Schell's Deer Brand Review

Name: Schell's Deer Brand
Style: Adjunct Lager
ABV: 4.8%

Tonight I have Schell's Deer Brand, a beer which many would consider to be a staple beer of the August Schell Brewing Company. That is, of course, if you don't count Grain Belt which is also brewed by Schell's and is also the same style, which is an adjunct lager.

Deer Brand pours a pale clear yellow with a thin filmy head that fades fast. The visible carbonation is rather mild in appearance and the lacing is non-existent.

The aroma consists primarily of pale malts, flaked corn, yeasts, barley and a mild but noticeable earthiness. Unlike most adjunct lagers, this one doesn't possess a smell which I would consider to be offensive.

The flavor is more or less the same as the nose but with a sweeter taste and greater emphasis on flaked corn and a pretty dry albeit mildly sweet aftertaste. None of the cooked vegetable/adjunct ingredients are blatantly present here. Also the earthiness present in the aroma is nowhere to be seen here.

The palate as a whole is pretty lightweight and the carbonation is fairly moderate in terms of intensity. You'll have a pretty easy time drinking this.

Of all the adjunct lagers out there, this is by far my favorite which is saying alot. It's cheap yet I don't have to worry about that offensive taste that I expect out of other adjunct lagers. Keep in mind, however, that if there is a better selection available, I'm going to overlook this without a second thought. However if you're on a tight budget and/or your selection is limited, then you can't go wrong with this.

Schell's Deer Brand - 7.5/10

Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition) Review

Name: Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition)
Style: Belgian Ale
ABV: 7%

During the late months of the year, August Schell Brewing Company releases their annual Snowstorm beer and what's unique about this beer is that it's a different style each year. Back in 2011 it was a Scotch Ale, in 2012 a Biere de Garde and now this year it's a Golden Belgian-Style Ale.

Snowstorm (2013) pours a clear golden yellow color with a fizzy head which is quick to fade away. There is no lacing to be seen here and amount of carbonation is fairly high.

The aroma has a strong clove scent to it along with some pepper, spices, yeasts, bubblegum and pale malt notes.

The taste is a bit maltier with some bubblegum, yeasts, cloves, pale malts and a mild caramel sweetness.

The palate is moderately weighted with some stronger carbonation. It's kind of crisp but this would be better if the carbonation was more subdued.

Even though the 2011 edition of Snowstorm is still my favorite, this is still pretty good and a solid Belgian-Style Golden ale overall. I would say this is worth picking up a sixer because even if it isn't perfect, it's still a great winter seasonal!


Schell's Snowstorm (2013 Edition) - 8.5/10

Schell's Goosetown Gose Review

Name: Schell's Goosetown Gose
Style: Gose
ABV: 5.2%

Schell's Goosetown is named after the Goosetown area of New Ulm, the city in which Schell Brewing is located. To honor this neighborhood, they have brewed a Gose style beer in their honor.

One thing I wanted to say before starting this review is that I am very unfamiliar with the Gose Style, so please forgive me if my opinion is somewhat off. From what I gathered it's a unfiltered wheat beer which is has coriander and salt added in. It's also a fairly old German style beer, but if this is inaccurate, please let me know

Goosetown pours a clear yellow color with a filmy head and a moderate amount of carbonation. Pretty clean and filtered look.

Nose has some cereal grains, yeasts, light honey & coriander notes. Pretty subdued scent, but it smells suspiciously like a Budweiser. The flavor is pretty consistant with that flavor with grains, light honey, and cooked corn. Again, it tastes like an adjunct lager and is pretty bland. The body is pretty lightweight but the carbonation is rather sharp.

As a Gose, I really can't make a determination if it's good or bad as I'm not familiar with a style. As a beer, I found the flavor to be quite plain; In other words, I wouldn't really recommend this beer. It could've been worse, but the shear blandness of the flavor makes it hard to really recommend

Schell's Goosetown Gose - 5/10