Tastes Better Than It Sounds

Beer #295 Hochzeitsbier Von 1810 / Brauerei Hofstetten Krammer, St. Martin, Austria

Good day yesterday, as the Nittany Lions crushed Illinois to start off Big Ten play on the right foot.  Good day today as I got caught up on some work that needed to be done this afternoon, and now I'm officially in relaxation mode.

I'll celebrate by reviewing the Hochzeitsbier Von 1810, a beer from Brauerei Hofstetten Krammer in Austria.  This one was on tap at TJ's, and poured with a dark gold color.  Your nose picks up aromas of caramel and malt, and the taste is filled with a measured hop bitterness, sweet malt, bread, and a bit of spiciness as well.  Nice beer to sit on a fall afternoon and watch football with, and at 6.3% ABV you can do exactly that.  Definitely one I would order again without too much thought.  Kudos to the guys at TJ's for keeping some great new beers and breweries rolling in..... only seventy days left in the 365 challenge!

Austria, where you at?

This brewery can trace it's roots way, way back, all the way back to 1449.  The Google translation of the history page from their website suggests brewery ownership changed hands in 1847.  That's some straight up old for you old school people.

Thing to Think About Today:
Hey, you guys know how I like to make some really interesting connection from he brewery or beer to your thing to think about for the day?  Yeah, this isn't one of those days.  This song popped into my head this afternoon, and is now quite certainly rolling around in there, so perhaps it will roll through yours as well.  Yes, it was featured in an Apple ad.  That's where you heard this before, but that doesn't mean you can't listen again, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq-aNkBc2_M

Exciting Ten Minutes

Beer #272 Stiegl Pils / Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

It was a tremendously exciting way to kick off the weekend, with three rather important things happening all in the span of 10 minutes:
1. Walked to the front door of the house to find a box from Brooks Brothers, containing new shirts and socks.  I love Brooks Brothers; it's sort of all I'm wearing these days.  Looking forward to fall to start breaking out sweaters again.
2. A big black dog ran over to greet me.  Ordinarily that would be great, but this dog had no owner, and no tags on her collar.  Thankfully a neighbor had been chasing her and came equipped with a leash, which we used to walk this new and damp dog (she had been swimming in a stream near our house) to my fenced in back yard, where she stayed until an owner could be found.  Happy ending to this one, as Ellie Mae (that's the dog, not my neighbor) is now home safe and sound!
3. I went to the man spa to get a haircut.  It's my quiet time, with a little scalp & face massage thrown in for additional relaxation.  It's the weekend, so you know I need to look all kinds of handsome.

And that, my friends, is how you kick start a weekend.  Another good way is with beer, and tonight I give you the Stiegl Pils, by Stieglbrauerei.  I had this one at a picnic, so I poured it into a plastic cup.  Looked gold with a fluffy head due to my vigorous pour.  There's a slightly sweet aroma, and flavors of grain, apple, and lemon, with a tiny hint of spice.  Really nice and easy, and definitely a good summer picnic beer.

Picnic tested, picnic approved.

This brewery has been in operation since 1492.  As in the same year Columbus summered on the Jersey Shore, people.  Or, another way to think of it - this brewery had been in operation for 250 years when Mozart was born in Salzburg, the same town where you'll find Stieglbrauerei to this day.  A little history lesson for you to think about there.

Thing to Think About Today:
I'm just going to go ahead and assume that Mozart used to drink at this brewery way back when.  Which of course, means there's only one possible thing to think about as we kick off this weekend.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this dose of Falco is for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8niNHOs_kU

When Austria met Scotland

Beer #125 MacQueen's Nessie / Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg, Vorchdorf, Austria

I'm at home, in my favorite chair with a beer cracked, some good music on - the weekend has arrived and I'm feeling great.  I've been grumpy all week, so much so that I apologized to a few co-workers for my bad attitude.  However, there's nothing like a Friday to fix all of that.  Plus, I'm wearing a new sweater and received not one but two compliments.  I'll take it.

You all have fun things to do this weekend, so let's get down to business.  When I read the name MacQueen's Nessie on today's beer, I instantly got a vision of Scotland.  Bagpipes, kilts, peat bogs, Scotch....

You there! Is your name MacQueen?

Yeah, not exactly. This beer hails from Austria.  The land of......things that aren't Scottish.  This take on a red ale comes from Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg.  It's brewed with Scottish Highlands whiskey malt, and has a clear, light amber color with a thin and barely there head.  It has flavors of raisins, honey, and caramel, just not in an incredibly great combination.  Not very robust, this beer actually comes across with a somewhat watery taste.  Not sure what the whiskey malt managed to impart on the beer, as none of the good flavors I associate with whiskey seemed to be present.  Sorry, this one isn't a winner.

While the beer wasn't one I enjoyed, the brewery itself is an interesting story.  Based in a castle that was built in 971 (Wait, do you mean 1971?  No, I meant 971, or 1,041 years ago.) this brewery has been producing beer since the 14th century and selling beer commercially to the public since 1681.  I can definitely appreciate the historical aspect of this brewery, even if the beer wasn't one I'd have again.

Thing to Think About Today:
Today's beer didn't really due Scotland justice.  So, let's pay some proper respect here for the Scots.  Were you aware that Scotland has given the world some pretty awesome bands, such as Franz Ferdinand, Simple Minds, Annie Lennox, Travis, the Bay City Rollers, and a whole host of others?  If you didn't know that, now you do.  So let's kick off the weekend with a fun weekend-friendly song from a legendary Scottish band, The Proclaimers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0

Ah, 1993.  Good to have you back.

Beer 123: MacQueen’s Nessie

I have one random thought to share with you all tonight.  I love having a car that tells me exactly how many miles I can drive before completely running out of gas.  Last night I set a new record:  11 miles remaining.  That’s down from 13 when I last pressed my luck.

One day soon, I’ll live to regret this little competition.

***

Tonight I’m drinking a MacQueen’s Nessie.  It’s a whisky malt red beer and a product of Austria.  It looked like liquid honey in the glass.  Oddly it smelled strongly of honey - or maybe those Pine Bros. cough drops. The taste was kind of hollow.  Lots of scent as it approached my lips but then nothing and it had a weird dry, chemical finish.  Maybe it tastes like tea.  Is that peat from the whisky?  Isn’t peat involved in whisky making?  I don’t know.  This one is total yuck.

Here’s to a better beer tomorrow.  Cheers!