Brews and Blues Beer and Smokin’ Blues

Peroni

Since I occasionally get beer as a gift, I tend to set aside specific brews that I don't think I'll like so much until my sampling stock runs low, which is the case as we speak. I'm down to six or seven samples in my collection at the moment, so I decided to hit one that has been sitting here for a while.

Peroni is not a beer I'm unfamiliar with. I have seen it around and my favorite New York style pizza shops in the area all sell it.  Peroni IS one of those beers that I consider to be marketed towards US beer drinkers who enjoy imports, but I was pleasantly surprised when I popped the cap and poured this glass.  The thick head hung around for a little while and then dissipated, but not completely.  This beer did maintain a thin head through the entire glass, which I find unusual in beers that I would normally toss into the BudMillerCoors class.  Peroni also seems to have a slightly sweeter flavor than the BudMillerCoors beers, while maintaining a very crisp and refreshing flavor.  There is not much significance in the aroma of this beer, but I would call it a good "lawn mower beer."  It's a pale lager that rings in at 4.7% ABV, so you can quaff several of these while mowing the lawn without endangering yourself or your neighbors.  I wouldn't be embarrassed to purchase a six-pack of this stuff. 

Stella Artois

Here's another sampling from the Assorted Beers from Around the World 8-pack that I received as a gift a while back. Stella Artois Lager is from the Stella Artois Brewery in Leuven, Belgium. 

I have had some of, what I consider to be, the world's finest Belgian ales and lagers, and Stella Artois doesn't hold  a candle to any of them.  This beer is quite obviously targeted at Americans who are of a more discerning taste than the BudMillerCoors crowd.  This beer could quite possibly be one of the flagships of the HeinekenCoronaFosters crowd :)  I guess it's pretty safe to say that ANY beer you stumble across that says IMPORTED on the label will fall into this category.  The bottle says "brewed by the same noble tradition since 1366" so you know it has to be something special ;)

The Stella Artois website is also geared towards people who don't care much about beer.  I suggest you check that out for yourself...

Lion Lager

I decided to pull another sample from the Beers from Around the World sampler that I received as a gift recently. I went with the Lion Lager from Sri Lanka this afternoon.  Overall, this beer is unimpressive, but it does have a rather crisp and refreshing flavor, but absolutely no body whatsoever.  It would do slightly better than a BudMillerCoors on a hot afternoon, but it won't get a second look.  I sorta figure that this beer is sorta like Fosters.  It's not really a choice beer in Sri Lanka, but it's gonna sell in the states because it's an import.  There are a few beers like this in this sampler, and I might enjoy one or two more of them, but the Smithwick's Irish Ale is probably going to be the best sample from the pack.  There is a bottle of Old Speckled Hen that I'll probably pop open next time around...  At least I can re-cap the Lion Lager bottle next time I bottle some home brew :)