Breakfast in Bed

I smell a formal review coming this weekend. But for now, I feel compelled to reiterate a point that I believe Jeff will disagree with.

Founders Breakfast Stout is in a class above most beers I've had. Everything about it is, to my admittedly relatively undiscerning palate, just shy of perfection. Relaxing with a bottle of this gem and some long-forgotten Simpons reruns makes for a most adequate Wednesday evening. And this is, to date, the only beer I've ever consumed from a coffee mug while destroying a certain Clevelandite (Clevelandian? Clevelandbeforetime?) in a fierce Madden online tournament.

Bite me, PA

Torpedo, anywhere in PA: ~$10-11 a six pack.

Torpedo, Total Wine in DE: $7.99

SN Stout, anywhere in PA: same as Torpedo

SN Stout, Total Wine: $7.49.

I'm moving.

BEEEEEANS

After I took all day to install a garbage disposal with my Father-In-Law, I still had the breathtaking responsibility of cooking 979874 pounds Latin American beans for school children. What does that call for?! A Flower Power and then a Celebration! The purpose here is to let you know that these are two excellent (two-in-a?!) row beers!!!!

I'm thinking I'll buy my case of Flower Power ACTUALLY from Ithaca to insure freshness, BTW. It's only an hour away!

Date night!

It is cold outside. At least, it was last night.

Rhapsody of Fire is blaring from the kitchen radio. At least, it was last night.

In my glass is Evil Twin's Ashtray Heart. It was last night, and it is this morning.

Traded for a pair of mid-calf boots from a bygone era of teen angst and highly questionable fashion, Ashtray Heart is a beer as unusual as the circumstances that brought it to my refrigerator. At first glance, it doesn't look all that different from its Imperial Stout brethren. It's not black, but it's a soul-sucking brown that traps all light that dare attempt to penetrate it. And it's got a fluffy mochachino head. It's the cutest.

But the smell. Oh, the smell. Best hide the kiddies, because things are about to get weird. Ashtray Heart has a scent to it that I just can't describe. It's like the bastard child of a campfire, a bowl full of assorted dark fruits, and plain ol' booze. Yeah, it's a little freaky. But hey, even the President of the Navy likes to get his bang on every now and then. So what the heck, let's see how she tastes!

Oh. Uh. Yeah. What? There's a lot to process here. Liquid smoke! Dates? Chocolate?? Alcohol! It's like my entire tongue has been trampled by some sort of liquid...trampling...device. I just can't figure this beer out! What I do know is that it tasted much better when sipped between bites of a fresh grilled chicken sandwich.

So if you're looking for advice: look elsewhere if you're not feeling adventurous, or if you're drinking alone. While I certainly don't regret the time that this beer and I have spent together, I don't think we'll be seeing each other again. There are plenty of options that are less expensive and less taxing on your taste buds. And let's face it - sometimes, I just like 'em cheap and easy.

CASE!?

So I've decided, my next case of beer will most definitely be Ithaca Flower Power. After MONTHS, Angela and I have finally finished "experiencing" our 4 cases of Celebration. THAT'S A LOT OF CELEBRATING (NUTS?!) AAAAH!!! I can't believe we had all that Celebration (Of course we shared it wit a lot of family and friends too), and we're still not tired of it. A sign of a quality beer!

Benjamin Disraeli Quadrupel Butts!

WELL WELL WELL! In a life full of IPAs, certain circumstances full of moving-into-houseness have caused the receiving of an Ommegang gift pack, equipped with fancy tulip glass. Yeah! So, the Three Philosophers (Quad) is a good beer, I just can't drink it by myself. The purpose of this post is to let ya'all know that you can open an big bottle of Oma (GRANDMA?!), and if you have a bottle-stopper, you can drink it slowly over three nights. GOOD TO KNOW?!

In other news, GNOMEGANG (Chouffe Ommegang collaboration) is an excellent beer similar to Dobbelin Tripel IPA, but less hoppy, more sweet, and therefore a bit smoother. Worth trying!