I couldn't resist sharing this article, because it seems like a joke unto itself:
Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says
I've passed 500 beers on my list, which I have been pretty negligent in updating, but it looks like 500 goes to Black Butte Porter, if for no other reason than it was good, no, great enough to remember to add to my database. (In case you're not a geography geek, that's pronounced /byoot/.)
Deschutes Black Butte Porter, from Oregon, graced our refrigerator here in western Arizona, but it looks like the furthest east it's available is Illinois. Bummer. It was rich but wasn't heavy, with a really nice roasted flavor that nicely balanced the sweet and the bitter. This is one of the few beers I've seen on Beer Advocate with a rating of 100 from The Bros. I know the negligence has extended beyond my beer database, and to this blog (for both of us!), but this one was absolutely worth mentioning.
Other beer news: I am extremely disappointed that I was on the other side of the country for the release of FU Sandy, a beer produced by my beloved Flying Fish to raise funds for Sandy relief. Oh, New Jersey. I love you so much, even (especially?) when I'm far away. It was such a limited released that I understand it sold out everywhere within a few hours of tapping. Good news: there are rumors that it will be rereleased in six packs this summer. A girl can dream. I know at least two people who got to try this though-- one liked it, one didn't, but the one who didn't is not into wheat-related beers.
Drink anything good lately, anyone? Craft beer choices are limited in western AZ, although we've found some gems of breweries in our travels, most of which we'll be returning to during Spring Break in March with visitors, and checking out a new one recommended to me in Phoenix during Spring Training.
Showing posts with label porter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label porter. Show all posts
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, July 19, 2012
North Carolina.
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...
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...
Friday, October 28, 2011
VArious
I'm hanging out with my big brother at home, routing for the National League and listening to him play with Siri on his new iPhone machine. His puppy is curled up on the couch next to me, the Cardinals are winning, ...
I was busy catching up with my brother and enjoying the game. Go National League!
So. I spent the last week in Virginia, welcoming home one friend from Peace Corps service and another from grad school in England. That plus camping plus a visit to the alma mater plus catching up with one of my favorite girls plus meeting up with Paul for the first time in a while plus my college roommate playing a show means I have a few new beers to report--
Sam Adams Rauchbier: part of the Sam Adams seasonal pack, this is incredibly underwhelming. I mean, the last time I tried a rauchbier, I wasn't thoroughly impressed either, but this just had nothing to it. Don't bother.
Starr Hill Dark Starr: While hanging out in Fredericksburg with some awesome former professors of mine, I of course tried this Virginia stout. There was some chocolate flavor, some coffee flavor, and lots and lots of awesome flavor. It was dark and dry and smooth and wonderful. I like stout, and it's always fun to drink local.
Port City Porter: Another one at Cap Ale with a crew of Mary Washington geographers. This is a good porter from a relatively new brewer in Alexandria, Virginia. I'd say they're off to a good start. You can't see through it and it's got some hints of chocolate happening. Awesome.
Six Point Righteous Ale: I had another Six Point brew recently that I found to be not so great, but this was good. My good friend Emily and I had gone out on Sunday night in search of the Cardinals game, as she is from St. Louis, and ended up in a place in Columbia Heights that she'd never been. They were out of the Brooklyn Brown I'd ordered so the server recommended this instead. It was nothing like Brooklyn Brown, rather, more hoppy but really clean and nice. I'm surprised to learn it involves rye, but not upset about it. Rye beer. Hoppy rye beer. Good hoppy rye beer.
51st State Amber Ale: This is a pretty not-exciting house beer, but was how I kicked off my first ever bar trivia night, in which a team of Mary Washington Geographers owned the rest of the crowd at 51st State. If you go to this place in D.C., it's a reasonable beer for its price, but there are most definitely more exciting things on the menu.
Starr Hill Boxcar Pumpkin Porter: Of course, an extended stay in the D.C. Metro Area is never complete without a DBF Staff Meeting. Bailey's, located in Ballston and Crystal City, has a $2 pint special on Tuesdays. This was the only new beer I tried there though. This was more spice than pumpkin, but if you like pumpkin pie esque beers and you like dark beers, this is a good combination. The spices are good but not overwhelming, with a really nice, smooth porter underneath. I usually see pumpkin ales, not specifically porters, so this was a really nice change to that particular fall beer.
Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat: Selected partially because of the ridiculous name and partially because it's a stout, this was way sweet. I mean, I liked it, but a pint seemed like a lot due to the sweetness. If you like milk stout, it's great, but if you're not into the very sweet stouts, steer clear.
New Belgium's Ranger IPA: Taylor ordered this, but I ended up finishing it. It's good. Very recommendable.
Hooray for good beer, good friends, JT and Boo getting home, and the National League (and the team that knocked out the Phillies) winning! It is past my bedtime...
I was busy catching up with my brother and enjoying the game. Go National League!
So. I spent the last week in Virginia, welcoming home one friend from Peace Corps service and another from grad school in England. That plus camping plus a visit to the alma mater plus catching up with one of my favorite girls plus meeting up with Paul for the first time in a while plus my college roommate playing a show means I have a few new beers to report--
Sam Adams Rauchbier: part of the Sam Adams seasonal pack, this is incredibly underwhelming. I mean, the last time I tried a rauchbier, I wasn't thoroughly impressed either, but this just had nothing to it. Don't bother.
Starr Hill Dark Starr: While hanging out in Fredericksburg with some awesome former professors of mine, I of course tried this Virginia stout. There was some chocolate flavor, some coffee flavor, and lots and lots of awesome flavor. It was dark and dry and smooth and wonderful. I like stout, and it's always fun to drink local.
Port City Porter: Another one at Cap Ale with a crew of Mary Washington geographers. This is a good porter from a relatively new brewer in Alexandria, Virginia. I'd say they're off to a good start. You can't see through it and it's got some hints of chocolate happening. Awesome.
Six Point Righteous Ale: I had another Six Point brew recently that I found to be not so great, but this was good. My good friend Emily and I had gone out on Sunday night in search of the Cardinals game, as she is from St. Louis, and ended up in a place in Columbia Heights that she'd never been. They were out of the Brooklyn Brown I'd ordered so the server recommended this instead. It was nothing like Brooklyn Brown, rather, more hoppy but really clean and nice. I'm surprised to learn it involves rye, but not upset about it. Rye beer. Hoppy rye beer. Good hoppy rye beer.
51st State Amber Ale: This is a pretty not-exciting house beer, but was how I kicked off my first ever bar trivia night, in which a team of Mary Washington Geographers owned the rest of the crowd at 51st State. If you go to this place in D.C., it's a reasonable beer for its price, but there are most definitely more exciting things on the menu.
Starr Hill Boxcar Pumpkin Porter: Of course, an extended stay in the D.C. Metro Area is never complete without a DBF Staff Meeting. Bailey's, located in Ballston and Crystal City, has a $2 pint special on Tuesdays. This was the only new beer I tried there though. This was more spice than pumpkin, but if you like pumpkin pie esque beers and you like dark beers, this is a good combination. The spices are good but not overwhelming, with a really nice, smooth porter underneath. I usually see pumpkin ales, not specifically porters, so this was a really nice change to that particular fall beer.
Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat: Selected partially because of the ridiculous name and partially because it's a stout, this was way sweet. I mean, I liked it, but a pint seemed like a lot due to the sweetness. If you like milk stout, it's great, but if you're not into the very sweet stouts, steer clear.
New Belgium's Ranger IPA: Taylor ordered this, but I ended up finishing it. It's good. Very recommendable.
Hooray for good beer, good friends, JT and Boo getting home, and the National League (and the team that knocked out the Phillies) winning! It is past my bedtime...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
a-round in Virginia
So, thesis defense down does not equal slowing down. A week later, I was in Virginia. For the past few years, I have done the Muddy Buddy with a friend in the Richmond area. This spring would be my third. But, as always, visiting Virginia involved catching up with several friends... often over a beer or few.
Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter: From Taylor's fridge. It was nice and dark and heavy, with a strong coffee flavor.
On Friday evening, Taylor and I met up with Paul, Laura, Matt and others to go to Bier Baron, formerly known as Brickskeller. It's amazing to me how Bier Baron has scaled back the beer menu, and there are still over 500 options. This was a combination celebration of my successful defense, Matt's successful completion of his Masters work and a DBF staff meeting. Paul did try new beers. Maybe he'll even write about them. In the meantime, here's what I had--
Sam Adams Rustic Saison: I found this satisfying. Despite being see-through, I actually quite like the saison/ farmhouse style. They're refreshing. This was precisely that, a nice clean drink. This would be great on a hot day; that Friday was surprisingly cool out. This saison didn't have any particularly strong tastes to it, just a simple, refreshing beer.
Unibroue Maudite: A Quebecois beer that Paul and I both tried. "Strong dark Belgian ale" is not necessarily my favorite style. It kinda had a sweet fruity thing going on, but didn't taste like a particular kind of fruit to me. I don't know. My notes on this don't have much to say, and I don't remember much about it, and I think that sums this beer up just fine. It wasn't bad, just not really memorable or impressive.
Weyerbacher Heresy: Now we're talking. Russian Imperial Stout. This one tastes like a car bomb. It was nice and heavy and very smooth. Pleasant. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too strong or bitter. Good Imperial Stout.
After that, Paul ordered me a car bomb, and I'm still not sure why. It was delicious, but I can't drink fast enough to really enjoy these, although this time I managed to only leave a sip or two to curdle. It was great to see everyone, and really great to celebrate Matt's and my masters.
So, the Muddy Buddy is really awesome, but a nice perk at the end is the beer garden, sponsored by Red Hook. This year they served Copper Hook, a red/amber something. It was a bit hoppier than something like Killian's but really refreshing and crisp after the intense workout. Nothing fancy about it. It's very drinkable.
Sunday evening, after a long shower, Taylor and I met Justin and Deb to have dinner at Capital Alehouse in downtown Richmond. It was great to catch up with them since they were kind of busy the last time I saw them (at their wedding). Taylor ordered Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard for its name alone. While choosing beers for their funny names often leads to interesting discoveries, neither of us enjoyed this one (I finished it for him just so I could add it to the list). I mean, it was light and beery, but it had some kind of weird sweet funk to it, both in smell and taste. Kind of like how moldy fruit smells-- kind of sweet and kind of weird, and then you see the fuzz and realize "weird" is actually "gross". Yeah. Maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe I wouldn't recommend this.
I got New Holland Golden Cap Saison. Another fresh tasting beer. Slight citrusy something going on, but just pleasant and refreshing.
As usual, if I go to Virginia, I stay there for a few extra days. On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend Becky for an afternoon stroll, and we along with her husband Dana met Taylor at Lost Dog Cafe, where the food is amazing. The unpregnant 3/4 of the group ordered DC Brau's Pale Ale, which was far hoppier than I expected... bitterness verging on IPA. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected.
My final beer for this jaunt to Virginia was Dogfish Head's Hellhound, kindly purchased for me by Becky and Dana, perhaps in celebration of my victory of the aforementioned thesis defense. Another beer in honor of an awesome musician? Ok! Dogfish Head again did not disappoint. While billed as excessively hoppy, I didn't think it was offensively so
Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter: From Taylor's fridge. It was nice and dark and heavy, with a strong coffee flavor.
On Friday evening, Taylor and I met up with Paul, Laura, Matt and others to go to Bier Baron, formerly known as Brickskeller. It's amazing to me how Bier Baron has scaled back the beer menu, and there are still over 500 options. This was a combination celebration of my successful defense, Matt's successful completion of his Masters work and a DBF staff meeting. Paul did try new beers. Maybe he'll even write about them. In the meantime, here's what I had--
Sam Adams Rustic Saison: I found this satisfying. Despite being see-through, I actually quite like the saison/ farmhouse style. They're refreshing. This was precisely that, a nice clean drink. This would be great on a hot day; that Friday was surprisingly cool out. This saison didn't have any particularly strong tastes to it, just a simple, refreshing beer.
Unibroue Maudite: A Quebecois beer that Paul and I both tried. "Strong dark Belgian ale" is not necessarily my favorite style. It kinda had a sweet fruity thing going on, but didn't taste like a particular kind of fruit to me. I don't know. My notes on this don't have much to say, and I don't remember much about it, and I think that sums this beer up just fine. It wasn't bad, just not really memorable or impressive.
Weyerbacher Heresy: Now we're talking. Russian Imperial Stout. This one tastes like a car bomb. It was nice and heavy and very smooth. Pleasant. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too strong or bitter. Good Imperial Stout.
After that, Paul ordered me a car bomb, and I'm still not sure why. It was delicious, but I can't drink fast enough to really enjoy these, although this time I managed to only leave a sip or two to curdle. It was great to see everyone, and really great to celebrate Matt's and my masters.
So, the Muddy Buddy is really awesome, but a nice perk at the end is the beer garden, sponsored by Red Hook. This year they served Copper Hook, a red/amber something. It was a bit hoppier than something like Killian's but really refreshing and crisp after the intense workout. Nothing fancy about it. It's very drinkable.
Sunday evening, after a long shower, Taylor and I met Justin and Deb to have dinner at Capital Alehouse in downtown Richmond. It was great to catch up with them since they were kind of busy the last time I saw them (at their wedding). Taylor ordered Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard for its name alone. While choosing beers for their funny names often leads to interesting discoveries, neither of us enjoyed this one (I finished it for him just so I could add it to the list). I mean, it was light and beery, but it had some kind of weird sweet funk to it, both in smell and taste. Kind of like how moldy fruit smells-- kind of sweet and kind of weird, and then you see the fuzz and realize "weird" is actually "gross". Yeah. Maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe I wouldn't recommend this.
I got New Holland Golden Cap Saison. Another fresh tasting beer. Slight citrusy something going on, but just pleasant and refreshing.
As usual, if I go to Virginia, I stay there for a few extra days. On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend Becky for an afternoon stroll, and we along with her husband Dana met Taylor at Lost Dog Cafe, where the food is amazing. The unpregnant 3/4 of the group ordered DC Brau's Pale Ale, which was far hoppier than I expected... bitterness verging on IPA. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected.
My final beer for this jaunt to Virginia was Dogfish Head's Hellhound, kindly purchased for me by Becky and Dana, perhaps in celebration of my victory of the aforementioned thesis defense. Another beer in honor of an awesome musician? Ok! Dogfish Head again did not disappoint. While billed as excessively hoppy, I didn't think it was offensively so
Thursday, February 17, 2011
procrastination.
Well, I got back from Virginia yesterday afternoon and I leave for camp for a week tomorrow morning, stopping off at Rutgers on the way. I'm not motivated to pack again yet, so I'll share with you a few brews I've tried recently.
While I don't advocate the use of alcohol to soothe negative situations, I did keep Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout specifically for my most recent round of thesis revisions. I figured the strong coffee flavor to be expected from such a beer would perhaps trick me into staying awake longer to work on that thing while the alcohol helped lower my inhibitions just enough to open the floodgates of writing. Does it actually have caffeine in it? I don't know, or really care. It was a nice accompaniment to my work though. I really enjoyed the strong taste. It made me say wow. This is one of those beers that Taylor would accuse of "sucker punching" the taste buds. This is certainly not for the faint hearted or stout haters.
What was I in Virginia for this past week? This man. I did use Josh's Valentine's Day Brawl at the 9:30 Club on Monday as an excuse to visit that other dude I like to visit in Virginia though, and to make up for drinking all of the beers I left last time, he took me to the Dogfish Head Alehouse. The food was awesome, as were the beers (OBVIOUSLY). I ordered the Chicory Stout, which is so so good and I'm embarrassed to say I forgot was on my list. It's one I always see and mean to double check, but apparently never actually did. But it's so so good. It's a nice coffee stout, really mellow with a slightly fruity finish but it's not offensively fruity.
I also ordered the Lawnmower Light beer because it's not available commercially and I was curious what a craft light beer would taste like. As it turns out, it tastes like NOT WATER. It was interesting but still not heavy or strong in any way. It was pleasant.
Taylor also let me taste his beers-- he got the Palo Santo Marron, which I've also had before (drinks like a porter, really really malty, avorite Dogfish Head, but after getting over the fact that it's hardly your typical brown ale, I liked it), and the Shelter Pale Ale, which was very plain and hoppy and delightful. I imagine it'd go well with something spicy, but it was nice enough on its own. I approve, Dogfish Head, I approve. Keep up the good work. (For Taylor's side of the story, go here.)
On Monday night before the concert, I cooked dinner for Taylor and our friend Luke, and they gave me beers.
Leffe Blonde, which I swore I'd already had but it's not on my list, is a decent Belgian pale ale, tasting like a really strong hefeweizen.
Appalachian Trails' Hoppy Trails was not my favorite IPA ever, but not terrible. It just wasn't particularly impressive. It was an IPA, I guess.
Atwater Block Brewery's Vanilla Java Porter was my favorite of the evening, tasting like all of the things in its name, but not in an overly strong or sweet way. This was nice. Might be a better dessert beer rather than sitting outside on a nice evening with friends while waiting for the ziti to bake, but still enjoyable.
Another lovely trip to Virginia, another great concert by Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band, and now that I'm done writing, another attempt at thinking about packing...
While I don't advocate the use of alcohol to soothe negative situations, I did keep Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout specifically for my most recent round of thesis revisions. I figured the strong coffee flavor to be expected from such a beer would perhaps trick me into staying awake longer to work on that thing while the alcohol helped lower my inhibitions just enough to open the floodgates of writing. Does it actually have caffeine in it? I don't know, or really care. It was a nice accompaniment to my work though. I really enjoyed the strong taste. It made me say wow. This is one of those beers that Taylor would accuse of "sucker punching" the taste buds. This is certainly not for the faint hearted or stout haters.
What was I in Virginia for this past week? This man. I did use Josh's Valentine's Day Brawl at the 9:30 Club on Monday as an excuse to visit that other dude I like to visit in Virginia though, and to make up for drinking all of the beers I left last time, he took me to the Dogfish Head Alehouse. The food was awesome, as were the beers (OBVIOUSLY). I ordered the Chicory Stout, which is so so good and I'm embarrassed to say I forgot was on my list. It's one I always see and mean to double check, but apparently never actually did. But it's so so good. It's a nice coffee stout, really mellow with a slightly fruity finish but it's not offensively fruity.
I also ordered the Lawnmower Light beer because it's not available commercially and I was curious what a craft light beer would taste like. As it turns out, it tastes like NOT WATER. It was interesting but still not heavy or strong in any way. It was pleasant.
Taylor also let me taste his beers-- he got the Palo Santo Marron, which I've also had before (drinks like a porter, really really malty, avorite Dogfish Head, but after getting over the fact that it's hardly your typical brown ale, I liked it), and the Shelter Pale Ale, which was very plain and hoppy and delightful. I imagine it'd go well with something spicy, but it was nice enough on its own. I approve, Dogfish Head, I approve. Keep up the good work. (For Taylor's side of the story, go here.)
On Monday night before the concert, I cooked dinner for Taylor and our friend Luke, and they gave me beers.
Leffe Blonde, which I swore I'd already had but it's not on my list, is a decent Belgian pale ale, tasting like a really strong hefeweizen.
Appalachian Trails' Hoppy Trails was not my favorite IPA ever, but not terrible. It just wasn't particularly impressive. It was an IPA, I guess.
Atwater Block Brewery's Vanilla Java Porter was my favorite of the evening, tasting like all of the things in its name, but not in an overly strong or sweet way. This was nice. Might be a better dessert beer rather than sitting outside on a nice evening with friends while waiting for the ziti to bake, but still enjoyable.
Another lovely trip to Virginia, another great concert by Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band, and now that I'm done writing, another attempt at thinking about packing...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
holiday beers
Good morning from a very chilly northern Virginia (currently 27°F/-3°C)! In effort to feel like I'm being productive without actually getting out from under the blanket, I thought I'd share my most recent few beers. Typically, the holidays and visits to Virginia mean visiting and celebrating with friends and family and habitually choosing new brews to do so. Paul actually called me a few days ago to ask what the holiday damage was. Here it is:
Flying Fish HopFish: This IPA was a little bit sweeter and fruitier than I've come to expect. While definitely not the greatest IPA I've ever had, I didn't dislike it. Part of that probably comes from the charm of drinking a New Jersey beer, but I think it's also legitimately ok.
Yep, that was it for the holidays. However, now we transition to my holiday in Virginia-- spending a week here to hang out with the Taylor and visit other friends, and to take part in a wedding this weekend. This is often a sort of danger zone for Paul; visiting with my college friends often involves going out to restaurants and bars, and being in Virginia allows me to find micro brews from VA, MD and DC that I don't normally have access to in NJ.
On Sunday night, Taylor and I went to Leesburg to meet up with our friend JT and his girlfriend Riley at Vintage 50. The food, particularly the waffle fries, was really good. The beers received mixed reviews.
Ole Brown Ale: Three of us enjoyed this one (the fourth didn't order it). Very smooth, straightforward brown ale, no tricks, nothing offensive about it. Went great with dinner.
Head Knocker: I had been eying this based on the name, but it was Taylor who actually ordered it... and then passed it off to me because he didn't care for it. Neither did I, but I finished it. It was kind of fruity and weird tasting and a bit more alcoholic than the rest of its counterparts on the menu (just over 11% ABV). I wouldn't get this again. Thankfully I had some awesome waffle fries to get rid of the taste.
Yesterday, I traveled out to the outlet stores in Leesburg with my friend Becky-- neither of us particularly care for shopping but both needed to accomplish things. She had mentioned a restaurant that had a lovely looking menu that could perhaps motivate us through the treacheries of shopping... guess where we ended up? Vintage 50! More excellent food, the excellent company of one of Becky's college friends and her very cute and well behaved 3 year old son, and I had a beer:
Molasses Porter: I generally expect a porter to have a strong flavor, but this one did not. However, it was a pleasant taste-- sweet but not offensively so, well balanced with the more bitter side of molasses. What surprised me more was the weight of the brew, or the lack thereof. It felt really light for a porter, but was very smooth and pleasant. I liked it.
Meeting up with a few more friends this evening, but Paul's Christmas presents will surely catch him up soon... speaking of Christmas presents, my brother and sister-in-law have provided me with a home brewing kit! Something I always figured I'd get into when I lived on my own, but since I have been given the opportunity now... look out for those adventures in the coming months, starting with a hefeweizen (even though DBF rules state that homebrews don't count toward the totals). Thanks, Chris and Kerin!
Paul: 324
Colleen: 345
Flying Fish HopFish: This IPA was a little bit sweeter and fruitier than I've come to expect. While definitely not the greatest IPA I've ever had, I didn't dislike it. Part of that probably comes from the charm of drinking a New Jersey beer, but I think it's also legitimately ok.
Yep, that was it for the holidays. However, now we transition to my holiday in Virginia-- spending a week here to hang out with the Taylor and visit other friends, and to take part in a wedding this weekend. This is often a sort of danger zone for Paul; visiting with my college friends often involves going out to restaurants and bars, and being in Virginia allows me to find micro brews from VA, MD and DC that I don't normally have access to in NJ.
On Sunday night, Taylor and I went to Leesburg to meet up with our friend JT and his girlfriend Riley at Vintage 50. The food, particularly the waffle fries, was really good. The beers received mixed reviews.
Ole Brown Ale: Three of us enjoyed this one (the fourth didn't order it). Very smooth, straightforward brown ale, no tricks, nothing offensive about it. Went great with dinner.
Head Knocker: I had been eying this based on the name, but it was Taylor who actually ordered it... and then passed it off to me because he didn't care for it. Neither did I, but I finished it. It was kind of fruity and weird tasting and a bit more alcoholic than the rest of its counterparts on the menu (just over 11% ABV). I wouldn't get this again. Thankfully I had some awesome waffle fries to get rid of the taste.
Yesterday, I traveled out to the outlet stores in Leesburg with my friend Becky-- neither of us particularly care for shopping but both needed to accomplish things. She had mentioned a restaurant that had a lovely looking menu that could perhaps motivate us through the treacheries of shopping... guess where we ended up? Vintage 50! More excellent food, the excellent company of one of Becky's college friends and her very cute and well behaved 3 year old son, and I had a beer:
Molasses Porter: I generally expect a porter to have a strong flavor, but this one did not. However, it was a pleasant taste-- sweet but not offensively so, well balanced with the more bitter side of molasses. What surprised me more was the weight of the brew, or the lack thereof. It felt really light for a porter, but was very smooth and pleasant. I liked it.
Meeting up with a few more friends this evening, but Paul's Christmas presents will surely catch him up soon... speaking of Christmas presents, my brother and sister-in-law have provided me with a home brewing kit! Something I always figured I'd get into when I lived on my own, but since I have been given the opportunity now... look out for those adventures in the coming months, starting with a hefeweizen (even though DBF rules state that homebrews don't count toward the totals). Thanks, Chris and Kerin!
Paul: 324
Colleen: 345
Monday, November 29, 2010
happy anniversary from Cheryl--live from Stuff Yer Face!
Happy anniversary, beer friends!
It is a great privilege and honor to wish Colleen and Paul a happy 'one year of being beer friends'. Their blogging about beer has been frequent and fun, and it feels appropriate at this time, as a third party to the shared beer experience, to wish them further happy quaffing.
In the spirit of sharing, Colleen has invited me to compose a guest blog regarding our mutual first drink of Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve. This stunning beer is a perfect mix of bottle-conditioned Belgian floral flavor with a subtle malty finish. In short, it's everything one would enjoy about a beer like Corsendonk or Hoegaarden, but with the warm lingering malt of a brown ale like Newcastle or a lager like Sam Adams.
After this shared experience, we set our sights in different directions. I opted for La Chouffe's Petit Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel, which at 9.0% ABV packs a strong punch in a highly aromatic start with a strong but balanced hop finish. The pour was yeast-tactic with a cloudiness that almost seemed "off". As our awesome bartender friend Jill put it, "it looked like a lava lamp". Colleen chose the Norse Porter from HaandBryggeriet. It's a Norwegian Dark Porter which poured out in a very fizzy way (causing Colleen a bit of discomfort when she tried to sip right from the bottle) but immediately gave a pungent chocolate aroma and followed with the same strong chocolatey porter flavor. Ironically, this heavily carbonated choice would imply that it should be bottle-sipped since it has a photoshopped-in set of fingerprints gripping around the bottle. In spite of exploding in Colleen's mouth, this fizzy deliciousness ranked well for Ms. Earp-Porterpants.
P.S. Happy belated birthday to the Colleenator herself, who shared her special day this year with turkeys and tofurkeys everywhere on November 25th.
Cheers,
Cheryl
It is a great privilege and honor to wish Colleen and Paul a happy 'one year of being beer friends'. Their blogging about beer has been frequent and fun, and it feels appropriate at this time, as a third party to the shared beer experience, to wish them further happy quaffing.
In the spirit of sharing, Colleen has invited me to compose a guest blog regarding our mutual first drink of Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve. This stunning beer is a perfect mix of bottle-conditioned Belgian floral flavor with a subtle malty finish. In short, it's everything one would enjoy about a beer like Corsendonk or Hoegaarden, but with the warm lingering malt of a brown ale like Newcastle or a lager like Sam Adams.
After this shared experience, we set our sights in different directions. I opted for La Chouffe's Petit Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel, which at 9.0% ABV packs a strong punch in a highly aromatic start with a strong but balanced hop finish. The pour was yeast-tactic with a cloudiness that almost seemed "off". As our awesome bartender friend Jill put it, "it looked like a lava lamp". Colleen chose the Norse Porter from HaandBryggeriet. It's a Norwegian Dark Porter which poured out in a very fizzy way (causing Colleen a bit of discomfort when she tried to sip right from the bottle) but immediately gave a pungent chocolate aroma and followed with the same strong chocolatey porter flavor. Ironically, this heavily carbonated choice would imply that it should be bottle-sipped since it has a photoshopped-in set of fingerprints gripping around the bottle. In spite of exploding in Colleen's mouth, this fizzy deliciousness ranked well for Ms. Earp-Porterpants.
P.S. Happy belated birthday to the Colleenator herself, who shared her special day this year with turkeys and tofurkeys everywhere on November 25th.
Cheers,
Cheryl
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
seals of approval
Paul summed up Mad Fox Brewing Company nicely, but I'll sum it up further: AWESOME. If you're in the area, it's worth a visit. Beer: awesome. French fries: awesome (especially the curry sauce they serve with them!). Also awesome, and to clarify one point of Paul's: yes, they make everything except the mayo and ice cream, but the ice cream is made from their beer. Our server brought us a sample of ice cream made with their porter. Oh my goodness amazing.
Right, on to the part where I tell you how I felt about the beers in more words than "awesome":
Oatmeal Stout: Probably my favorite brew of the evening. It was served on cask, which I don't think I've experienced before, but basically means smoother and less carbonated (which to me is a stellar thing). This was already a very smooth beer, not super overwhelming but definitely anything but wimpy. I approve.
Porter: This was good as a beer and also as an ice cream (I've mentioned before in this blog the merits of a beer float-- Mad Fox totally killed two birds with one stone for me here). A little sweeter but a similar weight and feel to the stout. Awesome.
Punkinator: This is the pumpkin beer I have been waiting for. It was smooth and had all of the spices I loved without being stupidly sweet. There was that nice vegetable flavor without being overwhelmed by that pie flavor that should really only be found in pies. Awesome.
Saison: While not as mind-bogglingly incredible as the Saison du BUFF I recently tried, this was still a very crisp, clean beer, lightweight and a little lemony. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it seemed slightly out of season (in that those flavors align better with summer than autumn, the beer tasted plenty fresh).
Wee Heavy: While initially super impressed with how not see-through it was, I was a little disappointed with how sweet it was. It wasn't bad, just wasn't my favorite beer ever. Paul's right, this one is for dessert.
Alt beer: You know, this one was a little disappointing. I had forgotten I tried it until Paul mentioned that we each tried six-- Taylor actually ordered this one but wasn't crazy about it either, so we shared it (thus surpassing the 4 oz requirement). It was just... boring. Forgettable. Not bad, I guess, just not awesome.
I was actually in Virginia for a wedding this past weekend, but as per usual, ventured out and visited as many people in the area as I could pack into one short weekend. I was going to do a separate post to review the rest of the new brews I tried, but then I realized there were only three, so I'll just tack 'em on here:
Bell's Best Brown Ale: This was quite good. Very smooth and a great example of what a malty beer should taste like. Enjoyed on a friend's back porch area on a cool fall day-- excellent.
Natty Bo: I tried this because a friend had bought a twelve pack and Taylor asked if I'd had it before, to which I had to answer... no. We all know I'm not crazy about light beers, but I can tolerate some (see here or here). However, this was dreadful. Ugh. Sorry Luke, thank you for the beer, but more for you, man.
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout: Whoa. Whoa. Well done, Founders. This was incredible. I think this puts a three way tie for first place for stouts in my life, alongside Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew and World Wide Stout. This beer was really, really, really strong, super dark, incredible. I could taste a hint of maple, not in a sweet offensive way, but nicely balanced with some other strong stouty flavors (chocolate and coffee). I had first learned of this beer in an article that the now infamous Taylor had sent to me, and then he found a bar in D.C. that served it. I approve (of both the beer and the boy who brought me to it).
Other seals of approval given: to Mad Fox, of Taylor by Paul, and of Paul's intention to finally regain the lead-- come on, I have a thesis to finish.
Colleen: 328
Paul: 306
Wait, PS: Upon returning to New Jersey on Monday, I did meet the usual suspects for a short while, where I ended up having New Jersey Brewing Co's Hudson Pale Ale because I love and had just returned to NJ. Gurzo really liked it, but I found it to be extremely mediocre. It was clean tasting and fine, but not super memorable. We have discussed lately though that sometimes that's ok. So I'm actually at 329.
Right, on to the part where I tell you how I felt about the beers in more words than "awesome":
Oatmeal Stout: Probably my favorite brew of the evening. It was served on cask, which I don't think I've experienced before, but basically means smoother and less carbonated (which to me is a stellar thing). This was already a very smooth beer, not super overwhelming but definitely anything but wimpy. I approve.
Porter: This was good as a beer and also as an ice cream (I've mentioned before in this blog the merits of a beer float-- Mad Fox totally killed two birds with one stone for me here). A little sweeter but a similar weight and feel to the stout. Awesome.
Punkinator: This is the pumpkin beer I have been waiting for. It was smooth and had all of the spices I loved without being stupidly sweet. There was that nice vegetable flavor without being overwhelmed by that pie flavor that should really only be found in pies. Awesome.
Saison: While not as mind-bogglingly incredible as the Saison du BUFF I recently tried, this was still a very crisp, clean beer, lightweight and a little lemony. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it seemed slightly out of season (in that those flavors align better with summer than autumn, the beer tasted plenty fresh).
Wee Heavy: While initially super impressed with how not see-through it was, I was a little disappointed with how sweet it was. It wasn't bad, just wasn't my favorite beer ever. Paul's right, this one is for dessert.
Alt beer: You know, this one was a little disappointing. I had forgotten I tried it until Paul mentioned that we each tried six-- Taylor actually ordered this one but wasn't crazy about it either, so we shared it (thus surpassing the 4 oz requirement). It was just... boring. Forgettable. Not bad, I guess, just not awesome.
I was actually in Virginia for a wedding this past weekend, but as per usual, ventured out and visited as many people in the area as I could pack into one short weekend. I was going to do a separate post to review the rest of the new brews I tried, but then I realized there were only three, so I'll just tack 'em on here:
Bell's Best Brown Ale: This was quite good. Very smooth and a great example of what a malty beer should taste like. Enjoyed on a friend's back porch area on a cool fall day-- excellent.
Natty Bo: I tried this because a friend had bought a twelve pack and Taylor asked if I'd had it before, to which I had to answer... no. We all know I'm not crazy about light beers, but I can tolerate some (see here or here). However, this was dreadful. Ugh. Sorry Luke, thank you for the beer, but more for you, man.
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout: Whoa. Whoa. Well done, Founders. This was incredible. I think this puts a three way tie for first place for stouts in my life, alongside Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew and World Wide Stout. This beer was really, really, really strong, super dark, incredible. I could taste a hint of maple, not in a sweet offensive way, but nicely balanced with some other strong stouty flavors (chocolate and coffee). I had first learned of this beer in an article that the now infamous Taylor had sent to me, and then he found a bar in D.C. that served it. I approve (of both the beer and the boy who brought me to it).
Other seals of approval given: to Mad Fox, of Taylor by Paul, and of Paul's intention to finally regain the lead-- come on, I have a thesis to finish.
Colleen: 328
Paul: 306
Wait, PS: Upon returning to New Jersey on Monday, I did meet the usual suspects for a short while, where I ended up having New Jersey Brewing Co's Hudson Pale Ale because I love and had just returned to NJ. Gurzo really liked it, but I found it to be extremely mediocre. It was clean tasting and fine, but not super memorable. We have discussed lately though that sometimes that's ok. So I'm actually at 329.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Staff Meeting & A Double Date
On Friday night, Laura and I met Colleen and her new boyfriend, Taylor, at Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church, VA. Despite my suspicions, traffic did no suck for our 5 PM meeting time. It was awesome to see Colleen and meet her boyfriend (he seems really cool). The beer, I thought, was worth the trip. They definitely did some things better than others, but that's typical of most brewers. The restaurant makes everything they serve (from local ingredients too) - with the lone exceptions being the mayo and ice cream. If you combine all of that with great people, little traffic, and a good conversation, it would be hard to create a better night.
I took a fair amount of ribbing for trailing Colleen in the count for so long. I've actually been having a lot of repeats (for several reasons), but this sparked me to try a lot more beers in the near future. Colleen and I both had samplers (4 beers at 4 oz a piece), plus we each tried two other beers a piece. We effectively prevented the other from getting a lead on the night; however, I am sure she has tried several more this weekend. Fortunately, I anticipated this and made two custom six packs at Total Wine - expect updates on those beers to come post haste. For now though, here are my reviews of Mad Fox's beers - expect Colleen to review some of these as well.
Mad Fox Oatmeal Stout: This was the first one I tried from the sampler, since I was told this was one of their best beers. The oatmeal stout was casked as opposed to kegged, which generally means less carbonation. I thought it was a nice, heavy oatmeal stout. I picked up the chocolate malt in the flavor.
Mad Fox Porter: Stouts and porters are closely related. Stouts tend to be heavier and have more malts, and porters tend to have a little more hop to them. To most people this would be splitting hairs, so you'll have to bear with me. That said, I thought this was a decent porter, but I liked the oatmeal stout more.
Mad Fox American Pale Ale: In Pale Ales, hops influence the flavor of the beer more than the malts. However, the balance isn't tipped as far as an IPA, for instance. When picking my four beers, I wanted two dark beers, a middle beer, and a light beer. This was my middle beer. I thought it was pretty pleasant. The hops came out more than the malts, but they weren't overwhelming.
Mad Fox Kolsch: I don't like Kolsch as a style. I often find them to be too light in color and taste. This beer pretty much fit it's style rather well. If Kolsch is your thing, it's mediocre. Otherwise, it does a pretty good job of clearing your palette before your next beer.
Mad Fox Wee Heavy: This beer is categorized as a Scotch Ale. Colleen thought it was sweet/sugary. I agreed there was a sweetness to the beer, but it didn't seem overly prevalent. The beer was served in a brandy sniffer. There was a slight fruit taste to it as well. It probably wouldn't be a bad dessert beer - if such a thing exists.
Mad Fox Alt: This beer was medium bodied and overall very forgettable. I seem to remember that neither Colleen or I were very impressed with this selection. There was very little hop flavor, and only a slight malt characteristic. Unfortunately, it came as an entire pint. In retrospect, I would have much preferred to have a pint of the oatmeal stout and a 4 oz of this.
I have some other beer reviews lying around (if I can find them all). I'll post them up later. I'd rather let a fun Friday night stand alone though.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 319 (expect at least another six since she matched me)
Paul - 306
Cheers,
Paul
I took a fair amount of ribbing for trailing Colleen in the count for so long. I've actually been having a lot of repeats (for several reasons), but this sparked me to try a lot more beers in the near future. Colleen and I both had samplers (4 beers at 4 oz a piece), plus we each tried two other beers a piece. We effectively prevented the other from getting a lead on the night; however, I am sure she has tried several more this weekend. Fortunately, I anticipated this and made two custom six packs at Total Wine - expect updates on those beers to come post haste. For now though, here are my reviews of Mad Fox's beers - expect Colleen to review some of these as well.
Mad Fox Oatmeal Stout: This was the first one I tried from the sampler, since I was told this was one of their best beers. The oatmeal stout was casked as opposed to kegged, which generally means less carbonation. I thought it was a nice, heavy oatmeal stout. I picked up the chocolate malt in the flavor.
Mad Fox Porter: Stouts and porters are closely related. Stouts tend to be heavier and have more malts, and porters tend to have a little more hop to them. To most people this would be splitting hairs, so you'll have to bear with me. That said, I thought this was a decent porter, but I liked the oatmeal stout more.
Mad Fox American Pale Ale: In Pale Ales, hops influence the flavor of the beer more than the malts. However, the balance isn't tipped as far as an IPA, for instance. When picking my four beers, I wanted two dark beers, a middle beer, and a light beer. This was my middle beer. I thought it was pretty pleasant. The hops came out more than the malts, but they weren't overwhelming.
Mad Fox Kolsch: I don't like Kolsch as a style. I often find them to be too light in color and taste. This beer pretty much fit it's style rather well. If Kolsch is your thing, it's mediocre. Otherwise, it does a pretty good job of clearing your palette before your next beer.
Mad Fox Wee Heavy: This beer is categorized as a Scotch Ale. Colleen thought it was sweet/sugary. I agreed there was a sweetness to the beer, but it didn't seem overly prevalent. The beer was served in a brandy sniffer. There was a slight fruit taste to it as well. It probably wouldn't be a bad dessert beer - if such a thing exists.
Mad Fox Alt: This beer was medium bodied and overall very forgettable. I seem to remember that neither Colleen or I were very impressed with this selection. There was very little hop flavor, and only a slight malt characteristic. Unfortunately, it came as an entire pint. In retrospect, I would have much preferred to have a pint of the oatmeal stout and a 4 oz of this.
I have some other beer reviews lying around (if I can find them all). I'll post them up later. I'd rather let a fun Friday night stand alone though.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 319 (expect at least another six since she matched me)
Paul - 306
Cheers,
Paul
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Philly beers and silly beers
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin
He may or may not have actually said that, but it's still pretty amusing, and an appropriate way to open this entry since I spent a chunk of my weekend in and around Philadelphia, and tried a few new beers while I was at it (two thirds of them were even brewed in Philly!). It was nice to see some of the historic sites that I last saw on elementary school field trips, and just to walk around a different city. Nice change of pace. After visiting the Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin's grave, we wandered over to Yards Brewing Company to taste the local brews, sharing pints of the following:
Love Stout: Good stuff. This was nice and lightweight, like Guinness (I know some people find that statement to be completely ludicrous but it's true). Straightforward and smooth.
IPA: Good. Straightforward. No complaints here, and the IPA fan (the other half of this mysterious "we" I keep referring to) who I was sharing this with gave it his seal of approval too. That means it's pretty legit.
Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale: Speaking of Ben Franklin... this was a very interesting beer. I can't say if it was good or bad so much as interesting because it tasted exactly like a spruce tree smells. I love trees and all but I'm not entirely sure a beer should taste like liquid tree. The verdict is still out. Definitely a strong flavor though, so if you have any sort of spruce-sensitivity, don't go near this.
General Washington's Tavern Porter: This was a good porter. Nothing so strong tasting that it knocked me over or startled me, but definitely not a boring beer, either. Count me a fan.
After faffing about for a while in the city, we went to a Halloween party, to which I brought a variety twelve pack of Butternuts brews. I'd previously tried the Moo Thunder (great) and Pork Slap Pale Ale (also very good), and I figured Halloween is all about fun, silly, weird things, so why not get beers in goofy looking cans with ridiculous names? I would be driving to the D.C. area later that night, so I just stuck to trying the two I hadn't already had.
Heinnieweisse: What's not to love about a beer called named heinnie? Well, I guess that's an exaggeration. I liked this beer, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it. It's a decent hefeweizen but nothing particularly remarkable about it (though as we've been discussing lately, sometimes that's ok).
Snapperhead IPA: This was not good, and it wasn't even the hops that bothered me. In fact, it wasn't that hoppy at all, it was just super sweet and weird tasting. I liked their other beers, especially the first two I tried, but not really this one. And all of the other IPA fans in the room didn't like it either, so it's not just me and my immature taste for the style.
Some winners, some losers, some in-betweeners, but as always, excellent adventures in beer and in life.
Paul: 300
Colleen: 317
He may or may not have actually said that, but it's still pretty amusing, and an appropriate way to open this entry since I spent a chunk of my weekend in and around Philadelphia, and tried a few new beers while I was at it (two thirds of them were even brewed in Philly!). It was nice to see some of the historic sites that I last saw on elementary school field trips, and just to walk around a different city. Nice change of pace. After visiting the Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin's grave, we wandered over to Yards Brewing Company to taste the local brews, sharing pints of the following:
Love Stout: Good stuff. This was nice and lightweight, like Guinness (I know some people find that statement to be completely ludicrous but it's true). Straightforward and smooth.
IPA: Good. Straightforward. No complaints here, and the IPA fan (the other half of this mysterious "we" I keep referring to) who I was sharing this with gave it his seal of approval too. That means it's pretty legit.
Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale: Speaking of Ben Franklin... this was a very interesting beer. I can't say if it was good or bad so much as interesting because it tasted exactly like a spruce tree smells. I love trees and all but I'm not entirely sure a beer should taste like liquid tree. The verdict is still out. Definitely a strong flavor though, so if you have any sort of spruce-sensitivity, don't go near this.
General Washington's Tavern Porter: This was a good porter. Nothing so strong tasting that it knocked me over or startled me, but definitely not a boring beer, either. Count me a fan.
After faffing about for a while in the city, we went to a Halloween party, to which I brought a variety twelve pack of Butternuts brews. I'd previously tried the Moo Thunder (great) and Pork Slap Pale Ale (also very good), and I figured Halloween is all about fun, silly, weird things, so why not get beers in goofy looking cans with ridiculous names? I would be driving to the D.C. area later that night, so I just stuck to trying the two I hadn't already had.
Heinnieweisse: What's not to love about a beer called named heinnie? Well, I guess that's an exaggeration. I liked this beer, don't get me wrong, but I didn't love it. It's a decent hefeweizen but nothing particularly remarkable about it (though as we've been discussing lately, sometimes that's ok).
Snapperhead IPA: This was not good, and it wasn't even the hops that bothered me. In fact, it wasn't that hoppy at all, it was just super sweet and weird tasting. I liked their other beers, especially the first two I tried, but not really this one. And all of the other IPA fans in the room didn't like it either, so it's not just me and my immature taste for the style.
Some winners, some losers, some in-betweeners, but as always, excellent adventures in beer and in life.
Paul: 300
Colleen: 317
Thursday, October 7, 2010
accidental Triumph
This entry is dedicated to Josh Ritter, the reason I was in Princeton at all last night.
Paul really almost had this milestone, and I'm really sorry for ruining that for him. It wasn't really my intention to cross the 300 threshold that evening, it's just kind of what happened.
After another amazing, upbeat, fun show put on by the talented Mr. Ritter, a few of my favorite seminarians and I headed over to Triumph Brewing, only to find the doors locked. After a few minutes of pondering what to do, someone exited the establishment and held the door for us. They were open, so we weren't going to argue (we did tell them their doors were locked though). And we sat down, and when the server came over, I asked about the sampler.
Each sample is 5 ounces. There were currently seven beers on tap. And so, Paul was toast.
Porter: This was served at "cellar temperature" which I kind of liked. However, it was very plain and light feeling, which surprised me for a porter. It was very smooth though, and I think this would be a good baby step for people trying to get into porters.
Rauchbier: This means "smoke beer". I didn't like it, but that's because I thought it tasted like bacon. As far as the beer part goes, yeah, it was another smooth brew, but I definitely thought I tasted bacon, and as a vegetarian, that kind of turns me off. A vegetarian at the next table agreed with me, though everyone else said it just tasted like smoky wood, which I got a little of, but mostly just bacon.
Honey Blond: This was very plain and light, standard issue sort of beer. Not much to write home about. Or in this case, write in the blog about. That might be a good thing though. Sometimes people just want a beer that's not totally crazy or overwhelming.
Amber Ale: This was a good amber. It was a little bit hoppy but overall very smooth and drinkable. If I approve of a hoppy beer, you know it's pretty good.
Gose: This beer was one of my two favorites in the sampler. A relative of the witbier, this gose is light weight, slightly sweet and really, really nice. I have to say, all of Triumph's beers were very smooth, meaning, there wasn't any sort of sharp bite as it went down the hatch. Except, of course, for...
IPA: Not as smooth as the rest of them, but I suppose that's to be expected when you're just a little glass full of hoppiness. This tasted like flowers to me (confirmed by our friends at the next table, who proclaimed, "This tastes like perfume!"). It was interesting. As someone who is still getting into this genre of beer, I have little else to say about it. Doesn't mean it was bad, just means that I am not an IPA aficionado.
Oatmeal Stout: Saved the one I thought would be best for last, and I was pretty right. I know what I like. Very smooth, slight taste of coffee in it, but otherwise a good, nondescript stout. Sometimes, that's ok.
Triumph is pretty good. If you're in the area, it's a good place to stop in. Actually, starting the first weekend of November, the artwork of my very talented friend Lauren Scott will be displayed there, so you should stop in. Princeton is a lovely town and there are some great restaurants in the area, too.
And so. My apologies, Paul--
Colleen: 303
Paul: 288 (though I know he's actually way closer to 300, he's just on the road and not updating)
Paul really almost had this milestone, and I'm really sorry for ruining that for him. It wasn't really my intention to cross the 300 threshold that evening, it's just kind of what happened.
After another amazing, upbeat, fun show put on by the talented Mr. Ritter, a few of my favorite seminarians and I headed over to Triumph Brewing, only to find the doors locked. After a few minutes of pondering what to do, someone exited the establishment and held the door for us. They were open, so we weren't going to argue (we did tell them their doors were locked though). And we sat down, and when the server came over, I asked about the sampler.
Each sample is 5 ounces. There were currently seven beers on tap. And so, Paul was toast.
Porter: This was served at "cellar temperature" which I kind of liked. However, it was very plain and light feeling, which surprised me for a porter. It was very smooth though, and I think this would be a good baby step for people trying to get into porters.
Rauchbier: This means "smoke beer". I didn't like it, but that's because I thought it tasted like bacon. As far as the beer part goes, yeah, it was another smooth brew, but I definitely thought I tasted bacon, and as a vegetarian, that kind of turns me off. A vegetarian at the next table agreed with me, though everyone else said it just tasted like smoky wood, which I got a little of, but mostly just bacon.
Honey Blond: This was very plain and light, standard issue sort of beer. Not much to write home about. Or in this case, write in the blog about. That might be a good thing though. Sometimes people just want a beer that's not totally crazy or overwhelming.
Amber Ale: This was a good amber. It was a little bit hoppy but overall very smooth and drinkable. If I approve of a hoppy beer, you know it's pretty good.
Gose: This beer was one of my two favorites in the sampler. A relative of the witbier, this gose is light weight, slightly sweet and really, really nice. I have to say, all of Triumph's beers were very smooth, meaning, there wasn't any sort of sharp bite as it went down the hatch. Except, of course, for...
IPA: Not as smooth as the rest of them, but I suppose that's to be expected when you're just a little glass full of hoppiness. This tasted like flowers to me (confirmed by our friends at the next table, who proclaimed, "This tastes like perfume!"). It was interesting. As someone who is still getting into this genre of beer, I have little else to say about it. Doesn't mean it was bad, just means that I am not an IPA aficionado.
Oatmeal Stout: Saved the one I thought would be best for last, and I was pretty right. I know what I like. Very smooth, slight taste of coffee in it, but otherwise a good, nondescript stout. Sometimes, that's ok.
Triumph is pretty good. If you're in the area, it's a good place to stop in. Actually, starting the first weekend of November, the artwork of my very talented friend Lauren Scott will be displayed there, so you should stop in. Princeton is a lovely town and there are some great restaurants in the area, too.
And so. My apologies, Paul--
Colleen: 303
Paul: 288 (though I know he's actually way closer to 300, he's just on the road and not updating)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
A Medley of Sorts
Part of me doesn't want to make a post this long, but the other part of me wants to update the blog and get back to my regularly scheduled programming. I've been working a lot of hours since Laura has been in Colorado, and now that the craziness is about to end, it's time to go through my notes that I've left here, on the back of receipts, and in my cell phone...so here we go.
In August, Brendan and I got a beer at Fireflies. Almost everyone I have taken there enjoys the the vibe and beer list. We talked about life, had some beer and some wings.
Boulder Beer Singletrack Copper Ale: I had some high hopes for this beer, thinking it might be more like an amber ale. I was sorely mistaken. It did have the smooth, light malty characteristics of an amber ale. However, this beer was had too much hop flavor, which ruined it for me stylistically.
I started off September with a Jimmy Buffett concert. If you have not been to one before, I would recommend it. It's basically just one monstrous, but chill, party. It gave me the opportunity to momentarily kick back and relax with a few beers and some friends. I managed to try a new, large macro brew.
Bud Light: It wasn't on my list yet, but according to Colleen, if it's beer it can be reviewed. I find this beer useful if I am out drinking and I don't want to load up on alcohol content. Other than that, it might find purpose to boil brats in or wash my car.
That same weekend, Colleen came to visit. It was great to catch up with her, and hear about her trip. As a thank you, she bought me a custom six pack. I've worked my way through them, some of which I had at the Virginia Tech vs. Boise State game, and the rest I had at a couple pizza and beer nights with the roommates.
Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen: I really liked this beer. It was a good transition from the summer beers that I've been complaining about in recent posts. Essentially, it's a dark hefeweizen. The difference being there is more malt to it, hence the darker color and different taste. Samuel Adams usually doesn't steer you wrong (EXCEPT: when there is a fruit/pumpkin in it or its name is Old Fezziwig).
Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale: I don't like pumpkin beers. I tend to avoid them. However, I am also behind in our beer count, so I can't be choosy. This tasted a bit like pumpkin pie, because I tasted cinnamon. It's an experimental seasonal. That said, the taste was better than most pumpkin beers that I've tried.
Holy Brew Purgatory Pilsner: It shouldn't surprise most that I bought this beer for the name on the bottle. Overall, it was an average pilsner. It was the light body, medium taste that you would expect to find from the style.
Smuttynose Robust Porter: This was a fantastic porter. Really, it might be one of the best porters I have ever tried. The beer was everything a porter should be, and nothing else. The brewers did a great job of not messing with a good thing. The beer was just the right body, with the perfect roasted malt flavor. I highly recommend it.
The Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale: Bottom Line: This was a sub-par amber ale that didn't seem to distinguish itself from any other amber ales that I've had in the past. If anything else, it left an odd aftertaste in my mouth. Perhaps it could have been the individual bottle, but I wasn't impressed.
Yards General Washington Tavern Porter: The recipe was originally created by Washington himself. He used molasses with his recipe. The molasses creates an interesting twist to the flavor and aftertaste. Porters tend to have chocolate malts, so the taste is not entirely foreign either. I thought this was good as well.
The roommates and I went to RFD in Washington DC. They have about 50 beers on tap at any given time, and a good bottle list. Their location near Chinatown makes for a good location. Matt, Brendan, and I enjoyed time to make sarcastic comments. It's nice to kick back with them and have a few new beers.
Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter: The fact that it is the time of the year for porters makes me very happy. This porter also made me happy, because it was done well. The beer was heavy, which should be expected, but didn't overbear my stomach. The malts seemed varied in flavors, but were very well balanced.
Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale: The guys at Stone brewing are most likely the best in the country. They aren't afraid to experiment, but everything they put on a shelf seems to be liquid gold to a beer snob. This was an incredibly complex beer, which is par for the course with Stone. It's kind of like drinking an IPA, but it's dark with plenty of malts.
I joined my friends Tim and Heather for dinner a couple of weekends ago. We went to Victoria's Gastro Pub. I have been there before with them, and I highly recommend it as a place to eat as well as enjoy new beers. They are on the cutting edge of complimenting food with beer. When paired well together, I think beer and food make a better combination than wine and cheese.
That same weekend, I went to West Chester, PA to their yearly restaurant festival. It's a really good time, plus I get to hang out with my cousin Scott. He was kind enough to buy a six pack of Guinness, since he knew I was coming. Quote of the weekend: At one point, I went to get another beer and I said, "I guess I'll preserve the Miller Lite and get a Guinness for myself". I intended this to mean, that since most people won't drink Guinness, that's what I will stay with in order to be polite. However, after a good laugh, the group decided this would make a great beer commercial.
Evolution Lucky 7 Porter: I enjoyed this porter. As far as the style goes, it was above average. There was that smoky/roasted taste that is endemic of most porters. The malts were well blended between coffee and chocolate characteristics.
This past weekend, I went with my cousin Brendan and a few friends to the DC Oktoberfest. In short, it was a small piece of heaven. I ended up with an extra ticket, so that meant more tokens. The best part was the smallest samples (which cost one token) were 4 oz. That follows our rule. Secondly, I had enough tokens and time to get decent samples (8+ oz) and still maintain a good review. I will be going back to this next year. Colleen, you should come down for it. Most of the brewers were ones that I hadn't heard of before - win.
Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier: I thought this was a very light bodied hefeweizen. The beer was unfiltered, and thus a little heavy on the yeast. However, it did have a sweet characteristic that complimented the hot September day.
Evolution Rise Up Stout: This was heavy on the coffee malts. I traditionally don't like coffee stouts that much, and this wasn't an exception to that rule.
Goose Island Honker's Ale: I have some interesting notes for this beer. I thought it came across as rather malty on contact, became mild and very good in between, and ended off hoppy. And those are the impressions I got on each sip. I need to find this beer again so I can break it down more.
Pyramid Juggernaut Red Ale: The lone descriptor I included was the beer was rather malty. Other than that, it was very forgettable. I wouldn't go out of your way to find this.
Lancaster Oktoberfest: I tend to think of Oktoberfest style beers as being on the heavier side, and erring mostly toward the malt side of things. If you don't like IPAs, then Oktoberfest might be your thing. For an Oktoberfest, I thought this was very light. By that I mean it wasn't as heavy as I expected, nor did it contain as much of a malt characteristic as I expected.
Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale: Like Colleen, I found this to be a very drinkable beer that was very, very smooth. The malt character is extremely well balanced. For those of you who aren't big on hops, but want to try something from one of America's best brewers, give this beer a shot. I had more of this beer than any other at the DC Oktoberfest.
Lastly, I went to Rock Bottom to celebrate my good friend Andy's birthday. Colleen and I have both reviewed Rock Bottom (since it is a chain of brew pubs). We also happen to like it, since their beers are pretty good. My advice is to look at the boards on the wall to see which beer is freshest and go with that. My biggest complaint is sometimes the beer gets a little old there.
Rock Bottom Rocktoberfest: After a summer of light, fruity beers we finally reach autumn, which means the style of beers predominantly found changes (praise Jesus). I thought this Oktoberfest was rather well done. It was very well balanced, and had a great malt characteristic to it. It's certainly above average for the style.
I'll be on a road trip with Laura in the next couple of weeks. Expect some updates on great brewpubs from around different parts of the country. I need to keep pace with Colleen somehow...
The scorecard:
Colleen - 290
Paul - 288
Cheers,
Paul
In August, Brendan and I got a beer at Fireflies. Almost everyone I have taken there enjoys the the vibe and beer list. We talked about life, had some beer and some wings.
Boulder Beer Singletrack Copper Ale: I had some high hopes for this beer, thinking it might be more like an amber ale. I was sorely mistaken. It did have the smooth, light malty characteristics of an amber ale. However, this beer was had too much hop flavor, which ruined it for me stylistically.
I started off September with a Jimmy Buffett concert. If you have not been to one before, I would recommend it. It's basically just one monstrous, but chill, party. It gave me the opportunity to momentarily kick back and relax with a few beers and some friends. I managed to try a new, large macro brew.
Bud Light: It wasn't on my list yet, but according to Colleen, if it's beer it can be reviewed. I find this beer useful if I am out drinking and I don't want to load up on alcohol content. Other than that, it might find purpose to boil brats in or wash my car.
That same weekend, Colleen came to visit. It was great to catch up with her, and hear about her trip. As a thank you, she bought me a custom six pack. I've worked my way through them, some of which I had at the Virginia Tech vs. Boise State game, and the rest I had at a couple pizza and beer nights with the roommates.
Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen: I really liked this beer. It was a good transition from the summer beers that I've been complaining about in recent posts. Essentially, it's a dark hefeweizen. The difference being there is more malt to it, hence the darker color and different taste. Samuel Adams usually doesn't steer you wrong (EXCEPT: when there is a fruit/pumpkin in it or its name is Old Fezziwig).
Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale: I don't like pumpkin beers. I tend to avoid them. However, I am also behind in our beer count, so I can't be choosy. This tasted a bit like pumpkin pie, because I tasted cinnamon. It's an experimental seasonal. That said, the taste was better than most pumpkin beers that I've tried.
Holy Brew Purgatory Pilsner: It shouldn't surprise most that I bought this beer for the name on the bottle. Overall, it was an average pilsner. It was the light body, medium taste that you would expect to find from the style.
Smuttynose Robust Porter: This was a fantastic porter. Really, it might be one of the best porters I have ever tried. The beer was everything a porter should be, and nothing else. The brewers did a great job of not messing with a good thing. The beer was just the right body, with the perfect roasted malt flavor. I highly recommend it.
The Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale: Bottom Line: This was a sub-par amber ale that didn't seem to distinguish itself from any other amber ales that I've had in the past. If anything else, it left an odd aftertaste in my mouth. Perhaps it could have been the individual bottle, but I wasn't impressed.
Yards General Washington Tavern Porter: The recipe was originally created by Washington himself. He used molasses with his recipe. The molasses creates an interesting twist to the flavor and aftertaste. Porters tend to have chocolate malts, so the taste is not entirely foreign either. I thought this was good as well.
The roommates and I went to RFD in Washington DC. They have about 50 beers on tap at any given time, and a good bottle list. Their location near Chinatown makes for a good location. Matt, Brendan, and I enjoyed time to make sarcastic comments. It's nice to kick back with them and have a few new beers.
Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter: The fact that it is the time of the year for porters makes me very happy. This porter also made me happy, because it was done well. The beer was heavy, which should be expected, but didn't overbear my stomach. The malts seemed varied in flavors, but were very well balanced.
Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale: The guys at Stone brewing are most likely the best in the country. They aren't afraid to experiment, but everything they put on a shelf seems to be liquid gold to a beer snob. This was an incredibly complex beer, which is par for the course with Stone. It's kind of like drinking an IPA, but it's dark with plenty of malts.
I joined my friends Tim and Heather for dinner a couple of weekends ago. We went to Victoria's Gastro Pub. I have been there before with them, and I highly recommend it as a place to eat as well as enjoy new beers. They are on the cutting edge of complimenting food with beer. When paired well together, I think beer and food make a better combination than wine and cheese.
That same weekend, I went to West Chester, PA to their yearly restaurant festival. It's a really good time, plus I get to hang out with my cousin Scott. He was kind enough to buy a six pack of Guinness, since he knew I was coming. Quote of the weekend: At one point, I went to get another beer and I said, "I guess I'll preserve the Miller Lite and get a Guinness for myself". I intended this to mean, that since most people won't drink Guinness, that's what I will stay with in order to be polite. However, after a good laugh, the group decided this would make a great beer commercial.
Evolution Lucky 7 Porter: I enjoyed this porter. As far as the style goes, it was above average. There was that smoky/roasted taste that is endemic of most porters. The malts were well blended between coffee and chocolate characteristics.
This past weekend, I went with my cousin Brendan and a few friends to the DC Oktoberfest. In short, it was a small piece of heaven. I ended up with an extra ticket, so that meant more tokens. The best part was the smallest samples (which cost one token) were 4 oz. That follows our rule. Secondly, I had enough tokens and time to get decent samples (8+ oz) and still maintain a good review. I will be going back to this next year. Colleen, you should come down for it. Most of the brewers were ones that I hadn't heard of before - win.
Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier: I thought this was a very light bodied hefeweizen. The beer was unfiltered, and thus a little heavy on the yeast. However, it did have a sweet characteristic that complimented the hot September day.
Evolution Rise Up Stout: This was heavy on the coffee malts. I traditionally don't like coffee stouts that much, and this wasn't an exception to that rule.
Goose Island Honker's Ale: I have some interesting notes for this beer. I thought it came across as rather malty on contact, became mild and very good in between, and ended off hoppy. And those are the impressions I got on each sip. I need to find this beer again so I can break it down more.
Pyramid Juggernaut Red Ale: The lone descriptor I included was the beer was rather malty. Other than that, it was very forgettable. I wouldn't go out of your way to find this.
Lancaster Oktoberfest: I tend to think of Oktoberfest style beers as being on the heavier side, and erring mostly toward the malt side of things. If you don't like IPAs, then Oktoberfest might be your thing. For an Oktoberfest, I thought this was very light. By that I mean it wasn't as heavy as I expected, nor did it contain as much of a malt characteristic as I expected.
Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale: Like Colleen, I found this to be a very drinkable beer that was very, very smooth. The malt character is extremely well balanced. For those of you who aren't big on hops, but want to try something from one of America's best brewers, give this beer a shot. I had more of this beer than any other at the DC Oktoberfest.
Lastly, I went to Rock Bottom to celebrate my good friend Andy's birthday. Colleen and I have both reviewed Rock Bottom (since it is a chain of brew pubs). We also happen to like it, since their beers are pretty good. My advice is to look at the boards on the wall to see which beer is freshest and go with that. My biggest complaint is sometimes the beer gets a little old there.
Rock Bottom Rocktoberfest: After a summer of light, fruity beers we finally reach autumn, which means the style of beers predominantly found changes (praise Jesus). I thought this Oktoberfest was rather well done. It was very well balanced, and had a great malt characteristic to it. It's certainly above average for the style.
I'll be on a road trip with Laura in the next couple of weeks. Expect some updates on great brewpubs from around different parts of the country. I need to keep pace with Colleen somehow...
The scorecard:
Colleen - 290
Paul - 288
Cheers,
Paul
Thursday, September 23, 2010
apologies for neglect
Sorry for neglecting to tell you about some of the good beers I've been trying lately.
Actually, it's funny. This past week has been my week of "detox"-- the first time since early July that I'm off all forms of medication. Detox does not mean "don't drink beer" for me though, in fact, as a result of not being on strong antibiotics, I was able to enjoy my beer much more!
Breckenridge Remarkable Vanilla Porter: This doesn't have a strong vanilla flavor, per se, but is just a good porter that's slightly different. I liked it.
Bell's Kalamazoo Stout: The consistency was great, but something about the flavor was just too intense. Since it says "brewer's licorice" on the label, I'm going to guess that's what it was.
Sam Adams Dunkelweizen: Dunkel weizen means "dark wheat". It was like a heavy wheat beer. I liked it. Very good. Not too crazy, just good.
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin: This was a good pumpkin because it didn't taste like pie. I know pumpkin pie is the bomb, but I appreciate pumpkin as a vegetable, too. This just tasted like an interesting, meaty beer. Except vegetable, not meat, but you know what I mean? It had something to it.
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Weizen Bam: This was sour tasting, but I didn't dislike it. Definitely a light feel to it. I couldn't quite figure out how else to explain it.
Harpoon Chocolate Stout: THIS WAS GOOD. Got some coffee flavor happening but also a rich, dark chocolate taste that I just adored. So smooth. Very, very good.
Chimay Blue: I did not like this as much as I remember liking the Red, which I can't seem to find in the blog but is definitely in my beer list. This was a little bit sour tasting but not bad.
It's Pumpkin beer and Oktoberfest season and I am very happy about this, although two that I've had so far were already on my list. I am pleased to report my reviews are consistent.
The Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Ale: I was surprised to see beer advocate's review so low. While this is hardly my favorite pumpkin beer, I didn't think it was terrible. The problem is that it's one of those pumpkin beers that leans more toward pumpkin pie than pumpkin as a vegetable, so it's kind of sweet and has a lot of spice to it, and then you have no idea what to drink next because your taste buds are all confused. But on its own, not bad. Maybe this is a better beer to end the evening with, if you're having more than one.
Späten's Oktoberfest Märzen: While a little bit sweeter than some Oktoberfests, this is definitely a good choice if you're going for authenticity. Deutsche Oktoberfest bier. JA WOHL! I always forget how much I like Oktoberfest brews, and then September rolls around (which is when Oktoberfest actually starts). Good stuff here.
And then while writing these things, I had another that gets added into the count:
Left Hand Oktoberfest Märzen: This was really nice. This is a really good example of what Oktoberfest should be. Not too strong, not too sweet, not too bubbly, just a solid, good beer that is perfect for the fall weather to come.
So, until Paul takes a moment to share some beers with you all, I remain ahead.
Paul: 270
Colleen: 287
Actually, it's funny. This past week has been my week of "detox"-- the first time since early July that I'm off all forms of medication. Detox does not mean "don't drink beer" for me though, in fact, as a result of not being on strong antibiotics, I was able to enjoy my beer much more!
Breckenridge Remarkable Vanilla Porter: This doesn't have a strong vanilla flavor, per se, but is just a good porter that's slightly different. I liked it.
Bell's Kalamazoo Stout: The consistency was great, but something about the flavor was just too intense. Since it says "brewer's licorice" on the label, I'm going to guess that's what it was.
Sam Adams Dunkelweizen: Dunkel weizen means "dark wheat". It was like a heavy wheat beer. I liked it. Very good. Not too crazy, just good.
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin: This was a good pumpkin because it didn't taste like pie. I know pumpkin pie is the bomb, but I appreciate pumpkin as a vegetable, too. This just tasted like an interesting, meaty beer. Except vegetable, not meat, but you know what I mean? It had something to it.
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Weizen Bam: This was sour tasting, but I didn't dislike it. Definitely a light feel to it. I couldn't quite figure out how else to explain it.
Harpoon Chocolate Stout: THIS WAS GOOD. Got some coffee flavor happening but also a rich, dark chocolate taste that I just adored. So smooth. Very, very good.
Chimay Blue: I did not like this as much as I remember liking the Red, which I can't seem to find in the blog but is definitely in my beer list. This was a little bit sour tasting but not bad.
It's Pumpkin beer and Oktoberfest season and I am very happy about this, although two that I've had so far were already on my list. I am pleased to report my reviews are consistent.
The Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Ale: I was surprised to see beer advocate's review so low. While this is hardly my favorite pumpkin beer, I didn't think it was terrible. The problem is that it's one of those pumpkin beers that leans more toward pumpkin pie than pumpkin as a vegetable, so it's kind of sweet and has a lot of spice to it, and then you have no idea what to drink next because your taste buds are all confused. But on its own, not bad. Maybe this is a better beer to end the evening with, if you're having more than one.
Späten's Oktoberfest Märzen: While a little bit sweeter than some Oktoberfests, this is definitely a good choice if you're going for authenticity. Deutsche Oktoberfest bier. JA WOHL! I always forget how much I like Oktoberfest brews, and then September rolls around (which is when Oktoberfest actually starts). Good stuff here.
And then while writing these things, I had another that gets added into the count:
Left Hand Oktoberfest Märzen: This was really nice. This is a really good example of what Oktoberfest should be. Not too strong, not too sweet, not too bubbly, just a solid, good beer that is perfect for the fall weather to come.
So, until Paul takes a moment to share some beers with you all, I remain ahead.
Paul: 270
Colleen: 287
Thursday, July 8, 2010
belated update
Well, my contract began two weeks ago, and Paul is already working on catching up. He only has a little over a month to do so until my contract is up! Here are the last few beers I tried before I began my summer (which has been going well, thanks!):
Stone Smoked Porter: It's been a couple of weeks since I had this but I remember it being great and my notes say "Mmmmm" so I'll go ahead and guess that I liked it quite a bit. I seem to recall the smoky flavor, and the full flavor of a good porter. I'd have this again.
Ithaca Ground Break: This was a pretty refreshing beer. I can't say that I know much about saisons (I think I said that the last time I tried one, so here's a little more info), but I can say that I seem to enjoy them. This had a bit of flavor to it and was very enjoyable.
Southern Tier Oat: You know, I'm always looking for a great oatmeal stout, and sometimes that means trying some not so great ones. This would be one of those not so great ones. It was just too flat and just not impressive in the flavor department. This falls somewhere between kinda boring and kinda gross and I wouldn't really recommend it. Kind of disappointing that it was the last beer before midnight on the 24th.
That leaves me at an even 270 while Paul works on catching up from his 254.
Stone Smoked Porter: It's been a couple of weeks since I had this but I remember it being great and my notes say "Mmmmm" so I'll go ahead and guess that I liked it quite a bit. I seem to recall the smoky flavor, and the full flavor of a good porter. I'd have this again.
Ithaca Ground Break: This was a pretty refreshing beer. I can't say that I know much about saisons (I think I said that the last time I tried one, so here's a little more info), but I can say that I seem to enjoy them. This had a bit of flavor to it and was very enjoyable.
Southern Tier Oat: You know, I'm always looking for a great oatmeal stout, and sometimes that means trying some not so great ones. This would be one of those not so great ones. It was just too flat and just not impressive in the flavor department. This falls somewhere between kinda boring and kinda gross and I wouldn't really recommend it. Kind of disappointing that it was the last beer before midnight on the 24th.
That leaves me at an even 270 while Paul works on catching up from his 254.
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
Saturday, June 19, 2010
six great new beers that won't make the list
I had a really wonderful Friday night with some really wonderful friends. While I have six new beers to report as a result, none of them count toward my list as they were all part of an awesome sampler at Long Valley Brew Pub-- two ounces each. We finally have our list of rules on the blog, which Paul had referenced recently but we hadn't thought to post yet. However, Long Valley Brew Pub was so awesome that I have no qualms sacrificing those six points. So worth it, forget my score in this "contest"!
When I visited my friends Cheryl, Gurzo and Cristina last week, it came up that all would like to do a bit of hiking, so I invited them to visit me this week, adding the idea of visiting of the nearby brew pubs. Long Valley got our vote for having a well rounded menu that included veggie options for myself, Cristina and Cheryl. My friend Noah, a fellow nature and beer enthusiast who will also be under contract beginning this coming Friday, joined us for the evening.
Here's the thing about Long Valley Brew Pub: it's amazing. Just entering the place gave a great impression. It's in a beautifully restored 200 year old stone barn, in a lovely historic town, at the top of a windy road that goes up a pretty mountain that we got to watch the sun set behind as we anxiously awaited our awesome samplers of their brews.
This is actually a photo from the drive to the brewery, but you get the idea-- such an incredible part of the state!
Hookerman's Light: While I don't generally pursue light beers, this was really excellent. Smooth and to the point, extremely drinkable. We were all really impressed with how not lame it was for being a light beer.
American Pale Ale: This was slightly hoppy, and yet I loved it. It's beers like this that will get me to like stronger hops flavors someday. It was very crisp and refreshing with just a hint of really tasty hops. One of my uncles once told me that a good pale ale is totally worth the trouble of looking for. This brew absolutely made me agree with that statement.
German Valley Amber: This was also slighty hoppy but very smooth and tasty, somewhat akin to some sort of nice Irish Red but not quite. I don't think I described that very well, but whatever-- this is also a great beer.
Lazy Jake Porter: SO GOOD. I love my dark beers, and this was really great. When I go through samplers, I tend to take a sip of each and then finish them in the order from least favorite to most favorite. This was the one I saved for last. Definitely a strong coffee flavor but such a smooth, tasty beer. Oh man.
Dusseldorf Altbier: This one I was less crazy about, it being kind of heavy on the malts for being so light in feeling. That's a combination I tend not to totally embrace, such as in the case of bocks. That being said, this was still a solid beer and it wasn't so strong or sweet that I didn't enjoy it.
English Pale Ale: This one didn't have too much exciting about it, but was their current feature beer-- "great beer for no particular reason" it says on the menu. I definitely preferred the American Pale Ale, but this was pretty straightforward and not offensive in any way. I imagine most people would like it.
In addition to great beers, the service was good and we all really enjoyed our meals. The five of us split two orders of some really excellent nachos (the chips themselves were great, with a good mix of fresh veggies and a really good salsa). I had a homemade vegetable burger with fries, phenomenal. This place was awesome and I'd totally recommend it to anyone, the only drawback being it's not particularly close to anything or on the way to anywhere. Well worth the visit if you ever find yourself even remotely in the neighborhood!
When I visited my friends Cheryl, Gurzo and Cristina last week, it came up that all would like to do a bit of hiking, so I invited them to visit me this week, adding the idea of visiting of the nearby brew pubs. Long Valley got our vote for having a well rounded menu that included veggie options for myself, Cristina and Cheryl. My friend Noah, a fellow nature and beer enthusiast who will also be under contract beginning this coming Friday, joined us for the evening.
Here's the thing about Long Valley Brew Pub: it's amazing. Just entering the place gave a great impression. It's in a beautifully restored 200 year old stone barn, in a lovely historic town, at the top of a windy road that goes up a pretty mountain that we got to watch the sun set behind as we anxiously awaited our awesome samplers of their brews.
This is actually a photo from the drive to the brewery, but you get the idea-- such an incredible part of the state!
Hookerman's Light: While I don't generally pursue light beers, this was really excellent. Smooth and to the point, extremely drinkable. We were all really impressed with how not lame it was for being a light beer.
American Pale Ale: This was slightly hoppy, and yet I loved it. It's beers like this that will get me to like stronger hops flavors someday. It was very crisp and refreshing with just a hint of really tasty hops. One of my uncles once told me that a good pale ale is totally worth the trouble of looking for. This brew absolutely made me agree with that statement.
German Valley Amber: This was also slighty hoppy but very smooth and tasty, somewhat akin to some sort of nice Irish Red but not quite. I don't think I described that very well, but whatever-- this is also a great beer.
Lazy Jake Porter: SO GOOD. I love my dark beers, and this was really great. When I go through samplers, I tend to take a sip of each and then finish them in the order from least favorite to most favorite. This was the one I saved for last. Definitely a strong coffee flavor but such a smooth, tasty beer. Oh man.
Dusseldorf Altbier: This one I was less crazy about, it being kind of heavy on the malts for being so light in feeling. That's a combination I tend not to totally embrace, such as in the case of bocks. That being said, this was still a solid beer and it wasn't so strong or sweet that I didn't enjoy it.
English Pale Ale: This one didn't have too much exciting about it, but was their current feature beer-- "great beer for no particular reason" it says on the menu. I definitely preferred the American Pale Ale, but this was pretty straightforward and not offensive in any way. I imagine most people would like it.
In addition to great beers, the service was good and we all really enjoyed our meals. The five of us split two orders of some really excellent nachos (the chips themselves were great, with a good mix of fresh veggies and a really good salsa). I had a homemade vegetable burger with fries, phenomenal. This place was awesome and I'd totally recommend it to anyone, the only drawback being it's not particularly close to anything or on the way to anywhere. Well worth the visit if you ever find yourself even remotely in the neighborhood!
Friday, June 18, 2010
six to one, half dozen to another
I finished my mixed six pack and have been able to try a few other interesting brews, too:
Dogfish Head Raison D'etre: The phrase "raison d'etre" means reason for living. I think that's a really arrogant name for this beer... I think it's incredibly overrated. I didn't totally dislike it, but for as much as people have raved about this to me, I was pretty disappointed. It's a dark ale. That's about it.
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale: Recommended to me by my friend Heather a while back, I was looking forward to trying this one because I like brown ales, and I've heard good things about Smuttynose. This was good. A slight shade hoppy, but not in a totally offensive way-- sooner or later hoppy beers will grow on me, probably through baby steps like with this beer. In the meantime though, while no Backdraft, this is a solid brown ale.
Philadelphia Brewing's Walt Wit: I bought this beer because Walt Whitman was kind of the original hippie, what with his transcendentalism and free verse poems and opposition to slavery, and I was amused to find a beer named so cleverly after him. However, sometimes good names fail us-- while a nice witbier, it was waaaaay too bubbly. Really, really carbonated. I let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before finishing it, and it definitely improved after settling. Still, meh.
Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter: Mmm, porter. This has a nice strong flavor, as to be expected with this style of beer. I liked it. Probably not my favorite porter, because I think there are more distinct and interesting porters out there (such as Anchor, referenced as early as... the first entry!), but still really good and totally worthwhile if you're looking for something intense.
Delirium Nocturnum: This one was chosen for its interesting name and packaging-- clay bottle with a cork and a picture of a pink elephant who we could only assume has dropped acid. This was a good Belgian Ale. Straight up. Yeah. The pretty packaging was not a false advertisement for a lame beer.
Reaper Ale's Mortality Stout: Another one purchased for its interesting name, and another one that didn't disappoint! There was a somewhat obvious smell of coffee as soon as I poured it. Definitely an intense and awesome flavor with an appearance somewhat akin to black paint. This was quite good.
...leaving me with six new beers and the record at Paul: 244 and Colleen: 267. One week till the contract commences. In the meantime, I'll be visiting one of Jersey's lovely breweries this evening with a few friends, and have a few interesting brews in the fridge left to try!
Dogfish Head Raison D'etre: The phrase "raison d'etre" means reason for living. I think that's a really arrogant name for this beer... I think it's incredibly overrated. I didn't totally dislike it, but for as much as people have raved about this to me, I was pretty disappointed. It's a dark ale. That's about it.
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale: Recommended to me by my friend Heather a while back, I was looking forward to trying this one because I like brown ales, and I've heard good things about Smuttynose. This was good. A slight shade hoppy, but not in a totally offensive way-- sooner or later hoppy beers will grow on me, probably through baby steps like with this beer. In the meantime though, while no Backdraft, this is a solid brown ale.
Philadelphia Brewing's Walt Wit: I bought this beer because Walt Whitman was kind of the original hippie, what with his transcendentalism and free verse poems and opposition to slavery, and I was amused to find a beer named so cleverly after him. However, sometimes good names fail us-- while a nice witbier, it was waaaaay too bubbly. Really, really carbonated. I let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before finishing it, and it definitely improved after settling. Still, meh.
Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter: Mmm, porter. This has a nice strong flavor, as to be expected with this style of beer. I liked it. Probably not my favorite porter, because I think there are more distinct and interesting porters out there (such as Anchor, referenced as early as... the first entry!), but still really good and totally worthwhile if you're looking for something intense.
Delirium Nocturnum: This one was chosen for its interesting name and packaging-- clay bottle with a cork and a picture of a pink elephant who we could only assume has dropped acid. This was a good Belgian Ale. Straight up. Yeah. The pretty packaging was not a false advertisement for a lame beer.
Reaper Ale's Mortality Stout: Another one purchased for its interesting name, and another one that didn't disappoint! There was a somewhat obvious smell of coffee as soon as I poured it. Definitely an intense and awesome flavor with an appearance somewhat akin to black paint. This was quite good.
...leaving me with six new beers and the record at Paul: 244 and Colleen: 267. One week till the contract commences. In the meantime, I'll be visiting one of Jersey's lovely breweries this evening with a few friends, and have a few interesting brews in the fridge left to try!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
woo...antibiotics
So for the last month (really?!), I've been busy traveling for family stuff and have been taking an antibiotic. While drinking wasn't forbidden due to the medication, I did significantly slow down my beer intake (new or otherwise).
I have taken notes, and unfortunately even lost the review for one beer. There's a reason you shouldn't write them on the back of a receipt. In any event, since my last post Colleen visited. She outlined her travels pretty well. It was nice to catch up while she was down here. I may be at a disadvantage if she lives in Virginia permanently, since so many of the beers that I've tried are found in this area exclusively.
I did get a chance to visit Williamsburg AleWerks, however the samples there were under our minimum ounce limit for a beer to count. Nonetheless, the tour and tasting were nice on a hot May day. I'd recommend any of there beers, they don't make anything that is below mediocre.
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA: Have you ever tried a really dry red wine? Where your mouth just feels arid after? Yea, this was the beer version of that. The extent of the hops literally gave the beer a very dry taste. Colleen thought this was much milder than I did, apparently.
Rogue dead Guy Ale: Most people were surprised when I told them I hadn't head this up until a few weeks ago. This one was a freebie due to Colleen's Geography nerd party. However, I won't make fun of them anymore, since they did get me a free beer. For whatever reason, this gave me a really weird mix.
St. George Pilsner: I'm not that crazy about Pilsners. They ere on the light side for me, and there generally isn't much to them. This beer pretty much meets that description. It was fine, but just nothing special.
Carolina Blonde: Laura and I met with some college friends of mine a few weeks ago for drinks. It was quite nice to catch up with Amanda, since she is leaving the state for work soon. On the beer front, this was a rather disappointing. I'm not crazy about Gold Ales, and this didn't really change my mind. As far as the time of year goes, lighter beers are nice in the summer - but they generally disappoint me. They aren't that complex. As I've said a lot, I prefer porters.
Rogue American Amber: A caveat to my previous comment is that I do enjoy amber ales quite a bit, even if this is a summer beer. Despite my not-so-great feelings about Dead Guy Ale, I know Rogue has a pretty good reputation. For me, this beer definitely saved that. It's really one of the better Amber Ales I've tried.
Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter: I had this at the Green Leafe. I thought it was a bit on the smoky side, but I wasn't aware of the full name until I wrote this review - sometimes restaurants neglect long names on their menus. That said, it wasn't that bad of a porter, being that they should be somewhat roasty/smoky. I just prefer more of a roasted malt flavor than a smoky one. I've had one other beer of theirs when I was in OBX last summer, and I thought that was pretty good.
Bells Oberon Ale: After some searching on ratebeer for the name. I found the name to match the review in my head. I had this at the Brickskeller to celebrate my friend Matt's birthday. It was a rather hot day in DC, and as far as wheat ales go, this was a very tasty beer. I'd love to say the Brickskeller has nothing but knock out beers, but unfortunately it can be a mixed bag there. This one was quite good though. I can't even recall the brewer of the other beer, but that's how it goes.
Laura and I are meeting with a college friend of mine this week for a beer or two. The place has quite a few micro-brews, so perhaps I can close the lead. So, in conclusion, I am not dead...just really, really far behind!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 242
Paul: 229
I have taken notes, and unfortunately even lost the review for one beer. There's a reason you shouldn't write them on the back of a receipt. In any event, since my last post Colleen visited. She outlined her travels pretty well. It was nice to catch up while she was down here. I may be at a disadvantage if she lives in Virginia permanently, since so many of the beers that I've tried are found in this area exclusively.
I did get a chance to visit Williamsburg AleWerks, however the samples there were under our minimum ounce limit for a beer to count. Nonetheless, the tour and tasting were nice on a hot May day. I'd recommend any of there beers, they don't make anything that is below mediocre.
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA: Have you ever tried a really dry red wine? Where your mouth just feels arid after? Yea, this was the beer version of that. The extent of the hops literally gave the beer a very dry taste. Colleen thought this was much milder than I did, apparently.
Rogue dead Guy Ale: Most people were surprised when I told them I hadn't head this up until a few weeks ago. This one was a freebie due to Colleen's Geography nerd party. However, I won't make fun of them anymore, since they did get me a free beer. For whatever reason, this gave me a really weird mix.
St. George Pilsner: I'm not that crazy about Pilsners. They ere on the light side for me, and there generally isn't much to them. This beer pretty much meets that description. It was fine, but just nothing special.
Carolina Blonde: Laura and I met with some college friends of mine a few weeks ago for drinks. It was quite nice to catch up with Amanda, since she is leaving the state for work soon. On the beer front, this was a rather disappointing. I'm not crazy about Gold Ales, and this didn't really change my mind. As far as the time of year goes, lighter beers are nice in the summer - but they generally disappoint me. They aren't that complex. As I've said a lot, I prefer porters.
Rogue American Amber: A caveat to my previous comment is that I do enjoy amber ales quite a bit, even if this is a summer beer. Despite my not-so-great feelings about Dead Guy Ale, I know Rogue has a pretty good reputation. For me, this beer definitely saved that. It's really one of the better Amber Ales I've tried.
Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter: I had this at the Green Leafe. I thought it was a bit on the smoky side, but I wasn't aware of the full name until I wrote this review - sometimes restaurants neglect long names on their menus. That said, it wasn't that bad of a porter, being that they should be somewhat roasty/smoky. I just prefer more of a roasted malt flavor than a smoky one. I've had one other beer of theirs when I was in OBX last summer, and I thought that was pretty good.
Bells Oberon Ale: After some searching on ratebeer for the name. I found the name to match the review in my head. I had this at the Brickskeller to celebrate my friend Matt's birthday. It was a rather hot day in DC, and as far as wheat ales go, this was a very tasty beer. I'd love to say the Brickskeller has nothing but knock out beers, but unfortunately it can be a mixed bag there. This one was quite good though. I can't even recall the brewer of the other beer, but that's how it goes.
Laura and I are meeting with a college friend of mine this week for a beer or two. The place has quite a few micro-brews, so perhaps I can close the lead. So, in conclusion, I am not dead...just really, really far behind!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 242
Paul: 229
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
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Capitol City Brewing
On Thursday, I met with my college buddy Robert and his friend Matt at Capitol City Brewing. We met there for happy hour, and while I have had their four standard beers before, I had not tried at least one of their seasonal brews. The dilemma as I later found out: the seasonal brews were not the happy hour price of $2 a pint! Nonetheless, I did settle down with a cheap, familiar pint after tasting something new. The service was a little slow, but Thursday night tends to be the busy night for Happy Hour.
Capitol City Brown Ale: This was the seasonal brew that I tried. I thought it was a rather par for the course Amber Ale. For those who are unfamiliar with Brown Ales, I would say that the standard to go from is Newcastle Brown Ale. I thought CapCity did a quality job with this, and I surely enjoyed my pint.
Capitol City Prohibition Porter: This beer is already on my list, but I thought I would mention it. I tend to like porters (understatement). I think this porter is fairly well done. It's got the roasted/burnt malt flavor that one looks for with a porter. I thought it washed away my work day quite easily.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 205
Paul: 201
Cheers,
Paul
Capitol City Brown Ale: This was the seasonal brew that I tried. I thought it was a rather par for the course Amber Ale. For those who are unfamiliar with Brown Ales, I would say that the standard to go from is Newcastle Brown Ale. I thought CapCity did a quality job with this, and I surely enjoyed my pint.
Capitol City Prohibition Porter: This beer is already on my list, but I thought I would mention it. I tend to like porters (understatement). I think this porter is fairly well done. It's got the roasted/burnt malt flavor that one looks for with a porter. I thought it washed away my work day quite easily.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 205
Paul: 201
Cheers,
Paul
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