Brazilian, Breaking, and Bohemian

Day #686 Bohemia / Companhia Brasileira De Bebidas, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Previously from this brewery: this beer is the first out the limo

Been working since 8am, so I'm getting right down to business.  Okay, so "work" means volunteering, but I was still up and out of bed early, so it was like work.  Today's beer is a gift from a friend who ventured to Brazil for spring break this year.  Let's just say that I went NOWHERE near as interesting as Brazil when I was in college, and I'm more than jealous of the guys who managed to pull off this trip.

Anyway, the beer is a bottle of Bohemia, a lager that pours a clear straw color with a wispy white head.  It has aromas of grain and grass, flavors of the same, and is an easy drinking lighter beer.  I wrote "El Bud Light", but then I realized the language of Brazil is Portuguese, not Spanish, so I guess that makes it "A Leve Bud."  Or not, I really don't speak Portugese and have no clue if that's right.  I've had this one in the fridge since the spring, but only recently found it hiding in there.

Brazilian

This beer traces it's roots back to 1853, and is now owned by beer colossus InBev.  So, there's that.

Thing to Think About Today:
I've been on a Queen kick lately, so Bohemian Rhapsody would be a good fit here.  However, I'm not a huge fan of the song - the movie Wayne's World ruined it a small bit for me.  Instead, on a fall Saturday better suited to a fall festival or Halloween party than reading about beer, I give you the Dandy Warhols and Bohemian Like You.  Good luck today, friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU3mc0yvRNk

"It's you that I want, so please...."

Clang.

Beer #343 Chang / Cosmos Brewery (Thai Beverage), Bangkok, Thailand 
Beers to go: 23

By the time you read this, the Penn State vs. Indiana game has kicked off, and I'm likely enjoying a great day in the parking lot - and hopefully in the stadium, too!

Today's beer is another one of those macro brews, but a macro coming from a strange place that I'm not likely ever going to visit.  Today's beer is Chang, from Cosmos Brewery, which is owned by Thai Beverage, in Bangkok.  In the glass, you see a clear, dull gold, and your nose finds a sweet aroma, maybe of rice.  The taste has some grain and rice, and some sweetness, and not a while of much else, really.  Unless you have some burning desire to cross off a beer from Thailand on your bucket list, go ahead and skip this one.

Pretend this beer never happened

Thing to Think About Today:
You know who makes me laugh?  Ken Jeong, who is hilarious and plays the equally hilarious character Senor Chang on the NBC comedy Community.  He's waaaay better than Chang beer, that's for sure.  Senor Chang, the floor is yours:

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

Good Old New England

Beer #341 Narragansett Lager / Narragansett Brewing Company, Providence, RI
Beers to go: 25

I had an immensely productive day today, which is an awesome way to close out a Thursday and open up a three day weekend.  It's Friday, so I won't bore you with any more details, it's time for happy hour to begin and the party to start.

Tonight's beer is the Narragansett Lager from Narragansett Brewing company.  This pounder can pours out a clear, effervescent gold color with a quickly dissipating head.  The aroma is a light mix of grain and sweetness, and the taste is clean, with plenty of grain, bread, and barley.  Not a terribly complex beer, but if you're looking for something simple and easy drinking (and a FAR more flavorful alternative to macro light beers), you've got it.  Maybe it's because I grew up on Yuengling Lager, but I was originally expecting more malt flavor in this one.  However, once I got that out of my head, it was easy to see that this would be a great tailgate beer.  Plus, beer in pounder cans is always better, that's just a fact.

Sold on Merit

Interesting history behind this brewery, as it originally opened in 1890 in the town of Cranston.  It produced one of the most popular beers in the New England region, and was eventually sold to Falstaff Brewing Company for $19 million back in 1965.  The original brewery in Cranston closed in 1981, and once giant St. Louis based brewer Falstaff eventually went of of business, Narragansett was off the market.  The original brand name was sold to a group of investors in 2005, who have relaunched the famous brew.  Their website has a nice recap of the history, and a photo gallery of 'Gansett Girls, if you're into that pretty girl sort of thing.

Thing to Think About Today:
The weekend is officially underway, and I might as well keep with the weekend theme and drop in some Vampire Weekend.  I saw them headline the Roots Picnic in Philly two summers ago, and they absolutely killed that night.  They have a pop/world sound that always brings me back to the best of Paul Simon.  They're not everyone's cup of tea; they can come off as a bit too preppy/Ivy League/trust fund/Frat Bro/too smart for their own good at times, but for me they're fantastic.  Hard to believe I waited 341 days to get us thinking about them, actually.  Shall we ride along into the weekend?  We shall, and we'll start with A-Punk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5jBgLZnyQw

And I'll go ahead and close out today with a slowed down, acoustic (with string trio!) version of the song Vampire Weekend used to close out the Roots Picnic, Walcott.  A song that just happens to be about life in New England - where this brewery is from.  Hooray music for smart people!

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

Beer 339: Cosmos Brewery Chang Beer

One of the benefits of working in a place that has a movie theater is seeing this throughout the day:

Daniel Craig = HOT!!!  (source)

Still not sure if I can commit to it in the theater.  Me and 142-minute films tend not to get along well.  Something else that I don't get along well with?  Chang beer from Cosmos Brewery Co., Ltd.  It's brewed in Thailand (5% ABV) and marketed as Thailand's award winning beer. 

It poured a slightly hazy golden color with very little to no head and what was there disappeared rather quickly.  It smells like rubbery beer and corn.  In fact, it's so flavorless that it's not actually that bad.  If you explore the Chang website at all, you'll note it's all about Thai food and Thai scenery.  The website makes it look like an awesome beer.  I'd say it's similar to Piton.  (Reviewed here.)

 

What I got the biggest kick out of is the tasting notes from the Chang website:

Golden honey in colour, Chang beer has a complex aroma - a smoky, peaty blend of sweet green apples and vanilla - and a beautifully balanced flavour which is crisp, smooth and incredibly refreshing.

Wow. I did not get any of that and based on other reviews I read, the copywriters are smoking some really good weed in Thailand because no one got any of that. I will admit that it is smooth, but water is also smooth.  This is a sad, sad beer.

Cheers.

Beer 335: Narragansett Lager and Friday Night Randomness

Some random thoughts to keep you cozy on a dark November night...

1. Friday night traffic in the Philadelphia suburbs may ultimately be the death of me. It's as if I took out my invisible car for the commute home.

2. My physical aversion to onions seems to be encompassing garlic now. I will be ignoring this fact and making myself ill for the next several months with the hope that it just stops.

3. I have A LOT of bourbon. If you consider the overall category of whiskey, then it appears I may be opening a liquor store.

4. This was an incredibly productive week. First one in awhile where I didn't come home on Friday hell bent on drowning my sorrows in beer.

That being said I am having a beer -- a nice, light, easy drinking lager from the Narragansett Brewing Company.


It pours a bright golden color with a thick white head. It smells exactly like what I would want a scratch 'n sniff beer sticker to smell like. It tastes sweet, bready and grainy. Very even balance of malt and hop with just a bit of a kick at the very end of the sip. It's a little still for my tastes, but it is easy to drink. At 5% ABV, it is also quite sessionable. Why is this adjunct America lager good in my book when so many others made me want to barf? I can't begin to guess. There's just something appealing about this one.

Cheers!

Beer 302: Piton Lager and Impartial Judging

I had my first Piton, brewed by Windward and Leeward Brewery, in July 2001. Piton was the official beer of the Generose Honeymoon in St. Lucia. It's been eleven years and three months since I enjoyed a cold, crisp Piton and all I can do is sigh and wander down memory lane.

I'm trying to be my usual judgmental self as I review this Piton. But it's tough through the hazy filter of island breeze fueled, sun drenched memories. It poured a bright gold color with a very white, short lived head. The smell is corn and malt. The taste is light-- grains and some grass. It tastes like a macrobrew lager with a little more than average flavor.


Windward and Leeward Brewery is Heineken's operation in the Caribbean. So while Piton isn't a craft beer, it is in that "can't get it easily in the U.S." category of microbrews that makes it passable for me to include on the blog. Finally I do need to recognize one of Gary's friends and coworkers who very kindly smuggled two Pitons back to the U.S. for us. Thank you!

All in all, I'll call Piton a good beer. Cheers!

Beer 301: Hayward's 5000 Indian Premium Beer

With the thought of "How often does one get to drink a beer from India" in my head, I made the unfortunate decision to purchase and ultimately consume a bottle of Hayward's 5000 Indian premium beer. I'm linking to Beer Advocate's page because I'm not sure what's up with the brewer. There's a link to the supposed brewer -- Shaw Wallace & Company, Ltd. but it goes to some shady website. I also noted on the label that it's a SABMiller product produced in India. The label also tells me that it's brewed at Skol Breweries, which is SABMiller's presence in India.  (Shame on me for trying this one...I know.)

The Hayward's 5000's ABV is not to exceed 8%. I don't even know what to do with that statement.  Moving on...

It looks like Budweiser in my glass.  In this photo, it looks almost clear. It poured with a soapy white head.  The smell is sweet corn.  Supposedly it is an authentic lager that is hailed as India's most preferred and popular beer.  It tastes like rubbing alcohol. The smell definitely does not translate into flavor.  If I drank anymore than the 4 ounces I consumed, I'm pretty sure I would have barfed. 

I'm off to check drinking a beer from India off my bucket list. Sadly it was a terrible, terrible beer. Cheers!