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
Beer #717 Two Hearted / Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI
Previously from this brewery: Oberon, another Oberon, and a Double Cream Stout
Tonight's beer is an old favorite; a bottle of Two Hearted Ale from Bell's. This IPA has a clear, dark gold hue and a wispy white head. There are big grapefruit aromas, with lemon and pine as well. When you take a sip, you find a wondrous mix of tropical fruit citrus and dry, earthy pine, with enough malt to balance things out. A mellow bitterness to let you know that this is an IPA, but not enough to kill your taste buds. A Top 25 selection, for sure. To be fair, that list is now well beyond 25 beers, but it's still a high honor.
Nothing fishy about that!
I suppose you should read Ernest Hemingway's Big Two Hearted River when drinking this beer, if you want to get all up in the theme.
Thing to Think About Today:
Bottle of Two Hearted? Don't need two, just need one Heart in this space - the Heart with the timeless classic What About Love?
Day #711 Dragon's Milk / New Holland Brewing Company, New Holland, MI
Previously from this brewery: a gaggle of beers
Another beer that was relegated to the shelf in the basement to age, where it spent a good, long time is this bottle of Dragon's Milk, a stout from blog favorite New Holland. This beer has a black color with a wispy and quickly dissipating tan head. When you inhale, you're greeted by intoxicating aromas of oak and vanilla. The taste is more of the same, with a delicious blend of oak, malt, vanilla, and hints of leather. None of which is surprising considering this beer is aged in bourbon barrels. Can't argue with that! It gives off a bit of a barleywine vibe, to be honest, and you definitely notice the boozy warmth of the 10% ABV.
The Dragon, or El Dragon
This one has a tiny little too much toasted malt to find a home in my regular rotation, but if you like bourbon, you'll probably like this beer. If all stouts would be aged in bourbon barrels, stouts and I would get along much better. I would highly recommend opening this one on a cold winter's night, preferably in front of a fire.
Thing to Think About Today: Not a lot of music on my iPod that connects to dragons or milk, so I'll go with what something I'm not embarrassed to admit I enjoy, Kelis and her ass-shaking Milkshake. Night all.
Beer #706 Cabin Fever / New Holland Brewing Company, New Holland, MI
Previously from this brewery: a whole gaggle of delicious beers
Hustle day; on the road to State College for one of the last two home games. Is it wrong I wish it was colder? I do somehow enjoy those bone-chilling cold days in the parking lot....
So, that means a beer review, and up to bat is a bottle of Cabin Fever from New Holland Brewing. Out of the bottle, this beer has a dark brown hue and a big toasted malt aroma. Uh oh.
When I took a sip, I was hit with toasted, burnt, and roasted malt flavors..... none of which I enjoy in a beer. Crud. If I close my eyes, this one tastes more like a porter or a stout than a brown ale. Brown ales are usually something I enjoy - the brown ale from Tommyknocker Brewery is fantastic, for example. However, this one was not something I liked or would try again. But, if those flavors are your thing, feel free to grab one of these.
Not feverish about this one
Thing to Think About Today:
Beer with cabin in the name means you get something about a home. So, that means Home, from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
It's after nine o'clock and I just finished working. I've got nothing left for you folks.
I was trying some artsy-fartsy angle. Yeah. So there's that.
That's a Bell's BeerSpecial Double Cream Stout. It pours a deep, dark brown with an off-white head. There was tons of sticky lacing left behind. It had a very light smell of roasted malts. The flavor had a little cola, lots of coffee and barely any hops.
Day #691 Rubaeus / Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapid, MI
Previously from this brewery: All the beers
Happy Halloween, everyone! Tonight I'll likely be hiding in the dark as parents bus in kids from other neighborhoods to beg for candy. Maybe because I grew up in a house filled with candy (Mom worked for Hershey), or maybe because my parents didn't parade me around to strangers' houses each year, or maybe something else I'm not even thinking of, but mostly I don't get into trick or treating. I just don't get why hundreds of kids hit my neighborhood each year, when clearly NONE of them live anywhere near here. All for a miniature Kit-Kat bar. Doesn't make sense.
This being said, I do in fact love Halloween. It's a night to be creative, to put on a costume and become something you're not, even if it's only for a night (pro tip: I dress up like a pimp every time a costume is needed). Plus, it comes in the middle of fall, my favorite season of the year. Really, I love everything about Halloween... except teenagers ringing the doorbell at 9pm and making the dogs freak out, so that they can get some high fructose corn syrup.
Rant over, on to the beer, which is a bottle of Rubaeus, a raspberry ale from Founders. In the glass, it looks like cranberry juice with a lingering white head. There are aromas of (wait for it...) raspberry, and when you take a sip you get (wait for it.... wait for it... ) sweet and tart raspberry. You also get some malt, but mostly pure, summery raspberry. It's sweet, but has a good natural flavor, and would best be enjoyed on a warm summer day. Not on par with a legendary beer like the raspberry from New Glarus, but good just the same.
Raspberry all day
This is a seasonal release beer, so you likely may have missed your chance to find this on the shelves.
Thing to Think About Today:
How about a guy who looks like he's dressed up in a Halloween costumes and then you realize that no, he's just wearing a yellow suit with the ass cut out because that's how he rolls. Yep, I'm thinking about Prince, and with the beer in mind I'm thinking about some Raspberry Beret. However, apparently the Purple One doesn't like Youtube, so there are no Prince clips. However, I can fix that. How about the Somerville Ukulele Club and their (wait for it) ukulele-centric cover? Not good enough? I also provide John Mayer covering this song, because that's how I roll. Take that, Prince.
Don't mind this photo. It appears that I'm hanging out and drinking in Hell with all the red lighting, but no...it's just a bar with bad lighting in State College (Pennsylvania).
FoundersMango Magnifico con Color is the Magnificent Mango with Heat. Heat? Yup, heat. It's brewed with mango and habaneros from Michigan. What you can't see from my photo is that it poured a beautiful pale gold color with a barely there white head. The flavor is smooth and sweet--lots of mango deliciousness without being cloying. The habaneros lend a heat that's best described as a slow burn. You don't really notice it at first, but then it starts building and becomes a delicious and fiery yang to the sweet yin of the mango.
To say that there's been too many dark hours lately is a great understatement.
You know what else is bright? This Founders Brewing Company's Rubaeus, that's what. I've dubbed the Rubaeus my tailgate beer this season and have been drinking it straight from the bottle, which has deprived me of this burst of color. It's not quite so vibrant in person, but there is definitely a bright pinky-red thing happening in what otherwise is a brown colored ale. It also has a minimal white head. The smell is very ripe raspberries and the flavor is malty and fruity with lots of raspberry and general berry notes. It's sweet but tart although I'll admit that the sweet tends to overpower the tart.
I'm out of words. No pearls of wisdom today. If that's disappointing, prepare yourself for more disappointment. Today's beer is the Frankenmuth Batch 69 IPA. It's an American IPA that claims to taste of citrus, flowers and pine.
I drank this at a decidedly unbeercentric household so no appropriate glassware. It poured a bright deep golden color with very little head. What was around was white. It didn't smell of anything in particular and it was very malty without any discernible hop profile. Given the description from the bottle, I was expecting lots of hop in there. Instead I got lots of sweet, lots of orange and not much else.
Overall it was a real disappointment. Even more so because Frankenmuth is one of Michigan's oldest breweries--hailing all the way back to 1857. It's located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is known as Michigan's Little Bavaria. With that kind of reputation, maybe I would have been better off with one of their pilseners or dunkel lagers. Alas this was the only option available to me at the time.
Want a humbling experience? Try doing battle with this...
...when it's 88 degrees and humid. If I don't post again, it's because I actually had a heart attack. Holy cow. After I drink a gallon of water to replenish myself, I will have a beer this evening. In the meantime, please enjoy this review of Jolly Pumpkin's Maracaibo Especial.
(I had a photo at one point. If I find it, it will go here.)
It poured a rich, bright oak color with a light tan bubbly head. It smells woody and just a little funky. The flavor is has the Jolly Pumpkin signature tartness, but I was surprised at the more pronounced hop profile. It's very smooth. Per Jolly Pumpkin's description, there's supposed to be cacao, sweet orange and cinnamon. I could find the citrus, but the cacao and cinnamon were eluding me. I'm not going to say I'm disappointed but this isn't one of my favorites from Jolly Pumpkin. Horror!
Beer stats
Style: American brown ale
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Good
Previously reviewed from Jolly Pumpkin (The list goes on and on and on again...)
My review of Sobrehumano Palena'ole Mr. Blog's review of Sobrehumano My review of E.S. Bam His and her reviews of La Roja My review of Luciernaga from a Jolly Pumpkin bender Gary's review of E.S. Bam My review of Madrugada Obscuraand some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres
My break from drinking Jolly Pumpkinbeers is over. Instead I'm taking an unplanned social media break.
What?
I've been suspended from Twitter. I shared this with some friends from work and one of them very kindly noted that while it sucks for me, my cool factor took a significant bump up with her. I'm kind of an anomaly in the office with my social media skills--although I'm questioning those skills given my current suspension.
I've been Twitter-free since 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning. I've logged a complaint with the folks at Twitter noting that I didn't do anything to deserve the suspension (i.e. mass following and/or unfollowing, mass invitations, porn). I've also attempted to log-in several times during the course of the day to see if I've been reinstated and no such luck yet. More troubling is that my following count has dropped from 378 to zero. Even more troubling than that is that my 127 followers are MIA.
Editor note: As of 6:58 p.m., I'm back, baby! Twitter suspension lifted. In hindsight I should have been keeping a log of snarky things to tweet. You all missed out on so much today!
So what did I learn from my social media blackout?
I am without a doubt addicted to Twitter. The number of times that I reach for my phone or log onto the website to see what's happening in the world is astounding. It's how I get my news. It's how I stay connected. I tried getting the same from Facebook to no avail. I'm also realizing that Facebook isn't relevant to me. Sure it was cool five years ago, but not so much anymore. Having to sort through the "like this to save this child from cancer" nonsense posts, the cool picture of the day posts, the irrelevant and uninteresting ads is all just too much. Yes, that is totally a first world problem but it's a barrier to my enjoyment and is totally preventing me from seeing Facebook as a viable option.
I'm also realizing that as much as I declare that I'm done adopting new technology, that's really not true. Playing with the latest, greatest and smartest is kind of my thing. And that may be the most interesting thing I've learned from this exercise.
So while I take a break from Twitter, I'm done taking a break from Jolly Pumpkin.
The latest beer I'm enjoying from Jolly Pumpkin is the Sobrehumano Palena'ole and it's a collaboration between Jolly Pumpkin and Maui Brewing Company. Brewed with Michigan cherries and Hawaiian liliko'i, it's listed as an American wild ale and is oak aged and bottle conditioned. But what's a liliko'i? You may know it by its more common name...passion fruit. How does passion fruit mix with cherries in a beer? Awesome!
Interesting note about this beer. We drank it on May 3, 2013. When was this beer bottled? May 3, 2012! It was meant to be drunk--seriously, what are the odds of that unintentionally happening again?
It poured a hazy orange/brown color with a fluffy white head. I could smell the tartness the moment I popped the cap off. And there was lots more of that once it got into my glass. It has a woody smell...presumably the oak. It has a very tart cherry flavor, kind of astringent. There is a good amount of malt in the flavor profile as well.
Beer stats
Style: American wild ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent
Previously reviewed from Jolly Pumpkin
Prepare yourself, this is a dousy!
Mr. Blog's review of Sobrehumano,
My review of E.S. Bam His and her reviews of La Roja My review of Luciernaga from a Jolly Pumpkin bender Gary's review of E.S. Bam My review of Madrugada Obscuraand some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres
Remember the time I wrote a long, thoughtful, well composed post about a number of interesting topics? Yep, I don't remember that either. Some other time, perhaps!
Tonight's beer is the Sobrehumano Palena'ole, a collaboration from BlogNamedBrew favorite Jolly Pumpkin and blog newcomer Maui Brewing. This wild ale has a bright ruby color with a lingering white head. The aroma is definitely tart, with plenty of cherry, and the taste has a heady mix of fruit, with a wonderful tart and funky quality. This beer is brewed with cherries from Michigan and liliko'i from Hawaii. What, you didn't know that liliko'i is a passion fruit native to the islands, where it comes in yellow and purple varieties? Yeah, neither did I.
Nothing scary about this label. Nope.
This beer was only brewed once, so if you see this one, grab a bottle immediately. Trust me.
Thing to Think About Today:
Beer with fruit from Hawaii means that we'll close out the evening with Jack Johnson, surfer/musician from Hawaii. Mellow out and enjoy the rest of your evening. You earned it!
Today is Tuesday, but I'm going right past today and start thinking about Wednesday, because on that day I'm meeting a few friends for delicious beers and robust discussion. You see, we're starting a club for guys who want to take weekend trips without spouses and do guy things like drink bourbon and build a fire and grill steaks and chop down trees and play the bongos and go fishing. Absolutely a stellar idea by the way; as we get older, we drift apart from our friends, and sometimes only exist as "couples friends" who only get to catch up infrequently, at best. What about our guy (or for you female readers, girl) friends? What about the people we don't get to see often? How do we keep that connection alive and flourishing? Our idea: with a weekend on a mountain..... involving chicks and guns and fire trucks and hookers and drugs and booze!!!!!! You know, all the things that make life worth living!
Eh, I suppose we'll mostly just make fun of each other for being whipped and then spend our time declaring vociferously that we should totally go on a guys only vacation one of these days. But I do hope we go one of these days. One of these days, indeed, before we start running out of days.
While all of this is happening (I think we're also electing officers for our club and creating a coat of arms), you can read a beer review! Tonight's offering is the Paleooza, an American Pale Ale from New Holland. Had this one on draft a few weeks back at TJ's - in the glass, it's a bright, clear copper color. There isn't an overwhelming aroma, but I do get a bit of toffee, which is nice. The taste is a good balance of faintly toasted malt and hop bitterness, with earthy, grassy notes. This isn't an overpowering beer, but instead rather mellow. Worth a try for one of those days where you aren't looking to get beat up by your beer.
I'm pretty sure I accidentally deleted the picture of my beer, so instead please enjoy this picture of how I like to spend my guy trip weekends: rocking a blazer and driving a speed boat where I combine a heady mix of reckless abandon with a wanton disregard for the safety of others. ¡Vamanos, muchachos!
where's the guns and bourbon?
For the record, my commentary in the first paragraph regarding unsavory activities including controlled substances and prostitution (in case you didn't click the link) was not an accurate portrayal of the events or activities that belong on a guys weekend. It was in fact a quote from the movie Bachelor Party, back when Tom Hanks was seriously funny. In no way do I condone having fire trucks at our weekend (zing).
Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so we reminisced about getting together with old friends, so why don't we let The White Stripes finish up our day with their lovely We're Going to Be Friends. A rather unexpected song from one of the guys keeping rock & roll alive. Hope you get to spend time with your friends again very soon!
Here's some honest sharing. For a couple of months last year, I wasn't happy. Nothing was inherently wrong with my world--I just wasn't comfortable in it. I self-analyzed. I pondered. I had no answers. Then I ran into a few random inspirational quotations on a number of my favorite blogs. Something about them started nudging me in the right direction and I got my head straight.
This was one of them and I just encountered it again. I know someone who needs it. I hope they read my post today.
Choose to be optimistic. It feels better.
-- Dalai Lama
And if optimism doesn't work, then check out a new beer. Today's beer is the Jolly PumpkinE.S. Bam, an extra special bam biere. If I'm interpreting the label correctly, it's extra special thanks to more malts and more hops.
This saison or farmhouse ale pours with a thick head that left a craggy landscape behind. It has a yeasty tang in the nose--funky and sharp. The flavor is strong on the hops...bright...grassy. Lots of citrus pith flavor. Very bold. There's also something very refreshing--maybe where I'm pulling the bright adjective from--but I can't quite put my finger on it. There's also the typical farmhouse spice.
Beer stats
Style: Farmhouse ale/saison
ABV: 4.7%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great Previously reviewed from Jolly Pumpkin His and her reviews of La Roja My review of Luciernaga from a Jolly Pumpkin bender Gary's review of E.S. Bam My review of Madrugada Obscuraand some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres
I don't have much to write. I've been running errands all day and friends are on the way over. And readership tends to be down on the weekends, so there.
Today's beer is fresh from the taps at Teresa's Next Door. It's the Dark HorseToo Cream stout.
It poured black as night with a deep, dark cocoa color head. The head was the darkest cocoa color that I think I've ever encountered on this beer adventure. The aroma was light roasted malt. The flavor is nutty. Lots of roast coffee. Bitter chocolate. It has a light creaminess but overall drank with a thin mouthfeel.
Beer stats Style: Milk stout ABV: 7.5% IBUs: Unknown Rating: Excellent Previously reviewed from Dark Horse Another very coffee-centric beer called Perkulator Doppelbockand a reminder that I need to do more music related posts Gary's review ofDouble Crooked Tree, a double IPA
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!
I'm living the boat life today. Yoga. Green juice. Puttering around the house. Rocking out and wondering how my music collection got so eclectic. Trying not to let these two lull me into a nap...
All in all a good day. Last night I opened up a La Roja from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Looking back on recent posts, I seem to be on a Jolly Pumpkin bender. Seems appropriate given how good their beer is.
La Roja is an amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. In other words, it's a sour beer. Score! This particular one came from Blend #2 and was dated January 6, 2012.
It poured a red-tinged hazy brown color with a minimal tan head. It looks fantastic in the glass. It smells like happiness to me...sour, light earthy funk and kind of like coins. Drinking it gives a great pinchy sour sensation. It's tart, lemony. It reminds me of eating unripe plums, like tart fruit. There's a good malt backbone that's not quite roasted, maybe more toasted. It lends a warmness to the flavor.
Previously reviewed from Jolly Pumpkin My review of Luciernaga from three days ago. See I wasn't kidding about the bender. Gary's review of E.S. Bam My review of Madrugada Obscuraand some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres
Day #423 E.S. Bam / Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI
Previously from this brewery: my review of Bam Biere from the day Coach Paterno passed away, Marci's look at Madrugada Obscura from St. Patrick's Day
Busy day today in the office, followed by basketball, followed by me making homemade meatballs and sauce, so I'm getting right down to business. The beer to close out this busy day is E.S. Bam, a saison from Jolly Pumpkin. In the glass, this beer has a light caramel color with a huge, fluffy head. Your nose finds a tart aroma, with earthy notes of malt and citrus. The taste is downright delightful; dry, with grain and some funk, with a hop bitterness, particularly in the finish. This beer was aged in oak barrels and bottle conditioned, yet has an easy drinking 4.7%V ABV. Jolly Pumpkin is one of those breweries where you can pick up anything they make with confidence you're going to get something great in your glass. Fire away....
Bad picture, great beer!
No, this beer doesn't have pumpkin. That's just the name of the brewery, so relax. The brewer and his wife were just tossing out potential names for their new brewery, and kept coming back to this one. Works for me.
Thing to Think About Today: In the spirit of Jolly Pumpkin, I present Smashing Pumpkins. I close with Today, a song that always brings me back to the days of college - and puts a smile on my face in the process.
Ever have that feeling that you're about to be pushed off a cliff? That things are about to go wildly out of control? Yeah. Me neither.
If I had that feeling, I would numb if with a New Holland Brewing Company's Black Tulip tripel ale. Vintage 2012 to be exact because it is a solid beer. It's part of New Holland's High Gravity Series. Honestly I'm not sure I could love New Holland's beer more than I do. Check out the links below for some evidence.
The Black Tulip poured a hazy orange color with a very thin, slightly offwhite head. It has an earthy, vegetable-like scent. It reminded me of roots. The taste is banana, fruity ester, yeast. It's boozy but not overwhelming and has a good amount of prickly carbonation.
Here's what New Holland has to say about Black Tulip: Golden in color, Black Tulip Tripel is a delightful beer with a slightly sweet body. Its ester-laden character reveals an enigmatic dance between Belgian ale yeast and Michigan beet sugar, conjuring hints of bananas and rock candy. Its inviting flavor is complemented by a pleasing dry finish.
I like when I get it mostly right.
Beer stats
Style: Tripel
ABV: 8.8%
IBUs: 21
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from New Holland
Gary's review of Black Tulip
Gary's review of Blue Sunday Sourand not so idle threats against cancer
An embarrassment of sour ale riches and a review of Blue Sunday Sour
A post that I am incredibly proud of that includes a review of Dragon's Milk
Beer #406 Black Tulip / New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI
Previously from this brewery: My take on Blue Sunday Sour, Marci's look at Dragon's Milk (both with interesting PSU stories in the background)
It's been a beautiful, sunny, relaxing Saturday here in the suburbs of Philly. Started the day by sleeping in (a rarity), then hit up yoga and made a delicious breakfast. The afternoon? Some peace and quiet, and a visit to Delaware to visit a brewery and drink beer with a stop at Total Wine to stock the wine cellar. I hope you're all doing something fun as well. You deserve it, after all.
Today's beer is Black Tulip, a Belgian Tripel from New Holland Brewing. In the glass, you see a clear bright amber hue, and you pick up the aroma of sweet malt. When you take a sip, you get a good bit of malt and plenty of candi sugar. (Side note: for those of you thinking I spelled "candy" wrong, I didn't. Check out more info on candi sugar here) There are subtle hints of citrus and spice along for the ride, and it finishes a bit dry. A very, very good beer, but I expect nothing else from New Holland, one of the premier breweries in the country.
Good beer + a naked lady on the bottle?
SOLD!
This beer is fairly potent at 9% ABV, but you don't even notice the high alcohol content. Find it, drink it, and proceed with caution.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of black (tulips), let's close with something black (um, backpacks?). Obviously that means we're listening to Stroke 9 and their popular-ish song Little Black Backpack. Enjoy your Saturday with this flashback to 2000.
Beer #365 Dirty Blonde Ale / Atwater Brewing Company, Detroit, MI Beers to go: 1
There you have it - 365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 straight days. Okay, fine, we're not exactly done just quite yet. Somewhere early in the journey, people started pointing out that 2012 was a leap year, so we have since amended the plan to finish 366 from 366 in 366. However, I wanted the record to reflect that the original finish line is now in the rear view mirror. Just saying.
I'll save the pomp and circumstance for tomorrow and just get right into a beer review today. The second to last beer ends up being the Dirty Blonde Ale from Atwater Brewing in Detroit. This beer has a crystal clear, pale gold hue with a wispy white head and plenty of carbonation. Inhale and you pick up aromas of bread and some light citrus. Take a sip and you find flavors of grain, grass, and orange peel. Nice, relaxing, easy beer - particularly good today, as yesterday's party for TJ's ninth anniversary had some very big, complex, high ABV beers. Need to mellow out a bit today....
Do Dirty Blondes have WAY more fun?
This brewery is located in an old factory warehouse building which was built in 1919. Atwater first opened for business in 1997, and can be found in downtown Detroit's Rivertown district.
Thing to Think About Today:
With just one beer to go, this song certainly seems appropriate - let's wrap things up tonight with Three Dog Night singing One. Only one more to go... do stop by tomorrow, won't you?
