Outer Banks. Local-ish beers (North Carolina, at least):
Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber Ale: Not super crazy about this. It's a little sweet, but just doesn't seem particularly balanced or interesting. Just not really worth the effort.
Natty Greene's Pale Ale: This one, on the other hand, is pretty good. Maybe I've just gotten well into hoppy beers at this point in my life, maybe it's because this is nicely hoppy and refreshing in the heat and humidity of Duck, North Carolina, or maybe it's just good. I think that. I can't say it's much besides hoppy, but it was well received by a group of people who typically prefer hoppy beers.
Highland Oatmeal Porter: GOOD STUFF. I like that beers with oatmeal involved are generally pleasant and not too strongly flavored like anything but stout (or in this case, porter). This was delightful. Malty but balanced, smooth but interesting. Definitely a winner. I'd do this again or recommend it to others who like dark beers (or perhaps even those who are still conflicted in their feelings toward darker beers; Mike, who wrinkles his nose in an epic way to most of my black-paint beers besides Guinness, liked this).
I saw Paul and his awesome wife at a wedding last weekend. Congratulations, Tyler and Christie! We drank a lot of your Yuengling. Paul keeps promising he'll tell us all about Dogfish Head...
Showing posts with label lager. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lager. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Earp family Christmas beer selection 2011
Sorry this is overdue. My life has been busy with working holiday retail purgatory and family time. I wanted to share what happened when Mom gave me her credit card and told me to pick up eight 6 packs for the holidays. I had a stout fermenting but it wasn't going to be ready in time. It's now bottled and carbonating, should be ready to go in time to celebrate Grandma's birthday in another week (and oh man, is she looking forward to trying my beer). So, this Christmas's eight--
Miller Lite: Despite it being practically required in this family, there are still five left on today, the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Lager: Stocking up on the standards. Worst case scenario I cook with this. Best case scenario we have Grandma over and enjoy a beer together.
Yuengling Black and Tan: You know what? I like this. So does my grandmother.
So, those first three are non-negotiable when Mom hands me the card and says go to town. The rest--
Killian's: I used to love this a lot, but to be honest, I haven't had it in a few years. I think it might be too carbonated for me, actually. I like red beers though, but this one I always get because I know my dad and my one uncle are fans.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: I got this because I know my big brother likes brown ales and I wanted to do something besides New Castle, which is good, but I always do for him. Well, I guess he was pleased, because I got none of them, and there are none left.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: As much as I love beers that resemble black paint, I also love a good hefeweizen. This is definitely a good, good hefeweizen, tasting ever so slightly of cloves and bananas as well a good hefeweizen should, without being overwhelming. It's pleasant and feels warm and refreshing all at once. We always try to have a good mix around the holidays (basically meaning I can't get ALL stouts but I always won't allow for ALL light/plain beers), so the hefeweizen has been my go-to "see through" contribution. This one though goes so far above and beyond just filling a spot on the spectrum. Really. Drink it.
Magic Hat's Encore IPA: Another style I know Chris likes, and at this point I was desperate to try something new. This is part of the Magic Hat IPA World Tour, whatever that means-- last year I tried the Blind Faith IPA which I didn't find super incredible. This one, however, is pretty good. I don't know if the difference is that it's an American Wheat IPA (I do like wheat), but it's an IPA that does its job. It's bitter and refreshing without hurting my mouth or stomach. It's funny, because this one isn't anything exceptional, but I like it way more than I remember liking the Blind Faith. I'd recommend it.
Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout: THIS WAS AWESOME. I know, I'm biased toward beer that you can't see through. I bought this because I hadn't tried it before, and only just learned in writing this post that Wolaver is the organic label for Otter Creek, a totally legit and good brewery in Middlebury, Vermont (which is clearly a great place, as that is where Dispatch formed). Anyway. I really only bought this because it was an oatmeal stout, but I was not disappointed. It's not very sweet, but it's very smooth and drinkable, a nice, not-too-heavy stout. I would get this again if I wasn't so hell bent on trying new beers all the time. What the heck. I'll probably get this again.
Other things I plan to repeat soon? Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout. Santa failed to leave one in my stocking but I think that's going to be my belated gift to myself as a reward for not messing up Christmas dinner this year (deep fried turkey! and half a dozen side dishes! all successful! AND THERE WAS GRAVY*!).
*Last year, there wasn't. And that may have also happened one other year that I was in charge of the meal. Sorry, vegetarians forget about these details...
Miller Lite: Despite it being practically required in this family, there are still five left on today, the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Lager: Stocking up on the standards. Worst case scenario I cook with this. Best case scenario we have Grandma over and enjoy a beer together.
Yuengling Black and Tan: You know what? I like this. So does my grandmother.
So, those first three are non-negotiable when Mom hands me the card and says go to town. The rest--
Killian's: I used to love this a lot, but to be honest, I haven't had it in a few years. I think it might be too carbonated for me, actually. I like red beers though, but this one I always get because I know my dad and my one uncle are fans.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: I got this because I know my big brother likes brown ales and I wanted to do something besides New Castle, which is good, but I always do for him. Well, I guess he was pleased, because I got none of them, and there are none left.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: As much as I love beers that resemble black paint, I also love a good hefeweizen. This is definitely a good, good hefeweizen, tasting ever so slightly of cloves and bananas as well a good hefeweizen should, without being overwhelming. It's pleasant and feels warm and refreshing all at once. We always try to have a good mix around the holidays (basically meaning I can't get ALL stouts but I always won't allow for ALL light/plain beers), so the hefeweizen has been my go-to "see through" contribution. This one though goes so far above and beyond just filling a spot on the spectrum. Really. Drink it.
Magic Hat's Encore IPA: Another style I know Chris likes, and at this point I was desperate to try something new. This is part of the Magic Hat IPA World Tour, whatever that means-- last year I tried the Blind Faith IPA which I didn't find super incredible. This one, however, is pretty good. I don't know if the difference is that it's an American Wheat IPA (I do like wheat), but it's an IPA that does its job. It's bitter and refreshing without hurting my mouth or stomach. It's funny, because this one isn't anything exceptional, but I like it way more than I remember liking the Blind Faith. I'd recommend it.
Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout: THIS WAS AWESOME. I know, I'm biased toward beer that you can't see through. I bought this because I hadn't tried it before, and only just learned in writing this post that Wolaver is the organic label for Otter Creek, a totally legit and good brewery in Middlebury, Vermont (which is clearly a great place, as that is where Dispatch formed). Anyway. I really only bought this because it was an oatmeal stout, but I was not disappointed. It's not very sweet, but it's very smooth and drinkable, a nice, not-too-heavy stout. I would get this again if I wasn't so hell bent on trying new beers all the time. What the heck. I'll probably get this again.
Other things I plan to repeat soon? Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout. Santa failed to leave one in my stocking but I think that's going to be my belated gift to myself as a reward for not messing up Christmas dinner this year (deep fried turkey! and half a dozen side dishes! all successful! AND THERE WAS GRAVY*!).
*Last year, there wasn't. And that may have also happened one other year that I was in charge of the meal. Sorry, vegetarians forget about these details...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Malawi
While my adventure to Malawi was amazing, the beer wasn't. I mean, it was fine, just nothing out of the ordinary. Lager. Straight up lager. So to spice up this entry, I'll just tell stories about Malawi and include photos!
I almost didn't even have beer in Malawi. Apparently only lowlifes really drink, and since I was staying in the city with a well off Christian family and in the village at a Presbyterian agricultural center... yeah. No beer.
But then I went on safari for 24 hours! And my inner lowlife came out.
After seeing beautiful things as pictured above, we had dinner at the resort in Liwonde National Park. I ordered a Kuche Kuche, which is somehow Chichewa for "you can drink this from night till dawn without getting drunk." Three different Malawians told me this, so I guess that's really what it means. Such a fascinating language. And such a plain beer with low alcohol content that you probably really could drink all night without noticing. This beer is brewed by Carlsberg, whose first brewery outside of Denmark was actually in Malawi near the city of Blantyre. I passed it many times, but didn't take a picture. I didn't want people to think I was a lowlife.
The next day I saw a lot of awesome things.
And then I had lunch and ordered a Carlsberg Extra Special for two reasons:
1. It's technically Malawian
2. I couldn't remember if I'd had the green one or not and didn't want to repeat a beer if I could avoid it!
And it was about the same as the Kuche Kuche except stronger. If given the choice between the two, I'd stick with the Kuche Kuche because it's more Malawian. And it's a third of the alcohol content. I wasn't trying to get messed up here.
And then I did some more amazing things before the long trip home. I mean, there was over 19 hours of flying, plus 3 and a half hours of layover, plus sundry driving to be done to get to and from airports. It was legitimately long. However, it was made longer by this incident in which I didn't get a proper meal for a long, long time (from Blantyre to Johannesburg to Dakar to New York City to home-- I had a lame sandwich at O.R. Tambo International Airport but otherwise survived on crackers and small salads). I get frustrated when I don't get fed. Redeeming moment: the president of the organization I was travelling with bought my mission team beer.
Castle Lager: a South African beer under the Miller family. (The Earp men should be proud?) Not particularly exciting but probably my favorite of the three. I'm not sure if it's because it was actually better, or because it was just nice to kick back with the team during our layover and enjoy a drink together instead of dwelling on my forced hunger strike. It certainly lifted my mood, and the people working on the flight did their best to help me out and give me extra snacks, and I did get home safely after an awesome adventure, so I guess in the end I win.
And I still am winning!
Colleen: 278
Paul: 270
This weekend I'll be attending a wedding in Fredericksburg and will be staying with Paul, so look for a staff meeting update, or at least me trying a few new beers as I catch up with various college friends!
PS: I don't really think I'm a lowlife. I was there doing mission work!
I almost didn't even have beer in Malawi. Apparently only lowlifes really drink, and since I was staying in the city with a well off Christian family and in the village at a Presbyterian agricultural center... yeah. No beer.
But then I went on safari for 24 hours! And my inner lowlife came out.
After seeing beautiful things as pictured above, we had dinner at the resort in Liwonde National Park. I ordered a Kuche Kuche, which is somehow Chichewa for "you can drink this from night till dawn without getting drunk." Three different Malawians told me this, so I guess that's really what it means. Such a fascinating language. And such a plain beer with low alcohol content that you probably really could drink all night without noticing. This beer is brewed by Carlsberg, whose first brewery outside of Denmark was actually in Malawi near the city of Blantyre. I passed it many times, but didn't take a picture. I didn't want people to think I was a lowlife.
The next day I saw a lot of awesome things.
And then I had lunch and ordered a Carlsberg Extra Special for two reasons:
1. It's technically Malawian
2. I couldn't remember if I'd had the green one or not and didn't want to repeat a beer if I could avoid it!
And it was about the same as the Kuche Kuche except stronger. If given the choice between the two, I'd stick with the Kuche Kuche because it's more Malawian. And it's a third of the alcohol content. I wasn't trying to get messed up here.
And then I did some more amazing things before the long trip home. I mean, there was over 19 hours of flying, plus 3 and a half hours of layover, plus sundry driving to be done to get to and from airports. It was legitimately long. However, it was made longer by this incident in which I didn't get a proper meal for a long, long time (from Blantyre to Johannesburg to Dakar to New York City to home-- I had a lame sandwich at O.R. Tambo International Airport but otherwise survived on crackers and small salads). I get frustrated when I don't get fed. Redeeming moment: the president of the organization I was travelling with bought my mission team beer.
Castle Lager: a South African beer under the Miller family. (The Earp men should be proud?) Not particularly exciting but probably my favorite of the three. I'm not sure if it's because it was actually better, or because it was just nice to kick back with the team during our layover and enjoy a drink together instead of dwelling on my forced hunger strike. It certainly lifted my mood, and the people working on the flight did their best to help me out and give me extra snacks, and I did get home safely after an awesome adventure, so I guess in the end I win.
And I still am winning!
Colleen: 278
Paul: 270
This weekend I'll be attending a wedding in Fredericksburg and will be staying with Paul, so look for a staff meeting update, or at least me trying a few new beers as I catch up with various college friends!
PS: I don't really think I'm a lowlife. I was there doing mission work!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
It's been how long?
Note: I have reason to believe that certain parts of this site, i.e. the blogger navigation bar above, have been hacked. Please do not click on them until I manage to find a solution. Thanks.
I've ignored this place too long. Actually, ignored is a bad word. Life has gotten in the way for too long. All the while, I've been collecting little notes on backs of receipts in my wallet and keeping a master list of beers I've tried on my phone. All of these efforts have been with the intention of updating my count before Colleen ends her contract. I know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
I have been doing some traveling. Laura and I went 2,100 miles in four days from Northern Virginia to Southwest Colorado. Along the way, we stopped at some ruins for a 12th Century Native American City in Illinois, saw the St. Louis Arch, drank at a micro-brewery in St. Louis (notice the lack of a certain macro-brewer), visited some cousins of mine in Kansas, and a lot of other stuff. You can read her blog entry on our trip here.
Harpoon Summer: This one has been lying in the fridge for a while. I'd say I've been getting really tired of summer style, specifically Kolsch beers, but we have so many reviews to go before the end. It was average as far as the Kolsch style goes, and by that I mean perfect on a hot summer day.
Budweiser: If you drink beer, you know this one....unfortunately. Bud-heavy, as it may be known, is sometimes a foreigner's impression of American Beer. I cry at night when I think of this. It isn't that bad, but there is just so much more to American Brewing than this staple. I'd lambaste this beer more, but among few of my reasons not to bash it further is they have hilarious commercials.
Miller Lite: I had this beer when out with my cousins in Georgetown. We were on a boat outside of Tony and Joe's along the water. Remember my review of Budweiser? Of course, you do - it was my last review. This beer was fine on a hot summer day, other than that avoid it. Don't let all those alleged world beer cup awards in the commercials fool you (more on this later).
Rebel: This is a Czech beer that I had while having dinner at Laura's parent's house (I'm not sure if that statement is grammatically correct, but you'll live with it). This is a Pilsner from the Czech Republic. For those of you scoring at home, this is where the Pilsner style was invented. As far as Pilsner's go, this was a quality beer. However, even reviewing pilsners, kolschs, and lagers is starting to wear on me.
Trader Joe's Bohemian Lager: Damn it, another Lager. This was another one that was graciously handed to my while at Laura's parent's house. I thought the beer was a little heavy bodied for a lager. I drank it from the bottle, so I didn't get a good read on the color of the beer. It just seemed a little too malty and full bodied for a Lager. Nonetheless, I am still thankful for this beer and the aforementioned one.
Laura tells me that I need to add more stories to this blog. However, I always try to weigh them with my own privacy, her privacy, and the privacy of our friends. It's not a perfect system, after all I have a blog, but it's something I weigh in my mind. For example, I tend to not specify the exact dates of my immediate travel plans, and I prefer to write about them after the fact. I'm not perfect at it, but I try.
When Laura and I visited St. Louis on our road trip, we stopped at Morgan Street Brewery. The brewery is about two blocks from the Mississippi River, and about 3/4 mile North of the Gateway Arch. After stopping by the Arch, we walked over to the brew-pub. As I said earlier, take a mental note of the other brewery options we could have visited. The food was pretty good. The sandwiches came with coniques, which I think were fried mashed potatoes.
Morgan Street Brewery Golden Pilsner: This beer is advertised as award winning, so I decided I should try it. I'm starting to wonder who these judges are exactly (Note to Colleen, figure out how we can be on the panel). For a Pilsner, I thought it was a bit malty. Other than that, it went down pretty smooth. After a long two days of travel, it hit the spot. Besides that, incorporate every other buzz word I've mentioned about summer beers.
Morgan Street Brewery Honey Wheat: Before we left, I asked the waitress if I weren't to be in the area again (which is reasonable to assume), which beer I should try. She mentioned that this beer was their most popular by far. As I think now, the popularity of their beers are probably determined mostly by St. Louis Cardinals fans who walk the few blocks there before or after a game. The lager was somewhere between filtered and unfiltered, and had a slight sweet taste to it - hence the honey.
The next day, we drove out to central Kansas to visit some cousin's of mine and stay the night. They were quite gracious hosts. They took us to a Mexican restaurant in town, their county fair, and their farm. It was quite a good time, and we both really appreciated their kind hospitality. When we went out for Mexican, and I had completed a drive of 450 miles behind the wheel. To say I needed a beer was an understatement.
Corona Extra: I had it with the Lime. It went well after a long drive and with my enchiladas. I wouldn't recommend it unless it's with Mexican food, you want to be polite, or it's one of my often referenced "hot summer days."
Upon arriving in Durango, CO after some bare knuckle driving the last 30 miles through the mountain pass during torrential rain, I decided I was too tired to get beer. In my defense, it had been over 2,000 miles, it was 8 PM (local, 10PM to me), and I had driven the final part of the day. Rest assured, I will man-up and find one of their brew-pubs in October when I go to travel back with Laura!
However, during my layover in the Denver airport I did manage to find a place with Colorado micro-brews. I've already had Fat Tire so I decided to try something else.
New Belgium Skinny Dip: Apparently, this is their low calorie, summer seasonal. As far as light beers go, it had a pretty good body to it. I'd say that was its greatest distinguishing factor from all the other summer beers. As an aside, I cannot wait for fall - just to have new styles of beer!
Odell 90 Shilling: This was a Scottish Ale. I was told it would be somewhat like New Castle. I thought it had a fuller body, and more taste to it. I don't have much experience with Scottish Ales, nor does Colleen since neither of us have "tagged" the term. Upon some further research, it does go with the style. It had a full-bodied malt taste, with little or no hop characteristic.
Just today I went out with my cousins for a birthday celebration at P.F. Chang's. It was my first time there, but I am more than familiar with Chinese Food. I thought the food was pretty good, and I still can't use chopsticks. I thought the next best thing was to get one of their beers, and a Japanese beer that was a repeat.
Tsingtao: The first words out of my mouth were, "That's not as awful as I expected." In my defense, the Chinese aren't really known for their beer. I thought it was no different than a Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Lite, etc. I'll give it more points though since it's harder to come across. It also went well with the food.
Kirin Ichiban: Hankering for another beer, and wanting to review another for the blog, I ordered this Japanese beer. I've already had it, so it doesn't count on my list. This is a light styled Lager, and it's certainly not any better than the American macro-brews that I have already mentioned. Again, it was yet another summer beer.
In the time I have written this, Colleen has decided to break our little, albeit temporary, tie. Congrats to her on that achievement. Also, best wishes on your trip and I hope this mess with the antibiotics can be over soon! By the way, I am jealous of your winter style beer - very jealous.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 271
Paul - 270 (no, not pounds)
I am sure that I will have more beers soon. However, my pace will be slowed by travel (as I've already mentioned) and a crazy schedule at work until the end of September.
Cheers,
Paul
I've ignored this place too long. Actually, ignored is a bad word. Life has gotten in the way for too long. All the while, I've been collecting little notes on backs of receipts in my wallet and keeping a master list of beers I've tried on my phone. All of these efforts have been with the intention of updating my count before Colleen ends her contract. I know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
I have been doing some traveling. Laura and I went 2,100 miles in four days from Northern Virginia to Southwest Colorado. Along the way, we stopped at some ruins for a 12th Century Native American City in Illinois, saw the St. Louis Arch, drank at a micro-brewery in St. Louis (notice the lack of a certain macro-brewer), visited some cousins of mine in Kansas, and a lot of other stuff. You can read her blog entry on our trip here.
Harpoon Summer: This one has been lying in the fridge for a while. I'd say I've been getting really tired of summer style, specifically Kolsch beers, but we have so many reviews to go before the end. It was average as far as the Kolsch style goes, and by that I mean perfect on a hot summer day.
Budweiser: If you drink beer, you know this one....unfortunately. Bud-heavy, as it may be known, is sometimes a foreigner's impression of American Beer. I cry at night when I think of this. It isn't that bad, but there is just so much more to American Brewing than this staple. I'd lambaste this beer more, but among few of my reasons not to bash it further is they have hilarious commercials.
Miller Lite: I had this beer when out with my cousins in Georgetown. We were on a boat outside of Tony and Joe's along the water. Remember my review of Budweiser? Of course, you do - it was my last review. This beer was fine on a hot summer day, other than that avoid it. Don't let all those alleged world beer cup awards in the commercials fool you (more on this later).
Rebel: This is a Czech beer that I had while having dinner at Laura's parent's house (I'm not sure if that statement is grammatically correct, but you'll live with it). This is a Pilsner from the Czech Republic. For those of you scoring at home, this is where the Pilsner style was invented. As far as Pilsner's go, this was a quality beer. However, even reviewing pilsners, kolschs, and lagers is starting to wear on me.
Trader Joe's Bohemian Lager: Damn it, another Lager. This was another one that was graciously handed to my while at Laura's parent's house. I thought the beer was a little heavy bodied for a lager. I drank it from the bottle, so I didn't get a good read on the color of the beer. It just seemed a little too malty and full bodied for a Lager. Nonetheless, I am still thankful for this beer and the aforementioned one.
Laura tells me that I need to add more stories to this blog. However, I always try to weigh them with my own privacy, her privacy, and the privacy of our friends. It's not a perfect system, after all I have a blog, but it's something I weigh in my mind. For example, I tend to not specify the exact dates of my immediate travel plans, and I prefer to write about them after the fact. I'm not perfect at it, but I try.
When Laura and I visited St. Louis on our road trip, we stopped at Morgan Street Brewery. The brewery is about two blocks from the Mississippi River, and about 3/4 mile North of the Gateway Arch. After stopping by the Arch, we walked over to the brew-pub. As I said earlier, take a mental note of the other brewery options we could have visited. The food was pretty good. The sandwiches came with coniques, which I think were fried mashed potatoes.
Morgan Street Brewery Golden Pilsner: This beer is advertised as award winning, so I decided I should try it. I'm starting to wonder who these judges are exactly (Note to Colleen, figure out how we can be on the panel). For a Pilsner, I thought it was a bit malty. Other than that, it went down pretty smooth. After a long two days of travel, it hit the spot. Besides that, incorporate every other buzz word I've mentioned about summer beers.
Morgan Street Brewery Honey Wheat: Before we left, I asked the waitress if I weren't to be in the area again (which is reasonable to assume), which beer I should try. She mentioned that this beer was their most popular by far. As I think now, the popularity of their beers are probably determined mostly by St. Louis Cardinals fans who walk the few blocks there before or after a game. The lager was somewhere between filtered and unfiltered, and had a slight sweet taste to it - hence the honey.
The next day, we drove out to central Kansas to visit some cousin's of mine and stay the night. They were quite gracious hosts. They took us to a Mexican restaurant in town, their county fair, and their farm. It was quite a good time, and we both really appreciated their kind hospitality. When we went out for Mexican, and I had completed a drive of 450 miles behind the wheel. To say I needed a beer was an understatement.
Corona Extra: I had it with the Lime. It went well after a long drive and with my enchiladas. I wouldn't recommend it unless it's with Mexican food, you want to be polite, or it's one of my often referenced "hot summer days."
Upon arriving in Durango, CO after some bare knuckle driving the last 30 miles through the mountain pass during torrential rain, I decided I was too tired to get beer. In my defense, it had been over 2,000 miles, it was 8 PM (local, 10PM to me), and I had driven the final part of the day. Rest assured, I will man-up and find one of their brew-pubs in October when I go to travel back with Laura!
However, during my layover in the Denver airport I did manage to find a place with Colorado micro-brews. I've already had Fat Tire so I decided to try something else.
New Belgium Skinny Dip: Apparently, this is their low calorie, summer seasonal. As far as light beers go, it had a pretty good body to it. I'd say that was its greatest distinguishing factor from all the other summer beers. As an aside, I cannot wait for fall - just to have new styles of beer!
Odell 90 Shilling: This was a Scottish Ale. I was told it would be somewhat like New Castle. I thought it had a fuller body, and more taste to it. I don't have much experience with Scottish Ales, nor does Colleen since neither of us have "tagged" the term. Upon some further research, it does go with the style. It had a full-bodied malt taste, with little or no hop characteristic.
Just today I went out with my cousins for a birthday celebration at P.F. Chang's. It was my first time there, but I am more than familiar with Chinese Food. I thought the food was pretty good, and I still can't use chopsticks. I thought the next best thing was to get one of their beers, and a Japanese beer that was a repeat.
Tsingtao: The first words out of my mouth were, "That's not as awful as I expected." In my defense, the Chinese aren't really known for their beer. I thought it was no different than a Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Lite, etc. I'll give it more points though since it's harder to come across. It also went well with the food.
Kirin Ichiban: Hankering for another beer, and wanting to review another for the blog, I ordered this Japanese beer. I've already had it, so it doesn't count on my list. This is a light styled Lager, and it's certainly not any better than the American macro-brews that I have already mentioned. Again, it was yet another summer beer.
In the time I have written this, Colleen has decided to break our little, albeit temporary, tie. Congrats to her on that achievement. Also, best wishes on your trip and I hope this mess with the antibiotics can be over soon! By the way, I am jealous of your winter style beer - very jealous.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 271
Paul - 270 (no, not pounds)
I am sure that I will have more beers soon. However, my pace will be slowed by travel (as I've already mentioned) and a crazy schedule at work until the end of September.
Cheers,
Paul
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Stuff Legends Are Made Of?
If one of my English teachers saw the title of this blog post, they'd kill me because I ended it with a preposition. Oh well, I needed a title and since I've tried a bunch of Legend beers, I thought I was being clever. Since I had another three of their beers (bringing that total to four), I can make a judgment on their quality. My impression is that they make mediocre beer, that while is not bad, I wouldn't go out of my way to find.
This past week, I went down to Williamsburg to visit Laura, as she is finishing up staffing a summer program at William and Mary. We spent the day hanging out, eating, and planning our upcoming road trip. We also made a visit to Williamsburg AleWerks, where I made some custom six packs for a barbecue that I will be attending soon. Later that evening, we met a college friend of mine, Amanda, who is living and working in the area, but will be moving shortly. I was very nice to catch up with her, as she makes the short list of people I want to keep in touch with after college. We met at Center Street Grill, and I had a very good time.
Legend Hefeweizen: You know how most Hefeweizens are see through? By that I mean, a lot of visible light manages to get through? This one was the normal yellowish in color, but not as much visible light got through. As I try to codify this, I realize that I sound like an idiot, but that was my visual impression. The taste got maked by the bartender putting the lemon in the beer, as opposed to the edge of the glass. That said, it was an alright Hefeweizen. A little heavier in body, which coincides with my initial visual impression.
Legend Pale Ale: Personally, I thought this was a very drinkable pale ale. In that sense, I mean it wasn't overwhelmingly hoppy. I didn't get Laura's take on it, but I doubt a real hop-head would love this beer. Then again, it should be more subdued in hop flavor, since it is a pale ale and not an india pale ale.
Legend Lager: This was easily the worst of the three, and it probably unfairly dragged down my impression of Legend brewing. My advice would be to try something other than this. Generally, I was disappointed in it as a lager. I think it might have been a little too malty for a lager.
Yesterday, I caught up with another friend from college and her fiance. They just moved into the area, and, in addition to getting married, are looking to buy a house. It was very nice to catch up with my friend and her fiance (whom I had yet to meet). We met at Gordon Biersch outside of Annapolis to catch up over a beer, and coincidentally I got to see the end of the Germany world cup game. Gordon Biersch is a national chain of brewpubs. It's not a bad place to check out once in a while, but it's certainly nothing to write home about - mediocre beer and borderline expensive food.
This past week, I went down to Williamsburg to visit Laura, as she is finishing up staffing a summer program at William and Mary. We spent the day hanging out, eating, and planning our upcoming road trip. We also made a visit to Williamsburg AleWerks, where I made some custom six packs for a barbecue that I will be attending soon. Later that evening, we met a college friend of mine, Amanda, who is living and working in the area, but will be moving shortly. I was very nice to catch up with her, as she makes the short list of people I want to keep in touch with after college. We met at Center Street Grill, and I had a very good time.
Legend Hefeweizen: You know how most Hefeweizens are see through? By that I mean, a lot of visible light manages to get through? This one was the normal yellowish in color, but not as much visible light got through. As I try to codify this, I realize that I sound like an idiot, but that was my visual impression. The taste got maked by the bartender putting the lemon in the beer, as opposed to the edge of the glass. That said, it was an alright Hefeweizen. A little heavier in body, which coincides with my initial visual impression.
Legend Pale Ale: Personally, I thought this was a very drinkable pale ale. In that sense, I mean it wasn't overwhelmingly hoppy. I didn't get Laura's take on it, but I doubt a real hop-head would love this beer. Then again, it should be more subdued in hop flavor, since it is a pale ale and not an india pale ale.
Legend Lager: This was easily the worst of the three, and it probably unfairly dragged down my impression of Legend brewing. My advice would be to try something other than this. Generally, I was disappointed in it as a lager. I think it might have been a little too malty for a lager.
Yesterday, I caught up with another friend from college and her fiance. They just moved into the area, and, in addition to getting married, are looking to buy a house. It was very nice to catch up with my friend and her fiance (whom I had yet to meet). We met at Gordon Biersch outside of Annapolis to catch up over a beer, and coincidentally I got to see the end of the Germany world cup game. Gordon Biersch is a national chain of brewpubs. It's not a bad place to check out once in a while, but it's certainly nothing to write home about - mediocre beer and borderline expensive food.
Gordon Biersch Sommerbrau: This was their summer seasonal, which is a German Kolsch. For a lighter beer such as a Kolsch it wasn't that bad, but I am not a big fan of the Kolsch style. Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a beer - especially a new one. That said, I think I'll try different beer of theirs the next time I'm there.
Continuing the college friend binge, I met with my friends Tim and Heather for dinner in Annapolis. We had dinner at the Boatyard, which is a local place off the beaten path of downtown Annapolis. The food is generally pretty good, but some of our entrees were disappointing. It was very nice to catch up with them. I held back on my alcohol, since Heather is expecting.
Flying Dog "Doggie Style" Pale Ale: I love Flying Dog, if for nothing else, they have the most interesting names attached to their beer. Seriously, how can you not expect me to pick that off a menu? I thought this was a pretty good pale ale. As a comparision, I would rate it better than its counterpart by Legend (see above). The beer snobs at ratebeer.com do not agree with me, but that's not the point.
I probably have about three to four weeks left to catch up to and pass Colleen. One would expect she'll have about six new beers in the first ten days after contract. I know she is going to Africa later in the summer, but I figure that I need to get to about 280 in the next three to four weeks to offset her initial tastings before Africa. In light of my new count, that is very doable.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 270
Paul - 259
Cheers,
Paul
Continuing the college friend binge, I met with my friends Tim and Heather for dinner in Annapolis. We had dinner at the Boatyard, which is a local place off the beaten path of downtown Annapolis. The food is generally pretty good, but some of our entrees were disappointing. It was very nice to catch up with them. I held back on my alcohol, since Heather is expecting.
Flying Dog "Doggie Style" Pale Ale: I love Flying Dog, if for nothing else, they have the most interesting names attached to their beer. Seriously, how can you not expect me to pick that off a menu? I thought this was a pretty good pale ale. As a comparision, I would rate it better than its counterpart by Legend (see above). The beer snobs at ratebeer.com do not agree with me, but that's not the point.
I probably have about three to four weeks left to catch up to and pass Colleen. One would expect she'll have about six new beers in the first ten days after contract. I know she is going to Africa later in the summer, but I figure that I need to get to about 280 in the next three to four weeks to offset her initial tastings before Africa. In light of my new count, that is very doable.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 270
Paul - 259
Cheers,
Paul
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Beer, Football, and Traveling
A few weeks ago, there was an extended family party in Richmond. Afterward, some of us met for dinner at Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria. They always have a good beer menu. I was looking for something lighter, being that I was tired from sitting in traffic all day, it was hot (I laugh at that now...it's going to top 100 today), and I was dehydrated.
Eggenberg Pilsner: I thought this beer was light, smooth, and refreshing. Unlike a macro light beer, it had a lot more flavor to it. It was slightly above average on alcohol content. To me, it was a great summer beer. It had a bit of a champagne body to it, which was surprising. Let's face it, you don't want a porter when you're overheated and dehydrated. Ok, maybe you do if you're Colleen...but that's not my thing.
Later that week, my beer adventures continued with a trip to Crystal City Sports Pub to watch the USA vs Algeria world cup game (yes, this was two weeks ago...it's been a lot of repeats recently). I have some flexibility with my work schedule, so this enabled me to watch the game there. It was a fantastic time. There's something about having two hundred people in a sports pub, drinking beer, and eating eggs while watching football. My beer of choice? Guinness, of course. Clearly, the beer gods smiled upon me that day.
The following weekend I traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a friend's wedding. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to meet some great people, see my friend get married, hit the open bar (hard), and try some new beers. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by Laura's brother and his family the night before the wedding. Their hospitality was much appreciated. I really like that section of the country, and honsetly wished I could have tried more beers in the land of microbrews.
Grizzly Peak Bearpaw Porter: The groom recommended Grizzly Peak Brewing in downtown Ann Arbor. When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was searching sustenance as the airports had no selection of micro-brews. I thought this was an excellent porter. I wish I could have brought a growler home. Unfortunately, I am told this is only distributed locally, so it's difficult to find in a bottle.
Grizzly Peak Liberty Lager: This was a seasonal by Grizzly Peak, so I am not surprised ratebeer.com has yet to have a page on it. I liked the porter a lot more, but this wasn't bad either. There can be a lot of variation in lagers, and this erred on the hoppy side. However, the hop choice was interesting, since the aftertaste had a bittersweet to it.
Labatt Blue Light: I brought this over for Laura's brother, as he requested a Canadian beer. It was your average light beer.
I helped my friend Andy move his sailboat on 4th of July weekend. It took 7 hours to move it through the Chesapeake Bay, about 3 hours longer than it should have. While it was hot that day, the wind allowed for it to not feel as bad. However, when we finished I was pretty exhausted and dehydrated. They graciously fed us, and the dinner was excellent.
Pabst Blue Ribbon: Andy's mom offered me this beer, and I housed it due to the conditions described above. The beer was fine, probably because it was cold, and I needed a beer more than I needed a good beer.
I haven't had many new ones lately, so I am squandering my chance to retake the lead. I think I will be heading to make a custom six pack soon. Also, Laura and I will be roadtripping in the next three weeks, so perhaps I can stop at some brewpubs or microbreweries soon.
During my travels, I also had two retreads of note:
Legend Brown Ale: If you like Brown Ales, this is probably a beer for you to try. I wasn't a huge fan of this, again. I thought it was a little too full bodied for a Brown Ale. However, I admit that there would be plenty of people that would like this.
Bell's Oberon: I had this a couple month's ago at the Brickskeller. While in Ann Arbor, I had the chance to have a few of these on tap. I think this is an excellent summer wheat ale. Bell's is perhaps one of the best microbrewers in the country, and this only proves that statement further.
The Scorecard:
Colleen - 267
Paul - 254
Cheers,
Paul
Eggenberg Pilsner: I thought this beer was light, smooth, and refreshing. Unlike a macro light beer, it had a lot more flavor to it. It was slightly above average on alcohol content. To me, it was a great summer beer. It had a bit of a champagne body to it, which was surprising. Let's face it, you don't want a porter when you're overheated and dehydrated. Ok, maybe you do if you're Colleen...but that's not my thing.
Later that week, my beer adventures continued with a trip to Crystal City Sports Pub to watch the USA vs Algeria world cup game (yes, this was two weeks ago...it's been a lot of repeats recently). I have some flexibility with my work schedule, so this enabled me to watch the game there. It was a fantastic time. There's something about having two hundred people in a sports pub, drinking beer, and eating eggs while watching football. My beer of choice? Guinness, of course. Clearly, the beer gods smiled upon me that day.
The following weekend I traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a friend's wedding. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to meet some great people, see my friend get married, hit the open bar (hard), and try some new beers. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by Laura's brother and his family the night before the wedding. Their hospitality was much appreciated. I really like that section of the country, and honsetly wished I could have tried more beers in the land of microbrews.
Grizzly Peak Bearpaw Porter: The groom recommended Grizzly Peak Brewing in downtown Ann Arbor. When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was searching sustenance as the airports had no selection of micro-brews. I thought this was an excellent porter. I wish I could have brought a growler home. Unfortunately, I am told this is only distributed locally, so it's difficult to find in a bottle.
Grizzly Peak Liberty Lager: This was a seasonal by Grizzly Peak, so I am not surprised ratebeer.com has yet to have a page on it. I liked the porter a lot more, but this wasn't bad either. There can be a lot of variation in lagers, and this erred on the hoppy side. However, the hop choice was interesting, since the aftertaste had a bittersweet to it.
Labatt Blue Light: I brought this over for Laura's brother, as he requested a Canadian beer. It was your average light beer.
I helped my friend Andy move his sailboat on 4th of July weekend. It took 7 hours to move it through the Chesapeake Bay, about 3 hours longer than it should have. While it was hot that day, the wind allowed for it to not feel as bad. However, when we finished I was pretty exhausted and dehydrated. They graciously fed us, and the dinner was excellent.
Pabst Blue Ribbon: Andy's mom offered me this beer, and I housed it due to the conditions described above. The beer was fine, probably because it was cold, and I needed a beer more than I needed a good beer.
I haven't had many new ones lately, so I am squandering my chance to retake the lead. I think I will be heading to make a custom six pack soon. Also, Laura and I will be roadtripping in the next three weeks, so perhaps I can stop at some brewpubs or microbreweries soon.
During my travels, I also had two retreads of note:
Legend Brown Ale: If you like Brown Ales, this is probably a beer for you to try. I wasn't a huge fan of this, again. I thought it was a little too full bodied for a Brown Ale. However, I admit that there would be plenty of people that would like this.
Bell's Oberon: I had this a couple month's ago at the Brickskeller. While in Ann Arbor, I had the chance to have a few of these on tap. I think this is an excellent summer wheat ale. Bell's is perhaps one of the best microbrewers in the country, and this only proves that statement further.
The Scorecard:
Colleen - 267
Paul - 254
Cheers,
Paul
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
crawling back to respectability
The whole idea at this point is to be the little engine that could, and crawl myself back to a respectable tally. It will take a while, but I am going to get there. I just need to keep trying new beers when seeing people, and when all else fails make custom six packs at Total Wine.
On Sunday, I went to Laura's parents house for dinner to celebrate her brother's birthday. I wanted to bring a gift. Since her brother enjoys hoppy beers, I decided on Stone IPA because I think they may be the best micro-brewer in the country. If you like hoppy beers and have never had it before, pick up a six pack and try it. The quality is hard to find anywhere else. I've had this beer before, and it's a real ass-kicker.
While over for dinner, where I ate so much that I fell into a food coma, I managed to try two new beers. The dinner was delicious. The beers were also great.
Dominion Beach House Golden Pilsner: I thought this would be more on the side of a summer beer, perhaps the name just fooled me. Pilsners are not light and fruity (like many summer beers) and neither was this beer. However, it did seem to have quite a bit of hop characteristic to it.
Staropramen: Laura's dad was gracious enough to save me this Czech beer so I could try it. I thought it was very similar to, but slightly better than, Pilsner Urquell. Since Pilsner Urquell is much easier to find in the US, I would try that first before seeking out it's cousin.
Bells Lager of the Lakes: I got this beer as part of a custom six pack, and I'll be reviewing the rest of the six pack later. My initial impression was that this beer tasted about how a lager should. Those familiar with Yuengling and other premium lagers should know what I mean. Bells is also one of the better micro-brewers in the country, so trying their stuff is usually a worthwhile endeavor.
I look forward to Colleen's final updates before she goes under contract. Until then, I'll just keep plugging along and do my best to contain the damage (I mean lead) she will inflict. if she doesn't mind, I'd like to know which micro-brewer she thinks is the best in the country.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 253
Paul: 239
Cheers,
Paul
On Sunday, I went to Laura's parents house for dinner to celebrate her brother's birthday. I wanted to bring a gift. Since her brother enjoys hoppy beers, I decided on Stone IPA because I think they may be the best micro-brewer in the country. If you like hoppy beers and have never had it before, pick up a six pack and try it. The quality is hard to find anywhere else. I've had this beer before, and it's a real ass-kicker.
While over for dinner, where I ate so much that I fell into a food coma, I managed to try two new beers. The dinner was delicious. The beers were also great.
Dominion Beach House Golden Pilsner: I thought this would be more on the side of a summer beer, perhaps the name just fooled me. Pilsners are not light and fruity (like many summer beers) and neither was this beer. However, it did seem to have quite a bit of hop characteristic to it.
Staropramen: Laura's dad was gracious enough to save me this Czech beer so I could try it. I thought it was very similar to, but slightly better than, Pilsner Urquell. Since Pilsner Urquell is much easier to find in the US, I would try that first before seeking out it's cousin.
Bells Lager of the Lakes: I got this beer as part of a custom six pack, and I'll be reviewing the rest of the six pack later. My initial impression was that this beer tasted about how a lager should. Those familiar with Yuengling and other premium lagers should know what I mean. Bells is also one of the better micro-brewers in the country, so trying their stuff is usually a worthwhile endeavor.
I look forward to Colleen's final updates before she goes under contract. Until then, I'll just keep plugging along and do my best to contain the damage (I mean lead) she will inflict. if she doesn't mind, I'd like to know which micro-brewer she thinks is the best in the country.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 253
Paul: 239
Cheers,
Paul
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
Monday, April 12, 2010
Beerios
So the post title describes the foods in my diet - according to my girlfriend Laura. In actuality, I needed a clever title, so I had this fact in my pocket for a while now. For the record, I do think my diet isn't that bad.
I've the had the blessing of wonderful weather in the DC area, and some time to relax and grill some food. Oh yeah, grilling with a cold beer in hand counts too. The best part? Not seeing a cloud in the sky for hours on end...
This should be my last post before Colleen's visit. At some point, I see us going beer for beer. It will get ugly. And she will probably win. Without further ado, here are the beers I've recently tried.
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager: The six pack box was interesting for this beer. It came with two line graphs: one for color, and one for hop vs malt. I thought it was quite interesting, and perhaps I will need to start a similar visual for my ratings? The beer lived up to its name, amber in color. I also thought it was well balanced between malts and hops, and would be the kind of craft brew one would enjoy at the grill. I am relatively inexperienced at Flying Dog's lineup, but this certainly won't turn me away from them.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: Sierra Nevada makes an excellent pale ale, so I was hoping this beer would live up it's cousin. Hefeweizen's are known to be incredibly light in flavor, and cloudy in appearance. They are one of the best summer beers possible. There's usually a slight fruit flavor, and everything goes down smooth. I word to the wise, there is usually yeast at the bottom. It's a good idea to pour out 80% of it into a glass. The bottom 10% will be mostly yeast. If you do drink it, swish the bottle around before hand.
A brief programming note, while I did start this entry before the one previously posted by Colleen, it was delayed until now so I could locate my notes on two other beers. Their stories are also included in the description. They were both brewed by Clipper City in Baltimore. I am definitely warming up to that brewery...
Clipper City Heavy Seas Peg Leg: I had this Imperial Stout while out for a drink with my friend Matt. We went to Hard Times Cafe. It's definitely a no-frills place that makes great chili, although I abstained from it on this visit. The beer reminded me more of a coffee stout than an Imperial. Overall, it had quite the kick and certainly was not a beer for the faint at heart.
Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon: After a particularly soul-sucking day at work (everyone has them), my friend Kyle and I met for some beers afterward. I ordered this beer on name alone, since I hadn't tried it before. My first reaction? The beer was definitely an IPA because the bitter hops were loud and clear in the taste, so to speak. This is the kind of IPA that I would refer hop-heads to, but not the run of the mill beer drinker. There are certainly a lot of flavors to the beer, but one needs to get past the hops to enjoy them.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 223
Paul: 222
Cheers,
Paul
I've the had the blessing of wonderful weather in the DC area, and some time to relax and grill some food. Oh yeah, grilling with a cold beer in hand counts too. The best part? Not seeing a cloud in the sky for hours on end...
This should be my last post before Colleen's visit. At some point, I see us going beer for beer. It will get ugly. And she will probably win. Without further ado, here are the beers I've recently tried.
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager: The six pack box was interesting for this beer. It came with two line graphs: one for color, and one for hop vs malt. I thought it was quite interesting, and perhaps I will need to start a similar visual for my ratings? The beer lived up to its name, amber in color. I also thought it was well balanced between malts and hops, and would be the kind of craft brew one would enjoy at the grill. I am relatively inexperienced at Flying Dog's lineup, but this certainly won't turn me away from them.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: Sierra Nevada makes an excellent pale ale, so I was hoping this beer would live up it's cousin. Hefeweizen's are known to be incredibly light in flavor, and cloudy in appearance. They are one of the best summer beers possible. There's usually a slight fruit flavor, and everything goes down smooth. I word to the wise, there is usually yeast at the bottom. It's a good idea to pour out 80% of it into a glass. The bottom 10% will be mostly yeast. If you do drink it, swish the bottle around before hand.
A brief programming note, while I did start this entry before the one previously posted by Colleen, it was delayed until now so I could locate my notes on two other beers. Their stories are also included in the description. They were both brewed by Clipper City in Baltimore. I am definitely warming up to that brewery...
Clipper City Heavy Seas Peg Leg: I had this Imperial Stout while out for a drink with my friend Matt. We went to Hard Times Cafe. It's definitely a no-frills place that makes great chili, although I abstained from it on this visit. The beer reminded me more of a coffee stout than an Imperial. Overall, it had quite the kick and certainly was not a beer for the faint at heart.
Clipper City Heavy Seas Loose Cannon: After a particularly soul-sucking day at work (everyone has them), my friend Kyle and I met for some beers afterward. I ordered this beer on name alone, since I hadn't tried it before. My first reaction? The beer was definitely an IPA because the bitter hops were loud and clear in the taste, so to speak. This is the kind of IPA that I would refer hop-heads to, but not the run of the mill beer drinker. There are certainly a lot of flavors to the beer, but one needs to get past the hops to enjoy them.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 223
Paul: 222
Cheers,
Paul
Saturday, April 10, 2010
a pre-DBF staff meeting update
As I've mentioned, I'll be spending the rest of the coming week and weekend in the Washington, D.C. Metro area, couch surfing with some old friends while attending the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. I'm staying with Paul for the first two nights, and we have some grand plans for catching up with each other... both as friends and in the number of beers we've tried. Here's what I'm going into this with:
Moo Thunder Stout: I bought this because it looked and sounded ridiculous. It comes in a can with a cow and a lightning bolt on it. I know I tried a beer last weekend based on the fact that it had a cow on it, but this was more just the ridiculous name and the fact that it was a stout. This is by Butternuts Beer and Ale, who also make Porkslap Pale Ale and Heinieweissen Farmhouse Ale (a hefeweizen). This beer was SO GOOD. A little sweeter than Guinness (it's actually a milk stout, so that's to be expected), but so smooth and just a really nice stout. It was also not particularly expensive. I would absolutely recommend this beer to all the stout lovers of the world!
Saranac Winter Lager: This was ok. Nothing bad, but nothing particularly amazing. It actually reminded me of this sweet bread I ate in Mexico, that I imagine is probably pretty common in other Latin American countries or bakeries. It was nice, but I'm in no hurry for a repeat.
Kona Longboard Island Lager: I would add this to my proverbial "whatever lager" list. It was fine. A little sweeter than the average whatever lager, but still nothing in particular to write home about. I've heard good things about some of their other beers though, that I'm looking forward to trying.
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Abbey Ale: This was way too sweet for me. It just felt heavy, even though it wasn't. It's a quadruple, which I've never heard of before. Just strong in all the ways I'd prefer it not to be. My friend Cristina tasted it and liked it thought. Just not my jam. If you're into doppelbock beers, you might like it. After all, it's a quadruple! That's doppel the doppelbock! Right?...
Chimay Red: This was LOVELY. This came on the recommendation of my friend Jeremy, and was well worth the price. Very smooth, very pleasant, very nice nice nice. It's a trappist, which Stuff Yer Face brags on their menu to be among the best tasting beers in the world. I might not go THAT far, but it was really good.
I noticed Paul has started an entry and not finished it, presumably because he noticed I did the same thing and wanted to see what my score was. Well, my beer friend, I'm coming to see you tomorrow with 223 beers on my list, to your 220 including the two in your unpublished post. See you in the afternoon!
Now, off to pack...
Moo Thunder Stout: I bought this because it looked and sounded ridiculous. It comes in a can with a cow and a lightning bolt on it. I know I tried a beer last weekend based on the fact that it had a cow on it, but this was more just the ridiculous name and the fact that it was a stout. This is by Butternuts Beer and Ale, who also make Porkslap Pale Ale and Heinieweissen Farmhouse Ale (a hefeweizen). This beer was SO GOOD. A little sweeter than Guinness (it's actually a milk stout, so that's to be expected), but so smooth and just a really nice stout. It was also not particularly expensive. I would absolutely recommend this beer to all the stout lovers of the world!
Saranac Winter Lager: This was ok. Nothing bad, but nothing particularly amazing. It actually reminded me of this sweet bread I ate in Mexico, that I imagine is probably pretty common in other Latin American countries or bakeries. It was nice, but I'm in no hurry for a repeat.
Kona Longboard Island Lager: I would add this to my proverbial "whatever lager" list. It was fine. A little sweeter than the average whatever lager, but still nothing in particular to write home about. I've heard good things about some of their other beers though, that I'm looking forward to trying.
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Abbey Ale: This was way too sweet for me. It just felt heavy, even though it wasn't. It's a quadruple, which I've never heard of before. Just strong in all the ways I'd prefer it not to be. My friend Cristina tasted it and liked it thought. Just not my jam. If you're into doppelbock beers, you might like it. After all, it's a quadruple! That's doppel the doppelbock! Right?...
Chimay Red: This was LOVELY. This came on the recommendation of my friend Jeremy, and was well worth the price. Very smooth, very pleasant, very nice nice nice. It's a trappist, which Stuff Yer Face brags on their menu to be among the best tasting beers in the world. I might not go THAT far, but it was really good.
I noticed Paul has started an entry and not finished it, presumably because he noticed I did the same thing and wanted to see what my score was. Well, my beer friend, I'm coming to see you tomorrow with 223 beers on my list, to your 220 including the two in your unpublished post. See you in the afternoon!
Now, off to pack...
Friday, April 9, 2010
(channeling my creativity toward my AAG presentation instead of a clever blog title right now...)
It's been a little busy for me as I prepare to go to the AAG Annual Meeting next week in Washington, where I'll be presenting some of my research to other geography nerds, attending other talks, and visiting with several friends in the D.C. Metro area. I've offered dinner and/or beer to my friends loaning me their couches and floors, as that's way cheaper than a hotel every night and it will just be nice to catch up with them anyway. Paul is included in that group of friends (thanks again!). I wonder if I'll be buying him beers he hasn't had before... stay tuned for a possible joint post next week!
In the meantime, I've tried a few things:
Saranac Adirondack Lager: very safe and drinkable, not much else to write home about. I think every time I've had a Saranac beer, they've been part of a mixed case. This would be the safety beer/crowd pleaser in the case.
Long Trail Double Bag: I bought this because I was amused by the name (the package features little cartoon cows) but didn't know until hours later that it was a "strong ale", which was written in a not particularly obvious place or size on the side of the 6-pack, not even on the bottles. This wasn't particularly thrilling, but it was a good beer.
Saranac Black Lager: This reminded me a lot of either Sam Adam's Black Lager or Magic Hat's Winter Howl. All three are very good! It's a schwarzbier (German for "black beer"), which is lager-y in weight but porter-y in flavor. Of those three, I'd say Saranac was the least strongly flavored (I recall the other two being very strong) but still outstanding. There are hints of coffee and chocolate in this beer. It was a good experience.
This helps me transition to a short blurb about that beer marinade recipe I like to use when grilling chicken for my family. The first time I ever did that, I used Magic Hat's Winter Howl. It went over well. So I made it a second time, which made it into this blog, with Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. I made it last week with Yuengling, because it was in the fridge at home, and while it still went over well, my parents and little brother all agreed that they liked other versions better. Just thought I'd share that.
And the score is: 218-218... for now...
See you next week, Paul!
In the meantime, I've tried a few things:
Saranac Adirondack Lager: very safe and drinkable, not much else to write home about. I think every time I've had a Saranac beer, they've been part of a mixed case. This would be the safety beer/crowd pleaser in the case.
Long Trail Double Bag: I bought this because I was amused by the name (the package features little cartoon cows) but didn't know until hours later that it was a "strong ale", which was written in a not particularly obvious place or size on the side of the 6-pack, not even on the bottles. This wasn't particularly thrilling, but it was a good beer.
Saranac Black Lager: This reminded me a lot of either Sam Adam's Black Lager or Magic Hat's Winter Howl. All three are very good! It's a schwarzbier (German for "black beer"), which is lager-y in weight but porter-y in flavor. Of those three, I'd say Saranac was the least strongly flavored (I recall the other two being very strong) but still outstanding. There are hints of coffee and chocolate in this beer. It was a good experience.
This helps me transition to a short blurb about that beer marinade recipe I like to use when grilling chicken for my family. The first time I ever did that, I used Magic Hat's Winter Howl. It went over well. So I made it a second time, which made it into this blog, with Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. I made it last week with Yuengling, because it was in the fridge at home, and while it still went over well, my parents and little brother all agreed that they liked other versions better. Just thought I'd share that.
And the score is: 218-218... for now...
See you next week, Paul!
Monday, April 5, 2010
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
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
Thursday, April 1, 2010
keeping it close with Corsendonk (it's fun to say)
I tried two new beers on Monday! It's been a really busy week trying to keep on top of all of my schoolwork, but I am currently sitting on a couch at home, doing my laundry and thinking about accomplishing some non-required reading that may help my ultimate goal of getting out of grad school sometime soon. I think now is the appropriate time to take a break and tell you about my new beers. Earlier in the week when I was doing double seminar readings (this week we doubled up from the week we missed class due to snow) was not the time.
Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale: Please recall the recent joyful introduction to Corsendonk Abbey Ale. As a result of that excellent experience, I was very excited to try this beer by the same brewer-- I mean, come on, it's even just fun to say the name! Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Um, yeah. Anyway. I did absolutely love this one as much as the other Abbey Ale, but it was still a legit beer. I think the malty flavor was a little too sweet for me, with a little bit of kick. Definitely not a Backdraft Brown Ale of awesomeness (see here, here and here). But still a very nice brown ale.
Corsendonk. Admit it. It's fun to say. Corsendonk.
Grolsch Premium Lager: This really paled in comparison to the preceding beer (Corsendonk!). This pale lager (ha ha get the pun!?) tasted like liquid skunk. We checked the date, it was plenty fresh, just awful. I ordered this at Stuffies because my friend Gurzo said he'd never seen anyone drink it and it comes in a neat bottle. The infamous awesome bartender Jill actually laughed at me when I asked for it. So... yeah. I'm not recommending this one. If I wasn't paying for it, I might be tempted to try it again on the offhand chance that it was a random skunked bottle, but I'm not in any hurry. It was just a really sharp flavor lurking under the air of skunk spray.
It's a shame that skunks are associated with such an awful scent/flavor, since they're so darn cute, especially the babies.
And with that, Paul: 213, Colleen: 215.
PS: Bonus link from my friend Becky: Beer Madness! How would you rate these? Next to nothing would beat Guinness in my book, especially in the first round...
Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale: Please recall the recent joyful introduction to Corsendonk Abbey Ale. As a result of that excellent experience, I was very excited to try this beer by the same brewer-- I mean, come on, it's even just fun to say the name! Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Um, yeah. Anyway. I did absolutely love this one as much as the other Abbey Ale, but it was still a legit beer. I think the malty flavor was a little too sweet for me, with a little bit of kick. Definitely not a Backdraft Brown Ale of awesomeness (see here, here and here). But still a very nice brown ale.
Corsendonk. Admit it. It's fun to say. Corsendonk.
Grolsch Premium Lager: This really paled in comparison to the preceding beer (Corsendonk!). This pale lager (ha ha get the pun!?) tasted like liquid skunk. We checked the date, it was plenty fresh, just awful. I ordered this at Stuffies because my friend Gurzo said he'd never seen anyone drink it and it comes in a neat bottle. The infamous awesome bartender Jill actually laughed at me when I asked for it. So... yeah. I'm not recommending this one. If I wasn't paying for it, I might be tempted to try it again on the offhand chance that it was a random skunked bottle, but I'm not in any hurry. It was just a really sharp flavor lurking under the air of skunk spray.
It's a shame that skunks are associated with such an awful scent/flavor, since they're so darn cute, especially the babies.
And with that, Paul: 213, Colleen: 215.
PS: Bonus link from my friend Becky: Beer Madness! How would you rate these? Next to nothing would beat Guinness in my book, especially in the first round...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
a linktastic entry for you
Paul said he was just waiting for me to pull out ten beers to add to the list. It's been a bit of a busy week for me so far, so no, not ten, but four, putting me back in the lead (barely).
Before this week went wild and crazy, I did have a lovely weekend, wrapping up my spring break. As a result of a minor procedure* late in the week, I spent most of it lying on a couch being pathetic. However, on Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be called upon to babysit seven of the world's most well behaved children (they turned off the tv and put themselves to bed!) with the help one of my favorite people in the universe, Becky, who recently returned from a three or so year stint in Peace Corps and other world travels. Since this was up at the aforementioned camp, I also got to see the aforementioned Lauren and share the aforementioned Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout.
Um, DELICIOUS. I love stouts. I occasionally mention my ongoing search for an oatmeal stout as bangin' as the one I had at the microbrewery in Charleston, S.C. while attending a geography nerd conference that one time. Well, I think I finally found it. This was smooth and delicious. No weird aftertaste. Just awesome. Actually, what I wrote in my beer spreadsheet is, "SO GOOD! Smooth, tasty, not too sweet, not too bland, plain delicious perfecto stout" so yeah. Winner winner chicken dinner! Except I'm a vegetarian. Whatever, it's just fun to say. And I found a winning oatmeal stout.
Now onto my regularly scheduled Monday evening antics at Stuff Yer Face.
Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale: I would highly recommend this one to the person who sort of likes pale ales but tends to be scared off by hops. Actually, I would recommend this one to just about anyone who likes good beer, because it's just plain good. It's actually a tripel. I would use words like "refreshing" and "delightful" to describe this very nice pale ale. It's not too sweet, and there's no real hops punching you in the face type experience to be had. It's just very nice and very good.
Rogue's Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale: While I've had a few Rogue brews now that I have really, REALLY enjoyed (um, did you read the beginning of this entry?), this was not a good experience. Hop hop hop away! No one around me really enjoyed it, either. I drank enough for it to count. Begrudgingly. The brewer describes it saying something about malts and other stuff besides hops... but I didn't get that part. It was just really bitter. If you're into hoppy beer, you'll like this!
and... don't judge...
Heineken: Once upon a time when I didn't really drink beer, I seem to recall liking this? I think it had more to do with the company I was keeping at that time in my life (said company being a big fan of said Heineken). Someone (and I forget who) judged me in a negative light over this and I hadn't had it since, till last night, when I had it just for the sake of getting it on the list officially. Well, I was annoyed at the person for judging me at the time, but I guess I owe them a thanks, whoever they were, because this isn't nearly as tolerable as my memory suggested. In fact, whoever you are, if you're reading this, please remind me that you once judged me, so I can properly thank you. When searching for a non-descript lager (I list these as "whatever lager" on my beer list), I would definitely go for a "Mexican lager" or the Earp Family Standard Issue over this. Eesh.
And so. Paul: 209, Colleen: 210. So I guess Paul's statement about ten beers sort of counts, in that I'm now ten beers past 200 beers.
*Bonus link if you aren't easy skeeved out by medical things: this is an x ray of my spine with a big needle next to it when I had the same procedure done a few years ago.
Before this week went wild and crazy, I did have a lovely weekend, wrapping up my spring break. As a result of a minor procedure* late in the week, I spent most of it lying on a couch being pathetic. However, on Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be called upon to babysit seven of the world's most well behaved children (they turned off the tv and put themselves to bed!) with the help one of my favorite people in the universe, Becky, who recently returned from a three or so year stint in Peace Corps and other world travels. Since this was up at the aforementioned camp, I also got to see the aforementioned Lauren and share the aforementioned Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout.
Um, DELICIOUS. I love stouts. I occasionally mention my ongoing search for an oatmeal stout as bangin' as the one I had at the microbrewery in Charleston, S.C. while attending a geography nerd conference that one time. Well, I think I finally found it. This was smooth and delicious. No weird aftertaste. Just awesome. Actually, what I wrote in my beer spreadsheet is, "SO GOOD! Smooth, tasty, not too sweet, not too bland, plain delicious perfecto stout" so yeah. Winner winner chicken dinner! Except I'm a vegetarian. Whatever, it's just fun to say. And I found a winning oatmeal stout.
Now onto my regularly scheduled Monday evening antics at Stuff Yer Face.
Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale: I would highly recommend this one to the person who sort of likes pale ales but tends to be scared off by hops. Actually, I would recommend this one to just about anyone who likes good beer, because it's just plain good. It's actually a tripel. I would use words like "refreshing" and "delightful" to describe this very nice pale ale. It's not too sweet, and there's no real hops punching you in the face type experience to be had. It's just very nice and very good.
Rogue's Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale: While I've had a few Rogue brews now that I have really, REALLY enjoyed (um, did you read the beginning of this entry?), this was not a good experience. Hop hop hop away! No one around me really enjoyed it, either. I drank enough for it to count. Begrudgingly. The brewer describes it saying something about malts and other stuff besides hops... but I didn't get that part. It was just really bitter. If you're into hoppy beer, you'll like this!
and... don't judge...
Heineken: Once upon a time when I didn't really drink beer, I seem to recall liking this? I think it had more to do with the company I was keeping at that time in my life (said company being a big fan of said Heineken). Someone (and I forget who) judged me in a negative light over this and I hadn't had it since, till last night, when I had it just for the sake of getting it on the list officially. Well, I was annoyed at the person for judging me at the time, but I guess I owe them a thanks, whoever they were, because this isn't nearly as tolerable as my memory suggested. In fact, whoever you are, if you're reading this, please remind me that you once judged me, so I can properly thank you. When searching for a non-descript lager (I list these as "whatever lager" on my beer list), I would definitely go for a "Mexican lager" or the Earp Family Standard Issue over this. Eesh.
And so. Paul: 209, Colleen: 210. So I guess Paul's statement about ten beers sort of counts, in that I'm now ten beers past 200 beers.
*Bonus link if you aren't easy skeeved out by medical things: this is an x ray of my spine with a big needle next to it when I had the same procedure done a few years ago.
Monday, February 15, 2010
There and Back Again
On Friday night I went to Bilbo Baggins in Old Town with my college friend Robert, and work buddy Jeremy. The place is known for its beer menu and food, so I thought it would be a good place to at least expand my beer horizons. The roads were still treacherous from the snowpocalypse, but we all managed to arrive and leave safely. I enjoyed catching up with them and trying a couple new brews.
Clipper City Bilbo Baggins: This is their house lager, which is brewed by Clipper City. In the interest of having their house brew, and that Clipper City usually does a good job across the board, I decided to give it a shot. I really liked it. The beer reminded me of Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
Rogue Yellow Snow Ale: Confession - I got this beer because of the name. I thought it was pretty good. The waitress pointed out that the juniper after taste reminded her of gin. I somewhat agreed with this assessment. I don't really like gin, but this beer was fine in my book. I thought this was a smooth pale ale.
On Saturday, I ventured to Williamsburg, VA to visit the girlfriend. It is Valentine's Day weekend. There wasn't enough time to make Guiness cupcakes, but it will happen. We hung out with some of her friends Saturday night. The drinking game of the night was Jenga, or some variant thereof, and each piece had a drinking instruction on it. Things got interesting fast, and fun was had by all. I also managed to try two new brews. I was limited to tasting two (alliteration anyone?), because the first was a 22 oz bottle and had an ABV of 10.5%l. Drinking that in less than an hour started to put me in a happy place - thank God for leaving notes on your cell phone.
Stone Double Bastard Ale: This beer is the next evolution of Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. This beer was incredibly complex and aggressive. There were multiple different effects during the after taste. It certainly was a clean beer, but not for the faint of heart. I can probably name the people on one hand who could appreciate, let alone finish, this beer (Colleen included, of course). If nothing else, the back of the bottle is worth reading (click the image for zoom). You can also read the back of the bottle for Arrogant Bastard here.
Samuel Adams Noble Pils: This is the latest seasonal by Samuel Adams. Colleen recently tried this beer. I was surprised by its very light color and citrus taste. I expected more bitternes, or bite, since the company promotes the beer based on the hops. Perhaps this is a characteristic of Noble Hops? I thought this was ok, but they do a much better job on their other seasonals.
I also got a custom six pack for Valentine's Day, which means I have a few more beers to try at some point. I'm hoping I can manage another trip the Brickskeller this week, but we shall see. Enjoy the Olympics friends, hopefully with a nice beer (especially you Colleen)!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 203
Paul: 196
Cheers,
Paul
Clipper City Bilbo Baggins: This is their house lager, which is brewed by Clipper City. In the interest of having their house brew, and that Clipper City usually does a good job across the board, I decided to give it a shot. I really liked it. The beer reminded me of Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
Rogue Yellow Snow Ale: Confession - I got this beer because of the name. I thought it was pretty good. The waitress pointed out that the juniper after taste reminded her of gin. I somewhat agreed with this assessment. I don't really like gin, but this beer was fine in my book. I thought this was a smooth pale ale.
On Saturday, I ventured to Williamsburg, VA to visit the girlfriend. It is Valentine's Day weekend. There wasn't enough time to make Guiness cupcakes, but it will happen. We hung out with some of her friends Saturday night. The drinking game of the night was Jenga, or some variant thereof, and each piece had a drinking instruction on it. Things got interesting fast, and fun was had by all. I also managed to try two new brews. I was limited to tasting two (alliteration anyone?), because the first was a 22 oz bottle and had an ABV of 10.5%l. Drinking that in less than an hour started to put me in a happy place - thank God for leaving notes on your cell phone.
Stone Double Bastard Ale: This beer is the next evolution of Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. This beer was incredibly complex and aggressive. There were multiple different effects during the after taste. It certainly was a clean beer, but not for the faint of heart. I can probably name the people on one hand who could appreciate, let alone finish, this beer (Colleen included, of course). If nothing else, the back of the bottle is worth reading (click the image for zoom). You can also read the back of the bottle for Arrogant Bastard here.
Samuel Adams Noble Pils: This is the latest seasonal by Samuel Adams. Colleen recently tried this beer. I was surprised by its very light color and citrus taste. I expected more bitternes, or bite, since the company promotes the beer based on the hops. Perhaps this is a characteristic of Noble Hops? I thought this was ok, but they do a much better job on their other seasonals.
I also got a custom six pack for Valentine's Day, which means I have a few more beers to try at some point. I'm hoping I can manage another trip the Brickskeller this week, but we shall see. Enjoy the Olympics friends, hopefully with a nice beer (especially you Colleen)!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 203
Paul: 196
Cheers,
Paul
Saturday, February 13, 2010
toasting the Olympics
I love the Olympics!
There are so many many reasons why. The sports. The geography. The people. (Visa has been sharing some classic stories in their current ad campaign, which you can see here. I don't work for them, I just really like the stories!) I love that so many countries can ignore their differences and just play together nicely for a few weeks. And, in the case of these Olympics, I LOVE CANADA!
My friend Amanda took this lovely picture in Sunset Beach Park in Vancouver at the end of our roadtrip across Canada in summer 2008. This excitement has been a long time coming!
A few weeks ago, my friend Cheryl and I realized our mutual excitement for the Winter Games, and decided to have a party to celebrate the opening ceremonies. It was great! We had multicultural foods-- rice and beans, spanakopita, cous cous, harira, Tim Tams, maple cookies, spring rolls, cheese blintzes, Irish creme puffs, etc. etc. We also served a somewhat multi-cultural themed punch discovered by Gurzo (including vodka, Cointreau, Galliano, Midori and champagne, with other fruit juices and fruits... yeah, I didn't know what most of those were, either. Which brings me to the beer that this post is leading to...)
I got myself a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout to sip at while helping set up and prepare the party. I had really built this up in my mind. This really seemed like a beer made for me. I mean, the title is geography-themed (making it perfect for an Olympics opening ceremony party). The word "ridiculous" is in its description (really)! Did it live up to my expectations?
Yes. A thousand times yes. This stout is really, really, ridiculously strong. I bought a 2008, which was 18% ABV. (I'm willing to bet I wouldn't be able to tell apart the 2008 from any other year, but aparently the alcohol content varies from year to year.) Definitely got some coffee aftertaste, definitely drank this one slowly. Cannot see through it at all. It really wasn't sweet, just strong. And awesome. This is a good beer if you're just planning on sipping one slowly all night.
Of course, I was over at Cheryl and Gurzo's house for quite a while enjoying the opening ceremonies and the good company, and started that one early and took a big break afterward. Several hours later, I tried another beer we had bought for the occasion, Tyskie, a Polish lager. Gurzo has a theory about having somewhat standard, crowd-pleasing beers at a party, but from brewers that no one's heard of. Tyskie is owned by SABMiller, the same group who brews Pilsner Urquell and Miller beers. More importantly, it matched our multicultural theme. This was a nice lager, very straightforward, very drinkable. I'd serve this to others again.
Toward the end of the night, I tried Otter Creek Spring Ale, a Kölsch style beer. This was a little bit hoppy, but in a strangely sweet and fresh kind of way. I liked it. It was very crisp, without a strong aftertaste. It tasted light and springy. I thought it was funny that I transitioned to increasingly light beers all evening.
Colleen 203, Paul 192. Happy Olympics, everyone!
There are so many many reasons why. The sports. The geography. The people. (Visa has been sharing some classic stories in their current ad campaign, which you can see here. I don't work for them, I just really like the stories!) I love that so many countries can ignore their differences and just play together nicely for a few weeks. And, in the case of these Olympics, I LOVE CANADA!
My friend Amanda took this lovely picture in Sunset Beach Park in Vancouver at the end of our roadtrip across Canada in summer 2008. This excitement has been a long time coming!
A few weeks ago, my friend Cheryl and I realized our mutual excitement for the Winter Games, and decided to have a party to celebrate the opening ceremonies. It was great! We had multicultural foods-- rice and beans, spanakopita, cous cous, harira, Tim Tams, maple cookies, spring rolls, cheese blintzes, Irish creme puffs, etc. etc. We also served a somewhat multi-cultural themed punch discovered by Gurzo (including vodka, Cointreau, Galliano, Midori and champagne, with other fruit juices and fruits... yeah, I didn't know what most of those were, either. Which brings me to the beer that this post is leading to...)
I got myself a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout to sip at while helping set up and prepare the party. I had really built this up in my mind. This really seemed like a beer made for me. I mean, the title is geography-themed (making it perfect for an Olympics opening ceremony party). The word "ridiculous" is in its description (really)! Did it live up to my expectations?
Yes. A thousand times yes. This stout is really, really, ridiculously strong. I bought a 2008, which was 18% ABV. (I'm willing to bet I wouldn't be able to tell apart the 2008 from any other year, but aparently the alcohol content varies from year to year.) Definitely got some coffee aftertaste, definitely drank this one slowly. Cannot see through it at all. It really wasn't sweet, just strong. And awesome. This is a good beer if you're just planning on sipping one slowly all night.
Of course, I was over at Cheryl and Gurzo's house for quite a while enjoying the opening ceremonies and the good company, and started that one early and took a big break afterward. Several hours later, I tried another beer we had bought for the occasion, Tyskie, a Polish lager. Gurzo has a theory about having somewhat standard, crowd-pleasing beers at a party, but from brewers that no one's heard of. Tyskie is owned by SABMiller, the same group who brews Pilsner Urquell and Miller beers. More importantly, it matched our multicultural theme. This was a nice lager, very straightforward, very drinkable. I'd serve this to others again.
Toward the end of the night, I tried Otter Creek Spring Ale, a Kölsch style beer. This was a little bit hoppy, but in a strangely sweet and fresh kind of way. I liked it. It was very crisp, without a strong aftertaste. It tasted light and springy. I thought it was funny that I transitioned to increasingly light beers all evening.
Colleen 203, Paul 192. Happy Olympics, everyone!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Nothing very exciting to report these days, unless you find remote sensing, the electromagnetic spectrum, land change science and Bracken fern interesting... but I have tried three new brews.
Sam Adams Noble Pils: a new spring seasonal?! This was pretty good. Currently on tap at Stuffies, as discovered when I went there for dinner with Tom on Sunday. It's a little hoppier than I'd prefer, but not offensive, more in the same vein as Victory's Prima Pils, which I also recently tried. I got a slightly citrus taste out of Sam's; I think Victory had a little more lemon going on. This was decent, but I don't need to go out of my way for it again soon.
Dundee Honey Brown Lager: As my friend Jeremy said, this beer is inoffensive in every way. It seems the people in the internet were even more indifferent, according to that link at beer advocate. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too bitter, not too sharp, not too tasteless, just fine.
Tröeg's Nugget Nectar: I have liked other things by Tröeg's-- the Mad Elf, Dreamweaver Wheat, and Nut Brown Ale, but this was like a smack in the face with hops, which it's been well established that I don't care for. If you like hops, have at it. I don't need to drink this again.
Colleen: 197
Paul: 185
Sam Adams Noble Pils: a new spring seasonal?! This was pretty good. Currently on tap at Stuffies, as discovered when I went there for dinner with Tom on Sunday. It's a little hoppier than I'd prefer, but not offensive, more in the same vein as Victory's Prima Pils, which I also recently tried. I got a slightly citrus taste out of Sam's; I think Victory had a little more lemon going on. This was decent, but I don't need to go out of my way for it again soon.
Dundee Honey Brown Lager: As my friend Jeremy said, this beer is inoffensive in every way. It seems the people in the internet were even more indifferent, according to that link at beer advocate. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too bitter, not too sharp, not too tasteless, just fine.
Tröeg's Nugget Nectar: I have liked other things by Tröeg's-- the Mad Elf, Dreamweaver Wheat, and Nut Brown Ale, but this was like a smack in the face with hops, which it's been well established that I don't care for. If you like hops, have at it. I don't need to drink this again.
Colleen: 197
Paul: 185
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
a toast to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks to a long weekend including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (Observed) party and another Monday out with friends, I have quite a few new interesting beers to report.
Wells & Young, Ltd.'s Banana Bread Beer: This sounds questionable, doesn't it? It's surprisingly amazing though, assuming you like beer and banana bread. Despite the presence of some artificial flavors (in addition to REAL fair trade bananas!), it smells like actual banana bread, not some sort of fake banana candy. And it tastes awesome-- not necessarily like liquid banana bread so much as, you're drinking a nice beer while sitting in the company of fresh, delicious banana bread. Kudos to Tom to picking that one off the liquor store shelf for me.
Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier: While I'm not usually into fruit beers, this was pretty pleasant. The blackberry isn't too strong or fake tasting, and it's over a nice witbier.
Sam Adams Black Lager: This one was more up my alley. It's a lager that tastes more like a porter. It has a really strong flavor, largely chocolate, but goes down more lightly, like the lager that it actually is. Good stuff. That Samuel Adams, so reputable (with only a very few exceptions)!
Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale: My friend Jeremy held this one aside for me to add to my list, though warned me he couldn't speak to its quality. The first sip tasted something like old rye bread with paint on it. Worried that it had turned, I handed it back to Jeremy, who tasted it and told me it was exactly the same as when he bought it. I kind of wonder how long the beer had been sitting, but he recommended that I generally avoid Lancaster beers, regardless of freshness. . I would recommend the same, after trying another...
Lancaster Strawberry Wheat: Not usually a fruit beer person, but after two recent positive experiences and my love of wheat beers, I went for it. Awful, awful, awful. This is rank medicine flavored strawberry, not even semi-tolerable lollipop strawberry. Ugh.
Kennebec River Summer Ale: Initially concerned that being a summer ale, it would be out of date, but it was all right. It was kind of a pale ale, which just isn't my jam, but it was drinkable. Especially compared to those Lancasters.
Troeg's Dreamweaver Wheat: Thank you Danni. This was a nice unfiltered wheat beer. No weird or bad fruit, nothing offensive, just a nice wheat beer. I could handle this one again.
Löwenbräu: This is another one Tom picked up to share, after we heard it referred to on Soap, a really hilarious TV show from the late 70s that we've been watching on DVD lately (I'd recommend that too). This is supposed to be legit German stuff. It was a bit too carbonated for me, considering that it didn't have any sort of really amazing flavor on top of the bubbles. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again, but it's definitely not a bad beer-- I've never been crazy about soda for the same reason.
Weihenstephaner Korbinian: a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but definitely a good beer. It's darker than the other brews I've tried by this German brewer, and very, very smooth. It's new on tap at Stuff Yer Face right now!
Sea Dog Apricot Wheat: For fruity beers not being my thing, I sure did try a few this weekend. This beer has a very light flavor to it, although it smells pretty strongly of apricot. It was also very smooth. Paul and I both have down on our beer lists another brew by Sea Dog, the Blueberry Ale. Both of us recommend it as a breakfast beer. I'd recommend this one likewise.
Well, that puts the tally at 173 for Paul and 189 for me. My semester starts today, so I'm sure I won't be ahead for long. While I think three day weekends and excuses to get together with friends are wonderful things, let us remember the great work that Dr. King did for civil rights in our country!
Wells & Young, Ltd.'s Banana Bread Beer: This sounds questionable, doesn't it? It's surprisingly amazing though, assuming you like beer and banana bread. Despite the presence of some artificial flavors (in addition to REAL fair trade bananas!), it smells like actual banana bread, not some sort of fake banana candy. And it tastes awesome-- not necessarily like liquid banana bread so much as, you're drinking a nice beer while sitting in the company of fresh, delicious banana bread. Kudos to Tom to picking that one off the liquor store shelf for me.
Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier: While I'm not usually into fruit beers, this was pretty pleasant. The blackberry isn't too strong or fake tasting, and it's over a nice witbier.
Sam Adams Black Lager: This one was more up my alley. It's a lager that tastes more like a porter. It has a really strong flavor, largely chocolate, but goes down more lightly, like the lager that it actually is. Good stuff. That Samuel Adams, so reputable (with only a very few exceptions)!
Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale: My friend Jeremy held this one aside for me to add to my list, though warned me he couldn't speak to its quality. The first sip tasted something like old rye bread with paint on it. Worried that it had turned, I handed it back to Jeremy, who tasted it and told me it was exactly the same as when he bought it. I kind of wonder how long the beer had been sitting, but he recommended that I generally avoid Lancaster beers, regardless of freshness. . I would recommend the same, after trying another...
Lancaster Strawberry Wheat: Not usually a fruit beer person, but after two recent positive experiences and my love of wheat beers, I went for it. Awful, awful, awful. This is rank medicine flavored strawberry, not even semi-tolerable lollipop strawberry. Ugh.
Kennebec River Summer Ale: Initially concerned that being a summer ale, it would be out of date, but it was all right. It was kind of a pale ale, which just isn't my jam, but it was drinkable. Especially compared to those Lancasters.
Troeg's Dreamweaver Wheat: Thank you Danni. This was a nice unfiltered wheat beer. No weird or bad fruit, nothing offensive, just a nice wheat beer. I could handle this one again.
Löwenbräu: This is another one Tom picked up to share, after we heard it referred to on Soap, a really hilarious TV show from the late 70s that we've been watching on DVD lately (I'd recommend that too). This is supposed to be legit German stuff. It was a bit too carbonated for me, considering that it didn't have any sort of really amazing flavor on top of the bubbles. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again, but it's definitely not a bad beer-- I've never been crazy about soda for the same reason.
Weihenstephaner Korbinian: a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but definitely a good beer. It's darker than the other brews I've tried by this German brewer, and very, very smooth. It's new on tap at Stuff Yer Face right now!
Sea Dog Apricot Wheat: For fruity beers not being my thing, I sure did try a few this weekend. This beer has a very light flavor to it, although it smells pretty strongly of apricot. It was also very smooth. Paul and I both have down on our beer lists another brew by Sea Dog, the Blueberry Ale. Both of us recommend it as a breakfast beer. I'd recommend this one likewise.
Well, that puts the tally at 173 for Paul and 189 for me. My semester starts today, so I'm sure I won't be ahead for long. While I think three day weekends and excuses to get together with friends are wonderful things, let us remember the great work that Dr. King did for civil rights in our country!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
various and sundry
For those who have not yet heard: I'm not graduating this semester.
I was initially crushed by the news but thankfully had my regular Monday night out with my friends after meeting with my advisor to discuss the future of my work. While life isn't going exactly as I'd hoped, I know it's going to be ok. And, as always, Monday night was a good time with good people. I tried a few new ones, knowing that Paul was probably catching up by now, and also because I was relaxing and cheering up in the company of good friends. You know?
Full Moon Winter Ale: This made me think of Sam Adam's Winter Lager, only more ale-y and less spice-y. It wasn't bad, but didn't make a particularly remarkable impression on me either. I didn't not enjoy it, but it's not something I need to go out of my way for.
Victory's Old Horizontal: You've heard me rant about Victory before, despite my love of their Storm King. My disappointment continues. At a quick whiff, my friend Gurzo declared that it smelled like cotton candy. The brewer describes it as "A luxurious, warming barleywine rich with aromatic hops and dark, candied fruit character that hides its epic strength masterfully." I would describe it as liquid fruitcake. Gross. I tried this in part because I hadn't before, but also because my friend Jeremy liked it. I can't say I understand why, but apparently he's not alone, because the folks over at beeradvocate.com seem to be fans. Jeremy also recommended Victory's Prima Pils, but it would have to wait for another night when I wasn't all victoried out.
After that debacle, Gurzo advised me to try Ed Hardy Premium Beer. I had to laugh because it was basically a Mexican lager, which I haven't exactly gone out of my way for since returning from Mexico. This one was particularly tasteless, but Stuff Yer Face is trying to get rid of them, so for $2, I could add another beer to my list.
This was followed by a Stella Artois, which I've definitely had before (in fact, I remember having one with my big brother at the airport before I travelled to the UK). However, it wasn't on the list, and it had been so long, I didn't really remember what it was like... it's all right. Nothing to go crazy about, but something that's light and drinkable.
My total is currently at 179 versus Paul's 173. There have been a few other beers since last time, but I won't bore you with everything. I will mention one more of them though: Raven's Eye Imperial Stout. While generally a fan of the Imperial Stout, this one was a bit sweeter than I'd prefer. I definitely got a strong espresso flavor, which is usually ok, I don't mind strong flavored beers. However, the malts were a bit intense this time. It's a heavy beer, which I also don't generally mind, but I wouldn't rush out for another of these on purpose.
I was initially crushed by the news but thankfully had my regular Monday night out with my friends after meeting with my advisor to discuss the future of my work. While life isn't going exactly as I'd hoped, I know it's going to be ok. And, as always, Monday night was a good time with good people. I tried a few new ones, knowing that Paul was probably catching up by now, and also because I was relaxing and cheering up in the company of good friends. You know?
Full Moon Winter Ale: This made me think of Sam Adam's Winter Lager, only more ale-y and less spice-y. It wasn't bad, but didn't make a particularly remarkable impression on me either. I didn't not enjoy it, but it's not something I need to go out of my way for.
Victory's Old Horizontal: You've heard me rant about Victory before, despite my love of their Storm King. My disappointment continues. At a quick whiff, my friend Gurzo declared that it smelled like cotton candy. The brewer describes it as "A luxurious, warming barleywine rich with aromatic hops and dark, candied fruit character that hides its epic strength masterfully." I would describe it as liquid fruitcake. Gross. I tried this in part because I hadn't before, but also because my friend Jeremy liked it. I can't say I understand why, but apparently he's not alone, because the folks over at beeradvocate.com seem to be fans. Jeremy also recommended Victory's Prima Pils, but it would have to wait for another night when I wasn't all victoried out.
After that debacle, Gurzo advised me to try Ed Hardy Premium Beer. I had to laugh because it was basically a Mexican lager, which I haven't exactly gone out of my way for since returning from Mexico. This one was particularly tasteless, but Stuff Yer Face is trying to get rid of them, so for $2, I could add another beer to my list.
This was followed by a Stella Artois, which I've definitely had before (in fact, I remember having one with my big brother at the airport before I travelled to the UK). However, it wasn't on the list, and it had been so long, I didn't really remember what it was like... it's all right. Nothing to go crazy about, but something that's light and drinkable.
My total is currently at 179 versus Paul's 173. There have been a few other beers since last time, but I won't bore you with everything. I will mention one more of them though: Raven's Eye Imperial Stout. While generally a fan of the Imperial Stout, this one was a bit sweeter than I'd prefer. I definitely got a strong espresso flavor, which is usually ok, I don't mind strong flavored beers. However, the malts were a bit intense this time. It's a heavy beer, which I also don't generally mind, but I wouldn't rush out for another of these on purpose.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
trading places
Wait until you see how clever that title actually is!
I've been all over the place since my last post, surprise surprise, catching up with friends and family. That occasionally includes having a beer, surprise surprise. Before I get into the actually interesting beers I've tried during my adventurous winter break, I'm just going to put out there that a few beers never made my list despite having had them before, but I had them again in the past week, so they're official now: Miller Lite, the Earp family standard issue (see Christmas, for example); Red Stripe, which I've listed as "another non-descript lager"; and Miller High Life, which was actually my first beer ever. (Note about Miller Lite-- I think I understand why that is my family's light beer of choice, it really is ridiculously smooth!)
Now, Paul and I have been unable to meet up so I could tell him in person that he is now a few beers behind me, even with his last post. (See?! See! My clever title?! He's behind and I'm ahead! I said I'd do it by New Year's...) The reason we've been unable to meet up is also because we've traded places-- over and over and over again. I spent the last two weekends in Northern Virginia. He spent the last two weekends in New Jersey. I mean, even to the point where I drove back to Jersey last night, but he had only come up for the day and was heading back down when I called him. RIDICULOUS. But, here are the interesting things I've tried in the meantime:
Pinkus Organic Hefe-weizen: this is a pretty good hef, although has a bit more bite than some others I've tried lately, not as smooth. Tasted very good though!
Redbridge Gluten Free Lager: I'd file this under "non-descript lager" but it's worth mentioning just how not bad it is. Like, you can actually serve this to your friends who are gluten intolerant. Apparently it's made from sorghum, whatever, tastes like beer to me. I am grateful that my body processes wheat and barley though, not just because I enjoy a good beer, but as a general rule.
Moreland's Old Speckled Hen: This one has an interesting story. This appeared at a family gathering today because of its history which basically comes down to the MG, which my uncle has owned and restored a few of over the years. The beer was brewed in honor of the factory's 50th anniversary. There was a car they used to run around the factory which was called the "Owld Speckl’d Un" because it was splatted in paint. Read that to yourself out loud with some sort of British accent. You get it now.
Unfortunetly, this beer was a bit outdated. It seemed pretty smooth and drinkable under the unfortunate air of SKUNK. Its label says "crafted fine ale", and it's all sorts of British, so I imagine it's not so bad... it has subsequently been noted as "skunked-- try again?"
But for now, that leaves the count at Colleen 172, Paul 169. I'm sure we'll trade places again soon enough. Tomorrow I officially start getting that masters thesis thing together... but till we meet/trade places again,
Colleen
I've been all over the place since my last post, surprise surprise, catching up with friends and family. That occasionally includes having a beer, surprise surprise. Before I get into the actually interesting beers I've tried during my adventurous winter break, I'm just going to put out there that a few beers never made my list despite having had them before, but I had them again in the past week, so they're official now: Miller Lite, the Earp family standard issue (see Christmas, for example); Red Stripe, which I've listed as "another non-descript lager"; and Miller High Life, which was actually my first beer ever. (Note about Miller Lite-- I think I understand why that is my family's light beer of choice, it really is ridiculously smooth!)
Now, Paul and I have been unable to meet up so I could tell him in person that he is now a few beers behind me, even with his last post. (See?! See! My clever title?! He's behind and I'm ahead! I said I'd do it by New Year's...) The reason we've been unable to meet up is also because we've traded places-- over and over and over again. I spent the last two weekends in Northern Virginia. He spent the last two weekends in New Jersey. I mean, even to the point where I drove back to Jersey last night, but he had only come up for the day and was heading back down when I called him. RIDICULOUS. But, here are the interesting things I've tried in the meantime:
Pinkus Organic Hefe-weizen: this is a pretty good hef, although has a bit more bite than some others I've tried lately, not as smooth. Tasted very good though!
Redbridge Gluten Free Lager: I'd file this under "non-descript lager" but it's worth mentioning just how not bad it is. Like, you can actually serve this to your friends who are gluten intolerant. Apparently it's made from sorghum, whatever, tastes like beer to me. I am grateful that my body processes wheat and barley though, not just because I enjoy a good beer, but as a general rule.
Moreland's Old Speckled Hen: This one has an interesting story. This appeared at a family gathering today because of its history which basically comes down to the MG, which my uncle has owned and restored a few of over the years. The beer was brewed in honor of the factory's 50th anniversary. There was a car they used to run around the factory which was called the "Owld Speckl’d Un" because it was splatted in paint. Read that to yourself out loud with some sort of British accent. You get it now.
Unfortunetly, this beer was a bit outdated. It seemed pretty smooth and drinkable under the unfortunate air of SKUNK. Its label says "crafted fine ale", and it's all sorts of British, so I imagine it's not so bad... it has subsequently been noted as "skunked-- try again?"
But for now, that leaves the count at Colleen 172, Paul 169. I'm sure we'll trade places again soon enough. Tomorrow I officially start getting that masters thesis thing together... but till we meet/trade places again,
Colleen
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