Day 685: Bullfrog Gouden Ezel

Today is my Mom's birthday. If I did my math correctly, she would have been 65 years old this year. But that fucker cancer got her early. I'll be toasting her this evening...just like Gary and I have done for the past two years on this date. I wish I was toasting with her instead.

The beer in the photo is the Bullfrog Gouden Ezel, an American wild ale. It poured a hazy dark gold color ale with a thin white head. It has a tart aroma reminiscent of vinegar. The flavor has unripe melon, a soft tartness and some crackers to it. It is a very easy to drink sour beer. 

Beer stats

Style: Wild ale

ABV: 7%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Bullfrog

First one!

Day 681: Alvinne Undressed...Scandalous!

I'm breaking the rules with tonight's post. In Year Two, the blog rules state that we can revisit a brewery (unlike in Year One when once we reviewed a brewery, it was off the list) but in Year Two each beer should be new and different. Well, I'm throwing that rule out the window for the evening and revisiting Alvinne Undressed.

Why? Because the first time I had it, it was on draft and this time it's from a bottle. Secondly some rules need to be broken. This one happens to be one of them. 

Alvinne Undressed is brewed at Picobrouwerij Alvinne, a relatively new brewery in Belgium. For a review of Undressed on draft, please see Beer Review #215. 

Alvinne Undressed is described on its label as an almost unhopped brown ale that is the base for Morpheus Wild and Kerasus. It is for fans of the true oud bruin style. It poured a hazy dark chocolate color ale with no head. It smells like a chocolatey oud bruin. A little acidic. A little chocolate. Some mud. The flavor is sour, light figs and rich chocolate with lots of malt. There is a ton of mouth-puckering tartness. 

Is it better on draft or in the bottle? I'm going with on draft this time around. That being written, the number of times I've found Alvinne on draft since starting this blog is once. Once. The lesson here is if you see Alvinne. Drink it. Buy it. Whatever you do, don't miss out. 

Beer stats

Style: Wild ale

ABV: 6.9%

IBUs: 0 

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Alvinne

Undressed on draft, more Undressed on draft and Morpheus Wild

Day 660: Rogue Beard Beer

A couple of months ago, I heard that my local Whole Foods got in an order of Rogue Brewery's latest installment of their Voodoo Doughnut beer--the chocolate, peanut butter, banana ale. Having been on a chocolate and peanut butter beer kick this summer, I figured I might as well try it.

As I came dashing into the beer cooler at Whole Foods, my impatience and harried self could only spot the Rogue Beard Beer. Thanks to Whole Foods' lovely beer guy on duty that evening, he pointed me in the right direction. He also asked if I was going to try the Beard Beer.  Umm, no. It's made with critters living on some dude's face. Eww.

But it wasn't just some guy. The beard belongs to John Maier, brewmaster for Rogue Ales. And after declaring my love of Belgian beers for the past two years, which rely heavily on airborne critters to give beer character, I felt challenged and quite honestly couldn't not buy a bottle.

Fast forward to last week and I finally found myself at home and ready to open my very own Beard Beer.

I perused the label for ingredients:
Water

Hops

Barley

Beard yeast

Yup. Right there in all it's cootie-fied glory was evidence of what I was about to drink. I thought to myself,  this is basically going up to Mr. Maier and licking his beard. Let's just file that away in the "Things I Will Never Think About Again" file. Sorry.

For the glory of Blog Named Brew, I pressed on. It poured a hazy, oranged-tinged light brown ale. It had a think white head. Based on looks, I was doing all right. It smelled fantastic. I may or may not have anticipated it smelling like hairy man. Again, sorry. I pressed on and took a big inhale and got orange and caramel and general beer hoppiness and maltiness.

After envisioning the boiling wort and telling myself that the critters were sterilized, I took a sip. It was light and refreshing. I wrote summery in my notes. There was light citrus fruit, grain and a nice mild hop finish. After some initial trepidation, I happily finished my beer!

Beer stats
Style: American wild ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 25
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Rogue
Another take on Beard Beer
Rogue's family include Eugene City Brewery and I reviewed the Honey Orange Wheat Ale
Juniper ale
Rogue sampler teaches me not to hold grudges

Beards and Beers

Day #659 Beard Beer / Rogue Ales,  Newport, OR
Previously from this brewery: Juniper Ale, and a sampler.

It's Sunday.  Yay.  Feel the excitement.

Enough sarcasm; you get a quick beer review because it's sunny outside and you shouldn't be reading the internet anyway.  Today's beer is the Beard Beer from Rogue.  In your glass, you spot an amber color with a quickly dissipating white head.  There's a sweet, floral, malt aroma, and when you drink it down, you pick up a mix of honey sweetness and floral notes.  It's relatively light and refreshing, with some apple, some grass, and a touch of bitterness on the end.  It's good, but certainly not on par with some of the other delicious offerings from Rogue.

The story behind this beer is that it's made from yeast cultivated from the brewmaster's beard.  Harvesting and cultivating yeast that exist naturally in the world around us is nothing new in the beer community. Harvesting and cultivating it from beards, that might be new.

I'm too lazy to get the picture of this beard out of my phone, so instead here's a picture of ZZ Top. Just because.

Beards, no beers

Thing to Think About Today:
Not much.  Something quiet for a quiet day.  Vampire Weekend, Hannah Hunt.

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

"Count the seconds/watch the hours"

Day 549: The National, Weyerbacher Riserva. What Are Things I Really Like?

Friday night we hit the Mann Music Center for the National show. The band is touring in support of their new album Trouble Will Find Me. While it hasn't been winning acclaim like some of their past albums have, I do highly recommend it.

I like music that stirs emotion and the National does just that. Matt Berninger (lead singer) has a voice that rattles my soul. It's deep, pensive and flows like honey--except when he's given to a bit of screaming. Then it's just raw emotion and I feel like I shouldn't be looking at him/listening to him. Watching him perform is mesmerizing. Where the music seems to flow out of the other members of the National, it's like it's battling with Berninger to get out. Or to stay in...I'm not sure which really.

Mr. Blog Named Brew and I debated whether this was one of the best shows we've seen and I was decidedly on the "YES!" side of that argument. Each song felt weighty...building to a point where it exploded in a fit of joy, anger, mind bending  lyrics and finished leaving me wanting more...waiting excitedly for the next song to start. Sweet release. Over and over. Song after song. 

That desire for more was repeated when I opened up this bottle of Weyerbacher Riserva (2012)--recently named the best new beer at The Philadelphia Inquirer's 2013 Brew-vitational, an annual competition for local beers.

Riserva is an American wild ale with raspberry purée added and aged in oak barrels. As soon as the cork came out of the bottle, I knew I was in for a treat. I believe the first words out of my mouth after the first sip were, "Holy hell this is good!"

It poured a hazy ruby-tinted brown ale with a small pale tan head. It has a fresh fruit smell that isn't sweet..more organic. There's definitely raspberry in the nose and a little wood too. The flavor is tart fruit and tart raspberry specifically. It has lots of prickly carbonation up front, then a little sharpness but it quickly mellows out and gets very smooth. It's fruity and woody and seriously one of the better beers I've had in recent memory. It's going in the top 25!

It also weighs in at a whopping 11.4% ABV. Amazingly you don't notice the booziness at all.

Beer stats
Style: American wild ale
ABV: 11.4%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Weyerbacher
His review of Riserva, Double Simcoe IPA
My review of Merry Monks

Keeping it Quiet

Day #540 Riserva / Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA
Previously from this brewery: Merry Monks, Double Simcoe IPA

"She said, 'I don't believe in any old Jesus.

And if there was a God, then why is my ass

the perfect height for kicking?"

- Bell X1, Rocky Took a Lover

Frequent readers of this blog may know that I love music.  I like nothing more than finding the right songs for the right mood, and then sharing those finds with everyone either in this blog or through an iPod mix at a party or tailgate.  I enjoy having people comment on the eclectic combinations I put together, and I like surprising people with the song that they absolutely need to hear at just the right moment.

A mix I rarely ever share from is my Quiet Mix; a collection of songs I like to listen to when I want to slow it down, take time to reflect and think, have a pity party and feel bad for myself, or just find a quiet, peaceful place to be alone in between my ears (my brain can be a cluttered, chaotic, noisy place).  The quote above has been running through my head lately; I bring it up in my mind whenever life throws a particularly well timed uppercut that I can't dodge or block.  Just like the quote says, sometimes I feel like I've earned the crap life hands out because my ass is really just the perfect height for kicking.  I don't know where I'm going with this post; I just had that song running through my head and then started typing.  Anyway, everyone should have a Quiet Mix.  If you need some suggestions, I'd be happy to share; I'm always happy to share my thoughts on music.

Tonight I give you Riserva from Weyerbacher, an American Wild Ale aged on raspberries in oak barrels.  Intrigued?  Yes, I believe you are.  This beer has a reddish rose hue with a thin edge of white head.  Out of the bottle, there are aromas tart raspberries, and when you take a sip you get taken away into a happy place with flavors of raspberries and oak, and just the right bit of sourness.  I drink a fair number of beers, and when my first reaction to a sip is, "holy shit!" you can feel comfortable that this is a world class beer.  Riserva beer has a very pleasing carbonation, and it hides a rather potent 11.4% ABV incredibly well.  I was shocked to see the ABV this high, as you don't notice the alcohol whatsoever.  Congratulations to Weyerbacher, as I'm awarding this beer a place in my coveted Top 25 list!

Soooo good!

I'm not the only one to fall in love with this creation.  It was very recently crowned 'Best New Beer' at the Philadelphia Inquirer's 2013 Brew-vitational.  

Thing to Think About Today:

No way I quote this song in the opening paragraph, and then not give you the goods.  I've only shared Bell X1 here in this space once before, but they're a band I enjoy greatly.  If you close your eyes (not now, you're reading), you can hear the Talking Heads influences hiding in there somewhere.  A high compliment from me, indeed.  Enjoy something quiet to unwind from your weekend and find an inner peace before the work week starts again.  Night, friends....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdA-CYwUDJg

"She said I'll shine for you / that's what I'll do"

Day 517: We Were on a (Jolly Pumpkin) Break!

My break from drinking Jolly Pumpkin beers 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 Obscura and some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day
Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres

Good and Short

Day #515 Sobrehumano Palena'ole / Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI
Previously from this brewery:  Plenty!  Ready.... set..... E.S. Bam, La Roja, more La Roja, Luciernaga, more E.S. Bam, Madrugada Obscura, and Bam Biere.

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!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc8j3VW3G4w

"Where'd all the good people go?"

Day 452: The Flemish Comma?

I've been slowly coming around to supporting the concept of the Oxford comma. For years, I was anti-Oxford comma. I like a clean page and in fulfilling my desire to have as little extraneous material on a page, the Oxford comma had to go. 

Sidebar: What is an Oxford comma? Maybe you've heard of the serial comma. No? The Oxford--or serial or even Harvard comma--clarifies the meaning of a sentence when the items in a list are not single words. The Oxford Dictionary website used this sentence as an exemplar.

These items are available in black and white, red and yellow, and blue and green.

(The Oxford comma appears after yellow.)

How does Oxford factor into the name? The Oxford University Press, of course! I also believe a far superior illustration of the Oxford comma is represented by this image:

And now you know why I'm now on board with the Oxford comma. I declared my new found passion for it most appropriately on National Grammar Day, which was March 4th. 

And if you don't think comma placement is important, check out the second tweet below. Why no--I don't have time to kill Badger fans. You go to jail for that sort of thing!

And with that, it's time for beer. This one was found at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne (Pennsylvania). 

Surly Bird is a wild ale from de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. I believe its proper name is de Proef Flemish Primitive. It poured a hazy, deep gold color with very little head. It had aromas of mild funk. The flavor has a lot going on...a mild sourness, a bit of earthy honey and a slightly stronger taste of wine barrels (white wine, if you're curious). It was very nuanced and I want to use the term delicate to describe it. It wasn't light by any means--I'd describe the mouthfeel as medium-bodied. It was absolutely delicious and fun to drink.

Beer stats

Style: Wild ale

ABV: 9%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from de Proef (note that most of these are collaborations)

Reinaert Wild Ale, Beer and Ball Gowns (guess who wrote that one!)

Gary's review of Surly Bird

I geek out about a Hair of the Dog homonym

Day 441: Random Thoughts and Another Jolly Pumpkin Beer

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.

Beer stats
Style: Wild ale
ABV: 7.2%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Excellent

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 Obscura and some crazy lady ranting about St. Patrick's Day
Gary actually has tried all the Bam bieres

Day 424: Russian River Supplication, An Experiment

A few months back when we were in the home stretch of year one of the blog, Teresa's Next Door had a Russian River Brewing Company tap takeover. Seeing how Russian River is one of our most favorite brewery's, it was a can't miss event. In addition to many draft offerings, there was also the opportunity to buy bottles from various batches produced in 2011. (I think I have that explanation correct.)

We went home with bottles from batches 5, 6 and 7. Then we waited. And waited. Why? Because I had the brilliant idea to do a horizontal tasting across the batches to see how they varied. And since we already reviewed Russian River in year one, we waited. 

A horizontal tasting, you ask? Let me drop some knowledge:

Horizontal Tasting: Tasting different beers of the same style made in the same year. For example, one could pick a variety of tripels produced in a particular year for the sample. 

Vertical Tasting: A slightly different approach. Tasting one beer with samples of different years. Or better yet, one beer produced in one year but tasted after x years, then x+1 years, x+2 years and so on. I don't have the patience to wait. Cellaring is not my forte!

Fast forward from beer purchase to end of blog's year one and Russian River was in play again. (Year one rules stated that we would drink a beer from a different brewer every day. No repeats.) But when was an appropriate time to do the tasting? Obviously Christmas Day. How else would one celebrate Christmas? Beer!

I didn't notice much difference in the color. They were pretty consistently a deep red amber with an off white head. The differences were very noticeable when it came to taste and smell.  Here's what I found by batch:

Batch 5

Smell: Strong balsamic vinegar

Taste: Sharp, sour bite. Brett effect is strong. Not so much oak. A little more grassiness than the others.

Batch 6

Smell: Balsamic vinegar is light with much more cherry and Pinot noir

Taste: Much rounder, full flavor compared to Batch 5. Finishes with a metallic pinch at the back of my tongue. Strong oak and wine.

Batch 7

Smell: Light balsamic and more brett funkiness

Taste: Funk comes through in the taste as does the cherry. Noticeable oak. Very dry.

Did I like one of the batches more than the other? That's like picking a favorite child. I would never, ever turn down a Supplication. Or anything else from Russian River for that matter.They were all interesting and delicious. And now I'm sad I don't have any more.

Beer stats

Style: Sour ale

ABV: 7%

IBUs: unknown

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Russian River

Gary's review of Supplication when he drank it in year one 

My review of the Russian River sampler during a day that should have resulted in an AA enrollment

Day 414: Trois Dames Winter Sour

Today's beer is quite appropriate as we've had and are about to have some awesome (sarcasm) winter weather.

It is the winter sour ale from Brasserie Trois Dames. It's brewed with oranges and lemon. Interestingly the brewer opts to use hops from Yakima Valley (Washington state) despite being based in Switzerland. Big ups to the Northwest USA!

It smells of lemon sourness and has a hint of funk to it. The flavor is strong orange, citrus pith and hop. There's also some woodiness in there. It poured with a very thick, craggy white head and there was tons of intricate lacing left in the glass as I made my way to the last drops of this deliciousness.


Beer stats
Style: Sour/Wild ale
ABV: 7%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Trois Dames
His and her reviews of Sainte ni Touche, a Flanders red ale

Day 400: Free Tail Brewing and a Greek Mythology Lesson

Texas Beer Week continues with a trip to San Antonio and Freetail Brewing Company. I'm not sure how Freetail landed on our radar when planning our trip to Austin, but I am certainly glad it did.

Freetail is named for the bats that seem to be all over the Austin, San Antonio area. Luckily for me, the several million bats who make their home under the South Congress Bridge in Austin were on their winter sabatical and nowhere to be found while I was visiting. While I value the role that bats play in the ecosystem, I have no desire to see them up close and en masse as I had to remind Mr. Blog Named Brew repeatedly on this trip.

Freetail opened up in 2009 with the goal of bringing better beer to the San Antonio area. I can assure you--based on my personal experience--they are more than meeting that goal. I started out with one of two sours they had on draft that day.  

Ananke = Delicious

The Ananke is an American wild ale or a sour beer. It poured a dark straw color with a very small, almost nonexistent head. It smells of lemons and a bit of wood or resin. The flavor is extremely tart...lemon, resinous. There's lots of woody flavor to it that lends a very interesting element. This is a great example of a sour beer. 

In case you were wondering who or what Ananke is, I've learned she is the Greek goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Together with Khronos, they are responsible for splitting the primal egg of solid matter into its constituent parts, earth, heaven and sea and so brought about the creation of the ordered universe. And that's your Greek mythology lesson for the day!

Beer stats

Style: American wild ale

ABV: 5.8%

IBUs: 10

Rating: Excellent 

Thanks to the encouragement of our waitress, who really knew her beer, I sampled four more offerings.

From left to right are: La Rubia blonde ale; Tadarida Oscura black IPA; Shoppe's smoked; and, La Muerta imperial stout. I didn't take any notes on these although I can recall that the Shoppe's smoked was quite unusual. Given its low ABV and IBUs, I thought it would be more of a table beer or perhaps a berlinerweisse. It's also worth noting that the beer board did not mention smoke at all in my defense. It actually tasted more like a rauchbier. Our waitress told me it was an acquired taste--evidently I acquired it pretty quickly because I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Previously reviewed from Freetail Brewing

Gary's review of the other sour that was on during our visit to Freetail, the Woodicus

Waiting....

Day #385 Woodicus / Freetail Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX
Previously from this brewery: None / New brewery

Today is a hustle day, so I'm keeping this short.  Well, I probably could spend a bit more time spinning colorful yarns, seeing how my flight is already 30 minutes delayed and I don't need to get on a plane for another five hours.  Great, should be a fun day spent sitting in airports.

A quick swing through south Texas isn't complete without a visit to the Freetail Brewing Company in San Antonio.  While there, my first beer up was a glass of Woodicus, a seasonal wild ale.  In the glass, you see a hazy golden amber color with a wispy head.  You find a tart, citrus aroma when you inhale, and when you take a sip you get a ton of tart and sour, with some funk that lingers.  There's a good bit of citrus in here (lemon), along with some oak.  Very well done beer, and I'm always glad to see more wild ales on draft, as they tend to be delicious.

Wood makes it good.

Pro tip: when you're there, try the brisket cheesesteak.  As a resident of the Philadelphia area, I laugh and feel bad when restaurants across the country put a "Philly steak" on their menu.  However, when you use brisket and queso, you get a free pass.  Delicious.

Thing to Think About Today:
I'm going to spend my day stuck in airports, sitting around waiting to get home.  As I sit and wait and wish, I'll let Jack Johnson wrap things up for today.  Keep your fingers crossed, peoples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W12tapQRrGM

Call of the Wild (Beer)

Beer #239 Wild Undressed / Picobrouwerij Alvinne, Heule, Belgium

It's been a good weekend, filled with beer, bike rides, and some well earned rest.  But there's a storm moving in (literally), so I'm going to hustle along and get this post written before I need to go batten down the hatches.

To close out the weekend, I'm reviewing Alvinne, a wild ale from Picobrouwerij Alvinne.  This one came on draft at The Farmer's Cabinet, and if you haven't been there, you need to go and see their amazing and ever changing beer list.  They manage to put some really unique and sometimes hard to find beers on their list.  Anyway, back to the beer - in the glass, it's the color of a ripe plum, and you are greeted with the aromas of sour cherry and vinegar.  The taste is clean, tart, and dry, with prominent notes of vinegar, cherry, with a tiny bit of sweetness.  An excellent wild ale for those who like their beers a bit more unusual.

Another awesome camera phone pic!

In the ancient world of Belgian brewing, Alvinne is a just a puppy, as they've been brewing since 2002.

Thing to Think About Today:
Yesterday, we were glued to the tv at Round Guys Brewery watching the tightly contested 10,000m (roughly six miles) finals, which would eventually be won by Great Britain's Mo Farah.  Close behind in second place was Galen Rupp, only the third American ever to earn a medal in this race, which was dominated by Finland in the early Olympic years, and by a number of African countries in more recent years.  So, there's Rupp, Lewis Tewanima's silver medal in 1912, and your thing to think about today: the incredible gold medal run by Billy Mills in 1964.

Mills was a virtual unknown at the time, and wasn't remotely considered a medal threat at the Tokyo Olympics.  In fact, his qualifying time at the US Olympic Trials was almost a minute slower than the winner's.  However, on the last lap with the two race favorites jockeying for position, it's Mills blazing past in a blur to break the tape and win gold.  The race official didn't even know Mills' name, and had to ask him who he was after the race ended.  No matter, as Mills managed to beat his personal best by a whopping 46 seconds, and set a new Olympic record.  He would also compete in the marathon, finishing in 14th place, although by that point everyone most certainly knew his name.

 

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

"Look at Mills!  Look at Mills!!!"

Beer 215: Alvinne! ALLLVVIINNNEEE!

Did anyone get the Alvin and the Chipmunks reference?  No? Just me. And now I have the Chipmunks' Christmas song stuck in my head.  I'm going to get a hula hoop.

Today's beer comes from the Belgian brewer Picobrouwerij Alvinne.  It is the Wild Undressed Regular.  The what now??

Let's just say American Wild Ale.  It poured a hazy garnet (Gary claimed it was purple.)  No head.  It was very still in the glass. I would have guessed it was flat.

The smell was kind of an acidic wine one. The taste was amazing -- very tart, cherries, perhaps a light balsamic vinegar with hints of cocoa.  Excellent beer.

A little research revealed that Picobrouwerij Alvinne is a tiny craft brewery located in Belgium.  The name of the brewery derives from a female spirit of local folk tales, who can be seen depicted on the brewery's logo and labels. The brewery creates a wide range of beers, including versions of 'traditional' Belgian styles.  They are relatively new having started in 2002. 

I can't imagine how intimidating it would be to start a brewery in Belgium.  They seem to be doing allright as this was quite a tasty wild ale.

Cheers!

Bear With Me Here....

Beer #214 Barrel 45 Wet Hop Wild Racer 5 / Bear Republic Brewing Company, Healdsburg, CA

Today's beer comes from Bear Republic, which we visited in person during our swing through Sonoma.  There's a bear waiting for you when you walk in the front door:

Bears!  And.... bunnies?

Oops... that's not Bear Republic, that's my living room.  Here's a better shot of their Bear:

Bear: "Wait, where the ladies at?"

I drank the Barrel 45 Wet Hop Wild Racer 5, and while that name is a bit unwieldy, the beer itself is a delightful experience.  It pours with an apricot color and no head, and you get a floral, citrus aroma.  When you take a sip, you're instantly greeted with some expected IPA flavors like orange and grapefruit, although they are more prominent and sour than you'd find in an average IPA.  What surprises you is a buttery or butterscotch flavor in there (which I assume is from the barrel aging), which balances some of the tartness.  From what I gathered while I was there, Bear Republic took Racer 5, their popular and hoppy IPA, then re-fermented it with wild yeast and bacteria to spin this beer in a different but funky and awesome direction.  My final note on this beer: "GREAT!"  We hit Bear after our second day of winery tastings, so my adjectives list may have been a bit stunted.  However, the fact remains this 7.5% ABV wild ale was an amazing beer.

Fantastic!

This appears to be a very limited release beer, as it's already no longer on tap in their brewpub.  Another unusual find we unearthed on vacation!  This one is definitely headed for my Top 25; the seventeenth beer to be afforded that honor so far.

Thing to Think About Today:
With bears on the brain, I could either drop some clips from 70's cult hit BJ and the Bear, a sitcom about a truck driver with a chimp (named Bear) for a best friend - OR - I could drop some Barenaked Ladies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quYV9nASs8Q

I think I chose wisely, even if they are from Canada.

Beer 200: Holy @#$*!, It's Beer 200

I cannot believe that I've been doing this for 200 days.  I have drank so much beer...

In honor of the 200th posting, I've decided it's high time to review what's hanging out in the Marci Top 25 list. As I start to compile that list, I have a sneaky suspicion that there may be way more than 25 breweries represented.  Not good when I haven't done my Russian River review -- it's coming soon -- and there's still 165 posts to go.

These are in no particular order.

1. Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary Ale
2. Mestreechts Aajt Flanders Oud Bruin
3. Revolution Cider
4. Schneider Weisse Mein Grunes (saison)  Something else had to go.
5. Saison d'Erpe Mere
6. Saison Dupont   I've had more unique saisons.
7. Uncommon Brewers Baltic Porter
8. Chimay Grande Reserve
9. St. Somewhere Saison Athene Off the list...the review wasn't as enthusiastic as others.
10. Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout
11. Leelanau's Good Golden Harbor (biere de garde)
12. Ayinger Weizen Bock
13. Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura (sour stout)
14. del Ducato L'Ultima Luna (barleywine)
15. Petrus Aged Pale
16. Delirium Tremens  Making more room...
17. Leipziger Gose
18. LoverBeer Madamin (sour) I admited it tasted a bit watery compared to other sours.
19. Abbaye du Val-Dieu Grand Cru Belgian Abbey Ale
20. New  Holland Dragon's Milk (stout)
21. Duchesse de Bourgogne Flanders Red Ale
22. Duvel Belgian Golden Ale
23. Left Hand Milk Stout
24. Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout
25. Ommegang Aphrodite (fruit beer)
26. Anchorage Love Buzz Saison 
27. 1809 Berlinerweisse
28. Allagash Interlude (wild ale)

 Just as I suspected...now I edit.  And now there are 23 beers on the list. 

***

Tonight I'm reviewing Deschutes Sour Raz.  It is an American wild ale brewed in Bend, Oregon.  It unfortunately was not one of the breweries we were able to visit on our vacation.

It poured a light brown with a reddish tint.  (That picture is awful in terms of color.  It smells of sour fruit. The taste is light raspberry, malt and coppery hops.  Is coppery hops a thing?  It is now.

I also just noticed that this beer isn't listed on Deschutes' webpage. Is that strange, no?

Cheers!

Bird, Bird, Bird.... Bird is the Word

Beer #94 Surly Bird / de Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi, Belgium

Keeping my hustle going, so we're back to diving in without much fanfare.  Besides, 80% of the reason you come here is for the beer updates, 20% for the fanfare.  So, think of this post as my 20% off sale - every penny counts in these challenging economic times, folks.

Today's beer is Surly Bird, a Flemish wild ale from de Proef.  This one was on tap at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, and had a golden honey hue in the glass.  The aroma gave off the scent of yeast, sour citrus, and spice.  So far so good.  I noticed grapefruit, yeast and malt, and honey with sour and tart notes throughout.  In my notes, I wrote down "Very Good!", which is usually shorthand for a beer I find to be very good.  Definitely be on the lookout for this one.

I took a picture, but my occasionally not-that-smart phone didn't save it somehow.  Apologies.

Thing to Think About Today:
I guess if I was a bird, I might be a little surly.  What with all of the flying and the living outside and what not.  To make it easy for you, I'll go ahead and rank some additional surly birds besides tonight's beer, from least surly to most surly.  Now, you'll have a reference available should you need to judge the surliness of any birds you meet.

5. Surfin' Bird

4.  The San Diego Chicken

3. "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware

2.  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Birds of War

1. The nesting hawks at The Franklin Institute


Stream videos at Ustream

For the past four years, this pair of red-tailed hawk have returned to a nest on a third floor ledge.  Their spot is right outside the window of the board room, and TFI staff have put up cameras so you can watch the birds lay eggs, bring home dinner, fluff up the nest, and feed their young.  Hence, your thing to think about today: Science in action.  Oh, but why do I categorize them surly, you ask?  Just wait until you see what happens to the rodents and pigeons they bring back into the nest, and you'll understand that these birds of prey are bad, bad mofos.

Day Drinking to Night Drinking

Beer #84 Panil Barrequée / Birrificio Torrechiara, Parma, Italy

Today was a Saturday that got better with age.  Funeral in the morning in the rain, but that lead to a sunny afternoon spent drinking.  Not a bad way to transition the day, no?

Sampled some very solid beers today, but one that stood out was a beer likely to get better with age, the Panil Barriquée from Birrificio Torrechiara.  Should I ever find myself stranded in Italy, I'm now confident that I've picked up enough Italian so I can at least find a brewery.   Which is where I'd want to be if I was in Italy anyway, so all good here.

This beer is a sour wild ale aged in oak barrels (barriquée translates to "barrel"), and it pours a reddish dark amber in the glass.  There's a thin white head, and you're greeted with a sour and stone fruit aroma.  The flavor has a great mix of sour and tart cherry, with a fantastic dry finish.  You definitely pick up some of the oak barrel aging in this beer.

Shitty camera phone, represent!

For what it's worth, the version we drank came from Batch 12, bottle # 612.  So, I'm guessing this is a limited production sort of beer.  If you find it, drink one.  Or two.

Thing to Think About Today:
It's Saturday night, and my evening will end with me watching a Julia Roberts movie.  Which is to say, me playing on my phone while Marci watches Julia Roberts play the same character for the 453rd time.  Yay.

Tonight should be more exciting.  You know why?  Because Saturday night's alright for fighting.  You heard me:

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

I'm a juvenile product of the working class

Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass!