For many of us, this will be a hectic Holiday season. In that spirit, I will keep this post simple and to the point. I'd like to wish you all Happy Holidays. I'd also like to wish my dear beer friend a very Merry Christmas. Hopefully, I can close her lead down to 20 before the new year begins...
Great Lakes Eliot Ness: One of the more enjoyable beers that I've had in the past month. This amber lager was very, very smooth. The caramel hops really came out in the flavor, and were well balanced with the hops. I've heard many excellent reviews of Great Lakes brewing, and this certainly lived up to those expectations.
River Horse Belgian Freeze Winter Ale: This was a rather mediocre winter brew. It's style is related to Trappist beers, which really aren't my thing. I thought the beer, which had a nice amber hue, was a bit sweet. The alcohol was moderately high. Overall, I'd probably avoid this in the future, but if Belgian styles are your preference this is worth giving a shot.
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale: The interesting part about this beer comes down to the rye in the recipe - hence, the name. If you like hops or are an IPA junkie, this is worth giving a shot. I think the rye malt helped balance the hops out well.
Peak Organic Pale Ale: If you look at the review on ratebeer, you will notice that this beer got a rather low rating. I greatly disagree with the review there. I thought this is how a pale ale should taste. There was a pleasant after taste that really persisted. When purchasing the bottle, I worried it might be underrated due to the buzz word organic in the name. I was wrong. If you like pale ales or IPAs, try this.
Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale: Unlike its sibling, this beer does not do much for me. It came across as being rather underwhelming. In this case, the term organic was more of a marketing buzz word than an indication of quality.
Ommegang Three Philosophers: This beer is a blend of a malty, Belgian style ale and a classic cherry ale. The Belgian ale accounts for 98% of the volume, and the cherry ale accounts for the remaining 2%. The cherries are quite present in the taste, but by no means is this Kool-Aid for adults. Like a lot of Belgian style ales, the yeast is still present in the bottle and gives a fruity aroma to the beer as well. This would make a good beer for a few friends to try.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 341
Paul - 317
Cheers,
Paul
Showing posts with label amber lager. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amber lager. Show all posts
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Road trip with a side of beer
So this post reviews my recent vacation, where Laura and I drove from southwest Colorado to Virginia. Our route took us to Mesa Verde, a small town called Dolores, CO, the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Dallas, New Orleans, and Atlanta. Admittedly, this was not the most direct route, but it was a blast. We drove 3,200 miles in eight days, and that includes one day of no driving at all! For Laura's thoughts on this trip, see her blog.
Upon my arrival in Colorado (we drove out a couple months ago and I flew back to DC), Laura and I went to Durango, CO for Mass (since it was Sunday), which was preceded by a cup of coffee at a local shop. Once we were done with Mass, she took me to an awesome brewpub in the town called Steamworks. If you know your beer history (or if you saw the movie I lasted posted about), you would know there was a time in this country when each town had its own brewery. At some point, we lost that trend. However, I am glad to report than in Colorado, it seems that the local brewpub is on the rise once again.
Steamworks Backside Stout: This beer won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. As an aside, I must go to the Great American Beer Festival one year. Despite the mediocre ratebeer ratings, I agree with the medal distinction. I thought this stout was amazing, well balanced, and full of flavor. It also was not that heavy. Tenured stout drinkers know that, believe it or not, Guinness comes across as light as water sometimes. This beer had a similar characteristic.
Steamworks Night Train: This was a dark lager than can be described as Yuengling on steroids. By that I mean, it was darker in color and heavier on flavor. It was a little hoppy, but I could otherwise drink a beer like this all night without getting tired of it.
We went to Mesa Verde National Park, which was beautiful. They are known for their 13th century cliff dwellings, some of which still stand today. We didn't stay for more than about 3 hours because the lack of sleep from an early morning flight and the altitude were getting to me. We stayed the night in the Rio Grande Southern Hotel. It's a pretty sweet, and might I add reasonably priced, bed and breakfast that is over 100 years old. Our room came with an awesome breakfast the next morning, and was cheaper than every macro chain hotel we stayed at the rest of the week. The best part about Dolores? They too had a local brewpub. The Dolores River Brewery was 1 block from the hotel, and was a sweet local place to eat. Their specialty is brick oven pizza, but they add pesto sauce which gives the pizza an interesting kick.
Dolores River Dry Stout: This beer was dry, yet well balanced. Experienced alcohol drinkers know the descriptor "dry." In a sense, it's that dryness that appears in your mouth after sipping a dry red wine. In no way was this similar to wine, but the same effect was there. This came across as well balanced and, despite the dry taste, as very drinkable.
Dolores River ESB: Their ESB (or pale ale) was hoppy, but not overwhelmingly. In other words, it fit its style very well. The hop (or bitter) flavor initially escalated during the sip, but trailed off into a malty flavor after the glass was pulled away. It went well with a slice of pizza.
Our next day took us to the Grand Canyon. While we stayed there, we found out that the grocery store at the south rim sells beer. There is a Grand Canyon brew. The part where Colleen pounds her fist into the desk? They let you buy individual bottles, so you can make your own six pack. Never fear dear beer friend, they only had three brews I could try anyway. The Grand Canyon was awesome. It rained while we were there, but it provided some really unique views of the canyon - we saw clouds/fog roll in and out as the weather changed, and the rain brought out a lot of color from the canyon walls.
Grand Canyon Pilsner: I thought this was a crisp, gold colored beer. For the most part, it fit the mold as an average pilsner. The unique part being the slight creamy flavor from the beer head. It didn't significantly improve the beer, but certainly made an impression.
Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale: Pale Ales have more hops than malts, which give them a bitter flavor most of the time. It's important to note though, that hops are actually flowers. Therefore, hops can give a variety of different flavors to a beer. In this case, the floral aroma came across in the smell and taste.
Grand Canyon Sunset Amber Ale: The beer was below average. The amber did meet its style in the sense that it was mostly malty. Caramel malts were certainly used and they were present in the taste. Unfortunately, I thought the beer was too light in body for me to consider an above average amber ale.
On our way from the Grand Canyon to Santa Fe, we ran into some interesting weather outside of Flagstaff, AZ. While on I-40, we experienced hail (which accumulated), heavy winds, and sat in traffic due to many accidents. A tornado touched down and crossed the highway about 40 minutes before we got there. The storm system wasn't moving, so needless to say, we drove out of there as quickly and safely as possible. Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, we explored the city plaza and the Cathedral. For dinner we went to a place where I ate when I was there about 10 years ago, the Blue Corn Cafe. They had great food and their own beer. I highly recommend it if you are in that neck of the woods.
Blue Corn Cafe Oatmeal Stout: This was a gold medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. With oatmeal stouts, you can definitely pick up the difference in flavor and body compared to a traditional stout. Both chocolate and coffee malts were used - with the coffee malt taking control as the majority influence on the taste. I liked this oatmeal stout.
Between Santa Fe and New Orleans, we drove through the long, dark of Texas. We stayed outside of Dallas, but about 11 hours of driving with maybe 20 minutes of stopping took its toll. We used the night to recharge for the next day's drive and the following night in New Orleans.
Our arrival in New Orleans was nice, we stayed in the French Quarter. This allowed us to see Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and Cafe Du Monde. We got drinks at a brewpub in New Orleans called Crescent City Brewing; I thought the beer was mediocre for the price. We ate at a really local hole in the wall called Coops. We got the tip to eat there by asking a local who worked in a gift shop where she liked to eat. We both had cups of Gumbo. Laura had seafood gumbo. I sincerely hope Colleen will still be friends with me after this, because I had rabbit and sausage gumbo - which had quite the kick.
Crescent City Black Forest: I thought this fell into the category of a traditional dark lager. By that I mean, it's a little more complex than Yuengling and has a darker color.
Crescent City Oktoberfest: Like its counterpart, this was a rather mediocre Oktoberfest. The dark color and malty flavor were there, but nothing else really distinguished it.
Abita Amber Lager: We had this beer at the hole-in-the-wall place. The beer definitely had a clean taste to it, and went well with my dinner. The bottle advertises that the beer is brewed with spring water. Other than that, I didn't think it was that special. Being that Abita is the signature brew of New Orleans, trying this was necessary.
We left New Orleans the next morning en route to the suburbs of Atlanta to stay with Laura's aunt for the final night. She was very hospitable despite her broken leg. We certainly hope she gets better soon. The key note of that day's drive was US-90 along the water in Mississippi which had amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico.
This last beer was in my fridge. It may have been part of my last custom six pack, but I am not entirely sure. It seems Colleen and I tend to drink a beer as we write posts, and today is no different.
Left Hand Oktoberfest: I definitely picked up the caramel malt in this beer, and it had a slight sweetness to it. The brewer says they upped the alcohol from last year. 6.6% alcohol is a little high for an Oktoberfest, so it may have led to a different tasting experience. I tend to like Left Hand's brews, but I thought this was average.
I really need to post more frequently, and review fewer beers. I get the feeling its grueling to read through and digest this many reviews. I also need to get ahead of Colleen.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 304
Paul - 300
Cheers,
Paul
Upon my arrival in Colorado (we drove out a couple months ago and I flew back to DC), Laura and I went to Durango, CO for Mass (since it was Sunday), which was preceded by a cup of coffee at a local shop. Once we were done with Mass, she took me to an awesome brewpub in the town called Steamworks. If you know your beer history (or if you saw the movie I lasted posted about), you would know there was a time in this country when each town had its own brewery. At some point, we lost that trend. However, I am glad to report than in Colorado, it seems that the local brewpub is on the rise once again.
Steamworks Backside Stout: This beer won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. As an aside, I must go to the Great American Beer Festival one year. Despite the mediocre ratebeer ratings, I agree with the medal distinction. I thought this stout was amazing, well balanced, and full of flavor. It also was not that heavy. Tenured stout drinkers know that, believe it or not, Guinness comes across as light as water sometimes. This beer had a similar characteristic.
Steamworks Night Train: This was a dark lager than can be described as Yuengling on steroids. By that I mean, it was darker in color and heavier on flavor. It was a little hoppy, but I could otherwise drink a beer like this all night without getting tired of it.
We went to Mesa Verde National Park, which was beautiful. They are known for their 13th century cliff dwellings, some of which still stand today. We didn't stay for more than about 3 hours because the lack of sleep from an early morning flight and the altitude were getting to me. We stayed the night in the Rio Grande Southern Hotel. It's a pretty sweet, and might I add reasonably priced, bed and breakfast that is over 100 years old. Our room came with an awesome breakfast the next morning, and was cheaper than every macro chain hotel we stayed at the rest of the week. The best part about Dolores? They too had a local brewpub. The Dolores River Brewery was 1 block from the hotel, and was a sweet local place to eat. Their specialty is brick oven pizza, but they add pesto sauce which gives the pizza an interesting kick.
Dolores River Dry Stout: This beer was dry, yet well balanced. Experienced alcohol drinkers know the descriptor "dry." In a sense, it's that dryness that appears in your mouth after sipping a dry red wine. In no way was this similar to wine, but the same effect was there. This came across as well balanced and, despite the dry taste, as very drinkable.
Dolores River ESB: Their ESB (or pale ale) was hoppy, but not overwhelmingly. In other words, it fit its style very well. The hop (or bitter) flavor initially escalated during the sip, but trailed off into a malty flavor after the glass was pulled away. It went well with a slice of pizza.
Our next day took us to the Grand Canyon. While we stayed there, we found out that the grocery store at the south rim sells beer. There is a Grand Canyon brew. The part where Colleen pounds her fist into the desk? They let you buy individual bottles, so you can make your own six pack. Never fear dear beer friend, they only had three brews I could try anyway. The Grand Canyon was awesome. It rained while we were there, but it provided some really unique views of the canyon - we saw clouds/fog roll in and out as the weather changed, and the rain brought out a lot of color from the canyon walls.
Grand Canyon Pilsner: I thought this was a crisp, gold colored beer. For the most part, it fit the mold as an average pilsner. The unique part being the slight creamy flavor from the beer head. It didn't significantly improve the beer, but certainly made an impression.
Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale: Pale Ales have more hops than malts, which give them a bitter flavor most of the time. It's important to note though, that hops are actually flowers. Therefore, hops can give a variety of different flavors to a beer. In this case, the floral aroma came across in the smell and taste.
Grand Canyon Sunset Amber Ale: The beer was below average. The amber did meet its style in the sense that it was mostly malty. Caramel malts were certainly used and they were present in the taste. Unfortunately, I thought the beer was too light in body for me to consider an above average amber ale.
On our way from the Grand Canyon to Santa Fe, we ran into some interesting weather outside of Flagstaff, AZ. While on I-40, we experienced hail (which accumulated), heavy winds, and sat in traffic due to many accidents. A tornado touched down and crossed the highway about 40 minutes before we got there. The storm system wasn't moving, so needless to say, we drove out of there as quickly and safely as possible. Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, we explored the city plaza and the Cathedral. For dinner we went to a place where I ate when I was there about 10 years ago, the Blue Corn Cafe. They had great food and their own beer. I highly recommend it if you are in that neck of the woods.
Blue Corn Cafe Oatmeal Stout: This was a gold medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. With oatmeal stouts, you can definitely pick up the difference in flavor and body compared to a traditional stout. Both chocolate and coffee malts were used - with the coffee malt taking control as the majority influence on the taste. I liked this oatmeal stout.
Between Santa Fe and New Orleans, we drove through the long, dark of Texas. We stayed outside of Dallas, but about 11 hours of driving with maybe 20 minutes of stopping took its toll. We used the night to recharge for the next day's drive and the following night in New Orleans.
Our arrival in New Orleans was nice, we stayed in the French Quarter. This allowed us to see Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and Cafe Du Monde. We got drinks at a brewpub in New Orleans called Crescent City Brewing; I thought the beer was mediocre for the price. We ate at a really local hole in the wall called Coops. We got the tip to eat there by asking a local who worked in a gift shop where she liked to eat. We both had cups of Gumbo. Laura had seafood gumbo. I sincerely hope Colleen will still be friends with me after this, because I had rabbit and sausage gumbo - which had quite the kick.
Crescent City Black Forest: I thought this fell into the category of a traditional dark lager. By that I mean, it's a little more complex than Yuengling and has a darker color.
Crescent City Oktoberfest: Like its counterpart, this was a rather mediocre Oktoberfest. The dark color and malty flavor were there, but nothing else really distinguished it.
Abita Amber Lager: We had this beer at the hole-in-the-wall place. The beer definitely had a clean taste to it, and went well with my dinner. The bottle advertises that the beer is brewed with spring water. Other than that, I didn't think it was that special. Being that Abita is the signature brew of New Orleans, trying this was necessary.
We left New Orleans the next morning en route to the suburbs of Atlanta to stay with Laura's aunt for the final night. She was very hospitable despite her broken leg. We certainly hope she gets better soon. The key note of that day's drive was US-90 along the water in Mississippi which had amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico.
This last beer was in my fridge. It may have been part of my last custom six pack, but I am not entirely sure. It seems Colleen and I tend to drink a beer as we write posts, and today is no different.
Left Hand Oktoberfest: I definitely picked up the caramel malt in this beer, and it had a slight sweetness to it. The brewer says they upped the alcohol from last year. 6.6% alcohol is a little high for an Oktoberfest, so it may have led to a different tasting experience. I tend to like Left Hand's brews, but I thought this was average.
I really need to post more frequently, and review fewer beers. I get the feeling its grueling to read through and digest this many reviews. I also need to get ahead of Colleen.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 304
Paul - 300
Cheers,
Paul
Thursday, October 7, 2010
accidental Triumph
This entry is dedicated to Josh Ritter, the reason I was in Princeton at all last night.
Paul really almost had this milestone, and I'm really sorry for ruining that for him. It wasn't really my intention to cross the 300 threshold that evening, it's just kind of what happened.
After another amazing, upbeat, fun show put on by the talented Mr. Ritter, a few of my favorite seminarians and I headed over to Triumph Brewing, only to find the doors locked. After a few minutes of pondering what to do, someone exited the establishment and held the door for us. They were open, so we weren't going to argue (we did tell them their doors were locked though). And we sat down, and when the server came over, I asked about the sampler.
Each sample is 5 ounces. There were currently seven beers on tap. And so, Paul was toast.
Porter: This was served at "cellar temperature" which I kind of liked. However, it was very plain and light feeling, which surprised me for a porter. It was very smooth though, and I think this would be a good baby step for people trying to get into porters.
Rauchbier: This means "smoke beer". I didn't like it, but that's because I thought it tasted like bacon. As far as the beer part goes, yeah, it was another smooth brew, but I definitely thought I tasted bacon, and as a vegetarian, that kind of turns me off. A vegetarian at the next table agreed with me, though everyone else said it just tasted like smoky wood, which I got a little of, but mostly just bacon.
Honey Blond: This was very plain and light, standard issue sort of beer. Not much to write home about. Or in this case, write in the blog about. That might be a good thing though. Sometimes people just want a beer that's not totally crazy or overwhelming.
Amber Ale: This was a good amber. It was a little bit hoppy but overall very smooth and drinkable. If I approve of a hoppy beer, you know it's pretty good.
Gose: This beer was one of my two favorites in the sampler. A relative of the witbier, this gose is light weight, slightly sweet and really, really nice. I have to say, all of Triumph's beers were very smooth, meaning, there wasn't any sort of sharp bite as it went down the hatch. Except, of course, for...
IPA: Not as smooth as the rest of them, but I suppose that's to be expected when you're just a little glass full of hoppiness. This tasted like flowers to me (confirmed by our friends at the next table, who proclaimed, "This tastes like perfume!"). It was interesting. As someone who is still getting into this genre of beer, I have little else to say about it. Doesn't mean it was bad, just means that I am not an IPA aficionado.
Oatmeal Stout: Saved the one I thought would be best for last, and I was pretty right. I know what I like. Very smooth, slight taste of coffee in it, but otherwise a good, nondescript stout. Sometimes, that's ok.
Triumph is pretty good. If you're in the area, it's a good place to stop in. Actually, starting the first weekend of November, the artwork of my very talented friend Lauren Scott will be displayed there, so you should stop in. Princeton is a lovely town and there are some great restaurants in the area, too.
And so. My apologies, Paul--
Colleen: 303
Paul: 288 (though I know he's actually way closer to 300, he's just on the road and not updating)
Paul really almost had this milestone, and I'm really sorry for ruining that for him. It wasn't really my intention to cross the 300 threshold that evening, it's just kind of what happened.
After another amazing, upbeat, fun show put on by the talented Mr. Ritter, a few of my favorite seminarians and I headed over to Triumph Brewing, only to find the doors locked. After a few minutes of pondering what to do, someone exited the establishment and held the door for us. They were open, so we weren't going to argue (we did tell them their doors were locked though). And we sat down, and when the server came over, I asked about the sampler.
Each sample is 5 ounces. There were currently seven beers on tap. And so, Paul was toast.
Porter: This was served at "cellar temperature" which I kind of liked. However, it was very plain and light feeling, which surprised me for a porter. It was very smooth though, and I think this would be a good baby step for people trying to get into porters.
Rauchbier: This means "smoke beer". I didn't like it, but that's because I thought it tasted like bacon. As far as the beer part goes, yeah, it was another smooth brew, but I definitely thought I tasted bacon, and as a vegetarian, that kind of turns me off. A vegetarian at the next table agreed with me, though everyone else said it just tasted like smoky wood, which I got a little of, but mostly just bacon.
Honey Blond: This was very plain and light, standard issue sort of beer. Not much to write home about. Or in this case, write in the blog about. That might be a good thing though. Sometimes people just want a beer that's not totally crazy or overwhelming.
Amber Ale: This was a good amber. It was a little bit hoppy but overall very smooth and drinkable. If I approve of a hoppy beer, you know it's pretty good.
Gose: This beer was one of my two favorites in the sampler. A relative of the witbier, this gose is light weight, slightly sweet and really, really nice. I have to say, all of Triumph's beers were very smooth, meaning, there wasn't any sort of sharp bite as it went down the hatch. Except, of course, for...
IPA: Not as smooth as the rest of them, but I suppose that's to be expected when you're just a little glass full of hoppiness. This tasted like flowers to me (confirmed by our friends at the next table, who proclaimed, "This tastes like perfume!"). It was interesting. As someone who is still getting into this genre of beer, I have little else to say about it. Doesn't mean it was bad, just means that I am not an IPA aficionado.
Oatmeal Stout: Saved the one I thought would be best for last, and I was pretty right. I know what I like. Very smooth, slight taste of coffee in it, but otherwise a good, nondescript stout. Sometimes, that's ok.
Triumph is pretty good. If you're in the area, it's a good place to stop in. Actually, starting the first weekend of November, the artwork of my very talented friend Lauren Scott will be displayed there, so you should stop in. Princeton is a lovely town and there are some great restaurants in the area, too.
And so. My apologies, Paul--
Colleen: 303
Paul: 288 (though I know he's actually way closer to 300, he's just on the road and not updating)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
catching up and getting ahead
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am really quite a responsible drinker. What follows appears otherwise, but give me some credit-- I spent a week in a city I adore, with old and new friends, catching up and enjoying the company. I will try to keep each of these short, since there were a few of them during the week...
Fireflies Amber Ale: I stayed with Paul my first two nights in the area. He took me here, which had excellent food (especially the fries!) and great beer. He recommended this in the blog and to my face, so I went with it... and much to my surprise, so did he. He's letting me get ahead right now, since this summer I will not be active in this little tongue-in-cheek contest we have going. (Also he was a bit under the weather.) Anyway, this is a good beer! Generally unoffensive to anyone, I suspect. Very clean, not too heavy, not too boring. Nice.
Left Hand Fade to Black: My second night, I made my infamous easy beer marinade for Paul with this and then drank the extra 4 ounces, making it a legit entry on the list (we have an unwritten code about these things). This was my kinda beer! Really dark, with strong flavor, definitely a bit coffee-y.
Flying Dog Amber Lager: Nice, refreshing beer. Flying Dog is pretty legit.
Sweetwater's Straight Shooter Stout: So I'll sneak this tidbit in here: I had a job interview whilst in the area last week, and at the end of it, I went to Sweetwater with a fellow former Mary Washington Geographer for a quick round. I obviously ordered the stout, because I like those. This one was a good one! Well rounded, no particular flavor too strong, not too heavy, just the right amount of awesome.
Flying Dog Pale Ale: Rutgers co-hosted an AAG party with Clark University at RFD Washington. I brought Paul. I hear the place was great, but there were only a few beers on tap in the back room where we were, including this one that I'd never had before. It was a little hoppier than I'd prefer, but for being pale and hoppy, it didn't kill me. That means that it's an accessible pale ale, even if you're not into super hoppy nonsense (like me).
Kilkenny Cream Ale: This came up in conversation when out at the aforementioned Sweetwater, so I was pleased to see it on the menu at Murphy's, which was across from the conference hotels. This was another really great beer! It was a little bit sweet but not in a sickening oversweet sort of way like doppelbocks that I generally haven't been too into. Very smooth, very nice. I would do this again.
Mooney's Irish Stout: Also at Murphy's, this was a very chocolatey flavored stout. Very very obviously chocolatey. However, not bad. I liked it. But then again, I like stout. One of my friends I was out with ordered it as well, so I clearly wasn't the only one who liked it.
Murphy's Lager: Yes, three at once place! My college friends came into D.C. to hang out for the evening, so we spent quite a while at the restaurant waiting for everyone to arrive after work. This was pretty straightforward, no nonsense, dry lager. Whatever.
Tusker lager: Went to Brickskeller on Saturday night, a place Paul has mentioned more than once for their incredible selection. Seriously, go read the menu. I estimated about 1000 beers on the printed copy I was looking at, from all over the world, and reasonably priced, too. This place rocked. I watched the Caps game with Deron and Scott while enjoying this "whatever lager" from Kenya, for no real reason other than the fact that I'd never had an African beer before.
Starr Hill Dark Star Stout: This was excellent, also from Brickskeller while we watched the third period end in a tie. This was a bit coffee-y, especially compared to the Mooney's the day before with its absurd amount of awesome chocolate flavor. But I enjoy a strong beer, and this totally fit the bill.
Mike's American Lager: Out dinner with amazing host family #3 of my week, Alison and Scott Berry, I had this beer, which is apparently brewed using bottom fermenting yeast, like a lager, but using an ale recipe. I don't even know what that means, but this was a nice clean beer to go with my great dinner (I totally recommend the grilled portobello!).
Kona Wailua: Back at the Berries', Scott had some of this waiting. They had it on their honeymoon in Hawaii last fall, and he's a huge fan. This is a wheat beer brewed with passionfruit, which I tried for the first time in Mexico last summer-- delicious and sweet, but really difficult to eat because it's got seeds galore. In my beer, it worked out very well! Not too sweet or fruity, just a hint of interesting on top of a very nice wheat beer.
Legend Lager: This is also a "whatever" lager, but I was at the excellent J. Brian's in Fredericksburg with the excellent Hilary, who is originally from Richmond, like this beer. It was just fine with my delicious quesadilla and my fabulous company!
This seems ludicrous but I guess you had to be there to see that it wasn't really so crazy. MANY thanks to all of my wonderful friends who joined me for these!
Paul: 222
Colleen: 236
Fireflies Amber Ale: I stayed with Paul my first two nights in the area. He took me here, which had excellent food (especially the fries!) and great beer. He recommended this in the blog and to my face, so I went with it... and much to my surprise, so did he. He's letting me get ahead right now, since this summer I will not be active in this little tongue-in-cheek contest we have going. (Also he was a bit under the weather.) Anyway, this is a good beer! Generally unoffensive to anyone, I suspect. Very clean, not too heavy, not too boring. Nice.
Left Hand Fade to Black: My second night, I made my infamous easy beer marinade for Paul with this and then drank the extra 4 ounces, making it a legit entry on the list (we have an unwritten code about these things). This was my kinda beer! Really dark, with strong flavor, definitely a bit coffee-y.
Flying Dog Amber Lager: Nice, refreshing beer. Flying Dog is pretty legit.
Sweetwater's Straight Shooter Stout: So I'll sneak this tidbit in here: I had a job interview whilst in the area last week, and at the end of it, I went to Sweetwater with a fellow former Mary Washington Geographer for a quick round. I obviously ordered the stout, because I like those. This one was a good one! Well rounded, no particular flavor too strong, not too heavy, just the right amount of awesome.
Flying Dog Pale Ale: Rutgers co-hosted an AAG party with Clark University at RFD Washington. I brought Paul. I hear the place was great, but there were only a few beers on tap in the back room where we were, including this one that I'd never had before. It was a little hoppier than I'd prefer, but for being pale and hoppy, it didn't kill me. That means that it's an accessible pale ale, even if you're not into super hoppy nonsense (like me).
Kilkenny Cream Ale: This came up in conversation when out at the aforementioned Sweetwater, so I was pleased to see it on the menu at Murphy's, which was across from the conference hotels. This was another really great beer! It was a little bit sweet but not in a sickening oversweet sort of way like doppelbocks that I generally haven't been too into. Very smooth, very nice. I would do this again.
Mooney's Irish Stout: Also at Murphy's, this was a very chocolatey flavored stout. Very very obviously chocolatey. However, not bad. I liked it. But then again, I like stout. One of my friends I was out with ordered it as well, so I clearly wasn't the only one who liked it.
Murphy's Lager: Yes, three at once place! My college friends came into D.C. to hang out for the evening, so we spent quite a while at the restaurant waiting for everyone to arrive after work. This was pretty straightforward, no nonsense, dry lager. Whatever.
Tusker lager: Went to Brickskeller on Saturday night, a place Paul has mentioned more than once for their incredible selection. Seriously, go read the menu. I estimated about 1000 beers on the printed copy I was looking at, from all over the world, and reasonably priced, too. This place rocked. I watched the Caps game with Deron and Scott while enjoying this "whatever lager" from Kenya, for no real reason other than the fact that I'd never had an African beer before.
Starr Hill Dark Star Stout: This was excellent, also from Brickskeller while we watched the third period end in a tie. This was a bit coffee-y, especially compared to the Mooney's the day before with its absurd amount of awesome chocolate flavor. But I enjoy a strong beer, and this totally fit the bill.
Mike's American Lager: Out dinner with amazing host family #3 of my week, Alison and Scott Berry, I had this beer, which is apparently brewed using bottom fermenting yeast, like a lager, but using an ale recipe. I don't even know what that means, but this was a nice clean beer to go with my great dinner (I totally recommend the grilled portobello!).
Kona Wailua: Back at the Berries', Scott had some of this waiting. They had it on their honeymoon in Hawaii last fall, and he's a huge fan. This is a wheat beer brewed with passionfruit, which I tried for the first time in Mexico last summer-- delicious and sweet, but really difficult to eat because it's got seeds galore. In my beer, it worked out very well! Not too sweet or fruity, just a hint of interesting on top of a very nice wheat beer.
Legend Lager: This is also a "whatever" lager, but I was at the excellent J. Brian's in Fredericksburg with the excellent Hilary, who is originally from Richmond, like this beer. It was just fine with my delicious quesadilla and my fabulous company!
This seems ludicrous but I guess you had to be there to see that it wasn't really so crazy. MANY thanks to all of my wonderful friends who joined me for these!
Paul: 222
Colleen: 236
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