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
Today's a hustle day, so not much commentary on Belgium, but today's beer is a the lovely Brugse Zot, a blonde ale from de Halve Maan, a brewery in the also lovely town of Brugse - also spelled Brugge. This multiple spelling depends on whether you're applying the Flemish or French spelling, as all things in Belgium are spelled in both languages. Confusing? At times.
While this picture is from a bar near the Friday Market, a square in the center of town, our group did tour the brewery, although we didn't get a VIP tour. The "gen pop" tour was interesting, even if you could tell the jokes from the guide get recycled more than an empty beer bottle. We did get to go on the roof and catch this view, which was pretty awesome:
Nice view
Anyway, on to the beer. In the glass, you see a dark gold color with a light aroma of citrus, floral hops and grain. This beer is brewed with four kinds of malt, and it shows with a nice balance of flavors and some decent sweetness. Very good summertime beer, which checks in at a manageable 6% ABV. If you see this one, you should try this one!
Smile for the camera, Zot
According to our tour guide, Zot is a phrase for joker or idiot, or someone who lives within the walls of Brugge (or Brugse). Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
Is Vampire Weekend awesome? Yes. Do you love song of the summer Blurred Lines? Yes. Do you want Vampire Weekend covering Blurred Lines? OF COURSE YOU DO! Yes, you can click on the embedded video below, but to see video of this performance, click here for some awesomeness.
Have you heard of the website Dogshaming? Go check it out--obviously after you read this blog--and I promise you'll be entertained. While this isn't the funniest posting you'll find, it does remind me that I need to name a future dog Waffles.
Oh, Waffles! Poop goes in the backyard.
Today's beer is the Shady Blonde from Prism Brewing Company. After starting off my Sunday afternoon by sharing a sampler with Mr. Blog Named Brew, I had the desire to continue some Sunday-Funday day drinking with a grown-up size Shady Blonde.
It's a blonde ale (duh) brewed with blood oranges. I'm a sucker for blood oranges. (pun intended) As you can see from the photo, it poured a hazy yellow color. It was borderline electric yellow outside in the sunshine! It did have a loose white head but that dissipated rather quickly. It has a great and dominant orange aroma that doesn't waver in the flavor. There's a nice tartness in the flavor as well that balances out the strong orange notes. The malts and hops were evenly balanced and it made for a very refreshing beer for the summer months.
Day #417 Fireman's #4 / Real Ale Brewing Company, Blanco, TX
Previously from this brewery: Marci's take on Real Ale
You ever been to Blanco, Texas? No, well I have. As part of our beer blogger ninja mission to Texas, we drove down to San Antonio, and on the way back to Austin drove out through central Texas Hill Country. Do you like ranches, wide open spaces, and.... hills? Do you not like seeing a ton of people? Soft spot in your heart for Friday Night Lights? Then you might like Texas Hill Country, home of Real Ale Brewing Company.
Before we get to Real Ale, let's pause for a moment and discuss brewery tours. In the spirit of full disclosure, I don't usually seek out brewery tours. I mean, you see one tour, you've seen them all - grain and water get heated up, sugars are released, the sugars ferment, you sit around for a while, and SHAZAM you have beer. Lather, rinse, repeat. How many times can you sit through that presentation? However, I do have a bit of a soft spot for tours, as they do let you meet some of the brewery employees, see what they consider to be the unique features they bring to their beer, see what makes them tick. I've taken three really different, yet really fun tours in my day. One, I'll talk about in another post. Another was a work trip to visit a client (admittedly, they're as macro as macro beer gets), where I got the exclusive, behind the scenes VIP tour, and got to see virtually every square inch of the plant, from the train cars that bring the grain in to the area where they recycle glass, and everything in between. I got to drink beer from an executive lounge, and I got to pet the Clydesdales (yeah, that macro brewer). It was crazy access to a world that tourists never get to see, even though the tour was incredibly safe and sterile. We wore eye protection and ear protection, closed toed shoes, and had to stay within the yellow lines or risk dying. No joke: when you first walk onto the brewery floor, you see a banner that reminds people to look around, otherwise you might die like an employee who died a few years back. Yikes! Informative, interesting, awesome, safe, and without a doubt one of the coolest days I've had at work.
And then there's the Real Ale tour. Considering how far out into the middle of nowhere Blanco is, there was a downright huge group queued up for the Friday afternoon tour. Armed with some free samples, we headed into the brewery, where we received no safety briefing, other than to not touch anything. That was really more of a warning than a safety tip, now that I think about it. We were crammed in among the tanks, and moved through the facility by stepping over hoses, ducking under pipes, dodging steam vents and skirting around puddles. Heavy metal music from Ronnie James Dio was blaring over speakers somewhere further back in the plant. I'm pretty sure the tour leader was making some of it up as he went along. Despite the random nature of the tour, I learned about what Real Ale feels is important to their beer, saw equipment waiting to be put together for their new bottling machine, saw a basketball hoop in a corner of a warehouse (no one would challenge me to a game, sadly), and saw the new warehouse where they are now barrel aging beers, which is always good news. In other words, it was glorious. I'm not sure if you'll ever be in Blanco, Texas, but if you do, you MUST stop by for a tour. You won't regret it.
My official beer review is for the Fireman's #4, a blonde ale that appears to be the most popular beer Real Ale puts out, at least from my unofficial survey of bars in Texas. It pours a hazy gold color with a fluffy white head. The aroma is light, with plenty of grain, and the taste is clean, with grass, grain, biscuit, and a good dose of hops, although without much bitterness. A nice beer, easily enjoyed at a mellow 5.1% ABV. Texas forever, friends. Texas forever.
Another beer drank at Hopdoddy?
Another beer drank at Hopdoddy.
Breweries in Texas can't sell direct to the consumer, so most have tasting rooms where they give away free samples. I had the Fireman's #4 in a bar in Austin, but did sample the Rio Blanco pale ale and a barleywine, both of which were quite nice. I bought a pint glass, because I wanted a pint glass.
Thing to Think About Today:
The Real Ale brewery is 533 miles away from El Paso, Texas. Why is this important? Because tonight's thing to think about is the old Marty Robbins Grammy Award winning 1959 classic, El Paso. Why is this important? I'm not sure if I'll ever set foot in El Paso in my life, and no one has written any cool songs about Blanco. So.... there you go.
I think my parents had this record when I was kid, because I remember listening to it as a kid, and it has stuck with me ever since. Why is this song awesome? Well, it's about a guy who goes to a bar, falls in love, realizes his crush has a boyfriend, shoots the boyfriend (I repeat: he shoots the boyfriend!), rides away on a stolen horse, realizes he can't live without his new lady friend (who he just saw in a bar, it's not like they were living together), rides back into town to find her, gets shot by the posse looking for him, and (SPOILER ALERT) dies in the arms of his lady. That's badass!!! Give it a listen, and have a good night. And avoid gun battles in bars in Texas, because I don't think they end well for anyone.
Beer #337 Sugar Hill Golden Ale / Harlem Brewing Company, New York, NY Beers to go:29
After a busy Sunday hosting a tailgate party fundraiser (thank you to those who supported us!), it's time for a relaxing Sunday. And of course in my world, that means Sunday brunch. There are few things I enjoy more than brunch, particularly on a nice, sunny Sunday. It's a peaceful, enjoyable way to spend a slow paced weekend morning; some eggs, some bacon, a Bloody Mary.... can't wait.
Before we get there, let's keep the countdown rolling and review the Sugar Hill Golden Ale from Harlem Brewing Company. In the glass, this beer has a clear gold color with a wispy white head. Your nose finds aromas of grain and honey, and the taste has flavors of malt sweetness and bread, with a floral, honey character. Easy drinking at 4% ABV, this beer is a good alternative to macro light beers. If you see it on the shelf, give it a try.
Drinker's Delight
This brewery has been in business since 1996, and is minority owned and operated. For those who were wondering, Sugar Hill is a neighborhood in Harlem, and was given the name in the 1920's when affluent African Americans moved there to live "the sweet life." Prominent residents included W.E.B. DuBoise, Duke Ellington, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, to name a few.
Thing to Think About Today:
I know that with a beer named Sugar Hill, you're expecting some Rapper's Delightby The Sugarhill Gang. And knowing how much I love the Rolling Stones, maybe you're expecting some Harlem Shuffle. However, it's a Sunday, and if you've forgotten the first paragraph, it's almost time for brunch. A key component of brunch is a relaxed environment, and music can play a huge a part in making that happen. So, let's pay homage to a Sugar Hill resident and let Duke Ellington finish up with Take the A Train - a song that also makes reference to Sugar Hill in the lyrics. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.... see you at brunch.
Whatever you want to call her...hurricane, superstorm, cyclone...Sandy wreaked havoc on the east coast. I know many people, whether through real life or Internet connections, who were deeply impacted by this storm. Friends have been without power for days. One of their parents lost everything. As I sit here at age 37, looking at the life I've created for myself, I can't begin to imagine what it's like to have it all washed away after a much fuller lifetime.
I thank god we were spared this time around. Last October we weren't so lucky. But after a week of living without power, tossing out everything in our refrigerator and several thousand dollars in home repairs, we're back to normal. In fact, the house is looking better than ever. But our neighborhood wasn't destroyed. Our schools were fine. I didn't find myself in a shelter or dealing with FEMA.
This time around I find myself feeling guilty and lost. What can I do? I'm just far enough away to make the logistics of volunteering in person too challenging. It's time to put my money where my mouth is and make a contribution to the relief efforts. And I'm asking you to do the same.
Click one of the links below to support either the Red Cross or the ASPCA. Better yet, click both of them like I did!
Another option is a donation of blood. Countless blood drives were cancelled during and after this storm and blood is a much needed resource all the time -- not just during natural disasters. Check out the Red Cross's site for a blood drive near you.
Just in case the links above don't work, click here for the Red Cross and here for the ASPCA.
In keeping with my New York theme, I'm reviewing the Sugar Hill golden ale from the Harlem Beer Company.
It poured a golden apricot color with a thin white head and has a bready fruit aroma with undertones of honey. The flavor has some metallic hop bite, biscuit and fruity hop. It's an easy drinking beer. Not one I would go out of my way to find but enjoyable. Cheers!
Raise your hand if you're knocking on the door of being 90% done with your 365 craft beers from 365 craft breweries in 365 days adventure?
<looks around.... doesn't see anyone else with their hand raised>
Feeling good about the progress so far, but there are 37 more beers to go. A lifetime in beer blogging years, really. Speaking of lifetimes, it feels like this week took a lifetime to complete. Surprising, considering that I only worked three and a half days this week. I know you're in the same boat, I know you're tired, I know you're cranky, I know you're ready for the weekend.
Therefore, enough with the fluff - it's business time. Tonight's beer is the Citra Blonde Summer Brew from Widmer Brothers, located in Portland. Speaking of Portland, currently two friends of ours are wrapping up an extended vacation in Portland, and their pictures, tweets, and texts make me wish I was getting on a plane to head back to one of the greatest beer cities in the world tomorrow. Anyway, this was a brewery we did not visit in Portland during the beer vacation back in June, mostly due to the fact it's distributed to the East Coast, and therefore wasn't a huge priority. Still... would have been nice to visit them in person.
This beer has a clear, pale gold color with a slight white head. The aroma is of lemon and hops, and when you take a sip, you get plenty of citrus and fruit, with subtle malt notes, and a dry bitter finish. This is a light bodied beer, but still packs a ton of flavor. Great beer, and I'm daydreaming about next summer as I write this one.
Sup, bro?
Widmer started back in 1979, when Kurt and Rob Widmer started home brewing. A brewery followed in 1984, and the rest is history. Yes, tonight's beer is a summer seasonal, but again let me say: good beer knows no season.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of the Widmer Brothers, I'm letting the Avett Brothers wrap up with Shame. No shame in tonight's beer, no shame in my game.
Beer #327 Golden Wing / Finch's Beer Company, Chicago, IL
Highlight of my day? Got a new sweater, and the wrong color arrived. Yep. And it seems a foregone conclusion that my old man basketball team is going to get curb stomped tonight... again. One of those days.
However, the show must go on, so tonight I'm reviewing Golden Wing, a blonde ale from Finch's Beer Company, which is based in Chicago. In the glass, this beer is a hazy yellow color, with a fluffy white head. You find aromas of citrus, yeast, and bread, and the taste has earthy and nutty notes, with a bit of fruit and and a dry, bitter finish. Definitely worth a try if you find it near you.
Bird is the Word
Finch's is a relative newcomer to the scene, and the founding partners have backgrounds in art, design, and architecture. Now you know!
Thing to Think About Today:
If these wings are golden, I'll stick with the theme and drop in some Golden Years by David Bowie. My second place choice here tonight was going to be Broken Wings by Mr. Mister. Maybe someone out there on the internet can mash the two together. Anyone?
I'm posting from the car so this is going to be short and sweet.
Finch's Beer Company is based in Chicago, Illinois. I had the fortune to find a can of their Golden Wing blonde ale (5% ABV).
It poured a hazy golden color with a white head. It smells a bit of banana. The flavor is very hoppy -- very much more than I expected for a blonde ale. There's also some bready yeast flavor and spice. The hops are a bit too dominant for me and it has a surprising bitter finish. I'll rate it average...I'm sure someone out there would enjoy a very hoppy golden ale; just not me.
Beer #305 Het Kapittel Watou Blond / Brouwerij Van Eecke, Poperinge-Watou, Belgium
Recently had the chance to eat dinner at Teresa's Next Door, which was nice because I hadn't been there in ages. I've had some rather good times at Teresa's through the years, and I was starting to miss the place. I think we subconsciously put them on the "bad" list because their beer list on the web isn't updated in real time, which is very inconvenient when you're trying to cross very, very specific beers off the list. Based on some great new beers they were pouring, I feel confident stating Teresa's is now firmly back in rotation. I know you were worried.
Your beer for the evening is the Watou Blond, from Brouwerij Van Eecke in Belgium. This blond ale pours a clear gold color, with a nice white head. The aroma has a light biscuit scent, and the taste gives you a strong biscuit taste, with floral and honey notes, and a bit of a copper penny aftertaste. Interesting beer that seemed to change its profile as it warmed a bit at the table.
Love the branded glassware
This brewery traces its roots back to 1629, when a brewery was first constructed in the town. That structure was burned down during the French Revolution (the brewery is located in the Flanders region, which was once part of France). It was rebuilt in 1820, and eventually ownership was passed to the Van Eecke family, and in 1962 the Leroy family took over. Wait - the LEROY family took over? Who's the man now, LEROY? I digress. Anyway, Google translates the word 'Kapittel' to 'Chapter'. Now you know.
Thing to Think About Today:
If we have a blond covered in the beer review, let's go ahead and spend some time with some non-blonds. In fact, 4 Non Blondes and their super hit from 1992, What's Up? Ah, the days of grunge. Sure, the music was great, but good heavens that fashion trend was hideously, abominably, unspeakably awful. Chicks wearing seven layers, ripped jeans, thermals, shit kicker boots, hats on backwards, body suits, everyone looking crazy depressed - what a freaking disaster. Let us all promise to NEVER let that fashion trend come back full force. Thank you. With that rant over, let's get on with the music, shall we?
Beer #289 Worthington's Red Shield / William Worthington's Brewery, Burton Upon Trent, England
Wrapping up some writing, then heading to TJ's to cross a few more beers (and maybe ciders) off the list. Need to make hay while the sun shines! Today's beer is Worthington's Red Shield, a blonde ale from Worthington's Brewery (more on that later). This one was drank out of a purple plastic cup, so not much on the color. The aroma was of grain and barley, and there's a good, easy flavor of grain, yeast, and hop bitterness. Fairly mellow beer all around.
I almost didn't have a photo to share, as it was trapped in my old phone. Did I mention I had good news on that front? My photos, which mysteriously disappeared from my dying phone, returned back to the phone the next day in an equally mysterious manner. Spooky, and it's not even Halloween. The good news is the nice people at Verizon can copy the pictures over to the new SIM card, so I think I'll be fine, and I emailed a few photos of beer and Flash over before I switched to a new phone. I apologize for all of my cursing last Friday. As a professional beer blogger, I need to hold myself to a higher standard of writing excellence. One that doesn't rely on any goddamn curses to tell my tale.
Shields up!
History class may be a bit fuzzy today. This brewery traces its roots back to 1761, when William Worthington opened the doors. It merged with rival Bass in 1927, and then was later spun off and purchased by Molson Coors in 2000. The brewery is more famous for their White Shield brew, an IPA that ranks as the third most popular ale in England in terms of sales. It's been brewed at a succession of other breweries after the original brewery closed in 1965, although it appears they've re-opened a new brewery in the same town as the original, Burton Upon Trent. In the header, I've attributed this beer to William Worthington's, although I've also seen references to Museum Brewing Company and White Shield Brewery. If you have the full story, please let me know, as I clearly don't, and neither does the internet.
Thing to Think About Today:
I need to get my hustle on and get some dinner, so let's go ahead and take an obvious cue; Red Shield beer (apparently) gets you thinking about Red Red Wine by UB40. 1980's, go ahead and sing us to sleep tonight.....
Three things to chew on this lovely Monday evening.
1. The Lion Sleeps Tonight is one of the greatest pick-me-up songs ever. I was ready to come home and slip into a coma. The song came on and I may make it to 9:00 p.m.
2. Littering has become a crime to be punished by death in my world. Pick it up, you lazy fuck. And yes, I am yelling at you from my car.
3. The acorn apocalypse has begun. Do not come to my home. You've been warned.
And now for the Red Shield. Worthington's Red Shield is brewed by Museum Brewing Company / White Shield Brewery in Burton-on-Trent, England. It looks like Molson Coors may own it now but the brewery has a history dating back to 1744. I'll allow it.
The Red Shield is labeled as a blonde ale but I thought it had many triple characteristics. It was well balanced between the malts and hops. It was a little bread-like and had lots of caramel flavor. I drank it out of a solo cup so I can't judge the color but it did have a big, thick head. The ABV is too low for a tripel (4.2%) and it didn't have any booziness in the flavor.
Today was out of control and I am very, very happy to have a fun dinner on the books for tonight. That being said, I probably should have walked out the door about seven minutes ago. Oops.
Tonight's beer if the Valeir Blond from Brouwerij Contreras in Belgium.I'm linking to 12 Percent importer's website because the one for Brouwerij Contreras doesn't seem to work. The blond poured a slightly hazy apricot color with lots of bubbles and an off white head. The head disappeared leaving little islands of thin foam floating here and there on the surface of the beer.
I'm assuming the date on the bottle (10/13/13) is a best by date because this beer is quite delicious. It smells of Belgian candi sugar and fruit. It had a thin mouthfeel but was very flavorful.The ABV is listed at 6.5% but after drinking it, I would have guessed it to be much higher.The flavor is malt and fruit with a strong backbone of hop flavor. There are notes of green apple. It's quite hoppy for a blond ale but it works.
Beer #209 Mission Blonde / Mission Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
Big day today, and not just because it's Friday. I'm moving to a new job next week (same company), so today was my last day in a job that I've really enjoyed doing over the past six years. I've been fortunate to work with some great people and I've had the opportunity to lead some, shall we say, interesting projects. I'll miss working with external clients, but I've been given a great new opportunity which I'm very excited about. More on that later when I figure out exactly what I'll be doing in this new job. The gang threw a little going away breakfast party this morning, and I was given a very appropriate going away present: beer! Specifically, four six packs of craft beer, which I'll certainly put to good use in relative short order. Thanks to everyone who helped make the past six or so years an awesome adventure, you guys are the best!!!
Still working through our vacation beers for reviews, so today's beer is the Blonde from Mission Brewing Company. I drank this one while sitting on the outdoor patio at the Loews, enjoying a warm evening and view of the San Diego Bay. I drank it from the bottle, so I have no idea about color or aroma, but the taste had earthy, grassy, malt notes with a hint of a metallic finish. This one lives somewhere between a kolsch and a lager, and was the perfect way to wind down a day in sunny San Diego.
No, the beer isn't on fire. That's a fire pit in the background.
There was a Mission Brewery in San Diego back before the days of Prohibition, and this brewery resurrected the name four years ago.
Thing to Think About Today:
Today is July 6, which is traditionally the start of the San Fermín Festival in Pamplona, Spain - famously known for the running of the bulls through the city streets. This doesn't have much of anything to do with me changing jobs or beer from San Diego, but one of my all time favorite books by an all time favorite writer uses this festival as a central plot theme. Therefore, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is our thing to think about today.
Published in 1926 and set in Spain, this book explores the life of a World War I veteran and the woman he loves, who also happens to find herself in a relationship with the main character's friend as well as a local matador, while also being engaged to be married to a fourth gentleman. The book bases characters on real people and experiences Hemingway had, and brilliantly explores the intertwined relationships and the themes of love, sexual freedom, death, honor, morality, hard work, nature, and bravery. Pretty much standard Hemingway fare, although when you're one of the greatest writers of the past 100 years, even "standard fare" is a spectacular work of art.
If you've never read this book, hit your local library and borrow a copy. There's a heat wave sweeping the country, so this weekend you should find some air conditioning or a swimming pool and enjoy a great story.
Beer #194 Double D Blonde Ale / Hop Valley Brewing Company
Today's beer is the Double D Blonde Ale from Hop Valley Brewing, which we picked up in Whole Foods and drank back in the hotel to close out the night. It had a clear gold color with a fair amount of effervescence and a white head. You get the aroma of grain, and this is an easy drinking beer with flavors of wheat and barley. Checks in at 4.9% ABV. With a name like Double D, I was expecting something., perhaps.... a bit more full sized from this beer.
Hotels need to start providing me with pint glasses
Thing to Think About Today:
The Pacific Northwest is an incredibly beautiful region filled with countless outdoor adventures. Which totally explains why we waited in line for fifteen minutes last night to eat doughnuts. But not just any doughnuts - Voodoo Dooughnut, home of possibly the greatest doughnuts in the world. Look, I love Dunkin Donuts as much of the next guy, but my local DD doesn't offer up the Old Dirty Bastard, a raised doughnut with chocolate frosting, crushed Oreos, and peanut butter on top. Voodoo also offers up delights like the Memphis Mafia, which is glazed fried dough with banana and cinnamon, with chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips on top. I can't even begin to to imagine how much weight I gained during this trip, but having the chance to eat at places like Voodoo is totally worth it.
The Voodoo Doll doughnut. Your doughnuts are now irrelevant.
We've departed Jenner (CA) for Santa Rosa early this morning and on our way managed to visit one of California's most dangerous beaches -- Goat Rock Beach. Dangers included rip currents, strong backwashes and sleeper waves. Not included on the list were giant jagged rocks and nesting sea lions who evidently get really riled up when humans are nearby recently born pups.
Apologies for this crackhead photo. I managed to go out without the Blackberry, ipad or camera on this beer run. Mission Brewery Blonde Ale is an American style blonde ale and is brewed in San Diego. The brewery was founded in the early 20th century and was shut down thanks to Prohibition. It reopened in 2007 and seems to be winning awards ever since.
I had this one in a bottle and it didn't come with a glass. No comments on looks or smell. The flavor is malt forward with very little hop influence. It has a fuller mouthfeel. The flavor is a bit citrusy and also had something slightly metallic in the taste. It was a decent beer...just not a great beer. Cheers.
P.S. This was the view I had waking up this morning! Not bad!
After an amazingly productive day yesterday, today was a day of relaxation and family time. Spent the day with the fam at Mom & Dad's house, despite both my sister and I offering to host a Mother's Day gathering. Mom's a good cook and likes to do it, and having Mom host allowed my sister-in-law and nephew to stop by as well. Plus, my nieces - who absolutely love dogs - got to spend the afternoon with our pups. If that's not enough, I picked up some great belated birthday & anniversary gifts, so it was a great day in all.
Now comes some additional relaxation on the deck to close out the day. Today's beer is a Belgian pale ale from a Canadian brewery, Hopfenstark. It pours a hazy apricot with a thick white head and gives off aromas of bread, flowers, and fruit. The taste has a balance of yeast, orange, and a persistent spice. There's also a nice sweetness hiding out in there too. Easy drinking at 5% ABV, I would definitely like to have this beer again. Particularly as my allergies went apeshit today, and my assessment of aroma and flavor may be way off base. Someone buy one and let me know what you think.
Safe to cross & drink!
So what is Ostalgia? This word references nostalgia for the former East German nation, as some folks are apparently struggling with the culture of the unified Germany. One example is their desire to retain the green figure in their crosswalk signals - one of which can be seen on the bottle. What that has to do with this brewery, I'm not yet sure. However, now you'll know when it's safe to cross the street should you ever find yourself in the country formerly known as East Germany!
Things to Think About Today:
In honor of Mother's Day, let's the incredibly amazing sounds of Paul Simon and his Mother and Child Reunion carry us home. To all of the mothers out there (especially mine), thank you for the time and energy spent raising us all. You guys rock, and I hope you all had a great day!
Tonight you are getting lucky! You get two posts for the price of one. Gary led me astray at Wegman’s and told me that I hadn’t reviewed Magic Hat yet. Their Vinyl was sitting there on the beer shelf, giving me the eye so I brought it home and the review is below. But that isn’t tonight’s review. Tonight I review Atwater Brewery’s Dirty Blonde -- a blond ale.
It poured a crisp clear straw color in my glass. It smells very mild -- lots of general beer scent. I’ll blame that on my allergies. The head was big and fluffy and shortlived. If anyone remembers the blond ale I drank a few nights ago, this is nothing like that one. It’s light and refreshing at 4.5% ABV albeit slightly on the thin side. It drinks with hints of lemon citrus flavor and finishes with wheat notes. I could see drinking a few of these at a Phillies game or PSU’s Blue-White game.
And now onto tonight’s original post:
Last night we caught up with longtime friends and I spent way too much time talking beer as if I know what I’m talking about. For whatever reason, it is still mildly frightening when someone heeds my opinion on beer and takes my blog with them when shopping for themselves. I should not have this kind of influence!
But sitting outside until late in the evening last night combined with today’s beautiful weather has me thinking thoughts of spring and that has influenced my choice of beer this evening. I went with Magic Hat’s spring seasonal -- Vinyl.
It poured a fine amber in my glass with a thin, slightly off-white head. My allergies are killing my sense of smell so the best I could do on that front is that it smells like lager. The taste is uncomplicated. Good balance between the malts and hops and it does finish with stronger hop notes. There are definitely fruit notes - maybe plums? Overall it is perfect for sitting on my deck, writing this post, rocking out to My Hoopty and crushing strangers in Words with Friends. Cheers!
p.s. Magic Hat hails from Burlington, Vermont - an insanely fun town. It’s where a few of us ran a relay marathon a few years back under the team name The Sweat Hogs. We had awesome matching t-shirts (with logos, of course) and coordinating headbands and wristbands.
Do:
Eat at the sushi restaurant on Church Street (it was awesome, but I can’t remember the name of anything ever)
Run along Lake Champlain
Drink craft beer at many of their fine establishments
When I say blond ale, do you think 13% ABV? Nope. Neither do I. And yet that’s what I find myself drinking after a long afternoon of overeating and too much wine.
Sidebar: Next time I complain about my job, remind me that I spent three hours eating and drinking today. And got paid to do it. And it was GOOD.
So here I sit out on the deck. T-shirt, bare feet and one helluva beer. It’s March 13 for god’s sake. I realize it’s not politically correct, but I LOVE GLOBAL WARMING if this is global warming.
Brasserie Grain d’Orge promotes the Belzebuth as the most unique ale in the world on the bottle. On their website, it’s billed as the strongest beer in the world. LIARS. I just saw an announcement about something coming in at 17% ABV but who am I to quibble. OK. I love to quibble. But that’s an entirely different post.
It pours a nice copper color into my Miller Lite pint glass. Oh yeah…this glass is so old the colors are starting to fade. In a household that loves to break glasses (I’m looking at you, Gary), I’m surprised this one has made it to the fading ink stage.
Belzebuth is quite bubbly and had a small whitish head. For being a big, bad ass beer, the flavors were very even. Good balance of malt and hops. There was definite grainy sweetness. The alcohol gets you in the nose as you swallow…akin to sipping on good bourbon. The carbonation isn’t overpowering, just nice and refreshing. Is it the best in the world? That is a subjective question. Do I like it? Why, yes, I do.
p.s. The bottle is less than 9 oz.
p.p.s. Go outside immediately and enjoy the close approach of Venus and Jupiter. Despite being gazillions (a highly technical and utterly scientific measurement) of miles apart, they appear to be sitting an easy commute apart in the west-southwest sky. Venus is notably brighter. Bam. Knowledge dropped.
p.p.p.s. The highlight of my evening commute: Blaring Jay-Z. Windows down. Sunroof open. Possibly being a spectacle in the Mini. I look over to my left and the most classic example of Main Line lady is sitting in the passenger seat of a Mercedes with her window down. I wish I had a photo of the disdainful face she made it me. I may or may not have giggled delightedly. She rolled up her window.
Beer #78 Derniere Volonte / Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!, St. Jerome, Canada
On a lovely sunny, Sunday afternoon I'm opening a Derniere Volonte from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!, straight outta Canada. This blond ale has a hazy apricot color in the glass, and you're instantly greeted by a light and sweet floral aroma. The beer has flavors of bread, honey, with a hop bitterness throughout. Much hoppier than the average Belgian blond, so be prepared for that if you're not a fan of hops (looking at you, Marci....) in your beer. Derniere Volonte brings along a 6.5% ABV, and it's a nice alternative when you want some good hop flavor while still getting a subtle sweetness to your beer.
A few things to add here:
1. This beer is completely appropriate for me to drink on Sunday, as the brewery names translates to "God in Heaven!" No word on whether God's attorneys intend to file copyright infringement suits.
2. Yes, the brewery includes an exclamation point on the end of their name! Okay!
3. The name of the beer translates to "Last Will", so between this and the Farewell Ale from Haand last Friday, I'm clearly working on a morbid theme here.
4. In the spirit of this morbid beer theme, did you know my first paying job was working for a funeral home washing cars? My friend's dad was the funeral home director, and paid us something like $7 or $9 per car, depending on whether we were washing a hearse, limo, minivan, Cadillac, etc. To a 14 year old kid in the early 90's, that was an awesome job and good pay.
Thing to Think About Today:
If we're being morbid, let's at least enjoy the ride. No better way to do that than to encourage you to watch Zombieland, an epic tale of surviving a zombie apocalypse. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone (still under the radar at that point), and a hilarious Bill Murray cameo, this film is guaranteed to entertain. If you don't love it, I'll ask Woody Harrelson to personally call and apologize.
Today is Saint Valentine's Day. An overly commercialized Hallmark holiday during which both genders are made to feel very poorly about themselves and their relationships or lack thereof both intentionally and unintentionally. I heard about "shred your ex" parties at local bars, last ditch campaigns to buy forgotten flowers, efforts to extoll the virtues of gold plated fake roses and the merits of edible underwear throughout my morning commute. /sigh
Why today? Why not every day? Why does it have to cost so much money? Why can't saying "I love you" happen every day without needing a reminder from card shops and florists? What happened to romance? The little things?
I'm incredibly lucky in the romance department. From having my coffee brought upstairs to me while I get ready for work every morning to a "you look cute today" with a playful pat on the rear...from a sweet peck on the cheek while I do dishes to getting kissed on the exact part of my neck that makes my knees go weak...I know I'm loved and appreciated. Every day.
But it doesn't end there. More should be done to celebrate the love among friends. Sometimes a simple email addressed to M-Dawg does more to brighten someone's day than any number of roses could. Or it's just a thank you call, or a handmade notecard and rock candy.
Starting today I'm challenging myself and anyone reading this to spread the love to the other 364 days of the year. Get going! There's work to be done!
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Today I'm drinking Barnwood blonde ale from Crown Valley Brewing in Missouri. It poured a pale gold with a thin white head. It had a sweet bouquet and taste...almost honey-like. Very mild overall with an interesting twist with the sweetness. I drank the entire pint trying to place what the taste reminded me of. Maybe wheat? Gary suggested rice. It definitely wasn't honey. Crown Valley describes it as an entry level craft beer and I think that's a fair description. I could see drinking a few of these on a hot summer day.
