Showing posts with label brown ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brown ale. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Earp family Christmas beer selection 2011
Sorry this is overdue. My life has been busy with working holiday retail purgatory and family time. I wanted to share what happened when Mom gave me her credit card and told me to pick up eight 6 packs for the holidays. I had a stout fermenting but it wasn't going to be ready in time. It's now bottled and carbonating, should be ready to go in time to celebrate Grandma's birthday in another week (and oh man, is she looking forward to trying my beer). So, this Christmas's eight--
Miller Lite: Despite it being practically required in this family, there are still five left on today, the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Lager: Stocking up on the standards. Worst case scenario I cook with this. Best case scenario we have Grandma over and enjoy a beer together.
Yuengling Black and Tan: You know what? I like this. So does my grandmother.
So, those first three are non-negotiable when Mom hands me the card and says go to town. The rest--
Killian's: I used to love this a lot, but to be honest, I haven't had it in a few years. I think it might be too carbonated for me, actually. I like red beers though, but this one I always get because I know my dad and my one uncle are fans.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: I got this because I know my big brother likes brown ales and I wanted to do something besides New Castle, which is good, but I always do for him. Well, I guess he was pleased, because I got none of them, and there are none left.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: As much as I love beers that resemble black paint, I also love a good hefeweizen. This is definitely a good, good hefeweizen, tasting ever so slightly of cloves and bananas as well a good hefeweizen should, without being overwhelming. It's pleasant and feels warm and refreshing all at once. We always try to have a good mix around the holidays (basically meaning I can't get ALL stouts but I always won't allow for ALL light/plain beers), so the hefeweizen has been my go-to "see through" contribution. This one though goes so far above and beyond just filling a spot on the spectrum. Really. Drink it.
Magic Hat's Encore IPA: Another style I know Chris likes, and at this point I was desperate to try something new. This is part of the Magic Hat IPA World Tour, whatever that means-- last year I tried the Blind Faith IPA which I didn't find super incredible. This one, however, is pretty good. I don't know if the difference is that it's an American Wheat IPA (I do like wheat), but it's an IPA that does its job. It's bitter and refreshing without hurting my mouth or stomach. It's funny, because this one isn't anything exceptional, but I like it way more than I remember liking the Blind Faith. I'd recommend it.
Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout: THIS WAS AWESOME. I know, I'm biased toward beer that you can't see through. I bought this because I hadn't tried it before, and only just learned in writing this post that Wolaver is the organic label for Otter Creek, a totally legit and good brewery in Middlebury, Vermont (which is clearly a great place, as that is where Dispatch formed). Anyway. I really only bought this because it was an oatmeal stout, but I was not disappointed. It's not very sweet, but it's very smooth and drinkable, a nice, not-too-heavy stout. I would get this again if I wasn't so hell bent on trying new beers all the time. What the heck. I'll probably get this again.
Other things I plan to repeat soon? Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout. Santa failed to leave one in my stocking but I think that's going to be my belated gift to myself as a reward for not messing up Christmas dinner this year (deep fried turkey! and half a dozen side dishes! all successful! AND THERE WAS GRAVY*!).
*Last year, there wasn't. And that may have also happened one other year that I was in charge of the meal. Sorry, vegetarians forget about these details...
Miller Lite: Despite it being practically required in this family, there are still five left on today, the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Lager: Stocking up on the standards. Worst case scenario I cook with this. Best case scenario we have Grandma over and enjoy a beer together.
Yuengling Black and Tan: You know what? I like this. So does my grandmother.
So, those first three are non-negotiable when Mom hands me the card and says go to town. The rest--
Killian's: I used to love this a lot, but to be honest, I haven't had it in a few years. I think it might be too carbonated for me, actually. I like red beers though, but this one I always get because I know my dad and my one uncle are fans.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: I got this because I know my big brother likes brown ales and I wanted to do something besides New Castle, which is good, but I always do for him. Well, I guess he was pleased, because I got none of them, and there are none left.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen: As much as I love beers that resemble black paint, I also love a good hefeweizen. This is definitely a good, good hefeweizen, tasting ever so slightly of cloves and bananas as well a good hefeweizen should, without being overwhelming. It's pleasant and feels warm and refreshing all at once. We always try to have a good mix around the holidays (basically meaning I can't get ALL stouts but I always won't allow for ALL light/plain beers), so the hefeweizen has been my go-to "see through" contribution. This one though goes so far above and beyond just filling a spot on the spectrum. Really. Drink it.
Magic Hat's Encore IPA: Another style I know Chris likes, and at this point I was desperate to try something new. This is part of the Magic Hat IPA World Tour, whatever that means-- last year I tried the Blind Faith IPA which I didn't find super incredible. This one, however, is pretty good. I don't know if the difference is that it's an American Wheat IPA (I do like wheat), but it's an IPA that does its job. It's bitter and refreshing without hurting my mouth or stomach. It's funny, because this one isn't anything exceptional, but I like it way more than I remember liking the Blind Faith. I'd recommend it.
Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout: THIS WAS AWESOME. I know, I'm biased toward beer that you can't see through. I bought this because I hadn't tried it before, and only just learned in writing this post that Wolaver is the organic label for Otter Creek, a totally legit and good brewery in Middlebury, Vermont (which is clearly a great place, as that is where Dispatch formed). Anyway. I really only bought this because it was an oatmeal stout, but I was not disappointed. It's not very sweet, but it's very smooth and drinkable, a nice, not-too-heavy stout. I would get this again if I wasn't so hell bent on trying new beers all the time. What the heck. I'll probably get this again.
Other things I plan to repeat soon? Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout. Santa failed to leave one in my stocking but I think that's going to be my belated gift to myself as a reward for not messing up Christmas dinner this year (deep fried turkey! and half a dozen side dishes! all successful! AND THERE WAS GRAVY*!).
*Last year, there wasn't. And that may have also happened one other year that I was in charge of the meal. Sorry, vegetarians forget about these details...
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hello again!
A summer under contract, a week without power and a two week roadtrip later, I'm back and have a few beers to share with you! Hope you have been well. I assure you that Paul is also alive, and probably even has a few beers to share. I'll do this in installments. Today's goes along with the pile of updates about my recent travels around the US. While my roadtrip companions searched for good gift shops to bring nice things back to their family and friends, I prefer to mark my travels by learning about new trees and trying new beers. My apologies to my family and friends. I do love you. Now I just know where to take you for a good beer should we ever travel together!
In Nashville
Yazoo Pale Ale: Really, really, really hoppy, bordering on tasting like a bouquet of flowers. So dry. My European friends did not like this at all. I liked it the more I drank. Very refreshing, smooth finish but holy hops, Batman.
Yazoo Dos Perros: Pretty malt-heavy brown ale. It was ok. I wonder if Yazoo does middle ground on the bitter to sweet spectrum of things? By the two I tasted, the answer is no.
Blues Brew: I can't find anything about this beer but I don't care. It wasn't about the beer, but where I had it. The beer was fine, whatever, kind of like an amber ale I guess, who cares. The BB King Blues Club was awesome. I've said it before, I know it's awesome because it's touristy, but I DON'T CARE. It's SO good! So whatever, I had a beer, got to keep the glass, beer was adequate, music was superb.
In Memphis
Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan: Hearing the name made me think of pie, but that's not how it was. This was a pretty lightweight beer and I didn't get much pecan or nut flavor at all, just a plain brown ale. This was fine under the circumstances, the circumstances being that I was on Beale Street in Memphis, which gets closed off by police so you can just wander around with beer and listen to incredible blues bands. I was pretty overstimulated as it was, so I was happy to drink a relatively plain local beer at that moment.
In Chicago
Half Acre Daisy Cutter: Another very hoppy pale ale, but it was good. One of my travel buddies said it tasted like green tea. I'd disagree, but definitely had some kind of very fresh flavor going on... almost like grass, if that makes any sense. This has a very strong flavor but a very clean finish. I liked it. (Remember when I used to hate hoppy beers? I would have hated this beer once upon a time...)
Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale: After some deliberation, this was my second beer at Miller's Pub in the Windy City, mostly so I could compare two local pale ales. This was definitely a less severe pale ale, but still plenty hoppy and pale. I think I liked this one more because the first sip didn't completely punch me in the face. Still good though.
In West Virginia but not a local beer
Coopers Best Extra Stout: Not local as in Australia... but this was good. A little sweet, but good. I do love stout. It was like a sweeter Guinness. Very smooth and no particularly strong flavors that you sometimes find in stouts. Just stout.
Good roadtrip (3225 miles) and good beers (just these and a few assorted Miller Lights and Yuenglings).
In Nashville
Yazoo Pale Ale: Really, really, really hoppy, bordering on tasting like a bouquet of flowers. So dry. My European friends did not like this at all. I liked it the more I drank. Very refreshing, smooth finish but holy hops, Batman.
Yazoo Dos Perros: Pretty malt-heavy brown ale. It was ok. I wonder if Yazoo does middle ground on the bitter to sweet spectrum of things? By the two I tasted, the answer is no.
Blues Brew: I can't find anything about this beer but I don't care. It wasn't about the beer, but where I had it. The beer was fine, whatever, kind of like an amber ale I guess, who cares. The BB King Blues Club was awesome. I've said it before, I know it's awesome because it's touristy, but I DON'T CARE. It's SO good! So whatever, I had a beer, got to keep the glass, beer was adequate, music was superb.
In Memphis
Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan: Hearing the name made me think of pie, but that's not how it was. This was a pretty lightweight beer and I didn't get much pecan or nut flavor at all, just a plain brown ale. This was fine under the circumstances, the circumstances being that I was on Beale Street in Memphis, which gets closed off by police so you can just wander around with beer and listen to incredible blues bands. I was pretty overstimulated as it was, so I was happy to drink a relatively plain local beer at that moment.
In Chicago
Half Acre Daisy Cutter: Another very hoppy pale ale, but it was good. One of my travel buddies said it tasted like green tea. I'd disagree, but definitely had some kind of very fresh flavor going on... almost like grass, if that makes any sense. This has a very strong flavor but a very clean finish. I liked it. (Remember when I used to hate hoppy beers? I would have hated this beer once upon a time...)
Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale: After some deliberation, this was my second beer at Miller's Pub in the Windy City, mostly so I could compare two local pale ales. This was definitely a less severe pale ale, but still plenty hoppy and pale. I think I liked this one more because the first sip didn't completely punch me in the face. Still good though.
In West Virginia but not a local beer
Coopers Best Extra Stout: Not local as in Australia... but this was good. A little sweet, but good. I do love stout. It was like a sweeter Guinness. Very smooth and no particularly strong flavors that you sometimes find in stouts. Just stout.
Good roadtrip (3225 miles) and good beers (just these and a few assorted Miller Lights and Yuenglings).
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
Friday, December 24, 2010
Holidays '10 - Part 1
For many of us, this will be a hectic Holiday season. In that spirit, I will keep this post simple and to the point. I'd like to wish you all Happy Holidays. I'd also like to wish my dear beer friend a very Merry Christmas. Hopefully, I can close her lead down to 20 before the new year begins...
Great Lakes Eliot Ness: One of the more enjoyable beers that I've had in the past month. This amber lager was very, very smooth. The caramel hops really came out in the flavor, and were well balanced with the hops. I've heard many excellent reviews of Great Lakes brewing, and this certainly lived up to those expectations.
River Horse Belgian Freeze Winter Ale: This was a rather mediocre winter brew. It's style is related to Trappist beers, which really aren't my thing. I thought the beer, which had a nice amber hue, was a bit sweet. The alcohol was moderately high. Overall, I'd probably avoid this in the future, but if Belgian styles are your preference this is worth giving a shot.
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale: The interesting part about this beer comes down to the rye in the recipe - hence, the name. If you like hops or are an IPA junkie, this is worth giving a shot. I think the rye malt helped balance the hops out well.
Peak Organic Pale Ale: If you look at the review on ratebeer, you will notice that this beer got a rather low rating. I greatly disagree with the review there. I thought this is how a pale ale should taste. There was a pleasant after taste that really persisted. When purchasing the bottle, I worried it might be underrated due to the buzz word organic in the name. I was wrong. If you like pale ales or IPAs, try this.
Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale: Unlike its sibling, this beer does not do much for me. It came across as being rather underwhelming. In this case, the term organic was more of a marketing buzz word than an indication of quality.
Ommegang Three Philosophers: This beer is a blend of a malty, Belgian style ale and a classic cherry ale. The Belgian ale accounts for 98% of the volume, and the cherry ale accounts for the remaining 2%. The cherries are quite present in the taste, but by no means is this Kool-Aid for adults. Like a lot of Belgian style ales, the yeast is still present in the bottle and gives a fruity aroma to the beer as well. This would make a good beer for a few friends to try.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 341
Paul - 317
Cheers,
Paul
Great Lakes Eliot Ness: One of the more enjoyable beers that I've had in the past month. This amber lager was very, very smooth. The caramel hops really came out in the flavor, and were well balanced with the hops. I've heard many excellent reviews of Great Lakes brewing, and this certainly lived up to those expectations.
River Horse Belgian Freeze Winter Ale: This was a rather mediocre winter brew. It's style is related to Trappist beers, which really aren't my thing. I thought the beer, which had a nice amber hue, was a bit sweet. The alcohol was moderately high. Overall, I'd probably avoid this in the future, but if Belgian styles are your preference this is worth giving a shot.
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale: The interesting part about this beer comes down to the rye in the recipe - hence, the name. If you like hops or are an IPA junkie, this is worth giving a shot. I think the rye malt helped balance the hops out well.
Peak Organic Pale Ale: If you look at the review on ratebeer, you will notice that this beer got a rather low rating. I greatly disagree with the review there. I thought this is how a pale ale should taste. There was a pleasant after taste that really persisted. When purchasing the bottle, I worried it might be underrated due to the buzz word organic in the name. I was wrong. If you like pale ales or IPAs, try this.
Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale: Unlike its sibling, this beer does not do much for me. It came across as being rather underwhelming. In this case, the term organic was more of a marketing buzz word than an indication of quality.
Ommegang Three Philosophers: This beer is a blend of a malty, Belgian style ale and a classic cherry ale. The Belgian ale accounts for 98% of the volume, and the cherry ale accounts for the remaining 2%. The cherries are quite present in the taste, but by no means is this Kool-Aid for adults. Like a lot of Belgian style ales, the yeast is still present in the bottle and gives a fruity aroma to the beer as well. This would make a good beer for a few friends to try.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 341
Paul - 317
Cheers,
Paul
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.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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 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!...)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Beer, Football, and Traveling
A few weeks ago, there was an extended family party in Richmond. Afterward, some of us met for dinner at Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria. They always have a good beer menu. I was looking for something lighter, being that I was tired from sitting in traffic all day, it was hot (I laugh at that now...it's going to top 100 today), and I was dehydrated.
Eggenberg Pilsner: I thought this beer was light, smooth, and refreshing. Unlike a macro light beer, it had a lot more flavor to it. It was slightly above average on alcohol content. To me, it was a great summer beer. It had a bit of a champagne body to it, which was surprising. Let's face it, you don't want a porter when you're overheated and dehydrated. Ok, maybe you do if you're Colleen...but that's not my thing.
Later that week, my beer adventures continued with a trip to Crystal City Sports Pub to watch the USA vs Algeria world cup game (yes, this was two weeks ago...it's been a lot of repeats recently). I have some flexibility with my work schedule, so this enabled me to watch the game there. It was a fantastic time. There's something about having two hundred people in a sports pub, drinking beer, and eating eggs while watching football. My beer of choice? Guinness, of course. Clearly, the beer gods smiled upon me that day.
The following weekend I traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a friend's wedding. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to meet some great people, see my friend get married, hit the open bar (hard), and try some new beers. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by Laura's brother and his family the night before the wedding. Their hospitality was much appreciated. I really like that section of the country, and honsetly wished I could have tried more beers in the land of microbrews.
Grizzly Peak Bearpaw Porter: The groom recommended Grizzly Peak Brewing in downtown Ann Arbor. When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was searching sustenance as the airports had no selection of micro-brews. I thought this was an excellent porter. I wish I could have brought a growler home. Unfortunately, I am told this is only distributed locally, so it's difficult to find in a bottle.
Grizzly Peak Liberty Lager: This was a seasonal by Grizzly Peak, so I am not surprised ratebeer.com has yet to have a page on it. I liked the porter a lot more, but this wasn't bad either. There can be a lot of variation in lagers, and this erred on the hoppy side. However, the hop choice was interesting, since the aftertaste had a bittersweet to it.
Labatt Blue Light: I brought this over for Laura's brother, as he requested a Canadian beer. It was your average light beer.
I helped my friend Andy move his sailboat on 4th of July weekend. It took 7 hours to move it through the Chesapeake Bay, about 3 hours longer than it should have. While it was hot that day, the wind allowed for it to not feel as bad. However, when we finished I was pretty exhausted and dehydrated. They graciously fed us, and the dinner was excellent.
Pabst Blue Ribbon: Andy's mom offered me this beer, and I housed it due to the conditions described above. The beer was fine, probably because it was cold, and I needed a beer more than I needed a good beer.
I haven't had many new ones lately, so I am squandering my chance to retake the lead. I think I will be heading to make a custom six pack soon. Also, Laura and I will be roadtripping in the next three weeks, so perhaps I can stop at some brewpubs or microbreweries soon.
During my travels, I also had two retreads of note:
Legend Brown Ale: If you like Brown Ales, this is probably a beer for you to try. I wasn't a huge fan of this, again. I thought it was a little too full bodied for a Brown Ale. However, I admit that there would be plenty of people that would like this.
Bell's Oberon: I had this a couple month's ago at the Brickskeller. While in Ann Arbor, I had the chance to have a few of these on tap. I think this is an excellent summer wheat ale. Bell's is perhaps one of the best microbrewers in the country, and this only proves that statement further.
The Scorecard:
Colleen - 267
Paul - 254
Cheers,
Paul
Eggenberg Pilsner: I thought this beer was light, smooth, and refreshing. Unlike a macro light beer, it had a lot more flavor to it. It was slightly above average on alcohol content. To me, it was a great summer beer. It had a bit of a champagne body to it, which was surprising. Let's face it, you don't want a porter when you're overheated and dehydrated. Ok, maybe you do if you're Colleen...but that's not my thing.
Later that week, my beer adventures continued with a trip to Crystal City Sports Pub to watch the USA vs Algeria world cup game (yes, this was two weeks ago...it's been a lot of repeats recently). I have some flexibility with my work schedule, so this enabled me to watch the game there. It was a fantastic time. There's something about having two hundred people in a sports pub, drinking beer, and eating eggs while watching football. My beer of choice? Guinness, of course. Clearly, the beer gods smiled upon me that day.
The following weekend I traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a friend's wedding. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to meet some great people, see my friend get married, hit the open bar (hard), and try some new beers. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by Laura's brother and his family the night before the wedding. Their hospitality was much appreciated. I really like that section of the country, and honsetly wished I could have tried more beers in the land of microbrews.
Grizzly Peak Bearpaw Porter: The groom recommended Grizzly Peak Brewing in downtown Ann Arbor. When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was searching sustenance as the airports had no selection of micro-brews. I thought this was an excellent porter. I wish I could have brought a growler home. Unfortunately, I am told this is only distributed locally, so it's difficult to find in a bottle.
Grizzly Peak Liberty Lager: This was a seasonal by Grizzly Peak, so I am not surprised ratebeer.com has yet to have a page on it. I liked the porter a lot more, but this wasn't bad either. There can be a lot of variation in lagers, and this erred on the hoppy side. However, the hop choice was interesting, since the aftertaste had a bittersweet to it.
Labatt Blue Light: I brought this over for Laura's brother, as he requested a Canadian beer. It was your average light beer.
I helped my friend Andy move his sailboat on 4th of July weekend. It took 7 hours to move it through the Chesapeake Bay, about 3 hours longer than it should have. While it was hot that day, the wind allowed for it to not feel as bad. However, when we finished I was pretty exhausted and dehydrated. They graciously fed us, and the dinner was excellent.
Pabst Blue Ribbon: Andy's mom offered me this beer, and I housed it due to the conditions described above. The beer was fine, probably because it was cold, and I needed a beer more than I needed a good beer.
I haven't had many new ones lately, so I am squandering my chance to retake the lead. I think I will be heading to make a custom six pack soon. Also, Laura and I will be roadtripping in the next three weeks, so perhaps I can stop at some brewpubs or microbreweries soon.
During my travels, I also had two retreads of note:
Legend Brown Ale: If you like Brown Ales, this is probably a beer for you to try. I wasn't a huge fan of this, again. I thought it was a little too full bodied for a Brown Ale. However, I admit that there would be plenty of people that would like this.
Bell's Oberon: I had this a couple month's ago at the Brickskeller. While in Ann Arbor, I had the chance to have a few of these on tap. I think this is an excellent summer wheat ale. Bell's is perhaps one of the best microbrewers in the country, and this only proves that statement further.
The Scorecard:
Colleen - 267
Paul - 254
Cheers,
Paul
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!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
keeping it close with Corsendonk (it's fun to say)
I tried two new beers on Monday! It's been a really busy week trying to keep on top of all of my schoolwork, but I am currently sitting on a couch at home, doing my laundry and thinking about accomplishing some non-required reading that may help my ultimate goal of getting out of grad school sometime soon. I think now is the appropriate time to take a break and tell you about my new beers. Earlier in the week when I was doing double seminar readings (this week we doubled up from the week we missed class due to snow) was not the time.
Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale: Please recall the recent joyful introduction to Corsendonk Abbey Ale. As a result of that excellent experience, I was very excited to try this beer by the same brewer-- I mean, come on, it's even just fun to say the name! Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Um, yeah. Anyway. I did absolutely love this one as much as the other Abbey Ale, but it was still a legit beer. I think the malty flavor was a little too sweet for me, with a little bit of kick. Definitely not a Backdraft Brown Ale of awesomeness (see here, here and here). But still a very nice brown ale.
Corsendonk. Admit it. It's fun to say. Corsendonk.
Grolsch Premium Lager: This really paled in comparison to the preceding beer (Corsendonk!). This pale lager (ha ha get the pun!?) tasted like liquid skunk. We checked the date, it was plenty fresh, just awful. I ordered this at Stuffies because my friend Gurzo said he'd never seen anyone drink it and it comes in a neat bottle. The infamous awesome bartender Jill actually laughed at me when I asked for it. So... yeah. I'm not recommending this one. If I wasn't paying for it, I might be tempted to try it again on the offhand chance that it was a random skunked bottle, but I'm not in any hurry. It was just a really sharp flavor lurking under the air of skunk spray.
It's a shame that skunks are associated with such an awful scent/flavor, since they're so darn cute, especially the babies.
And with that, Paul: 213, Colleen: 215.
PS: Bonus link from my friend Becky: Beer Madness! How would you rate these? Next to nothing would beat Guinness in my book, especially in the first round...
Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale: Please recall the recent joyful introduction to Corsendonk Abbey Ale. As a result of that excellent experience, I was very excited to try this beer by the same brewer-- I mean, come on, it's even just fun to say the name! Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Corsendonk. Um, yeah. Anyway. I did absolutely love this one as much as the other Abbey Ale, but it was still a legit beer. I think the malty flavor was a little too sweet for me, with a little bit of kick. Definitely not a Backdraft Brown Ale of awesomeness (see here, here and here). But still a very nice brown ale.
Corsendonk. Admit it. It's fun to say. Corsendonk.
Grolsch Premium Lager: This really paled in comparison to the preceding beer (Corsendonk!). This pale lager (ha ha get the pun!?) tasted like liquid skunk. We checked the date, it was plenty fresh, just awful. I ordered this at Stuffies because my friend Gurzo said he'd never seen anyone drink it and it comes in a neat bottle. The infamous awesome bartender Jill actually laughed at me when I asked for it. So... yeah. I'm not recommending this one. If I wasn't paying for it, I might be tempted to try it again on the offhand chance that it was a random skunked bottle, but I'm not in any hurry. It was just a really sharp flavor lurking under the air of skunk spray.
It's a shame that skunks are associated with such an awful scent/flavor, since they're so darn cute, especially the babies.
And with that, Paul: 213, Colleen: 215.
PS: Bonus link from my friend Becky: Beer Madness! How would you rate these? Next to nothing would beat Guinness in my book, especially in the first round...
Monday, March 8, 2010
ARGH!!!
No, I haven't dropped out of grad school and become a pirate.
But twice now, I've tried new beers at Stuffies and it turns out, they're already on my list.
This doesn't mean they're forgettable. At least both were very good brews--no loss. It's tough to remember everything you've ever tried when the official list is over 200 and there's still a few random others in your head that you know you've tried but this was before the beer list so it's not official. Oh well.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: While this is no Backdraft Brown Ale, this is a very good beer. It's nice and malty and has a good weight. It's very smooth and not too sweet. I misunderstood our favorite bartender Jill when she asked if I'd tried it before, because I tried this somewhat recently and definitely remembered it being good. Oh well. Like I said, no loss.
Aventinus: You know what? This one sounded familiar. I even had my beer list loaded onto my iPod and looked to see if I tried this, but I looked under Aventinus and Weissbierbrauerei but didn't see it... because it's Schneider and Sohn. Oh well. Not a big loss, since it's a really nice darker wheat beer. It was a little sweet but in an awesome way, like how some wheat beers have a bit of a banana/clove thing going on... very interesting flavor, and not too heavy. This is a good wheat beer, though not quite as light and fancy free as a hefeweizen, as this one is actually a doppelbock.
The score remains: Paul 202, Colleen 205.
But twice now, I've tried new beers at Stuffies and it turns out, they're already on my list.
This doesn't mean they're forgettable. At least both were very good brews--no loss. It's tough to remember everything you've ever tried when the official list is over 200 and there's still a few random others in your head that you know you've tried but this was before the beer list so it's not official. Oh well.
Brooklyn Brown Ale: While this is no Backdraft Brown Ale, this is a very good beer. It's nice and malty and has a good weight. It's very smooth and not too sweet. I misunderstood our favorite bartender Jill when she asked if I'd tried it before, because I tried this somewhat recently and definitely remembered it being good. Oh well. Like I said, no loss.
Aventinus: You know what? This one sounded familiar. I even had my beer list loaded onto my iPod and looked to see if I tried this, but I looked under Aventinus and Weissbierbrauerei but didn't see it... because it's Schneider and Sohn. Oh well. Not a big loss, since it's a really nice darker wheat beer. It was a little sweet but in an awesome way, like how some wheat beers have a bit of a banana/clove thing going on... very interesting flavor, and not too heavy. This is a good wheat beer, though not quite as light and fancy free as a hefeweizen, as this one is actually a doppelbock.
The score remains: Paul 202, Colleen 205.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Crystal City Sports Pub
On Tuesday, I met with my college friend Laurie at Crystal City Sports Pub. They have good happy hour specials and bar food. CC Sports Pub is where you go to watch a game in the DC area - the top floor has 3 HD projector screens and the rest of the walls have as many TVs as one could possibly cram in that space. This place is a cathedral to sports. Collen would remember this place, as she's eaten there during one of her trips to DC.
In short, I had a really good time catching up with Laurie. It had been a long time since we'd been able to have a conversation lasting longer than 10 minutes, which were usually during VT football game parties at a sports pub. I tried two "new" beers. The first one really was new, while the second I had before but deserves another review.
Hook and Ladder Golden Ale: This beer left a funny after taste. It was crisp, clean, and cold. That's not a bad thing for a beer, but cold sometimes hides a beers inadequacies - kind of like parkas do for people in the winter. I thought this beer was fine to drink, but it certainly wasn't a favorite. Golden ales aren't a style that I enjoy very often.
Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale: This beer is brewed in Baltimore, and despite what the ratings at ratebeer have to say, this is an exceptionally smooth and enjoyable Brown Ale. I'd call it one of the most pleasant finds that I've come across in my quest to try new beers. The best part is that this beer is really accessible in taste to a lot of people. It comes highly recommended from the DBF staff!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 205
Paul: 202
Cheers,
Paul
In short, I had a really good time catching up with Laurie. It had been a long time since we'd been able to have a conversation lasting longer than 10 minutes, which were usually during VT football game parties at a sports pub. I tried two "new" beers. The first one really was new, while the second I had before but deserves another review.
Hook and Ladder Golden Ale: This beer left a funny after taste. It was crisp, clean, and cold. That's not a bad thing for a beer, but cold sometimes hides a beers inadequacies - kind of like parkas do for people in the winter. I thought this beer was fine to drink, but it certainly wasn't a favorite. Golden ales aren't a style that I enjoy very often.
Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale: This beer is brewed in Baltimore, and despite what the ratings at ratebeer have to say, this is an exceptionally smooth and enjoyable Brown Ale. I'd call it one of the most pleasant finds that I've come across in my quest to try new beers. The best part is that this beer is really accessible in taste to a lot of people. It comes highly recommended from the DBF staff!
The scorecard:
Colleen: 205
Paul: 202
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
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Outrunning a Blizzard
Last Thursday, I went out with a few people to celebrate my friend Jeremy's promotion at work. We met at a place called Overwood. I thought it was a good time. A few good people, and couple of good beers tried on my part. The food was pretty good too, but that's clearly not the point of this blog. The beers I had were:
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale: This beer was exactly what you would expect, clean finish that was slightly hoppy. Now, hops cause the bitter, or bite, in the after taste. Pale Ales are generally more balanced and subdued - this beer being no exception. IPAs, by contrast, are much heavier on the hops - and thus more bitter.
Avery IPA: Using the description for the previous beer as a guide, we'd know that this beer has more bite. I thought this beer was a good IPA, categorically speaking. I can get tired of IPAs after a while, but this beer was solid nonetheless.
Immediately after the celebration, I drove down to Williamsburg, VA to visit my girlfriend, Laura. The timetable of my departure was moved up due to the snowpocalypse. They got 3-4 inches of snow there, as opposed to the 3+ feet in some parts of the DC-Baltimore Metro area. With another storm on the way, this could get fun. Today, I returned gingerly to my place, careful not total my car and kill/injure myself/someone else. I'd say the drive was a little long, but a succcess.
Over the course of the weekend, I tried several beers. I bought my girlfriend and her roommates a Samuel Adams mix pack, and tried a new beer from it. I went to the Green Leafe twice on Sunday, once to wait out a meeting and once to watch the Super Bowl with the girlfriend. She and I also went to The Cheese Shop, which has a selection of micro-brews in the basement.
Teaser: I bought a new beer, and will taste and review Stone Double Bastard Ale next week. Enough with my rambling, and on with the reviews:
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat: So I have a confession to make, this is my 17th beer from the Samuel Adams brewery. That means about about 1/11 beers I've tried have been from them. Across the board, they make some very good brews. There are some very noticeable exceptions: Cherry Wheat, Cranberry Lambic, and Old Fezziwig Ale. This beer was very smooth for a wheat beer. There was a lemon-y after taste to it, that reminded me of their Summer Ale. It was a beer that could easily be enjoyed without food, but would get repetitive after a few.
Dominion Oak Barrel Stout: For most people, stouts are not the most accessible beer. They are thick liquids to drink, and typically are fairly complex in taste. This beer was that description on 'roids. It was highly complex, and very aggressive in flavor.
Legend Brown Ale: I've had a lot of brown ales in my life (ok, maybe 10-15). This was a mediocre-sub par Brown Ale. The typical smoothness of a Brown Ale was sort of there, but not really. I wasn't completely impressed with this one.
St. George IPA: This beer was from the bottom of the keg. Upside, a few ounces of free beer. Downside, the quality of any beer is less than ideal. Nonetheless, this was a fairly typical IPA. The hop aroma and flavors were there, which is to be expected.
Legend Chocolate Porter: Ok, I like porters. This beer, however, sucked. A porter should have a roasted malt (usually chocolate) after taste. It's more a subtlety than anything. This was like drinking a blend between beer and chocolate milk. This was my mug night beer, so it was a 32 oz beer (for six bucks!). Needless to say, it was torture from the first sip but the price was right.
Next weekend, I expect to add a few more to my list. The hope is to keep pace with Colleen and, dare I say, retake the lead at some point. Right now though, I'm just praying that I don't get snowed in for the next week.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 198
Paul: 192
Cheers,
Paul
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale: This beer was exactly what you would expect, clean finish that was slightly hoppy. Now, hops cause the bitter, or bite, in the after taste. Pale Ales are generally more balanced and subdued - this beer being no exception. IPAs, by contrast, are much heavier on the hops - and thus more bitter.
Avery IPA: Using the description for the previous beer as a guide, we'd know that this beer has more bite. I thought this beer was a good IPA, categorically speaking. I can get tired of IPAs after a while, but this beer was solid nonetheless.
Immediately after the celebration, I drove down to Williamsburg, VA to visit my girlfriend, Laura. The timetable of my departure was moved up due to the snowpocalypse. They got 3-4 inches of snow there, as opposed to the 3+ feet in some parts of the DC-Baltimore Metro area. With another storm on the way, this could get fun. Today, I returned gingerly to my place, careful not total my car and kill/injure myself/someone else. I'd say the drive was a little long, but a succcess.
Over the course of the weekend, I tried several beers. I bought my girlfriend and her roommates a Samuel Adams mix pack, and tried a new beer from it. I went to the Green Leafe twice on Sunday, once to wait out a meeting and once to watch the Super Bowl with the girlfriend. She and I also went to The Cheese Shop, which has a selection of micro-brews in the basement.
Teaser: I bought a new beer, and will taste and review Stone Double Bastard Ale next week. Enough with my rambling, and on with the reviews:
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat: So I have a confession to make, this is my 17th beer from the Samuel Adams brewery. That means about about 1/11 beers I've tried have been from them. Across the board, they make some very good brews. There are some very noticeable exceptions: Cherry Wheat, Cranberry Lambic, and Old Fezziwig Ale. This beer was very smooth for a wheat beer. There was a lemon-y after taste to it, that reminded me of their Summer Ale. It was a beer that could easily be enjoyed without food, but would get repetitive after a few.
Dominion Oak Barrel Stout: For most people, stouts are not the most accessible beer. They are thick liquids to drink, and typically are fairly complex in taste. This beer was that description on 'roids. It was highly complex, and very aggressive in flavor.
Legend Brown Ale: I've had a lot of brown ales in my life (ok, maybe 10-15). This was a mediocre-sub par Brown Ale. The typical smoothness of a Brown Ale was sort of there, but not really. I wasn't completely impressed with this one.
St. George IPA: This beer was from the bottom of the keg. Upside, a few ounces of free beer. Downside, the quality of any beer is less than ideal. Nonetheless, this was a fairly typical IPA. The hop aroma and flavors were there, which is to be expected.
Legend Chocolate Porter: Ok, I like porters. This beer, however, sucked. A porter should have a roasted malt (usually chocolate) after taste. It's more a subtlety than anything. This was like drinking a blend between beer and chocolate milk. This was my mug night beer, so it was a 32 oz beer (for six bucks!). Needless to say, it was torture from the first sip but the price was right.
Next weekend, I expect to add a few more to my list. The hope is to keep pace with Colleen and, dare I say, retake the lead at some point. Right now though, I'm just praying that I don't get snowed in for the next week.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 198
Paul: 192
Cheers,
Paul
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Dinner with Michael
So Colleen has been surging into the lead, and I need to do something about this. Even with my updated entry, this will be the largest lead either of us has posted. Obviously, our "competition" is mostly friendly, but we'd both be lying if there wasn't a small competitive aspect to this thing. I guess this means, I need to spend more time trying beers than playing BridgeCraft. If it sounds like WarCraft, don't worry. It's a game where you build bridges for little cartoony characters to cross, therefore it's obviously much cooler and socially acceptable. I am such an engineer.
In any event, my good friend Mike was in my neck of the woods this evening. We've been good friends since high school, we did cross country/winter track/spring track together. And by this I mean, we ran about every step of distance runs and work outs side-by-side. If that sounds cute, don't worry - we're much more ridiculous in real life. In any event, he was on business in Baltimore and had a free evening so he decided to pay a visit. We went to FireFlies in Del Ray. I've been there before, as I've mentioned it in previous posts. I'm finding it's a great place to take visitors.
Dinner was a fun time. We talked about most things guys talk about: women, work, beer, and how best to eat nails for breakfast. Ok, maybe the first two were exaggerations for us, but the important part for the purpose of this blog is the beer.
Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale: My first thoughts on this Brown Ale, which generally go down very smooth, was that it was forgettable. It just didn't jump out at me: as a beer in general or as a Brown Ale.
Founders Porter: I alwaysenjoy the chance to try another Porter. This one was pretty good, and it went down well with the wrap I was eating for dinner. It was certainly very rich, and I detected some chocolate malts in the brew. My findings at ratebeer.com confirm these asessments. I definitely need to have this again.
If there's anything Colleen and I want to achieve through this blog it's: 1) Identify good beers, 2) Identify good brewers, 3) Identify bad beers, 4) Be able to recommend a large variety of beers to family and friends, and 5) Have more beers than the other. Though, as a friend told me recently, when the score reaches 308-303, this will be rather ridiculous.
Until Then, Cheers!
Paul
The Scorecard:
Colleen: 190
Paul: 174
P.S. If it's not becoming apparent to the readers who don't know me, a lot of what I post outside of beer reviews is very tongue in cheek/sarcastic.
In any event, my good friend Mike was in my neck of the woods this evening. We've been good friends since high school, we did cross country/winter track/spring track together. And by this I mean, we ran about every step of distance runs and work outs side-by-side. If that sounds cute, don't worry - we're much more ridiculous in real life. In any event, he was on business in Baltimore and had a free evening so he decided to pay a visit. We went to FireFlies in Del Ray. I've been there before, as I've mentioned it in previous posts. I'm finding it's a great place to take visitors.
Dinner was a fun time. We talked about most things guys talk about: women, work, beer, and how best to eat nails for breakfast. Ok, maybe the first two were exaggerations for us, but the important part for the purpose of this blog is the beer.
Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale: My first thoughts on this Brown Ale, which generally go down very smooth, was that it was forgettable. It just didn't jump out at me: as a beer in general or as a Brown Ale.
Founders Porter: I alwaysenjoy the chance to try another Porter. This one was pretty good, and it went down well with the wrap I was eating for dinner. It was certainly very rich, and I detected some chocolate malts in the brew. My findings at ratebeer.com confirm these asessments. I definitely need to have this again.
If there's anything Colleen and I want to achieve through this blog it's: 1) Identify good beers, 2) Identify good brewers, 3) Identify bad beers, 4) Be able to recommend a large variety of beers to family and friends, and 5) Have more beers than the other. Though, as a friend told me recently, when the score reaches 308-303, this will be rather ridiculous.
Until Then, Cheers!
Paul
The Scorecard:
Colleen: 190
Paul: 174
P.S. If it's not becoming apparent to the readers who don't know me, a lot of what I post outside of beer reviews is very tongue in cheek/sarcastic.
dinner with Dad
I'm at home today and Mom will be at work till late, so it's just Dad and me for dinner. I was out running miscellaneous other errands across the street from a liquor store, so I decided I would make him beer marinaded grilled chicken. I made it once before for the family and received positive reviews, so I took the excuse to try something new.
I usually keep a short list in my wallet of beers I haven't tried, but the list was gone, so I found myself walking back and forth along the beer cases, staring, brainstorming, for a few minutes. I was standing by the case of 22oz beers near the door when a man came in who stared at the beers similar to the way I was. He said something about looking for a beer to marinade sausage that he wanted to grill tonight, and that he had just read somewhere that hoppy beers supposedly are good for preventing prostate cancer for men, so he was looking for an IPA. He ended up taking something entirely different, but that idea got added to my brainstorming, and I ended up leaving with a six pack of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.
Before I discuss this further, my marinade recipe:
1 cup beer
1/2 cup soy sauce (we use the low sodium kind in our house, having grown up without a lot of salt in my mom's cooking, we're pretty sensitive to it)
a tablespoon or so of oil (last time I used canola, this time, olive)
2 cloves garlic (1 heaping teaspoon of the jarred minced kind)
1 tablespoon chopped onion (I'm a little more generous than that)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
You shouldn't marinade chicken for more than a few hours because it starts to break down proteins and whatnot. Grill it till it's not pink in the middle. Serve it to your favorite omnivores or carnivores (for those who don't know I'm a vegetarian). Tonight I'll be serving it up with a baked potato and some bean and corn chili.
Last time I made this, I used Magic Hat's Howl Winter Seasonal, a dark lager. I enjoyed drinking the leftovers-- definitely a strong flavor, almost like a porter, but drank light a lager, fairly light. As a marinade, even my picky eater little brother gave it a thumbs up and welcomed a repeat performance.
So this time, the Indian Brown Ale. I just finished making the marinade and there are some chicken boobies bathing in it in our fridge now. I drank the remaining 4 oz from the bottle I opened with high hopes of finding something similar to the Backdraft Brown Ale that Paul and I periodically refer to (we tried it together at Crystal City Sports Pub when I visited Northern Virginia). The Backdraft is one of the most bangin' beers I've ever had. It's dark, but not heavy. Malty, but not too sweet. Really, really good. I have found nothing like it since, but keep trying brown ales in hopes of finding something more readily accessible.
So today, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. Definitely a reputable brewer. I'm definitely tasting something nice under the hops-- the label did warn me that the brew is well-hopped, which I'm not generally into, not there's a nice brown ale under there, malty and smooth. The hops aren't even that bad. I don't totally dread finishing the six pack, though I may be inclined to share it with friends who may appreciate hops more.
As far as how the chicken goes, you'll have to ask my dad.
I was curious about the hops/prostate cancer thing, so I looked it up, and found the following:
Hope for Guys: Beer ingredient eyed in prostate cancer prevention
Beer can prevent prostate, breast cancers
Why beer is the latest hope in fight against cancer
Interesting. Well, that puts me at 190 to Paul's 172, and hopefully Dad enjoys dinner. I will enjoy my chili and potato, thank you, perhaps with another bottle of this Indian Brown Ale.
I usually keep a short list in my wallet of beers I haven't tried, but the list was gone, so I found myself walking back and forth along the beer cases, staring, brainstorming, for a few minutes. I was standing by the case of 22oz beers near the door when a man came in who stared at the beers similar to the way I was. He said something about looking for a beer to marinade sausage that he wanted to grill tonight, and that he had just read somewhere that hoppy beers supposedly are good for preventing prostate cancer for men, so he was looking for an IPA. He ended up taking something entirely different, but that idea got added to my brainstorming, and I ended up leaving with a six pack of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.
Before I discuss this further, my marinade recipe:
1 cup beer
1/2 cup soy sauce (we use the low sodium kind in our house, having grown up without a lot of salt in my mom's cooking, we're pretty sensitive to it)
a tablespoon or so of oil (last time I used canola, this time, olive)
2 cloves garlic (1 heaping teaspoon of the jarred minced kind)
1 tablespoon chopped onion (I'm a little more generous than that)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
You shouldn't marinade chicken for more than a few hours because it starts to break down proteins and whatnot. Grill it till it's not pink in the middle. Serve it to your favorite omnivores or carnivores (for those who don't know I'm a vegetarian). Tonight I'll be serving it up with a baked potato and some bean and corn chili.
Last time I made this, I used Magic Hat's Howl Winter Seasonal, a dark lager. I enjoyed drinking the leftovers-- definitely a strong flavor, almost like a porter, but drank light a lager, fairly light. As a marinade, even my picky eater little brother gave it a thumbs up and welcomed a repeat performance.
So this time, the Indian Brown Ale. I just finished making the marinade and there are some chicken boobies bathing in it in our fridge now. I drank the remaining 4 oz from the bottle I opened with high hopes of finding something similar to the Backdraft Brown Ale that Paul and I periodically refer to (we tried it together at Crystal City Sports Pub when I visited Northern Virginia). The Backdraft is one of the most bangin' beers I've ever had. It's dark, but not heavy. Malty, but not too sweet. Really, really good. I have found nothing like it since, but keep trying brown ales in hopes of finding something more readily accessible.
So today, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. Definitely a reputable brewer. I'm definitely tasting something nice under the hops-- the label did warn me that the brew is well-hopped, which I'm not generally into, not there's a nice brown ale under there, malty and smooth. The hops aren't even that bad. I don't totally dread finishing the six pack, though I may be inclined to share it with friends who may appreciate hops more.
As far as how the chicken goes, you'll have to ask my dad.
I was curious about the hops/prostate cancer thing, so I looked it up, and found the following:
Hope for Guys: Beer ingredient eyed in prostate cancer prevention
Beer can prevent prostate, breast cancers
Why beer is the latest hope in fight against cancer
Interesting. Well, that puts me at 190 to Paul's 172, and hopefully Dad enjoys dinner. I will enjoy my chili and potato, thank you, perhaps with another bottle of this Indian Brown Ale.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Holiday Hangover
Today is my first chance to post since the Holidays. The season took me through several states (Virginia, DC, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware) and more miles (traffic) on I-95 than I would like. During this time, I had my fair share of repeat beers, ate at least my weight in Christmas cookies, saw a Broadway Show (which I highly recommend), saw a lot of family, and spent a lot of pleasant time with the girlfriend. Due to the Christmas cookies and my well documented love for porters, you can assume I will be a regular visitor at my gym very soon.
The funniest beer related moment had to be on Christmas day. My family hosts the extended family to celebrate. Dinner was a pork roast (sorry, Colleen). As my Mom was putting the roast in the oven, she decided to marinate it in beer. I was standing in the kitchen. I watched her begin to marinate the meat with Samuel Adams Winter Lager! I began to protest, but she retorted with the fact that it was the cheapest beer we had - it seems beer snobbery runs in the family. I wish we had both remembered the Miller Lite sitting in the garage.
My beer consumption consisted of Yuengling Lager, NewCastle Brown Ale, and Samuel Adams Winter Lager - all of which are solid, commonly available beers on the East Coast (which I have had many times before). Colleen and I did not manage to have a DBF staff meeting, which was due to me being unavailable (and lame). Fear not though, we shall have one soon.
My Brother gave me a Christmas gift which consisted of a custom six pack that he made at Hops and Grapes. He also made my Dad a few six packs for Christmas as well. Dad was so excited about his gift; he seemed to want a picture of him with each individual bottle. I, however, managed to contain my excitement. My six pack contained the most revered beer on this blog: Victory Storm King. Needless to say, I am really excited to drink this one. The new beers were as follows:
Great Divide Titan IPA: This was a little heavy for an IPA. And by that I mean, the beer left a lot of residue on the side of the glass after each sip. I would expect that from a stout, but less from an IPA. The beer had a decent amount of depth and was heavier than most IPAs I've encountered. I look forward to having this again.
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale: Have you ever had a beer that you hated? If so, you've made the terrible mistake of drinking it slow (since you hate it), only for it to taste worse as it gets warmer. That's exactly the case with this one. I hated it and thought it was skunked, but Brendan seemed to like it and think the flavor I hated with a hint of grapefruit. Either way, I give this a thumbs down.
River Horse Hopalotamus: The description on RateBeer is just hilarious, "The fabled Hop-a-lot-amus is a mythical creature. The heavy hop character of this Double IPA is as subtle as a "river horse" in your lap, but finishes like a hippo in a tutu." I thought this was a solid IPA from a New Jersey micro-brew. I'd like to try another beer of theirs.
Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale: I had this beer at my girlfriend's family party. I very much enjoyed myself at the party, but I thought this beer was terrible. It tasted like it was skunked. Yuengling makes a very good, "go to" Lager, but I was unimpressed by this beer.
The scorecard:
Paul - 169
Colleen - 165
Cheers,
Paul
The funniest beer related moment had to be on Christmas day. My family hosts the extended family to celebrate. Dinner was a pork roast (sorry, Colleen). As my Mom was putting the roast in the oven, she decided to marinate it in beer. I was standing in the kitchen. I watched her begin to marinate the meat with Samuel Adams Winter Lager! I began to protest, but she retorted with the fact that it was the cheapest beer we had - it seems beer snobbery runs in the family. I wish we had both remembered the Miller Lite sitting in the garage.
My beer consumption consisted of Yuengling Lager, NewCastle Brown Ale, and Samuel Adams Winter Lager - all of which are solid, commonly available beers on the East Coast (which I have had many times before). Colleen and I did not manage to have a DBF staff meeting, which was due to me being unavailable (and lame). Fear not though, we shall have one soon.
My Brother gave me a Christmas gift which consisted of a custom six pack that he made at Hops and Grapes. He also made my Dad a few six packs for Christmas as well. Dad was so excited about his gift; he seemed to want a picture of him with each individual bottle. I, however, managed to contain my excitement. My six pack contained the most revered beer on this blog: Victory Storm King. Needless to say, I am really excited to drink this one. The new beers were as follows:
Great Divide Titan IPA: This was a little heavy for an IPA. And by that I mean, the beer left a lot of residue on the side of the glass after each sip. I would expect that from a stout, but less from an IPA. The beer had a decent amount of depth and was heavier than most IPAs I've encountered. I look forward to having this again.
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale: Have you ever had a beer that you hated? If so, you've made the terrible mistake of drinking it slow (since you hate it), only for it to taste worse as it gets warmer. That's exactly the case with this one. I hated it and thought it was skunked, but Brendan seemed to like it and think the flavor I hated with a hint of grapefruit. Either way, I give this a thumbs down.
River Horse Hopalotamus: The description on RateBeer is just hilarious, "The fabled Hop-a-lot-amus is a mythical creature. The heavy hop character of this Double IPA is as subtle as a "river horse" in your lap, but finishes like a hippo in a tutu." I thought this was a solid IPA from a New Jersey micro-brew. I'd like to try another beer of theirs.
Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale: I had this beer at my girlfriend's family party. I very much enjoyed myself at the party, but I thought this beer was terrible. It tasted like it was skunked. Yuengling makes a very good, "go to" Lager, but I was unimpressed by this beer.
The scorecard:
Paul - 169
Colleen - 165
Cheers,
Paul
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
(another quick break)
If all goes according to plan, I should be done with my semester in about 6 more hours.
It's been a bit intense this past week, nay, this past month... forget it. Crazy semester. I accepted my fate as a not-straight-A-student years ago, so I manage to make time for other things once in a while. Yesterday I visited my Grandma and Great Uncle up north to bake some Christmas treats and have dinner. Afterward, I visited that dude I'm dating. Fear not, I graded exams all the while.
We'll come back to the story of my yester-eve in a few moments, but first a complete digression. Something important to know about me is that while able to handle various forms of technology to some degree, I tend to be a moron about the newest-fangled stuff. Yesterday, Paul sent me an updated version of his beer list via Google Documents. I have never seen this before. It took me a while to figure out how to download it to Excel, a form of technology I seem to have down pretty well these days (Excel 2003, that is). I figured two things out pretty quickly-- Paul's never had Rogue beers?! and between the two of us, we've tried about 275 different beers (I am a WIZ at stats in Excel!...2003).
Anyway, and I promise I'm coming back to that story I started with, one form of kinda fancy technology I sort of have down is the "text message", although I have a tendancy not to text people back, sorry. I even know how to delete or not delete text messages. Occasionally, Paul will text me with an outrageously awesome beer suggestion. I don't delete those. One time he texted me "Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Need I say more?"
This is where all of this comes together! My dude had a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout for me! And it was awesome. Paul and I share an enthusiasm for Imperial Russian Stouts. It was a great suggestion. The only problem? I went to write notes about it on my list... AND IT WAS ALREADY THERE. First of all, I'm embarrassed to have forgotten such an excellent beer. It's very strong tasting, kind of a porter flavored stout, but so good. Paul's notes mention this beer's high alcohol content. It's probably true (well, definitely true, the bottle says so) but I drank it slowly so I didn't notice so much. Second of all, the note that was already on my list said, "Really thick and heavy and flavorful" but after last night, I would probably drop the second adjective there. Is it weird that I really don't find a lot of beers that heavy any more?...
Paul needn't say more. It was an excellent suggestion and I'm not sad that I've had it more than once, only that I had forgotten it and that the score remains the same. Now, time to get back to writing my final paper (which is based on some fabulous statistics I did in Excel 2003!) and grading...
PS- Other excellent Brooklyn brews I've tried and would also recommend:
Brown Ale: the ale that drinks like a porter… coffee and chocolate goodness
Oktoberfest: good, sweet Oktober lager, good autumny taste if not in the mood for pumpkin
Lager: That is good lager. That is all.
It's been a bit intense this past week, nay, this past month... forget it. Crazy semester. I accepted my fate as a not-straight-A-student years ago, so I manage to make time for other things once in a while. Yesterday I visited my Grandma and Great Uncle up north to bake some Christmas treats and have dinner. Afterward, I visited that dude I'm dating. Fear not, I graded exams all the while.
We'll come back to the story of my yester-eve in a few moments, but first a complete digression. Something important to know about me is that while able to handle various forms of technology to some degree, I tend to be a moron about the newest-fangled stuff. Yesterday, Paul sent me an updated version of his beer list via Google Documents. I have never seen this before. It took me a while to figure out how to download it to Excel, a form of technology I seem to have down pretty well these days (Excel 2003, that is). I figured two things out pretty quickly-- Paul's never had Rogue beers?! and between the two of us, we've tried about 275 different beers (I am a WIZ at stats in Excel!...2003).
Anyway, and I promise I'm coming back to that story I started with, one form of kinda fancy technology I sort of have down is the "text message", although I have a tendancy not to text people back, sorry. I even know how to delete or not delete text messages. Occasionally, Paul will text me with an outrageously awesome beer suggestion. I don't delete those. One time he texted me "Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Need I say more?"
This is where all of this comes together! My dude had a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout for me! And it was awesome. Paul and I share an enthusiasm for Imperial Russian Stouts. It was a great suggestion. The only problem? I went to write notes about it on my list... AND IT WAS ALREADY THERE. First of all, I'm embarrassed to have forgotten such an excellent beer. It's very strong tasting, kind of a porter flavored stout, but so good. Paul's notes mention this beer's high alcohol content. It's probably true (well, definitely true, the bottle says so) but I drank it slowly so I didn't notice so much. Second of all, the note that was already on my list said, "Really thick and heavy and flavorful" but after last night, I would probably drop the second adjective there. Is it weird that I really don't find a lot of beers that heavy any more?...
Paul needn't say more. It was an excellent suggestion and I'm not sad that I've had it more than once, only that I had forgotten it and that the score remains the same. Now, time to get back to writing my final paper (which is based on some fabulous statistics I did in Excel 2003!) and grading...
PS- Other excellent Brooklyn brews I've tried and would also recommend:
Brown Ale: the ale that drinks like a porter… coffee and chocolate goodness
Oktoberfest: good, sweet Oktober lager, good autumny taste if not in the mood for pumpkin
Lager: That is good lager. That is all.
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