Bottoms Up! Helles Lager from Rivertown Brewing

Helles lager, from Rivertown Brewing Company, is described by its brewer as:

"true symbol of our German heritage. A rich, crisp, full flavored Bavarian style Lager brewed with the finest imported German barley, choice hops, and natural water". 
 
This description, while adequate, comes off as a bit vague. Here are my interpretations of this beer.
 
Appearance-Helles lager pours a golden yellow hue with some sediment; very little head and little lacing.

Smell-This lager offers a crisp, clean-almost grassy-scent; sweet and fresh.

Taste-Tastes clean and smooth. It is neither hoppy or malty-strikes a nice balance between the two.Tastes similar to its smell-somewhat grassy.

Mouthfeel-Medium carbonation and a little thin; crisp flavor.

Overall Impression-Nothing stood out to me as exceptionally good about this lager, but nothing stood out as exceedingly bad, either. It is a very easy drinking brew that would be perfect on a hot summer day. When pairing with food, this unassuming beer will work well with Mexican, barbecue, burgers and salty snacks such as chips, pretzels and popcorn.

Helles Lager is brewed locally by the Rivertown Brewing Company from Lockland (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is available for sale in 12 ounce bottles or on draft. Bottles may be purchased as a six pack or as a part of a variety sampler. It can be purchased in bottles at Heather's Coffee and Cafe, located in Springboro. For more information, please visit the Rivertown Brewing website or Facebook page.

Bottoms Up! Black Lager from Guinness

I will never forget my first experience drinking a Guinness Stout. It was while visiting the Ohio Renaissance Festival with my dad sometime during the 1990's. Up until then, my beer experience had been very limited and I was unsure of what to think about something so dark. We overheard a husband and wife discussing her first taste of a Guinness and she described it as "urine filtered through a dirty sweatsock", but she wasn't quite so eloquent with her words. That obviously colored my opinion of the beer and I wasn't too thrilled with it when I took a sip. Since then, I have experienced a huge range of beers, from organic fruit ales to oatmeal stouts and all kinds of other specialty beers in between. I am now able to fully appreciate Guinness without comparing it to unpleasant things.

Guinness describes its black lager as:
"Guinness Black Lager is an easy-drinking lager, so it’s a completely different product from Guinness Draught, which is a nitrogenated stout. Lagers and stouts are made in quite different ways. Lagers are brewed for longer at lower temperatures for a crisp, refreshing taste. This is what we do with Guinness Black Lager. But we use our signature roasted barley to bring a new taste to lager, combining the refreshing taste of a lager with the character of Guinness."

Here are my interpretations of this beer:

Appearance: Dark and unable to be seen through. It has a very light, airy, ample fluffy head that is  light tan in color. Head fades to some light lacing in the glass.

Smell: This beer smells quite yeasty and bready. There is a definite alcohol presence in the scent of this. There is also a light malted smell with a hint of molasses.

Flavor: Guinness Black boasts of a deep, roasted flavor, I didn't find this brew as bold as I was expecting it to be. There are some malt flavors and light spicy/hoppy finish with a slight sweetness in the middle.

Mouthfeel: This feels very thin for depth of color. I was extremely disappointed that this lager wasn't "heftier" feeling. Beers is crisp with medium carbonation.

Overall: I am well versed in the differences between lagers and stouts, but judging by what Guinness was hoping to accomplish, I was let down by this beer. It was nowhere near as hearty as I was expecting it to be. It IS a decent beer-very crisp, very clean with a lingering bitterness on the palate. The nature of its aroma and taste turn sweeter as it warms. I would serve this beer on a hot summer evening with flavorful foods, such as smoked or grilled meat, bbq, Latin American or German foods. For more information about Guinness and their family of beers, please visit them on the web, Facebook or Twitter.