$15 a bottle?

The holidays are all about giving, or so I've been told. I thought it was all about Jesus getting dressed up and dying his beard white, but apparently I was misled.

Anywho, this particular holiday had me convinced that I should get in the giving spirit by tossing some money to good ol' Uncle Sam Adams, who would in return give me a bottle of Chocolate Bock. "How can I go wrong," I thought to myself, "with a bottle with such an elegant little plastic label on it. And a hang tag!"

Well, boys and girls, I'll tell you how I can go wrong. When I spend $15 on a single bottle that has the words "chocolate bock" written on it, I fully expect to be rewarded with a taste reminiscent of a mountain goat that drowned in a vat of the finest native Swiss chocolates, or at the very least, took a bath in a tub of Yoo-Hoo. But no! Oh no, this beer offers none of that.

It turns out that Sam Adams Chocolate Bock is brewed with "nibs". It sounded to me like an attempt at coming off classy, but I really had no idea what the hell nibs were. It turns out that nibs are defined as "A person in authority, especially one who is self-important". What? You mean to tell me that instead of a chocolate coverd goat, I'm actually drinking my overbearing, narcissistic, ego-maniac boss? What the hell is he doing in my beer? And shouldn't he be paying me?

Regardless, after all of this mucking about with goats and nibs, there was a valuable lesson to be learned. But I spent my last $15 on that beer, so now I'll never know what that lesson was.

Somebody had to do it

I've been too sick and drugged up to drink anything and write about it...what's your excuse?

YES!

On this Day, Election Day, the fourth of November, two thousand and eight, two extremely relevant beer-related events have transpired...

Exhibit A: Eastway Wegmans (the one near my house) has expanded it's beer selection. This includes tons of variety packs (Something my dear Hegedorn's has greatly overlooked).

Exhibit B: THE 12 BEERS OF CHRISTMAS ARE HERE AND READY FOR PURCHASE! This is my most eagerly awaited beer event of the year every year!

Sure, Saranacs aren't terrifically terrific, but I truly look forward to this 12 pack. Football Sundays just went up a notch! BTW, it includes vanilla stout, india brown ale, bohemian pilsner, belgian ale, ESB, and Season's Best Brown Ale. I have never had those first three before so I'm excited!

It's the simple things...

With the old man leaving for another 6 or 7 weeks in Sheepton, EN, I figured it'd only be best to ease him back into the land where taking a banger in the mouth isn't as dirty as it sounds, even if it is still kind of mushy and gross. And what better way to do this than with a trip to The Old Toad, a bonafide British style pub staffed by British citizens who have come over to learn the pub trade in another country for some strange, strange reason that I'll never quite understand.

Anywho, the 'Toad's website listed three cask ales - Flying Bison's Pale and Red Ales, and Rohrbachs Pink Peppercorn Oak-Aged IPA. Nothing that sounded bad, for sure, but nothing that I was really all that fired up for. But as luck would have it, the selection had just been changed that day! I was now looking at a narrower, but much more enticing selection. In the blue corner, we have Hoptical Illusion from Blue Point Brewing. And in the red corner, Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale. Being no fan of IPAs, I suggested that Dad try the red, and I followed suit. It just seemed right for a cool night of British food and darts.

Lagunitas has never let me down before, and this was certainly no exception. For a cask ale, there seemed to be just a hint more carbonation than normal. But the mouthfeel was big and thick, like a burger so rare that it's still mooing. And it kicks like a cow, too! The first sip is inoffensive at first. But as the beautiful red stuff trickles down your throat and into parts unknown, you're treated not to an aftertaste, but a kick in the uvula. Not a bad, knock you out of your seat kind of kick, nor is it a 7.6% ABV kind of kick - the alcohol is hidden quite well. Really, it's more of a "Imperial isn't just a name" kind of kick. Sipped over at least half an hour for a single pint, the taste remained largely unchanged, although the kick started to fade.

Now, get away from the computer, and go get a pint while it's still fresh. Cheers!

(tape delayed*) Live Blog!

Kevin: This tastes better than the 2008 Pumking. No, not better. But it seems like there’s more a little more pumpkin, and a lot less king. This, of course, meaning the 2007 Pumking.

Neil: I hadn’t been fortunate enough to experience the 2007 Pumking in such an elegant glass until this very moment, and I must say, it really releases all of the tender flavor notes, etc. I will be going back to the bar to get a 2009 Pumking next!

Jeff: I glanced at the word “Pumking” that Kevin typed above and now I don’t remember what I was going to write. Go Bills!!!

Dad: It tastes pumpkinnie with some spice. ::Chortle::

Kevin: Tender? ::chortle::? What the hell is wrong with you people? This is supposed to be a serious piece of literature, carefully penned to relay our professional…goddamnit, I can’t type and listen to you people talk at the same time. Tests and the FDA have no place in the parlor room at The Old toad!!!

Okay, tuning you out. Nope. Not working.

Jeff: Kevin got Dogfish Head and it was hot. Oh crap, bad joke. Major sorries dudes. Anyway, tastes like a pumpkin-flavored, strong Oktoberfest. I have a peppercorn IPA on cask. Sweet. Maybe I’ll do that in the future. Anyway, it was good. So was pumking. A successful night indeed! Muffins R4 any1.

Dad, anything to say?

Dad: No

Jeff: Oooooookay! I’m gonna go to the bathroom.

Kevin: Neil just looked at me and asked me to finish his beer. I’m not sure if that’s a euphemism for marriage, or if he just really likes me. I had to clear something up though – was he ignoring his beer, a 2008 Pumking, because he didn’t like it? Or did he just suddenly responsible up and realize that he was the one bound to driving my drunk ass home, and has offered me his remaining booze in hopes that it wouldn’t go to waste? Wow, that was one heck of a run on sentence. But now that it’s over, I can address the issue that Jeff just said I should blog about. Sadly, however, I’ve already forgotten what that was. However, I just heard the phrase “ bananas like penises”, and although I have no idea what the context of that was, I had to include it.

Back to the beer! I’ve just finished a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, which was very delicious. I really want to make some sort of horrible pun about it, but I just can’t bring myself to do it – too much self respect. So now, it’s time to move on to Neil’s remaining 10 ounces or so of the 2008 Pumking. It’s delicious. And now, we’re going to play board games. Goodnight, and sorry for writing this.

P.S. Neil says “did you fart?” and I said “no”. He said I’m a jerk, and that I should write that in the blog. So there.

*editor's note: this was intended to be posted live from the Old Toad during the "Fall Festival of Flavors" or whatever they were calling this. But the internet kept cutting out, and there were more important things to do. So tough.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Stein holds 5 liters.

A 5L mini keg of Warsteiner goes around around $20.

Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?

A Shining West Coast Failure

Welcome to the first in a series of my beer reports from my mini-vacation to the Pacific Northwest. I encountered this beer in the fine city of Seattle. Thanks to Trevor at Bottleworks in Wallingford for his indispensable help in selecting West Coast beers.



If there is one thing California knows, it's how to make hoppy beers. Somewhere along the evolution of brewing, everyone out there up and decided that they liked things hoppy and they were damn well going to do something about it. Embodying the same "can-do" attitude that birthed Silicon Valley, silicone movie stars, and Journey, California brewers went wild, stayed up far later than most civil people, and began hopping their beers to the Nth degree. West Coast brewing would never be the same.

As luck would have it, for every brewer like Stone or Green Flash who succed in utterly obliterating one's palate with a hop punch of epic proportions, there is at least one other brewer whose ad copy can't live up to the reality of their product. Port Brewing of San Marcos, CA is one of those failures.

Port describes their Wipeout IPA as "...a massively hopped India Pale Ale with enough substance and body to overcome even the worst and most tragic of on the water spills." It is so hopped in fact, that it contains "a tidal wave of hops". The wave is more of a swell and the hopping is not so much massive, as it is perfectly adequate. Wipeout falls flat on its face for all its extreme posturing and I couldn't be happier.

While not a rousing success as an extreme beer, Wipeout is one of the best IPAs, and indeed beers, I have ever consumed in my time on this little blue-green rock. The lack of over-hopping produces an IPA that is refreshing but not without a little of that punch we've come to know and love from our friend the IPA. Closer examination reveals a beer that is not only complex for an IPA, but far more drinkable than most.

Wipeout pours the usual strong orange-yellow that one would expect from a solid IPA. There's not much head of which to speak, likely owing to my lack of "proper" glassware and my sub-par pouring technique. Carbonation is present but seems a bit low for a beer of this sort. The strong hop aroma is nearly overpowered by floral, lemon and orange bouquets. It smells a bit like what would happen if you thew a bunch of hops into a Bath and Body Works and mixed the whole place up. Odd aromas aside, I move forward and take a sip.

*ZAP* Go my neurotransmitters. Dendrites are catching happy charges like Obama's catching flack for his middle name. Alcohol may be a depressant but the overwhelming joy I feel while drinking this beer more than negates it. Gone is the melange of overpowering aromas. In its place there is a taste that can only be described as well-balanced and supremely drinkable. A smooth (malty even), slightly lemony front end gives way to a hop finish that is both pleasant and and dry. Hop aromas do color the entirety of the body in a small way, but the actual hop flavor does not gain any solid footing until about halfway to the finish. There is no evidence of alcohol bitterness, which is no small feat considering this is billed at 7% ABV. This is a beer that, despite its brewer's claims of wildness, is fully controlled and a fine example of what other brewers could emulate to create appealing IPAs that do not rely on brute force to rope in adventurous drinkers.

In short, this is a beer for nearly everyone, barring those allergic to hops or malt. If you like DIPAs and other absurdly hopped beers, you've found your new lazy day six-pack. For those of you like my friend who is on the fence about IPAs due to poor flavor balance, well, this solves that problem. For those people who just like beer, you'll be hard pressed to find such a good American take on the IPA from anywhere else. As for East Coast aficionados of beer AND heresey, I'm going to say it: this is better than any Dogfish Head IPA to date. Should the angry mob need help finding me, I'll be here at home, looking for some place in Boston to buy this wonderful beer.

Dead Leaves and Some Bison, Ground

Evening-ish
Tuesday
Somewhere in Penfield

I'm pretty sure it's October. How do I know? Because it feels like mid-August. But unlike the eighth month of the year, this one looks pretty. And it kind of smells pretty, too. If this isn't a good enough reason to treat yourself to a fancy dinner, I don't know what is.

On the grill a pound of dead bison is sizzling away, the flames licking at the meat the way that Eli and Peyton Manning lick the white stuff off of an Oreo during the Double Stuff Racing League World Championship. As the sun sets, the smell of freshly cut grass and dried leaves throws a Dance Dance Revolution party in my nostrils, while the thick grey smoke from the overdone charcoal goes downstairs and throws up in my lungs.

But none of that lasts long, because in my hand now is a glass full of Weyerbacher's Simcoe Double IPA, courtesy of Jeff's blown bicycle tube. (By the way, Jeff, I think Ben said he has extra tubes.) After one simple sniff, I thought for a moment that I may have to call in the hop bomb squad to diffuse this brew. This is, by all means, a good thing. It has been months since I've had a good, strong IPA, and I can only compare it to New Car Smell. You know you like it, there are few things better, but it feels like it's been too long since you've last enjoyed it.

In a Badger pint glass, this beer is pure sexy. A beautiful amber-orange color with an off-white one and a half finger head just looks good against the fall leaves, nearly matching the chlorophyll-deprived ornaments of autumn hanging perilously from the ash tree in the corner.

Looks aren't everything in a beer though, and ultimately a poor-tasting beer is nothing more than an air freshener in a pint glass. Simcoe tastes as it smells, hoppy from the get-go. Hop bitterness: check. Subtle pine and citrus appearances: check. Painfully bitter: negative. 9% ABV alcohol presence: negative. But make no mistake, this is a big beer. It may not taste like 9%, but it's large and in charge.

Combine this with a muenster-topped bison burger, a beautiful sunset, and a slightly cool breeze, and you have a real treat on your hands. Cheers!

The wheel of beer, ugh, TIME, turns and ages come and pass!

So I'll just admit it, okay? Flowers for Alegebra just doesn't taste very good. Alright????! Is that what you wanted ot hear?! ...Uh, read?!!? I guess it's time to move on, fall into step with my old ways. The path of the IPA/APA; a path true and clear, reliable yet exhilirating.

Or... What if...

Well, would a true homebrewing HERO (or super mega villain for that matter) be put off by one inadequate and flaccid attempt at making beer?!? Of course not! A real super villain hero adventurer would turn the other cheek and make an imperial stout! RIGHT?! So that's what I'll do, make up a nice 4 gallon btach of dark, delicious, strong imperial stout, put in in some bottles, and drink it all winter!

I'm thinking imperial stout with cocoa. That's my plan. It's an expensive one but hopefully worthwhile.

Time for the name, here's what I'm thinking so far:

Axegrinder Bloodstone Imperial Stout
Jingazu Imperial Stout
Kronos Lord of Time Imperial Stout

MORE COMING SOON

Let's vent

According to Saranac, winter is here

Wooo!

It's that time of year again. A time when those clingy little leaves lose grip of their trendy little "green" lifestyle and fall helplessly to their deaths. A time when the sun goes to bed before Jeopardy even comes on. A time when I sit in my room, curled up depressed and crying in the fetal position next to the space heater, for days at a time.

Yes, wintertime is rapidly approaching. The calendar doesn't know it. But I know it. You know it. And Saranac knows it. Which is why, within a matter of days, their annual 12 Beers of Winter box will be sitting pretty on store shelves next to dusty bottle of Pumpkin Ale after forgotten Pumpkin Ale.

What has me excited is that this year's offering includes three new brews. Along with oldtimers like Extra Special Bitter, Belgian Ale, and Season's Best, this box of tastiness will include Vanilla Stout, Indian Brown Ale, and Bohemian Pilsner. Now, I know what you're thinking. No I don't. But I know what I'm thinking.

I'm thinking this will be getting my unemployment money. Let's face it, I like me a good stout. And while I'm a bit apprehensive about a vanilla stout (thanks, Southern Tier), the India Brown and Bohemian Pilsner sound intriguing. At the moment, not much information seems to be available about these new beers, other than the names. But the names are new, and the location is local, which is pretty much an automatic "I'm gonna try this" in Kevin's Book o' Beer.

Expect reviews of the three newcomers by the end of the month, assuming Hegedorns puts these out before Halloween.

I almost forgot...

...about hops. More specifically, hop-heavy beers.

You see, I've been spending the last several weeks doing what all good little German-ish boys should be doing: drinking Oktoberfests. Otter Creek, Sam Adams, Dundee, Warsteiner - the list goes on. Actually, I think that's it. But along with the Oktoberfests, I've been leaning towards the darker, heavier beers along with the cool (and often cloudy) weather. My last two trips to the Tap and Mallet have been fulfilled primarily by stouts and porters, and I've been favoring the remaining porters from the Great Lakes sampler that I've had left over from the sunnier weather.

But today, the sun was shining bright. My schedule was as clear as the skies above. The was a half pound of beef in the freezer with my name on it. Or maybe it said "1/2 lb 90/10," I don't really remember. But I knew that this fleeting moment of post-summer warmth needed to be accompanied by something a little lighter than the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Braving the seemingly endless minefield of leftovers that (de)compose my refrigerator, I retrieved a bottle of Great Lakes' Burning River Pale Ale. After one sip of this easy drinking, 6% ABV ale, it all came back to me.

HOPS!

Those beautiful plants that once nearly turned me away from beer forever were once again at the forefront of the beverage that kept my overcooked burger from completely drying out my mouth. It was perhaps the most refreshing beer I've had in weeks; more so than the brews that I enjoyed on the Bills' opening day earlier this month.

And then I realized: I can't ignore hops. Last winter, I filled my shopping cart time and time again with oatmeal stouts that would go down smooth and leave that wonderful warm feeling in me. And yes, I'll do it again this year. But this year, I won't forget to keep a few brews on hand that pack a bigger hop offering, whether in stout form (Storm King), or just some basic pale ales. Because as much as I love a good, thick, motor oil-esque on a dreary winter day, you can't completely ignore a style throughout an entire Rochester winter.

That, and stouts will just be too damn expensive for the unemployed.

It's Miller Time!

"This fall, Miller Lite is introducing an innovative new package, a 16-ounce aluminum pint bottle that enhances the Miller Lite taste experience. The pint's wider opening provides a smoother flow to enhance the Miller Lite taste experience; the aluminum cools like a can; and the resealable closure helps lock in freshness.

'The great taste of Miller Lite gets even better when it's enjoyed from our new aluminum pint,' said Grant Leech, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite. 'This package drinks like a bottle and cools like a can to deliver an invigorating taste experience.' "

For the full press release, clickity-click right here.

Cool weather

Here it is: Fall... Ole' late September in Rochester, New York. The nights are brisk, perfect for sleeping and the days are sunny and cool, ideal for football. Oktoberfest has come and gone with its tubas and alpen horns along with pitcher after pitcher of delicious German beer, the perfect coupling to a limburger cheese and onion sandwich.

AND, the Bills are 3-0.

And most importantly, with this change of seasons comes the advent of my first official Storm King of the season. Without a doubt, it still tastes like my favorite. Perfect. Happy Autumn, everybody!

Store review: Aman's

(copied from my BeerAdvocate review)

This is not, technically, a "beer store". Instead, this is actually a farmers market stuffed full of produce, landscaping and lawn care items, etc. Yet in the back is a massive beer selection, which an employee told me includes "over 300 different beers".

I didn't take the time to count, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was right. Green Flash, Oskar Blues, Ommegang, Stone...at a friggin' farmers market!

In theory, the newly designed Wegmans might have a slightly, and I mean slightly, larger selection. However, a huge plus to this place is that probably 90% of their selection is refrigerated, so if you need a last minute brew and you don't have time to chill it, you're pretty safe here.

Also, unlike Wegmans (last I checked), there's a rack in the walk in cooler with a large "make your own six pack sign", with bottles of Stone, Rogue, and all sorts of other tasty stuff sitting on it. It's not the largest selection in the world, but it's still great to have if you want a bottle of this and a bottle of that without buying the whole sixer.

An added bonus is that this is a local market. This isn't a chain or franchise or anything like that; this is just a large Mom & Pop operation.

Pricing is very reasonable here. $5.99 for local stuff like Dundee Oktoberfest, which is at least a dollar (maybe two) less than Beers of the World. $6.99 for Stone's Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout ($8.89 at BOTW).

This is a first-impression review; I was just there for the first time the day before writing this. But it definitely won't be my only visit.

Korpiklaani - Beer Beer

World Tour!

Saturday:
Labatt Blue
Serving type: 12 ounce can poured into my mouth.
Appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel: like a cheap Canadian lager. Presently the only drink under 70 degrees (F) on the island.

The world tour has been delayed on account of a rather wretched stomach issue. To be resumed when the all clear has been passed.

Sunday:
Black Wattle Superior Lager (Australia)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle poured into Coca-Cola promotional glass
Let me start by saying that I have no idea what a wattle is. It may say something about it on the label, but that’s too far away for my taste. What I do know, however, is that the blackness of said wattle may be a contributing factor to the nearly cola-colored pour of the first beer of the world tour. The slightest hint of amber was the only thing separating the aesthetic of this from a glass of Pepsi, as the “creamy head” promised by the label amounted to no more than a fizzy glass with – you guessed it – no head to be seen anywhere.

The aroma was heavy on apples, with something that may or may not have been grapes hiding underneath. The taste was what one would expect from the scent; heavy on New York’s crop; light on any hops. In fact, the label’s offering of “subtle hops” may have even been an overstatement, as it took a bit of searching to really find any hop character in an otherwise overly sweet brew. The mouthfeel was thicker than expected, with moderate carbonation and just a slightly sticky feel to it. I hate to say it, but I think Fosters might have actually been a better choice.

This definitely isn’t the way I hoped to start off. I can only hope that something with a little more resemblance to beer is next on the list.

Monday:
Quilmes (Argentina)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle, no glassware
Now, this is more like it. Quilmes seems to me like it may be Argentina’s Miller High Life. Does it have a deep, complex flavor? No. But does it taste better than Coors? You bet. Most importantly, at least in comparison to Sunday’s nightmare, this brew actually tastes like a beer. There’s not a whole lot I can say about this one. Paired with a ground beef taco, Quilmes was simply a refreshing beer with the same mild hop and malt levels that you’d expect from your average lager.

Tuesday:
Endurance Glaciar Gold (Antarctica)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle, some glassware (see picture)
I felt like this needed to be poured in a manner similar to the glaciers it claims to represent, so I filled the old Coke glass with two ounces of beer and about six yards of head. While I let that sit, I finished off the rest straight from the bottle. There really didn’t seem to be too much difference between this and yesterday’s Argentine offering. Maybe it was a tiny bit heavier on the hops, but certainly not hop-heavy by any means. Perhaps a direct comparison between the two would have been more appropriate. In all, this is another brew that isn’t really worthy of too many words. It was a good, smooth drinker – not overly bitter or overly sweet, but well balanced and refreshing.

Wednesday:
Tusker (Africa)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle, no glassware
I’ve abandoned glassware this time around, as I couldn’t find anything that didn’t have an overpowering odor to it that couldn’t be easily washed out with our limited supply of clean water. For the third straight day, this seems to be your typical lager offering. It did seem to have a more complex taste to it than the last two days’ offerings, but without doing a side-by-side it would be tough to say for sure, and I couldn’t put my finger on any specific flavors. It may only be a result of the different local ingredients. Whatever it was, it was tasty. If it weren’t for the fact that I can get so many other six packs at the same price, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to picking up more of this one.

Thursday:
Hop Hazard (America)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle poured into Peanuts camping themed glass
I couldn’t resist pouring this out so I could get a better feel for the appearance and aroma of this one, but I made sure to take a few sips from the bottle just in case the glass tainted the rest.

God Bless America. After days of regular lagers, a dry-hopped pale ale felt like a gift from the gods. Today’s tasting poured a moderately cloudy orange/amber into the glass with Snoopy and friends on the side. It reminded me a little bit of Cape of Good Hops, but less orange coloration and less head. Taste-wise, it was a welcome break from the relative monotony of the early week’s offerings. From the very first sip, the hop presence is impossible to ignore. It commands the attention of the drinker in the same way that the Poz commands quarterbacks to stop what they’re doing and just give the ball back to the Bills.

This is one that I can see myself picking up from time to time in the summer months. I haven’t had too many pale ales in my day, but this one seemed a lot heavier on the hops than the others that I’ve tried. Someone with more experience – care to tell me if this may be a result of the dry hopping that this bottle boasts?

Friday:
Apostel Brau (Germany)
Serving type: 12 ounce brown bottle
Nothing too special here; just your average German pilsner. I had originally purchased this with the intent of enjoying it alongside a freshly grilled sausage. Sadly, said food has been banned from the island. To quote the aunt responsible: "Do we really need to be eating something that looks like that while we're all up here?" I really can't tell if she was kidding or not. Regardless, no sausage. But I digress.

This isn't the big flavor-packing brew that some German beers are, but I don't think it's designed to be. Apostel Brau is easy drinking, refreshing, and still a hell of a lot better than that Black Wattle beer. This is the kind of beer that you could easily drink two or three of while lounging out in the sun, which is exactly what I was doing. Minus the two or three part, of course.

Friday, part two:
La Fin du Monde (Canada)
Serving type: 22 ounce brown bottle poured into a moderately wide-mouth wine glass
This, friends, is tradition in a bottle. Maybe some sort of Belgian tradition goes into brewing this, but that's not what I'm talking about. No, for three years in a row now, a bottle of this has been opened, consumed, and thoroughly enjoyed after the final dinner of the vacation. This started when Erich gave me a bottle on the week that I turned 21 on the island, and I've been bringing it ever since because it's about as close to having him on the island as I can get.

This is, in a way, the beer that saved beer for me. Prior to this, I'd had mostly your average Molson-esque beers, and it wasn't something I was too enthralled with. But this beer helped turn me on to styles outside of the lager and pilsner standbys, and got me interested in learning about what else was out there.

So what can I say about this particular beer? It's big. It's heavy. It's about 9% ABV, and while it doesn't really taste it, it almost seems to pack a greater punch than some double digit brews. It pours a beautiful orange/gold; cloudy like the majority of the week's weather. A slow pour is required to make sure that the first glass isn't filled with nothing more than head and sediment. There are hints of everything in here - citrus, spice, and general hop goodness. When previously reviewing this for the annual Christmas beer-off, I described it as tasting "like Canada". I guess I'm still not entirely sure how to expand on that, as I've really grown accustomed to simply comparing the taste to a cool evening on the lake.

In any regard, I'll raise a glass of this to Erich. He may not have been able to get vacation time from work, but in a little way, he's still on the island with us.


Cheers!

-kevin

Dad's Business Trip

My Dad is in Maryland this week, and decided to go to the Dogfish Head restaurant. I told him to get a 120-minute IPA (18% abv for those of you not in the know), which he did, on tap. Sweet!

He said it tasted bitter (as would be expected) but sour with an awful aftertaste.

Singin' the Oskar Blues

Or: How I learned that I really need a designated driver for this event.

I’ll start right off with a straightforward list of what I managed to scrounge up:

1) Victory - Hop Devil
2) Middle Ages - Swallow Wit
3) Tap & Mallet/Rohrbachs - McBane’s Best Bitter (A)
4) Saranac - Pale Ale
5) Warsteiner – Dunkel
6) Spaten – Oktoberfest
7) Southern Tier – Harvest Ale
8) Brasserie d’Achouffe – La Chouffe *
9) JW Dundee - Honey Brown
10) JW Dundee - Oktoberfest
11) Lagunitas – IPA
12) Tap & Mallet/Rohrbachs – McBane’s Best Bitter (B)
13) Sackets Harbor – Pale Ale
14) Long Trail – Pale Ale
15) Tap & Mallet/Rohrbachs – McBane’s Best Bitter (C)
16) Victory – Hop Wallop
* Distributed/presented at the festival by Ommegang

One of the highlights of the night was the Tap & Mallet booth. The woman who poured my first glass explained to me, unsolicited, that the reason the tap was labeled with the type of hops was because they had three different casks with them. That’s right, three casks of pub owner Joe McBane’s own recipe. When I asked one of the other main employees of the joint about the style, he said that the main recipe remained the same, with a different type of hop added during the dry hopping process for each one of the casks. Up first was a batch with Kent Golding, which proved without question to have the most bitterness out of any of the three. The second batch was dry hopped with Amarillo hops, which gave it a mellower flavor, but with a little bit of bitterness retention. The third and final batch of the night was done with Centennial hops, which proved to be the least flavorful of the three. I’m just glad I was able to catch all three of them.

Another thing that impressed me was the number of breweries who had pourers that actually knew how to dispense the suds properly, with a number of my 3ish ounce samples have just the right amount of head for such a small glass. One woman who was pouring for Victory went so far as to instruct me when to tilt the glass and when to straighten up, as she was holding a bottle in each hand in order to help the line move along a little quicker.

One of the surprise beers of the night was the Sackets Harbor Pale Ale. Having bought six packs of their 1812 lager before, I knew they were a decent brewery, but didn’t want to try something I’d already had. Their pale ale provides an immense rush of hops; far more than most pale ales that I’ve tried. Especially after having been on the tail end of my drinking, I had figured that things would start losing a little bit of their flavor.

One major disappointment, for the second year in a row, was the crowd. With the extra space, it looks like they just sold extra tickets to fill it right back up. Lines really weren’t too bad as long as you knew how to work them, but just moving from one vendor to the next was a horrible pain in the ass. The crowd volume, coupled with the two stages of deafening live bands, meant you had to shout to your friends just to hear each other from inches away.

Another major disappointment was the fact that many breweries were, once again, horrendously under prepared for the demand. This might have been alleviated somewhat by better signage, as many places were damn near impossible to find (even with a map) unless you happened to talk to someone who’d already been there. My main gripe for the night: Oskar Blues. I ran into someone who was talking about them, and he showed me to their stand after telling me that Ten Fiddy was being poured. However, it turns out that they’d already drained their supply, and had actually packed up and left, leaving nothing behind to show that they’d even been there. Thankfully, though, the guy who’d taken me to the stand said that Ten Fiddy is now at Beers of the World – which was not the case just a couple of weeks ago when Erich was in town.

My final disappointment, which was mostly my own fault, was the lack of any beer that was too dark to see through. There were very few on hand from what I could tell, and by the time I’d finally hunted them down I had already told myself that I was done drinking for the night. And it’s a good thing I did – that one indulgence in a sample of Great Lakes’ Imperial Stout may have tipped my checkpoint .07 blow into the .08 range (just kidding! It was .12. See you on the bus!)

Overall, I’d say it was a worthwhile evening. In hindsight, I would have liked to try more beers that I’d never had before. But when you’re drinking and hanging out with friends who aren’t too concerned about what they’re ingesting, it’s easy to get swept into a state of “let’s try the closest place”. But that would not have been a problem had I not run into the same issue as last year: driving home.

New rule: I am absolutely NOT driving to this next year. Someone’s giving me a ride, or if I live downtown, I’ll just suck it up and hire a taxi. Because frankly, I’m getting really sick of having to call it a night after barely more than two pints’ worth of brew just because the event lets out early (it’s done at 10) and I have to drive home. And I know I just spent more time talking about the negatives than the positives. Frankly, that's because it's easier to piss and moan about the negatives in writing, while the positives are difficult to put into words, and are best experienced (read: tasted) first-hand.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to go pry the lid off of a Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale. Yum.

Initial tasting!

Just about to taste the newest Buttstörm Brew, Flowers for Alegebra (Thanks to Mr. Kevin for the name and label!) and I am EXCITED. My dad and I will be deciding whether it needs to sit a little longer to mellow out a bit or if it can be immediately tossed into the fridge to cool for mass consumption, just in time fore Buffalo Bills preseason!

And the verdict is...

It's ready! The orange blossom honey mellowed out a bit like I was hoping, though the orange flavor is still a little mediciney tasting. All in all it's a good, smooth, easy drinking beer. I can't wait to try it cold!

Coming soon...

be sure to click on the art for the full res, easy to read version.

Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Review time! This time around: Stone's 12th Anniversary ale, the Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

Appearance: dirty motor oil
Smell: delicious
Mouthfeel: fat girls like to be called "this"...
Taste: delicious
Drinkability: ridiculous

Favorite beer poll!

My 2 I can't get enough of at the moment:

Southern Tier Hop Sun
Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES RIGHT NOW?!?!?!?!?!?!

Summer Birthday Beer Review!

While the temperature refuses to dip any lower, the sun grows tired of its high vantage point and begins to slip behind some clouds as it makes a break for the horizon. A chaotic choir of chirping birds fills the air, nearly drowning out the alarm-like droning of a number of cicadae. The perfume of a freshly cut lawn invigorates the nostrils as the incessant buzzing of a nearby lawn mower fights for attention against the aforementioned bugs and birds.

Yes, this is summer.

Summer usually means basketball at the park, football in the road, Wiffleball in the yard. But when exhaustion sets in and the usual players are away at other engagements, summer means taking a load off, putting your feet up, and taking a break from the fun but frantic pace of the season’s sports.

It seems then that there is no better time to indulge and enjoy a cold summer ale. At this slightly noisy summer sunset, the brew is Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale; a first year release from the California brewery who provides us with the classic Summerfest lager.

Poured into a pint glass from a 24 ounce bottle graciously given to me as a birthday present from Jeff, the Harvest Ale pours a beautifully clean, mild amber, with a thick head that would quickly diminish at a rate much faster than the beer itself. The aroma is inoffensive, with the slightest trace of citrus and a grassy note that may have actually come from the nearby yard clippings.

The first sip offers no doubt that this is a clear winner as a solid summer beer. Without even divulging specific tastes, it simply smacks of the sunny season. Each sip holds a subtle hop bitterness; enough to provide a much welcomed refreshment from the heat and humidity of July while complementing the ever-so-slightly citrus sweetness. Make no mistake: this is not a bitter beer, this is not a sweet beer. This is a carefully balanced brew that, even as it begins to warm up, offers reprieve from the most uncomfortable climates.

When I opened this bottle, my intent was to simply enjoy a pint, review it for others in the hopes that they may be convinced to try it as well, and save the rest for later. But the sun is still setting, the heat hasn’t gone anywhere, and the relatively low (6.7%) alcohol content is light enough that it hasn’t caused any type of buzz, so I feel no shame in saying that I’ll leave you now as I venture off to finish off the bottle. Cheers!

Seven days...

...you will die in seven days.

If not, then you'll get to see the Seven Days/Seven Continents World Tour of Beer blog. What's that? That's me, going on vacation for seven days and picking up a different bottle of beer for each day of the week. The contenders:

Canada's La Fin Du Monde
America's Hop Hazard
Argentina's Quilmes
Germany's Apostle Brau
Africa's Tusker
Australia's Black Wattle
"Antarctica's" Endurance Glacier Gold

Now, I know what you're thinking. "That's only six continents, retard. America and Canada are both part of North America, butt nose." Well, technically that's true. But here's the deal: my old brother came up to the island with us on the week that I was there for my 21st birthday, and he brought a bottle of La Fin Du Monde as a present. It was delicious, and it now enters into its third year as the traditional Friday night end-of-vacation brew.

As for America: well, I can't leave my country for a week and not bring some of it's glory with me. Duh. And for anyone who actually followed all of those links and is saying "hey, that Glacier beer is from Massachusetts," I say nuts to you. The photo on the label, contrary to the link, is of an old ship sailing through the ice, and it says "Antarctica" underneath.

So why snub Asia? Because everything else that I own is made in China, damnit, and I don't need to send every dollar I earn on keeping them going.

You also may be wondering why I chose the bottles I did, as many of them have less than stellar reviews. The answer is simple: I went into Beers of the World without doing any prior research, looked around for things that I'd never tried before, and tossed 'em in the basket. That's all there is to it.

Beginning next Saturday, I'll be drinking one of these beers each night and reviewing it as I go. However, there's no connection to the wonderful world wide web where I'm going, so it will all be posted as one long, annoying post upon my return.

Making a new beer this week!

Here's the recipe... I thought I'd try out the recipe generator on beertools.com and it looks pretty good to me. I tried to create a beer based around Southern Tier's Hop Sun (my #1 summer beer right now). It's a light, pale/wheat ale with extra hops. Delicious! Let me know what you think.

Also, suggestions for a name would be greatly appreciated! Maybe we can have a vote!!!

0.13 lbs.	American 2-row info
0.17 lbs.	American Vienna info
2.95 lbs.	Liquid Light Extract info
3.79 lbs.	Liquid Wheat Extract info
0.10 lbs.	Honey info
1.7 oz.	Cascade (Pellets, 5.50 %AA) boiled 60 min. info
0.50 oz.	Centennial (Pellets, 10.00 %AA) boiled 15 min. info
0.50 oz.	Challenger (Pellets, 8.00 %AA) boiled 1 min. info
Yeast :	WYeast 1272 American Ale II info

Out of season review!

Wooo! That's the sound I make when I pull out my treasured pack of Zweigles dogs from the freezer, fire up whatever grill we happen to be using and get set to enjoy my so-called weekend. Seeing as I work in the glorious world of retail, I don't really get a weekend, but this will have to do. Moving past self-pity alley, I reach into my fridge and snare my quarry, a can of Oskar Blues Tenfiddy imperial stout.

A CAN?!?!!!!!1! You gasp, *facepalming* like seasoned internet pro. "Stouts don't come in cans! They come in casks, barrels, coffins, bottles, viking long ships and, occasionally, growlers! Putting a stout in a can, Guinness notwithstanding, is heresy! Well, for you folks not familar with the Oskar Blues story, I will direct you here. For the rest, you know a canned stout can (ha!) still be quite excellent and this beer is no exception.

Tenfiddy doesn't so much pour as ooze from the can like some Lovecraftian horror from beyond. It brollops , glags and brfls its way into your wholly unprepared glass. It is the space between the stars, the growling maw of blackness ready to consume all light so unlucky to cross its path. It also leaves a very slight, brownish head that's not very horrific at all. In fact, it's perfectly adequate as far as stouts go.

How can something so unspeakably dark and brooding taste? Well, in truth, not as fantastically evil as its appearance would suggest. There are the usual notes of coffee and chocolate combined with the slightly caramel nose found in many stouts. Simply put, it's a stock imperial stout, an a young one at that. The alcohol is rather present and even goes so far to to throw off the balance of the rest of the flavors. This nerfs the more subtle flavors even after the beer has been brought up to appropriate stout serving temperature. A dark-roasted coffee taste emerges as the predominant flavor in this beer, which makes it a fun beer to sip, but little else.

When the clowns have all taken off their face paint and driven home in their late-model clown cars, this brew will stand as a fine reminder of a perfectly mediocre stout. If you're into that alcohol bite, go ahead and give it a try. For the more patient drinkers, perhaps you can buy a six of this and age it to different times in the hopes of finally finding the magic formula to make this a more enjoyable experience that I have had. It shows some promise, but as of now, it underdelivers.

Recultured Yeast and the Conical Fermenter

Sounds like the title of an AWESOME adventure story, doesn't it?

Anyway, in the next week or so I'm planning on finally starting a new batch of homebrew. Before each batch, I tend to open my beer books and lurk around beer forums to get motivated to try something new and different.

This time, the magic phrase was "recultured yeast."

Theoretically, from what I've read, I can take one of my favorite bottle-conditioned beers, drink 10 out of the 12 ounces, sanitize the top of the bottle, pour the remaining 2 oz. into a starter wort and, bam, I can bring yeast back from the dead, and use the ZOMBIE YEAST (Yes, I am going to copyright that term) to ferment my own homebrew just as effectively as using a brand new Wyeast Propagator/Activator.

Advantages: Save a bunch of money and get my hands on some yeast that may otherwise be unavailable at the local homebrew shops.

However,I remain skeptical about the effectiveness of this process. Have any of you homebrewers heard anything about this?

Also, someday I am going to get one of these, it looks totally sweet:
http://www.minibrew.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=6

Eh, okay.

Today, I stuffed my face. I took the new girl in town to the Dinosaur BBQ, where I proceeded to eat myself into a state of fullness which I have never before achieved. Maybe it was the bacon cheeseburger. Or the mac salad. Or the fries.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that my pint of beer seemed larger than a pint because it was, in fact, four 4oz glasses of varying varieties. Dinosaur Ape Hanger (brewed by Syracuse’s Middle Ages), Lagunitas IPA, Custom Brewcrafter’s seasonal (dark and creamy, whatever it was), and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale were all served to me on a wooden paddle. And they were all delicious.

Whatever the reason, as I’ve already mentioned I was feeling as stuffed as Ron Jeremy’s under…wait, that’s gross. Strike that.

What am I getting at? What I’m getting at is this: after said meal, and a round of Wii sports consisting of tennis, bowling, and rabbit smashing, I was thirsty once more. But being so jam-packed with other delicious edibles, I felt that ingesting another indulgent item would be foolish. I needed something that was better than Keystone, but not quite as heavy as anything with the words “imperial”, “porter”, or “Stone Brewing” in them.

There was one obvious choice: I needed something better than crap, but less than stellar. I needed something that was….O.K. I needed an O.K. beer. And thank god for the Polish, because Okocim just so happens to brew O.K. Beer. Without further suspense: this is a beer that truly lives up to its name.

O.K. Beer pours an incredibly clear amber – there’s not a trace of cloudiness to be seen. The same could be said, however, for the head. Perhaps I just don’t know how to pour beer, or perhaps that’s what you get for a $1.99 bomber. Regardless, sitting in front of me was a clear amber European Pale Lager that was just begging to be put out of its misery. Always happy to do this for a comrade, I started off with a few cautious sips; although not before taking a good whiff first. There’s nothing to report on the aroma though, so I’ll move right along.

As I’ve already stated, this is a certifiably O.K. beer. There’s hardly any presence of hops, malts, or…well, taste. Maybe it’s the allergy-ridden sinuses, but there really isn’t much to this brew. Which isn’t the worst thing in the world, as it means that at least it doesn’t possess a taste that drives the consumer to immediately chase it with the closest edible looking object in order to alleviate the palette-offending intruders.

All in all, I’d say that this is the type of beer that you’d want to start someone off with if they’ve never had a beer before. Will it expose them to the tasty world of IPAs, stouts, and other delectable treats that can be found at your local grocer? Absolutely not. But will it be so overpowering that they’ll be turned off; forever afraid to re-enter the land of hops and glory? Nope. This inexpensive, inoffensive brew is the training wheels on the bicycle of beers – but personally, I’m looking forward to getting back on the road bike and going for a hearty cruise.

Father's Day! Beer!

OK, so every Father's Day, for those of you outside of my family circle, my Dad makes ribs. These ribs are cooked in the oldest, nastiest beer on hand (that's the secret ingredient; write that down, because it's important). This year's beer just happened to be my first real homebrew, a 22 oz. bottle of brown ale/IPA (Brownstörm) that's been sitting in the fridge, oh, let's say for about more than a year.

Anyway, this year I wanted to pair the special Father's Day ribs dinner with some special beer. But what beer could possibly be appropriate for the maximum appreciation of such a great man and his delicious, delicious spareribs? Well, I tried my hardest to find the right one!

Upon some research through BeerAdvocate.com, I found that stronger flavored beers such as an IPA are favored in pairings with grilled meat. But, crap man, it's hot outside and I don't want no bad ass brain-wreckin beer, I want a nice smooth drinking summer beer. You know, an easy-drinking wheat beer like Southern Tier's Hop Sun.

But wait, what if I could find a combination of the two?! Not only would it be the perfect mixture of summer drinkability and griller-meat-pairing-strong flavor, but such a synthesis just may be worthy of the glory that is exuded by my Father.

Then I found it, a special edition limited reserve beer created in a collaboration between established microbrewer Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, USA and Hans Peter-Drexler of historic Schneider Brewery in Deutschland. Their desire was to mix "American ingenuity with German tradition" to create a truly delicious brew.

The coolest thing, though, is that they both decided to brew their collaborative recipe with their own local hops at their own respective headquarters. So, Brookyln released their own version and Schneider did the same. It was called Hopfen-Weisse with the names of either brewery on each bottle.

(Sorry it's a bit fuzzy, darned phone cameras.)

I bought both bottles to compare and contrast the brewing of the two countries with the same beer with ole' Daddy-o.

My Dad said, "Hmmm..."

I said, "Aaaaaah..."

But which one was better than the other? Brooklyn, with its American hops, or Schneider, with their German ones?

We both agreed, German tradition provided a much more smooth drinking beer, though it boasted an 8.2% abv while the much more harsh-tasting American version boasted a 7.8% abv.

Tradition supplants ingenuity. It's true, though I didn't want it to be true.

(That's the American one, but doesn't it look REALLY GOOD?!)

So, both my super mega awesome Father and I recommend to you, dear reader, the German version of the Hopfen-Weisse over the American while you are grilling/eating delicious grilled delectables (honestly it was a perfectly WONDERFUL pairing), because GODDAMN is it delicious, smooth, strong, and drinkable!!!

Sam Patch!

Two quick points of local interest:

-High Falls tours are being offered to the public on Fridays. D&C article here.
-Dundee brews are being repackaged and sold with the intent of raising money for bees - those things that make one of the main ingredients in Honey Brown, but are kind of, you know, disappearing. They've put up a site with all the info - www.dundeeforthebees.com - although it seems to be unresponsive at the time of writing this.

That's it for now. Toodles, poodles!

FIGHT!

So I'm sitting at my computer, right? And I run the internets, and I find out that patriot and brewmeister Sam Adams has sent me a written communique regarding a difficult decision he's faced with.

What will it be? he asks me. Blackberry Witbier, or Coffee Stout?

"I don't know," I reply. "They both sound so delicious. The Witbier would certainly be of greater utility on a night such as this, with temperatures in the mid thousands and humidity at a level higher than pouring rain itself. But it's foolish to think only of the now, and the coffee stout should be considered as a substantial source of warmth in the inevitable cold of Winter 2009."

I had a point...long term planning is important. But then I remembered what Al Gore told me when we played horseshoes last week: due to global warming, winter might be assassinated. So maybe, just maybe, the winter months will still be warm and a thick, delicious stout would fail to be as refreshing as a sweet and fruity, but presumably lighter, Witbier.

Luckily, this decision is not in my hands alone. Verily, the burden of choosing is being offered to all, and thine voices can be heard at www.samueladams.com - but not just yet, apparently. "Soon," Mr. Adams tells me.

In the meantime, please research the contenders by reading the descriptions set forth below, and choose wisely when the time comes.

Samuel Adams ® Blackberry Witbier
The aroma has distinct Blackberry notes with a subtle spice character. We brewed a traditional witbier with orange peel and coriander, and then added a hint of blackberry. The flavor is very complex with malt and cereal notes, intense spice and citrus flavors and a smooth, sweet/tart finish.

Samuel Adams® Coffee Stout
This stout is "dry beaned" with coffee beans from Rwanda*. Known as the "land of a thousand hills", Rwanda produces some of the world's finest coffee due to its volcanic soil, high altitude and plentiful rain. We start with a full-bodied stout brewed with a special blend of roasted barley and dark crystal malt, and then age if for two weeks on whole coffee beans- ¾ of a pound per barrel. The result is a rich roasty flavor with a smooth finish.

* For this stout we are proud to be using Rwandan coffee from The Thousand Hills Coffee Company. Thousand Hills' proceeds help subsidize and support the building of schools in Rwanda. We are thrilled to support Thousand Hills and are excited that they made a special roast of coffee just for this beer.

Rate Beer

I was aimlessly wandering around the Internet and found what looks like a useful resource. They seem to be Euro (Belgian) centric, but a full service site nonetheless. Here is the link.

Kevin v. Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov

In a quest for a beer that would challenge me, I turned to the newly expanded shelves at Hegedorns and searched for something different. Something that scared all of the bottles nearby into leaping off the shelves and into the baskets and carts of lesser beer drinkers. Something that, in the event of an air raid, could be poured on the windows of my house and allow me to keep the TV on while not letting a lick of light spill out to alert the bombers of my presence.

Stone Brewing Company's Russian Imperial Stout is such a beer. It's 10.8% ABV, and it doesn't do a damn thing to stop those who sample it from figuring that out. It pours out looking like a glass of motor oil with a head like Goldilocks...after the bears have scalped her and tossed their prize in the dirt of the forest. It smells like the Earth itself, especially the thin layer of chocolate coffee that hides just below the crust. The taste is similar, but with hints of the crust itself thrown in for good measure. Oh, and then it kicks you in the appendix - or your colon, if you've had your appendix out - with the alcohol. At all temperatures (between about 40 and 65 degrees), the alcohol bites like a million PMSing fire ants in every sip.

This beer is the reason I have been going to the gym regularly for the last four months. I don't need to be hot; I don't need a healthy heart. I just need to be man enough to handle a drink like this when it's all I can get my hands on. If I ever get placed on a liquid diet, this drink alone will be thick enough to sustain me through the harshest of winters or the most scorching of summers.

Aged Storm King!

I am drinking a 2004 Victory Storm King, aged approximately 3.5 years (courtesy of Ben). TOTALLY RADLY SWEETLY GNARLY.

Let me start by saying that fresh Storm King is one of my favorites, and one I have semi-frequently. It is very strong flavored, coffee-y and chocolaty and bitter, just a very strong beer overall.

The 2004 seems to have lost it's youthful strength. It smells sweet, almost like the stale gum drop dish my Grammie used to have in her home (I mean this in a good way). Its just a cloyingly sweet and syrupy smell. I could tell from the pour it was overly carbonated, and that was especially evident in my mouth. The carbonation really dominates in this beer, while the young version has little carbonation and is very smooth. However, this Storm King is very smooth in the sense that it has lost a lot of its bad-assness (AKA strong flavor), and goes down pretty easy. So, the carbonation hits right off, it gets very sweet, smooth, kind of plum-like in flavor, and then a tiny bit of the hop bitterness arrives in the end without any alcohol flavor (like you would in the younger version).

I really feel it has lost its strong complexity (coffee/chocolate/roasted flavor); it has been replaced with carbon dioxide and sweetness. Though it truly is a long-awaited treat, I don't think I'd let one sit for over a year and a half.

However, it was just really really cool to have a 3.5 year old beer. Thanks, Ben!

A triumph for IPA drinkers in the Rochester area!

I visited my brother Ben in San Diego last summer (Riveting, enthralling, and relevant information for you, I know).

Regardless, there I had various IPAs and Double IPAs, as these styles are known to be extremely delicious in this part of the United States of America. One of the IPAs I enjoyed was from a company called Green Flash and it was excellent. To augment this delight, Ben tried without success to find one of the doubles of this style from the same company. I was left broken, dead, lost, more negative and forlorn adjectives, and without a clean pair of spandex (Though I did acquire some really sweet shades). HOWEVER, NOW, in the PRESENT, both Beers of the World in Henrietta and Hegedorn's in Webster are now carrying Green Flash's Imperial (Double) IPA (DIPA); this is one of the best beers I have ever had. It is so smooth and "easy-drinking"that I had trouble identifying it as a 9% DIPA, and maybe not even an IPA. In fact, as I tried this Green Flash Imperial IPA for the first time, Neil was trying their regular IPA... I think their IPA might even taste hoppier and more bitter than the DIPA. Regardless, the IPA is equally as delicious. So friends, keep an out for the Green Flash (Something I've always wished to see in real life!), buy it, and drink it!


In other news, I saw in Hegedorn's ad in the Sunday Newspaper today that they have added over 200 beers to their already delicious and cheaper-than-Beers-of-the-World selection, and IT IS SOOOO TRUE. This augmentation includes a variety of Belgians (including La Chouffe, a Wisniewski favorite), Green Flash, and Stone Double Bastard (One of my favoritest favorites) for nearly $2.50 cheaper than it is at BOTW. Victory!

Oh, the memories

As you may recall, one of my cameras recently blew up. That is, one of my Canon bodies fell victim to a blown out shutter, which was hanging limp in front of my pictures. So naturally, on a subsequent trip to Beers of the World I set my sights on Clipper City Brewery's Loose Cannon, a 7.25% IPA.

First, let me apologize for not photographing this beer. I've been shooting all day, and I'm sick of it. Tough. But this particular beverage filled my trusty clear mug with fluid ounce after fluid ounce of golden refreshment. It may start acting crazy though, as it appears to have lost its head. No biggie; I'm fine with getting straight to business with my IPAs.

One sip, and it all comes rushing back: I've had this before. It's the day before the day before Christmas, and in two hours I'll be at work. On a Sunday. While the Bills are playing, and my brother is in town. But that's not important. What's important is that I had lost a bet to Jeff, a bet that my fantasy team would best his in an epic battle, and I now owed him my own fiendish suggestion for payment: a cover song, written and performed live, about my failure.

Needless to say, being the tone-deaf buffoon that I am, I needed a little coaxing. But more importantly, there was a Bills game on, which is the first and foremost reason for reaching for a beer. And that beer...you guessed it...Loose Cannon!

This beer has hops like Kermit. Something about three different types; three pounds per barrel, etc, is printed on the label. All I know is that it tastes good. Not like frog legs, but like a strong IPA should. In fact, this may even be stronger than the 8.4% Lagunita Maximus IPA that I had last week, although I'd have to taste them side by side to say that with any real confidence.

All I know is that this beer has commanded my attention. It didn't look at me with those big round Kentucky Derby eyes that my Labatt Blue looked at me with last week, pleading "put me out my misery". No. This beer stared into my soul like my elementary school crossing guard. "SLOW DOWN!" it yelled. Then, like a whiny feminist, it begged for me to respect it and appreciate it. To which, unlike a whiny feminist, I agreed.

Just for me!

I'd just like to point out that my local bar, The Idle Hour, has had Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye on for two months at least now; this is one of my favorite beers. However, I guess I'm the only one who drinks it other than the people I get to go to the Idle with me that I can convince to order it. As a result, after so much time, they have reduced their price for a pint (16 oz.) of said beer to $2.50. This is compared to the $5-$6 I pay for 22 oz. at various beer-carrying stores.

So, GNARLY, it pays off to like delicious and strong beers in Western New York. Write that down and remember it.

Other than that, Saranac's 12 Beers of Summer kind of suck this year (a variety pack I wait for with great enthusiasm each year); they're pretty weak and there is no new addition (By the way, I especially dislike the Kölsch). I sampled a Unibroue Ephemere, the glorious Canadian brewing company's hard cider-smelling beer, and it was pretty good and easy to drink, just too expensive in the bar world.

So, my plan for next weekend when some of my family is here for my "graduation" (I still have 3 classes left until entry into Masters Land) is to take them to the Idle for beers immediately after the ceremony to get them all Storm Kings. Do you think that's a good idea???

This picture should reduce you to trembling and tears.

What a beer!

Just drinkin a He'Brew Jewbelation Eleven to celebrate the end of classes and a successful interview today. Other than the punny name, the label on the neck features a knob that goes to 11; this must truly be a bad-ass beer!

Since I don't feel like going into tons of detail here, I won't. Just be aware of this: This is a huge beer, at 11% it smells delicious, complex, and strong, while pouring like maple syrup, but darker. It tastes thick, sweet, complex and hoppy. It's awesome, it truly is.

On the label it claims that it is made with 11 hops and 11 malts (That's a lot of elevens!), and it sure tastes it. I wouldn't call it an imperial stout, but maybe a super strong ale-porter-beer-thingy. Definitely try this one out if you can! I give it a 9.4 out of 10!

P.S. Thanks to Andrew for forgetting this beer in my fridge... And let it be noted: I owe him 2 drinks at the Idle for this beer!

A Golden Tale of Love and Spirituality!

Lakers versus Jazz. Obama versus Clinton. Apples versus bananas. Yes versus no. Love and understanding versus hate and pineapples.

MILLER HIGH LIFE VERSUS JEFF

It was a cool and golden evening, yet refreshing and corny. A man dives, elegantly yet with masterful precision; his nose penetrates the surface. What's this? Before his body is consumed by the brilliant liquid the man hovers, suspended, an odor enshrouding his nasal membranes. "Corn..." The wind whispers as if it were a maligned lover, leprous and proud. A taste, a taste, oh what an urge! The man's lips embrace the golden tears and a word, possibly the most important word in the history of the English language, infiltrates his brain, "Husk..."

He ponders, "Yes, husk. It's as though life, at this moment, has been transmogrified into a pool... A golden pool of corn! But wait! Husk, or is it life? Is it life?!"

"Life..." The wind whispers as the man finally immerses his entire being, both physically and spiritually into the sparkling pool. Once suspended, face merely grazing the surface, the man now enters the realm of Cheap-and-Refreshing.

Fin.

Hey, Look over there!

<------ Yes, right over there folks. I have added a nice feed subscription function for your RSS pleasure. If you don't currently use a news reader, might I suggest Google Reader? It's quite functional and plays nice with the rest of your fun Google add-ins. It's a nice way to manage your information intake if you read a variety of blogs and would like all the updates easily readable from a central source. Also, if you're a fool like me and forget to bookmark your lesser read, but still interesting, blogs it's a godsend. Enjoy.

SHARKS?! DOUBLE?! What a great way to start!

Okay dudes, guess I'll hit up the review craze. It just so happens the ole 'rents took a voyage out to the land of gold, surf, fiery earthquakes, and the Running Man/Commando to visit my bro, Ben.

They came back with the most thoughtful gift a Jeff-Knowin'-Man could: BREWS with words like "double," numbers like "15," and packaging like "gold foil."

First on the tasting adventure is Port Brewing's Shark Attack Double Red. Dang, that bro of mine sure knows me well... Sharks and double all on one bottle! How could it go wrong? Well it obviously can't. Nuh uh, no way, no how.

I poor it in an uncharacteristically flaccid manner, resulting in a lack of head. Anyway, the color is a mixture of fertility, blood, and violence while the smell maintains the malty scent of an Oktoberfest-themed harbor and boarder shorts soaked in maltsmaltsmalts. I take a sip and, wham-o ding dong boom, flavor happens: fertility, blood, and violence. NO, just kidding. Sweet, sweeter, sweet, some malt flavor (just barely), then hop bitter. Good balance, Kerri Strug type of balance, between the upfront sweetness and malts with the bitter aftertaste. Boy oh boy does that alcohol come through in the lingering, tingling sensation in the back of my mouth, but dang I really don't mind; it's an 9%'r after all!

Overall a sharky and totally gnarly brew. I give it an 8 out of 10. I wish the red grain flavor was more prevalent, but this beer is just ATTACKED by the hops, double-ness, and obviously the aquatic man-eating mammals it aptly represents.

Stay tuned for the Hop-15, coming in May!

(P.S. I challenge you, community, to a best background-for-the-beers-you're-drinking/reviewing contest. I wish my good camera was up and running to better exhibit evil Conquistador of Mexico, Hernan Cortez, and the representative schooner of exploration.)

Patience and deliciousness

Many moons ago - or maybe it was one, I'm not sure - I decided that a return to slightly cooler than normal weather had warranted the purchase of a return to cold weather beers. On the advice of a former roommate, I went with Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, which I would only later learn was also the first beer of Mr. Jeff.

Sadly, I wound up feeling quite ill that day, so this brew was forced to sit and wait for another cold day to come. Rochester being the trusty city that she is, that day finally came last night, and I took full advantage.

I'm going to be blunt about one thing: this is a sexy, sexy drink. Deep, deep brown like the eyes of the girl I keep having strange dreams about, with a head like...well, that's none of your business.

The aroma was very similar to...chocolate milk? I don't know how that works, but I couldn't stop thinking about that tasty dairy drink as I sniffed this beer. But enough about that, let's talk about taste.

This stout, simply put, is yummy. Its body hinges just below the thickness I had expected, but calling this medium-bodied would be wrong. There was also a little more carbonation than I'd anticipated, but not so much that it detracted from the taste. Cold, this tasted a little like it smelled - like a big, frothy glass of skim chocolate milk. But as it warmed up, the sweetness started to come through and provide that warmth I was hoping for. This is one of the first times that I actually took the time to sip more than guzzle, and the bottle ended up lasting a little over 45 minutes. Down to the last ounces, there was still a pretty solid one finger head, which came as a welcome surprise.

And since this is available (somewhat) cheaply at Hegedorns, I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll cross paths. And yes, I know this wasn't meant to be served in a Weizen glass...but come on, it just looks so hot!

Carrots! In beer!?

I eat 2 whole carrots every day. This is a true story. They are sweet and have a nice refreshing flavor with a touch of bitterness in the skin to balance it out. Do you see the parallels here!?

So, I pose this question to you... Carrots in beer: A good idea or a stupid idea for no-brain billybumblers?

Great Summer Beer #1

Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2008!

Tastes like a nice lager with extra hop kick-a-roo! Refreshing, light, and easy drinking. Please, enjoy while grilling and/or hanging out in the sunshine.

More malt!

Beer creators and appreciators, I need some quick advice:
For the sake of my continuing education, could everyone please post a comment recommending a very malty brew? I feel inadequately equipped to convey my observations of a beer's taste due to my lack of knowing what exactly the malt taste is, so I suppose a malt-dominated beer would help figure it out.

Same request goes for alcohol - I'm pretty sure I can separate that from other tastes, but if anyone knows of a beer where that stands far away from the other flavors, I'd like to give it a try. I'm sure this will probably mean trying a really bad tasting beer, but if it helps me learn, it's worth it! Thanks!

West Coast Storm King?

Alesmith Decadence Imperial Porter, 26 April 08

Beautiful beer! Midnight black but not cloudy. Blood-ruby when held directly in front of sun and used as a prism. Tan head with larger bubbles than I’m used to seeing (what causes that?) This beer would be somewhat flat if not for an intentional hard pour near the end. Huge amount of sugar retention on the side of the glass might portend excessive sweetness… I hope not.

Huge chocolate coffee smell, almost like that coke/coffee drink that failed miserably.

First sip smacks you in the face with a giant hop hammer. I’m bleeding hops through my eyes ears and throat! Hopdeath!

Second flavor is the coffee, chocolate malty sweetness. Not excessive, and definitely controlled. I’m glad humanity has figured out that burning things make them taste better.

Third flavor is a biting acidity in the back of the throat. JUST like the ONLY flavor present in a young storm king.

Finally, you can feel the 10% abv warming all the way down your esophagus. Glory. Some beers are overpowered by their own abv and difficult to drink (for me at least), this one does a great job of maintaining the distinctive beerbooze flavor but balances it with enough other tastes to make it invigorating rather than painful. The overall effect of the harsh finish is to beg the lucky drinker for another sip, cleaning the lovehate away with another blast of hops and sweet coffee/coca-cola.

This beer is an improved storm king, and definitely not a lighter Speedway Stout as some have claimed. Relative to Storm King, there is a slight better use of hops, a larger ABV, and a much more complex malt character including a dominant coffee/chocolate flavor reminiscent of Speedway Stout. I highly recommend it if you can manage to find a bottle…

Be well,

Ben
P.S. I sent a bottle of this to Jeff. Also, in case you were wondering, this beer is billed as an Imperial Porter.

I'd pay 63 cents for another one of these

As I understand it, Sam Patch was a simple man. A man who wanted only one thing, and that was for his neighbors to stay out of his river. So in 1829, he raised a portion of the Genesee River and created the least creatively aquatic attraction in New York: the High Falls.

A week later, he died.

But the falls, they just kept on rushing. So the Flat Line of Moving Water Brewing Company, which had been founded 10 years earlier, changed their name to the High Falls Brewing Company. (The name change actually took 171 years; they operated as the Genesee Brewing Company in the meantime as a tax dodge).

And just recently, they took a break from their regularly scheduled brewing to whip up Genesee Bock, and were even so kind as to tuck it away in one of the coolest cans I've ever seen. But how does it taste? Well, I'm happy to report that it tastes respectable. Not exactly an award winner, but it's not as bland as one would expect for a $6.49/12 kind of brew. In fact, leaving aside the slight metallic taste (which could possibly be mental), this beer isn't half bad. Maybe I'm just biased because of the locale, but I would probably drink this over a Labatt or Molson any day.

At the price point, this is actually a pretty good deal, and with the economy being broken or something like that, I may just be drinking more of this. And if I do, I'll be sure to take a picture of the actual beer next time.