Tasting: Prime Max (by Hite)

I picked this up in a Korean grocery store in Orange County. It is brewed by Hite and imported from Korea. The label caught my eye with "all malt and fine cascade hops"

Tasting: Chilled to 40~50 degrees (f) from a pint glass (I should have chilled it more).

Appearance: 3/3 crystal clear light lager color.
Head: 2/3 Small head disappears quickly.
Aroma: 2/3 Very light malt, no discernible hops.
Flavor: 3/3 Very balanced lager, great taste.
Mouth feel: 3/3 medium bodied, light fizz, slight malt lingers.
Overall: 2/3 a good lager for the price ($1.99/22oz), a great session beer.
Buzz: 1/3 slight buzz after 2 glasses.

I was really impressed by this beer. It delivered on the label although I expected a bit more hops in the aroma, it was a solid beer.

Tasting: Orion Premium Draft Beer

One of our friends is from Okinawa and they brought a local beer for us on New Years. Orion is "the" local beer of Okinawa, and is imported (as opposed to being brewed in the US like Kirin).

Tasting: From a small 5oz glass typical of Asian Restaurants.
Appearance: 1/3 VERY light color.
Aroma: 1/3 Very light malt, no discernible hops.
Flavor: 1/3 I don't know whether this should be classified as a light beer, but it tasted very light.
Mouthfeel: 2/3 Smooth, light mouthfeel
Aftertaste: 2/3 Light fiz, then a light malt finish that lingers.
Overall: 1.5/3 Better than the big 3 US lagers, but not great. I would not be surprised to find there are high concentrations of rice or corn extract.

Tasting: Kirin Light

Last night my friend Jack and I had sushi and the only beer they had on offer that I hadn't had yet was Kirin Light. Kirin is brewed "under the supervision of" their brew masters by Anheuser Bush in Los Angeles.

Tasting: From a small 5oz glass typical of Asian Restaurants.

Appearance: 3/3 light coloring appropriate of a light lager.
Aroma: 1/3 Nothing special.
Flavor: 2/3 This beer reminded me of Miller Light (which is not bad for a light beer, but not great).
Mouth feel: 2/3 Very carbonated.
Overall: 2/3 A decent light beer.
Buzz: 1/3 None whatsoever after two 12oz bottles.

Tasting: Spaten Munich Octoberfest

I have noticed that not many American Craft brewers brew lagers, they are more difficult, take longer, and there is lots of big-brand competition could be some of the reasons, I am not sure. I think that it may be an opportunity for our brewery (should we ever get that far), so I was interested to try a good Octoberfest beer.

I went down to my local BevMo and took a look around. I found several good beers including Spaten Munich's Oktoberfest. What a great beer, I am trying to figure out how to taste and log beers I try and found this guide to tasting beer online from: RateBeer.com. I added a bit to it, and simplified it.

Tasting: Enjoyed (after initial tasting) with some great potatoes pan fried with Ham; worthy of an Octoberfest feast.

Appearance: 3/3 Honey rich color, with rich light head.
Aroma: 2/3 Light Malty Aroma, very light hops, I gave it a 2 because there was nothing notable, it is good though.
Flavor: 3/3 Rich malt, light hops.
Mouthfeel: 3/3 Smooth, rich mouthfeel, light carbonation
Aftertaste: 3/3 Light fiz, then a pleasant malt that fades quickly for a clean finish.
Overall: 3/3 An amazing beer, my favorite lager so far.
Buzz: 2/3 good buzz after 1.5 12 oz bottles.

This was an amazing lager, I think I will try an Oktoberfest as my second all-grain brew.