365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
I'm ridiculously excited to go to work tomorrow. The thought of a five day work week is giving me hope that I won't be buried alive under a pile of unfinished paperwork and unfiled event folders. I am a dork.
Tonight I'm drinking an Extra Smooth Ale from John Smith's Brewery. This is another very old brewery that is now owned by a giant beer conglomerate. Mr. Blog Named Brew did all the research so I'll send you over there to learn more.
It is an English pale ale. I love what a widget does to a good pour of beer. That curtain of carbonation rising up to form the thickest, most beautiful head of beer is the thing dreams are made of...sorry...I got sidetracked.
Anyway after all that settled, I got a glass of dark amber ale with a thick, off white head. It smells like something between tea and tobacco. At 3.8% ABV, it is quite easy to drink. The Extra Smooth Ale lives up to its name. It is indeed very smooth. The aroma of tea/tobacco followed through in the flavor. The creamy head was delightful and it finished with a mild hop flavor.
This is a good beer...but I think there are superior examples out there. Old Speckled Hen for example. Cheers!
Beer #306 Extra Smooth Ale / John Smith's Brewery, Tadcaster, England
Today's beer means that we're rapidly approaching the 85% completed mark in this 365 day challenge. The heat is definitely getting turned up now that we're in the fourth quarter. I'm ready for it if you are.
I'll keep the drive alive and review the rather delightful Extra Smooth Ale from John Smith's Brewery in England. Courtesy of the widget in the can, it pours with a creamy cascade of dark copper and a thick white head. Your nose picks up the a sweet aroma of toffee and malt, and the taste is silky smooth, with delicious toffee and malt with some welcome and mild bitterness. At 3.8%, this is a beer that you could - and should - drink all day. I do love ales from England, and this fits in with the best of them. Well done.
I have to admit, that looks extra smooth.
Another brewery with ties to big business. John Smith's dates back to 1778 (as in, during the Revolutionary War), when it was first known as the Backhouse and Hartley Brewery. John Smith took over in 1847, and things went just fine right up to 1970, when hotel/bar conglomerate Courage stepped in and bought the brewery, only to have themselves later bought by Scottish and Newcastle, who later sold a stake to Heineken. Got all of that? While owned by their corporate overlords, this beer is still brewed at John Smith's brewery in Tadcaster, and therefore I'm giving them the credit.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the English speaking world, John is the most common first name, and Smith is the most common last name. Put them both together, and you're looking at the most generic name ever. I'm certain this causes much confusion for those who share a name, as well as those trying to find info on someone named John Smith (hint: helps if you own a brewery!). I guess I consider myself fortunate in the sense there's only one person in America, and as best I can figure the world, who has my name. Never have to worry about people confusing me with someone else, which I guess is a positive, although I can't act like stupid things I do belong to some other dude with my full name.
So, with first and last names on the mind, let's check in with the extra smooth (just like today's beer) Snoop Dogg for one of his first songs, Who Am I (What's My Name)? In addition to being an awesome song from back in the day, this video gave us the incredibly legendary if wildly non-romantic phrase, "You don't love me, you just love my doggy style." Thanks, Snoop. We owe you one.
