I don't even know what made me check... but the Bud Light I had last night to celebrate my friend's brother's 21st birthday totally counts. Pathetic, but true.
My notes read, "Water?"
Colleen: 355
Paul: 324+ whatever he's been up to so far this year...
Showing posts with label American Adjunct Lager. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Adjunct Lager. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
beerproof camera
Aside from a bit of angst about driving places unlicensed, the rest of my time in Virginia was pretty lovely. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a good time. It was awesome to see so many friends! (And I have since renewed my license.)
Hilary, Paige and I got ready for the wedding together in my hotel room, but did so without beer until Deron arrived with a bottle opener. You know, I really just need to get myself one. I actually have at least two, but they don't fit in my pockets. The problem is, it needs to be tiny-- I took the car door unlocker thingy off my keychain because it was too big for my pocket. I unlock my door by hand. I digress.
Deron arrived with a bottle opener, and before we left for the wedding, I had Lancaster Milk Stout from a mixed six pack that Taylor and I made that morning. It was a little sweet but mostly just unexciting, which was fine by me. Very smooth, pretty plain, very drinkable, which was good, because we had a wedding to get to.
Between the ceremony and reception, a few of us went back to the hotel and had a round of Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA. While I do seem to be on a bit of an IPA kick these past few weeks, this one was a bit strong for me. Really, really hoppy. It kind of obscured anything else. I didn't totally hate it but prefer my IPA's a little better rounded.
The wedding was lovely and we made use of the open Budweiser. These pictures are from my waterproof digital camera dunked in Taylor's Bud, because he's sweet and tolerant of me:
(And yes, we also drank the Bud-- not my favorite macro brew, but not my least favorite either, and yes it was already on the list.)
After the wedding, several of us went back to the hotel to watch the end of the Jets-Colts game. There were Miller High Lifes aplenty, but Taylor and I also split Dogfish Head's Burton Baton, another IPA (more specifically an Imperial IPA). This one was also a bit stronger than I'd like, super duper hoppy, but this one was a little smoother going down. Not my favorite Dogfish Head brew, not my favorite IPA of theirs either, but it was pretty good. You true IPA fans out there might appreciate it more than I did though.
I'm back in New Jersey now, traveling nearly 1300 miles so far this year. (Note to self: perhaps I should keep a running tally this year?) Before heading to camp to start working today, I had a layover in Edison with Cheryl (and Lauren, via Skype!). Cheryl and I shared Deschutes' The Abyss, a stout from the west coast brewed with licorice and molasses and aged in some kind of liquor barrels. I've had bad experience with licorice in beer; I've had bad experience with beer that even mentions liquor. However, the worst part of this beer was the pain in the butt wax seal. Really smooth. Basically it was a strong flavored stout that didn't taste like coffee or chocolate. Very good.
Well, my current position at camp doesn't require me to abstain from drinking, but I imagine living alone in my lakeside cabin part time up here will keep my sampling to a minimum. Visiting friends in Virginia always puts me way ahead, and it seems I have some extra encouragement.
Colleen: 354
Paul: 324
Hilary, Paige and I got ready for the wedding together in my hotel room, but did so without beer until Deron arrived with a bottle opener. You know, I really just need to get myself one. I actually have at least two, but they don't fit in my pockets. The problem is, it needs to be tiny-- I took the car door unlocker thingy off my keychain because it was too big for my pocket. I unlock my door by hand. I digress.
Deron arrived with a bottle opener, and before we left for the wedding, I had Lancaster Milk Stout from a mixed six pack that Taylor and I made that morning. It was a little sweet but mostly just unexciting, which was fine by me. Very smooth, pretty plain, very drinkable, which was good, because we had a wedding to get to.
Between the ceremony and reception, a few of us went back to the hotel and had a round of Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA. While I do seem to be on a bit of an IPA kick these past few weeks, this one was a bit strong for me. Really, really hoppy. It kind of obscured anything else. I didn't totally hate it but prefer my IPA's a little better rounded.
The wedding was lovely and we made use of the open Budweiser. These pictures are from my waterproof digital camera dunked in Taylor's Bud, because he's sweet and tolerant of me:
(And yes, we also drank the Bud-- not my favorite macro brew, but not my least favorite either, and yes it was already on the list.)
After the wedding, several of us went back to the hotel to watch the end of the Jets-Colts game. There were Miller High Lifes aplenty, but Taylor and I also split Dogfish Head's Burton Baton, another IPA (more specifically an Imperial IPA). This one was also a bit stronger than I'd like, super duper hoppy, but this one was a little smoother going down. Not my favorite Dogfish Head brew, not my favorite IPA of theirs either, but it was pretty good. You true IPA fans out there might appreciate it more than I did though.
I'm back in New Jersey now, traveling nearly 1300 miles so far this year. (Note to self: perhaps I should keep a running tally this year?) Before heading to camp to start working today, I had a layover in Edison with Cheryl (and Lauren, via Skype!). Cheryl and I shared Deschutes' The Abyss, a stout from the west coast brewed with licorice and molasses and aged in some kind of liquor barrels. I've had bad experience with licorice in beer; I've had bad experience with beer that even mentions liquor. However, the worst part of this beer was the pain in the butt wax seal. Really smooth. Basically it was a strong flavored stout that didn't taste like coffee or chocolate. Very good.
Well, my current position at camp doesn't require me to abstain from drinking, but I imagine living alone in my lakeside cabin part time up here will keep my sampling to a minimum. Visiting friends in Virginia always puts me way ahead, and it seems I have some extra encouragement.
Colleen: 354
Paul: 324
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, March 28, 2010
three for me!
This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing my friend's sketch comedy group in New York City. I went to college with one of the guys in the group, so it was really fun to see him perform and catch up a little bit, but it also resulted in attending the show with Megan, old friend who I worked at the summer camp with AND went to college with (crazy!), her man Nick (another camp person), a friend of theirs, and Alice, another friend of mine from camp, who I've shared good beer with before and invited to this show because she recently suggested we do that again.
Here is what ensued:
This show was Chester's anniversary show, and for a small entrance fee, they offered us free beer! I grabbed myself a Pabst Blue Ribbon (in college, many called it "People's Beer of Richmond"-- the college memory is probably what drove me to choose it over the Bud they also had) and sat to enjoy the show, thinking nothing of the plain old party beer I was consuming. However, upon updating this blog and my beer list right now, I discovered it wasn't listed!
After the show, we ended up at Phebe's in the East Village. I managed to find two on draft that weren't on my list:
Abita's Purple Haze: I'm almost positive I had this in college at a beerluck (everybody brings a wacky or fancy six pack, everybody enjoys random beers together), but that predates the list, so here it is now. Alice and I agreed, it tasted like graham crackers. I actually didn't get any particular raspberry flavor, which is odd since this is categorized as a fruit beer, or a wheat beer with fruit in it-- either way, suggestive of tasting like the raspberry puree mixed in with it toward the end of the brewing process. It wasn't bad though. Perhaps it would be good for breakfast?
Phebe's Ale: I actually had an argument with one of the bartenders about this beer. She was being really rude, kept watching TV every time Alice and I tried to talk to her after she asked what she could get for us... I asked for the house ale, which was apparently only available at the back bar in the place. This is fine. I asked her if she thought it was worth walking to the back. After she was done watching something on the TV for a few seconds, and asking me to repeat myself, she told me she didn't know, it was like dark or something like New Castle Brown Ale, to which I responded, "That's not dark!"
It actually was pretty dark, darker than New Castle for sure, but definitely still an ale (I could still see light through it). It tasted a little bit like black licorice and a little bit like flat Coca Cola. It actually was a bit flat, not that I'm crazy about carbonation (I am really not a soda drinker), but it needs a little to carry the flavor. It wasn't my favorite beer ever. However, I'd still recommend Phebe's for their awesome spinach artichoke dip, which they seemed to make from scratch, or at least had more fresh looking spinach in it than the average spinach artichoke dip out there. It was delicious.
Paul: 211
Colleen: 213
Here is what ensued:
This show was Chester's anniversary show, and for a small entrance fee, they offered us free beer! I grabbed myself a Pabst Blue Ribbon (in college, many called it "People's Beer of Richmond"-- the college memory is probably what drove me to choose it over the Bud they also had) and sat to enjoy the show, thinking nothing of the plain old party beer I was consuming. However, upon updating this blog and my beer list right now, I discovered it wasn't listed!
After the show, we ended up at Phebe's in the East Village. I managed to find two on draft that weren't on my list:
Abita's Purple Haze: I'm almost positive I had this in college at a beerluck (everybody brings a wacky or fancy six pack, everybody enjoys random beers together), but that predates the list, so here it is now. Alice and I agreed, it tasted like graham crackers. I actually didn't get any particular raspberry flavor, which is odd since this is categorized as a fruit beer, or a wheat beer with fruit in it-- either way, suggestive of tasting like the raspberry puree mixed in with it toward the end of the brewing process. It wasn't bad though. Perhaps it would be good for breakfast?
Phebe's Ale: I actually had an argument with one of the bartenders about this beer. She was being really rude, kept watching TV every time Alice and I tried to talk to her after she asked what she could get for us... I asked for the house ale, which was apparently only available at the back bar in the place. This is fine. I asked her if she thought it was worth walking to the back. After she was done watching something on the TV for a few seconds, and asking me to repeat myself, she told me she didn't know, it was like dark or something like New Castle Brown Ale, to which I responded, "That's not dark!"
It actually was pretty dark, darker than New Castle for sure, but definitely still an ale (I could still see light through it). It tasted a little bit like black licorice and a little bit like flat Coca Cola. It actually was a bit flat, not that I'm crazy about carbonation (I am really not a soda drinker), but it needs a little to carry the flavor. It wasn't my favorite beer ever. However, I'd still recommend Phebe's for their awesome spinach artichoke dip, which they seemed to make from scratch, or at least had more fresh looking spinach in it than the average spinach artichoke dip out there. It was delicious.
Paul: 211
Colleen: 213
Friday, February 26, 2010
What? I'd never had them before!
The only thing exciting about this update is the fact that these two new beers resulted from a snowed in slumber party with my good friend Cheryl. She called me well into the winter weather's arrival but nothing had stuck yet. We decided to go out to dinner with her man and my also good friend Gurzo yesterday evening. The idea started with Baja Fresh but ended with the much better idea of Jose Tejas, an excellent restaurant that is usually super duper busy, but we got a table without a problem due to the fact that the snow began to stick by then.
I enjoyed my black bean and corn empanadas with a Lone Star. Why? Because it was the only one on the menu that I hadn't had before. And while the people of the internet have expressed nothing but dislike for this beer, I didn't mind it. It was a very straightforward, unexciting lager, which goes very well with the delicious Tex Mex cuisine. Not too bubbly, not too dull, just right and refreshing. This falls under the heading of "American Adjunct Lager" as all of the things I labelled Mexican Lager do, but this didn't taste like all of the beers I had in Mexico. I suppose you could put a lime in it if you wanted to, but I don't think it's really worth it. It's boring, but I think that was fine under the circumstances. I might even order it again under similar circumstances, although the restaurant also had Modelo Negra, one of my favorite beers I tried in Mexico (also one of the darkest, which is a very, very relative description)... so maybe not. We'll see.
After dinner, we went back to their house to watch the Olympics because we love them. I had a Fosters. Why? Because it was left over from our Olympics Opening Ceremony party and I hadn't had it before. We watched women's figure skating and some men's freestyle ski jumping while I enjoyed another pretty boring American Adjunct Lager, which Beer Advocate describes as focusing less on flavor and more on mass production. True story, but another not so bad straightforward "whatever lager". I could see it being more refreshing after a long day of hard work in hot weather, as I found most of the other American Adjunct Lagers that I've tried, but since it was snowing quite a lot and we were just sitting under blankets watching women's figure skating finals, it was not overwhelmingly memorable or impressive.
The women's figure skating finals, however, totally were.
Another lovely evening with lovely friends, another couple of beers on my list.
Colleen: 205
Paul: 200
I enjoyed my black bean and corn empanadas with a Lone Star. Why? Because it was the only one on the menu that I hadn't had before. And while the people of the internet have expressed nothing but dislike for this beer, I didn't mind it. It was a very straightforward, unexciting lager, which goes very well with the delicious Tex Mex cuisine. Not too bubbly, not too dull, just right and refreshing. This falls under the heading of "American Adjunct Lager" as all of the things I labelled Mexican Lager do, but this didn't taste like all of the beers I had in Mexico. I suppose you could put a lime in it if you wanted to, but I don't think it's really worth it. It's boring, but I think that was fine under the circumstances. I might even order it again under similar circumstances, although the restaurant also had Modelo Negra, one of my favorite beers I tried in Mexico (also one of the darkest, which is a very, very relative description)... so maybe not. We'll see.
After dinner, we went back to their house to watch the Olympics because we love them. I had a Fosters. Why? Because it was left over from our Olympics Opening Ceremony party and I hadn't had it before. We watched women's figure skating and some men's freestyle ski jumping while I enjoyed another pretty boring American Adjunct Lager, which Beer Advocate describes as focusing less on flavor and more on mass production. True story, but another not so bad straightforward "whatever lager". I could see it being more refreshing after a long day of hard work in hot weather, as I found most of the other American Adjunct Lagers that I've tried, but since it was snowing quite a lot and we were just sitting under blankets watching women's figure skating finals, it was not overwhelmingly memorable or impressive.
The women's figure skating finals, however, totally were.
Another lovely evening with lovely friends, another couple of beers on my list.
Colleen: 205
Paul: 200
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