Sittin' Here on Capitol Hill

 Beer #361 Skull Splitter / Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Scotland
Beers to go: 5

Oh, hello everyone.  Thanks for stopping by!  I had assumed that instead of being on the internet tonight, you'd be out enjoying the anniversary of the Twenty First Amendment to the Constitution being ratified, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment - you know, the one that banned alcohol.  Yes, at one point in time this country decided it would be a GREAT idea to outlaw the consumption of alcohol.  Thankfully, cooler heads eventually prevailed, and here we are today.  From reading up on breweries over the past year, it's clear that Prohibition did nothing except create a vibrant and sometimes comical black market for booze.  I mean, doctors were writing prescriptions for bourbon, for crying out loud.   Wait... that's actually a brilliant idea, because if I can get a prescription for bourbon, I could pay for it pre-tax with my FSA card.  Yes, let's bring this back, people!

Before your parties celebrating the repeal kick too far into high gear, let's review the beer for the evening, the awesomely named Skull Splitter from the Orkney Brewery in Scotland.  This beer has a dark amber color, with a thin white head.  There are aromas of malt and citrus, and the taste gives you a really nice mix of tea, sweet malts, caramel, and dark fruits (maybe plum?).  With a name like Skull Splitter, I was expecting this beer to completely knock me senseless  - I mean, I've drank some big, potent beers this year, and none of them had the audacity to name themselves after the act of splitting my skull.  And despite a relatively high 8.5% ABV, this beer is not as skull-splitting as the name suggests.  It's actually quite enjoyable.  If you find a bottle near you, go ahead and order one.

Badass Viking?  Check.

This beer takes its name from Torfinn Hausakljuv, who was nicknamed "Skullsplitter". Hausakluif was the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney sometime around 950 AD, and will go down in history as having one of the most badass nicknames in the history of time.  In case you were wondering (and you were), the Orkney Islands are due north of the Scottish mainland.  This brewery was founded in 1988, and later merged with the Atlas Brewery in 2004, and was taken over by Sinclair Breweries in 2006.

Thing to Think About Today:
In honor of the Constitution, let's spend some time in civics class tonight, and learn a great lesson on how how a bill becomes a law.  Yes people, Schoolhouse Rock! is here with I'm Just a Bill.  Get your learn on, and have a very good evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TI8xqLl_-w

Beer 359: Orkney Skull Splitter

Holiday party season kicks off tonight and I couldn't be more pleased.  I'm always confused when people complain about holiday parties. Why wouldn't you want to catch up with friends and colleagues, eat good food and imbibe in the holiday spirit? Scrooges! All of you complainers are scrooges!


But before the celebrations begin, let me tell you about Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter, an authentic Orcadian ale. Billed as a rich, sophisticated ale that is satiny smooth with a deceptively light character, it is brewed in Scotland and has an 8.5% ABV. It poured a ruby-hued brown ale with a light tan head. There was light lacing left behind. The smell is molasses and dark marinated fruit. The flavor is bitter and slightly metallic, boozy figs, buttery. I guess with a name like Skull Splitter, it's supposed to be boozy. I agree with the rich, sophisticated description as well as satiny smooth. I definitely think it has character but it is not so light. Overall this is a good beer that I would drink again.

The rest of my evening consists of a nice glass of wine, lobster risotto, gravlax and creme brulee. I'll see you all on the flip side. Cheers!

Some Silly Fun

Beer #354 Silly Scotch Ale / Brasserie de Silly, Silly, Belgium
Beers to go: 12

Long day of doing work and then spending the evening on one of my volunteer activities, so I'm just jumping right in.  After today, down to a dirty dozen more beers to the finish line.  Good times, good times.

Tonight I'm going with a beer that's been in our beer cellar for a while, the Scotch Ale from Brasserie de Silly.  This beer has a dark dark mahogany color and an off white head.  Your nose finds aromas of sweet malt and spice, and the taste brings you dark fruits, malt, caramel, honey, and raisins.  Once the beer warmed a bit, I picked up some cola flavors as well.  Not entirely what I was expecting, but this beer is actually quite good.  If you find a bottle, go ahead and pick one up.  Thank me later.

All the silly jokes!

The name of this brewery comes from the town of Silly in Belgium, not due to any funny business.  Despite me being fluent in Dutch, I don't think silly means anything different across the languages.  It has been in operation since 1850, so a good bit of history here as well.

Thing to Think About Today:
I'm running out of steam here, and I can't quite find the perfect thing to tie today's post together with.  Silly, laugh, funny.... fun?  Fine, let's go ahead and close out today with something fun: Japanese girl band 5 6 7 8's with their classic Woo Hoo, which you may recall from the Kill Bill movie soundtrack.  I defy you to listen to this and (1) not sing along and (2) not have fun.  My job here is done, peoples.  Good night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DJv0rx5g-c

"Woo hoo, woo-who-hooo"

Beer 354: Silly, Silly Things

I can't explain it, but today was one of those days that is only survivable because you love the people with whom you work. You love them because you can be your truly nerdy self with a sharp wit and you get it delivered right back at you and then some. No one gets huffy. Everyone laughs. Life is crazy but good.

Tonight's beer is the Scotch de Silly from Brasserie de Silly in Belgium. I can't find my photo so for now I can only promise a placeholder. I know the bottle is at home so I'll update at least that much later.

Update: Replacement photo has been deployed!

The Scotch de Silly -- as one would suspect -- is a Scotch ale or wee heavy.  It has an ABV of 8%.  It poured an opaque brown with a thin tan head.  It smells wet, aromatic wood. It's also earthy with some cinnamon and possibly apples.  The taste is rich chocolate caramel and nutty. It has a thin mouthfeel.  There's just a pinch of bitter at the finish to keep it from being too sweet. This is a great beer.

Cheers!

Beer 327: Traquair House Jacobite and Goats

Conversation in the Blog Named Brew household tonight...

Gary: I almost sent you a picture of a $400 cashmere sweater today and said I bought it. But I thought you'd get mad and believe me.

Me: Oh I wouldn't get mad. I'd just find a stupid expensive cashmere dress to buy. Retaliatory shopping. Touché!

Gary: That's exactly why I didn't do it.

Me: If I can't have cashmere, no one gets cashmere. Plus for $400, can't we just buy one of those fancy goats?

Gary: We should get one of those goats. We'd have cashmere and they eat grass.

Me: Ooh. Then you don't have to mow the lawn. But who's going to make us sweaters? I don't knit. My mom's not around...she can't knit for us either.

Gary: True. Plus they're fancy goats. They probably eat caviar and sparkles.

Me: I can't afford fancy cashmere sweaters. Where are we going to get money for caviar and sparkles for a fancy goat?

Something else that's pretty darn fancy is the Traquair House Jacobite. It is an ale brewed with coriander -- a wee heavy or scotch ale, if you will and it's made in Scotland (8% ABV).



I was expecting something much lighter and was suprised to see that the Jacobite looks like cola in the glass. It had a tan head that left loose bubbles behind. It smells like a sweeter red wine and earth. The flavor is a cross between anise and root beer. Is that the coriander? Again one of those flavors that I can't discern on my own.

It also had a prickly carbonation that made it very interesting to drink. There was also a green earthiness and slight chocolate flavor. I rate it excellent. Cheers!

Beer, Grunge, and Beer.

Beer #259 Kilt Lifter / Pike Brewing Company, Seattle, WA

Busy but good Saturday in the books.  Got out on the bike for another long ( and this time faster) ride down the Schuykill River Trail, ran some errands, and had a small, small group of friends over to drink some of the plethora of beer accumulated in our fridge.  You see, sometimes we find single bottles of beer we want/need,  but sometimes we buy six-packs or receive beer gifts from friends.  All of which have been accumulating in the fridge for some time, so we figured we were due to liquidate some inventory.  Plus, with tailgate season just around the corner, we're now overstocked with good beer for game day.  We used to bring up what we called the "VIP cooler," which contained craft beer we weren't willing to share with the masses.  This year?  It might all be VIP.  Have I mentioned that football is now just six days away?  Not that I'm counting.

Speaking of beer, tonight's beer is the Kilt Lifter from Pike Brewing out of Seattle.  During our vacation to the West Coast, we actually walked right past Pike's outpost downtown, but couldn't stop as we were on our way to a dinner reservation elsewhere.  Thankfully, they distribute to the East Coast, thus solving that problem.  In the glass, the beer is a hazy auburn color, with  fluffy white head.  There are aromas of sweet malt and citrus, and you pick up flavors of malt, toffee, tea, and lemon.  Nice beer if you're in the mood for something with a good malt backbone.

No kilts were harmed in the making of this photo

Great brewery history here - Pike was founded by Charles Finkel, who was exposed to European beer and found himself in the wine distribution business through the 1960's.  He started contracting other breweries (there were only 40 in America at the time) to produce beer to his standards in the 1970's.  After being one of the first people to import Belgian beers into the U.S., Finkel and his wife ultimately started the Pike Brewery in 1989, just around the corner from the famous Pike Place Market.

Famous Pike Place Market sign

Thing to Think About Today:
Like it or not, a fair amount of my time in college was spent during the Grunge era.  The music was great, the fashion.... well I'm sure lots of people still wear thermal shirts, flannel, and baseball hats everywhere they go.  Of course, they might be homeless people.  However, one bright spot in all of those layers of ripped jeans and thermals was this incredibly happy song from the Flaming Lips.  I defy you to listen to She Don't Use Jelly and not sing along with a smile, regardless of whether or not you went to college in the 90's.

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

Did you know the Flaming Lips once appeared on Beverly Hills 90210?  I do.  Because I did in fact go to college in the 90's.

Beer 152: Kilty Pleasures

You guys! I almost forgot about you tonight. 

***

Tonight we're drinking a Philadelphia Brewing Company Kilty Pleasure scotch ale.  It poured garnet color liquid with an off-white head.  It smelled strongly of candi sugar with a bit of caramel and lots of booze.  Not surprising when it has a 10% ABV! 

It drank with a hint of smokiness, vanilla coffee flavors and some creaminess.  I did notice a lingering after-taste, which I didn't care for...kind of bitter.  I'm not sure if my taste buds are out of whack from being sick for the past ten days, but I wasn't feeling this beer. 

While I probably won't seek out another Kilty Pleasure, I will remain a fan of Philadelphia Brewing's Walt Whit.  Cheers!

p.s.  Is anyone else singing Careless Whispers?  Oh that's just me...