This week's Wait wait... Don't Tell Me! featured Randy Sprecher of Sprecher Brewery outside of Milwaukee. I am generally amused by this snarky radio game show, but now I want to visit Milwaukee!
Not My Job with Randy Sprecher
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! from November 17
In other news, the pumpkin ale that Mike and I made in October apparently came out well. I have been sick for the past week, so it tasted pretty awful to me, but those who tried it have had positive reviews so far. Looking forward to tasting it myself when my mouth doesn't taste like bronchitis, and hopefully enjoying a few with friends this holiday season.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Pumpkin Beers Part III
Celebrating New Jersey-- River Horse's Hipp-o-latern: I split one of these with my cousin Jon when he and Janet so graciously hosted my charge and me earlier this week. This was pretty sweet, but if it was less sweet, would have been perfect. You can taste pumpkin! The spices are strong and good! Despite being sweeter than I'd like, I really enjoyed it. Clean finish so it wasn't weirdly sweet or leaving an awful aftertaste, very smooth to drink. I would probably actually get more of this if entertaining people who like pumpkin beers.
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Definitive Guide to Pumpkin Beers, Part II
This post is a little more relevant, since I tried this within the past month and have all of my notes!
Before Mike came to spend his two week break in New Jersey, he was lamenting about missing out on fall-- apple cider, changing leaves, and of course, pumpkin stuff. I responded by acquiring a mixed six pack of just pumpkin beers to sample while he was home from Arizona.
Saranac: This was kind of how I expect Saranac beers to be-- pretty good, but not incredible. Accessible but not earth shattering. This was a pumpkin ale for sure, but neither the pumpkin nor the spices were particularly strong (nor was the ale in general). This one might be good for people who want to be festive but who don't care to commit to drinking pumpkin pie all night.
Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Upon trying this again (it was already on the list!), I decided I don't really care for this. My notes read, "No thanks. Sweet and weird."
Blue Point: I chose this one because I liked their Toasted Lager. Mike's assessment was that it was dry. I found it to just not have much going on. I just didn't taste much, it's very mild.
Buffalo Bill's: a little sweet, but pretty good
Smuttynose: spiced well, better than Weyerbacher but not as good as Wolaver
Shipyard Pumpkinhead: This one remained consistent from whenever I first added it to my list! Very sweet, but great spices. This is good, but I couldn't do too many of them.
Post Road: I didn't know this was Brooklyn Brewery until I looked it up just now, but that explains a lot! This was a fine beer. GOOD. You can taste the pumpkin and spice, but it's not really sweet.
Wolaver's: I bought this one because I loved the oatmeal stout they make, and I'm not opposed to organic products (in this case, the organic label for Otter Creek). I was not disappointed. This is pretty much my ideal pumpkin beer, more resembling vegetable pumpkin than dessert pumpkin. Awesome.
We are all safe and sound here in Ocean County, NJ, having lost and regained power. It's been flickering but I thought I'd finish this post before we lose it again, which we think we might. We have a lot of branches down, high winds, and water is pooling anywhere it can, but overall, we're doing just fine. My baby brother has joined us from the barrier island, which I'm really happy about, and brought with him two packs of pumpkin beer, which I'm also totally ok with, so I suppose there will be more posts in this series yet!
Before Mike came to spend his two week break in New Jersey, he was lamenting about missing out on fall-- apple cider, changing leaves, and of course, pumpkin stuff. I responded by acquiring a mixed six pack of just pumpkin beers to sample while he was home from Arizona.
Saranac: This was kind of how I expect Saranac beers to be-- pretty good, but not incredible. Accessible but not earth shattering. This was a pumpkin ale for sure, but neither the pumpkin nor the spices were particularly strong (nor was the ale in general). This one might be good for people who want to be festive but who don't care to commit to drinking pumpkin pie all night.
Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Upon trying this again (it was already on the list!), I decided I don't really care for this. My notes read, "No thanks. Sweet and weird."
Blue Point: I chose this one because I liked their Toasted Lager. Mike's assessment was that it was dry. I found it to just not have much going on. I just didn't taste much, it's very mild.
Buffalo Bill's: a little sweet, but pretty good
Smuttynose: spiced well, better than Weyerbacher but not as good as Wolaver
Shipyard Pumpkinhead: This one remained consistent from whenever I first added it to my list! Very sweet, but great spices. This is good, but I couldn't do too many of them.
Post Road: I didn't know this was Brooklyn Brewery until I looked it up just now, but that explains a lot! This was a fine beer. GOOD. You can taste the pumpkin and spice, but it's not really sweet.
Wolaver's: I bought this one because I loved the oatmeal stout they make, and I'm not opposed to organic products (in this case, the organic label for Otter Creek). I was not disappointed. This is pretty much my ideal pumpkin beer, more resembling vegetable pumpkin than dessert pumpkin. Awesome.
We are all safe and sound here in Ocean County, NJ, having lost and regained power. It's been flickering but I thought I'd finish this post before we lose it again, which we think we might. We have a lot of branches down, high winds, and water is pooling anywhere it can, but overall, we're doing just fine. My baby brother has joined us from the barrier island, which I'm really happy about, and brought with him two packs of pumpkin beer, which I'm also totally ok with, so I suppose there will be more posts in this series yet!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The Definitive Guide to Pumpkin Beers, Part I/?
Fall CLEARLY means pumpkin! (Unless you are my older brother and his dog, who are disgusted and terrified of pumpkins, respectively.) I really do love pumpkin foods, and just recently started getting into slaughtering my own pumpkin, which has lead to more pumpkin lasagna and pumpkin ice cream.
I know a lot of people get excited about pumpkin lattes and muffins and pies and sweet things, but I prefer pumpkin as a vegetable rather than as a dessert (I do love pie, just not all the time!). Subsequently, I admit am kind of picky about my pumpkin beers.While most people enjoy sweeter, nicely spiced brews, I prefer mine to be milder (though still spiced). I have ridiculously high expectations for my pumpkin beers, and while I enjoy most, there are very few that I just simply LOVE.
This post will include all of the pumpkin beers in my database, although I admit it's been a few years and my tastes have changed. I'm just going to copy my reviews word for word from my list--
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale: as far as pumpkin beer goes, probably the winner
Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale: (This one had two entries by accident, that even show how my tastes have changed!) my favorite pumpkin ale/ too sweet
Mad Fox Punkinator: perfect awesome non-pie spicy but not sweet pumpkin ale (I can only assume I mean pie spiced but not pie sweet)
Michelob's Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale: (I tried this one with my grandma!) the spices are nice but there are better pumpkin beers out there
Sam Adams: spice but no pumpkin
Starr Hill's Boxcar Pumpkin Porter: a nicely spiced porter
The Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Ale: DELICIOUS. But confuses my tastebuds, meaning, what on earth do I drink next?
The Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin: "It's like a Belgian pumpkin ale!" -Gurzo
Triumph's Pumpkin Ale: very much like pumpkin pie but smooth and not too sweet
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale: recommended by NoJo (Noah Joseph). Tastes like pie. Good spices but too sweet. Smooth, but not my favorite pumpkin.
Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale: too pie like for me
It was interesting to read through these again. Ha. Yay fall! Part II coming soon of pumpkin beers that I've tried recently and have better notes on, and can give a more current and better seasoned (spiced?) opinion on.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
lost post
In case you are ever in western Arizona... I'd like to recommend Mudshark Brewing's Desert Magic IPA from Lake Havasu City, about an hour and a half south of where I'm sitting as I write this. It's a good, easy IPA in the midst of a lot of unimpressive macro brews available in Mohave County, AZ.
It seems I forgot to post this in August... just found it in here as a draft (or a draught? ha ha ha).
Other good beer in Arizona: Yuengling (only available in Mike's apartment, because I checked a bag to bring a case out there for him), and a visit to Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff after a long day at the Grand Canyon, which featured Lumberyard Brewing Company's beers. The multiple names was really confusing to sort out when looking for a place to go online (was it the same place? Were these two different places?), but whatever, the food was great, and so was the beer.
It seems I forgot to post this in August... just found it in here as a draft (or a draught? ha ha ha).
Other good beer in Arizona: Yuengling (only available in Mike's apartment, because I checked a bag to bring a case out there for him), and a visit to Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff after a long day at the Grand Canyon, which featured Lumberyard Brewing Company's beers. The multiple names was really confusing to sort out when looking for a place to go online (was it the same place? Were these two different places?), but whatever, the food was great, and so was the beer.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
North Carolina.
Outer Banks. Local-ish beers (North Carolina, at least):
Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber Ale: Not super crazy about this. It's a little sweet, but just doesn't seem particularly balanced or interesting. Just not really worth the effort.
Natty Greene's Pale Ale: This one, on the other hand, is pretty good. Maybe I've just gotten well into hoppy beers at this point in my life, maybe it's because this is nicely hoppy and refreshing in the heat and humidity of Duck, North Carolina, or maybe it's just good. I think that. I can't say it's much besides hoppy, but it was well received by a group of people who typically prefer hoppy beers.
Highland Oatmeal Porter: GOOD STUFF. I like that beers with oatmeal involved are generally pleasant and not too strongly flavored like anything but stout (or in this case, porter). This was delightful. Malty but balanced, smooth but interesting. Definitely a winner. I'd do this again or recommend it to others who like dark beers (or perhaps even those who are still conflicted in their feelings toward darker beers; Mike, who wrinkles his nose in an epic way to most of my black-paint beers besides Guinness, liked this).
I saw Paul and his awesome wife at a wedding last weekend. Congratulations, Tyler and Christie! We drank a lot of your Yuengling. Paul keeps promising he'll tell us all about Dogfish Head...
Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber Ale: Not super crazy about this. It's a little sweet, but just doesn't seem particularly balanced or interesting. Just not really worth the effort.
Natty Greene's Pale Ale: This one, on the other hand, is pretty good. Maybe I've just gotten well into hoppy beers at this point in my life, maybe it's because this is nicely hoppy and refreshing in the heat and humidity of Duck, North Carolina, or maybe it's just good. I think that. I can't say it's much besides hoppy, but it was well received by a group of people who typically prefer hoppy beers.
Highland Oatmeal Porter: GOOD STUFF. I like that beers with oatmeal involved are generally pleasant and not too strongly flavored like anything but stout (or in this case, porter). This was delightful. Malty but balanced, smooth but interesting. Definitely a winner. I'd do this again or recommend it to others who like dark beers (or perhaps even those who are still conflicted in their feelings toward darker beers; Mike, who wrinkles his nose in an epic way to most of my black-paint beers besides Guinness, liked this).
I saw Paul and his awesome wife at a wedding last weekend. Congratulations, Tyler and Christie! We drank a lot of your Yuengling. Paul keeps promising he'll tell us all about Dogfish Head...
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Come hell or high water...
Late late Friday night, I got to catch up with two of my favorite people who I haven't seen in months: Gurzo and Jeremy. They and many others were celebrating Jeremy's birthday at his family's shore house, which is only a few minutes from my all the time house. The only problem was that I had to work till 11. I didn't think it would take me too long to get there, so even with my grandma-like bedtime tendencies, I thought it'd be worth it.
I didn't expect the insane downpour and flash flooding in Ocean County on Friday night.
Lucky for me, I was borrowing my brother's ginormous Ford Explorer this weekend while he was away, so I fearlessly drove down by the bay in Seaside Park and made it alive... just very late. Totally worthwhile for the company. Gurzo handed me 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, which I guess was the right theme. The biggest problem was that I had Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon IPA first.
The Loose Cannon is a great IPA, slightly floral tasting but not too much. That's kind of the last hops flavor that I'm still wary of, but it's well rounded in this beer. With the warmer weather, I have found myself mostly wanting hoppy, fresh beers. This totally fit the bill.
So, after that, the Hell or High Watermelon. Hell or high water indeed. Bayview Ave definitely had some flooding going on (it always does). This sweet beer was awful immediately following the slightly bitter taste of IPA. I'm not a huge fan of fruit in my beer, but the more I had of this and the further away from the IPA I was, the more it was all right. It was even a decent watermelon flavor, not like candy or anything. This would probably have been better if it was super super ice cold in the middle of a hot summer day. Not terrible, just not really my thing anymore.
Got the following text from Paul yesterday morning--
"The choice was sitting on the beach or taking a tour of dogfish head. Most of the girls chose the beach. Laura picked the brewery tour. I married a winner."
1. Fact. Laura is a winner.
2. I am jealous. I love Dogfish Head and look forward to someday taking the tour (I mean, come on, Sam and I are already totally buds, I need to check out the place!)
3. Paul also promised he'd blog about it. I can't wait to hear how it was!
I didn't expect the insane downpour and flash flooding in Ocean County on Friday night.
Lucky for me, I was borrowing my brother's ginormous Ford Explorer this weekend while he was away, so I fearlessly drove down by the bay in Seaside Park and made it alive... just very late. Totally worthwhile for the company. Gurzo handed me 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, which I guess was the right theme. The biggest problem was that I had Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon IPA first.
The Loose Cannon is a great IPA, slightly floral tasting but not too much. That's kind of the last hops flavor that I'm still wary of, but it's well rounded in this beer. With the warmer weather, I have found myself mostly wanting hoppy, fresh beers. This totally fit the bill.
So, after that, the Hell or High Watermelon. Hell or high water indeed. Bayview Ave definitely had some flooding going on (it always does). This sweet beer was awful immediately following the slightly bitter taste of IPA. I'm not a huge fan of fruit in my beer, but the more I had of this and the further away from the IPA I was, the more it was all right. It was even a decent watermelon flavor, not like candy or anything. This would probably have been better if it was super super ice cold in the middle of a hot summer day. Not terrible, just not really my thing anymore.
Got the following text from Paul yesterday morning--
"The choice was sitting on the beach or taking a tour of dogfish head. Most of the girls chose the beach. Laura picked the brewery tour. I married a winner."
1. Fact. Laura is a winner.
2. I am jealous. I love Dogfish Head and look forward to someday taking the tour (I mean, come on, Sam and I are already totally buds, I need to check out the place!)
3. Paul also promised he'd blog about it. I can't wait to hear how it was!
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