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 was one of those days when people just really impressed me. If you share a little information--open yourself up just a little bit--you'll be amazed at how helpful others can be. That's the lesson of the day.
And in other news, I have found more and more often that I refer to myself as a shark--quickly adding, I have to keep moving or it's over.
Happy Friday, kids!
Today's beer is the Petrus Aged Red. I almost ordered two other beers ahead of this one, but thankfully Mr. Blog Named Brew had my back and pointed out that there was an oud bruin to be had when we celebrated his birthday earlier this week. He's a good egg, that one!
It poured a really pretty deep mahogany color with a wispy tan head. There's lots of macerated cherries in both the smell and taste. I also noted a bit of chocolate fudge in the nose. It teetered on the edge of syrupy but never got to the point of being cloying. The flavor, in addition to having lots of cherry notes, highlighted strawberry and a medicinal thing that honestly reminded me of Robitussin. Strange but true. It's wildly different than other Petrus offerings I've had...you know all two of them! But as they say--variety is the spice of life!
Writing tonight feels frivolous in light of what's happening in Boston. It's disheartening that something like a marathon is marred by lunacy. I can't stop thinking about how the Boston Marathon is a dream for so many people. This is stupid and senseless violence. I'm not sure if I'll ever understand it.
Keep those runners and spectators in your thoughts. I know I will.
***
Tonight's beer review is of Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck's Bacchus--a Flanders oud bruin.
It poured looking like a ruby-tinged cola with a thin pale tan head. It's smell is light sour cherry. Given its look, I was expecting more balsamic vinegar. It drank with a thinness but was surprisingly carbonated. It tasted like a tart cherry soda water with mineral notes.
Day #443 La Roja / Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI
Previously from this brewery: Ready? We've drank La Roja, Luciernaga, ES Bam, Bam Biere, and Madrugada Obscura. Think we like Jolly Pumpkin around these parts? We do.
I'll keep this quick and somewhat to the point, as I have yoga class tonight. Not sure I'm much better at yoga than when I started back in 2012, but I keep trying. I do enjoy the sense of relaxation I get from a class - my beginner classes are less aerobic and more, well, peaceful.
I often find that same sense of peace during my morning runs. It's been a long time since I've trained for any ultra marathons(three years, yikes!) but I still try to get out most mornings and get two or three miles before work. Truthfully, I really like being out in the world before the sun comes up. I get a sense that I'm the only one out and about, a feeling that no one will be bothering me as I churn through the neighborhood. It's just me alone with my thoughts, and I love that. Of course, every now and then, my peace is interrupted by an explosion. Thankfully, the Mother Nature kind:
Glorious
Click on that image for a larger version. I saw that majestic view last Friday morning, so in honor of a sky filled with oranges, purples, and reds, tonight's beer is the La Roja (roja is Spanish for red, for those who aren't bilingual, like I am) from Jolly Pumpkin. In the glass, this Flanders ale is a bright mahogany color with a wispy white head. The aroma is a wonderful blend of tart, vinegar, and fruit. When I took a sip, the first thing I jotted down was, "This is an outstanding beer." It's dry, with some spice on the finish. Throughout, it's tart and sour, with citrus and cherries, all blending together with some caramel malt to create something beautiful - just like the brilliant colors of a morning sunrise. If you like sours or Flanders red ales, you need to get this one, and FAST. It's world class.
Cat with a sword? Bad ass.
Bonus points? The label has a sort of Puss N'Boots vibe, with a swashbuckling cat staring back at you.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of red and the sunrise, I really couldn't present anything else in this space but Red Dawn. This film tells the story of a United States that has been invaded by the Russians and their allies. A scary thought from back in the day when the Cold War was still happening. Starring Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Gray (nobody puts Baby in the corner!), Red Dawn is about high school students in Colorado who decide to fight back against the odds and the foreign invaders. This movie was remade recently, but there's no shot in Hell that I'll be watching that version, as the original still kicks ass! Do you like guns, the 80's, the can-do American spirit, and Patrick Swayze, but hate Communism? Then this is the movie for you. Enjoy!
Beer #300 Sainte Ni Touche / Brasserie Trois Dames, Sainte-Croix, Switzerland
Hustle day, as I'm at a 'Science of Wine' dinner/capital campaign closing event tonight (shout out to my 1% CEO people!), then taking the midnight express to State College to be ready to tailgate tomorrow. Not to be lost in the hustle today: crossing the 300 beer mark. In case you haven't tried to drink 300 beers from 300 different breweries in 300, it's not that easy. But it sure is fun! Not done yet, but the finish line is in sight....
Tonight I'm sampling the Sainte Ni Touche, a Flanders red ale from Brasserie Trois Dames in Switzerland. In the glass, you see a honey amber color with absolutely no head. The aroma is of tart vinegar and fruit, and the taste is dry and tart, with lots of vinegar and some cherry. Very potent at 9% ABV. If you're in the market for a very sour beer, this one should be on your list. I was hoping for a touch more fruit in the taste, but it was still a very good beer.
This brewery opened for business in 2002, and is named for the three ladies in the brewer's life, his wife and two daughters. Hopefully they're done having kids, or he's going to need to rename this bad boy! It seems as though this beer was a special, one time production. Glad we caught it on tap at TJ's!
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of 'three ladies', I'll go ahead and get us thinking of everyone's favorite tv trio - the gang from Three's Company. Sure, one of the trio was the wildly talented John Ritter, but he had to pretend to be gay so that he didn't get kicked out by Mr. Firley. So I guess that counts as 'three ladies', right? Anyway, I used to love this sitcom back in the day, and during college could be found glued to the tv whenever repeats of this show came on. Anyway, enjoy your Friday. I'm going to enjoy mine!
"Make sure you marry someone who laughs at the same things you do." —J.D.Salinger
Case in point: Last evening as we're getting ready for bed, Picasso was following Mr. Blog Named Brew around in anticipation of his bedtime cookie. Picasso likes to sit directly behind whoever has the cookie and lift his front paw and sort of point with his stubby little dachshund paw.
Last night's routine launched me into a rendition of Keep Your Pimp Paw Strong sung to the melody of the Howard Stern tribute Keep Your Pimp Hand Strong. Video here; you can skip to about 1:06 for the actual video and you don't need to watch past 1:30.
Picasso is a soulful singer but he does gravitate toward some violent lyrics. He may have threatened to smack his bitch (Gary) up. There was also something about a milk bone... Lucky for me, Gary continues to be entertained by me so I have that going.
Tonight's beer is a Flanders red ale called Sainte Ni Touche from Brasserie Trois Dames in Switzerland. It has an ABV of 9%. It poured a hazy shade of chestnut with a thin off white head.
The smell was a mild balsamic vinegar. The flavor is tart with mineral chalkiness. It's sour and dry and very refreshing and easy to drink.
This is an excellent beer and kudos to TJ's Everyday for putting it on draft! Cheers.
On Day #2 in San Diego, we ventured due north to visit La Jolla. It was a great trip. We saw some contemporary art...
...then I was attacked by a shark. It was touch and go for a bit but I made it...
...fortunate for me because the final stop in La Jolla was the Karl Strauss Brewing Company. There was a delicious sampler awaiting my arrival.
And a good time was had by all!
I know you're wondering what was in that sampler. For that information, you'll need to visit Gary's review on our visit. Those are his beers! And yes, it took me awhile to figure out why none of them looked like a Russian Imperial Stout.
Here is my sampler in various stages of consumption. (Note the bonus beer!)
From left to right... Not pictured: Wreck Alley Russian Imperial Stout weighing in at a solid 9.5% ABV. It poured black with a tan head. Smelled of coffee and roasted malt. It drank with a thinness and had a nice sweet-tinged flavor that finished with a great roasted-ness. There were hints of licorice in there as well. It was named for the area of ship wrecks off the coast of Mission Beach...lots of mystery in those depths. Lots of great flavor in this beer! Pictured above but not below: Windansea Wheat. A hefeweizen. Lovely hazy straw color with very little head. Smells of banana with citrus notes. It drank with a full, creamy body with flavors of peppery spice, citrus and banana ester. Exactly what is expected in a hefeweizen. Best part of this beer? THERE WAS NO CITRUS WEDGE SERVED WITH IT! 5.1% ABV.
Next up is the Amber Lager. It's the first beer ever brewed at the brewery. It is a solid lager that I thoroughly enjoyed. If this is what I was making, I'd certainly open a brewery! It's made with caramel and Munich malts and is double-filtered to give it that bright and beautiful color. It's just slightly biscuit-y and there's a bit of caramel roundness to it. Easy to drink. 4.2% ABV. Then came the Flan-Diddly-Anders Flanders red ale. 5.5% ABV. Honestly it wasn't the greatest Flanders red ale I've had but it was good. It was tart and earthy but still retained a malty profile. I tend to like this style of beer when it's punch-me-in-the-chops tart and sour. Maybe this one is best described as a gateway to bigger and bolder versions? Finally there was the bonus pour -- the Boardwalk Black Rye IPA. It was on cask and looked like coffee in the glass...dark opaque brown. It had a thick tan head that lingered. It was creamy, almost lactic, which was surprising for an IPA. There were roasted notes, but it was definitely hop dominant. Hopefully as the Karl Strauss empire expands, I'll start seeing it on the east coast. I can't say that I've ever seen it and that makes me kind of sad. Until next time, Karl... Cheers!
It's amazing how some 9th and 10th graders could be so charming and entertaining, so comfortable in their own skin already, while others are awkward, spastic and generally asking for a punch in the chops. But I did get a compliment from one of them on the centerpieces I created so I have that going for me. He gets a gold star for the day.
***
Today I'm reviewing Panil Barriquee -- a Flanders red ale out of Italy. This one was had at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne (Pennsylvania). As you can see from the photo, it's batch #12 from 2010.
I would label the Panil Barriquee a great sour beer. It poured a reddish brown color with a big, thick head. It had hints of sour cherries and drank with the perfect amount of tartness while finishing nice and dry. It had hints of funkiness in the nose but wasn't overwhelming. I'd definitely recommend it as a good entry into the world of Flanders red ale. Cheers!
"Whatever the details of the investigation are, this much is clear to me: There is a villain in this tragedy that lies in that investigation, not in Joe Paterno's response to it."
-- Phil Knight, Chairman of the Board, Nike
Courtesy of statecollege.com
Yesterday the life and legacy of Joseph V. Paterno was celebrated in the most inspiring and amazing way in front of some 12,000 plus friends, family, Penn State alumni, former and current students and athletes and fans. It was overwhelmingly joyful and sad. As images of Coach Paterno came and went on the screens, athletes and academics alike joined together to expound on the impact and legacy this American icon had on just about everyone who ever encountered him. Much gratitude was given to Sue Paterno for sharing him with the world. I sincerely hope she can find some iota of comfort knowing that she is not alone in her sadness.
I sat there for more than two hours completely engrossed in what the speakers had to say. Each time a speech concluded, I thought it would be the one I wrote about today. I wavered on who did the most justice to Coach Paterno’s life and legacy until Phil Knight took the podium. He shared stories of Nike coaches trip where Joe would perform Wild Thing to the delight and amazement of those in attendance. In twenty days from now, it will be the first time in twelve years that performance doesn’t happen. As someone who loves tradition, I imagine that will be difficult to bear witness to. Phil Knight talked about his relationship with Joe -- how Joe became his hero. He brought down the house with the quote with which I opened this post.
Phil Knight is my new hero. He gave voice to what so many of us were thinking. Prior to that statement, he said, “In the year in question it turns out he (Joe) gave full disclosure to his superiors, information moved up the chain to head of campus police and president of the school. The matter was in the hands of a world class university and by a president with an outstanding national reputation. Whatever the details of the investigation are, this much is clear to me.”
Ouch, Penn State. Ouch. Somewhere in Penn State’s Athletic Development Office, there is a fundraiser having years shaved off his/her life. Trust me. I am a fundraiser and seeing the head of what is probably one of Penn State’s most generous corporate sponsors so utterly incensed gave me cold sweats.
Phil Knight went on to speak for a few more minutes and closed with the question of who will be our hero now noting that the bar has been set very high. With a final thank you, he turned and walked strode off the stage. To say the audience went wild would be the understatement of the century.
Thank you, Mr. Knight, for being our voice.
I’m certain that I’ll have more thoughts to share from the memorial service in the coming days, but for now that’s all I can share.
***
I came home from work today looking for something to sample that would make me happy. I didn’t want to be challenged by tonight’s beer. I didn’t want to chance a disappointing selection. I opted for one of Gary’s recent purchases: Oude Kriek from Hanssens Artisanaal in Dworp, Belgium.
The color of the Oude Kriek can best be described as cloudy fruit punch. Its head, albeit tiny, is unapologetically pink. It smells of tart cherries and funk. The flavor. Oh, the flavor. If you’re a fan of sour ale, Flemish red ales, etc., you know the scent that leads to great sour taste. I smelled it. (This is when the choir of angels started singing, rainbows appeared and bunnies hopped joyfully across the lawn. Ok, it wasn’t like that at all, but it could have been.)
This lambic is dry from start to finish. It hits you right away with a phenomenal sourness that pinches your tongue and tickles the roof of your mouth. There is tart cherries, vinegar, and something barnlike with a nice underlying but very mild sweetness. I’ve described some other Flemish ales or geuze beers as gateway sours. This one is enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers shaolin level. Chew on that for awhile, folks.
Here’s to the Wu, brass balls and exceptionally good lambics. Cheers!
No matter how terrible you feel, I double-dog dare you to listen to this, not sing along on the top of your lungs and finish with a smile on your face. Not that I spent approximately three minutes of my evening commute doing just that...
Let's just leave it at I feel a lot more optimistic now than I did at 5:37pm.
***
Photo courtesy of bockor.be
Tonight I'm sampling Bockor's des Jacobins Rouge. I had to pull a photo from the brewery's website since I had this one from the tap at Teresa's Next Door. It is a Flemish sour ale that pours with ruby highlights in the brown-color ale. It poured with a loose two finger head that slowly faded away. It had a whiff of funkiness from the yeast with some fruit scented undertones. It was love at first sniff. It drinks with a fantastic tartness - specifically tart cherry. The sourness morphed from tart fruit, some lemon and then into a nice dry finish. I would call it exceptional. Goddamnit. I can't possibly put this in my potential top 25, can I?
Today I celebrated the 306th birthday of American statesman, printer, entrepreneur, author and inventor Benjamin Franklin. Mind you, his birthday is actually January 17 and he's been dead for almost 215 years, but we celebrated nonetheless. And if you follow me on Twitter (@TailgateNinja), I live-tweeted most of it!
The day started at 9:00 a.m. with a seminar entitled Franklin and Energy: Resources, Uses and Efficiencies. Guest speakers included:
President and CEO of PECO, Denis O'Brien
Chief Astronomer of The Franklin Institute, Derrick Pitts
Dean of The Pennsylvania State University's Graduate School, Henry Foley
I have the distinct pleasure of working with Denis and Derrick through our Board of Trustees and museum programming, respectively, but this was the first time I've encountered Henry Foley. The morning was spent extolling the life and work of Benjamin Franklin, his contributions to invention and discovery of electricity, and the future of electricity and energy consumption. I was truly in awe of these people and the vast resources of knowledge they harbored.
I'm not going to bore you with my stance on how coal and oil are bad and how alternative energies are good. It is by no means such a black and white situation. What I will say is that you should read up on the subject and use sources that are conservative, liberal and moderate. You'd be surprised at the amount of agreement out there in the world - you just typically don't hear about it.
After leaving the seminar at the American Philosophical Society, it was time to process to Dr. Franklin's grave at Christ Church Burial Ground at Arch and 5th Streets in Philadelphia.
Imagine my delight when I walked out to find a FIRE TRUCK for the parade!
Obviously any legitimate parade needs flags and banners.
Franklin Institute, represent! Who brings the pennants? We bring the pennants!
Christ Church Burial Ground: Here lie some old-ass dead people!
That's me! I'm making like a tourist and tossing pennies on Ben's grave. It's a tradition!
After processing, speechifying and some praying, we headed to lunch where the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu was presented with the Franklin Founder Award. Steven Chu was absolutely amazing. I encourage you to pay more attention to his policy and efforts to identify, explore and make different alternative energies possible.
***
What better way to continue my celebration of Benjamin Franklin than with a Duchesse de Bourgogne Flanders red ale? OK. That's stretching it. But that is what I drank tonight. The best way I can explain a Flanders red ale is if an awesome oud bruin made babies with a lambic. I poured the Duchesse into my trusty tulip glass and it was dark, dark brown with red highlights. Gary took one look at it and gave it a "ooh, that's a dark beer." I don't think he knew it was a Flanders red ale and one taste set him straight. And he only got one sip because I immediately called dibs on it and attempted to bite his hand when he reached for the bottle. (I'm only slightly exaggerating there.)
The scent was all tart cherries. The taste was mild fruit, lots of cherry, tartness and a bit of sourness. It was nicely carbonated and finished dry. I'm trying to figure out how to describe the feel of the beer in my mouth. If you can identify beers that drink with thinness or creaminess, then I would say this one has a round feel. Hopefully that makes sense to someone other than me.
One of my favorite beers in this style is Rodenbach Grand Cru. I think they compare favorably with the Duchesse having a bit more fruitiness. Goddamn, another one for my top 25 consideration. I'm off to save my last glass of the Duchesse de Bourgogne.
In honor of Ben and in celebration of our own curious minds, huzzah!
