Breweries "Visited"

Friday, February 24, 2012

Here We Go.... Beer 76(ers).....

Beer #76 Farewell Ale / Haand Bryggeriet, Drammen, Norway

The blogger's life is a glamorous one, indeed.  Take for example my Friday evening:
1. Get movie from Redbox
2. Get dinner from McDonald's
3. Eat dinner
4. Watch movie.

THE CLUB CAN'T EVEN HANDLE ME RIGHT NOW!

To combat my lack of Friday night excitement, I'll trot out an interesting beer to get tonight moving.  I'm going with a Norwegian beer, the Farewell Ale from Haand.  The beer pours with a foamy tan head.  The aroma isn't overly powerful, but the taste has a warm and smoky roasted malt flavor and some earthy, peppery notes.  There's a thin mouthfeel, and overall the beer reminds me of a porter.

Now, I'll be the first to admit this beer probably isn't my style.  However, it's well done because the flavors don't overwhelm you, but rather pull you in slowly.  Is this an every day beer for me?  No, because I'd sooner drink a saison or an IPA, but this was a good beer.  Also, I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to cross Haand off my list; Teresa's Next Door has been pouring a variety of their winter beers, but every one I've tried (including the one Marci sampled last month) have been way, way, way too smoky or roasted or burnt.  Maybe the arrival of spring is mellowing them out?  I also wanted to try this beer after reading the story on the inspiration for its creation.  I'll let this blurb from Haand's website tell the tale:

Farewell Ale  is our interpretation of an old traditional Norwegian custom. Beer has always been an important part of the Norwegian culture and beer was always part of the important occasions in life. This was also the case when a person passed away. It was customary on all farms to have some malt at hand in case of a sudden death. Nobody was buried before the beer was ready and they could be toasted off to a good afterlife. This beer was called Gravøl (funeral ale). Our Farewell ale is a dark and flavourful beer, with lots of spicy flavours, but still easy to drink with a special flavour not often found in beer.


I love the concept: in case of death, brew beer!!!  I had a picture of this beer all shiny and new in my glass, but my awesome phone didn't save it.  Awesome.

Thing to Think About Today:
I guess I should have planned this better and offered up some Philadelphia 76ers highlights to coordinate with our 76th beer, but seeing how you've already been introduced to the Doctor and Darryl Dawkins, I should probably give that topic a break.

Ah, screw it.... sort of.

We'll dip our toe in the water of the Sixers by suggesting you think about a local Philly guy, G-Love, who manages to pay homage to both his favorite basketball franchise and the decrepit road systems we're forced to use when navigating to and from the City of Brotherly Love.  HIT IT, G!


Charles Barkley... dissed Larry Bird!   Happy 76th, yo.

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