." The beer has a nice touch of sweetness balanced by grassy and spicy hops. It has substance and is easy to drink. I think that I could add it to my regular rotation of beers to have in my "cellar". 

Old rating: 4.5 glasses and thought about 5.

Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)

Grand Reserve is a delightful Belgian Strong Dark Ale. In the 33 cl bottle, it is called Blue. In the .75 l bottle is stamped Grande Réserve.

Brewer's notes

The beautiful, warm, dark color and compact, light brown head of Chimay Blue are a magnificent sight. This beer is undeniably the result of a divine marriage between exuberant fruit aromas and delicious chocolate. The initial taste is slightly sweet, before the creamy caramel transforms into a smooth mocha with a lively spicy character, finally developing into a delightful candied fruit finish. The extremely flavorful whole evolves into a long, pleasant aftertaste, evoking a slightly comforting feeling and a sensation of pure chocolate.

Beer Advocate: The Chimay Blue is a dark ale with a powerful aroma. Its complex flavor improves with passing time.

Tasting notes 

260226: I drank the second bottle of a four-pack. I remember that the first did not hit my spot. It was too much clove. The second bottle had evolved and was really good, a great example of strong Belgian Ale. It is complex: some figs, some stone fruits, some subtle hops.

(2311) Alex and I shared a bottle during Lisa's birthday dinner. I think that it was bottled around February 10, 2022 and has aged 1.75 years: the label reads L22-040. I did not enjoy the beer as much as I remember. It did not WOW me. I am downgrading the rating to 5 glasses.

(1106) A bottle w/ about 6-8 months on it. A delight.

(1101) Complex and difficult to describe. Not sweet as I was expecting. Musty apples, a dash of cinnamon, and a light hop bite. Complexity may merit 6 glasses. 

(0911) A bottle in NYC. Brown sugar, apple butter, and light hops. 

(0701) A delight. Brown sugar, spiced slightly sour oranges, and light hops. Winelike. Upgraded from 2/8. 

(????) Had a 12 oz. bottle. Looked for something else after the bottle was empty.May be worth another try. 

Rating: 5 glasses

Previous ratings: 2, 5, then 6 glasses