About Blue Mountain's Lager: This authentic Continental-style beer is brewed with 2-row malts and noble hops, then cold fermented and lagered for six glorious weeks. Experience the full, balanced malt flavor. Brewed in Afton, VA
Beer Advocate Score: 81 points
Plato: 13°
IBUs: 22
Alcohol by Volume: 5.3%
Case Cost: $40
*website: www.bluemountainbrewery.com/our-beer/
And we're off ! A very safe start with a beer that did not elicit much of a response from me. No high fiving myself, no fist pumping, just the casual 5 second chug and it was gone and forgotten. Not bad mind you, just not special. I'm off to drink Day #2 as I prepare for an out of town trip that will compromise my mid week drinking (note: compromise limited to those beers that were prescribed). For those of you that are new...welcome!
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ReplyDeleteNot a whole lot going on here. One sip and I am reminded of why I never buy this style of beer. Tastes like the way a college bar smells on the Sunday morning after Homecoming. VA breweries are going to have to do a lot better than this if they hope to compete with the West Coast. Was that too harsh? Thanks for listening.
ReplyDeleteAnd it begins! I think this beer is OK. A session beer that I could drink a lot of...but not for this price point. As with Virginia wines, I think I could get the same quality at a cheaper price point by looking elsewhere. Glad I tried it, but I don't think I would buy this beer to drink. Although, if it were free, I would drink it all night. Rating 5.5 out of 10, C-
ReplyDeleteThis beer was fine. Nothing to jump up and down about. I'd prefer WGB (Miller Lite) for cheaper if I had the choice.
ReplyDeleteHi all! As a newbie to this event let me say thanks to those who put it together. The list looks awesome and I'm looking forward to emptying that case. Ok, now down to business...That one went down pretty easy. I am not partial to lagers in general so I wasn't expecting much, but I liked that one. I agree with Tony; at that price point I would definitely be looking at something else. I'm curious as to how it would be on draft.
ReplyDeleteI've waited 11 long months for this day. Glorious. I'll never be a lager fan, but this is pretty tasty. Definitely drank that in a hurry. 100 times better than a Heineken or a Pilsner Urquell, but considering the value of each of those is zero, 100 x 0 is still 0. But I'll round up to 1. I'd never buy this, especially at the premium Virginia price of $10 a sixer, but definitely a good start to the month.
ReplyDeleteGreetings! I normally can't stand lagers but this was a pretty solid one, good flavor and well balanced. I wouldn't get a 6 pack of this but might order it if I could find it on tap and if I was in the mood.
ReplyDeleteVery excited to be taking part in this - it's like having an advent calendar with a beer behind every door! Thanks to the organizers, and thanks to Scott for getting us an invite AND for picking up the beers and saving us Baltimorons the drive to VA. Technically, I'm not supposed to be drinking alcohol today as I'm finishing a course of antibiotics, but I figured one little lager at 5.3% ABV couldn't hurt... Are there any medical professionals out there to advise to the contrary? Too late anyway - I just drank it. Didn't want to let the side down. I found it to be drinkable enough - liked that I could smell the malt and taste some hops - although I'm not a big lager fan in general (despite the fact that I grew up drinking Tennents lager). Bring on the next round!
ReplyDeleteAhhh...my favorite time of the year!!! Hello old friends and soon to be new friends..
ReplyDeleteThere are in fact some VA breweries making really good beer beer...this just isnt one of them. Not terrible but a little sour (or...morning after college bar stink). If i had to choose between this and miller light....I would absolutely choose blue mountain
No food paring??? No temp the beer has to be poured at? no directions on what type of glass to use?? My how times have changed now that Tony is married. I had no clue how to drink this beer so I used a circular glass and vegetable stew. The beer tasted like every other lager. I think it was a decent lager and didn't stand out against any other lager.
ReplyDeleteforgot to score this beer: avg at a 6
ReplyDeleteI really like this lager. Great, filling taste, and goes down very smooth. I could go for 3-4 of these, but I am still in detox mode from this weekend.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure... they weren't lying about being a classic lager. It was nothing special, I could have been drinking a sam adams or yuengling and wouldn't have noticed a difference. Maybe if I took Jon Liles, who doesn't have time for one beer a day, offer to drink his; the second one could change my opinion
ReplyDeleteMrs. Woskobunik, how could you spoil the fun for the newbs trying to figure out what the WGB is? For shame.
ReplyDeleteChilling this bear until the Blazer / Lakers game starts. Go Blazers!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to this for months, so naturally I get knocked out with with an illness. As I have no taste buds, I will instead catch up in the next couple days. I know! More than one beer in a day! It's rough but I'll do it for the team. Cheers all!
ReplyDeleteFinally "enjoying" a Blue Mtn. For some reason, it reminds me of bad generic cereal. That can't be a good thing.
DeleteSo excited to get started once again on the best Advent calendar ever. After a day of yard work and "quality time" with the kids, I started drinking at 5, so I was inclined to look favorably on any beer. I was a bit concerned though, when I saw it was a lager, as that's a style of beer I generally avoid. I was pleasantly surprised though with this entry. Good aroma, yeasty and soapy (in a good way) and a full mouthfeel. I could definitely drink a few of these at a bar and would pick it over Yeungling. Heineken can see me in Hell. Happy first day of December all!
ReplyDeleteHi all. Nother newbie here. Many thanks to Scott for the opportunity to participate and to all others who make this possible. Very pleased to be a part of it. Sorry to hear you're under the weather, Scott. Though I also envy your upcoming multi-beer days at the same time.
ReplyDeleteAs for the beer, lagers are my thing, and thought the Blue Mountain was a very good one. Liked the color, the balanced taste of malt and hops and the tingling on the tongue. Though I think 40 bucks is a bit on the high side, I would give it a 7.
A Happy Holiday Season to all.
Yep, as most people have said, pretty standard stuff. Not offensive, but nothing to write home about. I think this beer is what Duff probably tastes like. I was gonna give it a C+, after the first few cold sips, but I noticed a slight diecetyl (buttery) flavor as it warmed. So a C it is.
ReplyDeleteYep, as most people have said, pretty standard stuff. Not offensive, but nothing to write home about. I think this beer is what Duff probably tastes like. I was gonna give it a C+, after the first few cold sips, but I noticed a slight diecetyl (buttery) flavor as it warmed. So a C it is.
ReplyDeleteI had an interesting adventure surrounding this first beer. I made plans to decorate for Christmas with my fiancée this afternoon. What better way to enjoy the first of 24 beers than trimming the tree. I departed my house and promptly left beer number one sitting in the fridge. Upon my arrival at the holiday festivities, I realized my error. Rather than a) wait until later to sample the beer and post my blog entry or b) skip beer one and risk immediate expulsion from this esteemed group, I made my fiancée drive me to Total Wine (after picking up two Christmas trees) and I was able to purchase an additional bottle of this lager. So the 24 Days of Beer is costing me $52 this year.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this lager, particularly after a few hours of watching "Christmas throw up" on my fiancées house (her words, not mine). Here's to a great 24 Days of Beer in 2013.
Hi everyone. I'm also new to the group and really excited to kick off this great experience with everyone today. Thanks so much to the organizers for setting this all up and getting us some great beers.
ReplyDeleteOk, so let's get to it. I have actually visited Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton while on a wine trip through central VA. They have hops growing right outside the brewpub that you can walk up to and smell; pretty cool. Anyway, we decided to do a flight of all the beers they had on tap, including their Classic Lager. I remember not being impressed much with it (nor with their Kolsch). I was excited to get on to their next beers, kind of how I feel tasting it again tonight.
The noble hops come through in aroma and taste, balanced by a malty sweetness. It is true to the style, but I'm not a huge fan of lagers in general...although I've recently tried the classics (Pilsner Urquell, Spaten, Bitburger, etc.), and those are supreme to Blue Mountain's nod. On to the next one.
Ok, I'm not a Lager fan, no a Laker fan. I find the bitter hops too over powering. Luckily, Kobe is still out so at least his hops did not overpower my blazer team.
ReplyDeleteThis lager was not bad. It has a nice smooth and creamy finish to it. I'd give it a 4 and rate it higher than Sam
Adams lager.
The rating would have been lower had the lakers won, but my P-town blazers got the W and are first in western conference, at least until they play Indiana tomorrow night. I can't wait for that game and the beer pairing.
Right you are, Bob. The acronym is still a mystery to the newbies though!
ReplyDeleteMeh....I really wanted to love this since it's from VA, but thought it was just ok.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, the first merry "meh" of the season...
DeleteWell I'm a day behind. I must have liked it because I finshed it in two gulps or because my wife is making me watch the making of the sound of music. Either way it tasted alright... I could drink a lot of it but wouldn't buy it unless it was cheap
ReplyDeleteWell I'm a day behind. I must have liked it because I finshed it in two gulps or because my wife is making me watch the making of the sound of music. Either way it tasted alright... I could drink a lot of it but wouldn't buy it unless it was cheap
ReplyDeleteLet's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. When you read you begin with A, B, C, when you sing, you being with Do, Re, Mi.
DeleteOld Liesl was so much hotter than new Liesl.
Cheers to all and thanks for having me aboard. I'm doing some catch-up today, as I just picked up the case this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteSo this one doesn't jump up and grab me, but as an American Pilsner lover, I do like the little earthy bite, and the slightly malty finish is a nice balance. I could drink a few of these.
I like lagers and I wanted to like this one because it's somewhat local, but I was not a fan. It wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't order a second round.
ReplyDeleteLiked it! Probably because I drank it when the Redskins were still winning... John liked it more once the Giants got their act together.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the midst of a doctor-ordered alcohol free zone. Terrible timing I know! Hoping to get caught up on the action in a day or two.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late review, but I thought this beer was a great start. I liked the malty finish and the overall drinkability. I could have easily had 5 more of these. Even nicer that it's brewed right here in VA. That being said, it wasn't mind blowing. Grade: B-
ReplyDeleteI am totally excited about 24 days of beer - but this one wasn't impressive. Did you all plan on starting off weak on purpose so that each one after gets better. If so, then bravo!
ReplyDeleteWasn't a fan of this one at all. Something was really off to me with the aftertaste. Maybe I just had a bad bottle but it left a weird taste in my mouth like the time I tried a non-alcoholic beer. I won't make either mistake again. Shocked this runs $40 a case too. I hope the other Blue Mountain selection picks it up a bit. D-
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to those that put this all together.
sorry to be late but Joe just give me my set of beer ...and I was very busy ...
ReplyDeleteregarding that lager not much to say beside that is not so "Classic" there is much room for improvement...
rate 5.1 /10
Fourth time is hopefully the charm. Trying to do this from my cell phone now that the iPad and the computer have failed me.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for having me.
This beer was unremarkable and probably won't make it in the craft beer market.
OK - after 3 unsuccessful attempts I signed up for a google account, so you'll be seeing all of my catch up posts now. This first beer was terrible. I'm not a lager guy and probably never will be - yuengling is about all I'll do. This beer is a great drinking game beer in that, it would make the competition in games like beer pong extremely competitive if you were forced to drink this stuff as a penalty. 2 out of 10
ReplyDeleteFinally had this last night. Pretty average, certainly in comparison to the other 2 beers I've had. Although I will say it seemed to taste better the more of it I had. Maybe I was just getting that much more drunk...
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