What you will find below

Below is a partial alphabetical listing of the beers I tasted from December 1997 to October 2009, all 527 beers. I have tasted many of these beers more than once to make sure of my thoughts on them.

The listings below will include the name of the beer, my numerical ranking based upon my own scale of 0.1 to 10.0, and a little of my personal thoughts about each beer.

Enjoy!

F beers

Fiedlers Pils Im Stein

8.0

I have to admit, I think German beers are overrated. True, there are some good ones out there, but I usually prefer Belgian or British beers. This beer is an exception. It’s very smooth and clean with a vaguely fruity texture hanging in the background. One of the better pilseners. Good cold or at room temperature. The brown earthenware jug this stuff comes in is a keeper.

Firehouse Brewery American Ale

5.9

Wet and smooth with a smoky bitterness that takes a few drinks to get used to. Has a weak lager quality. Not bad.

Firehouse Brewery Kolsch Lager

8.0

Has the color, smoothness and texture of a “white” beer. Pretty smooth with a slight tartness that is quite enjoyable. From Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Check out their brewpub if you’re ever in the area.

Firestone Double Barrel Ale

6.0

From Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Los Olivos, California. An amber ale that’s wet with some sweetness at first, but bitterness on the way down. Fairly typical of decent amber ales.

Firestone Lager

6.2

Another brew from Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Los Olivos, California. A little fruitier than the average lager. Real beer tasters will enjoy this, but realize it’s not overly special. The spicy/fruity taste builds as you drink it.

Fischer Bitter

5.4

The French aren’t known for making good beer, but this brew isn’t too bad, though it’s not superb either. A bit dry and harsh for a bitter-style beer. Not a bad beer, but not exceptional.

Fischer LaBelle

4.4

This French beer is very wet and smooth but has a taste similar to that of Heineken with a little extra bitter. Not a great beer. The French might make great wine, but they are lacking in beer.

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

7.1

Broadway Brewing, LLC, of Denver brews this for Flying Dog Brew Pub of Aspen, Colorado. Smooth and wet, the way a pale ale should be, but a little too bitter for a pale ale. Pale ales are usually dry drinks with a hops taste.

Foster’s Lager

5.1

Not a bad beer, but nothing to write home about. A good brew for just drinking. Goes back smooth with the barest hints of bitter and sweet. Tastes better than it smells (not that the smell is awful, just not great). This Australian beer is one of the few non-American beers with a screw-off cap on its bottles (if you cared to know).

FranziskanerHefe-Weissbier

8.3

This wheat beer is brewed by Spaten-Brau of Munich, Germany. Just the right amount of fizz here. Has a cool, fruity flavor with a touch of sweetness. Smooth enough that real beer tasters could drink this all night and enjoy it.

FranziskanerHefe-Weissbier Dunkel

8.4

Stronger, fruitier and a little sweeter than the non-Dunkel version. Definitely worth trying. Too complex for non-beer snobs; they might not even know this is beer.

Fraoch Heather Ale

5.5

Heather ale is a Scottish brew made of heather flowers and Scottish malt. The bottle’s label is interesting; it’s painted to look like ancient stonework with a stone cross on the front of it. The brew itself has a slight vinegar smell but not much of that’s in the taste. Has an interesting mixed flavor of sweet and bitter with a flowery taste also. Not a super brew, but not for the non-initiated beer taster. Worth tasting for its uniqueness, but don’t add it to your regular drinking beers.

Other Beer Links

The Amateur Beer Snob’s Guide to Beer: The A Beers

The Amateur Beer Snob’s Guide to Beer: The D Beers

The Amateur Beer Snob’s Guide to Beer: The E Beers