A change in season, a change in beer

Last Wednesday continued my weekly beer ritual. Colleen goes to Stuff Yer Face, and I have pizza and beer night. Neither tradition guarantees that we try a new beer, but it's pretty likely. This past weekend I also enjoyed spending time with the girlfriend in Williamsburg to celebrate Easter. For those of you who celebrate this or Passover, I hope you had a lovely weekend. I hope the rest of you at least enjoyed the weather on the East Coast.

The beers seem to be getting lighter in flavor and color. That's probably good considering the weather is getting warmer. I don't usually discriminate against beers, but winter is normally the time for the stouts, porters, and heavier ales and lagers. Summer, on the other hand, is the time for the heffeweizens, summer ales and lagers, and large macro-brews with multi-million dollar ad campaigns. This sampling is starting to reflect that shift.

LandShark Lager: This is Jimmy Buffett's Corona. He is an excellent businessman (as an aside, I am a ParrotHead). He basically saw people tailgating with Corona before his concerts and said, "I could make and market that." That's essentially how the beer came to be, and it is made by Anheuser-Busch (now inBev). I thought this beer was better than Corona, and it is definitely a hot day in the sun beer or as my brewing professor put it, "lawn-mower" beer.

Coors Light: It's been decided that el-cheapo beers do count for this list. I've obvsiouly had plenty of this before, but I had yet to count or review it. At one point, I told Laura that this beer was acceptable to wash your car with. I am told that it might actually damage the paint, so don't take my advice. On a hot day, when it's cold, it's perfectly acceptable to drink. It's also acceptable to drink when you're pounding beers (hellooo...college), or do not want to be a rude guest.

St. George Golden Ale: Laura and I went to lunch at Paul's Deli. It was the only tap I did not recognize, and being that I need to keep pace with the honorable Colleen, I was obliged to try it. I thought the beer was a fine, neutral beer. It was well balanced, not too hoppy or too malty. Personally, I've found that St. George makes a pretty good set of beers across the board.

Yuengling Porter: If you asked me for a go-to beer that is easily found and high on quality when compated to price, I would honestly direct you to Yuengling Lager. I also think relatively highly of their Black and Tan, especially when you consider the price. I thought this beer, which is most likely used in making their Black and Tan was a solid porter for the price. Porters can get pretty pricey. This gives you what you need to know about them without breaking the bank.

Leffe Blond: This is a Belgian beer that embodies the summer. It tastes best cold and has some rather light and even slightly fruity flavor. The description says that it is an abbey ale. The recipe for this beer dates back to 1152, and it has only in the past 50 years been brewed off the premises of the abbey. Many thanks to Laura's roommate for the contribution!

The scorecard:
Paul: 218
Colleen: 215

Cheers,
Paul

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