Happy Father's Day

Day #554 Witte / Ommegang, 
Previously from this brewery: Gnomegang, Biere d'Hougomont one and Biere d'Hougomont two, Three Philosophers one and Three Philosophers two, and Aphrodite

Hope you've all enjoyed a wonderful Father's Day today with your loved ones!  Courtesy of my brother-in-law and sister doing all the work in hosting a party, we had a great cookout and now I'm back home stuffed and too tired to write about beer.  But apparently not too tired to work the scanner, as I've been going through the archives to pull out choice pictures of me and my Dad from way back in the day.  Say for example:

Plaid suit, fur lined jacket... I was a four year old pimp!
Where's my cane?

I'm very thankful to have an awesome dad who taught me lessons about hard work, character, and doing the right thing.  I just wish I had half of his work ethic.  Plus, he (and my mom) got me on the path to being a huge Penn State fan as a child, which I greatly appreciate!!!  Good work, Dad.

In the spirit of the sunny day we had for the greater part of the afternoon, your beer review is a bottle of Witte from Ommegang.  This beer pours a pale, effervescent yellow with a wispy thin head.  Your nose finds aromas of cracker and grain, and when you take a sip you notice faint flavors of banana, clove, and bread.  This is a very light, very refreshing beer that still brings flavor that macro beers just can't seem to find. Definitely good for a warm summer day.

Delightful

Thing to Think About Today:
I've been working hard to find a great song about Father's Day.... and I'm struggling.  You guys have any suggestions?  Most are about absentee dads or fathers who failed to measure up to the job description - not exactly what I'm trying to highlight here.  In lieu of something more appropriate, I will leave you with a song from my dad's era, Fortunate Son.  The lyrics don't work, but I guess that title fits, as I do feel fortunate. It will have to do, as I'm done here.  Happy Father's Day, all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f33qUqdZapw

And Then There Was One

Beer #365 Dirty Blonde Ale / Atwater Brewing Company, Detroit, MI
Beers to go: 1

There you have it - 365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 straight days.  Okay, fine, we're not exactly done just quite yet.  Somewhere early in the journey, people started pointing out that 2012 was a leap year, so we have since amended the plan to finish 366 from 366 in 366.  However, I wanted the record to reflect that the original finish line is now in the rear view mirror.  Just saying.

I'll save the pomp and circumstance for tomorrow and just get right into a beer review today.  The second to last beer ends up being the Dirty Blonde Ale from Atwater Brewing in Detroit.  This beer has a crystal clear, pale gold hue with a wispy white head and plenty of carbonation.  Inhale and you pick up aromas of bread and some light citrus.  Take a sip and you find flavors of grain, grass, and orange peel.  Nice, relaxing, easy beer - particularly good today, as yesterday's party for TJ's ninth anniversary had some very big, complex, high ABV beers.  Need to mellow out a bit today....

Do Dirty Blondes have WAY more fun?

This brewery is located in an old factory warehouse building which was built in 1919.  Atwater first opened for business in 1997, and can be found in downtown Detroit's Rivertown district.

Thing to Think About Today:
With just one beer to go, this song certainly seems appropriate - let's wrap things up tonight with Three Dog Night singing One.  Only one more to go... do stop by tomorrow, won't you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUlw3ACdN5s

"It's just no good any more since you went away....."

Three the Hard Way

Beer #352 Gumballhead / Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN
Beers to go: 14

Tonight I'm reviewing a beer from a brewery I've had on my wish list for some while.  I managed to score a bottle as a gift from a friend who is connected in the seedy beer trading underworld.  Ask them no questions, they'll tell you no lies.  Tonight, you get the long-anticipated Gumballhead, a pale wheat ale from Three Floyds Brewing.

This beer is a hazy gold, with very little head in the glass.  The aroma is of grapefruit and lemon - more like an IPA than a wheat beer.  The texture of this beer is thin, but the taste is flavorful; packed with citrus, wheat, and some light peach notes.  There's a nice bit of hops in there giving it a dry, mildly bitter finish.  Definitely more hops than I was expecting from a wheat beer, but nothing overpowering.  With a great blend of drinkability and flavor, this beer will hopefully be a go-to beer for me... should they ever decide to ship to Pennsylvania.  Until then?  Someone in Chicago (because really, I don't know anyone who lives in Indiana) needs to ship me some, and pronto.  While this beer doesn't reside in my home state, it does officially earn a spot in my Top 25 for the year.

Fun label, better beer.

In case you were wondering, and you probably were, this brewery was in fact named for three Floyds: Mike Floyd and his sons Nick and Simon.  The brewery started in 1996, and in 2005 they added a brewpub for to serve the many people who came to visit and sample their beers.  Gumballhead was named in honor of a character created by underground cartoon artist Rob Syers.

Thing to Think About Today:
In this space, I've shared with you one of my favorite bands in the world, Talking Heads, five times to date.  Let's face it, if today is a Top 25 beer, don't you deserve the best?  Well, you do, but I have interests beyond the music of Talking Heads, so I'll leave you with another great artist - Warren Zevon, and his unusual classic Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.  This particular performance was the last live show Zevon did, as he passed away shortly thereafter in 2003.

A world class beer named for an underground comic, wrapped up by a beautiful and mournful song about mercenary from Norway who served in the Congo War, only to lose his head (well obviously) and haunt the battlefield to exact his revenge.  One of those nights, people.  One of those nights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhRRWwH3Fro

Beer 338: Three Floyds Gumball Head

I bought myself a cashmere cape. It has a lot of buttons and I'm not sure how to put it on exactly. And here I thought I was smart.

One thing I do know is a good beer when I taste one. And the Gumball Head from Three Floyds Brewing is an awesome beer. It's brewed in Indiana and is an American pale wheat ale. I'm fortunate to have gotten my hands on this one. Three Floyds only distributes to Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Thanks to a good friend who was willing to part with one of his last bottles!



First off the artwork on the label is phenomenal. Next the aroma. So good. It smells of strong, rich citrus hop with some pineapple and peach mixed in. The flavor is citrus hops, wheat and peach. It has a solid hop profile and is a very flavorful wheat beer.

If you've ever said you don't think wheat beer is for you, definitely find yourself a Gumball Head. It'll change your mind. This is a great beer and I wish I had more. Cheers!

Beer 168: Wolaver's and Meat in the Air

This is a dog who smells barbecue. He's been trotting back and forth across the deck, nostrils flaring, trying to figure out where the grill smell is coming from. Then he dropped a turd that could peel paint off the house. I guess that's payback for serving kibble and not grilled steak for dinner.



Today I'm drinking a Wildflower Wheat from Wolaver's Fine Organic Ales. Wolaver's merged with Otter Creek Brewing Company back in 1997 so I guess I inadvertently crossed two breweries off my list today.

The Wildflower Wheat poured a hazy deep gold with a small white head. It smells of wheat and malt. It's brewed with pure organic Vermont honey and chamomile and approved USDA organic if you're into that sort of thing.

There are hints of honey in the taste along with a smooth malt and wheat flavor and a bit of lemon. It drinks cleaner and crisper than a hefeweizen. I'll give it a very good rating, but not top 25.

Cheers!