I can't believe it's already been a year since I went dry under contract at Johnsonburg last; while my contract has not yet been written, I'll be respecting those rules again and fasting from beer as of tomorrow. I've had a few new brews in the past couple of weeks, and thought I'd share--
Unibroue's Terrible: The irony of the name was enough to purchase this. Noah and I split it; it was anything but terrible. Really nice, interesting dark ale. Not too heavy, not too light, very drinkable but definitely a little different. I approve.
Dogfish Head Theobroma: We all know I love me some Dogfish Head, and this did not disappoint, but it also didn't quite live up to the hype, as far as I'm concerned. I've been stalking this bottle since I missed its last release more than six months ago. I was excited to find it. It's definitely got a lot of spice in its flavor but it wasn't what I expected, with ingredients such as cocoa and chiles listed. I didn't really taste either of those. It wasn't a boring drink by any means, just not quite what I was expecting given the description. Not my favorite Dogfish Head but definitely good.
Rogue's Somer Orange Honey Ale: I find Rogue to be hit or miss. This was probably a miss in that it was just super boring. I barely tasted honey and didn't really get any orange. It just came off as a plain boring ale, not even interesting for being a wheat beer. I was disappointed, since there were interesting and different things in the title. Oh well. At least Rogue isn't super expensive, and the hits are generally worth it (Chipotle Ale!).
Founders' Cherise: This was kinda bizzare. The fruit flavor was subtle, but it was very sweet and very tart at the same time. It was very interesting, but I don't need to repeat it. Then again, I'm not huge on fruit beers.
So, that's it until the end of August or beginning of September, assuming we get around to writing me a contract... staff training starts tomorrow though. It will be a busy summer as I serve as the program assistant at camp, but I hope to post a few things about beer that don't involve me drinking it. Now taking suggestions for what I should drink in September. I need to hunt down a bottle or two of Dogfish Head's 120 Minute to save till then (it was rereleased last week or so!)... what else?
Showing posts with label strong ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strong ale. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
a-round in Virginia
So, thesis defense down does not equal slowing down. A week later, I was in Virginia. For the past few years, I have done the Muddy Buddy with a friend in the Richmond area. This spring would be my third. But, as always, visiting Virginia involved catching up with several friends... often over a beer or few.
Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter: From Taylor's fridge. It was nice and dark and heavy, with a strong coffee flavor.
On Friday evening, Taylor and I met up with Paul, Laura, Matt and others to go to Bier Baron, formerly known as Brickskeller. It's amazing to me how Bier Baron has scaled back the beer menu, and there are still over 500 options. This was a combination celebration of my successful defense, Matt's successful completion of his Masters work and a DBF staff meeting. Paul did try new beers. Maybe he'll even write about them. In the meantime, here's what I had--
Sam Adams Rustic Saison: I found this satisfying. Despite being see-through, I actually quite like the saison/ farmhouse style. They're refreshing. This was precisely that, a nice clean drink. This would be great on a hot day; that Friday was surprisingly cool out. This saison didn't have any particularly strong tastes to it, just a simple, refreshing beer.
Unibroue Maudite: A Quebecois beer that Paul and I both tried. "Strong dark Belgian ale" is not necessarily my favorite style. It kinda had a sweet fruity thing going on, but didn't taste like a particular kind of fruit to me. I don't know. My notes on this don't have much to say, and I don't remember much about it, and I think that sums this beer up just fine. It wasn't bad, just not really memorable or impressive.
Weyerbacher Heresy: Now we're talking. Russian Imperial Stout. This one tastes like a car bomb. It was nice and heavy and very smooth. Pleasant. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too strong or bitter. Good Imperial Stout.
After that, Paul ordered me a car bomb, and I'm still not sure why. It was delicious, but I can't drink fast enough to really enjoy these, although this time I managed to only leave a sip or two to curdle. It was great to see everyone, and really great to celebrate Matt's and my masters.
So, the Muddy Buddy is really awesome, but a nice perk at the end is the beer garden, sponsored by Red Hook. This year they served Copper Hook, a red/amber something. It was a bit hoppier than something like Killian's but really refreshing and crisp after the intense workout. Nothing fancy about it. It's very drinkable.
Sunday evening, after a long shower, Taylor and I met Justin and Deb to have dinner at Capital Alehouse in downtown Richmond. It was great to catch up with them since they were kind of busy the last time I saw them (at their wedding). Taylor ordered Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard for its name alone. While choosing beers for their funny names often leads to interesting discoveries, neither of us enjoyed this one (I finished it for him just so I could add it to the list). I mean, it was light and beery, but it had some kind of weird sweet funk to it, both in smell and taste. Kind of like how moldy fruit smells-- kind of sweet and kind of weird, and then you see the fuzz and realize "weird" is actually "gross". Yeah. Maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe I wouldn't recommend this.
I got New Holland Golden Cap Saison. Another fresh tasting beer. Slight citrusy something going on, but just pleasant and refreshing.
As usual, if I go to Virginia, I stay there for a few extra days. On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend Becky for an afternoon stroll, and we along with her husband Dana met Taylor at Lost Dog Cafe, where the food is amazing. The unpregnant 3/4 of the group ordered DC Brau's Pale Ale, which was far hoppier than I expected... bitterness verging on IPA. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected.
My final beer for this jaunt to Virginia was Dogfish Head's Hellhound, kindly purchased for me by Becky and Dana, perhaps in celebration of my victory of the aforementioned thesis defense. Another beer in honor of an awesome musician? Ok! Dogfish Head again did not disappoint. While billed as excessively hoppy, I didn't think it was offensively so
Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter: From Taylor's fridge. It was nice and dark and heavy, with a strong coffee flavor.
On Friday evening, Taylor and I met up with Paul, Laura, Matt and others to go to Bier Baron, formerly known as Brickskeller. It's amazing to me how Bier Baron has scaled back the beer menu, and there are still over 500 options. This was a combination celebration of my successful defense, Matt's successful completion of his Masters work and a DBF staff meeting. Paul did try new beers. Maybe he'll even write about them. In the meantime, here's what I had--
Sam Adams Rustic Saison: I found this satisfying. Despite being see-through, I actually quite like the saison/ farmhouse style. They're refreshing. This was precisely that, a nice clean drink. This would be great on a hot day; that Friday was surprisingly cool out. This saison didn't have any particularly strong tastes to it, just a simple, refreshing beer.
Unibroue Maudite: A Quebecois beer that Paul and I both tried. "Strong dark Belgian ale" is not necessarily my favorite style. It kinda had a sweet fruity thing going on, but didn't taste like a particular kind of fruit to me. I don't know. My notes on this don't have much to say, and I don't remember much about it, and I think that sums this beer up just fine. It wasn't bad, just not really memorable or impressive.
Weyerbacher Heresy: Now we're talking. Russian Imperial Stout. This one tastes like a car bomb. It was nice and heavy and very smooth. Pleasant. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too strong or bitter. Good Imperial Stout.
After that, Paul ordered me a car bomb, and I'm still not sure why. It was delicious, but I can't drink fast enough to really enjoy these, although this time I managed to only leave a sip or two to curdle. It was great to see everyone, and really great to celebrate Matt's and my masters.
So, the Muddy Buddy is really awesome, but a nice perk at the end is the beer garden, sponsored by Red Hook. This year they served Copper Hook, a red/amber something. It was a bit hoppier than something like Killian's but really refreshing and crisp after the intense workout. Nothing fancy about it. It's very drinkable.
Sunday evening, after a long shower, Taylor and I met Justin and Deb to have dinner at Capital Alehouse in downtown Richmond. It was great to catch up with them since they were kind of busy the last time I saw them (at their wedding). Taylor ordered Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard for its name alone. While choosing beers for their funny names often leads to interesting discoveries, neither of us enjoyed this one (I finished it for him just so I could add it to the list). I mean, it was light and beery, but it had some kind of weird sweet funk to it, both in smell and taste. Kind of like how moldy fruit smells-- kind of sweet and kind of weird, and then you see the fuzz and realize "weird" is actually "gross". Yeah. Maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe I wouldn't recommend this.
I got New Holland Golden Cap Saison. Another fresh tasting beer. Slight citrusy something going on, but just pleasant and refreshing.
As usual, if I go to Virginia, I stay there for a few extra days. On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend Becky for an afternoon stroll, and we along with her husband Dana met Taylor at Lost Dog Cafe, where the food is amazing. The unpregnant 3/4 of the group ordered DC Brau's Pale Ale, which was far hoppier than I expected... bitterness verging on IPA. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected.
My final beer for this jaunt to Virginia was Dogfish Head's Hellhound, kindly purchased for me by Becky and Dana, perhaps in celebration of my victory of the aforementioned thesis defense. Another beer in honor of an awesome musician? Ok! Dogfish Head again did not disappoint. While billed as excessively hoppy, I didn't think it was offensively so
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
Thursday, June 10, 2010
two weeks till the contract begins
This week I've been off work and all over the place-- by the end of today, I'll have driven a little more than 600 miles since Monday afternoon. So I haven't been sitting down with people and trying new beers so much as downing tea like it's my job, but here's a few I tried since the last time I wrote:
River Horse Double White Belgian Style: I love this beer because it's made in New Jersey, but also because it's just a very mild, balanced, pleasant witbier. Good summer evening beer.
Harpoon Leviathan: The general consensus from everyone else trying this was that it's pretty darn good. However, you've probably heard that I don't care for IPAs. I'm hoping the style will grow on me someday. I was more amused by the name than the beer itself; Leviathan is a large sea creature who keeps the gates of hell. I enjoyed this beer about as much as I'd expect to enjoy the company of a demonic sea monster. But, if you like IPAs, this is probably an extremely good one to try.
Arrogant Bastard Oaked: That is a good ale. That is a very, very good ale. It's quite strong and a bit bitter, but really good. I don't know what else to say about it.
Long Trail Belgian White: This was a little bit sweeter than the River Horse Belgian White mentioned above, but still a very crisp, refreshing beer. A few friends and I had dinner at the General Store in Allamuchy, which is BYOB. Across the street was the Allamuchy Liquor Store so we bought a six pack of this to go with our sandwiches, mostly because I hadn't tried this one before, but also because it's a nice style of beer to follow a hot, humid day of work. Actually, I think I'm the only one who was there who had worked that day, but still... very refreshing and pleasant.
I'm at Rutgers today, so will be hanging out with the infamous Cheryl and Gurzo this evening for dinner and probably a beer or two. There's a liquor store near their house that does mixed six packs. Paul, you've been warned, but keep in mind you have several months to catch up.
Paul: 239
Colleen: 257
River Horse Double White Belgian Style: I love this beer because it's made in New Jersey, but also because it's just a very mild, balanced, pleasant witbier. Good summer evening beer.
Harpoon Leviathan: The general consensus from everyone else trying this was that it's pretty darn good. However, you've probably heard that I don't care for IPAs. I'm hoping the style will grow on me someday. I was more amused by the name than the beer itself; Leviathan is a large sea creature who keeps the gates of hell. I enjoyed this beer about as much as I'd expect to enjoy the company of a demonic sea monster. But, if you like IPAs, this is probably an extremely good one to try.
Arrogant Bastard Oaked: That is a good ale. That is a very, very good ale. It's quite strong and a bit bitter, but really good. I don't know what else to say about it.
Long Trail Belgian White: This was a little bit sweeter than the River Horse Belgian White mentioned above, but still a very crisp, refreshing beer. A few friends and I had dinner at the General Store in Allamuchy, which is BYOB. Across the street was the Allamuchy Liquor Store so we bought a six pack of this to go with our sandwiches, mostly because I hadn't tried this one before, but also because it's a nice style of beer to follow a hot, humid day of work. Actually, I think I'm the only one who was there who had worked that day, but still... very refreshing and pleasant.
I'm at Rutgers today, so will be hanging out with the infamous Cheryl and Gurzo this evening for dinner and probably a beer or two. There's a liquor store near their house that does mixed six packs. Paul, you've been warned, but keep in mind you have several months to catch up.
Paul: 239
Colleen: 257
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