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
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.
I'm not feeling verbose today as my sinuses are attempting to kill me. I've spent the entire day either sound asleep in my bed or catatonic on the couch. I did rally and take down the tree and put away all the Christmas ornaments. Mostly because if my decorations are still up, I can't talk smack about the neighbor who keeps her tree up and LIT all year long. If I had a better camera, I'd provide photographic evidence. But I don't. Sorry.
***
The milk stout series continues with an entry from Left Hand Brewing Company. I had the pleasure to visit Left Hand last summer and managed to sample a majority of their offerings. This milk stout is hands down (ha!) my all time favorite milk stout. I poured this one into a Long Trail Brewing pint glass since the Left Hand glasses didn't come back out of the dishwasher from last night. Oops.
Left Hand milk stout presents like the others I tried this week -- the darkest brown almost black liquid, thin tan head. It smells roasted and chocolatey. Its flavor is roasted malt, lactose sweetness with just the right bite at the finish. The carbonation is very light and makes for a thin, not syrupy beverage.
Beer #33 Sawtooth Ale/ Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO
Great holiday "linner" tonight with some fantastic co-workers at my favorite Italian BYOB, Fellini's. Capping the night off with a beer, some blogging, and laughing at Marci's post. Great pic, M. You drove here in a Hyundai, I drove here in a $80K BMW.
Spent far too much time in the office today planning the details of an upcoming trip to Seattle. Usually, someone more important than me calls the shots on flights, hotels, etc. I have a little flexibility this time, so I hooked myself up with some good choices. Looking forward to my first visit to (checks internet) the Emerald City. If you have some beer suggestions, please send them my way. I'm in Bellevue on a Thursday, Seattle on a Friday, and eager to sample as many local beers as I can.
You see, I like participating in the world around me, rather than just watching it spin by. When I travel on business, I'm guaranteed to bring my running shoes to see at least a few miles worth of local scenery. I love trying local restaurants and seeing what life is like across our country. This ties into the beer I'm drinking tonight, Sawtooth Ale from Left Hand Brewing Company.
We've vacationed in Colorado each of the past two years, so I definitely feel connected to some of the many, many great breweries there. I've been to Left Hand's tasting room, I've met Left Hand employees. The label on the bottle mentions that it's brewed on the banks of the St. Vrain River - I've hiked along the St. Vrain River. In fact, here's a shot I took of the St. Vrain:
Majestic, no?
I'm happy to drink beers from around the globe, but I'm always excited to drink beers that I'm familiar with beyond just seeing them on tap somewhere.
Sawtooth Ale is a clear, copper color and has a fragrant floral taste. There's a nice malt taste, with notes of pine and honey along the way. Really good beer, particularly in the summer. Not going to lie - if I had to pick one Left Hand beer, it's likely to be the 400 Pound Monkey, a delicious IPA. Regardless, Sawtooth is a great beer from a great brewery that I will definitely drink again, perhaps this summer in Colorado.
Milk Stout glass. Not a milk stout.
Things to Think About Today:
Thinking about this upcoming trip has me thinking about Seattle's immense contributions to the music world. So let's think about their greatest contribution to popular music. Pearl Jam? No. Jimi Hendrix? No. Nirvana? Nope. Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney... Kenny G? NO.
We're thinking about Sir Mix-a-Lot, people. He was possibly the most influential rapper on my 8th grade class, not to mention the complete game changer he dropped on 1992. Still guaranteed to get a room full of 30-40 year olds dancing like they were kids again:
