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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!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
(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.
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.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
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?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, October 13, 2008
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
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
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
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.
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.
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