Beer 238: Girardin Geueze and What Should Have Been Beer-turday

Today started with the most impossible bike ride ever. The five mile loop at Valley Forge National Park is a bitch. It doesn't matter if you're on foot or on wheels. It SUCKS. That loop allowed me and my bike to have a not so lovely walk today. Tomorrow I'm hitting 30 very flat miles...thank you very much.

The remainder of today was all beer, all the time. We hit up Round Guys Brewing to refill our growler and sample some new beers. I tried the Wild Eyes Series 3 and it was quite good. We also got to render an opinion on a new syrup to accompany the Berliner-Weiss. Between the elderberry and black currant...black currant all the way.

Next up was a stop at Tired Hands. I stopped for the Mysterious Mood, stayed for the Undertow, and then really stayed for a random encounter with friends. A quick stop at The Beer Shoppe was our final destination. The only way this place could get better is if they separated the recent arrivals into a section that made it easy for us beer fiends to find the new stuff. Three sacks of beer later, the blog is stocked for the coming days. Big shout out to Ralph...thanks for the help!

Salinger says, "Hey.".


He also claims it's tough guarding all that beer. I compensate him well in Milkbones.

Tonight's beer is the Girardin


Gueuze. It poured a light amber color with a minimal head. It smelled funky with a little mustiness. There was also a sour aroma. The flavor was mineral, tart and a bit watery. The smell was way more potent than the flavor. But the flavor doesn't disappoint. There's an interesting softness to this Gueuze...kind of malty underneath the lemony tartness and funkiness. I would put it in my top ten Gueuzes.

Cheers!

Beer 149: Round Guys Berlinerweise

After quite an enjoyable weekend, I found myself home sick on the couch again this afternoon.  Perhaps my weekend was too enjoyable.

Luckily I have a few beers in reserve from my adventures this weekend and I don't have to waste one tonight.  This review comes as a result from a stop at Capone's in Norristown on Saturday afternoon.  In addition to an impressive draft list, they have quite a bottleshop next door.  We managed to score a few things for the collection, which you'll be reading about soon enough.  I'd rate Capone's bottle selection up there with The Foodery in Philly.

Round Guys Berlinerweise was my selection from their draught list.  It poured the color of cloudy lemonade with a quickly dissipating white head.  It smelled strongly of the funk of brettanomyces - always a good thing in my book.  The flavor was delicious and very refreshing.  Dry. It also reminded me of a shandy - lots of lemon but then you get that wheat flavor and the earthy funk in the middle and, of course, a very dry finish.

Traditionally a Berlinerweise is served with the option of either woodruff or raspberry syrup, which cuts the sour characteristic.  I think this beer stands on its own nicely but would be curious how the woodruff would change it.

Round Guys Brewing Company is very new and based in Lansdale (PA).  Per their blog, they just got on tap at Capone's in mid-April and the brewery either just opened to the public or is about to. Perhaps a road trip to Lansdale is in our future.  Cheers!