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

Colleen enjoyed an IPA!

Last night, in lieu of a typical Monday night at Stuffies with my favorite residents of Edison and Metuchen, the crew headed to Jeremy's house to help along the moving in process of his cool lady, Megan. Before I headed north from home, I stopped to pick up a couple of beers to share. Cheryl called as I arrived at the liquor store, and I asked what she'd like. Her response? Something hoppy. Which surprised me, but I went with it.

I stopped at a store that I'd never been in before in Silverton, and it didn't have a particularly impressive beer selection, but I did see something that I suspect is amazing... I'll tell you about it when I actually get to try it (it's currently held hostage in Cheryl's fridge!). But right next to it was Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, which I totally bought because it was next to the aforementioned potentially amazing beer, and because it had a hilarious name. But this turned out to be awesome. Cheryl and I took a break before unpacking the kitchen and enjoyed this together. It was awesome. I'm not sure if my tastebuds are finally cooperating with IPAs and other bitter beverages, or if this one was just so unbelievable that it could transcend my dislike of that style of brew. The hops were strong but not offensive, and it was very smooth. I would drink this again and recommend it to others.

After the dishes were unpacked, Cheryl and I delved into the beer that had been supplied for the moving crew. We chose Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, and a good choice it was. Actually, there was nothing particularly remarkable about this beer, but I think that's what made it for me. It's just a really good, pleasant brown ale, totally something you would drink on a crisp fall day while raking leaves or something. It wasn't too sweet, it wasn't too bitter, it was just smooth and pleasant.

And just now, as I wrote this, I tried Williamsburg Alewerks' Pumpkin Ale, the last from the mixed six I made when I visited Paul a few weeks ago. This tastes like pumpkin pie. Don't get me wrong, I totally love pumpkin pie. But I want my beer to still sort of resemble beer. This was just too sweet and spiced for me. I wasn't crazy about it. If your expectations for pumpkin beer include it tasting like pie, then this is the pumpkin brew for you. Otherwise, I don't see the need to do this again.

Colleen: 290
Paul: 270 (though I see he has an entry on standby that has quite a few beers in it!...)

I've been pretty busy lately, but I did manage to finish off the last beer from my custom six pack. I also managed to get to Fireflies with my cousin Brendan last Friday to have some beers. We made nice with the bar manager there, which led to me trying perhaps the most interesting beer I've ever tried (see my last review). My family went back there on Father's Day for brunch (no new beers though). For Father's Day, I got dear old dad a custom six pack of IPAs.

Lion Stout: This was the last of my custom six pack. If you like stouts, you will like this. If you don't like stouts, I would avoid it. It's made in Sri Lanka, which I can't exactly say gave me high expectations - I hadn't really heard of a long and storied beer tradition from there. The beer was like any other stout, dark. It had a bit of ompf to the taste. Like I said, if stouts are your thing, this is the beer for you.

Leinenkugels Summer Shandy: This beer was so terrible, it practically made me weep. If you like fruity beers, then I guess there is a chance you will like this - but I tend to doubt it. It was basically a glass of lemonade mixed with beer. This is an insult to beer. Unfortunately, this is a sad strange trend for Leinenkugel.

Breckenridge Avalance Amber: I like amber ales. As far as an amber ales go, this was below average. However, you could argue I was biased against it, since it came in a can. It was poured out into a glass, but it wasn't anything special. In some ways, I thought it was lacking in character or watery.

Left Hand Sawtooth ESB: I thought this was a slightly above average pale ale. I generally thought it wasn't overwhelmingly hoppy, which is traditional for its style. I rushed through this one a bit, so I don't have the best descriptors for it.

Green Flash Le Freak: Perhaps the most interesting beer I've ever tried. This beer follows America's long, proud tradition of pissing on Europe's cannonical norms. This beer seemed like a blend between a Belgian Trippel and an American Pale Ale (which basically amounts to an IPA on the 'roids Barry Bonds took). The taste was very flavorful with a slight fruit characteristic during the sip, and as the glass was pulled away, the taste turned turned into full on hops. I can't say I loved it, but I can say it was interesting.

Note: I also discovered one of the vegetable drawers in my fridge is full of Yuengling and pork roll. I love my roommates.

The scorecard:
Colleen: 267
Paul: 249

Cheers,
Paul

Another two hashmarks

Tonight I had my friend Matt over for our semi-weekly pizza and beer night. It's a good time to see and hang out with a guy I've been friends with for 16+ years. Typically, we just hang out in front of ESPN/sports and discuss life. It's really a good time. In any event, I got a chance to continue tasting beers from the custom six pack my brother so graciously gave me for my birthday. There were four new beers in the pack, and these are the final two.

Saranac Black and Tan: The Black and Tan, which is a mix between a stout and a lager in this case, is a favorite here at DBF. To clarify terminology: if you order a Black and Tan at a bar, you should expect half Guinness and half Bass Ale. If you order a Half 'N Half, you should expect half Guinness and half Harp Lager. If you've followed me thus far, it seems Saranac hasn't completely followed the pattern here, but that's ok! This was a well balanced beer. The black and tan takes some of the best characteristics from the lager and the stout - which is typical. The lager provides the smooth body and crisp after taste. The stout on the other hand provides the roasted malt flavor. This is worth another try.

Harpoon Leviathon Imperial IPA: When I saw this name, it gave the unpleasant memory of Stone Levitation Ale. Fortunately, it did not give that impression when I tasted it. Harpoon has done a fine job with this beer. There is a quality hop character (or bitterness) that I didn't find overbearing, despite what the name suggests. Even better was how well balanced the hops were with the malt flavors - which can be rare for an IPA. Overall, I think this beer wouldn't be a bad starter IPA, for those unfamiliar with the style.

Looks like I've jumped back in the lead, but I am sure it will be short lived.

The scorecard:
Paul: 211
Colleen: 210

Cheers,
Paul

The Brickskeller

If beer were a religion, I just found its high altar. I'm not kidding. Obviously, this isn't a new discovery for the world, but on my part. Recently, a few people have told me that I should try out The Brickskeller. It has been open in Washington DC for over 50 years, and they started business with having the world's largest selection of beer (which was about 50 at the time). Now that list is over 1,000! They have weekly beer tastings featuring different micro brews and the brewers who make them as well. Did I mention this is a Mom and Pop joint? I'm going to take a moment so we can all take that in....

Now, needless to say I have a new favorite bar. It's a couple blocks from DuPont Circle in DC, and has a nearby Metro - win. I met there with my sailing buddy from college, Hazen. The cool part was that the bartenders used a dumbwaiter to get beers from the storage cellar to the bar. That means they are pulling on a rope half the night to get your order to you. There are also about 12 beers on tap, only two of which that I had heard of before. I had one beer on tap, and three from the bottle. This place rocks.

We both had a great time. It was nice to see a college friend of mine. As you get older, hanging out with friends becomes more infrequent. It's just life. Nonetheless, I think he and I will be going back there sooner rather than later. I just wish my tolerance was as high as it was in college...oh well. We'll also do some sailing together this summer - he owns a boat.

I really need to start carrying a copy of my beer list on my phone or something. The Brickskeller made this apparent, because I know there were beers from brewers I've had before there, I just didn't know which. Therefore, I generally played it safe and went with brewers I had not heard of before, except for a Brooklyn beer.

Brooklyn Blast Imperial IPA: I enjoyed this beer, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It didn't seem overly hoppy, which is what one would expect when they see the term IPA. However, I thought it came across as a pretty balanced beer. It wasn't the best beer I've ever had, but I'd certainly give it another try.

Speakeasy Prohibition Amber Ale: This beer caught my eye on the beer menu due to its name, being that it references the dumbest point in American History. All I can say is that I thank God for beer and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. My ranting aside, I did enjoy this beer. I have an affinity for amber ales. I thought it was well balanced between smooth, slightly caramel flavored, malts and bitterness of hops. I want to have this beer again.

Oskar Blues Ten-Fidy Imperial Russian Stout: One disadvantage of having over 1,000 beers on the menu is that some items are kept at low inventory, so it's easy to run out. After a few tries to get an Imperial Russian, and politely declining a $45 dollar bottle of Imperial Russian, I was brought this beer. I liked it quite a bit, although it took about halfway through before I got over the fact that it came in a can?! The beer was classic Imperial Russian: thick, full of flavors (including roasted chocolate malts), and high in alcohol content. It comes in at a whopping 10% ABV.

Legacy Hedonism Red Ale: I can admit that this beer name caught my eye on the menu, and that's about the only reason I ordered it. I really hated this beer. I thought it was terrible. The only flavor that came to my mind was creamy. It was like drinking that terrible cream soda someone gives you as a kid. I will avoid this at all costs in the future - 81/100 on ratebeer.com be damned!

With these beers, I have now closed the gap to less than 10. Weather permitting (there's some snow in DC today), I will be joining my friends Tim & Heather at a Bistro near their place for dinner. The noteworthy part of this for you, the reader? The place has many micro-brews on tap, and matches beers with menu selections. There will be a full report later.

Many thanks to Hazen for giving me a heads up about the bar with the largest selection of beer in the world. Next time we go, I'm going for international beers. I just wanted to try some American Craft Brews that I hadn't had.

The scorecard:
Colleen: 194
Paul: 185

Cheers,
Paul