Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

Advisory notice:  I am not as discriminating as some, ie I do not believe that commercial breweries suck.  They serve a purpose, and I respect that.  Sometimes a beer is just a beer.  My favorite commercial beers are Dogfish Head and Anchor Steam. 

Anyway, I picked this 6-pack of St George at the local Harris Teeter, purveyor of what ever is available.  The contents included their Lager, Pilsner, Nut Brown Ale, American Brown Ale, Winter Stout and Porter.  The Lager, Pilsner and Nut Brown Ale were just as unimaginative as the names suggest.  Drinkable, but nothing I am going to want again. 

The American Brown Ale was darker than I expected, just as dark as the Winter Stout and Porter.  Also sweeter than expected, a lot more carmel and chocolate for my taste.  Probably good if you like that.  The Porter was everything I would have expected.  Nicely done.  The Winter Stout was the winner.  I had it after the Lager, Pilsner and Nut Brown (not in one sitting), so I was ready to be underwhelmed.  Poured well, great head, smelled wonderful.  It seemed to get richer and more flavorful as it went along.  Very drinkable for those who like stout. 

Great post.  I might have to try to pick up a single of the Winter Stout at the Wine Warehouse. 

I've been interested in St George, since they are a Virginia brewery, but their packaging just turns me off.  Yeah, I'm being superficial.  That is just one of my many endearing qualities.

I would have thought you would have appreciated it.  For the regular beers, a shield.  For the specialty beers, some sort of weapon (love the flail for the Fall Bock).  And the naming convention, Lager for their lager, Porter for their porter.  The marketing dept is working overtime...

I'd agree with the OP.  I wasn't all that impressed with the St.Georges.  I will qualify that by I didn't find any of it unpalatable.  Just largely forgetable.  Their darks were, as stated, better than their lighter offerings.  I tend to like darks better so I wasnt sure whether it was a real improvement or merely personal preferance.

I've only tried two St.G's brews and both were on draft--the Lager at Mellow Mushroom and the Porter at Court Square. Both were tasty but the Lager stands out in my memory as fresh, crisp, and floral with a dab of Munich sweetness. In their defense, hopefully they make more akin to what I drank!