Does this make Laura my beer-buddy-in-law?

The most wonderful thing happened on Saturday. Paul and Laura got married!

Congratulations to a truly beautiful couple. It was really an honor to be part of such an awesome day. The ceremony was great, the weather was incredible, the company was excellent. And yes, there was beer. Paul chose two brews from Williamsburg Alewerks which went over pretty well--

Red Marker Ale: Good, hoppy amber ale. The website talks about all of this fruit but it came off as more of just slightly sweeter hops. If you've been reading our updates over the past few years, you know that I was not into hoppy beers until more recently, so I understand how people find them offensive. However, this is a pretty accessible hoppy-ish beer. Either ALL of Paul and Laura's people are into fancy beers, or people were just enjoying the slight bitterness in this otherwise very smooth, pleasant, refreshing brew. I had several.

White Ale: My favorite beers are ones that look like black paint or ones that are wheat-related. This was a very fresh Belgian witbier. Paul described it quite well as being similar to Sam Adam's Summer Ale but more orangey instead of lemony. Not one to turn down a new brew for my list, much less a recommendation from my beer buddy, I went to the bar and asked for it. No one knew what I was talking about. It wasn't until I insisted that the groom himself told me to go try it that someone went and found the case that was hiding in a refrigerator somewhere. I'm not much into fruity beers, but this wasn't overly sweet, just a really clean, refreshing drink.

People kept asking me if I approved of the beers. Of course I did. If I didn't approve of Paul's taste in beer, this blog would not exist.

Hopefully now that they have moved past the wedding part of their lives and into the marriage part, we'll start hearing from Paul (and Laura?!) more. Congratulations again to you both-- I look forward to sharing many years of happiness with you both (and maybe also a few beers).

In honor of the beautiful weather we've had today and other recent days, weather that has been flirting with being springy even though we technically have several more weeks of winter no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says, I thought I'd recommend a few nice springy beers I've had in the past week or two.

Sam Adams Alpine Spring: I liked this the same way I liked last spring's seasonal, the Noble Pils-- surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. Similar to Noble Pils, it's just pleasantly refreshing and easy to drink, not too strong in any way. Alpine Spring is well balanced and smooth. I've already had more than one.

Sam Adams Mighty Oak Ale: a pleasant malty red beer with an aftertaste of oak tree. I like oak trees. Well, I like trees in general, and spend a lot of time measuring (hugging) them, which might be why I recognized it was oak (I mean, besides the name, related to the aging of this beer in oak barrels). But it's good. Not like that time I tried the beer aged in bourbon barrels, and it tasted like bourbon. Gross. This is not Dear Liquor Friend. This is Dear Beer Friend. Anyway. Oak. Good.

Speaking of oaks, my favorite one ever:

Red Oak, a feral kitten I rescued from the woods last summer

Right, this is not a cat blog either, so moving on...

Hitachino Nest White Ale: The infamous Gurzo's suggestion at the infamous Stuff Yer Face... this was delightful. This is a nice, light-feeling witbier that's got a slightly floral taste to it, but not prohibitively so. Very fresh.

Oh, and what the heck, I'll throw in the other Sam Adams I tried recently, the Whitewater IPA. I mean, after all, Sam Adams brews make up 5% of my beer list (current count 453). I found this to be an enjoyable IPA. Sam Adams' IPAs generally are for me; nothing mind boggling incredible about them, just a nice, refreshing IPA. I'd recommend it to the casual IPA fans out there.



Paul is still alive, in case anyone was wondering. We exchanged text/facebook/email messages over the past 24 hours. Maybe he'll even share a beer recommendation or two with you soon...

I guess red and scarlet are two different things, but I don't really care.

I mentioned a while back that I had purchased a bottle of Dogfish Head's Red and White and was saving it for the day I finished grad school. I figured the red was appropriate for Rutgers (which I guess is scarlet if you want to be technical), and I already drank my Flying Fish Exit 9 to celebrate passing my defense.

You probably heard me shout for joy from wherever you are yesterday when I received the email telling me my thesis and all of my paperwork had been accepted. Well, you probably metaphorically heard me shout for joy. The real event involved me only reading the word "congratulations!" and sitting at my desk crying a little bit. It's been a crazy three years.

So, fast forward to the part where I drank a bottle of Red and White. It felt like beer going down, but definitely tasted like a wine more than anything else. Then I read the label about all the pinot noir stuff involved in the brewing process. Apparently that is a legitimate assessment on my part.

It's good! It's definitely a bit... different... but good. If you hate red wine, don't drink this beer.

And so I sat, quietly smiling, in my little lake side cabin, drinking this beer and petting the three kittens who live with me. It was pretty peaceful and wonderful, which was probably the best possible way to celebrate after three years of craziness, especially the past few high stress weeks jumping through all of the final hoops.

Now I just need to find a good beer to celebrate getting a job... and then actually get a job!

the Miles Davis of beers. Literally.

Imagine me as a college senior, about a month before graduation. Hint: I look almost exactly the same now, give or take an inch of hair.

In my last semester at Mary Washington, I only took 13 credits, and only 10 for a grade (as opposed to the 18 credits I took the other seven semesters there). I was relaxed and enjoying the last few months of living in Fredericksburg. Those three credits that I was taking pass/fail? History of Jazz. This was an awesome choice. I sat with a few music major friends in this class, which usually consisted of listening to music and having a slight amount of discussion about it. This was a pretty laid back three hours of my life per week.

Toward the end of the semester, we got to fusion. And I loved it. I mean, I knew it was out there, but I never really thought about it before. I woke up one Sunday and decided: I needed to own Bitches Brew, the album by Miles Davis that helped define jazz fusion. And I would drive all over Fredericksburg until I found a copy. And I sat on my bed for the rest of that dark, rainy day, listening to it and drinking tea. It was everything I hoped it would be. That was a very chill and wonderful day.

Why did I tell you all of this? Because while looking for a hoppy beer for Cheryl, sitting next to the wonderful Lagunitas Hop Stoopid was Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew. I recognized the album cover on the label. And, just as I needed to own the album, I needed to add this beer to my list.

Paul posed the question a while back, what craft brewer in the country do I like the most? And now, I will finally answer: probably Dogfish Head. With the exception of Festina Peche (and they're entitled a dud), everything of theirs I've tried has been really, really great, including the beer that I think was made specifically for me: their World Wide Stout, which was geographically themed and strong and heavy and wonderful. Their Punkin Ale is probably my favorite pumpkin beer, the Indian Brown Ale was great (and made great marinade, too), even their IPA is... survivable... and that's saying a lot for me. (I tried the 60 Minute.)

So was Bitches Brew, like World Wide Stout, everything I hoped and dream a stout could be?

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. I think I loved this more than the World Wide Stout, as if that was possible. It's rich and smooth. It doesn't feel particularly heavy going down, but there's a lot of flavor happening. Good and malty. There was evidence of chocolate and honey. A fusion of awesomeness and amazingness, just like the album.


Other wonderful beers I've tried lately:

Coopers Original Pale Ale: Good, legit pale ale. And I thought that before my good, legit Australian coworker arrived to the party where I tried this brew from Down Under.

Cisco Nantucket's Whale's Tale Pale Ale: Admittedly purchased after Paul added 18 new beers to the blog. But it was pretty good. Not particularly amazing, but a decent pale ale-- a little hoppy, but balanced with a little sweet and no weird aftertaste, which is always a plus.

Dogfish Head Namaste: This was a very, very, very good witbier. I am sorry that it's not getting the true love it deserves because I tried it the same day I tried Bitches Brew. Brewed with lemongrass, oranges and coriander, it's got a slightly more complex flavor that just a straight light wheat beer, it's very interesting. Very fresh. VERY good.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA: I tried this spur of the moment at Stuff Yer Face, because it was Monday and this is one of the only beers left there that I haven't had. Cheryl had the 60 Minute at the same time so I had a sip of hers to compare. This is a little sweeter and a LOT smoother than the 60 Minute, which I find to be a little sour in addition to the hoppy flavor typical of the style. Given the choice, I'd totally go with 90 Minute. I'm still not in love with IPAs, but this was good. Perhaps my next conquest should be the 120 Minute...


Given his current roadtrip, I suspect Paul might actually beat me to 300, but only if he updates before me. I'm going to try and make him sweat a little bit over it though...
Colleen: 295
Paul: 288

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!

two weeks till the contract begins

This week I've been off work and all over the place-- by the end of today, I'll have driven a little more than 600 miles since Monday afternoon. So I haven't been sitting down with people and trying new beers so much as downing tea like it's my job, but here's a few I tried since the last time I wrote:

River Horse Double White Belgian Style: I love this beer because it's made in New Jersey, but also because it's just a very mild, balanced, pleasant witbier. Good summer evening beer.

Harpoon Leviathan: The general consensus from everyone else trying this was that it's pretty darn good. However, you've probably heard that I don't care for IPAs. I'm hoping the style will grow on me someday. I was more amused by the name than the beer itself; Leviathan is a large sea creature who keeps the gates of hell. I enjoyed this beer about as much as I'd expect to enjoy the company of a demonic sea monster. But, if you like IPAs, this is probably an extremely good one to try.

Arrogant Bastard Oaked: That is a good ale. That is a very, very good ale. It's quite strong and a bit bitter, but really good. I don't know what else to say about it.

Long Trail Belgian White: This was a little bit sweeter than the River Horse Belgian White mentioned above, but still a very crisp, refreshing beer. A few friends and I had dinner at the General Store in Allamuchy, which is BYOB. Across the street was the Allamuchy Liquor Store so we bought a six pack of this to go with our sandwiches, mostly because I hadn't tried this one before, but also because it's a nice style of beer to follow a hot, humid day of work. Actually, I think I'm the only one who was there who had worked that day, but still... very refreshing and pleasant.

I'm at Rutgers today, so will be hanging out with the infamous Cheryl and Gurzo this evening for dinner and probably a beer or two. There's a liquor store near their house that does mixed six packs. Paul, you've been warned, but keep in mind you have several months to catch up.

Paul: 239
Colleen: 257

a toast to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thanks to a long weekend including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (Observed) party and another Monday out with friends, I have quite a few new interesting beers to report.

Wells & Young, Ltd.'s Banana Bread Beer: This sounds questionable, doesn't it? It's surprisingly amazing though, assuming you like beer and banana bread. Despite the presence of some artificial flavors (in addition to REAL fair trade bananas!), it smells like actual banana bread, not some sort of fake banana candy. And it tastes awesome-- not necessarily like liquid banana bread so much as, you're drinking a nice beer while sitting in the company of fresh, delicious banana bread. Kudos to Tom to picking that one off the liquor store shelf for me.

Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier: While I'm not usually into fruit beers, this was pretty pleasant. The blackberry isn't too strong or fake tasting, and it's over a nice witbier.

Sam Adams Black Lager: This one was more up my alley. It's a lager that tastes more like a porter. It has a really strong flavor, largely chocolate, but goes down more lightly, like the lager that it actually is. Good stuff. That Samuel Adams, so reputable (with only a very few exceptions)!

Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale: My friend Jeremy held this one aside for me to add to my list, though warned me he couldn't speak to its quality. The first sip tasted something like old rye bread with paint on it. Worried that it had turned, I handed it back to Jeremy, who tasted it and told me it was exactly the same as when he bought it. I kind of wonder how long the beer had been sitting, but he recommended that I generally avoid Lancaster beers, regardless of freshness. . I would recommend the same, after trying another...

Lancaster Strawberry Wheat: Not usually a fruit beer person, but after two recent positive experiences and my love of wheat beers, I went for it. Awful, awful, awful. This is rank medicine flavored strawberry, not even semi-tolerable lollipop strawberry. Ugh.

Kennebec River Summer Ale: Initially concerned that being a summer ale, it would be out of date, but it was all right. It was kind of a pale ale, which just isn't my jam, but it was drinkable. Especially compared to those Lancasters.

Troeg's Dreamweaver Wheat: Thank you Danni. This was a nice unfiltered wheat beer. No weird or bad fruit, nothing offensive, just a nice wheat beer. I could handle this one again.

Löwenbräu: This is another one Tom picked up to share, after we heard it referred to on Soap, a really hilarious TV show from the late 70s that we've been watching on DVD lately (I'd recommend that too). This is supposed to be legit German stuff. It was a bit too carbonated for me, considering that it didn't have any sort of really amazing flavor on top of the bubbles. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again, but it's definitely not a bad beer-- I've never been crazy about soda for the same reason.

Weihenstephaner Korbinian: a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but definitely a good beer. It's darker than the other brews I've tried by this German brewer, and very, very smooth. It's new on tap at Stuff Yer Face right now!

Sea Dog Apricot Wheat: For fruity beers not being my thing, I sure did try a few this weekend. This beer has a very light flavor to it, although it smells pretty strongly of apricot. It was also very smooth. Paul and I both have down on our beer lists another brew by Sea Dog, the Blueberry Ale. Both of us recommend it as a breakfast beer. I'd recommend this one likewise.

Well, that puts the tally at 173 for Paul and 189 for me. My semester starts today, so I'm sure I won't be ahead for long. While I think three day weekends and excuses to get together with friends are wonderful things, let us remember the great work that Dr. King did for civil rights in our country!

Jesus + Beer

On Monday the 4th, I joined my good friend from college, Robert, for Theology on Tap that is sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. For those unfamiliar, Theology on Tap is a program for young adults where a priest/nun/someone qualified gives a talk on some issue relating to Theology/God/faith/life/modern issues that coincides with Happy Hour. It is intended for young adults. The best way I can put it is that the Church went where the people were for 2,000 years, and modern times have also brought it to your local pub. The program started in Chicago and has spread to many Diocese around the country.

I didn't get a chance to try a new beer, but I did have a Half and Half which is a DBF favorite. It's half Guinness and half Harp Lager. It was good to see my college friend, we haven't gotten together since before the Holidays. The talk this week was from a young man who survived cancer twice - once in high school and once in college. It required him to take a year from high school off and a semester of college off to fight the disease. Obviously, the talk centered around his faith during these times, his reflection on it, and the counseling he does for cancer patients now. Needless to say, it was a very good talk. If you're interested, the talk can be found by clinking on the Theology on Tap link above.

On Tuesday (the 5th) and Wednesday (the 6th), I continued to drink from the custom six pack my brother gave me for Christmas. The selection was heavy on the hops, but I thoroughly enjoyed drinking it. I also enjoyed keeping pace with Colleen, which is very important.

Lancaster Hop Hog IPA: This beer was different than a lot of IPAs I have come across. An IPA is typically heavy on the hops, and light on the malts. This beer definitely had more of a malt character than the average IPA. Personally, I found it a little odd at first, but it became a welcome break from the hop-heavy beers I've had recently.

Avery White Rascal: This is a belgian-style white ale. Honestly, it reminded me a lot of Hoegaarden which is a beer that was on my original Top 5 (which may change at some point). It's an excellent summer beer: light yet refreshing.

The six pack also included the much heralded, Victory Storm King Imperial Stout, which is a mutual favorite of mine and Colleen's. I haven't had this beer, despite it's perch as my favorite, in a long, long time. I must say, it still is the best beer I have ever had. It is by far one of the most complex in terms of flavors. The after taste changes three times: at sip, after sip, and ten seconds later. I find it a little more enjoyable and accessible than Arrogant Bastard Ale and even after 170+ beers it still remains my favorite. It is a seasonal brew. If you manage to come across it, know that both Colleen and I strongly recommend you get it. We also strongly recommend that you invite us over to partake in its awesomeness.

Wednesday night (the 6th) also brought me to quiz night at a local pub with the girlfriend and her friends. It's usually my job to answer the sports questions. This makes me proud, but incredibly nervous - since I don't want to let them down. The quiz was held at Ireland's Four Provinces in Falls Church. We didn't do so well on the quiz, but it was a fun time. I had their House Amber Ale, and I do not know the name of it. When I figure this out, there might be another addition to the list.

The weekend of the 9th, my brothers and I threw a surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary party for our parents. They deserve for not killing each other all these years. The party had about 80 people in attendance and was a fun time. There was a keg of Yeungling. No new beers were tried, but fun was had by all.

On Wednesday (the 13th), I met the girlfriend and her friends at this college bar across the street from George Mason University. The name of the place was Fat Tuesday's. It had a nice list of micro-brews, despite being your usual very fun college dive bar. Imagine some flat screen TVs, goofy shit all over the walls, peanuts on every table and you leave the shells on the floor, and a guy playing acoustic on a mic. The conversation was a fun time, as both her friends there were engineering students. Though, that sentence might sound like an oxymoron to some. You may have pity on my girlfriend, but I had a fun time and they were good guys. The beers I tried are listed below.

Kona Pipeline Porter: I love porters, and so does Colleen. If you've learned anything from reading thus far, you should have picked this up. Despite my love for porters, I was not thrilled with this one. It was too heavy on the coffee malt. Every time I took a sip, I just got the coffee aroma. I'm not going to lie, it was kind of a let down.

Clipper City Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning: This is one of those beers that I think I've had with my friend Andy in Annapolis. It was nicely balanced in flavors. It was not overly hoppy or malty, but if I had to pick I would go with more of a hop flavor. It was definitely a good conversation beer - too bad I finished it before I got there.

The scorecard:
Paul: 173
Colleen: 172

I'd celebrate overtaking the lead more, but I know for a fact that Colleen is indeed ahead. This post was written over the course of 10 days, so it may seem somewhat cluttered or disjointed. My apologies for that. I should settle into a more normal schedule since the Holidays and my parent's party are now over.

One last note, Colleen and I would appreciate it if you would send out your thoughts and prayers to those in Haiti right now. If you are of the means, please also try to donate to the relief efforts. That country had a lot of problems before this earthquake and now things are so much worse. This isn't a current events blog, so I will leave it at that. Thanks.

Cheers,
Paul

eat, drink and be merry!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the holidays!

Mine have been lovely, thanks. It's been a long tradition for my family to stay home and have relatives come to us. For the last few years, I've had the honor of doing all of the food and beverage shopping. This year, for the 11 of us, I was to buy six 6 packs (but two always have to be Miller Light, and I always get a Killians because Uncle Paul likes it and another something sort of normal because I know not everyone is into crazy stuff like me). To go with our ham and pumpkin lasagna:

Sam Adams Boston Ale: a Sams I had not yet had, and figured it was tame enough to serve my family. I liked it. It's a straightforward enough ale, though I wrote "This doesn't taste like England" (I associate most uncrazy ales with England...). Very drinkable and doesn't have a million other things going on with it, so it's fine to drink with a meal, or while cooking a meal. It didn't interrupt all the other smells and flavors going on in our kitchen that day.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: I really like hefeweizens. This one's notes read, "the label says complex and I'd agree, more complex but no less delicious than my other favorite hef's". It's an unfiltered hefeweizen, so it's a bit cloudy, like a little storm of cloves. It's also brewed with banana, but it's not an obnoxious banana flavor, just something a little more full-tasting about it. I'd definitely get it again, although this beer has a bit more to it, so it was a little much to go with dinner.

I drove over 500 miles in the two days after Christmas to see a few awesome people, some of whom I haven't seen since the holidays 2004. The stars weren't quite aligned properly, so we didn't get the whole group of us together at once, but I had a beer with Dan and Greg in Philly on Saturday afternoon and a few beers with Greg, Sarah and Alice in New York City on Sunday evening. (For those of you doing math, there was a trip to Fairfax, Virginia in between to congratulate my college roommate on her recent engagement!) ANYWAY. A rundown:

Yards Brawler: I tried this with my lunch at Kitchen Bar in Abington, PA while catching up with Dan and Greg, the two I hadn't seen in the longest time. It was a good place to catch up, good food, not too pricey, not terribly loud. Dan chose it-- his father leaves nearby in Glenside. He says it's the first thing that's actually done well in that location, apparently several bars and restaurants have been in and out in the last few years. So, right, the beer: good. Another ale that doesn't taste like England, though the website calls it "English Session Beer" (?!?!?). Kinda darker ale and malty-ish. It was nice. Interesting. Good.

Brooklyner Weisse: Enjoyed this at the Blind Tiger in NYC with Greg and the girls. Though a hefeweizen, this is more reminiscent of a Belgian witbier than something like Sam Adams, or even now the Sierra Nevada version. Doesn't mean I didn't like it. It was darker than Hoegaarden, but tasted similar-- like if a nice brown ale and a Hoegaarden had a pleasant little baby and adorned its head with a lemon instead of a bow. Sarah and Alice stuck to this for the rest of the evening.

Sly Fox Odyssey: Imperial IPA. I don't generally like IPAs, and I guess same goes for the Imperial kind. It was just too sweet for me. It reminded me of Ayinger Celebrator, which is another beer I've had that's just too sweet, like drinking a bitter syrup. Not my jam.

Allagash White: This Blind Tiger place had a sweet beer menu and the bartender was pretty nice. It was kind of small and really loud, but when Alice came up with me to order our next round, she leaned in and told the bartender about my quest for new beers (aka, this blog) and he recommended this. I really liked it! It's another witbier, a really smooth and light tasting one.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar: This is a nice brown ale. You can definitely make out the hazelnut, and yet it's pretty mild and unoffensive. Not totally malty, and definitely not that elusive Backdraft Brown Ale, but this was a good drink!

Well, Paul and I are tied at 165-165. Happy holidays, indeed!

final-ly

I told Paul a few months ago that it was my goal to overtake his variety-of-beers record by New Years because I had, you know, a semester to finish... so I accept that he has pulled ahead slightly in this everlasting contest. (I also accept because he had a 70 beer lead on me when this all began in college.) Well, it's finally finals! I have just a week and change left in the semester, and then I can responsibly reclaim my lead.

In the meantime, I did have a new beer last night. I went out in my typical Monday night fashion, except, Stuff Yer Face was closed for their holiday party so my friends and I went to Marita's Cantina instead, where they currently have Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale on tap. Paul isn't really a Leinenkugel fan, I know, but I haven't disliked any of theirs that I've tried thus far:

Summer Shandy: citrusy summer wheat ale. I like wheat beer. I thought I tasted lime but it was lemon.
Sunset Wheat: easy to drink, not too strong, I will repeat: I like wheat.

So, the Fireside Nut Brown: definitely tasted the nuttiness but it was decent. Didn't have a second though, ended up switching to Guinness, but that was a mood thing, not that the Fireside wasn't at least tolerable. Though Leinenkugel probably wouldn't be my first choice, I definitely don't dislike their beers.

Also, about halfway through our first round, my friends and I were later joined by all of the bartenders from Stuffies! It's really fun drinking with your bartenders. Sign of a great bartender: drunk as she was, our usual Monday night bartender was still able to recommend me the Fireside Nut Brown Ale, because she didn't think I'd had it before and knows that somewhere, some dude is trying to try more different beers than me.

Well, dude, the score is 157-159.

(I mean, I was already halfway through mine at that point, but I'm impressed by her effort.)

A Custom Six Pack (Part 2) + Plus More

My last post reviewed three beers from a custom six pack I made at Total Wine. Having tried the remaining beers, I wanted to update you on how they went.

St. George Porter: Recently, I've had a lot of Virginia beers: Starr Hill, Williamsburg Ale Works, Olde Richmond, and probably some others. This beer is also a Virginia beer, and it is excellent. If this six pack taught me anything, it's how much I love a good porter.

Clipper City Gold Ale: This beer is from Baltimore, and the beer's color matches the name. It's light color is normally unusual for me, but I enjoyed this beer. It wasn't light on flavor as I noticed a slightly hoppy after taste with more floral aromas. It struck me as the uncomfortable (yet tasty) love child of an IPA and a wheat beer.

Samuel Adams Imperial White: This beer was intense on flavor to the point where it wasn't even enjoyable. If potpourri came in liquid form, it would taste like this. Samuel Adams makes a lot of good beers, I just don't think this is one of them.

Lastly, I had been reminded that I have tried another beer over the summer that was not on my list. The Guinness 250 Stout was good, but I expected more from Guinness. There were different malts used for a slightly different flavor and after taste. I'd be willing to have it again, but I like the regular Guinness Draught instead.

Yesterday, I made some travels around my area and had some more beers. I met one of my co-workers, Bob, at The Vienna Inn. The place can be best described as a local watering hole and a hole in the wall. The food is good and cheap - plus the beer is always cold. Over some chili cheese dogs, and a good conversation, I had the following beers (bonus - more Virginia beers!):

Dominion Porter: I really enjoyed this brew. Needless to say, my love for porters is becoming documented on this blog. It has a nice roasted malt flavor, and jived well with my chili cheese dog.

Dominion Amber Ale: This was a standard, amber ale. It was good, but it didn't distinguish itself from the group. It was a house beer at the Vienna Inn.

Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale: This completed my tri-fecta, which went from darker to light and from malty to hoppy. I liked this pale ale, nothing special, but solid nonetheless.

After my visit to the Vienna Inn, I went to Chadwick's in Old Town Alexandria. They have a good tap and bottle list. It was nice to have a couple beers with my friend Jeremy and his friend Jared. Without further ado, here goes the rest of the beers I tried.

North Coast Brother Thelonious: I hated this beer. It was a Belgian Abbey style ale. I might avoid this style in the future.

Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale: This was a decent amber ale. It was mostly forgettable, then again, I was about 5 deep at this point.


The Scorecard:
Paul: 159
Colleen: 156

Calorie Counting with Sir Arthur Guinness

A couple of months ago, Colleen and I were having a discussion and the topic steered toward calories. Neither of us are calorie counters, but it was stated that Guiness had less calories ounce for ounce than Corona.

I looked into the matter using Google and thought this would make an excellent blog post. In order to give proper credit for this, I would like to acknowledge that these numbers came from RealBeer.com. You may notice that we have a link to them on the side bar. They are really an excellent resource. We also link to RateBeer.com as that is also a fantastic place for beer reviews. The list below is a sampling of beers on the RealBeer website with their associated calories and percent alcohol. A complete listing can be found here. I did not include light beers, since that is an unfair comparison. The main reason that some mainstream beers were included is so you can compare against well known (and possibly lesser) alternatives.

Beer Name	Calories (per 12 oz bottle)	Percent Alcohol (ABV)
Guiness Draught	125	4.1%
Yuengling Lager	135-140	4.9%
Beck's	143	4.8%
Budweiser	143	5%
Killian's	143	4.9%
Coors Original	148	5%
Corona Extra	148	4.6%
Fuller's London Pride	156	4.7%
Miller High Life	156	4.7%
Sam Adam's Boston Lager	160	4.9%
Heineken	166	5%
Blue Moon White	171	5.6%
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale	171	5.6%
Anchor Porter	205	5.6%

I think a lot of people would find this list surprising, since the closest beer in color to Guinness is the Anchor Porter. Guinness beats quite a few beers that are both lighter in taste and color. Some of the reason is due to the fact that Guinness is lower in alcohol, hence why it doesn't get you drunk very easily - heavy on the stomach and low in alcohol. Alcohol provides empty calories, and you may notice that there is, generally, a trend with the beers above in terms of percent alcohol and calories. There are other factors at play in the calorie total (i.e. adjuncts, malts, length of the brewing process), but that would be a post better provided by someone with a background in nutrition.

During my Google searching on the subject, I came across a similar article here that you may find interesting as well.

Cheers,
Paul

Welcome - Paul

When we discussed creating this blog, Colleen said we should each make a post introducing ourselves. This makes sense, since we will have four types of readers (which amounts to quite the Venn Diagram): those who know her, those who know me, those who know both of us, and those who know neither of us. In order to give credit where credit is due, the idea for this blog originally came from my cousin, Brendan.

I suppose an adequate place to start would be to give some background. Colleen and I were in the same play group growing up, and in our college years became good friends again. It was during this time we both realized that a) beer was good and b) that a bar near our home towns has an excellent pint night on Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, we both went to college in Virginia, so we carpooled to and fro on several occasions during senior year.

It was during my senior year at Virginia Tech that I took the greatest course in the long and stored history of crazy college courses: Brewing Science. If you are a student at VT, please take it. The class was half learn about brewing (the theory) and appreciation of beer (the practical). Class was on Fridays from 2:30-5:30, which was a nice segue into Happy Hour. The first 90 minutes was theory, and the next 90 minutes was tasting. After tasting, I collected a bottle for each beer that I had tasted, and thus my "beer wall" was born. College students tend to put bottles above their cabinets, and I was no different. Between my "practical" homework and the class, I amassed many beers there.

Upon my graduation, I collected all the bottles into bags and took them with me. When I moved down to Virginia permanently, I realized my beloved collection could not come with me. And thus, the beer list was born. From that day forward, I kept a spreadsheet of all the beers I had tried and notes on each. It was during this time, Colleen wanted to join in on the fun. She created a list of her own, and the race to be the better beer snob was born. Lists were exchanged periodically, and if it weren't for that, my list would have been gone due to a computer failure (thanks, friend).

Currently, this lists stand as follows:
Paul - 142
Colleen - 152

At this point, we feel that we have very divergent lists. This blog is to track our exploits, entertain you, and to educate you and each other on different beers we've had. There will definitely be some East Coast bias in the beginning, but I hope to branch out - especially if I am going to overtake Colleen again.

My Top 5 Beers:
Victory Storm King (Imperial Russian Stout)
Anchor Porter
Hoegaarden
Starr Hill Amber Ale
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale

We haven't decided on an exact format of our posts (musings) yet, but I am sure they will evolve over time. With that, I'll turn it over to Colleen to put her own spin on all of this.

Personal Note: As I said before, I live in Virginia and work for the Federal Government. In my spare time I enjoy trying new beers (duh), being outside, reading, and spending time with the girlfriend (insert "awww" here).

Cheers,
Paul