Escape from St. Louis

Beer #393 Dry Hopped APA / Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Previously from this brewery:  My take on the Winter ESB, Marci's take on the Winter ESB

Busy weekend, as I just got back from a Phi Gamma Delta leadership conference in St. Louis.  While the days were jam packed with productive meetings, I did manage to take advantage of an afternoon break on Saturday to visit the Schlafly Tap Room, the public face/popular brand from Saint Louis Brewery.

My first sample was the Dry Hopped APA, which had a bright copper hue and thin white head that lingered.  There are aromas of pine and light citrus, and the taste is dry and bitter throughout, with plenty of pine and grapefruit, but not much malt.  Very nice beer if you're a fan of dry, hoppy, or dry hopped beers.  Interestingly, this brewery was celebrating their 21st birthday on the day I visited, with a big concert and party on Saturday night.  Which completely explains why I was there at 2pm.  Bad timing, indeed.

Okay, so that's not a great picture.  Sue me.

Now, for the interesting part of my story, a confession: I drank this beer in a complete state of bewilderment.  The brewpub was only four or five blocks from my hotel, right in the middle of St. Louis, not far from the Gateway Arch.  While I didn't walk for hours, I did walk long enough to notice that on my journey, I didn't see a single car go by.  Not one.  I didn't see a single person walk by.  Nada.  I didn't see any birds, or stray dogs, or people riding their bike, or runners jogging, or delivery trucks delivering, or police cars policing, or buses being loud, or cabs driving recklessly, and by now I think you get my point.  The only proof of recent life I found were a variety of empty liquor bottles and cans of beer littered across the sidewalks like autumn leaves in a forest.

I honestly felt like an extra in the film version of The Road, Cormack McCarthy's take on a post-apocalyptic society where you really didn't want to run into people, because if you did they were likely to (spoiler alert) try to eat you.  Think about it: imagine going to the heart of a  major American city, walking for over ten minutes.... and being the only person in the world.  Odd.

However, and here's where some of the bewilderment came from, when I walked into Schlafly it was packed, or as packed as a brewpub is going to be on a Saturday afternoon when nuclear winter might have just happened.  Did the people get there through a secret tunnel?  Teleport in from another dimension?  Have they been trapped in there for years, too afraid to leave?  I can't say for sure, although when the shit does hit the fan I guess a brewery is an ideal place to hide yourself.  On my walk back, I did eventually see a person.  I did see a car go by a few blocks ahead.  Maybe there's still hope for society.

Actual picture of my walk to Schlafly

If that short tale wasn't sufficiently interesting for you, this might do the trick: The brewpub is housed in a brick building built in 1902 but left vacant since 1969.  A huge fire in 1976 engulfed the buildings at this intersection, and the skeletons of those buildings were in such a state of disrepair, the film Escape From New York used the exteriors as background shots.  Check this link for more info, including the scene from the movie if you need a visual on where I was walking.  Oh, you haven't seen the film Escape from New York?  Why, it's a movie about a post-apocalyptic world.  Maybe there is something odd and unusual about St. Louis after all....



Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so maybe nuclear winter hasn't found St. Louis.  It was a cold winter weekend where not much was happening, nothing nefarious or post-apocalyptic.  However, if you do want to see a fantastic, sad, scary movie, you definitely should watch The Road.  Great film, although it would have earned huge bonus points had they walked through downtown St. Louis.  Just saying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

Day 368: Life's Soundtrack and 4 Hands Pyrus

Is there a band that speaks to you no matter what song, no matter what situation you're in?  That would be R.E.M. for me. News of their break-up last September was like a punch in the gut. How could they give up after being the soundtrack to my life for thirty years? Why? Why me???  

OK, it wasn't nearly that dramatic but I was pretty bummed at the thought of no new R.E.M. songs to play me through the rest of my life. OK, maybe there is cause for drama.  Of course, one does not live on R.E.M. alone and there have been other bands who have played pivotal roles in my soundtrack.

10,000 Maniacs aided R.E.M. in defining high school for me. I listened to Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend on repeat for pretty much all of 1993-1994. The first thing I did after being given an iPod for my birthday was recreate the soundtrack to the summer of 1997 -- known affectionately around Blog Named Brew Manor as The Greatest Summer Ever.  Sublime, Cornershop, Sugar Ray, Puff Daddy, Chumbawamba. I have them all now.  The summer of 2011 will forever be defined by Young the Giant. The soundtrack of this tailgate season is Ke$ha's Die Young. I'm not proud of that fact...actually yes, I am. I have an eclectic interest in music and I am proud of it. It makes life more interesting.

So I ask you? What's the soundtrack of your life? Can you define this year in a song? 

Speaking (writing?) of eclectic...how about a pear saison for eclectic?  Evidently this is a thing and it's brewed by 4 Hands Brewing Company and it's known as  Pyrus.  It poured a hazy blonde color with a loose white head. There was some lacing.  It tastes like a saison with a light pear finish. It is very interesting.  The flavor is peppery and is very green in taste. Herbal? Spicy? I can't quite put my finger on it. It also had a lingering hop finish. 

I'm off to listen to Nightswimming on repeat. Cheers!

Beer stats

Style: Saison

ABV: 6.2%

IBUs:  Unknown

Rating: Good

Previous reviews of 4 Hands

Centennial Red

Super Fly

Beer #357 Schlafly Winter ESB / Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Beers to go: 9

On the first day of December, I managed to get a tiny bit of holiday shopping done, and then about four hours of watching football.  Guess which I enjoyed more?  A bit sad, as this time of year Penn State is usually jockeying for position for a better bowl game.  Oh well, look at all of the money I'm saving by not having to attend a bowl game each of the next three years?

Let's close out the night with a Schlafly Winter ESB from Saint Louis Brewery.  This beer has a clear, bright amber hue and a thin white head.  You pick up aromas of malt, tea, and citrus, and the taste gives you some nice lemon, dry hops, tea, and some malt sweetness.  Very well balanced and flavorful.  Maybe something in there close to honey, too.  This is a really enjoyable beer, and I don't know what exactly makes it a Winter ESB, because I could drink this year round.

Picture is crooked, you probably aren't/

This brewery first opened their doors in 1991, and was the first brewpub to open in St. Louis since Prohibition.  I'm headed to St. Louis for a conference in January... just might need to pay these nice people a visit during my trip.

Thing to Think About Today:
Look, I struggle to pronounce the name of this brand of beer.  Schlafly has one too many "L's" in the word for me, I suppose.  But if we're thinking of Sch(mumble,mumble)Fly, then let's go ahead and bring in the incredibly funky Curtis Mayfield for some Superfly.  Get funky, my friends.  It's a Saturday night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAh_4s_-tas

Beer 357: Schlafly Winter ESB and The Best Plans

Sometimes the best plans are the ones that aren't intentional. We set out today to run a bunch of errands and watch some college football. We managed to do all that and run into some friends and turn it into quite a fun afternoon. Congrats, Alabama. I look forward to watching you embarrass Notre Dame.



Today's beer is the Schlafly winter ESB from the Saint Louis Brewery. It poured a bright apricot color with a thin white head. It smelled of rich sweetness over hops. The taste was sweet but had bite...reminded me of peach tea. Lots of citrus hops. It had a full mouthfeel. This is a good beer. Cheers!

Let's Go State!

Beer #322 Reprise Centennial Ale / 4 Hands Brewing Company, St. Louis, MO

As this post hits the interwebs, the tailgate will be going strong, getting everyone ready to cheer until we're hoarse.  Penn State has been playing with great confidence, so let's hope it pays off with a win!

The beer for today is the Reprise Centennial Ale, an amber from 4 Hands Brewing Company.  It pours with a dark amber color, and a lingering white head.  The aroma is of citrus and hops, and when you take a sip you get pine, lemon, a bit of malt, and a rather dry and bitter finish.  Checking in at 6% ABV, this is a very hoppy amber ale, and if you prefer things on the hoppier side, this beer is for you.

BEER!

This brewery is located in the LaSalle Park neighborhood, and they also barrel age beers.  Now you know!

Thing to Think About Today:
Just leaving this out here..... one of the best games I've ever seen in person, and certainly the loudest crowd from pre-game to post-game.   We had a front row seat to the birth of Paternoville (and it will ALWAYS be Paternoville), which was amazing to see, and I sincerely hope the students are just as loud in 2012 as they were in 2005.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjJ86bKIUA8

Beer 318: Fox Barrel Ciders, No, 4 Hands and Beer-cation Part Deux

I have developed a serious case of wanderlust. The idea of traveling and seeing a new part of this country is like a drug lately. Next up is Austin, Texas for four days. Flights are booked. Hotel is confirmed. An itinerary is in development. Of course the trip will be beer-centric. So if you have any Texas-based recommendations for can't miss breweries or Austin-based dining or culture experiences, share them.

My first two orders of business on this trip is a visit to Jester King and cowboy boots. I'm not sure which one is more exciting!

Now keeping with my very autumnal beer selections this week, tonight's drink of choice is the Fox Barrel blackberry pear cider. And this is where I curse. Turns out that Fox Barrel Ciders is the pear cider making operation that is directly related to Crispin Ciders. And guess what? I reviewed Crispin on September 16. I haven't done that to myself in a good long time.


If you care, here are my notes from Fox Barrel. 5% ABV. Based in California. Very still. Bright rosy red color. Smells of blackberries and very ripe fruit. Tart and semi dry. Fruity but not sweet. Great.

And now I'm out of autumnal options. Let's talk 4 Hands Brewery and their Reprise Centennial red ale. It is an American red ale with an ABV of 6% that's brewed in Missouri. If I'm interpreting the description on their website, the Reprise is brewed with just the centennial hop. If that's true, that centennial hop is one potent mother.


The Reprise was billed as a hoppy red ale and it delivered. It poured a reddish brown ale with a loose but thick off white head. The scent reminded me of citrus pith. The flavor was fruity esters. This is a big, bold flavorful beer and I'll rate it a great.

One final thought. Is it odd that every review I currently have stockpiled is of beer I found at TJ's? Perhaps I'm going to start forwarding my mail there. Cheers!

Wings and Beer: Reunited and it Feels So Good!

Beer #173 Farmhouse Lager / Crown Valley Brewing, Sainte Genevieve, MO

Had a good day today, so I'm going to celebrate a bit.  With wings!  Yes, delicious Buffalo wings.  In my younger days, when my activity level and metabolism allowed such things, wings were the cornerstone of my diet. From age 16 to age 22, I doubt a week went by without at least two wing nights included.  Spending ages 16-18 in a town where every corner had a bar, and every bar had a wing night (and didn't give a shit if some 18 year old kids hung out there), and then spending ages 18-22 in State College, where every night of the week some bar or another has a wing special, you can see how this wing addiction worked for me.  Sadly, as I look to lose weight, not gain it, wings have become a rarity in the schedule.  But not tonight, friends.  Not tonight.

What goes better with wings than beer, no?  Tonight we go with the Farmhouse Lager from Crown Valley Brewing.  A pale straw color, this beer gives you a light aroma of malt. You get a crisp, dry flavor that doesn't bring a wealth of complexity or flavors beyond basic malt and grain.  It's brewed with Vienna and Pilsner malts, which explains why it seems stuck somewhere closer to a pilsner than a more full-bodied lager.   Regardless of what you call it, this one checks in at 4.7% ABV, so I could see this at a tailgate, if you couldn't find a case of Yuengling Lager and/or wanted something a shade lighter.

Looks like beer!

Thing to Think About Today:
Just going to put this out here.  In The Program, Steve Lattimer had a good day, but celebrated slightly differently than I do.  Ah, films about college football.  Have to love 'em.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkdBLGV7-RA

"STARTING DEFENSE!  PLACE AT THE TABLE!"

Beer 66: Barnwood Blonde Ale or Valentine's Shmalentines

Today is Saint Valentine's Day.  An overly commercialized Hallmark holiday during which both genders are made to feel very poorly about themselves and their relationships or lack thereof both intentionally and unintentionally.  I heard about "shred your ex" parties at local bars, last ditch campaigns to buy forgotten flowers, efforts to extoll the virtues of gold plated fake roses and the merits of edible underwear throughout my morning commute.  /sigh

Why today?  Why not every day?  Why does it have to cost so much money?  Why can't saying "I love you" happen every day without needing a reminder from card shops and florists?  What happened to romance?  The little things? 

I'm incredibly lucky in the romance department.  From having my coffee brought upstairs to me while I get ready for work every morning to a "you look cute today" with a playful pat on the rear...from a sweet peck on the cheek while I do dishes to getting kissed on the exact part of my neck that makes my knees go weak...I know I'm loved and appreciated.  Every day.

But it doesn't end there.  More should be done to celebrate the love among friends.  Sometimes a simple email addressed to M-Dawg does more to brighten someone's day than any number of roses could.  Or it's just a thank you call, or a handmade notecard and rock candy. 

Starting today I'm challenging myself and anyone reading this to spread the love to the other 364 days of the year.  Get going!  There's work to be done!

***

Today I'm drinking Barnwood blonde ale from Crown Valley Brewing in Missouri.  It poured a pale gold with a thin white head.  It had a sweet bouquet and taste...almost honey-like.  Very mild overall with an interesting twist with the sweetness.  I drank the entire pint trying to place what the taste reminded me of.  Maybe wheat?  Gary suggested rice.  It definitely wasn't honey.  Crown Valley describes it as an entry level craft beer and I think that's a fair description.  I could see drinking a few of these on a hot summer day.

Cheers!