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.