Washing Down Babies With Beer Since 2008

2011 - The Year in Beer

2012-01-02T23:18:00.001-05:00

After a year in hiatus I'm back to do the same thing I did before I left this thing high and dry for a year. It's time for a year in recap. I've opted to split things up this time around. The first batch is simply data for those who keep track of things like that. First a quick recap of the pertinent stuff.

2010 looked something like this:
Total Beers (Unique beers documented since 1/27/2008) - 400
Total Styles - 81
Beer Cellar - 20 different beers comprising 64 bottles
Homebrew Batches - 10
BA Reviews - 0
Trades Completed - 4

2011 looks like this:
Total Beers - 600
Total Styles - 85
Beer Cellar - 120 different beers comprising 232 bottles.
Homebrew Batches - 14
BA Reviews - 118
Trades Completed - 22

In short, I drank 200 new beers this year, added 4 new styles, almost quadrupled the number of bottles in the cellar, brewed 4 new beers, officially reviewed 118 beers, and completed an additional 18 trades.

New Year's Resolutions:

1. Cut beer spending in half. This includes beer purchased for trade.
2. Update this thing on a semi-regular basis.
3. Drink at least 100 new beers.
4. Reach 250 reviews
5. Drop the cellar to 150-175 bottles. Work on a one in one out method.
6. Try at least 5 new styles of beer.

Stay tuned for a Top 10 of 2011 and the new and improved Top 10 of All-Time.

-Joey

Beer Porn from the N00B BIF 6.0

2011-10-25T18:10:00.003-04:00

This blog is not entirely dead. It's just... resting. Apparently Joey plans on posting regularly in 2012.

Anyway, I received an epic box in the N00B BIF 6.0 from rmalinowski4.

The bottles:

The cans:

/Steve

Regarding the lack of posting

2011-02-26T14:26:00.003-05:00

I made some resolutions for the new year that I am actually keeping. I think typing my most recent post made me realize that I was unhappy with the chunk of my life that I devote to beer. I managed to get myself into a rut.

But I have made some changes. And now I think I am out of that rut. Here is what I have been up to (and why I haven't been updating this blog):

1) Rather than trying to find high-profile bombers, I have returned to my old habits (circa 2008) of mixing 6-packs of relatively commonplace beers. As a result, I am trying something new every week. And it is fantastic.

2) Rather than purchasing bombers and saving them for special occasions, I am splitting them with Joey on our man weekends. This is a glorious new tradition.

3) I have decided to do something with my beer notebooks. I have been taking detailed notes in these little notebooks since 2009, but I have been condensing these into short reviews for my beer spreadsheet. Now, I am doing the opposite. I am taking my notes and adapting them to reviews on BA. I basically try to write a review every day that I have an extra 10 minutes. This is part of my "get more involved in the BA community" resolution. Those reviews can be found here:

http://beeradvocate.com/user/profile/angrybabboon

4) I am avoiding hype. I am not going to the KTG release this year. Having Kate on-tap is definitely worth the pain, but the whole experience is really more negative than positive. Yes, the beer is great. Standing in line is not great, but it is tolerable. The hype is what drives me nuts. The amount of people complaining after the KTG lottery tickets is really what sealed the deal for me. Wait, you spent $60 on lottery tickets and didn't win a bottle? Now you're going to bitch about it? And it's the guys at the Portsmouth Brewery are assholes? GET DIED.

/Steve

2010: More beer is required!

2011-01-18T14:33:00.004-05:00

Last year was rather strange for me. There were a number of quality beer moments. There was also some hardship, too. I really feel the need to acknowledge both.

As Joey already wrote, we had my last Kate from 2008 at his wedding. It was spectacular. However, it was almost tragic. The problem at Joey’s wedding is that the wait staff was simply too diligent. After Kate was poured and some time had passed, Joey and I briefly left the table. I brought my glass. Joey was dancing, and did not bring his. When I returned, Joey’s glass was gone. And Joey didn’t have it. I looked around and then chased down a staff member who had taken the glass away. I am still traumatized by this. At my wedding, in the year 20XX, I will have to be a complete ass and inform the entire wait staff to stay the hell away from anything even resembling Kate.

Speaking of Kate, I am still reflecting on the events of March. Joey and I were first in line. We met Gerald, the 7-Eleven employee. Ass was busted. Other than some fun aspects, it was an agonizing, awful experience. I would definitely rank the overall process of waiting for the calendar pages, driving home, driving back, and then waiting to get Kate on tap as one of the worst experiences of my life, ever. HOWEVER, it was most definitely worth it. So I regret nothing. I would do it again, in fact.

Another topic that blends both good and bad involves sour beers. After much reluctance, I have finally become interested in sour beers. I am really starting to enjoy certain aspects. I owe Joey greatly for this. However, my stomach is not pleased. I do not know precisely what bacteria strains bother me, but I am pretty certain that Brettanomyces makes my gut region want to explode. I feel like I need to drink a bottle of Pepto Bismol as a chaser.

At some point this year I reached the conclusion that the state of Rhode Island was effectively killing my beer mojo. I’m not sure how else to describe this. The only good place to buy good beer in southern Rhode Island is in southern Massachusetts. And I am aware how little sense that sentence makes. There is nothing good around here. There is nothing exciting around here. However, since I realized why I have been feeling so frustrated, I have begun to feel better. I think I am starting to accept that I am stuck in Rhode Island for at least another two and a half years. My goal now is to try all of the commonplace beers that I have yet to try. For example, I still have yet to review the classic Chimay beers. Now is as good of a time as any for me.

Much like Joey, my highlights of 2010 involved Russian River. I love this brewery so much that it almost makes me want to move to Santa Rosa, California. I had Pliny the Elder for the first time when I was in Denver, Colorado for a psychology conference. It was quite possibly the greatest beer moment I had all year. I got it on tap with a small group of people. I was pretty much dead to the world at that point, for I was too blown away by the beer to be interested in talking to people. It was ridiculous.

The fact that Joey has started trading is probably the best overall beer news story of the year. Joey’s trading has resulted in me having more Pliny. And I got Blind Pig. And more Russian River sours! I am accruing a massive beer debt, but I have recently decided that I am not ready for trading. I need to spend some time on the forums first. Maybe I will start trading this summer, when I have more time to deal with the hassle of packing.

On a completely different note, Joey and I were very productive with homebrewing in 2010. We brewed five beers. This is remarkable considering we didn’t brew anything from June to December due to the summer, inability to get supplies, and some degrees of laziness. But now we are back on track. I bought another 5 gallon carboy, which should increase our production capacity. The only problem will be the summer. Neither Joey nor I have a good place for fermenting in the summer. Perhaps we will find a solution for this.

Anyway, I have enjoyed rambling. I am going to steal Joey’s idea and list current top tens.

TOP TEN OF TWENTY-TEN

1) Russian River Pliny the Elder
2) Portsmouth Brewery Kate the Great 2010
3) Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (FRESH)
4) Deschutes The Abyss 2009
5) Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
6) Russian River Supplication
7) Russian River Temptation
8) Russian River Consecration
9) Deschutes Mirror Mirror
10) Portsmouth Brewery Imperial Porter

TOP TEN AS OF JANUARY 18, 2010

1) Portsmouth Brewery Kate the Great (2008, 2010)
2) Russian River Pliny the Elder
3) Stone Imperial Russian Stout (aged, bonus points for availability)
4) Southern Tier Pumking (2008, 2009, this year’s was notably less epic)
5) Southern Tier Oat (aged for one year)
6) Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (on tap)
7) Westmalle Trappist Dubbel
8) St. Bernardus Prior 8
9) Russian River Supplication
10) Russian River Temptation

/Steve

2010 Will Forever Be the Year of Russian River

2011-01-04T22:48:00.006-05:00

We have once again reached a new year and a new time to catalog conquests and thoughts on the previous year. 2010 was a bigger and better beer year than 2009, but nothing will compare to the sheer volume of new beer I demolished in 2008. In case you were curious, the new beer count at the end of 2008 was 226 beers covering 66 styles and 2009 ended with 76 new (302 overall) new beers covering 71 styles. The end of 2010 brought with it a total of 98 new beers, bringing the total list to 400 encompassing 81 styles.

[Disclaimer: In my list, I do not count beers had on tap, sampled, or otherwise not consumed at home. Few exceptions to this rule apply].

While I fell short of my goal of 100 new beers this year, I can hold my head high. A lot was accomplished in the world of beer. I tried Pliny the Elder for the first time, I was first in line at Kate Day 2010, Steve and I put our 10th batch of beer in primary fermentation, I completed my first couple trades (most of which were for Pliny!)and I continued to accrue beer knowledge.

As an update on my cellar, the total beer count being aged is something in the neighborhood of 64 bottles. There are some gems buried in there, but most of those are earmarked for special events.

Also, I got married. As was discussed at some point in the past, Steve and I drank his last 2008 Kate the Great at my wedding reception. Not only was it the best day of my life, it was a day where I got to share my favorite beer with my best friend/best man. It was as sentimental as it sounds. Kate + 2 years is probably one of the most ridiculous things I could imagine. She drank like the sheer joy I felt, and she will forever be a part of that day. That reminds me, I need to write Tod Mott an email describing the ways in which Kate has made my world a better and more enjoyable place.

As has become tradition, I will leave you with my top 10 beers of 2010. I will follow this with a refreshed Top 10 beers of all time. Let me say, 2010 was probably my best year for beer, hands down.

Top 10 Beers of 2010:

1. Russian River Supplication
2. Russian River Pliny the Elder
3. Russian River Temptation
4. Ballast Point Sculpin
5. Ithaca LeBleu
6. Deschutes The Abyss
7. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
8. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
9. Portsmouth Brewery Flanders Red
10. Victory Yakima Twilight/Glory

Honorable Mentions: Goose Island Fleur, Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree, Russian River Blind Pig, Russian River Consecration, Deschutes Mirror Mirror, Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Top 10 Beers as of January 4, 2011:
1. Portsmouth Brewery Kate the Great (Russian Imperial Stout)
2. Russian River Supplication (American Wild Ale)
3. Russian River Pliny the Elder (American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale)
4. Russian River Temptation (American Wild Ale)
5. Ballast Point Sculpin (American India Pale Ale)
6. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Russian Imperial Stout)
7. Ithaca LeBleu (American Wild Ale)
8. Deschutes The Abyss (American Double/Imperial Stout)
9. Goose Island Fleur (Belgian Pale Ale)
10. Bear Republic Racer #5 (American India Pale Ale)

-Joey

Intra-brewery battle: Sierra Nevada Torpedo vs. Celebration

2010-12-04T19:56:00.004-05:00

Joey and I had brewing plans this weekend, but circumstances out of our control prevented our meeting. Next weekend I have so much academic work (i.e. finals) to do that I will quite literally not leave my house from Friday until Monday. And I cannot start any of the work earlier. After that, the madness of the Christmas season is in full gear. So we may not brew until January.

In great contrast to the inevitable unpleasantness of next weekend, I am presently not overburdened with work. So last night I did something that I have wanted to do for nearly two years: I simultaneously compared Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Sierra Nevada Celebration. Since trying Torpedo for the first time in early 2009, I have wondered whether or not I liked it more or less than Celebration. They are both excellent beers, and both have relative strengths and weaknesses. They are similar, yet very different. I was confident that a proper horizontal tasting would answer my question.

Unfortunately... After last night, I am still not sure if I can answer the question!

The following is a transcript of my notes:

2010 Torpedo vs. 2010 Celebration

Both are nearly the same shade of copper - Celebration is a little clearer, a little darker - very slightly though - Heads are about the same, Torpedo's is a little bit bigger - I HATE to say it, but they are kind of similar in taste - Torpedo has citrus, resin - superbly hoppy with a great lingering bitterness - like crazy hop juice - clean though - some odd saltiness that I find common in all bottled SN beers - Celebration is certainly not old Torpedo - Whoever thought this was a clever joke must be, at a minimum, mildly retarded - Celebration is pretty wild - Maltier? Yes, but only slightly, really not a dramatic difference - More salt, a bit less under control - More bitter? No. About equal - Torpedo is actually easier to drink - Slightly sweeter? Yes - Both beers are palate busters, though, so picking a favorite is hard! Celebration is more complex, more harsh, Torpedo is cleaner, a little smoother - as an everyday beer, I like Torpedo more - But Celebration is amazing, and I want it - Both are definite 9's - I need to drink more Torpedo during the year - Celebration smells better, though - Damnation! Both are yummerz, but Torpedo wins overall by a hair - It has a weird, subtle minty pine sweetness that works surprisingly well - Also, both beers have God-tier lacing

So to summarize that block of text, both Torpedo and Celebration are epic American IPAs. They are both excellent, and even while drinking both at the same time, picking a favorite was nearly impossible. They are both amazing for slightly different reasons. Rumor has it that Celebration changes slightly every year just because of the natural properties of the hops. I imagine that the same is true for Torpedo. So I suppose that my observations are only valid for 2010. Not that they are really helpful, anyway... My plan, after this experiment, is to drink more Torpedo during the year, since it is consistently amazing, and drink Celebration when it is out around the Holidays. The fact that Celebration is seasonal makes this work! If Torpedo and Celebration were available year-round, life would be really complicated.

/Steve

Belgian Barf Timez 101

2010-11-21T00:14:00.002-05:00

We wanted to save the video/transcript/podcast "thing" for our 100th post. As a result, things got backed up, and much has happened since that review. I've had some excellent beers. However, I do not plan on commenting on any of those in this blog. Instead, I want to make a post to essentially remind my future self of something.

- - -

Dear 2011 Steve,

In 2009, you attended the Belgian Beer Fest, and many hours later you were in gastrointestinal turmoil. There was dry heaving involved. In 2010, you attended the Belgian Beer Fest, and the next morning you woke up at 4am to vomit. Please remember these events. In 2011, please either 1) eat a more reasonable amount of food beforehand; 2) chug some Pepto-Bismol before, during, or after the event; or 3) drink less beer that can be described as "funky."

Seriously, stop embarrassing yourself.

Sincerely,

2010 Steve

- - -

The Belgian Beer Fest was certainly fun this year, but there were not a lot (alot?) of truly great beers. It is sad to say, but nothing really blew me out of the water. The best things I had were Ithaca's LeBleu (totally my beer of the fest), and beers I had already experienced before (such as La Folie). Tragically, some beers from the past, such as Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk were just nasty this year. I look forward to next year's, but I am also looking forward to making some better decisions regarding my stomach's ability to handle large quantities of pre-fest meat followed my large quantities of funk, Brett, and random strains of bacteria.

/Steve

The 100th Post Podcast

2010-11-21T00:03:00.004-05:00

Joey and I decided to celebrate 100 posts with a collaboration. This decision was made almost two months ago. We did a video review of the New Belgium Lips of Faith beers about a month ago.

Due to the fact that the video was 18 minutes long, I could not find a way to share it. I have no real video editing software (nothing that would even let me chop an .avi in half), so after some thought I decided I was going to type out a transcript. After trying this for a few minutes, I realized that it would take me hours. So I decided to make a podcast. Extracting the audio from the video was easy. Unfortunately, Blogger really does not like audio. So I had to somehow turn the audio into a fake video. I found some tutorials for this online. Then I realized that the file was too large. So I split it in half and redid everything. Hopefully it was worth it. I'm writing this because I would like to point out the absurdity of this situation.

Here's how it went down:
Video > Audio > Audio with static picture (fake video) > Audio > 2 audio files > 2 fake videos

/Steve
And Joey

I Might Have A Butterbeer or Two, Let Me Check.

2010-10-04T14:43:00.003-04:00

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I think these words every time I enter a liquor/beer store. Some small part of me always feels guilty. I could be saving my cash for bigger purchases (TVs, video game systems, things of that nature), but I can't. Make that don't. I skulk from aisle to aisle, display to display, absorbing the names and styles around me, watching what the person next to me picks up. I silently berate them for poor choices but rarely offer a better solution. I am too busy watching the bottles move across my vision. I fear for the under informed employee who wants nothing more than to help. I smile, he moves on. I remember what store has what, adding each new name to an ever-growing catalog of places and beer. I collect enough to make it through the winter. I could be a monk.

I seem to encounter this problem every fall. When pumpkin beer hits the shelves I go in to overdrive, purchasing cases of beer without a care in the world. A case of Pumking, a case of Smutty Pumpkin. I bat not an eyelash. Pumpkin bombers...check. I see, I buy, I hoard. As Steve mentioned in his latest post, I, like Steve, have a mega surplus of beer. There are beers hiding away from this time last year. I remain undeterred. I still purchase. I purchase more. Before I know it, winter rolls around and I find a case of Sierra Nevada Celebration entering the fray. Rumor has it Nugget Nectar drops at the turn of the year. Another case.

Eventually I run out of space and impose a beer purchase hiatus. No more beer purchases for the next 2 weeks. It has yet to work. We'll see if my willpower holds out this time around.

I'm going to dedicate the next two weeks to polishing off my pumpkin collection. Of course I'll leave some Smutty Pumpkin and Pumking for the coming months, but the other pumpkin beers will clear out. Like an IPA, the delicate pumpkin beer flavor is lost after too much time. Flat and uninteresting after a few months. The taste of fall disappears. This will not happen this year.

I leave the store with my purchases. I fill the closet. I crack a beer. "Mischief managed."

Amesbury Sports Park Brew Fest (with bonus complaining)

2010-10-03T16:17:00.006-04:00

The brew fest

I drove up to my homeland of Amesbury, MA last weekend to check out the Fourth Annual Brewfest at the Amesbury Sports Park. Based on a newspaper clipping courtesy of my mother, I knew that the brew fest was advertising brewers such as "Dos Equis, Blue Moon, [and] Mike's Lemonade." This may or may not have made my head hurt. Perhaps out of a morbid curiosity, I felt compelled to go.

In contrast to my expectations, the event was actually pretty great. The whole thing was set up outside on AstroTurf (excellent, considering my hatred of grass), there were bands, there was food, and there was even a mechanical bull. After all, what goes better with alcohol? There weren't very many booths (at least compared to a BeerAdvocate event), but the space was utilized very efficiently. Attendees had to pay $10 for 10 sample tickets. This is a good deal to begin with, and on top of that, most booths didn't even care if you used a ticket to get a sample.

There were some great breweries that made an appearance. The official sponsor was Kennebec River Brewery. I tried their IPA and I am sad to say it was awful. I described it as "barf city: it's like someone melted a Popsicle in an herbal corn soda." I had a great beer from the Cody Brewing Company (a brewery from Amesbury - seriously). It was their Last Minute Stout, which is an American stout brewed with pumpkins and then aged on vanilla beans. It was excellent. I also had a great oatmeal stout from McGovern's, a brewery from Maine. The Cape Ann Brewing Company had Fisherman's Wet-Hopped Honey for sampling, and I actually thought it was good (unlike most honey beers I have tried). The Boston Beer Company brought two new Samuel Adams varieties as part of a "Beer Lover's Choice" promotion. Beer A was Samuel Adams Belgian Style IPA, and beer B was Samuel Adams American Rye Ale. The idea was to have people vote. I love this idea. The beers, however, did not receive my love. The Belgian IPA was bland, and the American Rye just tasted wrong. I honestly forget what I voted for, but I guess it doesn't matter. My father, who attended this event with me, agreed that neither variety would be worth buying.

I had fun, and I will definitely be attending again next year.

Bonus complaining (as advertised):

I haven't been buying a lot of beer lately for two reasons.

1) I still have beers that I bought in the spring that I haven't consumed. After moving into this house back in June, I decided that I didn't want to buy large quantities of new beer before finishing what I had. I'm still finishing it!

2) I'm so damn poor! I have been accumulating poverty (I believe that phrase makes sense) since I started my life as a grad student. I thought this summer would cure my problems. It did not. I have no money!

As a result of 2), I reached a revelation a few days ago that I am announcing on this blog. I am not going to buy a case of Pumking this year. I just can't afford it. This is tragic, but I will still be buying a few bottles when I get a chance. Maybe I'll have more money next year. I've said this in the past, but I think it is really time to start researching how much money I could get by selling a kidney...

/Steve

West Coast Rocks

2010-09-27T14:45:00.003-04:00

Now that I've finally shared the epic beer haul from Portland with Steve I can make my honeymoon/Portland post. When trying to decide where to go on a honeymoon, the wife and I made the decision to stay stateside. It's cheaper, easier to travel to and from, and of course, fantastic American beer can be had. With these requirements in mind we decided Portland, Oregon would be an ideal location. It's a nice city within a couple hours of beaches, mountains, gorges, and other amazing scenery, not to mention it's a hotbed for West coast beer!

I had 4 beer related items on my honeymoon agenda:

1. Find and consume Pliny the Elder
2. Visit the Deschutes Brewpub
3. Visit the Hair of the Dog Taproom/Brewery
4. Buy and send home some epic west coast beer.

I achieved three of these.

1. This took the better part of the week to accomplish. I looked up a few beer stores and visited one (Bridgetown Beerhouse in North Portland). I never asked the guy for Pliny, but assumed if they had it it would be out in the cases. Picked up a few beers (found in the list below) and left. Disheartened, but not defeated, I made a post on BeerAdvocate inquiring as to whether Pliny the Elder could be found on tap anywhere in the Portland area. My inquiry resulted in two options: County Cork and Roscoe's. I was informed that County Cork listed Pliny as a house beer and usually had it on tap. We went. They did not have Pliny, but they had Blind Pig instead. A fair trade. Blind Pig was amazing and highly drinkable.
The next day, after some adventuring, we headed to Roscoe's. This is a classy dive bar. Black shades over a dark interior. Patrons huddled over glasses. I was happy. Apparently Roscoe's had a DIPA summit the previous day and still had some lingering beer. One of which was Pliny the Elder. Can anyone say $5.25 for a fresh pint of Pliny? I did. Twice. Goal 1 fulfilled at the best dive bar I've ever seen.

2. The wife and I did this on our first full day in Portland. Finding the place was a piece of cake. Thank you Portland for being a well-organized and logical city (I'm looking at you Boston). The service was decent, the food was delicious, and the beer was fantastic. I helped myself to Black Butte XXII, a pub exclusive imperial porter with citrus zest and chili pepper added to its bourbon barrel agedness, and Hop Henge Experimental IPA #8, a west coast hop bomb that was as fresh as could be. Success!

3. Sadly, I failed to accomplish this goal. We left it until the last day of the honeymoon to visit, and when we called to see if the brewery would be available to give a tour, we were told the Taproom was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It was a sad day, but I'll be sure to keep this in mind the next time I'm in the area. Thankfully, my grandfather had sent me a Fred and an Adam. Hair of the Dog was not a check, but at least I get to try some of their beer. Next time.

4. Mega completion here. I picked up a few beers at Bridgetown Beerhouse, but a vast majority of my purchases came from a Whole Foods down the street from County Cork. The lady ringing me out at Whole Foods was confused by my absurd purchase, but the beer was necessary. In any case, the purchase list is as follows:

A. (22 oz.) 2009 Deschutes Mirror Mirror (x2) (Whole Foods)
B. (750 mL) Russian River Temptation (Whole Foods)
C. (22 oz.) New Belgium Lips of Faith Transatlantique Kriek (Whole Foods)
D. (22 oz.) New Belgium Lips of Faith La Folie 2010 (Whole Foods)
E. (375 mL) Russian River Supplication (Bridgetown Beerhouse)
F. (375 mL) Russian River Damnation (Bridgetown Beerhouse)
G. (22 oz.) Deschutes Hop in the Dark (Deschutes Brewpub)

Steve and I drank one of the Mirror Mirrors, the RR Temptation, and both New Belgium beers a couple weeks ago. A massive Lips of Faith joint review will arrive in the nearish future. Needless to day, RR Temptation may be the best sour I've ever had, ever. Supplication is waiting for a special moment...maybe the arrival of the kitten!

All said and done the honeymoon was fantastic and my wife gets major props for putting up with my incessant need to drink and find beer. West coast beer is phenomenal, as is the scene. I'll put my thoughts on that on here in the next few days.

I leave you with the beer consumption list:

1. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (tap) (Twilight Pizza in Camas, WA)
2. Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA (tap) (Twilight Pizza in Camas, WA)
3. Deschutes Black Butte XXII (tap) (Deschutes Brewpub)
4. Hop Henge Experimental IPA #8 (tap) (Deschutes Brewpub)
5. Old Boardhead Barleywine (tap) (Full Sail Brewery)
6. Russian River Blind Pig (x2) (tap) (County Cork in North Portland, OR)
7. Evil Twin IPA (tap) (Bill's Tavern) (Cannon Beach, OR)
8. Russian River Pliny the Elder (x2) (tap) (Roscoe's in North Portland, OR)
9. Russian River Damnation (bottle)
10. McMenamin's IPA (tap) (Nob Hill area of Portland, OR)
11. House IPA (tap) (Rock Flatbread Pizza in Vancouver, WA)
12. Deschutes Hop in the Dark CDA (bottle)

-Joey

Nothing Like a Punch List

2010-09-13T14:00:00.004-04:00

Inspired by Steve's return to the blogging world, I figured I should try to get back in the habit of updating this thing (we're going to shoot for twice a week for now). No one wants to read a blog that never updates.

In any case, it's been a rather hectic couple of months. Over the course of the summer I moved and got married. Yup. I think those are perfectly viable excuses for not updating. As a result, a whirlwind of the past couple months is in order.

1. No new beers have been brewed. Our barleywine went to bottles a few days before we moved and we've been trying to get everything in order. New beers (possibly a SMASH beer or two) are coming down the pipeline...maybe hard cider as well!

2. The wedding beer list was as follows:
a. Bitburger Premium Pils
b. Ipswich Original Ale
c. Magic Hat Blind Faith/Hi.p.a.
d. Victory Prima Pils
As you can see, it was a respectable list with a variety that hit across the spectrum. No stouts made it through the deliberation. No one at the wedding would have wanted to drink one. At least no one that wasn't me or Steve.

3. To celebrate my wedding, Steve cracked open his last 2008 Kate the Great. It was a fantastic way to enjoy his last 2008 Kate. I would like to thank Tod Mott and everyone at The Portsmouth Brewery for producing this amazing beer. The best beer out there to celebrate the best day of my life. You can't really lose.

4. I honeymooned in Portland, OR. Many beers were had and many beers came home. This is all for another post.

5. My beer cellar continues to grow. It's now rocking some DORIS the Destroyer, The Abyss, Jubel 2010, Mirror Mirror, and some other recent gems. A cellar update post might be in the works soon.

6. I recently did beer inventory. I'm sitting on 113 beers crossing 35 styles. This is encouraging. Homebrew is factored in here.

7. Found and tried Sculpin. I think I'm in love.

I think that's all the beer news since the last update oh so many months ago.

-Joey

The "beer snob" post

2010-09-10T15:35:00.004-04:00

Act 1: The problem

I have a desire to not be labeled as a "beer snob." Perhaps as a result, I do not perceive myself as one. While I have slowly accumulated knowledge about all things beer-related in the last few years, I am far from a connoisseur, and I still enjoy badly made beers. Example - I recently drank a few bottles of Miller High Life. And I still believe it is a good example of the American macro lager style.

I try not to judge people (to their faces, at least) about their poor beer choices or failure to understand common knowledge about beer. I try to be nice. But despite my efforts, I am pretty certain that I still sound like a jackass most of the time. Some recent experiences suggest that I should just avoid the topic in conversation. I had a discussion a few months ago that went like this:

Me: "...So what is your favorite beer?"
Him: "Hefewizen"
Me: "Cool, I like that style, too. I personally like the Americanized ones more than the true German ones."
Him: *Carefully nods*
Me: "So what is your favorite hefewizen?"
Him: "What?"
Me: "Who brews the hefewizen you like?"
Him: "I thought hefewizen was the name of the beer."

Since then I have been more self-conscious. Some people just don't care about the details. I am fine with that. I should just be happy that they enjoy beer.

Act 2: "What really grinds my gears"

There is one issue regarding the modern state of craft beer that makes me want to stand up on a pedestal and tell people to "GET DIED!" And when it comes to this particular topic, I don't care if I am labeled as a beer snob. The issue:

People drinking high ABV craft beers simply because of the ABV, and then bragging about it to friends

This just makes me angry. I have nothing against high ABV beers, and I have nothing against people wanting to get wasted. But I feel that drinking an excellent beer for the sole purpose of getting wasted is completely missing the point. You drink a craft beer to enjoy how it tastes, not just to get buzzed. Why not just spend $2 and buy a time-honored bottle of malt liquor? I think the rationale is something like this: "I am drinking an expensive beer AND getting wasted, therefore as I tell you about this, I am trying to emphasize that I am better than you." People that run out to the store and buy something simply because it is 8.00% + ABV (and then chug it out of the bottle) are not respecting what makes craft beer worth drinking. As I feel some kind of kinship to the entity that is "craft beer," when my friend is disrespected, I get pissed off.

Act 3: Current developments

As I mentioned before, I am making efforts to be able to talk beer with people that don't know Bud Light from Harpoon UFO. As for my own beer education, I am currently less interested in trying different beers than I am interested in understanding hops. I've always known that I like certain things and dislike other things. But I've recently become very interested in pinpointing exactly what I like about certain beers. As a result, I recently sent a few frantic texts to Joey regarding my immediate need to discriminate between east coast IPAs and west coast IPAs. I want to know why I don't enjoy the grapefruit-like hop profile in Smuttynose IPA and why I would probably stab somebody to experience the juicy, pine/resin/orange deliciousness of Pliny the Elder. Perhaps Joey and I will be making some SMASH beers in the future...

/Steve

We Went Away...To The American Craft Beer Fest

2010-06-26T22:58:00.003-04:00

It seems my desire to update on a weekly basis went out the window rather quickly. With moving and packing and all the other things that come with a change in location, this thing slipped my mind. I'm back, more or less, and with things mildly settled down in the new location, I'm going to try and get back in to a regular update mode.

With all of that said, it's been a relatively slow few weeks in terms of beer related things. There was the American Craft Beer Fest, which was a ton of fun. Steve and I streamlined our whole process, foregoing notebooks and extensive note taking, and just enjoyed the fest for what it was. This was a decision we had reached independently, but seemingly simultaneously. The notebook and extensive notes seemed to detract from the whole fest experience. We were trying too hard to sit down and write out notes for every sample, and in the long run, we, or at least I, lost something in the overall scope of enjoying myself. It was less about experiencing the fest and more about reviewing beers. Given my lack of desire to actually catalog reviews for beers I've only had samples of, it seemed silly to continue to try. With that said, we made a list of our must have beers, which happened to coincide after some discussion and whittling down, wrote that down, and jotted quick notes about each as we saw fit.

We managed to cut out large portions of incoherent and barely legible text, not to mention that obviously drunk-biased reviews that occurred in the later hours of the fest, and managed to enjoy wandering from brewery to brewery and enjoying their wares with less determination. There were the requisite ridiculous people to keep me endlessly entertained. Listening to one guy explain that Stone Brewing was known for their IPAs, one of which was recently released, the "Stone Imperial Russian IPA or something," made me giggle and bite my tongue. I struggle with the knowledge that beer knowledge isn't for everyone. People enjoy things in different ways. Who says you always have to be a snob?

The total sample count came in somewhere around 30-32. I can't quite figure it out, as my beer list is full of scribbles and marks and illegible writing (condense the notebooks in to one 8.5"x11" sheet of paper - all of the extensive notes, and you have my sheet (maybe there will be a scan/photo at some point)).

There were the obvious high and low points. The personal low came in the form of Harpoon's Golden Wizard Belgian Pale Ale on cask. Not only was it supposed to be their Chocolate IPA, it tasted like a mixture of two-year old Imperial IPA and candy. Brooklyn's Buzz Bomb was the first braggot (excluding one of Magic Hat's Odd Notions) I've ever had, and it was the first beer I've ever poured out at a beer fest. It was literally this undrinkable mess of flavors that failed to appease my tongue in any way. The best beers were spread across the board. Boston Beer Company's (Sam Adams) Kosmic Mother Funk was a deliciously sour treat that beats any of the Barrel Room Collection beers it went in to. Also on the list are Rock Bottom's Cinco de Mayo, a jalapeno infused lager that hit the perfect spot for a mid-late fest break from all of the hops and malts. Refreshing and spicy, it was everything I wanted it to be. Sierra Nevada produced a chocolate chili pepper imperial stout. The tiniest hints of chili pepper snuck through a slightly sweet, slightly dry stout and made the whole experience wonderful.

Alright, I lied. It's been an exciting few weeks...also, Steve went to Colorado and brought back some sweet New Belgium beers and Russian River Consecration. I'm reasonably sure I screamed when he sent me the picture of the haul. I look forward to that in so many ways.

-Joey

Beer time

2010-06-24T15:12:00.005-04:00

I've had some serious beer excitement in my recent history. As you, our faithful readers, will remember, I have:

1) Brewed epic beers with Joey

2) Taken a trip to Colorado, tried Pliny the Elder on tap, and mailed a package home filled with epic beers

3) Moved into a new house and converted a bookcase into a hutch to hold my beer glasses

Wait, I never wrote about any of those things? Nonsense.

Last Friday Joey and I attended the 2010 American Craft Beer Fest. It was spectacular. While it will inevitably be remembered as less exciting than last year (simply because last year was the first one we attended), I feel that it was a better experience. Joey and I loaded up on (arguably) unhealthy amounts of protein prior to the event, and neither of us blacked out. We may have taken the T in the wrong direction on the way home, but I'm pretty sure I would have made the same mistake if I were completely sober.

I took minimal notes at this event for two reasons. First, I wanted it to be more of a relaxing experience. Second, I went WAY overboard last time. My notes lose some charm after 15 notepad pages. I'm not even going to update my notes this time. I don't think it is worth my time. In fact, I am only going to comment on beers that absolutely require comments.

1) Goose Island - Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout / 13%)

The first few sips blew my mind. I felt like I was drinking a bizarre cocktail of Kahlua and bourbon with some beer mixed in for good measure. However, the taste got old quick; it was simply too fresh. From my sample, I would guess this beer needs a few years to cellar.

2) Boston Beer Co - Kosmic Mother Funk (Belgian Sour / 7%)

Surprisingly, this might just have been the best thing I tasted at this year's ACBF. It was simply epic; perfectly sour, a bit tart, and undeniably funky. It didn't have any of the sweetness that is perpetually preventing me from really getting into sours. If this is ever bottled, I'm buying a couple.

3) Sierra Nevada - Hellraiser (Chocolate Chili Pepper Imperial Stout / 10.2%)

My official notes for this are simply, "YES! BONER TIMEZ." I stand by that statement. This beer is simply excellent; it is a solid stout complemented perfectly by a lovely chili pepper heat in the back of your mouth.

4) Harpoon - Golden Wizard (Double Belgian IPA / ?%)

I'd rather drink my own urine than even think about how bad this beer tasted. It was an abomination. If I brewed this beer, I would be embarrassed to have anyone try it. This wasn't a matter of being "too sweet" or "too funky," this beer was simply a liquid train wreck. I've never poured nearly an entire sample at a beer event... until I tried this.

5) Martha's Exchange - Tripel Stout (Barrel Aged Hybrid Stout / 7.2%)

According to what I can read from my notes, this beer was a tripel blended with a Russian Imperial Stout and an American Stout and then aged in a Jack Daniels barrel. According to my memory, it was awesome.

6) Rock Bottom - Cinco de Mayo (Jalapeno Lager / 5%)

I would like to crown this beer "Best Use of Jalapenos, Ever." Seriously, the jalapeno flavor fit PERFECTLY with the flavor profile of the lager. And the jalapenos tasted so fresh! Why is this the first jalapeno beer I've ever had?

Good times.

I expect many more beer adventures this summer. Maybe I'll even update this blog!

/Steve

On The Nature of Buying

2010-05-31T21:42:00.008-04:00

Beer buying. It's a part of the beer appreciation process. You can't get new beer without buying new beer (unless you have a super sweet benefactor, but those don't exist). I wouldn't really give a lot of thought to this subject if I didn't have an almost absurd desire to buy beer on a near constant basis. The idea of a surplus seems impossible. There is always more beer to buy, more beer to acquire.

I would be concerned were it not for my desire to actively drink and/or cellar every single beer I purchase. At no point during my absurd buying habits do I think to myself, "Man, I need that beer so I can tell people I have this beer." It's always purchased with the intent to drink. So far I see no problem.

What happens when your buying habits exceed your drinking habits? Well, you end up in my position. Beer spills over its designated holding locations and creeps along walls, off shelves, and through the fridge (closets are another matter). This isn't really a problem, more a symptom of something that could easily become a problem. When do you have too much beer and too little time? I could easily sit down and plan to drink 3-4 beers a day, offer notes and reviews on each of them, and never have to worry about a surplus. I can't do that.

I love beer. I love drinking beer. I love trying new beer (even if I end up hating a particular beer). I love reviewing and taking notes on beer. I love buying beer. There's nothing so satisfying as leaving the store in possession of a healthy selection of beer. New, old favorites, shitty cheap beer, it's all satisfying in its own way. This love spills over. Beer creeps along the walls, the closets, the fridge, and I have to look and take stock of my habit. Is this really too much?

I would like to believe I don't have a problem when it comes to buying beer. I drink them, I save them for special occasions. Every beer that comes out of my pocket eventually reaches my belly. I take my time with each. I cannot handle 4+ beers a day every single day. I can't give them enough time and effort if I do that. So I say, I may have the start of a problem, but until my bedroom becomes a haven for homeless purchases, I think I'm in the clear.

I'll stick with my habit and my desire to keep acquiring new beer. You can never try too many, and even if you hate the last 10 beers you bought, the next 10 might offer some form of redemption. They often do. This I believe.

I leave you with a recent beer review.

Magic Hat Blind Faith - 8/10
Style: English India Pale Ale (6.20% ABV)

If memory serves, this beer suffered from “Magic Hat disease” in that people really enjoyed it and as a result, it disappeared. This is a deadly disease, but now Blind Faith is back! A slightly-hazed copper with deeper hints of brown is topped by a small, almost non-existent, off-white head. The nose is full of rich-biscuity malts under a pronounced citrus hop note. Hints of grapefruit and orange sneak through, heavier on the grapefruit. Juicy fruit notes. The taste carries that same hint of biscuit packed in to the back of a big juicy hunk of grapefruit. Touches of a more resinous hop profile sneak through, but they only work to fill out the back of everything, sticking to the tongue long after the malts have had their turn. As it warms you’re treated to a solid, juicy, hopfest of delicious caliber. It’s got everything you could want from your hops. It’s clean, it’s full of juicy-citrus flavors, a solid punch of citrus zest, and to top it all of, delicious piney resiny flavors abound! Truly a spectacular IPA. I’ll be sad when it retreats back to the hidden lands of Magic Hat…maybe to remain hidden forever. A tragedy yes, but one I’ll enjoy before it ends.

-Joey

Now What Goes With Krazy Baldhead?

2010-05-14T21:48:00.003-04:00

I frequently find myself browsing through my iTunes catalog while I attempt to put notes to digital paper when reviewing a beer. This got me thinking. Does my beer drinking experience change when listening to different music. For instance, would I enjoy a Magic Hat Blind Faith more if I had some black metal playing, or would I enjoy it more if I listened to the lulling sounds of Of Porcelain. I could, of course, conduct an elaborate experiment, something that would put me with a 6-pack of a particular beer over 6 consecutive weeks (read 1 beer per week for 6 weeks to avoid becoming too comfortable with the flavors of the beer) with songs covering anywhere from 3-6 major genres. Maybe someday. For now, I'll stick to my dirty West coast beats each and every time I sit down at my computer to write out a review. There's some connection between those grimy, chunky, LA beats that just screams "Sit back, relax, and enjoy the experience." Legit. If you're feeling adventurous, crack open any West coast IPA (Bear Republic Racer 5 is a prime choice) and get your hands on edIT's Certified Air Raid Material and prepare for a genuine beer drinking experience. Truly a great combination.

As I sit here listening to Take's Only Mountain while sipping on a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, I find myself saying, "Yeah, this feels right."

-Joey

Beer Named After People

2010-05-03T15:03:00.003-04:00

With the concept of moving looming on the horizon, I've promised myself not to buy any more beer until I move. Hopefully this will allow me to drink down some of the stock that's accrued over the past 9 months and make it easier to transport. There are, of course, exceptions to this promise. When I come across the 2010 Stone Imperial Russian Stout, I'm buying it. No questions there. Admittedly, I'm finding it rather difficult not to buy beer. I slipped. I knew Wachusett Larry and Wachusett California style IPA were in town and given their relatively warm reception in the beer world, I knew I had to pick them up. I did. So much for self-control.

On homebrewing related notes, we finally bottled the Cascadian Dark Ale/India Dark Ale/Black IPA (pick your nomenclature), and moved the barleywine to Squirtle (the secondary). The first taste of the barleywine, which has been sitting in primary for three weeks on a hot bed of yeast and what have you from the CDA, was intense. It's definitely young and wild. The hops and malts haven't mellowed out enough to really meld, resulting in a beer that tastes like sugar, hops, and booze. There's very little nuance at this point. Here's hoping it picks up somewhere down the road (5+ years anyone?)

Once the barleywine hits bottles Steve and I are done with beer brewing in this house. We're proud to have 7 beers born in this house, and many more will be born through the years, but like me, they'll come from every location we collectively encounter. Breakfast boner is drinking like a champ with the aged Sumatra coffee running rampant throughout. Nice cedar notes going on.

As the summer approaches I'm becoming more aware of the fact that I need to work out some wedding related beer thoughts. That's a thought for future days.

-Joey

Someday I'll Have a Hobbit Hole

2010-04-25T20:01:00.004-04:00

I've always (two years) been fascinated by the idea of cellaring/aging beers. Something about buying a beer and then not drinking it holds a certain appeal I can't quite explain. I picked up the notion of cellaring beer when I read something about some beer actually getting better with time. Of course, this flies in the face of everything I knew about beer in the pre21 days. Beer is meant to be consumed ice cold, and quickly, or so I thought oh so many years ago. However, I figured I would give cellaring beers a shot. So, with a few connections in place, I found myself in possession of a shelf in an unfinished basement...prime conditions. Properly cellared beer sits around 55-60 degrees...or something close. I think the basement hits that.

The first beer to hit the cellar shelf was Kate the Great '08. After a year, Steve and I cracked her open and she somehow got better. Looks like that long lost article was right. Of course, once I set my mind to cellaring beers, I started putting random beers on the shelf just to see what would happen. Lesson learned: do not age and IPA/DIPA. I have yet to enjoy one of those with more 2 months on it.

Regardless, my cellar shelf has grown to max capacity, and as the years pass, my desire to age beers grows. I'm planning on a 10-year Stone Imperial Russian Stout vertical tasting in 2018. This should give you an idea of my dedication. I have no doubts my shelf will someday encompass shelves/structures and then some. There's a satisfaction in knowing that because of my dedication to forgetting about some of these beers, they'll be gems when I finally decide to crack them open.

With all of that said I'm proud to say that while I only have 29 beers currently aging, they're all going to benefit from some time. I might miss the mark on a few of them, but all in all, I'll be rewarded for denying myself immediate gratification. The current list sits at:

(2) Kate the Great '10
(2) Brooklyn Black Ops '09/'10
(2) Brooklyn Black Ops '08/'09
(1) Allagash Curieux
(1) Stone Imperial Russian Stout '08
(1) Stone Imperial Russian Stout '09
(1) Kate the Great '08
(1) Smuttynose S'muttonator
(2) DarknOat
(1) Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (12th Anniversary)
(1) Samuel Adams Triple Bock
(1) Stone Double Bastard
(1) The Bruery Two Turtle Doves
(1) Unibroue Terrible
(1) Samuel Adams Imperial Stout
(2) Stone/Maui/Ken Schmidt Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter
(1) Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
(1) Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout
(1) Founders Breakfast Stout
(1) Stone/Nogne O/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale
(1) Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
(1) Samuel Adams Stony Brook Red
(1) Samuel Adams American Kriek
(1) Southern Tier Iniquity
(1) Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine '10

I'm pretty sure I'll miss the boat with the Sam Adams imperial stout, the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, and Iniquity. Those are experiments that I'm not really expecting to pan out. Surprises to happen.

-Joey

I Forget To Do Things

2010-04-14T21:57:00.004-04:00

Alright, I already lied. I completely forgot to update this thing last week. I don't really have an excuse either. Final Fantasy XIII just happened to get in the way. With that said, I'm here, updating, as promised. This has been a relatively uneventful week in beer, at least as far as our household is concerned. With the excessive game playing comes a severe lack in new beer consumption. Such is life.

Regardless, I made a stop at my favorite store in Beverly, MA. Sadly, I can't think of the name off the top of my head, and as such cannot share the wealth. When I remember, I'll be sure to mention it. During my stop, I picked up quite a selection. As many of you may be aware, Goose Island has finally come to Massachusetts. Having only had their Bourbon County Brand Stout I didn't know much about these guys. That's about to change.

On my adventure I picked up:

1. 6-pack Goose Island IPA
2. 4-pack Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout
3. 22oz. Goose Island Matilda
4. 22oz. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Stout
5. 750ml Sam Adams American Kriek
6. 750ml Sam Adams Stony Brook Red
7. 750ml Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

As you can see, I have a solid Goose Island starter kit, with some Matilda making its way in the next time I stop in the store. I was also excited to see Jolly Pumpkin on the shelf. I've only encountered their La Roja Grande Reserve, but it was such a fantastic encounter, I had no choice but to pick up Oro de Calabaza.

On the beer brewing side of things, the barleywine is still sitting in primary. We're hoping to ferment out a good chunk of the malts, leaving a hoppier taste overall. Breakfast Boner (the Imperial Breakfast Stout) is cruising toward week 7 in bottles, which means we get to crack open another bottle in just over a week! This is obviously exciting.

The lager is well on its way to becoming a welcome summer treat. It's looking and tasting as well as we expected. After the best lagering we could manage, we're very excited to call our first lager complete. It's bottled and ready for consumption. Bring on the spring. We haven't looked at the Cascadian Dark Ale in over a week, but we're assuming Squirtle (the secondary fermenter) is treating it quite well.

May will bring about the bottling of said CDA and the Barleywine will make the transfer. Exciting stuff all around. And now, a recent beer review!

Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine - 8/10

As per the directions on the bottle, half of this beer was poured in to my lovely generic snifter. It’s a deep orange-infused amber with a tiny amount of lacing that sticks to the side of the glass in small increments. The smell is full of sweet caramel malt aromas, a strong booze note, and some deep resinous hops. Definitely some heat from the booze. I’m getting a raw sugar aroma as well as some vanilla thrown in for good measure. The first sip is less intense than the nose. The alcohol provides a nice warming note across the tongue. Hints of vanilla and caramel combine to create that raw sugar flavor I picked up. The hops are there, but they play a strong second to the sweet malt profile. As well balanced as something this strong can feasibly be. The body is pleasantly full and tongue-coating. Well played beer for Dogfish Head.

-Joey

Don't Worry...There's A Rabbit

2010-03-31T00:26:00.004-04:00

Somewhere along the line I forgot about beer reviews on this fanciful blog thing. Sure, recaps and what have you abound, but that puts this thing in a drastically under updated state. Who wants to read a blog that's never updated. With that said, I solemnly swear that I will put up at least one review post a week. I know I'm drinking at least one new beer a week. If I'm not, I have an extensive backlog from which I can borrow. Hopefully these reviews/weekly beer musings help fill the time between homebrew and beerfest updates.

With all of that said, this is a hectic weekend for our homebrewing shenanigans. The lager is headed to bottling after 1.5 months worth of fermentation and conditioning. It was drinking well when we pulled it from lagering and pushed it to secondary, so here's hoping a week of secondary and mild dry-hopping makes it even better. It should be ready just in time for those warm summer months.

The black IPA, which if my sources are accurate, is leaning toward a new style name, the Cascadian dark ale, or something to that effect, heads toward secondary this weekend and should chill there for the remainder of April. While this is all well and good, Steve and I have a barleywine we're cooking up this weekend. With the sheer volume of malt extracts going in to this beer, we're pulling a double boiling session. After that epic event, we're dumping the barleywine on to the super hungry yeast cake formed during the black IPA's fermentation. We'll be sure to take videos of the entire setup and share them in due time.

With these brewing steps, we will, for the first time ever, have a beer in all three stages of brewing available to us. A beer in bottles, a beer in secondary, and a beer in primary. Seriously ballin' stuff to be had here.

-Joey

Less creative comments on Kate

2010-03-22T23:28:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago I made a post that still makes me proud. However, I am not done.

I must clarify that Kate the Great is genuinely, absolutely, stupid good. Standing in line for eight hours was an unpleasant experience, and it really did make my entire week of classes rather miserable. Thanks to my awful schedule this semester, I never had a chance to catch up on sleep. But despite the undesirable aspects of Kate Day 2010, it was still well worth it. I really wish I could say otherwise. But I do not regret standing in line, and I know that I would do it again.

As Joey pointed out in his lengthy chronicle of Kate Day 2010, the hype was extreme. However, the magical experience of drinking a snifter of Kate is so overwhelming that hype is squashed like an unfortunate ant under a steamroller. Simply put, the beer is perfect. I had it on tap in June of 2008, and it was the best beer I had ever consumed. Nothing has ever come close to taking that distinction away from Kate. Having Kate 2010 reaffirmed my belief that it is, truly, leaps and bounds greater than 99.9% of the beers on the market.

But why?

For starters, one just needs to look at the beer. I would argue that the appearance of a beer is the least important dimension, but Kate is certainly worth mentioning. The beer is jet black and on the viscous side. The head is a lovely light coffee color, and the lacing leaves rings. As for the smell, there are so many aromas that come out of the beer that it is intoxicating. Burnt coffee, chocolate, and molasses come to mind, and there are hints of dark fruits, particularly figs. There are some complex hop aromas in the mix, too, and the herbal/spicy character somehow blends perfectly with the dark malt characteristics. Upon the first sip, things begin to get ridiculous. The mouth feel is perfect; Kate is very heavy, but it does not approach a motor-oil thickness. It's insanely smooth and full-bodied. The flavors are a complex harmony of bitter, burnt tones, sweet, candy-like tones, and crisp hoppy tones. After about two and a half years of serious beer drinking, I wish I could explain it better! Drinking Kate is like dumpling magical pop rocks into your mouth - it just leaves a memorable impression. The real magic of Kate the Great is that everything is so balanced. It could be a chocolate/coffee bomb, that would taste remarkably bitter and have a harsh bite, but Kate is insanely easy to drink. It's a melody of flavors that probably shouldn't even be together. I learned earlier this year that Kate is aged in port barrels. I don't really enjoy port, but this process leaves a lasting impression on Kate. The port adds a perfect amount of sweetness and tart into the mix. As far as I'm concerned, Kate probably shouldn't taste great. It combines a lot of excellent flavors into one product. It would be like mixing pasta and ice cream and somehow transforming it into a delicious snack.

I love Kate the Great. I sincerely hope that the businesses adjacent to the Portsmouth Brewery go out of business and sell the space. Kate the Great wouldn't be the same if it were brewed in large batches, but if Tod Mott could brew multiple batches at the same time... I would drop out of grad school and move to Portsmouth.

/Steve

Night of the Barrels, aka Night of the Boners

2010-03-21T23:31:00.012-04:00

I have been dreading this post for one reason: I wrote 26 pages of notes during the Extreme Beer Fest's Night of the Barrels. Scanning these in would have taken too long, so I experimented with my camera. As luck would have it, my camera can take readable pictures of my beer notebook.

The next issue was how to post the photos. Blogger's photo upload system is a pain, and having 26 pictures on the blog would have made a mess. So I am experimenting with Flickr. Everything is contained in the following set. Be sure to read the description for my translations!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angrybabboon/4449317220/in/set-72157623535483427/

Joey already provided a thorough description of the Night of the Barrels. My overall favorite was Canadian Breakfast Stout. It was a masterpiece that I wish I could experience on a frequent basis. However, I think the most memorable beer of the fest was Hot and Sour. It was certainly the most extreme thing I've ever tasted, and on top of that, it actually tasted good! I now have a desire to seek out other hot sauce beers.

Our excessive protein intake was probably bad for our kidneys, but I am pretty certain that it helped prevent us from blacking out. Despite the poor legibility of my notes toward the end of the night, I was still remarkably coherent. As a result, the Night of the Barrels was the best beer fest I have ever attended. I can't wait until June for the ACBF!

/Steve

The Great Great Tale of Kate

2010-03-07T22:59:00.011-05:00

Following on the tails of the recap and Steve's perfect description of Kate's power, I am taking it upon myself to relate the tale of Kate the Great Day 2010. I am aware that I promised this last time and failed, sidetracked if you will.

Steve and I started planning for Kate Day 2010 at least 6 months ago. From the moment Portsmouth Brewery put the Kate Countdown up on their blog, we knew we were destined to try our hands at Kate again. After reading various BeerAdvocate threads detailing the absurd plans people had to acquire Kate, we decided arriving at 3AM would be a reasonable enough time to arrive.

Before I can continue, some clarifying details. Bottles of Kate the Great went on sale at 9AM. In order to obtain your allotment of Kate bottles (2), you must possess a calendar page. These pages are handed out prior to the sale of the bottles. The restaurant opens at 11:30AM for an 11:37AM tapping of Kate the Great.

Last year the calendar dates were handed out at 7AM and the same was supposed to happen in 2010. However, the people at the Portsmouth Brewery were reading the same thread as Steve and I and posted an update to their blog. This update stated that calendar dates would be handed out significantly earlier than 7AM.

Armed with the above knowledge, Steve and I changed our 2/3AM plan to a 1AM plan, assuming that people would hang out at the Portsmouth Brewery the night before Kate and just get in line after the bar closed. Knowing we were going to be in line at 1AM, we decided a small nap would be in order. I managed a solid 1 to 1.5 hour nap while Steve managed a respectable 0 hours. Slightly groggy, we drove to Portsmouth and arrived in front of the brewery at approximate 12:45 AM. Oddly enough, we were the first two in line. As we were standing in line we watched a few people leave the bar and either drive away or walk down the street. One couple got in their car and waited for the line to get a little longer before committing to the cold Portsmouth air.

Sometime around 1AM the next person in line showed up. As he got out of his car, he shouted to us, "You assholes!" or something similar. As 3rd in line took his place on a milk crate, bag of food in hand, and trash bag nestled around his legs like some sort of hobo sleeping bag, Steve and I giggled to ourselves. We were woefully unprepared next to this other guy and his hobo bag. Before long, he introduced himself as...I don't remember, so we will call him Gerald. As Steve and I were talking to Gerald, another group of people arrived, rightfully claiming spots 4-8 in line. While talking to Gerald, Steve and I noticed he knew nothing about the beer he was spending hours waiting for. As I remember, he said something like "I just heard about this and decided I would get some," or some other such nonsense. Of course, this was painful to both Steve and I. We were hoping to be in line with someone who knew something about beer. Talking beer is always a good time.

Another moment for sidetracking if you will. While Steve and I were the only two in line, we were approached by a group of three guys who asked us what we were in line for. After providing the obvious answer the midget leader of the group asked us if we would be willing to trade either of our bottles of Kate. He proceeded to rattle off an extensive list of hard to find beers and other things of that nature. He never blinked. It was terrifying. After telling him I would entertain the idea, they headed off, obviously musing about the case of Kate they were hoping to bring back to North Carolina. Captain Ahab has shit on that midget.

With the cold Portsmouth winter raining slush and general discomfort on our heads, Steve and I took shelter under the overhanging entrance to the brewery. We were soon joined by Gerald and a member of the 4-8 crew. As I cannot remember her name, I shall refer to her as Troll. Troll was obviously hammered, having done some bar crawling with her college bro buddies. They reeked of booze. It was not attractive. Standing on the stoop with Gerald and Troll, Steve and I began to muse about the ridiculousness of our situation. It helped pass the time.

Before long, a few of Troll's friends from the line sought shelter under the overhang. We were forming a nice little commune. Sadly, only one member of Troll's gang knew anything about beer, and he was too drunk and too tired to be much fun. Hours passed and my toes started to go numb. 3AM rolled around and we began to wonder when tickets would actually get handed out. Meanwhile, some disgruntled fellow in a Lost Abbey sweatshirt kept coming up to us and asking us if we'd seen or heard anything from inside. The answer provided was always no, but I kept thinking, What if I told him yes? What if I said, "Of course. They already gave us our tickets and said they'd be back at 8AM?" Being the kind soul I am, I refrained.

The hours from 3 to 4AM were mind-numbing. Nothing was really happening. We were all cold. I'm thinking around 2:30AM Troll curled up in her sleeping back on the stoop and fell asleep. Classiest hobo maneuver ever. She actually took the hobo bag award away from Gerald. There Troll slept until 4:30AM. As 4:30 crept closer and closer, lights in and around the brewery kept turning on. These were the only indications, short of a couple cleaning crew, who were bothered by annoying Lost Abbey sweatshirt guy, that anything was going on in the brewery.

With little fanfare, two guys from the brewery, who I believe were the owner and the restaurant manger, came walking out the door with calendars in hand. We shouted for Troll to get up. She was terrifying. With Peter (this is the owner's name) standing in front of us, all traces of cold and tired were washed away. Before handing out tickets, Peter whipped out his phone and asked if he could get us on video as we were the first people in line. Seriously, who passes that up? Not I! The video can be seen here:

After receiving our calendar dates, January 1st for yours truly, and Januaray 2nd/3rd for Steve, we headed back to Amesbury for a couple hours of sleep. We arrived home at 5:15AM and I got back up at 7:30AM. After a revitalizing shower and change of clothes, we went back to the brewery to purchase our bottles. We arrived at 8:45 and wandered down the street. Joining the congregation of the street, we waited anxiously for January to be called. After hearing January, Steve and I pushed our way through the crowd, jostling for position. Sitting 10 people back from the front of the line, we heard Gerald shout "Hey 1 and 2, you want to be first?" Of course we did. We moved to the front of the line, received a hand-marking (the second of the day) and headed down to the Jimmy LaPanza lounge to procure the drink of the gods. Amidst cheers and whoops from the brewery staff, I handed over $20 and my calendar page and received my 2 bottles of 2010 Kate the Great. I was too exhausted to realize what had just happened, but I spent months waiting for this moment and it passed without me noticing. As I was wandering to the side of lounge, waiting for Steve, a lady came over and asked if she could conduct a brief interview. After talking to the woman for a few minutes (the article can be found here), Steve and I found ourselves outside, Kate in hand.

Making a quick assessment of the line to get in to the restaurant, we decided to drop our beer off at the car before committing to line. At something like 9:15 we were back at the Portsmouth Brewery and this time we were in line for Kate on tap. From what I hear, people were in like around 6AM for entrance to the restaurant, which didn't begin seating until 10:30 for an 11:37 tapping. Madness, yes. Our level of madness, no. Regardless, Steve and I stopped at Starbucks for some much needed rejuvenation and took our place at the back of the line. After no more than a few minutes a pony sized dog came strolling through across my vision. Steve has a picture of said dog, but I'm too lazy to find it and post it. He was a Newfoundland, and I wish I was kidding, he was monstrous. Friendly though.

With short spurts of movement occurring over the next two hours, Steve and I listened to the absurd conversations occurring around us. At one point a guy was showing off his juggling act to the poor people in line, us included. A nice gesture by any means. Of course, some ex-bro dude has to heckle the poor kid. Turns out the juggling kid makes a decent living as a street performer and placed Mr. Bro-Dude in his place. It was enjoyable. Around 10:30 Portsmouth Brewery opened their doors and started a staggered seating. By 11 Steve and I had rounded the corner. By 11:30 we were within 20 feet of the door and it was then that the restaurant manger came out and made the announcement that the brewery was at capacity. Disheartened, but not defeated, we continued to wait in line until 1PM where we finally made our bid for Kate. The restaurant manager asked if there was a party of two that wanted to sit at the bar. With neither of the parties of two ahead of us willing to take him up on it, the honor fell to us and we took it with great relief.

We took our seats at the bar and received our Kate's with nothing more than a nod when asked. She was, and is, everything I expected of her in that moment. Sure, 8 hours of waiting made her taste all the sweeter, but that only goes so far. Hype can't make something taste better. I've tried convincing myself that the wait made my head all screwy when I finally received my beer, but it just doesn't stick.

Does that really look like the face of a guy who isn't in the throes of the greatest taste experience of his life? Look hard now. Hell yeah she was worth it!

We placed our food orders and devoured said food while enjoying our Kates. Round 2 of Kate was even sweeter, some of the luster of finally acquiring having worn off. She was just as delicious. Rather than abandon Portsmouth Brewery after tasting their delicious lady, Steve and I each purchased a growler of fine Portsmouth Brewery beer. I helped myself to their Flanders red (which was absolutely fantastic if I might add), and Steve grabbed their imperial porter (also a supremely tasty beer, best porter to date).

With our bill paid and our growlers in hand, Steve and I headed back to the car. Our day with Kate had reached its conclusion and we were beat. With a grand total of 3 hours of sleep and 8 hours in line, Kate Day 2010 ended as quietly as she began. We carried our tired bodies to the car, back to Amesbury for a brief nap, and then took the drive back to Rhode Island.

Kate 2010 is happily aging away, waiting for those cherished moments when she will once again share her gloriousness with the world. Until then, I'll wait for my next opportunity to share a day with Kate. It might not happen for a good many years, but happen again it will. I know she'll be waiting, always changing. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you Tod Mott, for your creation, and for sharing it with us.

-Joey

Creative writing assignment

2010-03-07T22:41:00.002-05:00

I think Joey is planning on discussing the details of Kate Day 2010, and I have no desire to thwart his efforts.

Instead, I will focus on my emotional torment.

Kate, you are a vile temptress.

You are a demon.

For months, I tried to convince myself that you weren’t worth it. I tried to convince myself that standing in line for hours in the freezing cold was too much. I tried to convince myself that losing hours of precious sleep that would inevitably ruin my entire week was an unnecessary sacrifice. I tried.

When the date finally came and I got in line with Joey at 12:45am, it was cold. Bitter cold. It was snowing, too. The sidewalk was becoming a slushy mess. As the hours passed, we began to be surrounded by college students that knew nothing about you, and a guy from 7-Eleven that knew about as much about beer as Joey and I knew in 2007. They had yet to meet you. I should have told them to escape when they had the chance.

We received our calendar pages at 4:30am. Joey and I took our respective dates and stashed them away like priceless artifacts. I drove back to Amesbury and got a couple hours of sleep. But then we returned to Portsmouth. We got our bottles. Then we looked at the line for getting you on tap. It was long. But we couldn’t give up now. We were in too deep. Our fate was sealed.

We waited in line for four hours. Kate, you are a monster.

For months, I tried to convince myself that this would be the last time. Then I sat down at the bar. And then I consumed you.

Kate, I hate you because you’re so good. You embarrass all of your peers with your undeniable superiority. I must have you again.

I wish I knew how to quit you.

/Steve

An essential part of your well-balanced breakfast

2010-03-07T22:00:00.005-05:00

Author’s note: I am currently in the middle of what will likely be crowned the second-most stressful semester of my academic career. More than ever, I need beer! Tonight I am going to comment on our breakfast stout and on Kate Day 2010. I will reminisce on the Night of the Barrels when I return home for spring break and have time to scan in my twenty-seven pages of wonderful notes.

After completing our intentionally unexciting English bitter and attempting to brew an epic pumpkin beer, we decided to go for something a bit more badass. We heavily modified a recipe for a breakfast stout and included a blend of Starbucks coffees. At first, we thought it was going to develop into our long-awaited Stillborn Stout, but alas we are going to have to hold that name for something else. When I was taking notes on the original gravity, I labeled the piece of paper “Breakfast Boner.” That name has since grown on Joey, and I believe that it will be the final name of this beer. About a week ago, I had a revelation: if this beer is Breakfast Boner, and we repeat the recipe and add oak chips, the beer MUST be called Morning Wood!

The brewing process has almost become routine now, which is an excellent thing. We aren’t really making mistakes anymore. Since the process is the same as always, I am simply going to post all of the videos associated with Breakfast Boner.

This brew is still bottle conditioning. It should be epic by… October?

/Steve

Kate Day Pt. 1 - A Recollection of Previous Encounters

2010-03-05T21:13:00.010-05:00

Kate Day has officially come and gone. As sad as I am to type those words, it comes with a bit of joy. This is the recap/story of that joy.

Back in 2008, when Steve and I were but fledgling beer drinkers, we heard about this amazing RIS (that's Russian Imperial Stout for you not in the know), Kate the Great, being released at the Portsmouth Brewery. Seeing that it was the summer and our schedules were more or less flexible, we decided to try this thing out. With minimal research we learned bottles would go on sale at 1:37PM, with a simultaneous tapping. Armed with that knowledge, we arrived at the brewery sometime around 11:30PM and headed down to the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge. Upon arriving we were asked, "Are you here for food, beer, or questions?" to which we promptly replied, "All of them." We were informed that Kate the Great would go on tap as planned at 1:37PM and we were given calendar pages to reserve our ability to purchase bottles (for more details on this system you'll have to do your own research, or ask). We took a seat at the bar, being 2 of about 10 people downstairs at this time. We sampled some delicious Portsmouth brews and had a quality lunch, as would be expected, and waited for 1:37PM. The bar slowly filled to capacity as the golden hour approached. With great fanfare, head brewer, Tod Mott, poured the first glass of '08 Kate and the game was on.

The bartender had promised to make his rounds of the bar before catering to those lined x-deep behind us. However, as these things tend to happen, this was not the case. The bartender was bogged down in a corner by people flashing money and shouting numbers of Kate required for consumption. After 30 minutes of no Kate, Steve and I were more than a little frustrated. Somewhere around this time Portsmouth Brewery's assistant brewer Tyler Jones asked us if we'd had Kate yet. "No," was the solid reply. He looked as sad as we felt. 15 minutes more and we were still without Kate. Taking pity on us, Tyler said something to the effect of "You guys have waited long enough," after which he promptly slid behind the bar, grabbed two glasses, poured our pints and delivered them to us. A-class service right there. It just goes to show you, these guys really care about their beer and sharing with as many people as they possibly can. Long story short, we acquired our 2 allotted bottles, had a glass or two (can't quite remember) of Kate and headed on our merry way.

During our festivities we met a guy who claimed to work for Smuttynose (Portsmouth's sister brewery) who offered to hook us up with some sweet Smutty beer. We followed him to his car, after all was said and done, where he opened his trunk and gave us a case of Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA and three bombers of the unreleased S'muttonator Dopplebock (one of which is still aging!). He was willing to give it to us free of charge, but Steve and I dropped a cool $20 his way and called it even.

You may be wondering, what ever happened to those 4 '08 Kate the Greats. Did we drink them? Did we sell them, trade them, drop them? What's the deal? Well, we've collectively decided that Kate is to be saved for truly epic instances of life. Our first Kate was cracked when Steve and I got our inaugural tattoos in the summer of 2008. The second Kate was finally opened after the success of our first home brewed beer (Fetus Prime: Baby's First Beer). The final 2 Kates are sitting, collecting time, wisdom, and nuance, waiting for our wedding days. Kate three shares her glory with us this summer as I take that step in to marriage. The last Kate sits, waiting for Steve and his wedding day at some point in the future. Tears will be shed as we bid our final farewell to '08 Kate, but the tears will be tempered. This finally puts us where this whole thing was supposed to begin, '10 Kate. She will be there waiting, maturing and musing, waiting for four more epic life events to occur.

With that in mind, I leave you with the tale of our first Kate the Great encounter. She was/is magical, and Kate Day 2008 will forever go down as one of the greatest moments in my beer life. If you're curious and want to read the real story (without 2 years of memory fog attached) go here. For my thoughts on '08 Kate on tap, go here. There is a point to this madness. So maybe I lied at the beginning of this post.

-Joey

This Time It Was Extreme!

2010-03-02T21:18:00.004-05:00

With Extreme Beer Fest almost a month behind us, I figured I would do the obligatory recap post. The day started with me dropping Steve off for class. This may seem unnecessary, but we were on a rather tight schedule and as such was totally required...by my reckoning. After picking Steve back up at 12:30, we headed off to Boston for the lovely event to come. Upon arriving in Boston sometime between 2 and 3, we headed over to Redbones to partake in an epic level protein load (as we had heard high protein levels helped stave off drunkeness).

Redbones was deserted at 230 in the afternoon and, as such, we had no problem getting a seat. Of course, from the moment we are seated, the old couple sitting next to us starts glaring at us. Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be abnormal. When together, and excited, Steve and I are usually loud, obscene, and all around far more boisterous than we are when not together. Had we been any of these things, I would have found the glares warranted. However, since the glares started before we could even say a word to one another, it was a bit disturbing to say the least.

With glares abounding we enjoyed our feast of dead animal. Steve had a magical plate full of various ribs, chicken, and other pieces of animal and I had a heaping plate of brisket. All around delicious and just the right type of filling. With our bellies full of delicious animal, we headed off to Downtown Wine and Spirits to peruse their wares. Finding the usual solid selection but nothing mind-blowing, we headed off to the T. A short 30 minutes later we were in line for Night of the Barrels (5PM). The wait wasn't bad as New England has decided waiting in the freezing cold wouldn't be required this time around. 6PM arrived with no fanfare and we entered The Cyclorama.

Many a great beer was had during the event. At several points during the evening Steve and I ran in to the managers of Gordon's. Not 100% sure where I put their business cards, but they claim they're easily the third best beer store in Massachusetts. A lofty claim indeed. At each of these interactions it was quite obvious that these manager people were heavily intoxicated. So much for moderation. They were fun to talk to nonetheless.

My overall experience with Night of the Barrels was overwhelmingly positive. It was a little bit of a downer that some of the beers seemed to be in shorter supply than I would have expected (only a case of Black Tuesday!), but some of these missed opportunities led to some other interesting beer choices. By the end of the night I was far less drunk than I had expected (I will chalk this one up to protein overload) and in an all around pleasant mood. The total beer samples came in at 28 (listed below).

With that said, the beer of the fest easily goes to Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout with either of the Russian River beers I tried coming in a very close second. There were only a few bad beers to be found but that is to be expected in the long run. The greatest surprise of the fest was easily Sam Adams Utopias. I was expecting this thing to fail to live up to its hype, but it pulled through amazingly. It's not worth the >$100 price tag, but it's tasty nonetheless. Seriously, the 2 oz. pour of Utopias is worth almost half the price of the ticket to get in, and it's definitely a tasty brew.

I'm looking forward to experiencing an actual Extreme Beer Fest session next year, hopefully in addition to Night of the Barrels. It was, hands down, my favorite of the three BeerAdvocate fests I've attended and I can't wait for what next year brings.

The List in order of appearance:

The Bruery Oude Tart
The Bruery Black Tuesday
Avery Sui Generis Barrel Aged Sour Ale (Blend of 10 beers from 10 different barrels)
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (Best of Fest) (Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Founders Nemesis
Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) Utopias
Dogfish Head Wrath of Pecan (Brown Ale on smoked pecan)
Captain Lawrence Fool's Gold 2010 Blend
Russian River Supplication
Avery Black Tot Imperial Oatmeal Stout (Rum Barrel Aged)
The Lost Abbey Angel's Share Grand Cru
Haverhill Joshua Norton (Aged in a Utopias barrel)
Smuttynose Russian Imperial Stout (Apple Brandy Barrel Aged)
Ithaca Hot and Sour (Blend of Brute, a golden sour, and Ralph Wiggum's Revenge, a Tabasco barrel aged smoked porter)
FiftyFifty 2009 Imperial Eclipse Stout (Aged in Elijah Craig Barrels)
Innis and Gunn Barrel Aged English Ale
Ithaca $5 Shake (Milk Stout aged in Heaven Hill Whiskey Barrels)
The Lost Abbey Double Red Poppy
Founders Black Biscuit (Blend of old ale and porter in a maple bourbon barrel)
Cisco Brewers Dark Woods (Syrah and rum barrel aged with cranberries and brettanomyces)
Dark Horse Lambdick Framboozin (Heaven Hill barrel aged with raspberries)
Captain Lawrence Xtreme Blend 2010
Berkshire Barrel Aged Shabadoo Black and Tan (Worst of Fest)
Russian River Consecration
Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Brewmaster Reserve 2010
Captain Lawrence A Night at the Fritz
Founders Black Biscuit
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (I needed another one)

Once Spring Break rolls around Steve will be scanning in both his and my notes for your consumption. Until then, enjoy.

-Joey

2009: Growth in Retrospect

2010-01-11T21:53:00.010-05:00

Steve beat me to the punch, but I figured I might as well throw my two cents in for the year passed.

I took this year at a significantly less breakneck pace than last year. Given the data from last year (226 beers covering 66 styles) when compared with this year (76 new beers covering 71 styles), one can easily see that my beer consumption was less exploratory at the very least. I will say, the fact that I added 5 new styles shocks me. I'm going to attribute that to my new love of all things sour. Not funky mind you, but sour. In case you were wondering, this brings the total new beer count to a respectable 302 different beers in just 2 years. [Disclaimer: In my list, I do not count beers had on tap, sampled, or otherwise not consumed at home. Few exceptions to this rule apply].

With that said, this year has by no means been a dull year. Steve and I have welcomed 5 beers in to the world: Fetus Prime: Baby's First Beer, DarknOat [Steve's stylized spelling], Waxohf, BTB (Bitch Tits Bitter), and Purrwerple Pumpkin [see video series!] We are rather proud of our accomplishments, even Waxohf, which managed to acquire the taste of wax fruit somewhere along the way. Regardless, we've had a highly productive year as far as our brewing goes. Hopefully we can continue to churn out some half-decent beer and learn some more along the way.

I must reiterate Steve's description here. 2008 really was like being loosed in to a world with limitless possibilities and, like Augustus Gloop, indulging to the point of excess. Looking back I realize 227 beers works out to a new beer every 1.6 days or so. That's just crazy. Such was the beauty of being in college with no bills. I was a man on a rampage and I truly was the better for it.

2009 was a tempered adventure. Imagine if you will, Augustus Gloop returning to Willy Wonka's factory the following year. I have no doubt his exuberance would be tempered. 2009 began my true education of craft beer. I took it upon myself to explore in greater depth the styles I had conquered the year before. Learning nuances and flavor compounds and malt profiles and hop flavors and aromas [still very much a work in progress]. While the numbers show a slowing down, I must politely disagree with them. I retread old territory, reevaluated my top ranked beers. As my palate become more cultured, so too did my notes. The excessive rankings of 9 and 10 have been whittled down to a select few (40 and 5 respectively), with Kate the Great still holding the ever elusive 11. This is not to say I haven't experienced some truly fantastic beers, I have, but the bar for the 10 becomes more distinguished as my years continue. I am not blown away as easily as I once was. The wild and impulsive acorn has finally taken root. Bring on wind.

In addition to my growing palate and desire to know what it is that goes in to a beer, I have, with Steve, experienced the wonder of beer fests. We had the fortune of attending both the American Craft Beer Fest (ACBF) and the Belgian Beer Fest, both hosted by BeerAdvocate.com. These were eye-opening experiences to say the least (see here and here for my take and here and here for Steve's). Many samples were had and even more learning was had. Not to mention all the epic swag. These fests acted as guides and valuable learning tools, helping us navigate the depths of the craft world. We experienced beers from around the country at ACBF and the world at Belgian Beer Fest...all without ever leaving one location.

Summer of 2009 was a good time for beer. As Steve mentioned, we adopted The Ale House as our beer bar of choice, and what a good choice it continues to be. The beer guy there (must learn his name!) is damn impressive and thanks to some skills with distributors manages to pull in some amazing drafts and some even more amazing bottles (Brooklyn Black Ops anyone?). It was here that we learned an appreciation for beer extends in to the public sphere. Even now, months after moving down to Rhode Island, every time we walk in to The Ale House we are recognized. Our favorite bar tender knows who we are and where we've been and the beer guy always stops buy to talk shop if only for a few minutes. Our love of beer shows and The Ale House respects that. Major props to them for housing us every week and for feeding us copious amounts of some delicious brews (Ommegang Rouge and Southern Tier Pumking come to mind).

2009 also brought with it my desire to begin aging beers. The current list sits at something close to 20 beers aging. A few beers have already been pulled (Stone Ruination and Allagash Black), but many others are sitting down for some serious aging. I have my celebratory beers lined up for major life events to come. Steve's engagement (whenever that may occur) will see the cracking of the last '08 Kate in our collective possession and my wedding day will probably see an '08 Black Ops come off the shelf. Other beers are, of course, reserved for crazier things down the road; the birth of my first child, Steve's wedding, the birth of Steve's first child, etc. I'm hoping this desire to drop things down for aging produces some truly fantastic beers. A 10-year Stone IRS vertical anyone?

I'm pretty sure that wraps up my thoughts and experiences on beer in 2009. Inevitably I've forgotten some pivotal event and some exciting tidbit, but this should suffice as a retrospective. Moving in to the new year I see nothing but more. Extreme Beer Fest is around the corner and shortly after that is the release of '10 Kate. Here's hoping we get our hands on some. More beer will be brewed and I'll continue to take my notes, offer my opinions, and of course, drink beer. There's always more to say and always more to learn. Here's hoping those roots stay planted and I keep growing.

Maybe someday I'll look back on this post and realize how far I've come. Hell, looking back on the 2008 retrospective is like looking in to another person. If I had to take one lesson from 2009 it would be, in its simplest form, drink beer in good places with good people at good times. Quality is wasted without someone and somewhere to enjoy it.

Top 10 Beers as of January 11, 2010:
1. Kate the Great (Russian Imperial Stout)
2. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Spring 2008) (Russian Imperial Stout)
3. Brooklyn Black Ops (Russian Imperial Stout)
4. Southern Tier Pumking (Pumpkin Ale)
5. Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout (Russian Imperial Stout)
6. Cantillon St. Lamvinus (Lambic - Fruit)
7. Cantillon Classic Gueuze (Gueuze)
8. Duchesse De Borgogne (Flanders Red Ale)
9. Bear Republic Racer #5 (American India Pale Ale)
10. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (American Double/Imperial Stout)

-Joey

2009: A subjective retrospective

2010-01-04T23:53:00.001-05:00

2007 was like walking into an amusement park after waiting in line for years. Everything about beer was so new, so mysterious, and so exciting.

2008 was like being set loose in a giant candy store. I tried many, many styles of beer, and while I enjoyed them all to an extent, I began to understand that some styles are consistently more delicious than others.

2009 was like tumbling down the rabbit hole. I thought I was beginning to get a grasp on styles and breweries, but events like the American Craft Beer Fest and the Belgian Beer Fest helped me understand that I have barely even scratched the surface.

How can I summarize 2009? It was a very important year for my love affair with beer. I guess briefly discussing pivotal events will suffice.

I started off the year with a focus: before I graduated from the University of Vermont, I was going to try every Vermont beer I could get my hands on. This led to some remarkable finds, such as the amazing beers from Rock Art Brewery and McNeill's Brewery, and some unexpected disappointments; for example, The Alchemist didn't live up to its golden reputation. I think my "drink Vermont beer" initiative was a worthwhile endeavor. I was able to stretch this out all semester (and not run out of things to try) because I was ridiculously busy writing my undergrad thesis. However, I did sneak more beer into my coursework with my food science course on brewing. It was a great course. I learned about the history of beer and learned about yeast, water, hops, and malts. But most importantly, the course taught me everything I needed to know to start homebrewing.

Joey and I had our first homebrewing experience early in the summer. And it went really well. With the possible exception of Purrwerple Pumpkin, Fetus Prime: Baby's First Beer is still the best thing we've ever brewed. It was a shockingly excellent first beer. This summer also included the American Craft Beer Fest, which was an excellent experience. I still find my notes from that to be very amusing. And I still can't believe we got a picture with the Alstrom bros! Joey and I also became regulars at the Ale House in Amesbury, and we had a number of excellent beers. It was there that we first experienced Brooklyn Black Ops, which easily ranks in my top 10.

Then we relocated to Rhode Island. I am pretty certain that the Ale House has a better beer selection than every bar in this entire state, combined. However, I avoid Providence like H1N1, and I am willing to admit that there could be some good bars hidden in the bowels of the city. Maybe I’ll find them on my way to a doctorate degree. Regardless, I can't really complain, for I am a grad student now and I have never been so financially challenged in my life. If there were a place like the Ale House nearby, I wouldn't be able to frequently go because I literally could not afford the extra expense. Fortunately, Joey and I have continued to brew, and our house is filled with our beers. We have also learned that a tiny little place in Wakefield, RI has some seriously big beers. I now own two bottles of Brooklyn Black Ops that I will likely be cellaring for the better part of a decade. I'm saving one to celebrate the birth of Joey's first child (possibly 2016?) and I'm saving the other one to celebrate my engagement (hopefully before 2016?)... Or maybe I'll come up with other events. Anyway, the Belgian Beer fest was another highlight of the fall.

Now we have entered a new decade. On the horizon, I see The Night of the Barrels at BA’s Extreme Beer Fest and Kate Day 2010. I'm already drooling.

/Steve

Pumpkin Beer: The Video Series

2010-01-03T23:40:00.003-05:00

With a year in review in the works, I figured I should upload the entirety of the Purrwerple Pumpkin brewing videos. Enjoy the process!

-Joey

Belgian beer leads to scribbling

2009-11-29T19:11:00.007-05:00

The Belgian Beer Fest was a month and a half ago, but I still have very warm memories. To prepare for the BBF, I printed out what each brewery was supposedly going to offer for samples. At the event, I took notes. But rather than using a little notepad to record my thoughts, I scribbled all over the pages I had printed. They are very incoherent. I don't even know the final number of beers that I sampled. And unlike the ACBF, you can't see my rapid decline in cognitive skills. The following images are entertaining, but in the future, I am going to return to my little notepad. Apparently some of the pages did not agree with the scanner, and some are tragically cut short.

I'm going to attempt to translate these, from top to bottom of each page, but an issue with these notes is that I can't even figure out what I wrote half the time!

Translation:
10/17/09
4:28pm - I <3 booze
NOT HERE?! Poop
I drew on myself (underlined, for this was quite serious)
French oak - not really malty, pretty good
That is not wordz!TM (Joey's addition)
(Just scribbling, I hope)
I can has booze 4:46pm
Very Orval, not estery - Belgian but not super funky - dry, refreshing - not a usual tripel
Where are you?
4:29pm: theindo.com has hilarious artwork! Pumpkins (I have no idea what this is about, honestly)

Translation:
two (crossed out) too sweet
too swet
fuck gootra (what the hell is goothra?)
This kind of makes me want to puke
Long fuckin' line
Over-rated - over - carbonated, not as smooth as a dubbel should be
Like cherry wheat but better - good for SA - a hilarious pink color - not a kriek, but yummy
4:21... I'm (scribble) I'm so drunk to seml (I think this was supposed to be "smell") - tastes like c.a.r.b.o.n.a.t.i.o.n.
"What is wrong with you"? Joey 4:23pm (I really enjoyed checking the time)
Weird, more like wood than pump - bourbony
Yum - sour but dry enough that I like - very good mix of flavors

Translation:
4:2(scribble)pm I didn't have this (I guess I was bitter that I didn't get this)
excellent, but not as good as westmalle - above-average funk
very good, almost Unibroe-like yeast but better! Spicy!
Piraht? Sweet and spicy, perfectly malty, very drinkable
Dep, too drunk (underlined for emphasis) anaoah puke ALBR I'm too drunk (who the hell is Albr?)

Translation:
These hops are weird, tastes like grass clippings blended with lemon
NOt a particularly exciting wheat, not citrus, very smooth, a little funk from the wheat -twang
Excellent - not too funky, just epicness
Feet (Joey's beer smelled like feet)

Translation:
Update: Oct 17th 2009 @ 2:41pm: I am beating Joey (this didn't last for long, however, as Joey kept grabbing samples when I wasn't looking)
Tastes like a melted cherry popsicle - in-fucking-sanely sweet, pure sugar - like cherry juice! MMMMMM
had these, no longer a priority!
plumbs? There's no "b" in that (I'm very happy I could see my mistake)
Fuck plums!
Poopy - the fruit aspect is way too emphasized
Update: 2:45 Fuck Joey, he's a black chode (crossed out) dildo (yes, this sums it up)
Yes (scribbles) hops (super-underlined!)
yum yums!
Update: 4:07pm - SO DRUNK
Boars? I think listening to music at this point is more crucial than drinking - 4:11pm - y(scribbles) (I have no idea what was going on here, but my passion for music typically does grow while intoxicated)
Too much - oak should mellow the triple - instead, it's overhood (did I create a new word?)
Out!
Typical witbier

Translation:
Update: 3:10pm: Kashi bar tiem now (this was serious business - we each ate a Kashi bar in a vain attempt not to get too drunk)
Very different than - more IPA, not roasty - 09 is better
Great! Roasty, should buy
Hey kid, I'm a computer (STOP ALL THE DOWNLOADING)
Mmm roasty rye - Joey says Belgian yeast, I say Rye
Why capital? (seriously, why did I capitalize Rye? I was writing so well!)
You can dunk it in the toilet - tom (?) horse blanket (I'm glad I successfully used the phrase "horse blanket")
good, but too woody
meh/yuck - not really sweet, too dry - honestly disappointing - do not buy kthnx

Translation:
good, but I think I'm too drunk to taste now (I appreciate my own honesty here) spicy, definitely spicy, strong, Belgian (really, a Belgian beer?)
Pretty good, can still (scribble) despite drunkness
Weyerbacher girl = Nicole (the mystery is over! She has a name!)
Really a quad? Regardless, tasty
Worth getting again
Fuck yeah correct temperature! Very bourbon-like, not curieux but awesome

Good times.

/Steve

I'm still alive!

2009-11-07T20:39:00.002-05:00

I am going to make an awesome post... by November 29th! I just need to get to a scanner so I can share my notes from the Belgian Beer Fest.

Until then, I just have a few comments.

1) The Belgian Beer Fest 2009 was absolutely spectacular. Unlike Joey, I genuinely enjoy funky Belgian yeasts. I will be posting my official notes in my next post.

2) Beer brewing has been productive. Our third beer has been christened "Waxohf" due to its unusually waxy flavor. We expected an IPA and got something bizarre instead. Joey and I believe this may be due to excessive use of sanitizer or fluctuating fermentation temperatures. Our fourth beer, which is a simple English bitter, will be bottled soon. Our fifth beer was supposed to be a pumpkin ale. Instead, we used so much pumpkin that we have created a monster. It's either going to be an imperial pumpkin ale, a pumpkin malt liquor, a pumpkin liqueur, or a complete disaster. I am scared.

3) I am reconsidering my initial judgment that drinking PBR is like "chugging a can of creamed corn." I bought it again recently, and it really wasn't that bad. How have my standards actually gone down? I guess it makes me feel like less of a beer snob.

/Steve

Testing...Testing...

2009-11-06T22:18:00.005-05:00

In this video you can see the epic straining action that occurred. More videos to be added soon.

I Use My Lists To Intimidate

2009-11-05T22:39:00.004-05:00

As I previously stated, at some point, The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest was a grand adventure full of magical things and even more magical beers. We partook in delicious Qdoba burritos before heading to the fest proper. Of course, we were in line 45 minutes before the whole things started and that put us somewhere in the first 50 people in line. Epic choices. Many beers were had (the list follows) and grand times were had. All in all, this fest excited me slightly less than ACBF did. Of course, that might have something to do with my not-so-much-in-love-with relationship with Belgian yeast strains. I will say, I had a few sours/lambics and they truly made my day. I'm pretty sure the yeast strains I consumed stayed in my system for days after the fest. With that said, I fully plan on returning next year and drinking my fair share of Belgian beers. Bring on the sours!

The samples were all approximately 2 oz. None of my pours were less and quite a few were more. Regardless, view the list and know fear (Note, these are not listed in tasting order):

1. Allagash Fluxus '09 (Saison brewed with sweet potatoes and black pepper)
2. Allagash Interlude
3. Alvinne Gaspar
4. Brouwerij de Landtsheer Malheur 12
5. Chimay Premiere (Dubbel)
6. Samuel Adams Kriek (Belgian brown ale aged on whole black cherries)
7. Brooklyn Local 1 (Strong Golden Ale with farmhouse yeast)
8. Cambridge Cerise Cassee (American sour ale with cherries, aged in French Oak)
9. Cambridge Om (Strong Belgian golden ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels for 1 year, vibrated weekly at 136 Hz with tuning forks and Tibetan chanting bowls)
10. Ommegang Adoration (Belgian strong dark ale)
11. Ommegang Three Philosophers (Quadrupel)
12. Piraat (Golden Triple)
13. Poperings Hommel (Hop Beer)
14. Harpoon Hophop (Belgian-style golden ale with buckets o' hops)
15. Haverhill Brumaire (Belgian Stout)
16. High and Mighty Novare Red (Flemish sour red ale)
17. Ithaca Brute (American golden sour ale)
18. John Harvard's Pandora's Box (Blended Sour Ale)
19. Lindemans Pomme Lambic (Apple)
20. Orval Trappist Ale
21. Pretty Things Baby Tree (Quadrupel with dried plums)
22. Rock Bottom Belgian IPA
23. De Proef Reinaert Wile Ale (Strong golden ale with Brettanomyces)
24. Smuttynose Triple (Aged on oak chips)
25. Southampton Double White (Strong witbier)
26. Stone 080808 Vertical Epic Ale (Belgian-style IPA)
27. Stone 090909 Vertical Epic Ale (Porter brewed with Belgian yeast, vanilla, tangerine, and aged with French oak chips).
28. The Bruery Rugbrod (Dark rye ale)
29. Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze (Blend of 1, 2, and 3-year old beers)
30. Lost Abbey Red Barm 2009 Saints Blend (Saison with Brettanomyces)
31. Unibroue Don de Dieu (Belgian strong pale ale)
32. Delerium Nocturnum (Strong dark ale)
33. Kasteel Donker (Strong brown ale)
34. Weyerbacher Merry Monks' Ale (Tripel)
35. White Birch Rye Oak-Aged Tripel (Aged with select bourbon soaked oak chips)

As you can see, it was quite a well tasted 3.5 hours. Good times were had and all I can say is Extreme Beer Fest is in February and I'm already excited.

We Do Things And Stuff

2009-10-18T23:10:00.003-04:00

Steve and I attended The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest this weekend. Shockingly, we hit exactly zero snags on our trip to said event. If you know anything about us, you know that trips to awesome things usually end up with some kind of disaster before the fun can be had. Regardless, it was a good time and I'm pretty sure my body is still in the recovery phase. Even with pacing myself I hit somewhere around the 35 sample mark. Scary stuff there.

Regardless, you can expect a full update once I've organized my thoughts and notes. Be prepared for a complete list of samples as well as the highlights a few random notes.

On a somewhat related note, our 4th beer is headed to secondary fermentation in the next day or two. It's an English bitter, so we're expecting a couple weeks in the secondary to turn this thing in to a nice, mild, session beer. Seriously excited for this one.

The pumpkin beer is still in the air. We have everything except the necessary sugar pumpkins. Laziness will eventually be overcome. When it is, the pumpkin madness begins. Homemade pumpkin puree shoved down the throat of the boil coupled with a delicate balance of fall spices will make for the sexiest (or most horrifying) beer ever. I'm hinging on the former.

I'm so 2000 and LATE

2009-09-06T22:07:00.006-04:00

I disagree with Joey.

There has been a lot of beer-related excitement this summer. I have just been too lazy to update this blog.

As a tribute to this summer, I present the following list.

TOP 5 BEER-RELATED EXPERIENCES OF THE SUMMER

5. Salem Beer Works

The Beer Works in Salem, MA, might just be my new favorite restaurant. The beer is great, and the food is excellent. A tear nearly comes to my eye when I recall the deliciousness of the chili fries I had there. The service is above-average, too. Joey, Matt, and I went there in June and had a waitress named Kelsey P. We miss you, Kelsey P!

4. Getting free beer-related stuff

I spent some time traveling this summer, and one unexpected benefit was that I got free stuff. When I went to Long Island, I got a six pack of ancient beers from my friend Lindley’s mother. She was about to throw them away, but I adopted them. I’m not sure how well a Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale from 1999 (or was it 1994?) is going to taste, but I love free stuff! When I visited my friend Sami in Connecticut, I got a pile of brewing supplies from her father. He primarily makes wine, but he has experimented with beer brewing. The result was that I came home with a box of grains and hops!

3. Brooklyn Black Ops and the Ale House in general

The Ale House in Amesbury, MA is an excellent place to blow a lot of money on beer. After going there at least once a week this summer, I’d rather not sit down and calculate exactly how much I spent at this establishment. Regardless of my battered and bruised bank account, I love this place. One of the most remarkable experiences involved a $30 bottle of Brooklyn Black Ops. The beer was a perfect 10, and I’ve never even seen it anywhere else. How did the Ale House get a small supply of it? If I had a lot of rich friends, or rich relatives, I would open a place like the Ale House and drop out of grad school. There, I said it.

2. The American Craft Beer Fest

What else can I say about the ACBF? The post I made concerning the event is probably the best post I will ever make in this blog. I sampled, got drunk, and argued about Weyerbacher girl. I can’t wait until next year!

1. The glory of brewing
This should have been an obvious pick for #1. Our first beer, Fetus Prime: Baby’s First Beer, was excellent. I don’t know how it happened, but it was a genuinely delicious beer. Some sweat and hard work was put into that beer, but the process is only getting easier over time. Our second beer, DarknOat was supposed to be an oatmeal stout. Instead, we ended up with a bizarre dark ale that people really seem to like. I’m not even sure what to compare it to! But it’s good. Last night Joey and I brewed batch #3, and we did it flawlessly. I’m excited for the results.

Honorable mentions:

Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA

Joey and I should have gone here earlier, for it is a truly amazing destination for buying beer. The selection is amazing, and they offer discounts depending on how much beer you buy. If you live within 100 miles, I highly recommend taking the trip.

The Tap / Haverhill Brewery

The Tap in Haverhill, MA is an excellent brewpub. It’s a nice size, the beer is great, and the food is great. This establishment also has all-you-can-eat bread, and I love bread!

I’ll be sure to update sometime in the next few months...
/Steve

Life Is Better When Zombies Are Involved

2009-09-03T23:40:00.003-04:00

As you can tell by this point, all has been relatively quiet on the beer front. We never really posted, but we've successfully brewed two batches of delicious beer so far. The first beer, "Fetus Prime: Baby's First Beer," was a modified take on a recipe for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale knockoff. We upped the hopping schedule just a touch and brewed 4 gallons instead of 5 and it produced a hop monster that we were more than proud to call our first. The second beer, "Darknoat," was supposed to be an oatmeal stout, but somewhere along the line we screwed up and produced a beer unlike anything I've encountered. It's an odd oatmeal ale with a full body and an interesting palate. Seriously crazy things going on.

As for what's next, we're hoping to start beer 3 (a double IPA) on Saturday. YAY! A homebrewed pumpkin ale is somewhere in the next few months and then maybe, just maybe, we'll try our hands at a lager. The deep conditioning scares me, but if we do it right, we'll have a nice crisp, ever so graciously hopped, pilsner (yup, an American take) for spring enjoyment.

Belgian Beer Fest is in October...we'll probably be there.

Currently Drinking - Hoppin' Frog's B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout

An elegant inside look at the ACBF 2009

2009-06-29T23:19:00.021-04:00

Joey certainly beat me to the punch, but in my defense the tardiness of this entry is due to my need to scan my beer notebook. And scanning takes a while.

Joey already recapped everything I was planning on mentioning. Pretty much everything on that Saturday, with the exception of the American Craft Beer Fest, went wrong. My consistently evil GPS jumped off the dashboard on the way to Wonderland T station in Revere, and it re-routed us to the middle of some highway. Once we did get to Wonderland, the Blue Line fucking failed us. I am still pissed that we sat on a bus for a half hour. If we had driven to the Seaport World Trade Center, we probably would have been there in an hour from Amesbury. Instead, our journey took nearly two and a half hours. But once we finally got in line at the Seaport World Trade Center, everything went well! The ACBF was awesome. Even with the massive crowds blocking our path, there was simply too much beer for me to even handle. And my mind is still blown that we got a picture with the Alström Bros! I can't wait for the next BA event! After we left in a drunken stupor, our drunkenness was the only thing going well for us. We roamed around for a while, for we knew that a Qdoba was somewhere near South Station. Eventually we just went into South Station and I called my mom, who was kind enough to look it up. When we found the place, IT WAS CLOSED. As with the Blue Line, I AM STILL ANGRY. What kind of place closes at 4pm on a Saturday? We ate at Wendy's, and I burnt my mouth eating chili. It was good!

I have an official beer notebook, and I took notes at the ACBF so I could keep track of what I was drinking. As you will soon see, it also serves as an indication of my level of inebriation.

Translation:
Surly Coffee Bender - Good, 7/8 [At this point I was attempting to project a potential score out of 10, so this beer was likely a 7 or 8]
So. Tier Cherry Saison - Ok, 4/5
Ipswich Ale Pre-Pro [Pre-Prohibition Lager] - Great 8
New Holland Brother Jacob - Good, dark for a dubbel 6/7

Translation:
Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout - meh, too milky 5
Smaltz [Shmaltz] Rejewvenator - Yuck, too nasty, sweet, yeasty [Stopped scoring at this point]
Foothills Sexual Chocolate [Imperial Stout] - Good, chocolate, malts are mad [?], sweet
Brooklyn Local 2 - Better than 1 [Local 1], Belgian, brown sugar, pretty good

Translation:
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale - Sierra Nevada with Aluminum [Not sure why I capitalized the "A"] - seriously, okay
Great Divide Choc. Oak Aged Yeti - Fantastic! Very smooth, alcoholic, hot, seriously, HOT, damn!
Weyerbacher Merry monk [Merry Monks' Ale] - Tripel?! Pretty good, don't think all quady [Did I think this was a quad?] - Belgian awesome

Translation:
Ballast Point Dorado IPA [Dorado Double IPA] - Great DIPA, methinks, citrus, not uber bitter
Dogfish Head [Scratched out, getting confused now]
Crazy Ivan Bear Republic [Bear Republic Crazy Ivan] - Yay, hoppy and belgian, yummy
Dogfish Head [120 Min IPA, I didn't even write that down] = SICKLY SWEET! Where's the hops? Dammit! Fuck, cane sugar

Translation:
I heart Weyerbacher girl [I thought that the girl serving samples at the Weyerbacher booth was undeniably attractive. Joey disagreed. This ongoing disagreement eventually made its way into my notebook]
This lady got the thickness, can I get a witness?! (Scribbling) [Lyrics to Puscifer's "Queen B"]
Duck Rabbit Dopplebock [Scribbled out] RIS [Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout] - Tasty, alcoholic
Stone - self rightous [Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale]
Roasty ale, tasty LOL [I enjoyed laughing at my inability to properly taste]

Translation:
I can has vomit! [All I had eaten in the morning was two pieces of toast, and my stomach was not happy.]
Still heart Weyerbacher girl [Still do!]
Navigator - Cape Ann Brewery [Fisherman's Navigator] - Dopplebock, can't taste anymore [I probably should have stopped taking notes at this point]
too (scribbling) [Maybe I meant too drunk?]
pretty good, I think
Keep Away by Godsmack stuck in my head [I have no idea where this came from]

Translation:
Terrapin Side Project? Second hours? [Monster Beer Tour - Rye Squared] [Apparently I didn't take any notes on what this tasted like]
Again, puke? [I wasn't feeling well at this point]
I heart girls, especially the Weyerbacher one [Seriously?]
I'm missing out on oak-aged (scribbling) [I'm not sure what I missed, but at this point I felt like ass and needed a break from drinking. Joey didn't stop though, and I was displeased with myself.]
god dammit
Missed Boulder, too
Surly part 2 - fail, again! [I'm not sure what I missed here, but I was not happy to miss it]
Joey is not pleased [Neither was I!]
I need to puke [I'm not sure why I wrote this]
Weyerbacher girl! [Yes, underlined]

Translation:
OH SHIT [Self-explanatory]
Surly Darkness - Too. Fucking. Sweet. (Scribbling) [I am very disappointed that while I technically had Darkness, I couldn't taste anything but the sweet notes. I'll have to find it again]
Terrapin Taco [Special Taco Mac 30 Year Anniversary Ale] - Joey's? [Joey pretty much poured this in my mouth] I got a sip, tastes like beer? [Brilliant!] Not great

Translation:
Fisherman's Taco Salad I mean Tea Party [Fisherman's Tea Party]
My boner My boner My boner [Again with Puscifer lyrics]
Weyerbacher girl, I miss you
Tea party tastes like tea lolol [I knew I was retarded at this point and found it amusing]

Translation:
Smutty [Smuttynose Gravitation Ale] - ALL I CAN TASTE IS (scribbling) [I think this is supposed to say either "sugar" or "sweet"]
Holy shit ALSTRöm Bros [I was very excited for the picture!]

Translation:
Terrapin - Barleywine - Yet!! [Maybe I meant "yes," or "yeah."]

So yeah... Good times were had.

/Steve

RIP Billy Mays

My What A Big Belly You Have...All The Better to Drink Beer With My Dear

2009-06-25T10:33:00.006-04:00

The ACBF (American Craft Beer Fest) has come and gone. It was a joyous experience to say the least and has me excited for future BeerAdvocate sponsored beer fests...and beer fests in general.

Steve and I attended the first Saturday session from 1-4PM (June 20). In order to get there and ensure a solid place in line we left his house around 10AM with only a vague inkling of where we were going and how to get there. We had Steve's notoriously evil and misleading GPS to assist us, but she can never be trusted. In any case, the trip down was fine with one exception. The GPS flew off the dashboard and managed to lodge itself under the front passenger seat. Mind you, there's a small hole that gets you under the seat and it's barely big enough for my hand. So, of course, the GPS magically fits right in and gets stuck. In my attempts to get it out I accidentally altered our destination to some random point in the middle of one of the many rotaries in Revere. Not awesome. Steve figured out what was wrong and we eventually got to Wonderland.

As we get on the blue line at Wonderland some annoying announcement comes on that tells us the blue line is only operating to Orient Heights and a free shuttle service will be taking us to the other blue line stops. SHIT! We get off in Orient Heights and get on a Boston public transport bus. What was supposed to be a 10 minute train ride turned in to a half hour bus ride through the ghettos of god knows where before we finally arrived at State street and transferred to the orange line. From there everything was fine. State to Downtown crossing to the red line to some stop on the Red line (really wish I could remember which one). In any case, from there we walked to the Seaport World Trade Center and got in line around 1215. We would have been there at least 15 minutes earlier if the T didn't have its head up its ass.

Our spot in line was actually pretty sweet. We were only behind a couple hundred people and not a couple thousand like the people who showed up at 1. After waiting in line for 45 minutes we were finally allowed in to the wondrous ACBF. Booths lined all the walls, spacious food areas were located to either side, and bathrooms were a plenty.

Steve and I started plowing through our required beer lists and good times were had. Eventually the place was packed, and I mean packed. Walls of people were blending in to other walls of people creating some kind of beer barricade. Not cool. Other that that, the fest was highly enjoyable and after a certain point I didn't care about the crowds or the jostling. Surprisingly alcohol removes social inhibitions...who could have known! Many good beers were had. It was nice to be around a decent number of people who appreciate beer. There were of course the usual bros and hos that think drinking Stone and Dogfish Head exclusively makes them hardcore craft drinkers. Now, before I continue, I love both of those breweries. They frequently hit high on my rankings. With that said, drinking just those two does not make you a craft aficionado. I don't claim to be an aficionado either but actually hearing someone compare Southern Tier's Uber Sun to Blue Moon actually made me cringe. Yes, there were people there that would do such a foolish thing. The list of my beers tried is located somewhere at the end of this whole post so be sure to give that a once over or something to that effect.

After we left, highly intoxicated at 430PM, we went to find the Qdoba that we knew was located near the T stop. Well, after some wandering we found it...and it was closed! at 430PM on a Saturday the Qdoba was closed. I had a momentary impulse to punch through the window but decided against it. I'm not always God after all. Instead of Qdoba we went to Wendy's. I ate more food than any one person should ever eat there ever and wanted more when I was done. Note: I was getting drunker by the minute at this point. My last 5-6 samples hit me sporadically over the next hour. By the time we got back on the blue line bus I was completely sauced and as a result fell asleep. Apparently during my public transportation snooze some woman was laughing at me. It must have been amusing. If only she knew how out of it I really was. The ride home after was uneventful and then I went home and attempted to sleep. That didn't work very well.

So, as you can no doubt tell, the American Craft Beer Fest was an overall success and with only a few hiccups in the overall scheme of things, this is definitely a successful event for me and Steve.

One more thing: We got a picture with Todd and Jason (The Alstrom Brothers/The Founders of Beer Advocate)

Now we have my samples. Every sample was approximately 2 oz. Many of them were at least 3 and the ABV on almost all of these beers is above normal. You can do the math if you want. Here's the list:

Surly Coffee Bender
Southern Tier Hop Sun
Ipswich Pre-Prohibition Lager
New Holland Brother Jacob's Dubbel
Duck-Rabbit 2007 Barleywine
Shmaltz Rejewvenator
Foothills Sexual Chocolate
Brooklyn Local 1
Dale's Pale Ale
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Weyerbacher XIV
Ballast Point Sour Wench w/ Blackberry
Dogfish Head Squall India Pale Ale
Duck-Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
Pretty Things Confounded Mr. Sisyphus
Cape Ann Fishermans' Suicide (he mixed everything they had on tap in one sample)
Terrapin Side Project 2 (Not sure what the style was but it was tasty)
New Holland Dragon's Milk Russian Imperial Stout '07
Left Hand Imperial Stout
Boulder Beer Mojo Risin' Double India Pale Ale
Surly 3 (black braggot)
Surly Darkness (!)
Terrapin Side Project 3 (Something with Taco in the name)
Cape Ann Fisherman's Tea Party Barleywine
Smuttynose Gravitation
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

I'm pretty sure that's all of them. It was a glorious time all around and as you can see, many great beers were had. Some were less than stellar, but that's expected. Best in show goes to The Duck-Rabbit Brewery. Seriously crazy stuff coming out of North Carolina.

Vermont beer, part 4

2009-06-16T17:57:00.002-04:00

Considering my current state of unemployment, I have no excuse for not posting more often. I have nearly finished the Vermont beers I accumulated over the last few months, and today I will be commenting on those. As Joey already noted, we have brewed our first beer. I think he will be posting a detailed chronicle of our brewing experience. In a nutshell, we followed directions, tweaked the recipe slightly, and we were awesome. I can't wait to drink (and name) our glorious Sierra Nevada Pale Ale knockoff.

Rock Art ? The Riddler ? - Dubbel - 6 / 10

I have been on the hunt for dubbels since my experience with Westmalle Trappist Dubbel. Unfortunately, Rock Art's "? The Riddler ?" is not a particularly awesome dubbel. I think it is better than Otter Creek's attempt at a dubbel, but this interpretation of the style is not perfect. There are some characteristic funky Belgian yeast flavors, and some of the spices are very interesting. Overall, the beer is a bit too sweet, and the malts feel too thin. With more malts, this could be a winner.

Otter Creek Sphinx - American Pale Ale - 8 / 10

This is anything but a characteristic American pale ale. It supposedly draws inspiration from ancient Egyptian beers and includes hints of honey and chamomile. Somehow this creates a beer that is both bizarre and tasty. Simply put, this tastes like liquid Golden Grahams. This is probably one of the sweetest beers I have ever had. The chamomile is very subtle and mostly just adds to the slight herbal undertone. This beer is very refreshing and is worth trying, even if just for the novelty of the weird flavors.

Rock Art Hell's Bock - Maibock / Helles Bock - 4 / 10

Rock Art is so consistently good that I almost get excited when I find a beer that I don't really like. However, I must note that my lack of love for this beer may be related to the style. Anyway, this beer is strange. It has a lot of citrus flavor with a strange amount of grapefruit and orange sweetness. There is a lot of citrus bitterness, and I think this really clashes with the sweetness. The malts taste inappropriately mellow. I think if there were some roasted flavors, it would balance out the citrus. There are some odd spices in the mix, too. Despite all the citrus and spices, I have to admit that this beer is really smooth.

Rock Art Golden Tripple - Tripel - 9 / 10

After not being blown away by Rock Art's dubbel, I didn't have high expectations for the tripel. I like being pleasantly surprised; I do not claim to be an expert on tripels, but I personally feel that this is a great take on the style. The beer was pleasantly cloudly and extremely smooth. In addition to the necessary Belgian funk, there were a lot of detectable fruit flavors including pear, pinapple, and other light fruits. There were a few spices in the mix with a very subtle touch of ginger. I highly recommend giving this a try.

McNeill's Champ Ale - American Pale Ale - 7 / 10

Champ is my favorite lake monster. For an APA, Champ is a pretty good beer. The overall character is very mellow, and I really felt that this was like a pleasantly simple version of McNeill's ESB. Logically, they must use a similar recipe. There is some fruitiness and some spiciness. There is some piney bitterness that fits well with everything else. The beer is very refreshing but not watery. This would be a great summer beer.

Rock Art Vermonster - American Barleywine - 9 / 10

With a name like "Vermonster," this beer had to be good. Thankfully, it lived up to the name. This beer really should be labeled as an American Imperial Barleywine, for it is seriously one of the heaviest beers I have ever had. The malts are so epic that the beer is quite seriously a meal. I shared a bomber of this with Joey, and he described it as drinking a loaf of bread. I agree. But the most remarkable thing about this beer is that it is very hoppy. They must have had to use a lot of hops to even make them noticeable with the amount of malt, yet somehow this beer almost tastes like an IPA. Vermonster is like a loaf of bread blasted with hops, and I recommend trying it immediately. Just don't plan on driving home afterwards!

/Steve

IT HAS BEGUN!

2009-06-06T22:44:00.002-04:00

We brewed beer. An official post will be coming soon complete with pictures and all sorts of things. Just needed to let the world know that we have started the epic journey that will obviously culminate in our glorious rise to beer stardom.

There's a Reason I Was Called Princess

2009-05-14T14:02:00.004-04:00

I had to give up on my graduation trek. Allergies (which are a new thing for me) kicked in hard Wednesday morning and I haven't been able to taste a single thing since then. Since a lack of taste and an inability to smell correctly are detrimental to the review process, I have to politely bow out of my glorious endeavor. It makes me sad to have to stop. I had some pretty crazy stuff coming up: Oak Aged Unearthly, Otter Creek RIS, BBC Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Yeah, it was looking like a pretty crazy downhill sprint to the finish.

On another note, Steve came down to visit (as I mentioned in Graduation Trek 3/7). Before we consumed Mokah we took a trip to Luke's Liquors in Rockland. I decided to splurge as a graduation present to myself and I most certainly did just that. My list is as follows:

1. (3) 22 oz. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Spring 2009) (one for cellaring two for drinking)
2. (2) 22 0z. Unibroue Terrible (one is hopefully a gift for a professor if not, it will be cellared)
3. (1) 12 oz. Boon Geuze
4. (2) 22 oz. Southern Tier Iniquity Black Ale (one for cellaring...maybe)
5. (1) 750mL Cantillon St. Lamvinus
6. (1) 22 oz. Troegs Troegenator Dopplebock
7. (1) 19 oz. Samuel Smith's Organic Cherry Ale
8. (1) 12 oz. Founders Rubaeus
9. (1) 12 oz. Founders Cerise
10. (1) 12 oz. Founders Porter
11. (1) 12 oz. Founder Dry-Hopped Pale Ale
12. (1) 12 oz. Founders Old Curmudgeon
13. (1) 750mL Duchesse De Borgogne

I am quite content with my haul. There's a good chance I would have put more in my basket if it wasn't ridiculously heavy with these 17 beers in it. I'll miss having relatively easy access to Luke's but I can safely say this haul will last me a good while in to the summer. The only thing on this list that I've tried is the Duchesse and it's just too tasty to not get when I can. I had the 2008 Stone IRS but I'm hoping 2009 is slightly different. If it's not, it's still going to be ridiculously tasty so I can't complain.

-Joey

Graduation Trek 3/7: West Coast Rocks.

2009-05-12T23:08:00.003-04:00

We have reached night three and Steve is here visiting. Since this is obviously a special occasion we cracked open a Southern Tier Mokah. Quite the special beer. I won't babble this time.

Southern Tier Mokah - 8/10
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout (11.00% ABV)

This bad boy is a mixture of Southern Tier’s Jahva (coffee stout) and Choklat (chocolate stout)! Pours black with faint hints of brown at the edges when held up to the light. The head is small and fresh espresso in color. It dissipates quickly and leaves a still-bodied beer behind that begs to be consumed. Thick milk chocolate notes come through a pronounced coffee bite. There’s a solid sweetness in there that is all Choklat. Jahva brings in some roasted malts that work to counter the overt sweetness that is the Choklat. Hershey’s syrup + coffee = win. The first sip is full-bodied and a perfect blend of sweetness, roastiness, and coffee with chocolate. This is liquid awesome. Some bitterness creeps in but it’s mostly a burnt flavor and not anything crazy. Hops…nowhere to be found. As it warms the flavors meld almost perfectly. It’s a solid mixture of sweet with roasty and burnt coffee notes. If you put cream and sugar in coffee and made it taste good, this would be it. Sexy times. This thing is seriously well-balanced for a beer that weighs in at 11% ABV. There’s a tiny alcohol burn in the back of the throat after each sip but it’s minimal. Seriously crazy stuff going on here. Both the Jahva and Choklat play through in this beer and they play together. Chocolate and coffee work well together…obviously. Southern Tier makes another epic Imperial beer with all sorts of madness going on. It smells better than it tastes but that doesn’t mean it tastes bed. It smells like sex and magic and tastes about the same if a bit diluted. Quality stuff from those guys at Southern Tier.

Graduation Trek 2/7: It Continues

2009-05-12T04:44:00.004-04:00

Let me preface this with the fact that this is the 250th beer I've reviewed. Pretty important.

Well, it's the second night and time for the second beer. Rather than going big on ABV or style I opted for something I've never tried; a small beer. A rough description is in the review. It's interesting and it was a big old 22 oz. bottle of fun so I did it. Weighing in at only 3.30% ABV this thing is pretty easygoing for a beer. Let's get to it.

Anchor Steam Small Beer - 5/10
Style: American Pale Ale (3.30% ABV)

Pours a clear golden amber color with a finger-thick white head that dissipates slowly and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the sides of the glass. According to the bottle this is a beer that resulted from pouring some warm water on the mash (left over malts and hops) from Anchor Steam’s Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale. Basically, they brewed a beer, and after draining of the beer liquid they added some warm water to the stuff left in the brew kettle and made a second beer, a small beer as it used to be called. The first smell is relatively mild with nothing really going on. There’s a faint malt smell in there that’s evocative of caramel and biscuits without ever being either. A faint hop spiciness sits in the back, but it’s barely there. The first sip is similar to the taste. A faint hop spiciness hits the tongue first before moving over to an almost invisible malt profile that hints at sweetness. This thing tastes like what it is, a beer brewed from the tapped mash of a bigger beer. Seriously. It’s not watery but there’s not a lot of flavor happening here…I need to try the beer it becomes to see what happens here. I will admit there’s a smooth mouthfeel here and it’s an easy drinker. Many of these could be put back in a night without blinking. It is only 3.30% ABV after all. After some warming the same flavor profile persists. It’s a watered down beer without tasting watery…if that makes sense. It’s a solid beer but definitely not anything I can define. Some grainy grass hops are all that make it out alive. Worth a try but not the top of the list.

Graduation Trek 1/7

2009-05-11T01:45:00.004-04:00

Well, it's the week before graduation and I'm hanging out on campus. It's desolate and I'm one of about a dozen people here...it's nice. In any case I decided that I would drink a big or exciting beer a night for the 7 nights of this week including graduation Sunday. I'm starting pretty mellow and will probably end on a mellow note on Sunday night, but that's what I'm doing. That means you can expect a new post every day for 7 days. Each post will have a review of a beer and pictures if I can get my act together...but that's not likely. The next few beers will be big...I promise.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir - 5/10
Style: Herbed/Spice Beer (9.00% ABV)

“Handcrafted Ancient Ale with barley, honey, white Muscat grapes, & saffron.” Pours a bright golden color with a one-finger white head that sits around for a good bit. Some nice lacing sticks to the glass as the head dwindles slightly, but the head’s not really going anywhere quickly. The honey and the grapes are the first things to hit the nose. The grapes provide a nice clean sweetness to the slightly earthy touch to the honey. I wish I could identify the honey, that would make me happy. It might be a clover honey…that’s my guess. There’s a slight spiciness behind everything as well, but only after some serious inhaling. The first sip is all sorts of weird. The sweet grape flavor comes through and tastes something like white grape juice. The honey sits on the top of the grape juice and gives it a different kind of bite. Some spices come through as well, and I know they aren’t cinnamon and nutmeg, but they evoke the same kind of spicy earthiness…must be the saffron. As it warms, the sweetness becomes a little too much. The sweet grape juice flavor over the top of the honey flavor is too much sweetness. It’s almost a simple syrup sweetness. Not what I want in my beers. It’s definitely not the worst beer I’ve had from DFH, that title belongs to Aprihop, but it’s not at the top of my list. The herbs and spices pale in comparison to the grape and honey flavors and that seriously hurts the beer.

Vermont beer, part 3 - adventure edition

2009-05-02T18:04:00.007-04:00

Joey was kind enough to grace me with his presence up here in the lovely Green Mountain State, and we had a few adventures worth mentioning. We made three separate trips that involved beer, and I am going to half-assedly describe them.

1) Otter Creek Brewing Company (Middlebury, VT)

Driving on Route 7 in Vermont sucks shit. People not only drive badly, but they drive excruciatingly slow. However, taking Route 7 into Middlebury to visit the Otter Creek Brewing Company is totally worth it. The Redhook Brewery has been my top tier tour since last May, but I think Otter Creek may take the cake. Why? I actually have a few legitimate reasons why I felt the tour was so great. First, the entire tour, including samples, is free. Second, visitors can try EVERYTHING; your choices are not limited to what is on-tap. If you want to try something that is in a bomber out back, they will open a bomber for you. Third, the number of people on the tour was really small. I should note that this was a Thursday afternoon, however, and I imagine that tours are more accessible times are more crowded. Forth, the tour guide didn't dumb down anything. The use of terms like "sparge water" really made me happy. Fifth, we really got to go EVERYWHERE. We even got to stand on the brewer's platform and look into the mash and lauter tuns! I could have sneezed into the wort if I wanted. Visit this brewery as soon as possible. Of course, pictures were taken:

2) The Alchemist (Waterbury, VT)

Essentially everyone on BeerAdvocate that has commented on The Alchemist has given it rave reviews. Personally, I wasn't that impressed. I had Pappy's Porter and Holy Cow IPA. Both were certainly great, but overall the beer wasn't mind-blowing. Overall, they weren't as good as the Portsmouth Brewery's offerings or even the Vermont Pub and Brewery's ever-changing lineup. Regardless, the beer was good, and the beer made the trip worthwhile. But everything else about the trip will probably discourage me from going back. The place itself is poorly designed. The bar is too small, and there aren't enough tables. There was a lot of open space where there should have been tables! Service at the bar was terrible. Joey and I were ignored to the extent that we were seriously at The Alchemist for over two hours. And the food sucked. I would rather eat UVM's on-campus food. I had a pretzel for an appetizer that was mediocre, and it came with a mustard that I am pretty sure was made by grinding up Band-Aids. I have NEVER tasted anything so phenolic. I had a pork sandwich that was dripping so much fat that I could barely finish it. So the only redeeming factor was the beer. If I lived in Waterbury, I'm sure I'd go to The Alchemist often to get a beer. But for now, I remain surprisingly disappointed.

3) Vermont Pub and Brewery (Burlington, VT)

I feel as if I must have commented on the VPB before, for I really do enjoy the place. However, thanks to the bundle of joy that is my thesis project, I haven't stepped foot in the VPB since last semester. The beers have changed a lot, but the environment is still great. The bar is huge, and there are a lot of tables. I got the tripel (Chiwill XXX) and the IPA (Bombay Grab IPA), and both were good. But I would argue that the tripel shouldn't have really been called a tripel. It didn't have the classic Belgian yeast ester flavors, and it was very thin. It was tasty, but it was not what I was expecting. I think the IPA was good, but I was drunk at the time. Based on my prior experiences with VPB's beers, I think I can assume that it was good.

In other news, Joey and I highly recommend our newest mixed drink, THE TANQUERMEISTER.

/Steve

Vermont beer, part 2

2009-04-25T03:16:00.004-04:00

Quantity over quality is not desirable when it comes to beers. If it were, I would urge everyone I met to drink as much Bud Light as humanly possible. But I am shooting for quantity over quality for my beer posts, and thus I am going to return to my discussion immediately.

Rock Art Ridge Runner - English Barleywine - 7 / 10

Despite the rich history of the style, I have very little experience with barleywines. Rock Art's Ridge Runner was certainly a bit different than any other style I have encountered. I found it to smell very grainy and taste bready. It had a light brown color and had a mouthfeel comparable to a good porter. The hops were very subtle, and I think they could have been a bit more powerful. I think I tasted some toffee, too. If you want to try a barleywine, this should be a safe bet.

Rock Art Double Porter Smoked - Baltic Porter - 8 / 10

Rock Art's brews are consistently awesome. This Baltic Porter is essentially a porter on steroids, which is obviously an excellent idea. As the name implies, there are some hints of smoke in both the smell and taste. It is very roasty, without being burnt, and it is really smooth without being very heavy. Hops balance the malts enough for a nice overall sense of bitterness. I really think this would be fantastic with grilled or barbecued food.

McNeill's Oatmeal Stout - Oatmeal Stout - 9 / 10

I love oatmeal stouts, pretty much as a rule, but I think I can tell when some are better than others. And this is a great oatmeal stout, in my opinion. Very dark with a fantastic head, the roasty smells are overpowering and therefore awesome. It has a full body and the kind of smoothness is (usually) only found in oatmeal stouts. Unlike some oatmeal stouts *cough* Portstmouth Brewery *cough*, there is not a lot of sweetness. I highly recommend this. McNeill's utilizes bottle conditioning, and the effects are very obvious with the heavier beers. Note that I pour slower than an old, crippled woman, and I got this:

Rock Art Belvidere Big IPA - American Double IPA - 9 / 10

Wait, another DIPA from Rock Art? I was really confused when I first saw this. But after drinking it, I can say that it is indeed a different entity from the IPA (II). This is a more intense and over-the-top version of the IPA (II). This is certainly a full-blown DIPA, and the amount of bitterness is both ridiculous and epic. What is really remarkable about the bitterness is the fact that the body is on the heavy side. Like Southern Tier's Unearthly, you get a ridiculsouly tasty malt profile in addition to hops that beat you in the face with shovels of love. And to top it all off, the bitterness does not have a citrusy character. This may dissappoint some, but I loved it. If you like DIPAs, find this brew.

Rock Art Magnumus Ete Tomahawkus - ESB - 9 / 10

Believe it or not, I am not being paid by Rock Art to lie and say that all of their beers are excellent. They just are. This beer is, in fact, quite possibly the best ESB I have ever had. What sets this apart is that it should probably be classified as a double ESB. It is far stronger than any ESB I have ever had. It has a complex, full body filled with some very tasty malts. And there are some serious hops in here, too. It is very bitter and almost IPA-like in that sense. For me, this is good. But I feel as if this beer wouldn't win many competitions in the ESB category because it really deviates from the style by being too badass.

McNeil's Pullman's Porter - American Porter - 8 / 10

This is another example of what a good porter should be. Dark, thick, very roasty, and bitter means a tasty brew. This is about as powerful as Rock Art's Double Porter, but this is not as smoky. Overall, I like both about the same, hence the same score. I really need to take a trip to McNeill's brewery at some point in the near future.

More to come!

/Steve

If the Obsession Was Drinking I'd Be an Alcoholic

2009-04-24T21:41:00.006-04:00

Today I decided to take stock of my obsessive beer buying habit. Yes, it is in fact obsessive. I compulsively by beer and then take forever to drink it. As such, I always seem to have a ridiculous stockpile on my hands. Today I was out and just decided to pop into a store to see if I could find Southern Tier's Moka. I didn't find it, but ended up buying 3 beers I didn't really need, but decided I wanted, and spent enough money on them to feel slightly guilty. In any case, I brought them back to my room and added them to the other 12 beers sitting on my floor that won't fit in my fridge. Mind you, it's not because the bottles are too big to fit. It's because I have my fridge filled to the max with beer and there literally is no room left (see pictures below).

So, with that said, here's a list of what's sitting in my fridge/room:

Longtrail Brewmaster Series Double IPA (1)
Berkshire Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout (1)
Ommegang Biere de Mars (1)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra India Pale Ale (4)
Sierra Nevada ESB (1)
McSorley's Irish Black Lager (1)
Dogfish Head Midas Touch (1)
Troegs Nugget Nectar (1) + (1) for Steve
Hoppin' Frog's B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout (1)
Harpoon Leviathan Quad (3)
Stone Levitation Ale (1)
Founder's Double Trouble (1)
Founder's Devil Dancer Triple India Pale Ale (1)
Harpoon Winter Warmer (2)
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (5)
Newcastle Brown Ale (3)
Molson Canadian (1)
Samuel Adams Imperial Stout (1)
Anchor Steam Small Bier (1)
Heineken Light (1)
Otter Creek Russian Imperial Stout (1)
Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale (1)
Victory Hop Wallop (1)
Troegs Hop Back Amber Ale (3)
Troegs Pale Ale (3)
Troegs Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale (2)
Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat (1)
Butternuts Moo Thunder Stout (1)
Butternuts Snapperhead India Pale Ale (1)

If my math serves me right, that's 46 beers coming in 29 different varieties. This of course doesn't count the 10 or so beers I have aging in a basement...which definitely don't count in the overall scheme. As you can see, there's a serious hoarding problem going on here. I'll make my way through them at some point.

I guess I should lessen my buying tendencies, but it's impossible...serious addiction here. I felt the pressing need to leave this out there for everyone to enjoy.

Craft Brewing: A Treatise

2009-04-22T10:28:00.005-04:00

So, I wrote this thing for Rolling Stonehill, a culture magazine here at school. I told them I would write a piece on beer, helping with advocacy and such, over a year ago. Of course, my laziness got the best of me and nothing happened...until now. With my last semester at Stonehill staring me in the face I figured I might as well create some piece of beer related writing and get it published somewhere on campus. Thankfully, Rolling Stonehill offered me such a venue. Their culture section is the location of this article, and it is masterfully done. Seriously, they made this thing look like a real article in a real magazine that you would find on newsstands somewhere. Since Rolling Stonehill isn't digitally distributed I figured I would put my lovely little article up here for your viewing pleasure. Be warned: it's ridiculously over the top and in no way indicative of craft beer/the craft scene as a whole. With that said, I give you, "Craft Brewing: A Treatise."

There seems to be a preoccupation with flat tasteless beer; beer that offers a pale golden outlook on life. Sure, the bright-white head, and cool, crisp, taste are alluring, if you buy into the marketing, but does the allure really deliver on what it promises? Are we really just capitalist, commercial-eating drones? That pale, lifeless beer before you might just say so. There is no sense of individuality within your glass, or more directly, your “Cold as the Rockies” can or bottle. Score one for the big guys. You are an ever-growing statistic. A beer-swilling grunt in the grinding machinery of a consumerist ideology. There is no escape…at least that’s what They would have you believe. They force you into the system and into the desire for mediocrity, at best.

I intend to break this mold, to shed light on the world of beer that exists outside of frat parties and 30-racks. No longer will you feel compelled to sit down and pound that “Cool, crisp taste” Instead, you’ll find yourself sitting down, pouring your beer into a glass, and appreciating it for the fine piece of craft it truly should be. I am of course, speaking of the ever-growing craft brewing industry. This industry produces beer worth enjoying; full of flavor, layered with intricacies of hop and malt profiles.

Now, before your enlightenment begins, I offer a few clarifying notes. A craft brewery is in fact, the same thing as a microbrewery. By definition, this means any brewery or brewer that produces less than 475,000 gallons or 5 million 12 ounce bottles, of beer a year. Just for comparison, Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewing company in the United States, brews approximately 11 billion 12 ounce bottles of beer a year (over a billion gallons!). This, of course, does not take into consideration Molson-Coors Brewing Company and Miller Brewing Company, the other two “big guys” on the American beer scene.

It is clear that the microbrew industry has neither the means nor the commercial buying power (thankfully) of the big guys. What they lack in means however, is quickly made up for by the quality of the beer produced. There is no denying that there is something impressive about brewing a billion gallons of beer that tastes the same the world over, but that taste is lackluster at best. What I offer is a cursory look at some of the nuance that is lost in the American adjunct lager industry and is found in the soul of microbrewer/craftbrewer.

What exactly a microbrewery is has already been established, but what exactly is a microbrew? Simply put, it’s a beer produced by a microbrewer(y), but I fear there may still be some misconceptions out there. For everyone who drinks a Sam Adams or any of the Blue Moon beers, you’re drinking a macro (as opposed to micro) beer. That’s right, Blue Moon is owned and brewed by Molson Coors (which you undoubtedly already know), and Sam Adams (The Boston Beer Company formally) brews over a million barrels a year. So, you may have thought you were drinking micro, but due to some well-placed advertising or lack thereof (conveniently so), you were lead to believe these beverages were made by the little guy. Now, don’t get me wrong, Sam Adams produces a fine line of beers, and they truly are innovators in their beer industry, but they are not craft brewers by definition.

Where then does this leave us? At the doorstep of the world of the microbrewer and his microbrew of course. Now that we know the difference between macro and micro (defunct terms by now), we are now the person who walks into a package store and looks at every beer, every box, every name, every style. We are the cautious consumer, buying only that which offers the promise of true craft. Walking into the store, we see Blue Moon, our old favorite beer, and notice it is in American pale wheat ale. What do we do now? We look for an American pale wheat ale offered by a craftbrewer. In this instance we see Magic Hat Hocus Pocus, a fine choice for the style. Now, when we try this microbrew we begin to notice that it’s similar to Blue Moon, but smoother, more rounded in flavor. It is, for lack of a better term, more refreshing than that previously oh-so-refreshing Blue Moon. This is just the beginning of a wonderful revolution!

Venturing out into the land of the microbrew yields a phenomenon unknown to the big guy and his macro beer, that of the limited release/rare beer. Sure, Sam Adams has Utopias, but I’ve never heard of people lining up at 6am to get a bottle of the stuff. Why would they at $120 a bottle? It’s just unheard of. In comparison, we have numerous instances of this proposed phenomenon at various times during the year and in various locations. We see Kate Day in Portsmouth, NH, where all 900 bottles of the beer sell out within 2 hours of being available. There’s Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana, where crowds of many thousands (many of which drive hundreds or thousands of miles) wait for the chance to win, by lottery, the privelage of purchasing this beer (in limited quantities of course). These are but two of the many examples out there.

So, what is it about a craft beer that can generate such a reaction? It is their ability to challenge our sensibilities as to what beer should be without overstepping the bounds and giving us something that is so distinctly not beer. We are in essence, shown the true potential of beer. These limited release congregations and celebrations, which these instances truly are, give thanks to the heart and soul of the brewer as presented in the beer. It is a get-together of those who truly wish to experience the craft as it was meant to be, to bring back the communal nature of the beer. You have but to attend one of these events to understand that community really does develop around and for these beers and the guys (and a few girls) that make them. The brewers themselves, the men who created and produced these beers, are often standing by the tap, pouring the first beer for the enjoyment of the crowd. They are not some enigmatic machine that hides, calculating with unerring proficiency the exact quantities needed to produce the same beer day after day, year after year. Instead, they are real people, real men and women, with a desire to share their love of the craft, their love of beer. And what does it cost to partake in this portion of a man’s heart and soul, $10-$30 a bottle. But these aren’t your usual 12 ounce bottles. Oh no, these men and women reward your desire, your commitment to the craft, by giving you 22 ounces of their lifeblood.

There is an unparalleled sense of community associated with these special days. Sure, limited release days are few and far between, and not at all the normal thing for the microbrew industry, but they are a part of the culture. It is something lost in the juggernaut that is the bigger beer industry. Even when looking at a microbreweries regular offerings, it is easy to see the care and interest that goes into making each batch. There is constant change in microbrew production. You may see an American pale ale on tap one week and the next week it’s gone, swallowed up by the demand of the people involved. Nevertheless, in its place will stand another example of heartfelt innovation. We may be a consumer, but a consumer who cares about what they put to their lips. We care about who and what we support.

We know for certain that the big guys lack a sense of community and soul in their beers. They are money-making regimes of robot-generating, swill-drinking domination. They do not give us a sense of community except that which is created by a slogan; “Taste the Rockies,” “Enjoy the High Life” or some such nonsense. This slogan is demeaning, totalizing, and destructive. It kills the taste of the people under its branded motto, without them ever having to take a sip; an endless line of automatons repeating the phrase “All hail the King of Beers.” I urge you to take up the call of the little guy. Walk into a bar or a package store with a smile on your face and ignore the mass-produced beer placed front and center. Stand in line with your fellow connoisseurs of the craft and scream your motto. Break the automatons with your own sense, and rightly deserved sense, of justification in your choice. This is your call to arms. Break the back of the controlling king, cut off his supply, throw his corn-water to the floor and refuse to play the victim anymore! Down with the King of Beers, let him Taste his Own Rockies, I’m throwing in with the Queen!

What’s my motto you ask? “Tonight I’m going to party like it’s 1769!

Vermont beer, part 1

2009-04-18T15:32:00.004-04:00

I took two semesters of "Jogging for Fitness" to fulfill my physical education requirements to graduate. The class consisted entirely of jogging. I began both semesters struggling to survive 10-minute jogs, but towards the end I could go for a half hour and actually feel good. But outside of the class, I have never jogged. Why? The ratio of time to reward is just not worth it for me. I would rather be fat than take the time to jog.

The same is true for this blog. Big updates take a while, and I never really feel satisfied after writing one. This is one reason, in addition to the fact that I have been constantly writing and editing my senior thesis for the last four weeks, that I have not updated in roughly forever. From now on, I vow to make a lot of posts. And they are going to be pleasantly short and lame. The rest of this post should serve as an example of the horror that is to come.

As I said, my goal this semester was to drink a lot of Vermont beer. I have failed to an extent because I have been way too busy. But I have consumed some:

Long Trail Ale - Altbier - 5 /10

More like Long Trail Fail! This is one of my least favorite Vermont beers. I don't quite understand the appeal. It is certainly smooth and pleasantly heavy, but the malt character leaves a lot to be desired. The altbier style is an old style, but I wish that the beer itself did not taste old. I have had this a few times, and I have found it to taste consistently stale and bland.

Rock Art IPA (II) - American Double IPA - 8 /10

This is one beer that makes me regret not trying Rock Art earlier. This is a really interesting beer because it's not really as "extreme" as other DIPAs I have had. Rather, it is more like an exceptionally strong American IPA. Rock Art's IPA (II) has a very solid amount of bitterness without too many citrus notes. There are some other interesting fruits in here, however, like some hints of pineapple ester.

Otter Creek Otter's Dubbel - Dubbel - 4 /10

Prior to drinking this, I had never encountered a dubbel that failed to kick ass. At best, this beer is mediocre. There are some flavors in here that I would associate with Belgian dubbels, or more specifically Belgian yeasts, but the rest of Otter's Dubbel is really lacking. For my taste it is too sweet, too sour, too acidic, too thin, and too tart. It smells better than it tastes.

McNeill's ESB Ale - ESB - 6 / 10

This is certainly the fruitiest ESB I have ever encountered. There is a lot of pineapple and grapefruit in the body. Despite the hints of sweet fruit flavor, the bitterness is very dry. McNeill's ESB had excellent head retention and had a really strong smell. My room smelled like a brewery for a while afterwards.

Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout - Russian Imperial Stout - 9 / 10

BA claims this is a RIS, but I am personally not so sure. It lacks the strength and smokiness that I usually associate with a true Russian Imperial. Regardless of its classification, this beer kicks ass. Thick and very dark, the beer has a great malt complexity with an excellent burnt bitterness. I have had this both on-tap and bottled, and the bottled version is a bit heavier and more intense. I would highly suggest giving this a try.

Rock Art Stump Jumper Gnarly Stout - American Stout - 7 / 10

I have not had that wide of a selection of American Stouts, but I can say that Stump Jumper is a decent stout, generally speaking. It doesn't have anything fancy, like dark fruits or chocolate, but it has a solid, roasty malt backbone. The bitterness is not very obvious but balances the malts. This would be more remarkable if it were heavier.

Long Trail Double Bag - American Strong Ale - 9 / 10

I think this beer gets around about as much as Long Trail Ale, but the difference here is that Double Bag is truly memorable. My first reaction to this beer was that it was "surprisingly awesome." It has some sweet, biscuit-like malts with some roasted flavors that complement the sweetness perfectly. The hops are not really floral or citrusy in nature, and they add a tasty bitter edge. Extremely smooth and very drinkable, I recommend this.

I'm going to briefly review more VT beers next week. I promise!

/Steve

TRAVELOCITIEZ!

2009-03-17T18:47:00.001-04:00

Over Spring Break Steve and I went to Portland, ME. Beers and adventures were had, and they will be recapped, beers mostly when I can find the time to sit down and give them proper justice. However, this sad blog has been empty for too long and as such I took it upon myself to put something up here so you the reader can have something new to look at and enjoy.

I Writes About The Beer

2009-02-13T14:34:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been an interesting few weeks since I hit my year mark. I haven't really done any new beer drinking, sadly. I have however increased my ridiculous need to write about beer. I've generated two beer-related written works. The first was a rather lengthy discussion of how beer is related to Taste in the aesthetic sense of the word, and the second was/is a pseudo-intellectual call to arms against the fear of the craft brewer. It's chock full of reasons to go craft laced with some smart-ass faux Marxist calls to rebellion. It's some serious stuff.

Once I get the final draft of the second piece worked out I'll post a link to it/post it or something.

Sadly, that's about the extent of my beer love since turning the big ole' 22. Seriously, I have no idea what happened, it makes me cry a little inside. I'll pick up after Spring Break or something. Who knows.

-Joey

Lists Are For Sexy People

2009-01-31T20:24:00.004-05:00

Well, as I promised, I have a year in review ready to go. It's mostly lists, so if that's not your thing, don't look at it. Remember, this is based off of one year of legal drinking coupled with one year worth of statistics. Basically, every number you see and every name you see was consumed between January 1, 2008 and January 27, 2009...so a little over one year and not all of it legal. In any case, I'll probably offer up some sort of overarching reactionary piece at some point, but I don't have the right mindset to get down to it at this very moment. So, without any further adieu, I present you with YEAR ONE:

The Top Ten Beers of 2008:
1. Kate the Great (Russian Imperial Stout)
2. Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale (American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale)
3. Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Pumpkin Ale)
4. Duchesse de Borgogne (Flanders Red Ale)
5. Bear Republic Racer #5 (American India Pale Ale)
6. Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
7. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2008) (Russian Imperial Stout)
8. Westmalle Trappist Dubbel (Dubbel)
9. Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (Russian Imperial Stout)
10. Murphy's Irish Stout

Top 3 Styles:
1. American Double/Imperial Stout & Russian Imperial Stout
2. American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
3. American Pale Ale

The Dark Horse:
1. American India Pale Ale & American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
2. "Sour" Ale

Not On My Beer List Anytime Soon:
1. Chile Beer
2. Mexican Beer
3. Ridiculously fruity fruit beers.

Some Beer Adventures:
1. Magic Hat Brewery (Burlington, VT)
2. Portsmouth Brewery (KATE DAY!) (Portsmouth, NH)
3. Red Hook Brewery (Portsmouth, NH)
4. Samuel Adams Brewery (Jamaica Plains, MA)
5. Allagash Brewery (Portland, Maine)

A Solid Session (Hypothetical):
1. Unibroue Ephemere (Apple) (Fruit/Vegetable Beer)
2. Samuel Smith's Organically Produced Lager Beer (Euro Pale Lager)
3. New Belgium 1554 (Belgian Dark Ale)
4. Southern Tier Oat Imperial Oatmeal Stout (American Double/Imperial Stout)
5. Ipswich Dark Ale (American Brown Ale)
6. Duchesse de Borgogne (Flanders Red Ale)

The Totals:
226 beers
66 styles

I could probably do some sort of ridiculous estimate on how much this has cost me all said and done, but that would be painful for all involved so let's do it anyway. Let's just say, at an average price of $5 per beer, and only counting 1 beer from each beer tried, in several instances, it's several beers and not just the one, and ignoring random 6-packs of non-reviewed beer and beers had at bars, samples, etc, I'm looking at an extremely low end estimate of $1130. Yeah, I don't want to attempt to figure out what it actually is. That should suffice. Scary huh?

Well, that's all the data I felt the need to compile, at least at this moment. As you can see, it's been one interesting year. I don't regret it one bit and I'm hoping I can continue, if at a somewhat slower pace for who knows how long. I enjoy drinking beers, talking about them, reviewing them, and experiencing the culture that it has become. Who knows, maybe I'll write an article for some school publication *wink* and then put that up here...but that's months away.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at my year and hopefully I can convince myself to create some ridiculously retrospective account, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

-Joey

I do what bumper stickers tell me

2009-01-17T21:28:00.003-05:00

My intent this semester is to drink Vermont beer.

This is my last semester at the University of Vermont, and I find it not only appropriate but rather essential that I sample the best that the Burlington area has to offer. For behind the smell of cow manure and dirty hippies, there is a some quality stuff brewing here. And with the exception of the two biggest breweries (Magic Hat, Otter Creek/Wolaver's), I have tragically been neglecting the scene.

The following is the list of beers that I must drink in the next 15 weeks. These beers are common in this area, but they aren't that easy to find elsewhere.

Long Trail Double Bag
Long Trail Ale **
Long Trail Traditional IPA
McNeill's Dead Horse IPA
McNeill's ESB *
McNeill's Champ Ale
Rock Art Ridge Runner
Rock Art Magnumus Ete Tomahaukus ESB
Rock Art Vermonster
Rock Art IPA (II) *
Rock Art Double Porter Smoked *
Switchback Pale Ale **
Trout River Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Trout River Hoppin' Mad Trout Ale

Key:
* = purchased but not yet consumed
** = already had, will review here

/Steve

Holy Balls, I'm Still Alive

2009-01-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

Well, as you all should know by now, the new year has come and gone and with that, we stand on the edge of my coming birthday. As such, I'm starting to compile a year in review, something I had originally planned for New Year's Day, but due to some complication on my end, namely forgetting my beer review documents, it has been postponed. So, rather than attempting to do it off-hand, which would inevitably miss something and make me cry, I've decided to combine my year end review with my official 1 year of legal drinking review. Since the two are close to one another, and doing two separate retrospectives so close together would be silly, combining them is easy enough.

So, look forward to a ridiculous recap of my first year in beer. I'll hit high and low notes and talk about some sort of overarching reactions and anticipations. It should be a good time all around.

-Joey

A Christmas (Eve) Story

2008-12-24T22:53:00.002-05:00

I just spent a full two hours drinking a bomber of Southern Tier Oat.

Now I am truly filled with Christmas spirit.

Happy Festivus, or whatever the hell you want to celebrate!

/Steve

The lights in the sky have finally arrived

2008-12-12T22:31:00.003-05:00

BIRDS WILL FALL, I followed Joey's lead and made myself an actual author on this blog. This will save me a whole .4 seconds logging in to update. This massive amount of free time that this has change has generated makes me feel obligated to post.

Last week I posted on my experiences with macro lagers. Sure, macro lagers are everywhere, but there is one style that I feel is even more common. What I am referring to, of course, is the light lager style.

I am struggling to even decide where to start. I suppose I might as well start by being an ass and mentioning that I would personally like to bludgeon anyone with a giant smoked meat log that claims he or she drinks light beer to not gain weight. You do not need a Ph.D. in nutritional science to comprehend the fact that the majority of calories in beer comes from the alcohol content. If you've ever looked at the caloric content of a non-alcoholic beer, this fact should be obvious. Sure, obviously something like a Russian imperial stout is going to have significantly more calories than Bud Light, but if you are drinking an RIS you probably know enough about beer not to be worrying about the extra calories.

The majority of the light beers I am about to review are essentially watered-down macro lagers. So, if these beers have a huge drop in flavor with only a minor drop in calories, why would anyone drink them? I am not too big of a beer snob to avoid light beers, and I do drink them. Here are what I consider legitimate reasons to drink them:

1) You have no other beer options
2) You have been drinking heavily all night, and despite the fact that you can't taste anything, you feel like drinking something akin to a beer
3) You are eating a massive quantity of food, and the fact that drinking light beers makes you slightly less full encourages you to drink light beer instead of water
4) You are eating food, and all you have is expensive beer - since you want to cherish your expensive beer by itself, you need to drink something else
5) Someone has a gun to your head

As far as rating light beer goes, I really have to add somewhat of a handicap to my scale. I think the best way to think of light beers is to not even think of them as beer. This statement will be further elucidated during my Coors Light post.

The big three

Bud Light - 3/10 (can) 6/10 (bottle) 8/10 (tap)

I had to give this beer three separate rankings because it really varies based on its source. Out of the can, this stuff is rather bad. It tastes mostly like water and aluminum. There are some hints of flavor, but one has to really struggle to find them. Out of a bottle or on tap, Bud Light is significantly better. Like Budweiser, it is over-carbonated. But unlike Budweiser, the amount of carbonation seems to work. It's more simple than just a watered down Budweiser. Some of the malt flavors and strange hints of citrus are gone. Bud Light should really be approached as more of a "beer soda" than a real beer. There is some flavor, and it isn't bad, but it's mostly just refreshing. Due to its refreshing nature, it goes well with just about any food. I might as well note that it is extremely pale yellow in color and has virtually no smell. But this is true for every light lager, so I am not going to mention it again.

Coors Light - 7/10 (can)

The only truly remarkable thing about Coors Light is the technology of the cans. Thanks to a very simple plastic liner, this beer does not just taste like aluminum flavored water. It almost tastes like beer! The cans are pretty much the only reason I ever buy this beverage. They're just easier to transport. I refuse to buy (or drink) any other light beer in can form. That being said, Coors Light is easily the most watery light beer I have ever had. But while there is less flavor than Bud Light, the flavor present is good. Its flavor really reminds me of real Coors. But it's not. I like to think of Coors Light as the Vitamin Water of beer. It's mostly water, but there are some hints of flavor, and those hints somehow work in the bigger equation of the drink.

Miller Lite - 3/10 (can) 2/10 (bottle)

This is the only beer I have ever had that actually tastes worse out of a bottle than it does from a can. Miller Lite is definitely the most flavorful of the "big three" light beers. Some people like it, but I really think it tastes like a mouthful of ass. It doesn't taste like a watered down version of High Life or MGD. It tastes like something totally different. There are some hints of malts, there is some dryness, and there are some strange sour corn notes. I certainly try my best to avoid it.

The others

Budweiser Select - 4/10 (bottle)

The mediocrity of this beer almost renders me speechless. It's supposed to be a premium light beer. Yet somehow this has fewer redeemable qualities than Bud Light. To steal a line from the AVGN, "IT'S LIKE, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?" This stuff is extremely watery, over-carbonated, and somehow has even less flavor than Bud Light. I suppose it tastes a little "cleaner" than Bud Light, but it most just tastes like water.

Corona Light - 1/10 (bottle)

I really can't say too much about Corona Light. It's just quite simply one of the worst "beers" I have ever tasted. If I had to compare this to real beers, this score could probably be something like a -5/10. It takes the mediocre, overcooked stale vegetable taste of Corona and blasts it with a hose. Fortunately, there is virtually no flavor at all. As a result, this tastes like water that has gone bad.

Michelob Ultra - 1/10 (bottle)

You know how I just wrote that Corona Light tastes like water that has gone bad? This tastes like water that someone contaminated with AIDS. It is absolutely horrible, and if I could give it a lower score than 1, I would. I wish I could highlight the fact that it sucks, but I refuse to give Corona Light anything more than a 1. It's almost difficult to highlight how bad Michelob Ultra is. I don't understand why anyone would drink again after having it once. Like Corona Light, there is virtually no flavor. There are some subtle notes of flavor, such as a noticeable dry taste. This dry taste essentially nullifies anything nice I could say about this beer, for it makes it less refreshing. Somehow, despite being 99% water, this beverage is NOT refreshing. This is not a lawnmower beer. I wouldn't even water my lawn with this beer. It is also over-carbonated. Friends don't let friends drink this crap.

Molson Canadian Light - 8/10 (bottle)

Of course I had to try Molson Canadian Light. I needed to know if my favorite macro lager translated into a quality light lager. And while it feel short of my high expectations, it is still better than everything else on the list this far. It does taste a lot like watery Molson Canadian. Some of the earthy malts are still there, and there is, shockingly, some traces of hops in the flavor. It is a little over-carbonated, and the overall taste is remarkably dry. This beer really isn't as commonplace as it should be.

The exception

Sam Adams Light - 10/10 (bottle, tap)

Sam Adams Light is an absolute freak. Unlike the rest of the beers I have mentioned, this can pass as a "real" beer. This is a beer that you can buy with some level of pride. It seriously has a lot more flavor packed in than many of the macros I mentioned last week. As far as I'm concerned, this is the Boston Beer Company's greatest accomplishment. Every other Samuel Adams Beer I have had (except the Cream Stout, which is excellent) has been just a little above average. Sam Adams Light is leaps and bounds ahead of the other light beers. It pours an attractive light amber color, rather than the usual watered-down urine color. It is perfectly carbonated, and it is remarkably smooth. The malts work well together with some hints of caramel. And there are actually hops, both in the aroma and the flavor. And despite actually having some real flavor, the body is still very light. The whole package is very refreshing. I highly approve.

/Steve

Some People Would Say I Have A Problem

2008-12-11T18:17:00.000-05:00

This beer marks a momentous occasion in my life as a beer drinker. This is my 200^th reviewed beer since I turned 21. Like beer 100, I had to give 200 to Unibroue…consistency is nice sometimes. Sure, I could have gone totally epic with one of the stouts or IPAs in my fridge, but I’ve been on those for months. New is good. In any case, before I really begin I have to say I have a slight issue with corked beer. Sure, it’s neat looking and generally pretty exciting overall, but the level of carbonation on the pour, no matter how gentle, is annoying. Especially since it takes so long to dwindle down.

I set a goal for myself, 200 beers by the end of this year. This does not count any beers reviews that are doubled, meaning from a different source, any sampled beer from tours or fests or the like, and very few beers on tap. Maybe someday I'll start including beers I've had on tap, but that will require a beer journal that comes with me when I go to a bar and I'm just not there yet. In any case, I reached my goal a lot earlier than I expected. The trip to Minnesota gave me a major boost in the numbers, with 10 beers in less than a week. My second goal is 225 different beers by my 22nd birthday. It's lofty, but I think it's feasible. The absurd goal, 250 by my birthday. I'm fully expecting to fall somewhere in the middle of those two, which wouldn't be all bad.

I chose Chambly Noire, not because it's supposed to be mindblowing, or even epic by any means. No, I chose this because it showed up in my Beer-a-Day calendar and I was never able to find it in a 22 oz bottle. I saw it in 4-pack form a few times, but that's just a no for me on Unibroue beers. They deserve a solid sitdown and the best way to do that is with the 22 oz. monsters. Thankfully, Steve found this for me, I'm going to blames his proximity to Canada since Unibroue is a Canadian brewery and he's just that close. So, I traded a Pumking for this beer and it would almost seem unfair but I needed this to make 200 worth it and as such I have no regrets.
It was nice to break from my absurd IPA and stout streak. I've literally had almost nothing but those two styles for the past month and a half. Unibroue intrigues me. None of their beers have blown my mind, but there's something about them that keeps me coming back. Sure, the bottles are usually pretty bad ass, but that's not really enough. I can't describe it, but they're intriguing as a brewery. I need to get my hands on some more from them, stuff outside the big three (Maudite, Trois Pistoles, and La Fun du Monde).

Well, I've rambled enough. Here it is, my 200th reviewed beer, Chambly Noire.

Unibroue Chambly Noire - 6/10
Style: Belgian Dark Ale (6.20% ABV)

Chambly pours dark brown with some cherry reds on the edges. The head is huge, off-white, and relatively sturdy, kind of like dirty soap bubbles in the sink. The smell is, of course, evocative of every other Unibroue beer I’ve encountered. A melon-like sweetness sits atop some more distinct caramel and citrus notes coupled with a faint grassy hop aroma. Maudite comes to mind, only a little sweeter on the nose and obviously darker in color. Some dark fruits sit in the background, I’m thinking fig on this one. The first sip is remarkably smooth and highly carbonated. The carbonation hits the tongue first, bubbling and tingling just enough to let you know it won’t be going anywhere in the near future. The caramel notes sneak through next, riding on the backs of the dark fruits, cherry and fig this time around. A faint grassy finish dries a little bit as it reaches the back of the throat. It’s definitely got some sweetness to it, but I feel as if it plays a secondary role to everything else. It enhances everything, brightening the tongue up after the carbonation assault. A few more sips leave a frown of sorts on my face as I get a watery taste, muted flavors if you will. Raisins…yeah, it’s raisins, not figs. Oddly enough, I think a bit more tangyness would go well here. Just a bit of a bright, wheat snap and I would be happy. After a swirl and pour and some warming, I’m still not overwhelmed by this beer in any way. I could easily drink this in a session or in multiples. It lacks the punch of the other Unibroue beers, but it’s nice in its subtlety of flavor. It makes me a little sad as my 200^th beer, but I’m glad I had it and I would easily say it’s number 2 in the Unibroue series thusfar, number 1 being Trois Pistoles.

-Joey

Macro madness

2008-12-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

First of all, a few weeks ago Beer Advocate changed the "American Macro Lager" style to "American Adjust Lager." I have to agree that this is a more technically sound label. After all, not all "macros" are mass produced as the name would imply. For example, consider Magic Hat's Participation 2008. It fits the category of a macro, but it was brewed in limited quantities. Anyway, despite BA's name change, I'm going to be referring to the lagers in this entry as "macros" because I simply think it sounds better than "adjuncts."

When I turned 21, a whopping 13 months ago, my first priority was to try all the extremely common macro lagers. Despite being in the infancy of my beer-tasting life, I was well aware that American macro lagers, in general, were mediocre at best. However, I also knew that I would be buying a lot because I am not bleeding excess money. Macro lagers are cheap, and I love cheap things.

As I am about to reflect on my past experiences with macros, I think it is an appropriate time to experiment with a new rating system. While I think a 1-5 scale has more construct validity, I do not think it is working as well as when I first started using it. I think I've matured to the point where I can justify the use of a 1-10 scale. But I must stress that my scale is not the same as Joey's. I'm not just rating beers by merit of their individual quality. I am including how well the beer exemplifies the style in the consideration of my rating. I find this especially appropriate in this entry, for otherwise, I do not think I could give any macro more than a 6/10 rating...

Anyway, I need to stop rambling. The following are what I consider, in my humble opinion, to be the top ten most commonplace macro lagers. They are the kind you will find in a supermarket. They are the kind that go on sale for $8-$10 for a 12-pack.

Budweiser - 5/10

What could be more mainstream than Budweiser? Perhaps Bud Light? Seriously, this stuff is ubiquitous. Unfortunately, I do not really understand the appeal. Yes, Budweiser is better than some beers (I'm looking at you, Corona). But there are certainly better macro lagers. Anyway, Budweiser pours a clear pale yellow color with far too much carbonation. Seriously, is this supposed to be soda or beer? There is not much taste aside from some typical corn flavors and the taste of sharp carbonation. There are some oddly placed sour flavors, and I swear there was a hint of citrus. Budweiser is not exactly bad, but it's certainly not something I would ever buy again.

Coors Original - 7/10

According to my parents, Coors was a big deal in the late 1970's, at least in the New England region. Since people in the East couldn't get it, it was a mysterious commodity. Now Coors (at least Coors Light) is pretty much everywhere. And I would have to say that it is worth a try. Much like Budweiser (or ANY macro lager) it pours a pale yellow color. But unlike Budweiser, Coors is not exploding with excessive carbonation. It is pleasantly balanced. There is not much of a smell, but the taste is certainly ripe with corn. It works, however, and there is a surprising amount of balance in the body. It's smoother than the average macro, and it's certainly very drinkable.

Corona Extra - 2/10

Whenever someone buys a case of Corona, somewhere in the world a kitten is killed. While I think I have held my tongue in this blog, I have made it very apparent in other forms of communication that the popularity of Corona utterly blows my mind. Corona is bad. It's as simple as that. Can you think of any other beer that REQUIRES some form of fruit for proper consumption? By stuffing a lime down the neck of a Corona, you have the pleasure of tasting lime rather than extremely mediocre beer. I'm not going to lie and pretend that I have ever poured this into a glass. I think that would be improper for this beer. However, thanks to the clear bottles, one can observe that Corona is an extremely pale yellow color. The beer does not really have an aroma, but there are hints of smell that suggest overcooked vegetables. The taste is not remarkable, either. It tastes like bad carbonated water mixed with some old corn. There is too much carbonation, and this makes the mouthfeel really strange. The really scary thing about Corona is that Corona Light is even worse.

Foster's Lager - 6/10

I've only had this once, but I had one of the trademark massive cans, and it was a fun experience. This has a moderately high amount of carbonation, but it is nowhere as bad as Budweiser. It pours a pale yellow color, as expected, and it smells of corn. Foster's is relatively sweet with a light body. I recall that it went well with pizza. I can't really think of anything too insightful to say other than I almost feel like trying it again.

Labatt Blue - 5/10

This is a strange beer. When I first had this, I thought it was pretty good. It pours pale and yellow, and it doesn't have much of a smell. It's remarkably light, and it has a well-balanced amount of carbonation. At first, it has some nice flavors. It is smooth, and it is kind of dry. But after drinking more than a few sips, one will realize how watery this beer really is. I do not think I have ever encountered a more watery beer (and yes, I am thinking about light beers). I am absolutely terrified as to what Labatt Blue Light tastes like. I think it might just be water vapor. Anyway, despite being watery, this is almost a good beer. I think I would appreciate it more if it were labeled "Light," even though I am fully aware that such reasoning is nonsense.

Miller Genuine Draft - 4/10

As I am about to discuss, I really enjoy Miller High Life. This fact makes my disinterest in Miller Genuine Draft even more significant. Why? MGD and Miller High Life are brewed with the same recipe. MGD is just brewed in a different way that is supposed to make it more flavorful. I don't see the point. It has the stereotypical pale yellow color, but the smell is unique. It smells like sweetness with hints of corn. And the taste is the same. There are some rough corn flavors, and overall the taste is just too abundant with sweet flavors. It's smoother than High Life, but it's also more expensive. Is that relevant? For a macro lager, it's very important!

Miller High Life - 9/10

For the record, Miller High Life is my cheap lager of choice when I occasionally tire of Molson Canadian. It is pretty much everything a macro lager should be. When consumed cold, High Life is very light but very flavorful. The malts do not scream "corn!" They are well-balanced, and there is really nothing to complain about. The issue with Miller High Life is that the magic falls apart when the stuff gets warm. Honestly, when this is virtually ice-cold, this is THE BEST macro lager on the market. But when it warms up, the balance of flavors is dramatically shoved off a cliff.

Molson Canadian - 9/10

I love Molson Canadian. I am pretty sure such a statement can be inferred as a "bias," and I'm not sure if this review can be taken seriously. Anyway, did I mention I love this beer? It is the most flavorful cheap macro lager on the market. It pours slightly darker than the usual pale yellow affair, but there isn't much of an aroma. However, there is a lot of flavor. The malts have a nice bite, and there is actually some perceivable bitterness. It is certainly heavier than the usual macro, but the amount of carbonation somehow balances it to create a moderately light mouthfeel. I only have one complaint about this beer. There is a notable earthy and dry tone to the flavor, and after drinking a lot of Molson Canadian sometimes I need a break.

Red Stripe Jamaican Lager - 4/10

A number of people I've encountered led me to believe that Red Stripe was an above-average macro lager. Maybe I just got a bad batch or something, for I thought it was more on the poor side of the spectrum. First of all, it pours extremely pale with virtually no visible carbonation. I rarely complain about under-carbonation, but this stuff was seriously flat. The smell isn't all that remarkable, but there are some interesting spices in the otherwise boring flavor. This is also a beer that I would describe as unnecessarily heavy. It seemed to go down heavier than the amount of flavor justified.

Rolling Rock Extra Pale - 8/10

If I wanted to be extremely lazy, I could just describe Rolling Rock as "Bud Light on steroids." That is really what it tastes like. It takes a strange aspect of the corn flavor found in most macros and runs with it. I'm still not sophisticated enough to really describe it, but I can assure you that the flavor is screaming with this corn byproduct flavor. It's almost unique, and for that I consider this an above-average macro lager. It pours pale yellow, and it has a high amount of carbonation that manages to stay under the label of excessive. The flavor, as I have mentioned, is not particularly diverse, but it is certainly interesting. This is certainly a beer worth trying, and if you don't like it, it's safe to stay away forever.

/Steve

Bozo soup and stars!

2008-12-06T17:25:00.000-05:00

The fact that Joey is an English major has really seemed apparent in the last few blog posts. Similarly, my lack of posting has really made my laziness apparent. One justification for my lack of action is that I'm struggling to decide what to post.

I've had a few beers lately that really deserve some discussion, including:

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
Great Divide Titan IPA
Monk's Café Flemish Sour Red Ale
Fuller's 1845

And after spending some quality time buying beer in the last 24 hours, I have some beers waiting to be sampled, including:

Stone Double Bastard
Allagash Grand Cru
Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

I certainly have the potential to write some entertaining thematic posts. I could discuss Fuller's consistently awesome ales, or I could discuss my increasing love for American IPAs. But perhaps the best choice would be something I've been meaning to do for a while... I should review macros.

/Steve

Want Beer Will Travel

2008-12-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I was in Minnesota over Thanksgiving and of course, beer was on the agenda. Prior to my trip I asked the people on the BeerAdvocate forums if they could offer any recommendations for stores and/or breweries I should visit. Of course, Surly, the brewers of Darkness, came up multiple times, but so did a few stores. The first, Heritage Liquors, I never made it out too. Due to some time constraints and such, I had to pick and the second store, Blue Max, was closer. So I decided to go there.

My dad and I walked into this place not really sure what to expect. I knew there would be a huge variety, but to be honest, the people coming out of the store all had 12-packs of generica under their arms and I felt a bit disheartened. However, upon entering Blue Max, my mind was blown. Before me were fridges, lots and lots of fridges. In the back they had something like 12 different fridges containing some most of the macros and a bunch of domestic micros and what have you. It was the two rows of other beers that had my mind blown. On one side, quality American micro brews, all cold and waiting. I saw some Rogue bottles I've never even heard of and I won't lie, most of the other breweries I hadn't heard of. I knew I had hit the mother lode. All of the breweries that don't make it out her to New England, a lot of Midwest stuff, Colorado most notably, were represented. It did make me laugh when I saw written on one of the signs, "YES! We don't have Fat Tire." I forget that people kill for this. I'll have to retry it when I head back to Texas for Christmas.

In any case, as I was browsing, my dad had already grabbed his Bitburger from one of the fridges and was just wandering around with me, the owner, or I can only assume he was the owner, walked up to me, who was holding a 6-pack of Great Divide Titan IPA (note: Steve had one of these on tap at The Ale House in Amesbury the night before and that prompted the purchase), and said, "So, I see you're a hop-head." Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a true hop-head, but I have come to appreciate the magical elixir that is a quality IPA. I nodded my consent and he proceeded to point me at more than a few IPAs and Double IPAs. He then asked if I was interested in anything else, to which I replied, "Russian Imperial Stouts. I'm looking for Darkness, do you have it?" He said they didn't as it was pretty much sold only at the brewery and quickly, go figure. In any case, he did have some 6-packs of cans in one of the fridges, but I decided to wait. I'll be able to try a few of them at the Minneapolis airport during my 4-hour layover on the way to Texas.

In any case, we walked around the case holding the American brews and guess what was behind it, international brews! That's right, and they were all neatly labeled by region/country and it made me smile. I was pointed toward a few quality RIS and then he once again asked if I was interested in anything else. My reply? "Well, I recently had a sour ale, Monk's Cafe, and I'm really curious about the style as a whole." Of course this sent him down toward the Flemish/Dutch section and he pointed me toward an entire series of sour ales and a few others.

Before I forget, I'm being deliberately vague on the exact brews he showed me as I picked up most of them during my two visits.

He then went on his way and left us to browse a little bit more before I made my selections and moved toward the counter. Of course, I can't just say it ended there. Oh no. As I was grabbing the bag with my purchases inside it I noticed yet another fridge on the opposite end of the store that read "CANADA." Of course I had to go look as it was near the exit and what do I see but multiple beers from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel. In other words, the Canadian brewery that makes one of the greatest breakfast stouts ever...yes, I bought one on my second trip.

Well, that was the first trip to Blue Max. The second one was 10 minutes long in which I came in, picked up 7 beers, paid for them and left with a stupid grin on my face. Truly an impressive place.

Now, for your perusal and pleasure, my two trips worth of beers, broken down by trip of course.

Trip 1 (November 25, 2008):
1. Great Divide Titan IPA (6-pack)
2. Insanely Bad Elf (12 oz. bottle)
3. Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout (2001) (11.5 oz. bottle)

Trip 2 (November 29, 2008):
1. Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Pig Nun) (22 oz. bottle)
2. Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel (12 oz. bottle)
3. Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Corne du Diable (12 oz. bottle)
4. Struiselensis Wild Belgian Ale (12 oz. bottle)
5. Bad King John Black Ale (1 pint .9 oz. bottle)
6. Left Hand Brewing Company Twin Sisters (22 oz. bottle)
7. Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast Stout (12 oz. bottle)

I will have reviews up for these sometime next week. I just have to finish up Titan IPA and the Beer Geek Breakfast. Look forward to that next Wednesday or Thursday.

In other news, a momentous event is on the doorstep and I'm rather excited about it. Be sure to check back for that as well. You wont be disappointed.

-Joey

Imperialism at Its Finest

2008-11-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

Alright, it's finally time for this Imperial Southern tier review to get underway. It's been a few months since I first experienced a Southern Tier brew and I haven't looked back since that moment. Rather than going for an all encompassing tasting regimen, I decided an imperial excursion would be a much better idea. What I mean by that is I took every beer by Southern Tier that I could find that was part of a larger "Imperial" series and slowly, ever so slowly, drank those bad boys down. I even had the fortune of finding one of them on tap at Red Bones in Somerville, MA. BONUS!

As would be expected, some general notes on the beers as a whole can be found at the end of the post. I have presented before you seven beers from The Southern Tier Brewing Company, all bearing some kind of imperialness and some kind of awesome.

1. Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison (8.00% ABV) - 3/10
Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale (bottle)

this by saying I’m not a huge fan of the saison style. However, I am obsessed with Southern Tier and their Imperial series. As such, I had to pick this one up and give it a try. It pours a very hazy light gold/straw color with a small, bright white head. As the head dissipates, rather quickly, it leaves a solid sheet of lacing on the sides of the glass. The bottle read, “ale brewed with cherries and aged with oak.” There are four words in that statement that make me happy; ale, cherries, aged, and oak. The first smell is very similar to a German-style hefeweizen. A strong banana/melon flavor come through and is quickly followed by a light cherry and oak aroma. Some hops are lingering in the background and what malts there are, are almost impossible to detect. Relatively light-bodied, this ale carries with it some unique flavors to say the least. The oak is far more powerful than I would have expected, playing on the front of the tongue, reminding me of a cork. A straw-like malt characteristic makes its way back from there and the cherry and banana/melon barely stick to the sides of the tongue before being washed away in a general sweetness. It’s par for a saison and that makes me sad. There’s some kind of funky dirt taste in the back that is not making me happy. I found myself quaffing this thing to get it down. I was really hoping Southern Tier could redeem the style in my mind, but it still falls short of what I want in a beer. If you’re a fan of the style, this is definitely worth a try. It’s got what you want in a saison.

2. Southern Tier Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale (10.00% ABV) - 6/10
Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale (bottle)

This thing pours a lightly-hazed, bright golden/straw color with a monstrous bright-white head that leaves some incredibly sticky lacing as it slowly, ever so slowly, dissipates. The initial smell is chock full of hops. A sharp citrus note hits in the background, akin to oranges more than anything else. A subtle sweetness is there as well, but barely. It’s got some serious kick to it…yay for IPA! The taste is…is…well, it’s unbelievable. The hops are there, but they’re not playing by the rules. Their oily nature is second to a rolling, full-bodied, malt and citrus explosion. Less on the malt than the citrus, but it’s there…I swear. The alcohol burns hot for a couple seconds before the other flavors kick it out. A few more sips and the hops start to take over, but that alcohol is still there. The alcohol burn is similar to vodka, smooth, clean, and almost tasteless. A little warming mellows this thing out, giving the hops a nice platform on which to build. It’s a solid bitterness through and through, which I like. My only gripe with this beer is the alcohol. I’ve had more than a few high ABV beers and this one just can’t mask it. It’s hot, it’s in your face, and most of all, it tastes like a really good vodka. Of course, that’s not an issue if you like vodka, which I don’t. If you can tolerate the alcohol, this beer is fantastic. For me, a little something died inside today. This beer could easily have been an 8, but that alcohol just killed it.

3. Southern Tier Jahva Imperial Coffee Stout(12.00% ABV) - 8/10
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout (bottle)

Pours almost black with some small hints of a deep brown at the edges when held to light. The head was quick to appear and disappear. It was a solid coffee with cream color. After a minute or so almost no head remains. It’s perfectly still…and eerie. The smell is everything I would have expected. There are coffee notes right up front along with some solid chocolate/cocoa notes and of course, with 12%ABV, a slight alcohol aroma. A sweetness is also present. In other words, the malts are ready to rock and roll. The taste is a perfect blend of outright espresso and a deep, dark chocolate. It’s roasty, faintly smokey, and most of all, absolutely perfect in body and carbonation. It’s not heavy, which is nice. It’s a solid, mid-high body with some slightly tangy carbonation. It smooths across the palate leaving the chocolate espresso taste to linger. Absolutely no alcohol is present in the first sip. Warming mellows the whole thing out, smoothing the slightly rough edges and giving the alcohol a little more presence. All said and done, drink this responsibly as the alcohol will creep up on you and make your night a lot more interesting.

4. Southern Tier Crème Brûlée Stout(10.00%) - 9/10
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout (bottle)

This thing pours a deep, rich mahogany with a small coffee-colored head and from the start the vanilla is evident. I popped the top and the beautiful smell of vanilla poured out. Sticking my nose into it is about as close to sex as smelling a beer can be. The vanilla is right up front, but doesn’t cover up the slight touch of alcohol, dark cocoa and coffee. It tastes like the dessert it’s supposed to. The toasted, roasted, vanilla flavor rushes over the tongue before giving way to a slight alcoholic burn and a marshmallow taste. Caramel, coffee, cocoa, and of course vanilla! It’s almost too much to handle. It’s so much vanilla. A little bit of warming mellows this thing out and instead of being an onslaught of powerful flavors, it’s nicely mixed with each flavor offering enough, except the vanilla, it’s still front and center, but much less dominant. Some solid butterscotch notes come out to play at this point as well. It’s magical, but I would highly recommend sharing a bottle with a few others over dessert. It’s an amazing beer to drink on your own, but with others and nice vanilla/rainbow cake, this beer would go a long way.

5. Southern Tier Oat Imperial Oatmeal Stout (11.00% ABV) - 9/10
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout (bottle)

Pours absolutely black with a thick head the color of freshly poured espresso. Seriously a beautiful site to behold. It smells like the god of oatmeal stouts. It’s heavy on the nose, almost syrupy, and has some very strong coffee notes. Some cocoa/dark chocolate plays in the back and it’s so very nice. Definitely some sweet malts coming through. The best comparison I have is a dark chocolate cake with a cup of coffee on the side. Like I said, magical. The head dissipates to almost nothing, deciding to cling to the edge of the glass instead. Oatmeal…bready…amazing. A few more sips and this thing really opens up, unleashing a torrent of deep roasted and slightly burnt flavors that hit all over the palate. The coffee is smooth and roasty, while the cocoa notes add a much appreciated sense of bitterness to the whole things. Malts everywhere and they’re truly delicious. There’s warming from the alcohol after about half the bottle and it’s a nice balance. It kicks in the back of the throat, but is mellowed out by the overall sweetness of the beer. Finally, at least in recent history, a beer that take a high ABV and presents it perfectly. It’s there, but it’s not vodka-like or even overpowering.

6. Southern Tier Unearthly

India

Pale Ale (11.00% ABV) - 9/10
Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale (bottle & tap)

Pours a perfectly clear deep golden with a thick, bright-white head on it. It smells like one hell of an American IPA. It’s got some serious dry-hopped action, leaving a very bitter nose feel in its wake. Deep citrus notes, lemon and orange, round out the whole thing, making my mouth water with delicious anticipation. As far as taste goes, it’s an Imperial/Double IPA for sure. There are some very solid hop notes and a well-balanced citrus approach. It doesn’t have too much of either flavor. Enough of both exist to make this beer’s medium body glide across the tongue, drying it out in the back while the citrus clings to the sides. Delicious each sip. Hidden somewhere in the back of all the flavor is something akin to pine tree. It’s not bad, but it stick on your tongue like the taste does when you eat a pine needle. Warming turns this thing into a beast on an IPA. The hops become even more powerful the resin/citrus tastes mingle in the background. For a beer with an 11% ABV, this thing is deceptively drinkable. No hint of alcohol whatsoever. A standout for the style and really is as close to unearthly as a beer that isn’t Kate can be.

As far as this beer goes on tap, it's a beast and a half. The hop aromas are absolutely insane, hitting all over the spectrum. The body is heavy, full, and a deep copperish orange. The flavor builds in almost the same way as the bottle, the only difference is it was served at a warmer temperature than my bottle started at and it was perfect. I won't lie, I made a mini-scream when I saw this on tap at Red Bones.

7. Southern Tier Pumking (9.00% ABV) - 9/10
Style: Pumpkin Ale (bottle)

Pours a clear, orange color, very interesting to look at. It has a small, bright-white head that clumps and leaves a small ring of head across the top of the beer. For one of the top tier Pumpkin beers this thing smells more like pumpkin seeds than it does pumpkin or any of the familiar spices. There are some serious malts underneath the pumpkin seed, and maybe a touch of hops, but nothing too serious. This thing is easily the most interesting fall beer I’ve ever had. The pumpkin seed flavor is right up front, but it quickly gives way to what I can only think of as “beer” characteristics. There are some nice hops right on the back of the seeds, bringing a bitter touch to the tongue while some malts sweeten it up at the same time. Before I forget, I should mention this thing is full-bodied. It’s solid and smooth. Immaculate. Warming brings out a bit more of the pumpkin flavors, most notably nutmeg and clove. The pumpkin seed flavor is still there, but it works. This beer is truly amazing. a pumpkin ale should be, perfects it, and then bottles it. Truly an amazing specimen.

Overall: It takes everything As you can probably tell, this set of beers was spectacular. There were of course, some exceptions, well, one rather, but overall I can't say enough about this brewery or this series. These beers are by no means easy beers to take down. Each has some potency to it, especially for the style. The last two reviews, Unearthly and Pumking, aren't really reflective of their actual positions in the overall scheme of things. If I could think of a neat way to put them side by side I would. I literally can't give either beer the edge over the other. Pumking is easily one of the greatest smelling beers I've ever encountered. Unearthly on the other hand, is the absolute definition of the double IPA in my opinion. Seriously great things going on with Southern Tier as a whole, but more notably with those two beers in particular. The only reason they don't have the coveted "10" is because neither one of them lest me numb and blown away. They were absolutely fantastic and I can't wait for their releases next year, but they easily hit a 9.8/10 (if I had to use a decimal scale).

I'm hoping to hit some regular Southern Tier brews in the future and you can be sure they'll be up here at some point. For now, I'm on the hunt for some imperial Southern Tier's that I haven't tried.

I'm not really sure what kind of thematic element I'll shoot for next, but I know a monstrous Stone Brewing Company review is somewhere in the not too distant future...I'm thinking either late December or shortly after the new year. Macros, yeah, they're on a list somewhere too.

-Joey

An open apology to my liver

2008-11-22T02:30:00.000-05:00

In recent months I have complained that my life has been too busy to drink beer. After all, I had roughly one beer a day this summer. I thought it was quite fabulous, and I have been disappointed this semester because my drinking has been limited to weekends. However, I now know that my perceptions of how much I have been drinking have not been entirely accurate.

I know this because I decided back in early September to start keeping all of the bottle caps of the beers I have consumed in my room in Vermont. Note that this does not include beers at bars, at my home in Amesbury, or anywhere else I could not have kept the cap. This evening I decided that my pile of caps was getting too large, and I decided to go through them. Here is what I found:

52 caps to 12-ounce bottles
2 caps to corked bottles (750 mL)
3 caps to abnormal volume bottles (Samuel Smith's, Southern Tier)

So... I guess I need to quit bitching!

/Steve

More Declarations of Intent

2008-11-21T01:09:00.000-05:00

Alright, now that Steve has finally resurfaced I am declaring my intent to post an Imperial Southern Tier epicness. Seriously, I've hit a large chunk of the Imperial Series and hope to provide and nice look at them as a result.

Yes, this does include Pumking, and two separate reviews of Unearthly. There's some crazy stuff coming. I have no problem saying this is easily one of my top 3 breweries/series of beers and as such you have to be sure to check back.

Also, I took a recent expedition to the Sunset Grill & Tap in Allston. I'll list the beers here, but there impressions will have to wait for a slightly more coherent moment. All I can say is this place blew my mind. EPIC!

1. Cambridge Pumpkin Ale (Cask)
2. Founder's Rubaeus
3. Sixpoint Gemini
4. Arrogant Bastard

I stopped with beer at the point because the place we moved to had less awesomeness overall and it made me sad.

-Joey

Tap the Adirondacks

2008-11-20T23:51:00.000-05:00

A week ago or so I picked up Saranac's "Adriondack Trail Mix." I honestly wish more breweries would create six-packs like this. Why have six of one beer when you can have one of six different beers? Whoever at at Matt Brewing Company (the parent company of Saranac) thought it would be a good idea to create this mix deserves a serious pat on the back for giving consumers some variety.

While none of the beers are mind-blowing, they certainly merit some discussion. And by "some discussion," I mean a few comments. For a few of these beers, there simply is not much that can be said. Without further digression, here we go!

1) Saranac Black Forest - 4/5
Style: Schwarzbier

I certainly have not had a lot of experiences with black lagers, but this was a pleasant one. It pours a nice dark color, but the color strangely does not correspond all that well to the taste. Sure, there are some roasted notes, but there not really any burnt or dark malt flavors. The beer is deceptively smooth and drinkable. Honestly I think this tastes more like some kind of an ale than a lager. For me, this is a good thing, even if I can't quite explain it.

2) Saranac IPA - 3/5
Style: American IPA

This was my least favorite selection from the mix pack. It pours and looks like a typical IPA, but it is lacking in the flavor department, at least for my personal tastes. If I had to compare the strength of this IPA to another IPA, the only beer that comes to mind is Harpoon IPA. It is very mild. However, while Harpoon seems to capitalize on a solid, neutral bitterness, Saranac IPA focuses on citrus. And I am not a fan of citrus-heavy IPAs. Maybe this will change in time, but for now I cannot say that I loved Saranac IPA. It was certainly drinkable, and I would probably have another one, but I wouldn't buy a six-pack of this stuff.

3) Saranac Pale Ale - 3/5
Style: English Pale Ale (?)

This was my second experience with Saranac Pale Ale, and now that my palate is a bit more mature, I have to admit I am a little more critical than I was about eight months ago. First off, I swear that this beer has a hint of a soapy flavor. Second, I think BeerAdvocate may be wrong labeling this an EPA. This tastes like an APA; it has the sharper bite and the earthy flavors. It is not buttery and toffee-infused. It's a goddamn APA. Anyway, despite those issues, this is a decent beer. It has a nice hoppy bite to it, and I imagine that it could go well with any food imaginable.

4) Saranac Brown Ale - 4/5
Style: American Brown Ale

I have had some bad brown ales in the past that have essentially tasted like muddy water. This, fortunately, is not one of them. This actually has some easily observable hops, and the smell is nice with hints of nuts and spices. At this point in my six-pack, I was noticing something very obvious. All Saranac brews are extremely similar. Not only do they share a number of similar flavors, but they are all very drinkable. In this sense, Saranac almost reminds me of Sam Adams, except Saranac is a little less consistently mediocre.

5) Saranac Adriondack Lager- 4/5
Style: German Pilsener (?)

Again, I disagree with BeerAdvocate's categorization of this beer. This tastes like an amber lager, something akin to Samuel Adam's Boston Lager. However, this beer does not rip my stomach into shreds. I'm not really sure what to say about this beer because it's extremely similar to every other Saranac beer. It is very good, but not excellent. It has some quality hopping, it has some nice spices, it is surprisingly smooth, and it is tasty. This is better than the average lager.

6) Saranac Black & Tan- 3/5
Style: Black & Tan

I saved this brew for last, hoping that it would be unique and remarkable. Tragically, it was just a disappointment. The label claims that it is a mix of an Irish stout plus an amber lager. Honestly, this reminded me a lot of the Black Forest. Sure, I liked the Black Forest, but I really am struggling to believe that any "Irish stout" was ever involved in any point in this beer's life. It just tastes like a smooth, pleasantly bitter, drinkable ale. There certainly isn't anything wrong with that, but the amount of complexity that this lacks is really remarkable.

Final verdict:

All of the beers in the Adriondack Trail Mix taste very similar to each other, but that is not necessarily a horrible thing. All of the beers are smooth and very drinkable, and I feel as if this six-pack would make one fantastic session. If you choose to get this, don't be fooled illusion of intense variety.

Bonus beer

Southern Tier Pumking - 5/5
Style: Pumpkin Ale

I know I've said this before, and the occurrence has happened again: Experiencing this beer was like an intense spiritual ritual. I can't say enough about this beer, aside from the fact that it truly touched me in ways that a beer probably shouldn't. For starters, this is not just the best smelling beer I have ever encountered, it is pretty much the best smell I have ever encountered in my lifetime. The only possible thing that trumps the smell of this beer is "girl smell," and if you don't know what I am talking about, you are clearly homosexual. Don't take that as an insult.

The beer has a beautiful orange color, and GOD DAMN DID I MENTION HOW AMAZING THIS BEER SMELLS? It smells like freshly baked pumpkin pie covered with layers of magic. The taste is euphoric at first. It's like an explosion of flavor that can only be described as super-powered pumpkins being shot out of a cannon into a pool of delicious ale. The sheer amount of pumpkin flavor actually can become perhaps a little too strong after one is nearing the end of the bomber, but I can forgive the wizards at Southern Tier that crafted this masterpiece. The spices in this beer are simply delicious, and the mouth feel is glorious. Honestly this beer is a lot heavier than I typically like my beers, but it works perfectly with the flavors.

My only criticism of this beer is that it's almost more of a pumpkin stew than it is a beer. But I think it really works. If you want a fabulously balanced pumpkin beer, go for Smuttynose's Pumpkin. If you want to be blasted in the face with pumpkins filled with unholy magic, go for Pumking.

I probably should note that I'm not even exaggerating. This was a life-changing brew.

/Steve

I need to post

2008-11-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

I promise that I will make a REAL post sometime in the next week.

But as for now,

This was way too easy.

/Steve

If Pigs Can't Fly Dogs Might As Well

2008-10-30T03:14:00.000-04:00

Well, it looks like I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to update this thing a little more frequently. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to be updating multiple times a day or even daily. If I can make it a weekly post I'll be happy with myself. However, I did promise another thematic review in the near future and I'm here to deliver. I sat down with my Flying Dog mix pack and got to some reviewing. I took the six beers in two separate sessions, three each night with a random fourth beer, of non-Flying Dog origin to cap off the night. I tried my best to work from least bitter to most bitter/light to dark, the two standard methods for beer succession. I'm going to leave the fourth beers for another, more eclectic post, but know they are there.

Session 1:

1. Old Scratch Amber Lager - 6/10 (5.50%ABV)
Style: American Amber/Red Lager

This one pours a clear, solid amber with a sticky, off-white head that slowly dissipates and leaves a sticky lacing along the sides of the glass. The first smell is definitely malty, with caramel being the only recognizable aroma. There’s a slightly earthy thing going on as well, but it’s not strong enough for me to be 100% sure. A slight hop note comes in the back end rounding out the whole thing, making it pleasing overall to the nose. The medium body carries a solid malt presence, bringing those caramel notes along for the ride. That earthy thing returns as well, sitting at the back of the tongue, making me think it’s some kind of dry woodiness. The slight bitterness given by the hops helps to balance the malt body, giving a fresh, smooth feeling overall. I will say the flavors are a little subdued for my tastes, but that doesn’t make them bad by any means. A definite citrus note kicks in after a few more sips, giving another level to the aforementioned flavors. It’s refreshing…which I didn’t expect. It’s definitely an interesting take on a beer and worth the taste and the occasional repurchase for consumption. Honestly, nothing like an amber ale, which can be nice.

2. Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale - 8/10 (5.50% ABV)
Style: American Pale Ale

Pours a golden/light amber with a thick white head the bubbles happily and slowly dwindles down leaving faint hints of lacing on the glass and a still dense cap on the beer. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone American Pale Ale so the smell of this one was like welcoming back an old friend. The hop nose is there, with all of its oily, ever so slightly citrus-tinged, and definitively bitter notes. Dry-hopping for sure. Some vaguely sweet malts are sitting behind everything, but I can’t get them to really come out and play at this point. It’s beautiful to be back in the land of the APA. The hops bring a bitterness that’s just the right amount of punch and floral notes to be enjoyable. The first sip dries the tongue a little bit after making way for a very subtle butter and malt influence that makes me think of spices…and not the overwhelming spices of a winter beer. Medium bodied, perfectly carbonated, and well balanced, for all intents and purposes, the first sip is solid American pale ale. Further sips only enhance the happy hop feelings. It’s refreshingly bitter without being overwhelming, my definition of a good pale ale [in addition to the lovely progress notches on the side of the glass of course]. This beer smacks of deliciousness. It’s well-balanced, solidly refreshing, and most importantly, hopped enough to be taken seriously without killing the taste buds. A solid choice by any standard.

3. Road Dog Porter - 7/10 (6.00%)
Style: American Porter

For some reason this porter doesn’t pour as dark as I would have expected. Rather than a dense, deep-brown, this one is more a deep copper with some lighter brownish-red notes on the edges when held up to a light. The head starts off about two fingers high and quickly dissipates toward a thin and chunky, off-cream head. It’s malty on the nose, like the bottle promises. Some small hints of coffee and chocolate sneak through, but that’s about it. A few more swirls a few more sniffs confirm the coffee and chocolate notes, which is of course, exciting. Maybe some caramel malts in their as well, not really sure. The first sip is smooth and oddly enough, delicate. The malts play well with each other, lending an overall slightly roasted quality to everything. The coffee notes are very deeply hidden, playing third to the general roastiness and chocolate, in that order. Not a lot of hop action going on here, but I wouldn’t expect it from the style. A big finish from this beer. It grew on me as I drank it down and that’s always a good thing. It started off in the middle of the road and moved up to somewhere a little above that. One of the lighter porters I’ve encountered, not counting nitro-tapped of course. I’d say the body is running somewhere between a light and a medium…medium-light if you will. The carbonation is perfect, contributing to the overall smoothness of the brew. A solid presentation capped off by a delicious malt profile.

Session 2:

1. Tire Bite Golden Ale - 4/10 (5.00% ABV)
Style: Kölsch

This one pours a ridiculously clear pale gold with a small bright-white head on it that quickly dissipates to almost nothing. The smell is strong on the malt base, with a deep grassy note being the most prominent. There’s some kind of sweetness in the back, but I’m not really sure what it is…almost sweet like corn, but I know it’s not. The taste is on par for the smell. A grassy malt flavor plays on the tongue accompanied by a tingling carbonation. Normally, this level of carbonation would be too much for me, but given the rather unassuming nature of this beer, it works somehow. The carbonation seems to give it a depth that it would otherwise be lacking. However, I’m still not impressed by this beer. The grassy flavor covers up what could be a more exciting hop presence. The relatively light body carries with it a drying aspect as well, confusing the hell out of the back of my tongue. Warming releases a grainier malt aroma, something like a wheat/grass hybrid. The taste is about the same as not warmed, which makes me a little sad inside. All in all, this beer left me wanting more. It’s crisp, which is a plus, but that’s really the only benefit I can see.

2. In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen Ale - 6/10 (4.70%ABV)
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

As would be expected from an American pale wheat ale, this thing pours a well-hazed golden/yellow with a small bright-white head. Before I get into it, it is nice to finally get to use my Magic Hat fluted/Weizen glass again. I missed it. The smell hits pale wheat ale in all the right places. A pleasing banana aroma drifts up through the tangy wheat, a smell that usually plays background or non-existent in other members of the style. Some crisp floral notes are also there. So far so good…or at least as good as I can make it. Also, lemon. The taste manages to straddle the line between the two main reasons I hate American pale wheat ales and genuine hefeweizens. It still has that horrendous tangy aftertaste that all wheat beers have and it has some serious banana, citrus, and melon notes like the true hefeweizens. However, it manages to use both bad characteristics to make something passable. The banana is definitely there and in your face and is counteracted by the tang from the wheat. It boggles the mind a little. It’s not a bad representation for the style, but it’s still not a good beer for me. Warming doesn’t really change much, just balances it all a little more. It’s definitely decent with a little time. If you’re into American pale wheat ales that push the limits toward a more authentic hefeweizen style, pick this one up.

3. Snake Dog India Pale Ale - 8/10 (7.10% ABV)
Style: American India Pale Ale

Pours a nice clear amber with a small, sticky, white head that leaves some serious lacing as it dwindles down to a fine layer on the top of the beer. The smell is loaded with hop wonderfulness, providing a full and well-rounded bitter and floral aroma. Underneath the hops are some hints of sweet malts, mostly caramel. As far as it goes, this is an IPA and nothing more, which isn’t always a bad thing. The taste is a little underwhelming for my expectations of an IPA, but it’s still solid. The hops are slick on the tongue, moving from front to back rather quickly, drying the mouth out as it goes. The bitterness lingers, which I like, the medium body brings a little of that malty sweetness to bear. A few more sips and the bitterness feels like it’s picked up…always a good sign. A little warming goes a long way with this beer. It smooths out some of the rougher edges, giving the hops some more play. The end of this beer bites. I’m not kidding either. It’s full of floral and some mild citrus notes, not to mention the very respectable level of hops. I enjoyed this thing and if I saw it around I would definitely pick it up and if I ever saw it on tap, hands down a yes.

Another Flying Dog Just for Fun

Garde Dog Biere de Garde - 6/10 (5.50% ABV)
Style: Biere de Garde

Pours a very very slightly hazed gold with little head. It looks almost like a Bud Light without the carbonation. It kind of smells like Bud Light too, with hints of grass and corn. What sets it apart is a funky citrus smell in the back, that says “I’m a saison, fear me!” Not really sure what to think of it at this point. The first taste is pretty lackluster. The grassy taste isn’t very intense, nor is the corn…or the citrus for that matter. Everything is in balance, but it’s a very light balance. There isn’t a lot to say about this beer after warming. It’s gets a little better, letting out some light fruit flavors, mainly apples and oranges, but that’s about it. It’s a little sharp on the tongue, which means some kind of wheat is in there. Now that I think about it, it’s like a really mild American Pale Wheat Ale, in other words, it tastes more like an Americanized Hefeweizen than a saison/farmhouse ale.

In Summation:

In general I found my mix pack enjoyable. There were obviously some high and low points, but all in all it was a positive experience. There were definitely some interesting styles (The Amber Lager) and some quality takes on accepted styles (Doggie Style and Snake Dog). This was easily one of the more rounded 12-packs I've encountered, lending itself well to a successive, not excessive, drinking pattern. Each beer managed to flow into the next, building on what was put before it. I'm not really sure where this places Flying Dog in the larger scope of things, but they definitely have a lot going for them, not to mention Ralph Steadman doing all their artwork. These are easily some of my favorite bottle designs as they gave me a sense of hope for what was to come. I'm hoping to pick up the Canis Major 4-pack in the near future to see exactly what these guys do with some more adventurous styles.

In the next few weeks: A Southern Tier madhouse!

Hi, My name is Joey and I Have a Beer Buying Problem

2008-10-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

Somewhere along the line I realized I have a beer buying problem. There's some part of me that can't stop buying beer. I'll spend $50 a trip and then keep a good portion of those purchased beers for months. I drink my beers at a rate that results in a massive stockpile at all times. I'm running around with something like 40+ beers in my possession. Why am I telling you this? Because rather than being content with the mass of beer that is waiting for me in my fridge I've gone out and spent another $50 on beer in the last week. Mind you it was in two separate trips, the most recent of which was about 2 hours ago. As such, I feel it is my solemn duty to report my purchases each and every time I make them...as some sort of retail beer therapy or something.

Cork's Fine Wine and Liquors (Mansfield, MA) on 10/27/08:
1. Southern Tier Hoppe
2. Southern Tier Cuvee Series One
3. Southern Tier Oat (Oatmeal Stout)
4. Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Luke's Liquors (Rockland, MA) on 10/29/08
1. Southern Tier Cherry Saison
2. Bear Republic Ricardo's Red Rocket Ale
3. Fuller's 1845
4. Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

As you can see I'm collecting Southern Tier brews. I've found their quality to be astounding and they have some interesting takes on styles, which I always appreciate. My Luke's trip was designed to pull in some beers I wouldn't normally think of picking up. Being somewhat adverse to saisons on the whole, I'm really excited to crack open that cherry saison...hopefully it's as interesting as I want it to be, redemptive for the style if you will.

I've definitely got a lot ahead of me, but I'm up for the challenge of conquering the beast that is my fridge.

Bringing Beer to the Blogoverse

2008-10-28T03:34:00.000-04:00

For some unknown reason I have recently become obsessed with thematic posts. As such, I'm planning a rather hefty set of reviews for the near future. I'm kicking around a Southern Tier batch, recounting a good portion of their Imperial Series as well as few others, and somewhere along the lines a giant macro-lager/mass-market beer review will be coming, but that's probably a little closer to Christmas. As for what's definitely next, I'm thinking of a Flying Dog mix pack review. That's a whole six beers, plus another one I had on a whim, complete with crazy art from the guy that did the art for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I'll see what I can do about getting some pictures in the reviews, but that's not a guarantee.

I'm hoping I can start updating this thing a little more often, working on more frequent, if somewhat less intense reviews. Don't worry, I'll still have epic theme posts and over-the-top reviews, but I've realized there is a serious lack of beer introspection on here and that makes me sad. Hopefully I can shape up and start getting my most epic of beer thoughts, and all of my beer thoughts are epic by the way, out there for mass consumption.

Samuel Adams' Troubled Bowels

2008-10-25T03:03:00.000-04:00

I am home from school this weekend to celebrate my birthday. The beer selection at home is currently nonexistent, and I ended up drinking a Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

Do not get me wrong; Samuel Adams Boston Lager is a good beer. It is just not a good beer for me. Even just one bottle irritates my stomach to the point where I feel like crap. The only positive aspect of the experience is the accompanying hurricane of farts.

Needless to say, I have had a lot of different beers. Even beers that should irritate my stomach, like an explosive Imperial IPA, never do. The only beer that ever irritates my stomach is Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I've never even had this problem with other Sam's varieties.

Someday I would really like to make some sense of this. My father has the same problem, and it is the only reason there was some Boston Lager in the fridge. Do I have some kind of genetic curse against this particular beer? Has anyone else encountered such an unusual pattern of stomach irritation?

/Steve

The Fall of the 100-Acre Wood

2008-10-18T23:58:00.000-04:00

With fall on its way out, I've decided to offer up my first experiences with pumpkin ales.

First, a few notes. I stuck to pumpkin ales that were made with real pumpkin. That means that at some point in the brewing process real pumpkin was thrown in and used to add flavor and awesomeness. Also, the spices used most frequently are as follows: nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Most of these beers were reviewed on their second try, as I like to have what I call a free-drink beer before reviewing. That means, I just drink the beer and enjoy without trying to pick out the nuances and such. I feel like it provides a more rounded and less shock induced review.

One more thing...the beers will be presented from lowest score to highest score. Obviously, the style will not be listed below each beer as they are all PUMPKIN ALES.

1. Post Road Pumpkin Ale - 6/10 (5.00% ABV)

Pours a relatively clear deep golden with a lovely, thick, creamy white head that slowly dissipates. I can smell faint hints of pumpkin spices with the beer sitting about 2 feet from me. It’s nice. The smell is a little less pumkiny than the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, but it’s definitely a solid smell. Very similar to pumpkin bread, not pumpkin pie. Underneath the spices are some very nice malt aromas, mostly caramel from what I can gather. In summation, it’s nutmeg with a slight sweetness under it. Sadly, the taste isn’t initially awesome. It’s a little on the watery side to start, but after swallowing the pumpkin and spice flavors blossom. I’m not even kidding. I can feel them starting near the middle of my tongue and then moving out to the rest of my mouth. It’s also a little dry on the back of the tongue, which is nice. It’s a very solid blend of pumpkin and beer with a relatively light body that isn’t a bad thing in this case; a rare instance for me as I tend to like my beers a little heavier. The spices are nicely subdued, not the typical nutmeg-bomb I’ve come to expect.

2. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - 7/10 (7.00% ABV)

This pours and look like other pumpkin ales I’ve had. A faint orange tinge runs through a relatively clear amber body. The head starts of thick, creamy, and white, and slowly dissipates to about 1cm worth of sticky off-white head. The pumpkin is definitely in their, but it’s not too powerful. Layered on top are nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and some sweet sugary notes. All in all, it a pleasantly subdued feel on the nose. The first sip is hefty. The pumpkin is up front, but quickly plays second to both the nutmeg and the allspice. The sweet sugar comes next, balancing out the spice a bit. The carbonation is a bit high fro my tastes, but doesn’t really hurt this beer like it can others. A little warming gives the nutmeg too much of a hold, but somehow I’m still not turned off by it. The nutmeg isn’t dominating, it’s just more pronounced. The other flavors are still there, contributing what they can to the medium-bodied ale. It finishes a little on the dirty side, but I think it’s an effect I can contribute to the spices or the fact that at its heart, this is a brown ale, which always finishes dirty for me. The spices just linger and linger. A solid presentation from Dogfish Head and one of my favorite offerings from them on the whole. What it lacks in power it makes up for in consistency. The flavors don’t change too much when warmed, and that’s always a plus when dealing with crazy spices.

3. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - 7/10 (6.00% ABV)

Pours a slightly hazed orange-amber with a small, clumpy white head. It smells strongly of pumpkin bread/pie, with nice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course, pumpkin. Under the pumpkin pie smell is a slightly bitter hop note that tickles the back of the nose. Also, a rounded malt character sits in the back, making my mouth water. The taste is almost identical to the smell, only reversed. The first flavors to cross my tongue are an oily and bitter hop flavor followed quickly by nutmeg. The bitterness sits on the tongue for a little longer than I would like, but for all intents and purposes, this is a bottled pumpkin with beer flavor added. Warming just a little make this thing truly enjoyable as the flavors blend together a lot better, making it a welcome fall brew. One gripe; too much nutmeg!

4. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale - 8/10 (8.00% ABV)

Pours a deep rusty-orange that is more or less clear. What little head there is after a vigorous pour quickly dissipates to an almost non-existent lacing. It’s got a pretty strong pumpkin nose up front with some slight floral hops in the back as well as some obvious spice notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, etc. It’s surprisingly full-bodied for a pumpkin ale. The spices aren’t crazy, which is nice, but they are strong enough to make me fear letting this beer warm. Some underlying sweetness provides an interesting combination with the solid, pumpkin and fall spices. Sadly, it’s not really beery enough for my tastes. It’s a good pumpkin ale at this point, but that’s it, it’s just a pumpkin ale. Some alcohol sneaks through at the back of the throat, burning just a little. Warming actually improves this thing. It mellows out a touch, letting through a very solid mix of pumpkin, cardamom, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. At 8% alcohol, this thing is deceptively delicious and well worth the investment.

5. Southern Tier Pumking - 9/10 (9.00% ABV)

Pours a clear, orange color, very interesting to look at. It has a small, brigh-white head that clumps and leaves a small ring of head across the top of the beer. For one of the top tier Pumpkin beers this thing smells more like pumpkin seeds than it does pumpkin or any of the familiar spices. There are some serious malts underneath the pumpkin seed, and maybe a touch of hops, but nothing too serious. This thing is easily the most interesting fall beer I’ve ever had. The pumpkin seed flavor is right up front, but it quickly gives way to what I can only think of as “beer” characteristics. There are some nice hops right on the back of the seeds, bringing a bitter touch to the tongue while some malts sweeten it up at the same time. Before I forget, I should mention this thing is full-bodied. It’s solid and smooth. Immaculate. Warming brings out a bit more of the pumpkin flavors, most notably nutmeg and clove. The pumpkin seed flavor is still there, but it works. This beer is truly amazing. It takes everything a pumpkin ale should be, perfects it, and then bottles it. Truly an amazing specimen.

*Some Retrospective*

I will miss the fall season and its pumpkin ales. The blend of spices and pumpkin make for a solid and refreshing fall flavor. There are more than a few varieties, it seems that everyone makes either a marzen/octoberfest or a pumpkin ale, and in some cases both. As you can see, the ABV's are all over the place and it's not too hard to find a decent pumpkin ale. Maybe next year I'll dive into the pumpkin-spiced ales, read: those that have no real pumpkin in the process, just a spice satchet, but we'll have to see. I am excited to see what kind of high ABV/warm-inducing beers the winter will hold.

!BONUS BEER!

Unibroue Quelque Chose - 7/10 (8.00% ABV)
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

Pours a reddish-brown, kind of like a watered down red wine or cherry juice. No head on this thing whatsoever. It smells like a less intense lambic. The tart and sour cherry notes hit the nose first, giving way There’s some kind of spice in there, that I can’t place. It’s something similar to cinnamon or nutmeg, but less intense and generally more pleasing to the nose. I like the smell of this more than I do a lambic. It’s less acidic on the nose, but still has that same fruit punch. Very nice. The first sip has a tiny hint of carbonation that helps the cherry flavor pop a little. The beer glides across the tongue, tasting more like juice than a beer. There are however, hints of spice running around in the back that make me think cider! Apparently I’m supposed to serve this either hot or cold, so I’m going to let it warm up and see where it goes. Warming makes this thing a little sweeter, but other than that, it’s not much different than it was cold. I’ll have to get another one and see what it’s like when actually served hot or on the rocks. It’s basically a higher ABV cider…cherry cider. Sip it slowly or it gets too bitter.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

2008-10-18T18:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am aware that I just posted yesterday about how I do not have time to post, but I find this brief communication to be crucial.

Has anyone else noticed that big supermarkets, such as Hannaford's and Shaw's, are starting to sell craft beers? And by "craft beers," I do not mean merely beers from breweries like Samuel Adams. I'm talking fancy craft beers, like Allagash and Dogfish Head. I went to a Shaw's in South Burlington VT today, and I saw this:

I've been to liquor stores that don't even have Chimay or Stone Ruination! If one can assume that this phenomenon has anything to do with actual economics, one must realize that these things are an indication that the demand for excellent beer is rising at an unprecedented pace.

This is a good thing not only for beer lovers but for potential beer brewers.

/Steve

The Anticlimax

2008-10-17T21:36:00.000-04:00

I hinted at a possibly epic post concerning Stone Ruination IPA and Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA nearly a month ago.

Sadly, I do not have the time nor ambition to write a truly noteworthy post. This semester is somehow even worse than I had anticipated, barely leaving me enough time to breathe between tasks such as "performing brain surgery on rats" and my life-long immortal enemy, "sleeping." This summer I had roughly one beer every night. This fall, I have been struggling to make sure I have at least one night a week when I can appreciate the glory of beer.

Somewhere I'm sure the world's smallest man is playing the world's smallest violin.

Anyway, since my life consists of a time vortex, this will probably be my last contribution to this Blog until Thanksgiving... But for now, it's time for an Imperial IPA battle!

Stone Ruination IPA

Everything brewed by Stone has an amazing bottle, and Ruination is no exception. There is a nice blurb on the back that basically says, "YOUR TASTE BUDS ARE ABOUT TO BE BRUTALLY RAPED." And the rape was glorious.

Pouring the beer releases a torrent of powerful hoppy aromas. Unless I'm mistaken, the body had a pleasant orange color. The taste of the beer was what I expected from the smell; it was bursting with hops of many varieties. The explosion of hops was fantastic, and the experience of sipping the beer for the first time was nothing short of fantastic. My only complaints lie in the body of the ale. Some of the hops had a citrus-like quality that I did not particularly love, and there was even more citrus infused in the body. But the biggest issue was the heaviness and overall presence of the body. There were malts, but I felt they were very weak compared to the hops. I felt it could have had a stronger malt base.

All things considered, I give it a 4/5

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

When I picked up a four pack of these bad boys, I was not really sure what to expect. If anything I was expecting a more intense version of Harpoon IPA. While Harpoon IPA may be one of the most mild IPAs I have ever had, it has a certain charm that I really enjoy. When I had my first bottle of Leviathan, I was almost surprised to find that it was not merely a more potent version of the standard IPA. In fact, it does not remind me of Harpoon IPA at all. It's very unique, and it is indeed a monster.

Like Ruination, Leviathan pours a bold orange color and many aromas are released in the pouring process. Harpoon's offering is definitely hoppy, but it is not as wildly intense as Ruination. While Leviathan may not be as hoppy as Ruination, the beer achieves a truly impressive balance. The malt backbone is absolutely fantastic, and it offers an excellent contrast to the hops. It also has a nice creamy quality to it that really works. I should also note that citrus is not particularly overwhelming, which makes me happy.

Overall, I give it a 5/5. For my personal tastes, Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA is slightly better than Stone Ruination IPA. They are both excellent beers, and they both deserve your love!

While I'm posting, I might as well make a few random comments.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest - 1/5
Style: Oktoberfest

I know this warning is a little late, but I must implore all beer lovers to stay away from this beer. It's beyond mediocre. It's borderline awful. I really didn't mind my first few bottles, but as I worked my way though a six-pack, I began to realize that this beer tastes like a lager than was poured into a bathtub and allowed to rot for a few months. It lacks aroma, it lacks good malt flavors, and it lacks soul. But it's still better than stuff like Corona, if that says anything.

Stone Pale Ale - 5/5
Style: American Pale Ale

I've seen this many times before, but I've never tried it because I have always been drawn to Stone's more exotic styles. I'll be blunt: try this as soon as possible. It is, without any competition, the hands-down best American Pale Ale I have ever tasted. It is perfection in a bottle. Words cannot do this beer enough credit, and I am not even going to try.

Until next time (maybe next month)
/Steve

Just to show I haven't forgotten about this blog

2008-09-27T01:34:00.000-04:00

My next post is going to be a battle between the East and the West.

Harpoon Leviathan IPA vs. Stone Ruination IPA

May the best DIPA win!

/Steve

Steve's First Annual Summer Beer Awards

2008-09-14T02:35:00.000-04:00

Technically, the season isn't autumn quite yet, but it may as well be. The "summer beers" are long gone from the shelves, and in their place we now see Märzens and pumpkin ales. For a few weeks now I have been meaning to reflect on the summer, and now seems as good of a time as ever.

I am not strictly speaking of summer seasonal beers. I am going to be writing about beers that I enjoyed drinking during the summer. I certainly drank a lot of beer this summer, and I would like to think that I learned something. Everyone seems to like cheesy lists like this, so here we go!

Drink of the Gods
Kate the Great
Honorable mention: Westmalle Trappist Dubbel

Kate the Great wins this award for being the most divine thing I have ever tasted. Having her on-tap at the Portsmouth Brewery was such an amazing experience that the beer deserves her own personal award. Otherwise I would just have to give Kate every award, including ones not even applicable, like "best lager."

As for the honorable mention, I can't stress enough how much this stuff blew my mind. I plan on buying it again in the near future and talking about it some more.

Most Satisfying Swill
Molson Canadian

Sure, Miller High Life is slightly cheaper, but after some fierce battles in my head, I finally decided that I prefer Molson Canadian as my cheap beer of choice. And damn, I drank a lot of this stuff this summer. As a result, I earned two free Molson Canadian t-shirts! How cool is that? I should also note that this is a fantastic beer to drink while floating in a pool.

Best Named Beer
Wailing Wench
Honorable mention: Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Wailing Wench remains the only beer that I have ever purchased simply because of its name. And that was (surprisingly) not a bad choice. It was a pleasantly hearty ale that is definitely worth a try.

Stone's Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout does not have a clever, creative, or hilarious name. It just has a delicious name. Even just typing the phrase "bitter chocolate oatmeal stout" makes me drool a little.

Most Memorable Style of the Summer
American IPA

A year ago I could have never imagined myself, even in nightmares, getting really into the IPA style. But this summer, I pretty much tried as many IPAs as I could get my hands on. I really enjoyed the mild yet delicious taste of Harpoon IPA, and having Magic Hat's Lucky Kat on tap was quite an experience. Honestly, it is just fantastic on tap! I should also note that Sea Hag IPA is not only a great IPA, but it's fantastic in cans. If I ever see it on tap, I may mess myself.

Biggest Surprise of the Summer
Colt 45
Honorable mention: Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

Since I have the goal of trying damn near everything, I have been trying malt liquors once in a while. Trying Colt 45 was one of the last on my list, and it was not something I was looking forward to drinking. I was expecting it to be remarkably unpleasant, like Steel Reserve. After all, Colt 45 does not really have that great of a reputation. But when I had it, I was shocked. It is NOT horrible. It's actually very drinkable, perhaps the most drinkable malt liquor I have ever had. I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a good beer, but it is certainly a good malt liquor.

As for Cherry Wheat, I had some this summer and expected it to taste like ass. Instead, I had one of the most flavorful and memorable experiences I have ever had from Samuel Adams. It's really a great dessert beer. I'd pair it with some highly frosted cake!

Biggest Letdown of the Summer
Portsmouth Brewery Hefeweizen

Four months later, this beer still haunts me in my sleep. It was absolutely, unforgivably terrible. Not only is it the worst-tasting thing I had this summer, it was the worst tasting beer I have ever had on-tap. Some people must like this beer, for it was available for a while. Personally, I'd rather drink soap than this melon-infused nightmare. To think, this beer is kind of like a cousin to Kate the Great...

Best Beer Experience of the Summer
The Redhook Brewery Tour
Honorable mention: The Release of Kate the Great

The Redhook tour was absolutely fantastic. It was informative, interesting, and we got a lot of samples. And the place is easy to get to. What more could you want? JUST GO THERE!

The release of Kate should be the true winner here. It was a spiritually significant experience, kind of like getting baptized or losing your virginity. However, despite showing up hours in advance and sitting at the bar, Joey and I were not served in a prompt manner. And I will never forgive!

At some point I may do a brewery versus brewery post. But as for now, I'm spent!

/Steve

Duel Machinations

2008-09-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

Back when this blog was but a pipe dream, Steve once mentioned the idea of comparing the Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams and Magic Hat Breweries. Since there has been little to no discussion of these two breweries, and I've had my fair share of beers from both, I figured I would put down the epic battle for all to witness.

This post will consist of several parts, each labeled for your convenience. The first part will consist of every beer I've had from each brewery and a review for each beer. The second section will involve a discussion of the overall strengths and weaknesses of each brewery. The third section will be more of a numbers game. Taking the average ranking of each brewery, establishing a preliminary winner. After this, a definitive conclusion will be made in regards to the battle of Sam Adams and Magic Hat. (One quick note, a review with italics in in means it was re-reviewed at a later date and additional notes were added.)

Part I: THE BEERS
A. Magic Hat Brewery (Burlington, VT)

1. Magic Hat Fat Angel (bottle) - 7/10
Style: American Pale Ale

On my first magic hat adventure I opted for Fat Angel. Something in the Pale Ale range appealed to me and I wasn't in the mood for a fruitish beer (#9). In any case, I tried it while under the influences of latent sickness, so it's not really fair, but whatever. This beer smelled hoppy with a lovely biscuity floral mix. It poured a nice amber color with a smallish head that disappeared quickly. Tasting this was a whole new thing. I was overwhelmed by the bitterness at first. It honestly seemed to taste like water and then all of the sudden bitter was everywhere. However, as the ale warmed it brought out the mild malt characteristics that help balance out a little bit of the bitterness. This beer is relatively drinkable, and I imagine it would go well with a meal. It's solid, but definitely not in the Top 10 beers I've had.

2. Magic Hat #9 (bottle) – 8/10
Style: American Pale Ale

I’ve tried more than enough of these to review them and I give them a solid two thumbs up. The gold/amber color and light head compliment the subtle smell of apricot that is the signature of the beer. The taste is in the vein of an American Pale Ale, with apricot thrown in for extra awesome. The hop bite is nicely balanced by the apricots and the mild sweetness I get from all American Pale Ales. I will probably keep this one in regular rotation as it feels like a nice refreshing beer.

3. Magic Hat Hi.p.a. (bottle) - 7/10
Style: American India Pale Ale

This beer has a nice pale amber color and poured with a small head that quickly diminished to a white ring on top of the beer. It smells like every other IPA I’ve come across, mixing a distinct hops aroma with mix of orange and lemon with a mild maltiness to round it out. The hops are still the dominant smell, but the fruits are a close second. The first sip was incredibly smooth and all around delicious. However, as it warmed, the bitterness of the hops kicked into higher gear, making it significantly bitterer. HOPS EVERYWHERE! As it warms even more the citrus flavors come back out to play, cutting the bitterness of the hops just enough to be enjoyable again. It’s a solid IPA, not my favorite style, but it works for what it is. Chalk up another point for Magic Hat. Pours a hazy deep gold with a thick, bright-white head that dissipates to a nice lacing that retains with agitation. In addition to the smells above we have caramel malts and a stronger lemon presence. Warming mellows this thing out. It does not have hops everywhere. In fact, it’s an incredibly enjoyable IPA. The dry-hopped bitterness is perfect, rolling around and drying out the back of the tongue while some light malts play on the front of the tongue. Decent enough.

4. Magic Hat Odd Notion (Spring ’08) (bottle) – 7/10
Style: Irish Red Ale

A solid dark brown/mahogany beer that produced a decent sized head after a particularly rough pour. The head dissipated quickly. Smells slightly of alcohol with some spices underneath. My best guess is some weird combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s also got a bit of a sweet undertone that I’m going to chalk up to caramel malts or something of the like. (Note: Magic Hat’s site claims it is “an Irish Style Red Ale brewed with cardamom.) First sips are very spice heavy, but as it warms the malts and spices begin to blend nicely, leaving a tiny bit of spice on the tongue. Once the beer warms a bit more the spices stick to your mouth and linger, which can get overwhelming after a bit.. All in all, I like it, drink it up.

5. Magic Hat Circus Boy (bottle) – 8/10
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Pours a nice solid gold with a small head that begins to dissipate almost immediately, but leaves a nice ring of foam. Smelling it produced hints of peanuts, citrus, and lots of soap. The first sip hit the soap flavor at the front, the citrus in the middle and ended with a nice peanuty finish. It leaves a nice lacing after each drink, clinging to the glass, letting you know exactly how much beer you’ve consumed. The dry peanut flavor becomes a little more prevalent as the beer warms. (I’m starting to think the soapy flavor isn’t the beer…or the combo of citrus and peanut is tricking me into thinking soap…) My taste buds are overwhelmed with peanuts, but the nice citrus at the end, yes the flavor profiles switched, makes this an all around good beer.

6. Magic Hat Feast of Fools (bottle) - 9/10
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

First things, this is a stout sweetened with raspberries. A Magic Hat winter specialty. This thing pours black, straight black, with an enormous coffee colored head. I tried pouring it as gently as possible and it still foamed up like a beast. In any case, it smells faintly of raspberries with a little bit of roasty/smoky malt sweetness layered underneath for good measure. The head slowly dissipates to a nice thin, creamy layer, keeping the raspberry smell nice and up front. There is also a little bit of an alcohol smell that sneaks through. First sip is very smooth. The smoky/roasty flavor balances nicely with the tart sweetness of the raspberries. (It should also be noted I poured this at room temp) The smoothness continues to astound me. The malts are light and hit the outside of the tongue while the raspberries leave dryness on the back of the tongue that is a nice compliment. The raspberry was never overwhelming and was a nice balance of sweet and tart, working to mellow the malt madness.

7. Magic Hat Hocus Pocus (bottle) – 6/10
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Hocus Pocus beat out Lucky Kat for this purchase. Pours a solid clear gold with a small head to it. Smells faintly of lemon grass and other citrus notes with a mild hop note to balance it out a little bit. My first one of these was amazingly refreshing. By the time I hit 6 I was a little burnt out, but that doesn’t change much. In any case, Hocus Pocus had nice balance of citrus flavors and biscuit malts. Finishes a little dry as would be expected from the style. A perfect summer beer by my standards. The perfect beer to drink after being forced to do yard work all day.

8. Magic Hat Lucky Kat (bottle) - 8/10
Style: American India Pale Ale

Pours a hazy dark gold with a small off-white head. Has a nice bitter smell to it with some citrus undertones. The bitterness is very much an IPA bitterness, but seems less intense. The taste is bitter on the first sip and then it hits with a nice malt undercurrent that’s fed into nicely by the light citrus flavors at play. Amazing head retention on this beer. It may be small but it’s not going anywhere. There is still that distinct IPA flavor going on with this, a slightly over-extracted bitterness, but this one is mild enough to work. There’s a good chance real drinkers of IPAs would look down on this, but it’s working for me. The subtle malt notes mellow the bitterness enough to make it palatable. Probably the most drinkable IPA I’ve encountered. Yet another plus point for the guys at Magic Hat.

9. Magic Hat Jinx (bottle) - 8/10
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy

Pours a hazy amber-brown with a thick, off-white head that clings to the glass as it dissipates, leaving about 2mm of head overall. The initial smell is evocative of pine, maple, hops, a touch of alcohol and a nice caramel touch as well. In other words, the malts are amazing and the hops are right there with it. For a Scotch ale/Wee heavy, this thing smells delicious. The taste is almost perfect for what I’ve wanted from the style since I first had one. The body is relatively full and the carbonation is slightly high, both things I’m enjoying. As for the flavors, they’re amazing. The maple/butterscotch notes play out first, giving way to a smoky, caramel flavor and of course, the hops play out right at the end, bringing the beer full circle. The malts are perfect. PERFECT! Warming makes a love/hate relationship…more love though. It gets a slightly bitter and gritty tang to it, but other than that, this beer perks right up when warmed a little. The flavors meld together, mellowing a little. More magic hat magic.

B. Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams (Cincinnati, Ohio/Jamaica Plains, MA)

1. Samuel Adams Boston Lager (bottle) - 6/10
Style: Vienna Lager

I don't know what all the fuss is with this beer. It's a decent lager, but I wasn't blown away by it. It was on the darker side as I expected, but there were no real winning flavors. The carbonation was quite nice though. I really can't say much about this beer. It made me grimace a little bit at the end of each drink as it had a slightly sour kick for me.

2. Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale (bottle)- 6/10
Style: Irish Red Ale

This is a very solid beer. It is definitely a little heavier on the malt side, but that's typical of a Red Ale, or so I read. In any case, the smell of this beer is deceiving. It smells like caramel with a slight malt undertone. In other words, this beer smells fantastic. It pours a nice deep red color and the carbonation is near perfect. The only reason this beer doesn't rate higher is because the actual flavor is mediocre with a good touch of malt to push it up a bit. Another benefit; as the ale warms, the sweet caramel flavor comes out, balancing the hops out nicely

3. Samuel Adams Honey Porter (bottle) - 7/10
Style: American Porter

Like Steve, I was disappointed by the lack of honey flavor in this beer. However, I felt the malt was nicely contrasted by the hops, making for a relatively smooth drink all said and done. The third beer from the Sam Adams Brewmaster's Pack I have tried.

4. Samuel Adams Cream Stout (bottle) - 8/10
Style: Milk/Sweet Stout

There was absolutely nothing about this beer that I did not enjoy. Steve described it as roasted ice cream, and I have to agree with him. The roasted flavors were so well balanced that it was almost impossible to tell where hops began and malts ended. It was probably the smoothest beer I've ever had. My one regret is that I was unable to pour it in a glass. This is hands down the best beer I have tried to date.

5. Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic (bottle) - 2/10
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

I don't know what this was. I was really excited to try a lambic as I've heard of their exotic nature, but this sucked. It poured a reddish brown and the head disappeared quickly. It smelled rather nice as it contained a pleasing mixture of cranberry, floral hops, and light roasted malts. However, drinking this was like taking a swig of cranberry juice and then drinking some assed Keystone. I really was not happy with this beer. The only reason it gets a 2 instead of a 1 is because BA says it's more like a fruit beer and less a lambic, which gives it a little push considering my lack of interest in fruit beers.

6. Samuel Adams Winter Lager (bottle) - 6/10
Style: Bock

I had bad memories of this beer and as such had to give it a second chance. It poured a mid-brown color and had little head. It smelled of a blend of spices, most notably cinnamon with the sweetness of an underlying molasses. This beer was actually enjoyable until it started warming. Before that, the spices blended well with the hops, while the malts smoothed the overall taste for a nice finish. After warming, the spices began to take over and it just didn't sit well with me. The last 1/3 of the bottle was bad. Basically, drink this thing cold so it numbs your tongue a little and hides the horrible spices.

7. Samuel Adams’ Longshot Weizenbock (bottle) – 4/10
Style: Weizenbock

This is one of two beers that come in the Samuel Adams’ Longshot pack. Basically, two home brewers are picked out of many, and their beers are produced and marketed by Sam’s, for the season at least. This beer pours a dark brown, but has the yeasty particles of a Hefeweizen, or maybe just the Weizen style as a whole, which is more likely. It smells strongly of molasses and something else I can’t quite place, most likely guess is anise with nutmeg. In any case, its drinks pretty thick, and the molasses/weird anise spice flavor is overwhelming at the start. However, as it warms the molasses takes over, helping to slightly cover the weird spice flavor. This beer blows in almost every way. The only reason it gets a 4 is because it’s unique and when warm isn’t that bad, but still pretty terrible.

8. Samuel Adams’ Longshot Grape Pale Ale (bottle) – 6/10
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

This is the second of the two in the Longshot pack. It pours a dark golden color and smells very faintly of grapes, and when I say very faintly, I mean very. It also has a little of the sweetness I’ve come to associate with APA’s and some of the malts come through on the tale end of each smell. The beer is relatively light, and the carbonation is nicely mild. Their isn’t a lot of flavor going on, some mild hops and a few malts rolling around, but nothing too crazy. After each drink, my mouth felt dry and left that tang that lets you know the grape is still there. As the beer warms it loses some of its flavor, becoming a little too watered down in taste. This would be a much higher score if it didn’t drop in quality when warmed.

9. Samuel Adams’s Light (bottle) – 7/10
Style: Light Lager

Single-handedly the best light beer I have ever had. There isn’t a lot of smell going on, which is a little sad, but nor unexpected. As far as the taste goes, it has that slightly watered flavor I associate with light beers, but it still packs a lot of flavor into it. There is a nice hop and malt presence that hits with just enough flavor to keep the beer interesting and drinkable.

10. Samuel Adams’ Black Lager (bottle) - 7/10
Style: Schwarzbier

Pours what at first appears to be black, but when held up to the light appears as a deep, dark brown, with a sticky, clumpy, light-coffee colored head that stands about ½ cm off the beer. It smells slightly malty with a touch of oily hops in the background. Basically, it smells like a slightly roasted Boston Lager. The taste is, fortunately, not like Boston Lager. It straddles the line between what I think of when I think lager and stout. It’s creamy, but not overly so as the carbonation that is present cuts it, making it drink just a touch rougher. As far as the taste goes, it’s a little light. There are some decent malt notes sitting on the tongue, but the real stand out part of this beer is the mouth-feel. It’s smooth and biting at the same time; an odd sensation I haven’t encountered in another beer. A few more sips let loose a cocoa note, which bumps this beer up a little bit. A little warming and a light spice note comes out to play, something like cinnamon but definitely not. I’m not going to lie, this is probably my second favorite offering by the guys at Samuel Adams, behind Cream Stout of course.

11. Samuel Adams’ Hefeweizen (bottle) - 6/10
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

I finally got to use my Magic Hat Weizen glass! This poured a solid gold color and has the hazy appearance of what is common with “hefeweizens.” Had about a finger’s worth of bright white head that quickly dissipated to a light lacing on the top of the beer. Smells of citrus (lemon with a little orange) and that slight sickly smell that I get with every Hefeweizen plus a mild sweet biscuity malted aroma kicking around in the back. First tastes remind me of Budweiser, with more flavor and less carbonation. The flavors are a subdued lemon and that wheat malt flavor. Pretty well balanced, a little light in the flavor department, but not terrible. Very summery, I would say more so than Summer Ale. Quite refreshing. I’m not really seeing any yeast sediments like I would expect. I’m going to claim this as the most filtered “Hefeweizen” I’ve ever seen. Warming makes this smell even more like Budweiser. If I didn’t know that Sam Adams doesn’t use adjuncts, I’d swear there was corn in it, but alas. Warming does up the flavor a little bit, which is nice, making this even more refreshing. Not terribly smooth, but what “hefeweizen” is other than UFO? More midline from Sam’s.

12. Samuel Adams’ Boston Ale (bottle) – 6/10
Style: Stock/American Pale Ale

This beer is so unremarkable it’s amazing. It pours a clear, solid gold and had a small head to it. Smells faintly sweet and has a mild hop note underneath. It drinks about the same as it smells. There are mild bitter notes in the back of the throat after drinking almost half the bottle. The one interesting fact is that it’s pretty darn smooth. This thing goes down like water. Warming produces a slightly sweeter aroma, but the hops still remain subdued. The ability of Sam Adams to produce a mid-line beer is amazing. It’s good, but not amazing. It’s a reflection of the basic rules of an ale and that’s it. Warmed it finishes like an EPA which = automatic score boost.

13. Samuel Adams’ Triple Bock (bottle) - 5/10
Style: American Strong Ale

I uncorked this bottle and was immediately hit with a smell that made me think “Beef Jerky.” Yes, this has a very meaty smoked smell. It’s not unpleasant, just strong. I can actually smell it and it’s sitting a good three feet from me at the moment. It is dark brown and the body has more in common with the maple syrup it was brewed with than beer. Underneath the smoky smell is a really sweet smell, which has to be the maple syrup. The alcohol is in there as well. It had better be since this thing is sitting at 17.50% ABV. It’s a beast. The first sip is way too much to handle. It starts of sweet and then really bitter and then smoked and when you swallow the whole thing it’s like you just drank smoked maple syrup. I struggled to swallow that first sip. Luckily, I was smart and read up on this thing and only poured enough for two sips on the first go. However, when trying to recork it, the cork broke due to improper storage on my part and as such, the rest of the beer had to go down the drain. Luckily, a place nearby has a case of them and I can get more. I have another one storing. The best comparison I can offer on this is something like a brandy or cognac. It has more in common with wine/hard liquor than it does with beer. There’s a reason this is a primitive Extreme Beer. I’ll be smarter with it next time and in company. This thing gets a 5 because I have no idea how to scale it or rate it so it’s getting a mid-range NO IDEA.

14. Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (bottle) - 5/10
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

Pours a very slightly hazed gold with a small bright white head that quickly dissipates to an almost non-existent lacing. Carries a very nice cherry aroma, making me think of that first bite into a dark cherry; it’s quite appetizing. However, under the cherry is a faint sickly-sweet smell that I’ve come to associate with wheat ales. Something similar to Skittles. Deep deep down are some faint hop notes, barely. The first sip is interesting to say the least. A sweet film covers my mouth almost instantly, tainting almost everything else. The remaining flavors are weak. A faint grassy note creeps through, hinting at what could be a fruity summer beer. A slight tang, from the wheat, hits the back of the throat, but it’s not bad by any means. Warming doesn’t help this beer at all. In fact, it makes it taste more like vomit than beer. It’s sickly sweet, in the bad way at this point. Basically, it does for me what almost every other fruit beer does. It tastes decent right out of the bottle but fails to capture my tastes for more than a few sips. Any amount of warming turns this thing into a sweet fruit infused grass malted beer. I still maintain the Michelob Pomegranate Raspberry is the best fruit beer to date and that makes me sad inside.

15. Samuel Adams Pale Ale (bottle) - 5/10
Style: English Pale Ale

Pours a perfectly clear deep gold with a thick, creamy, white head on it. The smells remind me of apples, caramel, and sugar syrup. I’m pretty sure some faint hop aromas are sitting underneath everything, but the initial smell is all malt. It’s sweet and full. Slightly surprising I might add. The first taste is better than I expected. I’m hit with a nice combination of grassy malts and a subtle hop bite. It’s not as Pale Ale-like as I would like, but I’ve come to expect a solid level of high-end mediocrity from Sam Adams. There are a few small aftertastes, most notably crisp, green apple and grass. Warming releases a very well-rounded banana flavor, making this thing taste and feel like an English Pale Ale, albeit on the mild side. I want more hops! The sugary sweetness is a little too much for my tastes, but it’s still not bad. Too much warming turns this thing into a sad excuse for an EPA. Plus: Nice flavors. Warms well. Plays nice for the most part. Minus: Needs more hops! Not really Pale Ale material. Continued mediocrity. I maintain my stance that Sam Adams cannot produce a bad beer. They’re good, but not really that good.

16. Samuel Adams Summer Ale (bottle) – 5/10
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Pours a slightly hazed bright golden yellow with a small bright white head. It smells of citrus and some other unique spices, which are know are at minimum grains of paradise (it’s a pride point for Sam Adams). Other than that, I’m not getting a lot of smell from this. It’s a wheat beer if I’ve ever seen and smelled one. The taste is sharp, as in over-carbonated and entirely too citrusy. Cold, this thing isn’t terrible aside from those factors. Warming mellows the citrus but lets the grains of paradise go wild. Honestly, it’s refreshing, but it’s by no means as awesome as every seems to think it is.

(One quick note: I've had Oktoberfest but it's not included because I was drinking it in passing and not giving it the time it deserved. As such I left it out of the discussion.)

Part II: THE BREWERIES
A. Magic Hat Brewery (Burlington, VT)

I have yet to find something about Magic Hat that upsets me. Their ability to take their beer in bold new directions is both impressive and interesting. While their brew tour left a little something to be desired in terms of actually being in and around the floor, they still have the best samples I've ever encountered. It's pretty much a free-for-all with a tiny little sample cup. They also have a very solid tap selection, which is absolutely a must.

Getting to this brewery is the easiest thing in the world. It's right off the road. No hour long journeys, no nothing. Brilliance!

Everything about Magic Hat is laid back. They aren't afraid to make a beer that might not sell well. The casual nature and the experimental spirit are two traits I don't imagine exist in a lot of other places. It's truly an experience walking into the psychedelic brewery. It's my favorite looking brewery for sure.

As far as their beer goes. The only real down side is that their year-round offerings, #9, Circus Boy, and Lucky Kat leave a little something to be desired from time to time. It's in their seasonals that this brewery truly shines. Hi.p.a. is still a favorite of mine as far as IPA's are concerned and Jynx is easily the most complex fall seasonal I've had to date. Perhaps the best thing about these guys is the fact that they're small, they built themselves from the ground up, and they have nothing but appreciation for the craft that is brewing beer and the people who drink it. They truly are what I would want to be if I made it as a craft brewer.

B. Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams Brewery (Cincinnati, Ohio/Jamaica Plains, MA)

I really enjoy these guys as well, but I guess I'm spoiled living here on the East coast. I have more Sam's than I really know what to do with. Places out west get excited when they hear Boston Lager is coming to their local bar/liquor store. Here, Boston Lager is about as common as Coors Light. It's everywhere.

The brew tour they offer is amazing, I still think Red Hook is the best, but these guys had tons of info and on the tour there's a very good chance you'll see the beard guy. If you don't know who he is, see Steve's post on the Sam Adams Brew Tour and you'll understand. Even before the tour you are presented with tons of info from the Boston Lager evolution to a 15-20 minute video all about why Sam Adams is the shit. The samples were a bit of a let down as 2/3 were beers that are commonly available elsewhere. Colonial 365 was nice as it somewhat of a rarity and special on the whole.

Getting to this brewery is painful and expensive. It's in Jamaica Plains, which is one hell of a train ride. Steve and I literally dedicated an entire day just to this brewery because getting there is such an annoyance.

As for their beer, I find myself overwhelmed by the high-end mediocrity they present. Every beer (except Cranberry Lambic) is a good beer, but none of them stand out as superior for their styles. There is always something better. More than a few flavors fall flat over time. I will admit they are a perfect representation of the craft brewer that is big-time without really having sold out. It's an enviable position to say the least.

Part III: THE BREAKDOWN

Brew Tour: Sam Adams
Brewing Facility: Magic Hat
Ease of Access: Magic Hat
Price of Tour: Magic Hat (Even though Sam's tour is technically free, with a suggested $2 donation, the train fare and lunch made it absurdly expensive.)
Samples on Tour: Magic Hat
Year Round Offerings: Sam Adams
Seasonal Offerings: Magic Hat
Glassware on Tour: Sam Adams (Magic Hat give you no free glass. It's sad. Sam's is a solid 6 oz. glass)

Average Beer Score:

Magic Hat:7.5555
Samuel Adams: 5.6875

Part IV: THE WINNER!

MAGIC HAT BREWERY!

With their ability to constantly surprise my taste buds and provide a consistently good beer, Magic Hat is without a doubt the winner. While Sam Adams has more variety and a wider market, it is Magic Hat's ability to stay ahead of trends, in fact forging them, before the notion of the trend even begins. Their regular offerings are good, but they truly shine in their seasonals and specials. If you can ever find Feast of Fools, pick it up and enjoy it.

Further reflection might come at a later date, but for now I am content with my decision and my ability to present my argument. Enjoy the adventure and never forget to drink daringly, for you never know what you might find.

-Joey

Hop on Hop Action?

2008-09-08T02:25:00.001-04:00

In 3 days time (Thursday, September 11, 2008) I will attempt an argument that has been tossed around behind the scenes since this blog was started. I will attempt to compare and declare a winner in the battle of Samuel Adams vs. Magic Hat (both fine New England craft brewers).

I feel as if my consumption of both brands has reached a fair enough balance to declare a winner. One more beer on each side must be consumed and reviewed before the confrontation. Should more beers be added to either side, a rematch might be possible. Odds are, the winner here is the winner in the long run.

There will be tears. There will be surprises, letdowns, and great victories on both sides, but only one will come out on top.

-Joey

Port - Tap - Beer

2008-08-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

I'm going to keep this simple and sweet. I waited too long to put these up and as a result I've forgotten some of the finer points for each of these beers. I apologize for letting you guys down and slacking, but that's how I work. As such, I think a brief overview of the beers and the beer fest as a whole is in order. I won't even rate these things as I don't feel a 3 ounce sample is adequate for full-blown reviewing purposes. Oh, before I forget, this is my account of the Newburyport Beer Festival.

1) Geary's Pale Ale - This thing was decent if a little watery. Hints of caramel malts were there, but nothing spectacular. I would view this as much more a summer Pale Ale than anything else.

2) Allagash Quad - This was listed as a Quad, but the guy told us it was a Tripel. Having had Allagash's Tripel before I knew him to be incorrect. This had a bit more depth and body than the Tripel. There were still characteristic fruit flavors and aromas, but it was somehow better.

3) Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout - Ommegang is generally a decent brewery. That said, this was somewhat of a letdown. Each word in the beer itself is arousing, but the beer as a whole is not. I felt the body was a little on the light side for a stout and the flavors were watered down. They did come through on the chocolate however, as the dark cocoa notes are the only thing worth mentioning about this beer. It isn't as bad as I make it sound, but it's not epic either.

4) Stone Cat Blueberry Ale - For a blueberry beer, I was impressed. It managed to blend a solid tart blueberry flavor with a mild hop background. The malts were a nice accompaniment. If you can find this stuff, it's hands above any other blueberry beer I've had.

5) Victory Prima Pils - This is the only pilsener I've had that didn't make me want to die. It had a bigger hop backbone and that might be what saved it. A slightly grassy and complex malt palate finished the whole thing off.

6) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Meh. It wasn't mind-blowing and it wasn't bad.

7) Sebago Brown Ale - I still don't care for Brown Ales, Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale aside. It has a dirty and bitter aftertaste that isn't pleasant. The hop and malts are decent enough, but Sebago didn't score any points with this one.

8) Gritty McDuff's Pub Pale Ale - I liked this. It had a touch of sweetness to it, like cane sugar, and a solid hop bite. I might pick this up again if I see it in my travels.

9) Fisherman Bavarian Hefeweizen - I'm not even sure if this is what this beer is really called. The guy at the table said it was a Bavarian Hefeweizen and I took him at his word. It tasted like a "traditional" Hefeweizen, which means it tasted like melons and citrus. I just don't like wheat beers.

10) Wachusett Green Monster - It's a Pale Ale with a higher ABV. That's it. Nothing to write home about.

As for the beerfest itself, it was decent enough. I felt it was a little on the small side for a $25 ticket, but I don't really have a basis for comparison. The selection was smaller than I expected, at two beers per brewery. A couple awesome things: 1. Free stuff! 2. I got a Fisherman's Brew pint glass for $3. I'd go again next year if it's around.

-Joey

Newburyport Brewfest Jewfest

2008-08-05T23:44:00.000-04:00

I had a great time at the 2008 Newburyport Brewfest, and I personally thought it was worth the $25 price of admission. There were a lot of brewers, and the lines were pleasantly short. The weather was great, too. So let's get to the beer, shall we?

In this post I am going to try a new format for introducing each beer. Why? This format will take a lot less effort. I am growing tired of this Blog feeling like a chore. Speaking of which, I am going to be keeping my reviews brief because it makes me happy. Joey can be in charge of "thorough" reviewing.

1) Mojo IPA / Tap / American IPA / 4 out of 5

I felt this was a very solid IPA. It had a very pleasant smell that was full of floral hops. While being remarkably hoppy, it was not too intense, and this property made it notably drinkable and refreshing.

2) Allagash Tripel Reserve / Tap / Tripel / 3 out of 5

Perhaps I was not particularly impressed by this beer because I am not really a huge fan of the Tripel style. But perhaps I just have not yet had a truly great one. This beer was pretty good. It had the typical "waxy" flavors that I associate with Tripels, and it had some interesting fruits. Despite the high ABV, the alcohol was well-masked and it was very drinkable.

3) Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout / Tap / Belgian Strong Dark Ale / 3 out of 5

This beer had some ups and some downs. The biggest up was the chocolate flavor. Joey thought it was weak, but I thought it was pretty good. The issue with this beer is that the light chocolate flavor is about the only thing in the brew. It was surprisingly simple. I typically enjoy light-tasting stouts, but even I felt this really needed to be heavier. And it could have used some more bitterness.

4) Ipswich Summer Ale / Tap / American Blonde Ale / 3 out of 5

The Mercury Brewing Company has never really disappointed me. Unfortunately, even the fine brewers of Ipswich Ale could not take the bland out of the blonde. Just like every other blonde ale I have ever had, this beer was incredibly uninteresting. It is mild, and nothing really stands out. Sure, it is refreshing and great for summer, but it needs more character.

5) Prima Pils / Tap / German Pilsener / 4 out of 5

Making a hoppy lager is certainly a fantastic idea. I only wish they had used even more hops! This beer is tasty and refreshing, but even with hops it is not particularly interesting. This is definitely a good summer beer, and this is one of the beers I had at the Brewfest that I really want to try again.

6) Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale (2008) / Tap / American IPA / 4 out of 5

This beer takes everything tasty about Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap and makes it more interesting and better by making it more extreme. It is hoppy, but it is actually rather mild for an American IPA. I am hesitant to consider trying this in bottled form because of my horrible experience with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in bottles. If this tastes like dirty salt water in bottles, I will be pissed!

7) Smuttynose Summer Weizen / Tap / American Pale Wheat Ale / 4 out of 5

This is a solid Americanized hefeweizen if I have ever had one. It is smooth, refreshing, and it has an interesting lemon/citrus twang to it. It is not really as remarkable as UFO, in my humble opinion, but it is very tasty and perfect for summer.

8) Geary's Pale Ale / Tap / American Pale Ale / 4 out of 5

I thought this was a unique take on the American Pale Ale style. Rather than having the earthy-tasting flavors that I typically associate with APAs, the beer was surprisingly bready. I swear that I also detected some hints of chocolate. This is surely on my "try again" list.

- - -

I had two more beers at the Brewfest, but I was seriously too intoxicated to truly get a grasp of what I was drinking. I am still not entirely sure why I was such a lightweight that night, but I have to admit that I was heavily buzzed after 8 samples of beer.

And of course, I have some pictures!

This is the best truck ever. It has taps on the side!

/Steve

Frankenstein's Monster

2008-08-02T02:03:00.000-04:00

Consuming Kate the Great hours after getting a tattoo causes a tingling sensation to course through the tattoo, making it feel alive.

You know what that means, tattoos + Kate the Great = LIFE!

-Joey

The More You Know

2008-07-28T23:27:00.001-04:00

Having diarrhea and then drinking beer will get you unexpectedly buzzed.

Sharing my wisdom,
/Steve