The Lion in Winter

Beer #333 Stegmaier Oktoberfest, Lion Brewery, Wilkes-Barre, PA

The election is finally over and done with; one party goes home happy, and the other gets to spend the next four years blaming everything that goes wrong in their life on the President.  While I'm on the topic, all of the nitwits out there threatening to move to Canada need to stuff a sock in it.  America is an incredibly resilient nation, and your bitching and whining doesn't help anyone.  Caveat: Donald Trump and his lunacy are welcome to move out at any time, really.

Anyway, I'm down off my soapbox.  Had an incredibly productive day in the office - wish every Wednesday was like today.  With that in mind, I feel I've earned the right to unwind with a beer, and tonight it's the Stegmaier Oktoberfest from Lion Brewery, in not-too-far away Wilkes-Barre.  It shows off a hazy amber with a lingering white head, and you pick up a floral (soapy?) aroma of malt.  The taste has a sweetness, and you get floral notes as well.  Probably not as much malt as I would expect from an Octoberfest beer, but a fine, easy drinking beer regardless.

Oktoberfest in November

This brewery has a cool history, dating back to 1905 when it opened as the Luzerne County Brewing Company (shout out to the county where I was born).  It survived Prohibition by making "near beer", and was purchased and renamed Lion Brewery in 1933.  Stegmaier was another Wilkes-Barre based brewery, which was purchased by Lion in 1974.  This brewery isn't quite as old school as nearby Yuengling, but anything that survives 117 years and a Constitutional amendment gets some credit in my book.

Thing to Think About Today:
When thinking about what to tie in, I thought of three things immediately that might work:
1. Penn State Nittany Lion in some way, shape, or form.  Here's a picture of me & the Lion from 2010:

And,our tailgate mascot, Tailgate Cheetah

However, I talk about Penn state a good bit in this blog, so I don't really need to do it again (despite me just talking about it).
2. Snoop Dogg's recent conversion to Snoop Lion.  However, I don't have any pictures of me and him together.  Yet.
3. Some old Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom style videos of lions in Africa.  However, that seemed too violent, considering half the nation is contemplating a move to Canada today (seriously, stop it).

So, that brings us to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs singing Gold Lion, an always fun song for your long distance running mix.  Seriously, add it in.  You won't be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jiCgkH4g7c

"I've been around a few, tell me what you saw I'll tell you what to....oooh oooh"

Presidents, Only Better

Beer #331 Crick Fest Bier / Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks, Millheim, PA


Today, I was informed that I would be attempting something called "mat Pilates" in my future.  Sounds dangerous, and quite possibly something I will deeply regret.  However, I had an open mind towards yoga, and that turned out decently, so we'll see.  Plus I just ate a bunch of potato chips, so I'm also feeling a little guilty.

You know what sounds more appealing than regret or guilt?  Tonight's beer, which is another Pennsylvania product, the Crick Fest Bier from Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks.  This Octoberfest brew has a dark amber color with a thin head.  Your nose finds aromas of malt and biscuit, and the taste has a mix of light floral notes, bread, lightly toasted malt, and a little bitterness on the finish.  Not an overly complex beer, but quite nice, particularly for this time of year.  I had this one on draft at The Deli in State College last weekend, and I look forward to trying other variations from this brewery.

Creek-y

Despite being in a town of 904 people, this brewery has already managed to win awards at the Great American Beer Festival, which is a very prestigious honor.  More proof that good beer can come from anywhere.  You just have to look for it and be willing to try new things!


Thing to Think About Today:
So, if you haven't noticed, apparently there's an election tomorrow.  Who knew?  If the candidates want people to vote, they should really consider mailing 10 pieces of mail to my house each day for a month, and figure out a way to get people to lose their mind on Facebook and Twitter with political ramblings.  Maybe then I'd know there was an election (/sarcasm).

I detest politics for the divisive environment it creates, where 50% of the country currently hates the other 50% (or at least it seems).  However, you know I like to keep it topical, so I'll go ahead and drop in the most political thing I can think of here.  If you insist on talking nonstop about the President, then I'm playing The Presidents of the United States of America covering Video Killed the Radio Star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiGd9nTGmM

Beer 330: Lion Brewing and the Home Stretch

Thirty-five days are left between now and the conclusion of this ridiculous endeavor. But is it the end or is there life after 366 days of beer? 366, you ask? Yes. 366 because, of course, I decide to challenge myself during a leap year!

There's lots to ponder during the next 35 days. How will I whittle down my top 25 list to 25 beers? There's currently somewhere near 40 beers on that list. What happens on day 367? Has all this writing helped honor my Mom's memory? What have I learned? Patience, grasshopper. All will be revealed soon.

I'm giving a little love today to a relatively hometown beer. The Stegmaier Oktoberfest from Lion Brewery. A little history from their website: The Lion Brewery was built in 1905 as the Luzerne County Brewing Company. Four years later it became known as The Lion Brewery. It's located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Stegmaier brand was acquired from the Stegmaier Brewery in 1974, which was also located in Wilkes-Barre.


The Oktoberfest pours a deep copper color with a loose white head. It has an ABV of 5.7%. The aroma is fruit, light malts, some light hops. The taste -- per my notes -- is wow! There's lots happening here. I first notice the sweetness....redolent of caramel. Then there's some fruit followed quickly by a nice bite from the hops. Underlying it all is an even graininess. This is a very smooth beer and it's very easy to drink. I'll rate it a good. Cheers!

Beer 325: Elk Creek Crick

As we enter Day 2 of Hurricane Sandy, another thematic beer...this time it's the Elk Creek Cafe and Ale Works' Crick festbier.

First off, I can't even begin to guess what I did to make this photo so bad. I hadn't had anything to drink yet and it looks like I was half in the bag when I took this. Ugh.


Anyway the Crick festbier poured a nice dark brown with a thin tan head. It smells of woody hops. The taste is also woody with a good balance of malts and hops. It has a slight caramel sweetness. This is a good beer and one of the rare Oktoberfest beers I've had this year.

Elk Creek is located in Milheim, Pennsylvania. It's been a very Pennsylvania focused few days at the blog...perhaps because I'm afraid we'll be ocean bound soon.

Cheers!