Third Street Brewhouse Rise to the Top Review

Third Street Brewhouse was formed recently by the owners of Cold Spring Brewing in response to the negative reception their beers had gotten, thanks in part to the outdated equipment they had been using. Well $12 Million was invested to create a brand new brewery and they are now found throughout Minnesota.

Rise to the Top is a Cream Ale with 4.1% ABV. Due to the positive response that Third Street Brewhouse has gotten, many fans of this beer have drawn comparisons to New Glarus' Spotted Cow; Which also happens to be a Cream Ale. Tonight, I'm gonna see if it's actually true.

To start, it pours a hazy yellow color with a soapy white head. Not really much in terms of lacing so it finishes pretty clean.

The nose consists mainly of pale malts, flaked corn, yeasts and barley. Doesn't smell quite as sweet as Spotted Cow but you can see where there are similarities. The flavor is yeasts, pale malts, flaked corn, and barley. Not as sweet as Spotted Cow and a bit grassy in it's taste but it's still quite drinkable.

The body is light in weight and the carbonation is quite mild. Like Spotted Cow, this is very easy to drink.

Is it as good as Spotted Cow? Not Quite. Does it have some things in common with Spotted Cow? Yes

It's not quite as sweet and it's a bit grassy in it's overall flavor, but it's still very drinkable and quite good. I had a 6-pack of this on the 4th of July so it makes for a decent session beer and it's good for a hot day.

Third Street Brewhouse Rise to the Top - 7.5/10

New Glarus Spotted Cow Review

This past weekend, I was in Duluth visiting my dad for the weekend. For those of you who aren't familiar with the craft beer scene in Minnesota, Duluth has been exploding with business when it comes to breweries and craft beer. I even managed to pick up a growler this weekend from a local brewery which I will be reviewing later this week.

Duluth also happens to be right across the bridge from Superior, Wisconsin. I mentioned in a previous review that I love New Glarus Brewing, so this past weekend my dad saved me the hassle of going over to Superior and picked up some New Glarus Spotted Cow for me. When it comes to Wisconsin Craft Beer, this is probably the first thing that pops into the head of many beer lovers. You can pretty much find it in every nook-and-cranny in the State of Wisconsin. This shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how it was ranked the 17th Largest Craft Brewery in America but they only distribute in Wisconsin which is even reflected in the company's motto: "Drink Indigenous."

Where to begin? Well for starters, It's more popular on-tap in Wisconsin than Miller Lite is. On the label is an image of a cow doing a bunny hop over the state of Wisconsin with a giant star marking the location of New Glarus. If Wisconsin were a country, it would have two national animals: The Badger and The Cow.

Spotted Cow is the beer that proudy screams "Wisconsin, Hell Yeah!" It's a Cream Ale with a 4.8% ABV; Though I've also seen it at 5.1% ABV. For this review I also poured into my Tyranena Brewing glass, another awesome Wisconsin brewing company.

It pours a mildly hazy moderately bright yellow color. The head starts out fluffy but becomes fizzy about a couple minutes after the pour and the carbonation activity is fairly mild.

The nose has some yeast and sweet malt notes. There's also a hint of corn in here, but unlike adjunct lagers which use it in place of other ingredients, this one is added in to the existing brew. The result is a pleasantly sweetened ale with a nice natural scent.

The flavor isn't too much different from the smell. It's got the yeasts, barley, malts, and corn present in the nose. Again the corn fits very well into the overall flavor, giving it a good sweet flavor because, again, it's added in to the flavor and not switched out.

It goes without saying that this is a pretty easy drinker. The body and carbonation are very light and it goes down very smooth. It's classified as a cream ale and it's very easy to see why.

In terms of Cream Ales, this one takes the cake. As a beer itself, the flavor isn't revolutionary by any means, but you really cannot go wrong with Spotted Cow at all; In fact the only expectations you should have before drinking this beer is that you'll enjoy it. It's a great way to get your friends into craft beer and it's a beer perfect for any occasion. Now if only they'd distribute to Minnesota.....

New Glarus Spotted Cow - 8/10