KC and more beers

My son KC brought over another mix of beers.  In addition to a six-pack of the Canoe Paddler we tried before, he brought a sample pack that netted me one improved-condition cap and four newbies.

 
The first one I dug into was the Third Shift (which has been pretty heavily advertised by parent Coors).  I can definitely tell you it does NOT taste like Coors.  A "pre-prohibition style" Amber Lager, it actually tasted better a bit warm.  The bitter backflavor becomes more pronounced when colder; it was smoother and better blended of flavors a bit warm.  Scrappy liked it over the Molson Canadian when he was offered.

KC had started off with the Mikes Strawberry Margarita, a flavored beer with (to KC's chagrin) no tequila.  Normally, I wouldn't have put this into the collection, until KC showed me "flavored beer on the neck label.  He then went to a Molson Canadian, which he thought had a "funny smell" and, after the Third Shift, tasted to me like the bottled had been returned to the brewery, filled with water without washing the bottle first, and sent back out.  It had zero flavor cold and vaguely like an olive had marinated in it warm.  I think KC ditched it halfway.

I drew the Victoria next.  It is a Mexican brew made by Modelo, a Vienna Lager.  That is apparently the same thing as a "pre-prohibition style,"  Because they're both amber lagers.  But two strikes against Modelo:  one, the Third Shift was better (perhaps because the Victoria was colder), and while they are the same general style, the TS was 5.3 abv next to the 4.4 of the Vic.  According to the wiki, every bottle has a drawing of King Gambrinus on it, a heritage of the Austrian immigrants who brought the style to Mexico in the late 19th century; unfortunately, I was much too occupied by baseball and pizza to pay attention.

mmmm..... beer....

I forget who had the Labatts, I think KC.  Oh, yeah, I did because then he  got a Michelob Ultra.  I have plenty of Labatt's Blue caps, but only two say imported, and this one is quite a bit different than the other.  You can see it (kinda, it was taken with the old camera) here, sixth picture down, second on the bottom.  One day, I'll have to go through and update those pictures.

I think I ended the night with another Third Shift, and a Canoe Paddler, but by this time a pizza had arrived (just 11 minutes after ordering, somehow), and we were playing music and commiserating on the lack of good vocal performances nowdays, so attention on the beer began to wander.  Scrappy tasted a Budweiser Black Crown, but again preferred the Third Shift (before anyone calls PETA, he basically was licking the mouth of the bottles and got precious little actual liquid- though I think that we considered going ahead with giving him the rest of the Molson Canadian since it was flavored water anyway).