Custom 6-Pack - Hoegaarden, O'Fallon and more

I finally visited our local Macadoodles for the first time to check out their beer selection and I must say I was impressed. They had a very big selection of Craft Beers from around the world (as well as a huge selection of wines). But what was even better to me was the fact that they had a "build your own" 6 pack. So, I spent some time looking over what they had and selected 6 beers I hadn't tried before.

The Lineup of beers.

The first one out of the pack was Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier. I had tried another one of their fruit beers in the past, their Cherry Wheat, and enjoyed it so I thought I would give another one a try. When I opened the bottle, it had a nice aroma to it. I could smell the blackberries and the sweetness. First sip was the same thing, sweet blackberry on top of a nice wheat beer. It was quite enjoyable, but by the time I was half way through the bottle, I began noticing a strange aftertaste in my mouth from the blackberries. It was a little disappointing in that aspect, but not repulsive in any manner. The beer was still light and smooth with a great wheat flavor, just an aftertaste I personally didn't care for.


The second bottle out of the pack was a Hoegaarden Witbier. I had heard about Hoegaarden and how they are the oldest brewery in the world, so I of course wanted to have a taste of what they had. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. It was their Witbier Blanche that I opened, and I immediately smelled the coriander and spices in the brew. After the first taste, I knew this was something special. Very light and smooth with a great wheat taste, plus the spice on top. This is definitely a beer I will be trying again.

Third bottle out was O'Fallon's Black Hemp Ale. Black as the night's sky, and right in line with my style of beers (the darker the better). It has a strong flavor that's a knockout for sure and I loved it. It almost tasted like dark chocolate at first with a nice followup of toasted nuts which was a marvelous combination. Let's just say that I have found a new beer that will become a regular in my fridge.

Next up was another O'Fallon's Beer, Hemp Hop Rye Amber Ale. I had heard that this one was over-the-top Hops, but I didn't think that at all. In fact, I thought the Hop taste was pretty good. Enough to let you know it was there, but not enough to make it overly bitter. Perhaps that was the Rye that brought it back to a good balance. It wasn't too bad, but I don't think I will be going out of my way to get this often. At the same time, I won't steer clear of it either if the opportunity arises.

A "random grab" off the shelf, mainly because of the odd bottle shape was Red Hook Nut Brown. First sip was a WTF moment. I immediately could tell they used water heavy in natural minerals because all I could taste was that, followed by a metallic taste on my tongue. But, I pushed through the first few sips and about half way through the bottle, the nuttiness came through. By the time I got to the good flavor, it wasn't bad, but it just took too long to get to that point. In the future, this is a pass.

That brings me to the final bottle in my 6-Pack, Jesse James - America's Outlaw Beer. This was another "random grab" off the shelf, but this time it was due to the fact that it was the last bottle on the shelf. That told me it had to be special, so I saved it for last. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything "special" about the beer. It was just a nice, American pale ale. Very smooth with good flavor, I could actually see me drinking this beer now like i used to drink other "Light" beers before discovering Craft beers. It was a good refreshing beer.

Thus ended my first custom 6-pack from Macadoodles. I'm sure there will be plenty to come down the line, and I look forward to continuing to try new things.