Black and White

Beer #682 Plum Noir / Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
Previously from this brewery: All of them.

My phone started doing something interesting; it now tells me the weather (without opening an app) and how far away I am from home in terms of driving time.  Both helpful, but I do have to stop and ask: how does it know where I live?  I never told my phone my address, although I guess it might be smart enough to either know where I go after work every day or what address is tied to my phone number.  Either way, I'm slightly taken aback by this. On the other hand, when I'm having a tough day at work, knowing that I can come home and play with the dogs in 14 minutes is a welcome and encouraging fact.  On the other hand, Big Brother is scary.  In case you were wondering (you were), when I am home, it tells me restaurant recommendations in my neighborhood, in addition to the weather and driving time to other local points of interest.

That being said, on to the beer.  Tonight I'm giving you some Plum Noir from Southern Tier, a brewery I really enjoy.  My small glass of this beer showed off a black color, with tons of chocolate, toasted malt, and a sweet plum taste.  Hints of coffee, which means that this is definitely not my cup of tea (pun intended), but you could tell that this is a complex, well made brew.

There you have it.

There are apparently between 19 and 40 varieties of plums, depending on who you ask.  Now you know.

Thing to Think About Today:
If the beer is a Noir, then your music will be the opposite - white.  Been listening to a good bit of Jack White lately; both his solo work and his White Stripes days. Interesting guy, good music, good lyrics, hails from Detroit, brings a great fusion of rock, blues, and a dash of country. Tonight I close with Love Interruption. Night, all - hope you enjoy!

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

"I want love to walk right up and bite me / grab a hold of me and fight me / leave me dying on the ground"

Day 669: Plum Noir

I spent a lot of time this past weekend in my hometown. Hazleton (Pennsylvania) is a ramshackle shell of its former self. I always tell people what a wonderful place it was to grow up. As I drove around town this weekend, I fondly recalled epic bike rides from my house to the local grocery store. My sister and I would turn what could be a five block walk into an eight mile bike ride--often giving my poor mother a heart attack as she sat wondering why on earth it was taking us so long. There were playgrounds galore, decent schools and no need to lock your doors. Now it's a blighted mess with borderline racist laws, a NIMBY attitude, and escalating crime. It makes me so sad to go back and visit.

Yet somehow through all the mess that is Hazleton lately, there's good beer to be had there. I stopped by the local Pantry Quik, which is a downmarket version of Wawa, to explore its beer selection. While there was plenty of Budweiser and various malt beverages, there was an incredible display of craft beer including Southern Tier's Plum Noir, which is tonight's beer.

Plum Noir is an imperial porter brewed with Italian plums. It poured a deep, dark brown with just a bit of light dancing around the edges. It had a thin tan head. It smells of plums and licorice. It tastes of roasted malts, wood, and fruit. When I exhaled, there were strong coffee notes. It had a thin mouthfeel, but big flavor that lingered. As it warmed a bit, I found a little bitter chocolate.

Beer stats

Style: Imperial porter

ABV: 8%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Southern Tier (evidently we only review Southern Tier when we have A LOT to say)

A philosophical debate on when a Christmas beer is a Christmas beer with a review of 2XMas

More 2XMas

A review of Creme Brulee Stout and my crazed musings on the evil temptress that is the avocado

And plain old rantings with a review of Unearthly Imperial IPA

Day 551: Southern Tier 2XMas

From the moment I opened today's beer, this song has been stuck in my head.

http://www.metrolyrics.com/hurt-feelings-lyrics-flight-of-the-conchords.html

Most specifically the line, "The day after my birthday is not my birthday." In my version, the lyrics aren't quite as catchy. But that hasn't stopped me from singing, "The day after Christmas is not Christmas." Is the Christmas beer still a Christmas beer even when it gets opened in June?

Chew on that while I sip on this.

This is Southern Tier Brewing Company's 2XMas--a double spiced ale. It's a seasonal ale brewed in the tradition of Swedish Glogg with two varieties of hops, four varieties of malts, figs, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. And it tastes exactly like the holidays!

It pours a medium-tone brown ale with a thin head. It smells like pie spice...cinnamon and cloves. There's also some honey in the smell. It drinks with a medium consistency and feels full in my mouth. It's spicy and tastes of clove and figs. And just a little bit of cherry. It's a bit boozy but nothing overwhelming. This is also a very, very aromatic beer. It scented my kitchen from the moment I opened the bottle and even as it sat in my glass, it continued to smell amazing.

Beer stats
Style: Spiced ale
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Southern Tier
His review of 2XMas, Unearthly Imperial IPA with an oddly appropriate holiday song,
My review of Creme Brulee Stout and musings on why avocados are so powerful

Christmas in June

Beer #543 2XMAS / Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
Previously from this brewery: Creme Brulee stout, Unearthly IPA 

Spent the day at the ballpark, thankfully watching the Phils pull out a late win against the hapless (except when they play the Phils) Miami Marlins.  Great day for a game, great time was had by all.

And with that short but sweet update, I'm getting right into the beer.  Tonight I decided to pull a beer out of the back corner of the fridge, a bottle of 2XMAS from Southern Tier.  There's apparently something called Christmas in July, so therefore I feel well within my right to have a Christmas beer in June.  In the glass, you see a dark amber hue, and are greeted by big aromas of spice - clove and nutmeg, predominantly.  When you take a sip, you find Christmas in a glass: cardamom, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel.  This is a tasty beer, but I'd like it quite more if I drank it in season, instead of in June.  Hey, can't win them all.  One less beer in the fridge, I say.

Ho, Ho, Hold on.... Christmas beer?

Thing to Think About Today:

Nothing says baseball like Christmas carols.  Paul McCartney, do you agree?  Of course you do, as we're simply having a Wonderful Christmastime.  Even in June.  Night, friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-sXrdQtog

Beer 32: Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout or Kill Me Now, My Life is Complete

I equate Southern Tier with super hoppy beers that Gary will love and I will hate.  And then about two or three weeks ago, I read an article that mentions Southern Tier's Creme Brulee Stout.  Creme brulee is my favorite dessert.  I love chocolate, but a good creme brulee beats the best chocolate dessert any day in my book.  If you're not familiar, it is a rich custard that is most often flavored with vanilla and topped with a thin layer of hardened caramel.  It should be served cold but not ice cold.  The hardened caramel should be thin and not burnt.  At its best preparation, it is heavenly.

Southern Tier's homage to creme brulee is served in a brandy snifter and is black as night.  You can smell the vanilla and sweetness at ten paces.  After a sip, Gary stated, "It's not bad for a stout."  A ringing endorsement if you know his distaste for stout.  I declared it to be sex in my mouth -- probably a bit too loudly given I was in public.  It was that good.  Seriously.

It pours with a thin head and light carbonation.  It's creamy and smooth.  The smell and taste of vanilla and caramel rang true throughout the entire serving.  It does have a slight bite at the end and definitely gives you that warm and fuzzy alcohol feeling, which is appropriate for a beer coming in at 9.8% ABV.

I have a few other milk stouts hanging around in the fridge and I think they'll be reviewed throughout the remainder of this week.  I know this one is a ripe candidate for Top 25.  I wonder if any of the others will be?

***

Quote Highlight of the Day:  "Avocados should not have that kind of control over our lives."  Why do avocados exert such power over us?  I'll tell you.  You never know what you're getting when you buy an avocado.  They're expensive and you only find out if you wasted your money on a poor quality avocado after you've cut into it.  And by that point, you are already geared up for whatever tasty avocado dish for which you bought that darn avocado and the disappointment is staggering.  We've all been there or at least my goofy co-workers and I have been there.  Avocados.  So delicious.  So powerful.

Dear Asshole,

Beer #5: Unearthly Imperial IPA/ Southern Tier Brewing Co, Lakewood NY

The world is a disaster - I'm convinced of this.  There are a myriad number of reasons: global warming, unemployment, religious strife, wealth disparity, terrorism, Newt Gingrich, the Kardashians.  We're totally screwed, right?  

This notion of impending doom is particularly on my mind today courtesy of the asshat who decided to hit the side mirror on my car last weekend.  Checked in with dad, we're looking at $800 for parts + labor, as I can't just replace the cover, but rather need to replace the entire mirror assembly.  Can I afford it, sure, and I have insurance to reduce that number, but it's the principle.  Own up to what you do, good or bad.  Mess up?  Solve it, don't drive away like a coward.  Society works best when we don't smash my mirror and drive away.

I often say that I like dogs more than I like people.  I'm not kidding.  Dogs are loyal.  And honest.  If a dog hit my mirror, he'd pony up $800 worth of Milkbones and own up to what he did.  Unlike the dipshit human who smacked my car.  

Beyond the rage of forking over money to pay for someone else's mistake, I had a very good day.  Out with some co-workers I love for a happy hour.  Home for take-out + today's beer, an IPA from Southern Tier.  Much more of a hop bite than yesterday's selection, and I'm enjoying it.  Despite seeing it appear on shelves near me more frequently this year, it took me a while to try Southern Tier.  Once I tried their products, I haven't found one I don't like.  Did the graphics on their label keep me away?  Being called "Southern" despite being from upstate NY?  Don't know, don't care.  Glad I came around.

Thing to Think About Today:

It came up randomly on the iPod today, and it has put me in a better mood since hearing that I get to pay money to fix someone else being a dick.  Of course I'm talking about John Denver and The Muppets doing the 12 Days of Christmas.  Awesome, right?  Sure! However, that's not your thing to think about today.  Instead, I leave you with Ode to Joy performed by Beaker.  Beethoven's masterpiece?  Beaker's magnum opus?  Yes to both. Indubitably.