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
There are days I feel like I've grown up and there are days that I still feel like a kid discovering the world. I prefer when the latter is the more dominant.
And in some fun musing-beer review symmetry, today's beer of choice is the Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog ale. It's an old ale or a stock ale.
What's that you ask? Old ale typically is laid up to mature--becoming "old" if you will. Style notes indicate the color varies from rich, dark amber to a very dark brown. The style features fruity, vinous and deep malty flavors, giving it almost port-like qualities. Slight acidity is not uncommon.
So how did I find the Really Old Dog? It poured a dense, dark brown color with a loose, bubbly light tan head. It smells hoppy and kind of like cold pumpernickel bread. There are hints of licorice as you drink it and inhale and exhale thoughtfully. (Oh yeah, I'm a good time at the bar!) The flavor reminds me of a bitter cola...sort of like a coffee bean without the coffee flavor...just the green bitterness. It's a heavy beer--both in alcohol content and consistency.
Evidently I turned over a new leaf on Saturday and didn't realize it. I went for a run for the first time in a long, long time. Granted it was day 1 of the Couch to 5K program or what I once accidentally called the Couch to Potato program. Sunday I managed to get on my bike for the first time since this football season began and then last night I hit a yoga class with Mr. Blog Named Brew. He seems to have liked it.
I'm taking today off because my abs and quads are mounting a revolt. But day 2 of the 5K program in on the docket for the morning.
Tonight's beer is another one of those "What was I waiting for breweries." Smuttynose Brewing Company's Robust Porter is the feature beer of the day. It poured pitch black with a cocoa color head. It smells of toast with hints of chocolate. The flavor is roasted malt, coffee grinds and some cola. It's a much more aggressive porter than what I've been drinking lately. Bold flavor. A little more carbonation. A bigger bitter hop.
Beer #171 Belgian Style Pale Ale / White Birch Brewing, Hooksett, New Hampshire
After a slow start, our summer league basketball team keeps racking up wins, even if half the team isn't showing up on a regular basis. Hey, more touches for me, right? I've played in this league since the day I took the job, and have never cut down the nets. Made it to the championship game a couple of times, but walked away empty each time. Not sure that's going to change this year unless we get some people to show up more frequently and get into the groove. The other teams seem better this year, but maybe that's just because I'm another year older.
Tonight's beer (yay, 46% of the way done with the adventure) is the Belgian Style Pale Ale from White Birch. Pours a hazy shade of gold, with a fluffy white head. I'm battling allergies again today, so bear with me if this description isn't overly descriptive (or accurate). Here goes... you pick up aromas of apples, and from the first sip you get strong fruit esters, malt, and grain. Definitely a peppery spice, too. You pick up the strong alcohol notes, which isn't unexpected as this beer is a solid 8.2% ABV. I like this one, and will definitely seek out other options from this brewery. Good stuff!
This brewery has been open since 2009, and curiously the name of this beer is due to the color, rather than the style. So, it's not really a Belgian Pale Ale. Still tastes good, so whatevs.
Thing to Think About Today:
I really have nothing for you tonight with a direct correlation to the beer/brewery/home state, and it looks like the end of the world outside due to an impending thunderstorm, so in honor of crossing over 46%, let's let Toots and the Maytals finish things up with 54-46 Was My Number. This wasn't about Toot's passing 46% of his beer challenge, but rather about a prison term he served. Hey, I win that round.
I'm writing this at about 7:20pm and it looks like closer to 9:00pm thanks to an impending thunderstorm. So rather than waxing poetic here, I'll be doing my own storm watch and monitoring the storm's progress.
Tonight's beer is a Belgian style pale ale from White Birch Brewing in New Hampshire. It's one of their flagship beers.
It poured a hazy apricot color, full white head, little lacing. It smells fresh. Seriously. Like a perfect spring day. (And, no, I'm not drunk already. Thank you very much.) There's also fruit in the nose. The flavor is lightly spicy and definitely has pear notes. There's a nice round malt to it and it finishes crisp. Very refreshing.
Oddly the description states that the name of the beer doesn't mean the style, it's more reflective of the look of the beer. I find that slightly odd but whatever. Overall this is a very enjoyable beer but at 8.2% ABV, it may be a little too easy to enjoy!
I'm eager to find more of their offerings. It sounds like they do a lot of with wild ales and that's pretty much beer heaven for me.
Hopefully your corner of the world had the same awesome spring weather we had in my corner of the world. Clear skies, warm temperatures - perfect day to spend hours working in the yard. Which is exactly why I did anything but work in the yard. Yard work sucks, and time is better spent having fun, so today included sleeping in, getting breakfast, finalizing some gifts, getting the dogs' nails trimmed, going for a bike ride on the Schuykill River Trail, getting an afternoon beer, stocking the beer/wine cellar at Total Wine, and dinner at Fellini's. Couldn't ask for anything more. Except for a gardener to clean up the yard... it looks like the Amazon rain forest out there.
Today's afternoon beer was the Finest Kind IPA from Smuttynose, and came on draft at TJ's. This draft pours with an apricot color and a thick head which stuck around, sort of a giant spoonful of marshmallow fluff in the glass. The aroma was light, with notes of citrus and grass. The taste is really good - a mix of grapefruit and hop bitterness, with some malt and a subtle earthy, grassy finish. Very good option if you're in the mood for an IPA.
If only beer came with marshmallow fluff.....
Your knowledge for the day: Smuttynose is named for an island off the coast of New Hampshire. Okay, so why is the island named Smuttynose? Good question - this name can be found on nautical charts dating back to the 1700's, and the origin of the name has been lost to time. Stupid time, always losing things. Smuttynose has been in business since 1994, and they're currently working to build a larger facility. Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
"Your book on how to pick up trashy women came today. Tell me something.... what's a little boy like you doing with big boy smut like this?"
- Mailman
Every time I hear the name of this brewery, I think of the movie Better Off Dead, from which the quote above comes from. Most of my friends speak in movie quotes, and I'm willing to bet yours do too. Meaning, in the middle of ordinary conversation, instead of just saying our own thoughts, we'll drop in just the right quote from a movie.
Starring John Cusack back when he had a sense of humor, Better Off Dead is a haven for great quotes, most famously the line, "I want my two dollars!" from the paperboy who hounds Lane Meyer throughout the film for past due payment. Other Better Off Dead in this blog can be found HERE, and a website with .wav files of the quotes from this film can be found HERE. Your super sentimental trivia for the day: this was the first movie that Marci and I saw together, even before we were "officially" dating. Awwww.
So let's end Saturday thinking of our favorite quotes from an outstanding movie:
