Hope everyone has been enjoying the holidays!
Mine have been lovely, thanks. It's been a long tradition for my family to stay home and have relatives come to us. For the last few years, I've had the honor of doing all of the food and beverage shopping. This year, for the 11 of us, I was to buy six 6 packs (but two always have to be Miller Light, and I always get a Killians because Uncle Paul likes it and another something sort of normal because I know not everyone is into crazy stuff like me). To go with our ham and pumpkin lasagna:
Sam Adams Boston Ale: a Sams I had not yet had, and figured it was tame enough to serve my family. I liked it. It's a straightforward enough ale, though I wrote "This doesn't taste like England" (I associate most uncrazy ales with England...). Very drinkable and doesn't have a million other things going on with it, so it's fine to drink with a meal, or while cooking a meal. It didn't interrupt all the other smells and flavors going on in our kitchen that day.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: I really like hefeweizens. This one's notes read, "the label says complex and I'd agree, more complex but no less delicious than my other favorite hef's". It's an unfiltered hefeweizen, so it's a bit cloudy, like a little storm of cloves. It's also brewed with banana, but it's not an obnoxious banana flavor, just something a little more full-tasting about it. I'd definitely get it again, although this beer has a bit more to it, so it was a little much to go with dinner.
I drove over 500 miles in the two days after Christmas to see a few awesome people, some of whom I haven't seen since the holidays 2004. The stars weren't quite aligned properly, so we didn't get the whole group of us together at once, but I had a beer with Dan and Greg in Philly on Saturday afternoon and a few beers with Greg, Sarah and Alice in New York City on Sunday evening. (For those of you doing math, there was a trip to Fairfax, Virginia in between to congratulate my college roommate on her recent engagement!) ANYWAY. A rundown:
Yards Brawler: I tried this with my lunch at Kitchen Bar in Abington, PA while catching up with Dan and Greg, the two I hadn't seen in the longest time. It was a good place to catch up, good food, not too pricey, not terribly loud. Dan chose it-- his father leaves nearby in Glenside. He says it's the first thing that's actually done well in that location, apparently several bars and restaurants have been in and out in the last few years. So, right, the beer: good. Another ale that doesn't taste like England, though the website calls it "English Session Beer" (?!?!?). Kinda darker ale and malty-ish. It was nice. Interesting. Good.
Brooklyner Weisse: Enjoyed this at the Blind Tiger in NYC with Greg and the girls. Though a hefeweizen, this is more reminiscent of a Belgian witbier than something like Sam Adams, or even now the Sierra Nevada version. Doesn't mean I didn't like it. It was darker than Hoegaarden, but tasted similar-- like if a nice brown ale and a Hoegaarden had a pleasant little baby and adorned its head with a lemon instead of a bow. Sarah and Alice stuck to this for the rest of the evening.
Sly Fox Odyssey: Imperial IPA. I don't generally like IPAs, and I guess same goes for the Imperial kind. It was just too sweet for me. It reminded me of Ayinger Celebrator, which is another beer I've had that's just too sweet, like drinking a bitter syrup. Not my jam.
Allagash White: This Blind Tiger place had a sweet beer menu and the bartender was pretty nice. It was kind of small and really loud, but when Alice came up with me to order our next round, she leaned in and told the bartender about my quest for new beers (aka, this blog) and he recommended this. I really liked it! It's another witbier, a really smooth and light tasting one.
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar: This is a nice brown ale. You can definitely make out the hazelnut, and yet it's pretty mild and unoffensive. Not totally malty, and definitely not that elusive Backdraft Brown Ale, but this was a good drink!
Well, Paul and I are tied at 165-165. Happy holidays, indeed!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
(another quick break)
If all goes according to plan, I should be done with my semester in about 6 more hours.
It's been a bit intense this past week, nay, this past month... forget it. Crazy semester. I accepted my fate as a not-straight-A-student years ago, so I manage to make time for other things once in a while. Yesterday I visited my Grandma and Great Uncle up north to bake some Christmas treats and have dinner. Afterward, I visited that dude I'm dating. Fear not, I graded exams all the while.
We'll come back to the story of my yester-eve in a few moments, but first a complete digression. Something important to know about me is that while able to handle various forms of technology to some degree, I tend to be a moron about the newest-fangled stuff. Yesterday, Paul sent me an updated version of his beer list via Google Documents. I have never seen this before. It took me a while to figure out how to download it to Excel, a form of technology I seem to have down pretty well these days (Excel 2003, that is). I figured two things out pretty quickly-- Paul's never had Rogue beers?! and between the two of us, we've tried about 275 different beers (I am a WIZ at stats in Excel!...2003).
Anyway, and I promise I'm coming back to that story I started with, one form of kinda fancy technology I sort of have down is the "text message", although I have a tendancy not to text people back, sorry. I even know how to delete or not delete text messages. Occasionally, Paul will text me with an outrageously awesome beer suggestion. I don't delete those. One time he texted me "Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Need I say more?"
This is where all of this comes together! My dude had a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout for me! And it was awesome. Paul and I share an enthusiasm for Imperial Russian Stouts. It was a great suggestion. The only problem? I went to write notes about it on my list... AND IT WAS ALREADY THERE. First of all, I'm embarrassed to have forgotten such an excellent beer. It's very strong tasting, kind of a porter flavored stout, but so good. Paul's notes mention this beer's high alcohol content. It's probably true (well, definitely true, the bottle says so) but I drank it slowly so I didn't notice so much. Second of all, the note that was already on my list said, "Really thick and heavy and flavorful" but after last night, I would probably drop the second adjective there. Is it weird that I really don't find a lot of beers that heavy any more?...
Paul needn't say more. It was an excellent suggestion and I'm not sad that I've had it more than once, only that I had forgotten it and that the score remains the same. Now, time to get back to writing my final paper (which is based on some fabulous statistics I did in Excel 2003!) and grading...
PS- Other excellent Brooklyn brews I've tried and would also recommend:
Brown Ale: the ale that drinks like a porter… coffee and chocolate goodness
Oktoberfest: good, sweet Oktober lager, good autumny taste if not in the mood for pumpkin
Lager: That is good lager. That is all.
It's been a bit intense this past week, nay, this past month... forget it. Crazy semester. I accepted my fate as a not-straight-A-student years ago, so I manage to make time for other things once in a while. Yesterday I visited my Grandma and Great Uncle up north to bake some Christmas treats and have dinner. Afterward, I visited that dude I'm dating. Fear not, I graded exams all the while.
We'll come back to the story of my yester-eve in a few moments, but first a complete digression. Something important to know about me is that while able to handle various forms of technology to some degree, I tend to be a moron about the newest-fangled stuff. Yesterday, Paul sent me an updated version of his beer list via Google Documents. I have never seen this before. It took me a while to figure out how to download it to Excel, a form of technology I seem to have down pretty well these days (Excel 2003, that is). I figured two things out pretty quickly-- Paul's never had Rogue beers?! and between the two of us, we've tried about 275 different beers (I am a WIZ at stats in Excel!...2003).
Anyway, and I promise I'm coming back to that story I started with, one form of kinda fancy technology I sort of have down is the "text message", although I have a tendancy not to text people back, sorry. I even know how to delete or not delete text messages. Occasionally, Paul will text me with an outrageously awesome beer suggestion. I don't delete those. One time he texted me "Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Need I say more?"
This is where all of this comes together! My dude had a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout for me! And it was awesome. Paul and I share an enthusiasm for Imperial Russian Stouts. It was a great suggestion. The only problem? I went to write notes about it on my list... AND IT WAS ALREADY THERE. First of all, I'm embarrassed to have forgotten such an excellent beer. It's very strong tasting, kind of a porter flavored stout, but so good. Paul's notes mention this beer's high alcohol content. It's probably true (well, definitely true, the bottle says so) but I drank it slowly so I didn't notice so much. Second of all, the note that was already on my list said, "Really thick and heavy and flavorful" but after last night, I would probably drop the second adjective there. Is it weird that I really don't find a lot of beers that heavy any more?...
Paul needn't say more. It was an excellent suggestion and I'm not sad that I've had it more than once, only that I had forgotten it and that the score remains the same. Now, time to get back to writing my final paper (which is based on some fabulous statistics I did in Excel 2003!) and grading...
PS- Other excellent Brooklyn brews I've tried and would also recommend:
Brown Ale: the ale that drinks like a porter… coffee and chocolate goodness
Oktoberfest: good, sweet Oktober lager, good autumny taste if not in the mood for pumpkin
Lager: That is good lager. That is all.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
(taking a quick break from grading)
The semester is not over yet. I am a bit fried.
And what goes better with fried stuff than a good beer?!
I gave two exams yesterday, to my students in Geography of New Jersey and 1 of my 3 sections of Intro to Human Ecology. After a grading extravaganza, I met my friends at Stuff Yer Face. You know, because it was Monday.
When I arrived, the seat I sat down in was directly facing a fridge full of Rogue brews, so I ordered the Mocha Porter (though I admit I didn't order any fried food to go with it, but I did have a 'boli, Stuffie's specialty). Um, delicious. That is good porter. It tasted a bit like coffee (which I drink exponentially more of during finals than any other time of the semester or life in general, so I guess it was appropriate). It was really smooth and creamy and straight up good. Paul and I are both fans of good porter, but I don't see this anywhere on the outdated copy of his beer list that I have. Weird. DEAR PAUL, DRINK THIS BEER. IT'S GOOD. SINCERELY, COLLEEN
Though he might have had it by now. The copy of his list that I have is only 134 beers long, and the current standing is Paul: 165 (versus my 158). And I'm pretty sure we've talked about Rogue Dead Guy Ale, which is also not on his list, which is also pretty good if you're looking for a see-through flavored beer.
Next up: I believe there will be a Dear Beer Friends staff meeting at our Office upon our home- (for the holidays) coming. Stay tuned!
And what goes better with fried stuff than a good beer?!
I gave two exams yesterday, to my students in Geography of New Jersey and 1 of my 3 sections of Intro to Human Ecology. After a grading extravaganza, I met my friends at Stuff Yer Face. You know, because it was Monday.
When I arrived, the seat I sat down in was directly facing a fridge full of Rogue brews, so I ordered the Mocha Porter (though I admit I didn't order any fried food to go with it, but I did have a 'boli, Stuffie's specialty). Um, delicious. That is good porter. It tasted a bit like coffee (which I drink exponentially more of during finals than any other time of the semester or life in general, so I guess it was appropriate). It was really smooth and creamy and straight up good. Paul and I are both fans of good porter, but I don't see this anywhere on the outdated copy of his beer list that I have. Weird. DEAR PAUL, DRINK THIS BEER. IT'S GOOD. SINCERELY, COLLEEN
Though he might have had it by now. The copy of his list that I have is only 134 beers long, and the current standing is Paul: 165 (versus my 158). And I'm pretty sure we've talked about Rogue Dead Guy Ale, which is also not on his list, which is also pretty good if you're looking for a see-through flavored beer.
Next up: I believe there will be a Dear Beer Friends staff meeting at our Office upon our home- (for the holidays) coming. Stay tuned!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Snowed in.....with beer
This weekend was supposed to mark the beginning of my holiday season, as the extended family planned to gather in New Jersey for our annual Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, A blizzard decided to crash the party. On Friday, it was evident we needed to cancel our plans. In the Washington, DC area - we had 23 inches of snow! Fortunately, I stocked up on supplies for the weekend. My girlfriend gave me part of my Christmas gift early - a custom six pack. Needless to say, she's a keeper.
Williamsburg AleWerks Washington's Porter: It's becoming evident that I love porters. George Washington was a great man who left this country with countless gifts. One of the his most overlooked talents was his recipe for porter, which he left in the New York Public library. Several companies make this. I highly recommend it.
Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale: Smuttynose generally makes a quality beer. This was your run-of-the-mill Pale Ale. I thought it was decent, and it went well with the DiGiorno I was eating at the time.
Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale: Like the previous beer I had from Smuttynose, this beer is worth giving a try. My girlfriend said this tasted like an old dog. I thought it was better than that. It had some depth, but I think I'd need another one to get a better description.
Troegs Troegenator Doublebock: This beer is basically liquid bread. It's rather aggressive on the malts as well. Troegs is a fairly popular micro-brew. I haven't had much of their beer, but I'll try a few different types to get a good sampling at some point.
Troegs Hopback Amber Ale: I do like amber ales. They tend to be a nice mix between malts and hops. However, this one was heavy on the hops for an amber ale. Hence, it was quite bitter in taste - almost painstakingly so.
This past week, I also had two other beers worth mentioning (one of which already has been accounted for on my list). On Thursday, my cousin and I went for beers at Fireflies. Friday brought me to Chadwick's for lunch.
North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout: This beer was excellent. I love an Imperial Russian Stout, and this beer did not disappoint. It was complex, but not overbearing. It poured out like syrup, but was much smoother than it appeared. The head on the beer was darker than normal. I need to have this again.
Morland Old Speckled Hen: This beer was already in my beer count, but I thought I'd document it here. This beer comes highly recommended from two people I respect: my old sailing buddy, Jim, and a family friend, Frank. The beer looks a bit like hard cider, but we won't hold that against it. It tasted a little creamy to me on first taste. I thought the hops and malts were fairly balanced though.
Scorecard:
Paul: 165
Colleen: 157
Cheers,
Paul
Williamsburg AleWerks Washington's Porter: It's becoming evident that I love porters. George Washington was a great man who left this country with countless gifts. One of the his most overlooked talents was his recipe for porter, which he left in the New York Public library. Several companies make this. I highly recommend it.
Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale: Smuttynose generally makes a quality beer. This was your run-of-the-mill Pale Ale. I thought it was decent, and it went well with the DiGiorno I was eating at the time.
Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale: Like the previous beer I had from Smuttynose, this beer is worth giving a try. My girlfriend said this tasted like an old dog. I thought it was better than that. It had some depth, but I think I'd need another one to get a better description.
Troegs Troegenator Doublebock: This beer is basically liquid bread. It's rather aggressive on the malts as well. Troegs is a fairly popular micro-brew. I haven't had much of their beer, but I'll try a few different types to get a good sampling at some point.
Troegs Hopback Amber Ale: I do like amber ales. They tend to be a nice mix between malts and hops. However, this one was heavy on the hops for an amber ale. Hence, it was quite bitter in taste - almost painstakingly so.
This past week, I also had two other beers worth mentioning (one of which already has been accounted for on my list). On Thursday, my cousin and I went for beers at Fireflies. Friday brought me to Chadwick's for lunch.
North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout: This beer was excellent. I love an Imperial Russian Stout, and this beer did not disappoint. It was complex, but not overbearing. It poured out like syrup, but was much smoother than it appeared. The head on the beer was darker than normal. I need to have this again.
Morland Old Speckled Hen: This beer was already in my beer count, but I thought I'd document it here. This beer comes highly recommended from two people I respect: my old sailing buddy, Jim, and a family friend, Frank. The beer looks a bit like hard cider, but we won't hold that against it. It tasted a little creamy to me on first taste. I thought the hops and malts were fairly balanced though.
Scorecard:
Paul: 165
Colleen: 157
Cheers,
Paul
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
final-ly
I told Paul a few months ago that it was my goal to overtake his variety-of-beers record by New Years because I had, you know, a semester to finish... so I accept that he has pulled ahead slightly in this everlasting contest. (I also accept because he had a 70 beer lead on me when this all began in college.) Well, it's finally finals! I have just a week and change left in the semester, and then I can responsibly reclaim my lead.
In the meantime, I did have a new beer last night. I went out in my typical Monday night fashion, except, Stuff Yer Face was closed for their holiday party so my friends and I went to Marita's Cantina instead, where they currently have Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale on tap. Paul isn't really a Leinenkugel fan, I know, but I haven't disliked any of theirs that I've tried thus far:
Summer Shandy: citrusy summer wheat ale. I like wheat beer. I thought I tasted lime but it was lemon.
Sunset Wheat: easy to drink, not too strong, I will repeat: I like wheat.
So, the Fireside Nut Brown: definitely tasted the nuttiness but it was decent. Didn't have a second though, ended up switching to Guinness, but that was a mood thing, not that the Fireside wasn't at least tolerable. Though Leinenkugel probably wouldn't be my first choice, I definitely don't dislike their beers.
Also, about halfway through our first round, my friends and I were later joined by all of the bartenders from Stuffies! It's really fun drinking with your bartenders. Sign of a great bartender: drunk as she was, our usual Monday night bartender was still able to recommend me the Fireside Nut Brown Ale, because she didn't think I'd had it before and knows that somewhere, some dude is trying to try more different beers than me.
Well, dude, the score is 157-159.
(I mean, I was already halfway through mine at that point, but I'm impressed by her effort.)
In the meantime, I did have a new beer last night. I went out in my typical Monday night fashion, except, Stuff Yer Face was closed for their holiday party so my friends and I went to Marita's Cantina instead, where they currently have Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale on tap. Paul isn't really a Leinenkugel fan, I know, but I haven't disliked any of theirs that I've tried thus far:
Summer Shandy: citrusy summer wheat ale. I like wheat beer. I thought I tasted lime but it was lemon.
Sunset Wheat: easy to drink, not too strong, I will repeat: I like wheat.
So, the Fireside Nut Brown: definitely tasted the nuttiness but it was decent. Didn't have a second though, ended up switching to Guinness, but that was a mood thing, not that the Fireside wasn't at least tolerable. Though Leinenkugel probably wouldn't be my first choice, I definitely don't dislike their beers.
Also, about halfway through our first round, my friends and I were later joined by all of the bartenders from Stuffies! It's really fun drinking with your bartenders. Sign of a great bartender: drunk as she was, our usual Monday night bartender was still able to recommend me the Fireside Nut Brown Ale, because she didn't think I'd had it before and knows that somewhere, some dude is trying to try more different beers than me.
Well, dude, the score is 157-159.
(I mean, I was already halfway through mine at that point, but I'm impressed by her effort.)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
A Custom Six Pack (Part 2) + Plus More
My last post reviewed three beers from a custom six pack I made at Total Wine. Having tried the remaining beers, I wanted to update you on how they went.
St. George Porter: Recently, I've had a lot of Virginia beers: Starr Hill, Williamsburg Ale Works, Olde Richmond, and probably some others. This beer is also a Virginia beer, and it is excellent. If this six pack taught me anything, it's how much I love a good porter.
Clipper City Gold Ale: This beer is from Baltimore, and the beer's color matches the name. It's light color is normally unusual for me, but I enjoyed this beer. It wasn't light on flavor as I noticed a slightly hoppy after taste with more floral aromas. It struck me as the uncomfortable (yet tasty) love child of an IPA and a wheat beer.
Samuel Adams Imperial White: This beer was intense on flavor to the point where it wasn't even enjoyable. If potpourri came in liquid form, it would taste like this. Samuel Adams makes a lot of good beers, I just don't think this is one of them.
Lastly, I had been reminded that I have tried another beer over the summer that was not on my list. The Guinness 250 Stout was good, but I expected more from Guinness. There were different malts used for a slightly different flavor and after taste. I'd be willing to have it again, but I like the regular Guinness Draught instead.
Yesterday, I made some travels around my area and had some more beers. I met one of my co-workers, Bob, at The Vienna Inn. The place can be best described as a local watering hole and a hole in the wall. The food is good and cheap - plus the beer is always cold. Over some chili cheese dogs, and a good conversation, I had the following beers (bonus - more Virginia beers!):
Dominion Porter: I really enjoyed this brew. Needless to say, my love for porters is becoming documented on this blog. It has a nice roasted malt flavor, and jived well with my chili cheese dog.
Dominion Amber Ale: This was a standard, amber ale. It was good, but it didn't distinguish itself from the group. It was a house beer at the Vienna Inn.
Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale: This completed my tri-fecta, which went from darker to light and from malty to hoppy. I liked this pale ale, nothing special, but solid nonetheless.
After my visit to the Vienna Inn, I went to Chadwick's in Old Town Alexandria. They have a good tap and bottle list. It was nice to have a couple beers with my friend Jeremy and his friend Jared. Without further ado, here goes the rest of the beers I tried.
North Coast Brother Thelonious: I hated this beer. It was a Belgian Abbey style ale. I might avoid this style in the future.
Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale: This was a decent amber ale. It was mostly forgettable, then again, I was about 5 deep at this point.
The Scorecard:
Paul: 159
Colleen: 156
St. George Porter: Recently, I've had a lot of Virginia beers: Starr Hill, Williamsburg Ale Works, Olde Richmond, and probably some others. This beer is also a Virginia beer, and it is excellent. If this six pack taught me anything, it's how much I love a good porter.
Clipper City Gold Ale: This beer is from Baltimore, and the beer's color matches the name. It's light color is normally unusual for me, but I enjoyed this beer. It wasn't light on flavor as I noticed a slightly hoppy after taste with more floral aromas. It struck me as the uncomfortable (yet tasty) love child of an IPA and a wheat beer.
Samuel Adams Imperial White: This beer was intense on flavor to the point where it wasn't even enjoyable. If potpourri came in liquid form, it would taste like this. Samuel Adams makes a lot of good beers, I just don't think this is one of them.
Lastly, I had been reminded that I have tried another beer over the summer that was not on my list. The Guinness 250 Stout was good, but I expected more from Guinness. There were different malts used for a slightly different flavor and after taste. I'd be willing to have it again, but I like the regular Guinness Draught instead.
Yesterday, I made some travels around my area and had some more beers. I met one of my co-workers, Bob, at The Vienna Inn. The place can be best described as a local watering hole and a hole in the wall. The food is good and cheap - plus the beer is always cold. Over some chili cheese dogs, and a good conversation, I had the following beers (bonus - more Virginia beers!):
Dominion Porter: I really enjoyed this brew. Needless to say, my love for porters is becoming documented on this blog. It has a nice roasted malt flavor, and jived well with my chili cheese dog.
Dominion Amber Ale: This was a standard, amber ale. It was good, but it didn't distinguish itself from the group. It was a house beer at the Vienna Inn.
Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale: This completed my tri-fecta, which went from darker to light and from malty to hoppy. I liked this pale ale, nothing special, but solid nonetheless.
After my visit to the Vienna Inn, I went to Chadwick's in Old Town Alexandria. They have a good tap and bottle list. It was nice to have a couple beers with my friend Jeremy and his friend Jared. Without further ado, here goes the rest of the beers I tried.
North Coast Brother Thelonious: I hated this beer. It was a Belgian Abbey style ale. I might avoid this style in the future.
Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale: This was a decent amber ale. It was mostly forgettable, then again, I was about 5 deep at this point.
The Scorecard:
Paul: 159
Colleen: 156
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Custom Six Pack
I made a trip the other night to Total Wine, but refrained from buying any wine. Instead, I went to the micro-brew aisle and made a custom six pack. Typically, I like supporting an independent beer specialty store but the one in my current area doesn't do custom six packs. When I had a healthy lead over Colleen, this was no big deal - I need to catch up though.
I just finished a pizza and beer night with my good friend Matt, and tried half the beers in the custom six pack. Side Note: I am convinced that just as Adam needed Eve to be complete, beer needs pizza. Without further ado, I will review what was tasted. One trend I like is to buy other styles of beer from a micro-brewery that makes one of your favorites. Hence, the first three I will review are from Starr Hill, Bells, and Victory.
Victory V Lager: As Colleen recently noted, she had high hopes for Victory Brewing since their Storm King (Imperial Russian Stout) is a mutual favorite of ours. Victory V Lager was also disappointing. I thought it was very light, and somewhat fruity. It was a very light yellow. I'll probably avoid this in the future.
Bells Porter: I enjoyed this beer very much, especially since I love Porters. There definitely was a roasted malt after taste, and the beer itself was dark as night. I will be picking up this beer again sometime soon.
Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA: I found this to be a very, very good IPA. It definitely had a good hop character, but the after taste was not overwhelming. The taste was quite smooth, and it was very enjoyable with a slice of White Pizza.
The biggest problem creating the six pack was finding beers I knew that I hadn't previously tasted. When you get to 150 beers, some things start to blend in your mind. Next time, I am going in there with a list.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 156
Paul: 150
I just finished a pizza and beer night with my good friend Matt, and tried half the beers in the custom six pack. Side Note: I am convinced that just as Adam needed Eve to be complete, beer needs pizza. Without further ado, I will review what was tasted. One trend I like is to buy other styles of beer from a micro-brewery that makes one of your favorites. Hence, the first three I will review are from Starr Hill, Bells, and Victory.
Victory V Lager: As Colleen recently noted, she had high hopes for Victory Brewing since their Storm King (Imperial Russian Stout) is a mutual favorite of ours. Victory V Lager was also disappointing. I thought it was very light, and somewhat fruity. It was a very light yellow. I'll probably avoid this in the future.
Bells Porter: I enjoyed this beer very much, especially since I love Porters. There definitely was a roasted malt after taste, and the beer itself was dark as night. I will be picking up this beer again sometime soon.
Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA: I found this to be a very, very good IPA. It definitely had a good hop character, but the after taste was not overwhelming. The taste was quite smooth, and it was very enjoyable with a slice of White Pizza.
The biggest problem creating the six pack was finding beers I knew that I hadn't previously tasted. When you get to 150 beers, some things start to blend in your mind. Next time, I am going in there with a list.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 156
Paul: 150
Monday, December 7, 2009
nein, Paul, nine ahead.
I have a standing meeting every Monday at Stuff Yer Face with a few friends from Middlesex County. Nearbyish to our group of people, good beer menu, and we're good friends with the bartenders there. Subsequently, I'll probably have something to say here about beer late on Mondays/sometime on Tuesdays. Unless, of course, this meeting changes next semester... this is the last week of classes for Fall 2009...
ANYWAY. Paul is right, I spent a long weekend in chilly Minnesota. I spent it on a dry, Norwegian Lutheran college campus, giving Paul a short opportunity to do a little catching up. I had one beer during an outing that was a Minnesota brew, but it turned out to be a repeat! Summit Extra Pale Ale. (My uncle gave me one on Thanksgiving. In his words, "A good pale ale is worth it." He's right, but pale ales still aren't my favorite. This one was tolerable though-- I didn't not enjoy it either time.) However, I have a few new ones to report nonetheless.
Before I do, I feel I need to explain the current score. I did come back from 16 behind to 12 ahead in about a week's time. However, I did so pretty responsibly. First of all, that week was both my birthday and Thanksgiving. Lots of time to relax and enjoy a few drinks with family and friends. Second, I did not drink any single brew more than once in that week, and didn't drink anything I'd ever had before, either. Third, 11 of those are from my epic journey across Canada that just never made it over to my official beer list. It would be 12 brews but no one ever caught the name of the one beer we had at the hostel in Banff. It was really gross anyway. So, my surge is not totally bogus or alcoholic.
So, the new two:
Ballantine Ale. In my notes, I wrote "ale." That about sums it up. My dude brought me a can from a six pack he bought after seeing various Ballantine paraphenalia at my friends Cheryl and Gurzo's house... the full circle here is that these are the people I go out with on Monday nights!
Troegs' Mad Elf. Cheryl said it well, "It's like a Hoegaarden that got sassy!" (which Gurzo and I interpreted as "more yeast flavor").
My Monday night people (which also includes Jeremy, lest he feel left out, and very rarely includes Matt, who I know will whine if I don't mention him, but he'll also whine that I said he whines, or something) are talking about meeting at Stuffie's on Wednesday, because Man vs. Food is apparently in New Brunswick that night. I'll report back then if I make it out and/or try anything new. In the meantime, the score is now 156-147.
ANYWAY. Paul is right, I spent a long weekend in chilly Minnesota. I spent it on a dry, Norwegian Lutheran college campus, giving Paul a short opportunity to do a little catching up. I had one beer during an outing that was a Minnesota brew, but it turned out to be a repeat! Summit Extra Pale Ale. (My uncle gave me one on Thanksgiving. In his words, "A good pale ale is worth it." He's right, but pale ales still aren't my favorite. This one was tolerable though-- I didn't not enjoy it either time.) However, I have a few new ones to report nonetheless.
Before I do, I feel I need to explain the current score. I did come back from 16 behind to 12 ahead in about a week's time. However, I did so pretty responsibly. First of all, that week was both my birthday and Thanksgiving. Lots of time to relax and enjoy a few drinks with family and friends. Second, I did not drink any single brew more than once in that week, and didn't drink anything I'd ever had before, either. Third, 11 of those are from my epic journey across Canada that just never made it over to my official beer list. It would be 12 brews but no one ever caught the name of the one beer we had at the hostel in Banff. It was really gross anyway. So, my surge is not totally bogus or alcoholic.
So, the new two:
Ballantine Ale. In my notes, I wrote "ale." That about sums it up. My dude brought me a can from a six pack he bought after seeing various Ballantine paraphenalia at my friends Cheryl and Gurzo's house... the full circle here is that these are the people I go out with on Monday nights!
Troegs' Mad Elf. Cheryl said it well, "It's like a Hoegaarden that got sassy!" (which Gurzo and I interpreted as "more yeast flavor").
My Monday night people (which also includes Jeremy, lest he feel left out, and very rarely includes Matt, who I know will whine if I don't mention him, but he'll also whine that I said he whines, or something) are talking about meeting at Stuffie's on Wednesday, because Man vs. Food is apparently in New Brunswick that night. I'll report back then if I make it out and/or try anything new. In the meantime, the score is now 156-147.
Drinking in Colonial Williamsburg
As Colleen will probably post soon, she traveled to Minnesota. Therefore, she probably has another post (or more) already written in her head. I'll let her regale you with her travels on her own time.
Not to be outdone, I went to Williamsburg, VA this weekend to visit the girlfriend. While there she was kind enough to let me watch college football at The Green leafe. I watched football, while tasting a few new pints of beer, and she quietly sat with her beer and studied. She's a keeper. The place had a nice tap and bottle list of beers I hadn't tried before. I hope to get there again to try some more.
The new one's on the list are as follows:
Williamsburg AleWorks Red Marker Ale: This beer was smooth, but otherwise forgettable. I probably would enjoy Killian's Irish Red more.
Harpoon Winter Warmer: This tasted terrible: egg nog meets beer. There was also a cinnamon taste. It was quite surprising, because Harpoon usually makes a quality beer. Then again, the Holiday season makes people do strange things to beer...
Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail: I have a confession to make. I bought this beer because of the name. It was a slightly hoppy beer.
Bear Republic El Oso Lager: I probably enjoyed this beer the most out of the group. It went down smooth, which was very much appreciated after the egg nog beer.
A few weeks ago, with the aforementioned girlfriend, we went to a place called Fireflies. It's pretty much a swank coffee shop atmosphere, except they server beer. During my travels there, I have documented (Colleen, note the word choice - I'm not bitter, really) 2 beers.
Olde Richmond Batch No. 4: This came in a 22 oz bottle. It was a nice, dark brown ale. It went down smooth, and went especially well with a pizza. Then again, what beer doesn't. Long story short, I'd certainly love to cross paths with this beer again.
Fireflies Amber Ale: This seems to be their proprietary beer. I am generally a big fan of amber ales. I think they are a nice mix between a strong malty beer, but with a slight hop taste. It's pretty much smooth with anything. This was already listed in my beer count, as I've had it before I just haven't reviewed it yet (expect more of these to come).
The gap has been temporarily closed...
Colleen: 154
Paul: 147
Not to be outdone, I went to Williamsburg, VA this weekend to visit the girlfriend. While there she was kind enough to let me watch college football at The Green leafe. I watched football, while tasting a few new pints of beer, and she quietly sat with her beer and studied. She's a keeper. The place had a nice tap and bottle list of beers I hadn't tried before. I hope to get there again to try some more.
The new one's on the list are as follows:
Williamsburg AleWorks Red Marker Ale: This beer was smooth, but otherwise forgettable. I probably would enjoy Killian's Irish Red more.
Harpoon Winter Warmer: This tasted terrible: egg nog meets beer. There was also a cinnamon taste. It was quite surprising, because Harpoon usually makes a quality beer. Then again, the Holiday season makes people do strange things to beer...
Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail: I have a confession to make. I bought this beer because of the name. It was a slightly hoppy beer.
Bear Republic El Oso Lager: I probably enjoyed this beer the most out of the group. It went down smooth, which was very much appreciated after the egg nog beer.
A few weeks ago, with the aforementioned girlfriend, we went to a place called Fireflies. It's pretty much a swank coffee shop atmosphere, except they server beer. During my travels there, I have documented (Colleen, note the word choice - I'm not bitter, really) 2 beers.
Olde Richmond Batch No. 4: This came in a 22 oz bottle. It was a nice, dark brown ale. It went down smooth, and went especially well with a pizza. Then again, what beer doesn't. Long story short, I'd certainly love to cross paths with this beer again.
Fireflies Amber Ale: This seems to be their proprietary beer. I am generally a big fan of amber ales. I think they are a nice mix between a strong malty beer, but with a slight hop taste. It's pretty much smooth with anything. This was already listed in my beer count, as I've had it before I just haven't reviewed it yet (expect more of these to come).
The gap has been temporarily closed...
Colleen: 154
Paul: 147
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
not exactly a victory...
I have a standing meeting with some friends on Monday nights at Stuff Yer Face. They have great food, an excellent beer menu, and it's not too far away from any of us. I've tried quite a few new beers there. This week, they had a new one on tap: Victory's Yakima Twilight.
So disappointing.
I mean, Victory Storm King is a beer that both Paul and I feel quite strongly about. BECAUSE IT'S DELICIOUS. I've tried several Victory brews since he recommended that one back when we were in college, but have only been let down since. Yakima Twilight? I was amused by the name and I still had high hopes for the brewer. However, those high hopes were met with high hops... why are all of their beers so hoppy? Why? It kind of had an almost pleasant malty flavor when I first sipped it, but you swallow it and it's just so hoppy... ughhh.
I think I'm fairly open minded about trying new things. However, here's what I wrote about Yakima Twilight in my beer list: "More like yuckima hoplight. Seriously, I'm going to stop drinking Victory beers soon. Except Storm King." I've tried quite a few beers by them that were way hoppier than expected: Weizen Bock ("a bit hoppy for me"), Golden Monkey ("kind of hoppy"), Hop Devil-- ok, that one I expected (it's an American IPA). I guess I'm just not crazy about hops. And I'm just not crazy about any of Victory's beers except Storm King. It's a shame.
But it does bring the score to 154-142.
So disappointing.
I mean, Victory Storm King is a beer that both Paul and I feel quite strongly about. BECAUSE IT'S DELICIOUS. I've tried several Victory brews since he recommended that one back when we were in college, but have only been let down since. Yakima Twilight? I was amused by the name and I still had high hopes for the brewer. However, those high hopes were met with high hops... why are all of their beers so hoppy? Why? It kind of had an almost pleasant malty flavor when I first sipped it, but you swallow it and it's just so hoppy... ughhh.
I think I'm fairly open minded about trying new things. However, here's what I wrote about Yakima Twilight in my beer list: "More like yuckima hoplight. Seriously, I'm going to stop drinking Victory beers soon. Except Storm King." I've tried quite a few beers by them that were way hoppier than expected: Weizen Bock ("a bit hoppy for me"), Golden Monkey ("kind of hoppy"), Hop Devil-- ok, that one I expected (it's an American IPA). I guess I'm just not crazy about hops. And I'm just not crazy about any of Victory's beers except Storm King. It's a shame.
But it does bring the score to 154-142.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Calorie Counting with Sir Arthur Guinness
A couple of months ago, Colleen and I were having a discussion and the topic steered toward calories. Neither of us are calorie counters, but it was stated that Guiness had less calories ounce for ounce than Corona.
I looked into the matter using Google and thought this would make an excellent blog post. In order to give proper credit for this, I would like to acknowledge that these numbers came from RealBeer.com. You may notice that we have a link to them on the side bar. They are really an excellent resource. We also link to RateBeer.com as that is also a fantastic place for beer reviews. The list below is a sampling of beers on the RealBeer website with their associated calories and percent alcohol. A complete listing can be found here. I did not include light beers, since that is an unfair comparison. The main reason that some mainstream beers were included is so you can compare against well known (and possibly lesser) alternatives.
I think a lot of people would find this list surprising, since the closest beer in color to Guinness is the Anchor Porter. Guinness beats quite a few beers that are both lighter in taste and color. Some of the reason is due to the fact that Guinness is lower in alcohol, hence why it doesn't get you drunk very easily - heavy on the stomach and low in alcohol. Alcohol provides empty calories, and you may notice that there is, generally, a trend with the beers above in terms of percent alcohol and calories. There are other factors at play in the calorie total (i.e. adjuncts, malts, length of the brewing process), but that would be a post better provided by someone with a background in nutrition.
During my Google searching on the subject, I came across a similar article here that you may find interesting as well.
Cheers,
Paul
I looked into the matter using Google and thought this would make an excellent blog post. In order to give proper credit for this, I would like to acknowledge that these numbers came from RealBeer.com. You may notice that we have a link to them on the side bar. They are really an excellent resource. We also link to RateBeer.com as that is also a fantastic place for beer reviews. The list below is a sampling of beers on the RealBeer website with their associated calories and percent alcohol. A complete listing can be found here. I did not include light beers, since that is an unfair comparison. The main reason that some mainstream beers were included is so you can compare against well known (and possibly lesser) alternatives.
| Beer Name | Calories (per 12 oz bottle) | Percent Alcohol (ABV) |
| Guiness Draught | 125 | 4.1% |
| Yuengling Lager | 135-140 | 4.9% |
| Beck's | 143 | 4.8% |
| Budweiser | 143 | 5% |
| Killian's | 143 | 4.9% |
| Coors Original | 148 | 5% |
| Corona Extra | 148 | 4.6% |
| Fuller's London Pride | 156 | 4.7% |
| Miller High Life | 156 | 4.7% |
| Sam Adam's Boston Lager | 160 | 4.9% |
| Heineken | 166 | 5% |
| Blue Moon White | 171 | 5.6% |
| Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | 171 | 5.6% |
| Anchor Porter | 205 | 5.6% |
I think a lot of people would find this list surprising, since the closest beer in color to Guinness is the Anchor Porter. Guinness beats quite a few beers that are both lighter in taste and color. Some of the reason is due to the fact that Guinness is lower in alcohol, hence why it doesn't get you drunk very easily - heavy on the stomach and low in alcohol. Alcohol provides empty calories, and you may notice that there is, generally, a trend with the beers above in terms of percent alcohol and calories. There are other factors at play in the calorie total (i.e. adjuncts, malts, length of the brewing process), but that would be a post better provided by someone with a background in nutrition.
During my Google searching on the subject, I came across a similar article here that you may find interesting as well.
Cheers,
Paul
Sunday, November 29, 2009
oh hey I'm Colleen!
Paul did a good job summing up how we know each other and what our deal with beer is, so I'll just briefly introduce myself.
I'm currently in my second year of grad school, working on a Master of Science in Geography. That's right, Geography. It's real. I specialize in biogeography and human- environment interactions. Basically, I hug trees and play in the dirt. My thesis is about invasive plants and slash and burn agriculture in Mexico, where I spent part of my summer doing research, and where their beer is all the same (not very exciting).
My top five beers at the moment:
1. Sam Adams Hefeweizen
2. Guinness (though this is what I have most often)
3. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
4. Victory Storm King
5. Flying Fish Oktoberfish
Also, the score is actually currently 153- 142, as I just tried Bud Light Golden Wheat. Don't ask me why, since I generally avoid stuff with "light" in the name, but it was surprisingly not crappy. I like wheat beer, what can I say.
Other stuff I like: old family photos, traveling, the beach, hugging trees, making and/or listening to music, the state of New Jersey
Also, if Brendan the cousin gets credit for encouraging us to blog about our beer adventures, and Paul gets credit for actually signing us up for the address and starting the blog, I totally get credit for the name. Paul is a dear friend, and my beer friend. I'm so clever sometimes.
I'm currently in my second year of grad school, working on a Master of Science in Geography. That's right, Geography. It's real. I specialize in biogeography and human- environment interactions. Basically, I hug trees and play in the dirt. My thesis is about invasive plants and slash and burn agriculture in Mexico, where I spent part of my summer doing research, and where their beer is all the same (not very exciting).
My top five beers at the moment:
1. Sam Adams Hefeweizen
2. Guinness (though this is what I have most often)
3. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
4. Victory Storm King
5. Flying Fish Oktoberfish
Also, the score is actually currently 153- 142, as I just tried Bud Light Golden Wheat. Don't ask me why, since I generally avoid stuff with "light" in the name, but it was surprisingly not crappy. I like wheat beer, what can I say.
Other stuff I like: old family photos, traveling, the beach, hugging trees, making and/or listening to music, the state of New Jersey
Also, if Brendan the cousin gets credit for encouraging us to blog about our beer adventures, and Paul gets credit for actually signing us up for the address and starting the blog, I totally get credit for the name. Paul is a dear friend, and my beer friend. I'm so clever sometimes.
Welcome - Paul
When we discussed creating this blog, Colleen said we should each make a post introducing ourselves. This makes sense, since we will have four types of readers (which amounts to quite the Venn Diagram): those who know her, those who know me, those who know both of us, and those who know neither of us. In order to give credit where credit is due, the idea for this blog originally came from my cousin, Brendan.
I suppose an adequate place to start would be to give some background. Colleen and I were in the same play group growing up, and in our college years became good friends again. It was during this time we both realized that a) beer was good and b) that a bar near our home towns has an excellent pint night on Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, we both went to college in Virginia, so we carpooled to and fro on several occasions during senior year.
It was during my senior year at Virginia Tech that I took the greatest course in the long and stored history of crazy college courses: Brewing Science. If you are a student at VT, please take it. The class was half learn about brewing (the theory) and appreciation of beer (the practical). Class was on Fridays from 2:30-5:30, which was a nice segue into Happy Hour. The first 90 minutes was theory, and the next 90 minutes was tasting. After tasting, I collected a bottle for each beer that I had tasted, and thus my "beer wall" was born. College students tend to put bottles above their cabinets, and I was no different. Between my "practical" homework and the class, I amassed many beers there.
Upon my graduation, I collected all the bottles into bags and took them with me. When I moved down to Virginia permanently, I realized my beloved collection could not come with me. And thus, the beer list was born. From that day forward, I kept a spreadsheet of all the beers I had tried and notes on each. It was during this time, Colleen wanted to join in on the fun. She created a list of her own, and the race to be the better beer snob was born. Lists were exchanged periodically, and if it weren't for that, my list would have been gone due to a computer failure (thanks, friend).
Currently, this lists stand as follows:
Paul - 142
Colleen - 152
At this point, we feel that we have very divergent lists. This blog is to track our exploits, entertain you, and to educate you and each other on different beers we've had. There will definitely be some East Coast bias in the beginning, but I hope to branch out - especially if I am going to overtake Colleen again.
My Top 5 Beers:
Victory Storm King (Imperial Russian Stout)
Anchor Porter
Hoegaarden
Starr Hill Amber Ale
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
We haven't decided on an exact format of our posts (musings) yet, but I am sure they will evolve over time. With that, I'll turn it over to Colleen to put her own spin on all of this.
Personal Note: As I said before, I live in Virginia and work for the Federal Government. In my spare time I enjoy trying new beers (duh), being outside, reading, and spending time with the girlfriend (insert "awww" here).
Cheers,
Paul
I suppose an adequate place to start would be to give some background. Colleen and I were in the same play group growing up, and in our college years became good friends again. It was during this time we both realized that a) beer was good and b) that a bar near our home towns has an excellent pint night on Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, we both went to college in Virginia, so we carpooled to and fro on several occasions during senior year.
It was during my senior year at Virginia Tech that I took the greatest course in the long and stored history of crazy college courses: Brewing Science. If you are a student at VT, please take it. The class was half learn about brewing (the theory) and appreciation of beer (the practical). Class was on Fridays from 2:30-5:30, which was a nice segue into Happy Hour. The first 90 minutes was theory, and the next 90 minutes was tasting. After tasting, I collected a bottle for each beer that I had tasted, and thus my "beer wall" was born. College students tend to put bottles above their cabinets, and I was no different. Between my "practical" homework and the class, I amassed many beers there.
Upon my graduation, I collected all the bottles into bags and took them with me. When I moved down to Virginia permanently, I realized my beloved collection could not come with me. And thus, the beer list was born. From that day forward, I kept a spreadsheet of all the beers I had tried and notes on each. It was during this time, Colleen wanted to join in on the fun. She created a list of her own, and the race to be the better beer snob was born. Lists were exchanged periodically, and if it weren't for that, my list would have been gone due to a computer failure (thanks, friend).
Currently, this lists stand as follows:
Paul - 142
Colleen - 152
At this point, we feel that we have very divergent lists. This blog is to track our exploits, entertain you, and to educate you and each other on different beers we've had. There will definitely be some East Coast bias in the beginning, but I hope to branch out - especially if I am going to overtake Colleen again.
My Top 5 Beers:
Victory Storm King (Imperial Russian Stout)
Anchor Porter
Hoegaarden
Starr Hill Amber Ale
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
We haven't decided on an exact format of our posts (musings) yet, but I am sure they will evolve over time. With that, I'll turn it over to Colleen to put her own spin on all of this.
Personal Note: As I said before, I live in Virginia and work for the Federal Government. In my spare time I enjoy trying new beers (duh), being outside, reading, and spending time with the girlfriend (insert "awww" here).
Cheers,
Paul
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