There and Back Again (again)

I guess this post may have multiple entendres, but I could be wrong - my engineering background hardly qualifies as actually knowing what the term means. This past weekend, I spent 24 hours in Jersey; which is relatively short for me, considering how often I visit. My time was mostly spent on family things of which are no real relevance to this blog. During this time, I managed to try a new beer.

Last night, I went to Bilbo Baggins again. Laura hadn't been in a long time, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to take her there, and to try a new beer on my part.

The brews:

Southern Tier IPA: I owe my dad for this one. The guy loves hoppy beers, and occasionally has one in the fridge I have yet to try. I thought this was a well balanced IPA. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of hop characteristic - which gave it that bitter taste. Hops also come with different aromas, being that they are technically flowers. The color was about where you'd want it to be as well. Overall, it's worth having another one of these - if there's any left the next time I go back to Jersey.

Climax Extra Special Bitter Ale: This is a micro-brew from Jersey, and I thought it was similiar to Fuller's ESB. The reader may wonder what exactly is hoppier: a ESB or an IPA. The answer, Dear Beer Friend, is that an India Pale Ale is much more bitter - due to the fact that more hops were added, so the beer would not go stale by the time the sailing ships got to India. In England, ESB is equivalent to what you and I would call a Pale Ale. This beer therefore was much less bitter than the Southern Tier. Again, it's mostly due to the differences in how the beers are made. The beer poured out amber in color, and went very well with a pizza. Stylistically, the beer was spot on.

So, Colleen and I are tied yet again. I think keeping the score close makes things interesting to be perfectly honest. Since we've decided that all beers are acceptable for the counting process, I will be adding the macro-beers that convince everyone that drinking them gives you more sex appeal. Stay Tuned!

The scorecard:
Paul: 213
Colleen: 213

Cheers,
Paul