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
So, today wasn't what I would call outstanding. The nice people at General Motors made it a bit easier, if you call them paying for half of a new transmission easier. Or, they could just build transmissions that don't break. Maybe today will get better. Or... you know, not.
The beer du jour is a glass of Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewing; another beer that had first been in the fridge and then trapped in my notes for quite some time. This one has a dark black color with a wispy tan head, and gives you aromas of lightly toasted malts. When you take a sip there are notes of chocolate, toasted malt, oak, and a welcome sweetness. Again, I don't often seek out stouts, but when I do, this one is a definite go to option.
With the appropriate glassware, even!
As always, Left Hand, I apologize for stealing this pint glass. However, I did purchase a different pint glass, so therefore my guilt is relatively small. Relatively.
Thing to Think About Today:
Left Hand Brewery, meet Jenny Lewis for some Handle With Care. Night.
I'll be spending the day drinking all the beers at TJ's and watching Penn State football and then whatever other football I happen to find. So let's get the beer review out of the way.
That's the 400 Pound Monkey fromLeft Hand Brewing. It's an English style India pale ale brewed on the banks of the mighty St. Vrain. It poured a bright amber color with a medium but quick to disappear cream color head. It smells of caramel, good bread and lightly of hops. The flavor is full of orange, candi sugar with a solid hop bite. There's also some green grassy notes and it is very well balanced.
Speaking of the mighty St. Vrain, it flooded last month as a result of some monsoon-like rains in Colorado. Tons of damage was done but it appears that most of my favorite Colorado craft brewers were spared. Unfortunately many, many residents, other businesses and the parks were not spared. Left Hand Brewing has a little fundraiser going hereand you can also support the relief efforts through the Longmont Community Foundation. Personally I've stepped up my consumption of Colorado beers.
Beer stats
Style: India pale ale
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Day #684 Fresh Hop Pale Ale/ Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, CO
Previously from this brewery: My look at Titan IPAand a Colette
The best part thing about TJ's in Paoli, PA? Sure, the beer list is outstanding and the food is great, but most importantly: I can convince my co-workers to go there and complain about work. Win-win for everyone. People get to vent, I get delicious beer on my way home from work. Can't argue with that.
The beer for today is a Fresh Hop Pale Ale from Great Divide in Colorado. It pours with a bright copper color, and a light aroma of pine and citrus, with some bready malt as well. The taste is a mellow mixture of resinous pine, lemon peel, and biscuits with a dash of tea in there as well. Good bit of bitterness on the finish to close things out. Really nice beer, particularly for when you want some hops but don't want to be beaten over the head by them.
Death from above
This is a seasonal release, so if you see it, drink one.
Thing to Think About Today:
Something quiet for the evening shift. AC Newman and the slow and serious Come Crash.
Friday night before a bye week for Penn State football is a glorious night.I'm sleeping in until I feel like getting out of bed tomorrow. Or I'm going to go bonkers and hit a spin class and yoga to work off all the damage I've done at the previous five tailgates!
Tonight's beer is the Out of Bounds stout from Avery Brewingin Colorado. It poured a super dark brown with just a hint of light making it through the liquid around the edges. It had a thin cocoa-color head. The aroma was coffee, dark roasted malts and black pepper. The flavor was chocolate over bitter roast coffee with lots of malt. There's a good amount of hop flavor in there too. While it drank with a thin mouthfeel the taste lingered on my tongue for quite awhile.
Utah and the Western states have been on my mind recently. Why? Here's why:
1. Tonight's beer is a bottle of Hop Notch from Uinta, brewed in Utah. More on this later.
2. I recently watched a travel program on the scenic Highway 12, which winds through majestic southern Utah. The scenery was absolutely mind blowing, and I'd love to travel there some day. Simply breathtaking.
3. I recently read an article on sbnation.com about an ultra marathon runner who attempted to break a record by climbing (also running) the summits of all 55 14,000+ peaks in Colorado. His goal? All 55 ascents in ten days. TEN. As someone who's run an ultra marathon on extremely flat ground very close to sea level, I can't even fathom the strength, will power, and ability to tolerate pain this effort must have taken, let alone when you throw in the rock climbing needed for some of the tougher peaks. It's just insane, when you think about it. For those who have never had the pleasure, 14,000 feet of elevation is VERY high up, with VERY little oxygen. I've managed to summit one 14,000 foot peak, and I did that with the aid of a rental car and the highest paved road in North America. Although I did walk the last 100 feet to the summit, which greatly improved my self-esteem and relative sense of manhood. Here's a picture from the view from Mount Evans, where to no one's surprise, you can basically see forever.
Pretty much eye level with very high clouds
With all of this Rocky Mountain-ness in mind, tonight's beer is an IPA that pours a clear amber color with a lingering white head. There is plenty of pine and grapefruit in the aroma, and when you take a sip there is an earthy pine, with crisp lemon and grapefruit citrus. The beer is dry, but not as bitter as the aroma might lead you to believe, although there's definitely a bitter finish that you expect from a good IPA. This less-hops-than-expected thing is probably good, as I'm worried that my love of hoppy beers is permanently shifting my palate.
Not that scenic, but more delicious
Thing to Think About Today:
If mountains are clearly on my mind, then we'll go ahead and close out by thinking about hills. Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel, in fact. Good bye for another day, dear friends!
Mr. Blog Named Brew has a sickness. He freely admits not being able to walk past any of the beer displays at our local groceries without stopping to browse and ultimately buying at least one bottle. He succumbed again recently and we found ourselves in possession of The Maharaja from Avery Brewing Company.
"This," the Mr. declared very definitely after his first sip, "is a top 25 beer." Trust me, he says the exact same thing every time he drinks The Maharaja. So you know it's true.
The Maharaja is an imperial IPA, which is an IPA-derivative that I can get behind. Big flavor. Big hops. Big Beer. It pours a bright amber color with a pale beige head. I wrote in my notes that it "smells breast." What in the world does that mean? I'm going with bready--most likely correct because my spellcheck hates when I type bready. There's some honey and citrus hops in the aroma as well. The flavor is citrus, biscuits, lots of hops, and pine. It's a little boozy and has a mild alcohol burn. I like that it also has a strong malt presence to balance out all those hops. (It's brewed with a "deranged amount" per Avery's website and the hops include Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook. It's then dry-hopped with more Simcoe and Centennial!)
The Maharaja is part of Avery's Dictator Series. Unfortunately this is the only installment I've ever encountered.
Beer stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10-12% (varies by batch)
IBUs: 102
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Avery
My review of Hog Heaven(barleywine) and White Rascalwith a five-finger discount confession
A Hog Heavenreview from the Mr.
On Monday, May 20, The Doors' founding keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed away after a battle with cancer. One would have thought after surviving The Doors, you become immortal; however, it doesn't seem to work that way.
I found myself listening to a lot of music by The Doors during the days since. I'm not seeking it out--it just seems to be everywhere right now. Don't get me wrong, I listened to that band quite a bit in high school and college. And then I stopped. Why? I have no idea. But hearing it, especially L.A. Woman, has brought back some ridiculous memories. Perhaps the most ridiculous among them is a recollection of sitting in my room, blaring The Doors and writing trippy, rambling poetry, burning incense, donning flowing skirts and flannel shirts, reeking of patchouli.
If they say I never loved you
You know they are a liar
--Jim Morrison
What I would give for that journal of poetry right now...
In other news Breckenridge Brewingis creating a mixed case of canned beer and it includes Agave Wheat, which is one of my favorite beers. And since it's one of my favorite beers, I thought it was about time that I review it.
It pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a medium white head. It smells of wheat with a mild sweetness and just a bit of tanginess. It has a tart wheat-y flavor. Some lemon. And a very light bitter hop at the finish. It's very sessionable. In fact it's been the beer of choice at our tailgate for the warm weather games.
I'm truly bummed that we're not heading to Colorado this summer. It will be the first time in three years that I won't get to experience fresh mountain air--it really does smell better there--and how awesome the lack of humidity is for my hair. Seriously. You should see my hair in Colorado. Amazing.
Beer stats
Style: American unfiltered wheat ale
ABV: 4.2%
IBUs: 9
Rating: Excellent
Previously reviewed from Breckenridge
My 2nd post of this adventure with a review of the vanilla porter
Mr. Blog Named Brew's review of agave wheat His and hers reviews of 471 Small Batch and my review of Christmas ale
Beer #453 400 Pound Monkey / Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO
Previously from this brewery: Marci loves their Milk Stout, my take on Sawtooth Ale
I'm a bit tied up today with some important business tonight, so I'm going to get right to work. Today's beer review is the 400 Pound Monkey from Left Hand Brewing. In the glass, this English pale ale has a dark gold hue, with a thin head. If you stick your nose in the glass (as I do for every beer I drink, apparently), you pick up a rich malty aroma. When you take a sip (I always do that too), you get a perfect balance of bready malt and bitter hops, with plenty of floral notes, caramel, and mild citrus. Look, I love hop heavy beers as much as the next guy, but secretly I think I prefer ESBs and English pale ales for the wonderful job they do blending malt and hops together for a dynamic flavor experience. This imposing sounding beer (not quite as mean as an 800 lb gorilla, but still pretty bad ass) is actually quite mellow. Don't let the name scare you, you can drink this one without fear.
Monkey Man
Dearest Left Hand Brewing Company,
When I visited, I purchased the glass this beer ended up being poured into. But I also stole the Milk Stout pint glass my beer came in, and for this I apologize. To make up for it, I will continue to buy more of your beer. I'm all about keeping it honest and talking about what's lurking in my mind, you see. Good for the soul.
Affectionately yours,
This Guy
Thing to Think About Today:
Most days, I find a creative way to tie in the name of the beer or brewery to the post. I like to think of it a as a creative bit of punctuation at the end of every post. Some days I need to stretch and really ask you to make a leap to put things together, and some days I can't find anything to tie together. Today is not one of those days. You see, this beer is just begging for Monkey Man by the Rolling Stones. Have a good Thursday, my friends.
There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.
- author unknown
For the past few weeks, I've seen this quote pop up on a number of blogs that I read. It resonated at first because it was a new year and I was trying to make healthy changes. For me that meant parking on the lowest level of our garage and walking up the four levels of stairs to get into our building.
Then there were the moments where I was feeling a bit more of a leader and said it to myself as I pushed myself out of my career comfort zone and took on new projects. Then there was this week, where it translates directly into this photo in my mind's eye.
Breckinridge Brewery 471 Small Batch is a double IPA brewed in Colorado. The Small Batch series allows for some experiments and this one is definitely a success in my book.
From the Breckenridge website, it's described as a small batch, limited edition ale. It's brewed with Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils andTorrified Wheat malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by more hoppiness than you've ever had at one time.
I thought this was a particularly good DIPA. It poured an opaque apricot color with a minimal white head. The smell was peachy, fruity hops. And lots of them. The flavor was lots of fruit forward hops. I noted a medley of tastes but peach was dominant and there were undertones of citrus. It rounded out nicely with some caramel hoppiness and biscuit. It's bold but very smooth to drink.
Beer stats
Style: Double IPA
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 70
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Breckenridge
Christmas Aleand fond memories of getting the biggest television ever
If you're one of my three loyal blog readers or a Twitter follower, you may have noticed we took our tomfoolery on the road to Texas this past week. It was fantastic and fun and we got to cross another state off the list in our quest to visit every state in the Union. We're at about the midway point in that quest and are looking two knock down another two states in 2013 if all goes according to plan.
All I have to say about Texas--and Austin specifically--is that there is some amazing beer there. We did a lot of bar hopping and brewery visiting during the past four days and I'll regale you with reviews and photos in the coming weeks. Yes, weeks. We packed a lot into four days.
Funny story from the trip home. Both our outbound and inbound flights were plagued by a series of delays--perhaps that's why I tend to do most of my traveling during more agreeable weather. But as I stood in the security line at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, all that waiting paid off. I could have sworn something kept brushing up against my backside. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the usual families and random people who make up a security line. Odd. But there it was again. This time I noticed a slightly embarrassed mother pulling her child away. A young girl, maybe four years old. Awkward glances were exchanged and I shuffled forward. But then there was giggling and what was decidedly a small nose in the crack of my ass. Yes, that adorable kiddo had her face in my rump.
More awkward looks and some rather entertaining discipline between mother and child ensued. As did several more instances of inappropriate touching in public between my ass and a child's face. At one point I looked at the woman and before I could even say anything, she admits it is an extremely awkward phase her daughter is going through and apologized profusely. Honestly I was so entertained that I had some wonderfully bizarre material for my next post that the kid could have goosed me and I would have hugged her. And seriously? Who goes through a phase where they like to be extremely close to strangers' backsides?
I can't even begin to find a segue between having my butt face-groped by a toddler and Avery Brewing Company's Hog Heaven. So let's just get to it.
Hog Heaven is a dry-hopped barleywine style ale. The color is dark reddish-apricot and hazy with a medium cream color head. As I drank my way to an empty glass, the lacing was significant. The smell is decidedly hoppy with lots of of pine. Every so often I would get some fruit undertones, but I had to work to get there. The flavor...it's like a barleywine and a west coast IPA had a
baby! There were lots of bitter hops from start to finish. Beneath that is caramel malt
goodness and rich, dark fruit. Hog Heaven had a very interesting and unexpected
flavor.
Beer stats Style: Barleywine (dry hopped) ABV: 9.2% IBUs: 102 (crazy high IBUs) Rating: Good
I sent Gary out for groceries yesterday and he brought back groceries and a little surprise.
Oh those boys and their toys. Salinger approves.
It's actually not a small surprise at all. I'm the surpriseddismayed proud owner of a 46" Samsung blah, blah, numbers, ACRONYMS television. If I were less three dimensional, I would easily fit into this box.
Chinese-takeout-movie-marathon Christmas Day festivities have definitely been upgraded this year. Merry Christmas to us! Whoo-hoo!
There's a reindeer and balls joke in here somewhere.
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Christmas ale. This one comes courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. It's a winter warmer and perfect for today. It pours a crisp, clear shade of deep chestnut with a white head that leaves just a little lacing. It smells of caramel malt and general beer aroma.
The flavor matches the smell nicely. Lots of malt, some light caramel. I'm not getting much in the way of spices. At a 7.4% ABV, it is also a bit boozy.
From the description of a winter warmer on the BeerAdvocate site, it's hitting all the right marks. Winter warmers tend to be malty sweet--big malt presence, both in flavor and body. The color ranges from brownish reds to nearly pitch black. Hop bitterness is generally low, leveled and balanced, but hop character can be pronounced. Alcohol warmth is not uncommon.
Upon further research, not all winter warmers include spices. Per Breckenridge's description of their Christmas Ale, they went for the caramel and chocolate characteristics. So my assessment of no spice is accurate but I'm also not getting chocolate. Bummer. As my glass warms up a bit, more of the hop profile is coming out. It's just enough bite to balance the sweeter malt flavor.
Beer stats
Style: Winter warmer
ABV: 7.4%
IBUs: 22
Rating: Good
Previously reviewed beers from Breckenridge Brewery
My assessment of the Vanilla Porter with notes of it being a great complement to cheesy eggs way back on Day 2 Gary's review of one of my favorite tailgate beers, Agave Wheat
Day #379 471 Small Batch / Breckenridge Brewing Company
Previously from this brewery: Vanilla Porter, Agave Wheat
I'm officially all set and ready to go for tomorrow. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, and in bags ready to take on our travels, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that someone puts beer in there.
In the spirit of giving, I'm giving out another award tonight - the Biggest Miss of the Year. Very early in the adventure someone asked me if 366 different breweries even existed in the world. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he's delivered over 1,700 (and rapidly climbing) craft breweries in the U.S. alone. While we had to do some work and pay attention, finding 366 different breweries wasn't that big of a hurdle. Sometimes, the hurdle was knowing there are beers out there you want, and figuring out how you could get your hands on them. Two great examples of wonderful breweries that don't ship to Pennsylvania? New Glarus and Three Floyds. While we managed to broker deals to get those coveted beers in hand, there were other great breweries we just couldn't get to along the way. In the spirit of recognizing we have more work to do as the blog lives on, here the ones that got away:
Odell Brewing- from Fort Collins, CO, this brewery doesn't ship out of the midwest, and I neglected to get my hands on one during our brief trip to the Rockies this past summer. Wynkoop Brewing - I've been to this Denver, CO brewery previously, just not during the 366 challenge. Another brewery that doesn't ship anywhere near me. Looking forward to having another St. Charles ESB in the future. Choc Beer Company - do you know how hard it is to find beer brewed in Oklahoma? So imagine my disappointment when I was actually in Oklahoma for two days last spring, and couldn't find any Choc on draft, after having it when I was there in the fall of 2011. Shame on you, Buffalo Wild Wings in Bartlesville, OK. This is your fault! Gin and Tonics - my favorite summer drink; I severely reduced my consumption to keep the beers moving. Next summer, I come back with a fury on this refreshing beverage.
And the winner is.... Choc Beer Company! I'll be in Colorado or Idaho again soon enough. I could make a gin and tonic tomorrow. But another trip back to Oklahoma just isn't happening anytime soon. Sorry, Choc.... can you mail me some? Please?
Moving right along (and speaking of Colorado), tonight's beer is the 471 Small Batch from Breckenridge Brewing Company. This double IPA has a dull amber color with a thin wispy head. There are aromas of citrus with some pine, and the taste has notes of orange and lemon, with plenty of earthy pine, some malt to balance things out, and a good bit of hop bitterness on the finish. A potent beer at 9.2% ABV, this one was a great choice with the pizza I made for dinner tonight.
For your viewing pleasure, here's a shot I took from a visit to Breckenridge in 2010, from their deck upstairs looking out at the clouds rolling in over the mountains:
Ah, vacation.
Thing to Think About Today:
With Christmas Eve tomorrow night, I'm going to let the Yeah Yeah Yeahs close things out here with their wonderful All I Want for Christmas. It doesn't appear there's a real video for this song, but at least this will give you quick access to a song that brings me joy and puts a smile on my face. Good night people... and remember, there's still time for Santa to check his list. Be nice.
Day #377 Hog Heaven / Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO
Previously from this brewery: The Maharaja, White Rascal
It gives me great pleasure to report that I am done working for the year. Well, technically I'm in the office on New Year's Eve, but that's more of a social call than anything. Feels nice, as I haven't had time off at year end in a number of years. I will use some of the down time to keep working through my awards list for the year. Beer of the year, brewery of the year.... all the heavy hitters still to come.
So far, the Mayans seemed to have missed on the apocalypse thing (although the night is young - they didn't pick an hour), much to no one's surprise. However, on the odd chance that this was the end of the road, I was preparing myself by getting closer to heaven. No, not the mythological awesome place in the sky - a bottle of Hog Heaven from Avery Brewing. This barley wine is a bright, dark amber color (apologies for the bright/dark paradox there), almost like the color of tea. The picture below doesn't do this beer justice, so I apologize for that. The aroma is light, with plenty of hops and citrus. The taste is dry, with pine, tons of caramel, and a honey sweetness. More hops than your typical barley wine, which is just fine in my book. The beer got better as it warmed a bit in my glass, but regardless of the temperature it was straight up delicious. I mentioned when I reviewed The Maharaja that I intended to add more Avery to my line-up, and Hog Heaven definitely reinforces that opinion. Find it and drink it, you won't be disappointed.
Hog wild!
This brewery started brewing in 1993, and their increasing popularity has led to a number of expansions since then. Of particularly interest to me, Avery has been barrel aging beers since 2003.
Thing to Think About Today:
If I think about Hog Heaven... then clearly I'm thinking about Pigs In Space, an always classic skit on The Muppet Show. You can never have too much Muppet Show, quite frankly. And to tie up everything today with a nice, neat bow? This episode is about.... the end of the universe! Oh, you silly Mayans. Better luck next time, fellows.
I'm of the mind that if you're going to claim patriotism on one day, you really need to follow through the other 364 days. I'll also admit that I'm not the most patriotic person in the country. I've freely stated on more than one occasion that my fellow citizens embarrass me. Or so I thought.
Today started quite normal except for the fact that me and the Army of Dachshunds were on our own for wake up call, breakfast and the rest of the morning routine. Without someone else to trip over in the morning, I'm pretty efficient and found that me and the guys had time for breakfast outside. If you weren't out at 7am today, treat yourself to it tomorrow morning. It is GLORIOUS this week. I even remarked to Sal how beautiful and perfect it was. He agreed if that's what dropping a deuce in my flower bed means.
I headed off to work and that's when it hit me. It's September 11 and the day looked eerily similar to the one eleven years ago. Only I noticed how clear and so very blue the sky was much earlier...something I didn't notice eleven years ago until I was trying to figure out how to get from Philadelphia to my home. My mind wandered the way one's mind wanders when thinking about such a terrible event and I flipped on the radio for distraction. And that's when I turned into a patriotic blubbering mess.
God rest her soul...that Whitney Houston could sing the national anthem.
There was so much encouragement on the radio and online to spend time today doing something for someone else. Isn't that the way you should always conduct yourself? If you don't look out for others, do something kind for others, then doesn't that mean you're only looking out for yourself? And if you're only looking out for yourself, you're probably being a dick. And that goes against my philosophy of life: Don't be a dick.
So on this 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, don't be a dick and carry that with you from September 12 to September 10. You'll thank me for it.
My other advice for today...drink a Gubna from Oskar Blues Brewery. Gubna is an imperial IPA (10% ABV) brewed in Longmont, Colorado. The name of their tasting room is The Tasty Weasel. I've been there and it is awesome. Plus they do a great tour...very thorough.
The Gubna poured a deep, hazy orangey brown with a white head. It left lots of lacing inside the glass as I happily made my way to the bottom. The smell was a little off putting...kind of skunk-like. The taste is resinous and woody. It had some floral hop to it and a fantastic brown spiciness. I can't put my finger on the best word to describe the spice. Maybe something that goes into chili to give it a earthiness but not heat? Does that make sense to anyone? Hello?
Having been to Oskar Blues in person and having sampled many of their beers, I was surprised at how much I liked this one over all the others. I'll give the Gubna a very good.
On the drive home today, I encountered an ambulance not quite pulled off the road into a local parking lot. It's lights were whirling their warning. The rear doors were ajar and the stretcher was clearly en route to someone who needed it. And all I could think is that people should know better than to eat at a chain restaurant. The local parking lot was at a Bertucci's. I'm going to hell, aren't I?
Tonight's beer is the Red Banshee red ale from Fort Collins Brewery in Colorado. Somehow in all of my trips to Colorado, I haven't managed to get myself to Fort Collins. Perhaps I'll remedy that situation next year!
The Red Banshee poured a dense red tinged brown ale with a tan head that is leaving nice lacing in the glass. The aroma is toasted malt sweetness with earl grey tea undertones. The flavor is light and surprisingly sweet and the tea is much more noticeable when drinking it versus smelling it. I'm noticing dark bread flavors as well as a nice balance between malts and hops.
Beer #269 Red Banshee / The Fort Collins Brewery, Fort Collins, CO
I really wish I had more to talk about today, but for some reason my brain is fried. Wait, I know why - because everyone and their brother returned back to work today, and all of the things which have been on hold came roaring to life with the return of the masses. I love the fall, but enjoy the relative quiet late summer brings to the office.
We'll unwind with a beer; the Red Banshee from The Fort Collins Brewery. This red ale has a dark amber color, with a lingering off-white head. The aroma is very malty, and when you drink it you get flavors of stone fruits, lightly toasted malt, and hints of cocoa - not overly sweet, however. Good fall beer, even though I imagine summer temperatures will be hanging around for a few more weeks. Fall can hurry up and arrive, and then post up and stay here for quite some time.
She looks mean.
I've been to Fort Collins twice, but unfortunately both trips happened before I switched into full on beer geek mode. Hope to get back there again soon to pay these guys and their seven year old brewery a visit.
Thing to Think About Today:
In Irish folklore, a banshee is a spirit in the form of a woman, whose appearance and wailing is taken as a sign someone is going to DIE. Wow, that's seriously depressing. To cheer you up, let's call on another member of the spirit world to brighten things up - Ghostface Killah! To make sure one of my favorite members of the Wu (just kidding, they're all my favorite) is more accessible to the delicate sensibilities of this beer blog audience, I'll go with a mash-up here. That's right, we close tonight's show with Ghostface and indie music darlings Beirut putting their heads together for Save Me Concubine.
You want a live performance of this? You got it! Not sure Beirut and Ghostface will ever be in the same place at the same time, but here's someone covering this mash-up. Rather interesting version, actually:
I'm harkening back to the great beer-cation of 2012 and going all hoppy with tonight's beer. It is the Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy IPA.
It poured a hazy orange-tinged copper color with an off white head. It smells like a sweet orange. The flavor is very interesting...some malt and orange layered with hop bite. It's dry with some earthy notes. If you're into solidly hoppy beers, then I think you will definitely like this one.
Beer #247 Hoppy Boy IPA / Twisted Pine Brewing Company, Boulder, CO
You know how I didn't want to spend my Monday? Having someone come in and replace my garbage disposal and a bunch of piping under the sink and in the basement. Home ownership is totally breaking my balls today, and I'm not really enjoying. Might need to take the edge off with a beer.
Today's beer is the Hoppy Boy IPA, from Twisted Pine Brewing. It pours a hazy, golden hue with a fluffy white head that eventually settles down. Your nose picks up classic IPA aromas of grapefruit and pine, and the flavor has a big dose of hops up front (more citrus and pine), but a surprising amount of malt in the middle. Lots of caramel and honey in there before it wraps up with a dry, bitter finish. Not entirely what I was expecting, but don't mistake that to mean I didn't enjoy it. A nice beer for a warm summer night.
Tall can needs a giant mug
Twisted Pine started brewing beer in 1995, and in 2003 moved to a larger production facility to help meet increased demand. For your viewing pleasure, here's a picture of a twisted pine tree we found on a hike up St. Mary's Glacier last summer.
Nature!
Thing to Think About Today:
If we're drinking a beer with pine aroma and flavors from a beer named after a tree, then we're getting our way back machine and go back to the very early 1990's for music by Belly. Why? Easy: their hit song, Feed the Tree! So feel free to sing along here (I'm assuming you're in your mid-30's, of course).
Is it strange that every time I walk through the make-up section at CVS, I have an overwhelming urge to steal lipstick or lip balm? I'm 37 years old. I have disposable income. I don't want for anything. And yet I have a very visceral urge to five-finger-discount the latest lip gloss.
Confession time. I stole a lipstick once. It was YEARS ago. I was in high school and snagged a Revlon Colorstay lipstick. I'm pretty sure I wore it once and it screamed, "I'm stolen!" the entire night.
Yeah, I'm a goody-two-shoes dork.
Now onto the less dorky part of my writing. Let's talk about Avery Brewing's White Rascal. It is a Belgian Wheat ale or white ale -- unfiltered with flavors of coriander and Curaçao orange peel producing a refreshingly zesty classic ale per Avery's website. I had this one on draught at TJ's in Paoli.
I thoroughly enjoyed the White Rascal although I tend to really like white ales. It hit all the right tasting notes -- coriander, wheat, citrus zest. There was even a little bit of banana in there. It had a great mouthfeel. It poured an nice, hazy blond with a good head and left just a bit of lacing. I would rate it up there with other favorite white ales, which include Hitachino Nest White Ale, Blanche de Bruxelles, Allagash.
I'm looking forward to day 367 of this adventure so I can start revisiting breweries because there is a long list from Avery that could be among the first. At the head of the pack is Avery's Samaels -- an oak aged ale with an ABV of 15.5%! It's a limited edition release and since that happened back in April...I may be SOL.
Dear Beer Gods,
Please send me a bottle of Samaels. Just one. I won't be greedy.
Beer #242 Agave Wheat / Breckenridge Brewery, Breckenridge, CO
Hooray for today - officially past the 2/3 mark on this blog. We're off to a concert and picnic at Valley Forge Park tonight, so let's get down to business and cross another one off the list.
The beer for today is the Agave Wheat from Breckenridge Brewery. While we didn't get to visit their brewpub in person on our most recent trip to Colorado, we have been there previously - the upstairs deck is an awesome spot to soak in the ski town scene and drink fantastic beers. This one was consumed at a hotel bar (shout out to Marriott!), but it was delicious just the same. I drank it out of the bottle, so no comment on appearance or aroma, but the taste is a little earthy, a little sweet, and overall has a nice dry feel with notes of wheat and a hint of pepper. It's a great beer for summer, and one that I highly recommend you try. At 4.2% ABV, you can certainly enjoy more than one.
This bottle just screams "party!"
Breckenridge Brewing has been open for business since 1990, and they were the third microbrewery to open in the state. They've started putting more of their brews in cans, which is awesome, as I find cans far more convenient than glass bottles. I have a six-pack of Summerbright Ale cans from Breckenridge waiting for me in the fridge.
Thing to Think About Today: Sure, you can be the best person in your area of expertise. But what about being the person who completely reinvents the field altogether?
Today, we stop to think about Dick Fosbury, who didn't just earn a gold medal in the high jump at the 1968 Olympics, he invented and popularized a brand new way to execute the jump. Previously, jumpers scissor kicked over the bar, or dove over the bar face first. Fosbury realized the advantages of running parallel to the bar, then leaping over it backwards, swinging the legs up and over to clear.
While some doubted his approach, it paid dividends when he cleared 7 feet, 4 and 1/4 inches to wrap up the gold medal and beat the Olympic record in the process. After that? No one questioned his new method, and in fact the style was christened 'the Fosbury Flop.' Okay, so not the most glamorous name, but when you've got that shiny gold medal around your neck, you probably don't worry too much about those things.
