E Pluribus Unum!

Out to dinner tonight at Red Dove Tavern I had myself some Sierra Nevada Big Foot barley wine.  Now I'm a self-proclaimed barley wine hater, but this beer is super great; in actuality (according to Jeff's taste buds) it's a solid strong ale with a very balanced hop and malt profile.  I would drink it all the time!!!!!

OH MY GORSH TOPS WOOOO!!!

Flower Power and Cascazilla SUPER on sale at Tops! I MEAN SUPER! $7.50 a 6! AAAAAAAAAAAH!!! I JUST GOT CASE OF FLOWER POWER FOR $30!  It's fresh too!

In other good beer news, our local pub (Lloyd's) has Golden Monkey in the bottle.  Woo 25 cent wings and good tripel!!!!!!!!!

Weekend Beer Update

PA vs VA

Founders Double Trouble: $13/$10

Bell's Two Hearted IPA: $12/$9.50

Siera Nevada Torpedo: $12/$9

Stupid PA.

BUT my Saturday included Shiner Bock, Guinness Black Lager, Sam Adams Double Bock and Chocolate Bock, Oskar Blues Old Chub, Rogue XS McRogue, and a whole lotta Zweigles and Peanut M&Ms! And a super friendly cow cat! And now that it's cooling off outside, maybe it's time to kick back with Wall-e and a bottle of Terrapin Wake n' Bake Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout?!

Weekend Beer Update

Nothing too exciting, JUST A GROWLER OF GENNY BOCK FOR $6.  Really, it tastes even better out of the tap... More malt flavor and a little roasty.

 WOO!

Surprise!

After a rousing match of tennis today, in which the US (me) defeated Israel (my Israeli coworker), I stopped by a pizza and beer joint that I often forget about. Turns out they have all sorts of delicious things available - including Nugget Nectar, Double Trouble (NEIL!!!), and Saranac White IPA. Also: a certain somewhat difficult to find beer that shall remain nameless for now, as it's part of my dad's birthday gift.

Moral of the story: as Jeff has already proven, terrific beer can be found in the most unassuming places. Don't discount a beer store based solely on location, size, or appearance!

FEEELINGSSSS

Firstoff, I bought some FRESH Flower Power from Byrne Dairy today.  IT'S SO GOOD! One of the best IPAs out there! One more reason to go to Ithaca to buy 809845 cases. ALSO, I love breweries with freshness dates; here in Penn Yan that makes a huge difference in my decision concerning what to buy.

Also, tonight I would like to report that I approached true Grillmaster status.  Our meal was entirely grilled, simultaneously, to close-enough-to perfection.  Buffalo chicken sausages (which turned into sandwiches with light cream cheese, cucumber, and garlic hot sauce), grilled asparagus, and grilled sweet potato fries. YES!

THE SEARCH-FOR-THE-SUMMER BEER POST

Lots of damn fine weather this week and lots of damn fine deck sitting.  It's been HOT in the sun.  Time to replace some of the Hop Rod Ryes and occasional stouts with something lighter!  In the past it's been Sierra Nevada Summerfest and Southern Tier Hop Sun. WHAT IS THE BEER OF CHOICE THIS SUMMER?!!?!

I present to you this year's number uno contender to this point: SARANAC WHITE IPA!

Points to consider:
1. Refreshing but full flavor.  Like a cross between a hefeweiss and an IPA.  I haven't liked citra hopped beers to this point but they work really well with the wheat beerosity!
2. Excellent price point.  $7 for a six. WOWZERS YEAH!
3.  Availability! Good!  Let's hope they brew it through the summer.

ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR SUMMER BEER?!?!

It's Not Beer!

OLD FASHIONEDS ARE GREAT!!!!!!

Can't wait to have friends over on the deck to have some drinks... It's amazing WOO!

What is the best beer to have after an old-fashioned??!!? Let's try to figure it out in the next half hour!!!!

Bite me, I'm American

St. Patrick’s Day. What a rubbish holiday. Nationwide, millions of people without a trace of Irish blood are donning their green apparel, complete with furry green stovepipe hats and glasses the size of Mario Williams’ new rims, and getting trashed to levels that would make even Ulysses S. Grant blush. It’s a good thing 2012 is a leap year, because this is an utter waste of a day.

So in honor of the occasion, I thought it best to violently rip the cap off a bottle of Harpoon Celtic Ale, an “Irish style red”. Why Harpoon? Hey, the company dragged me out on a job application for three months, asked me to drive 800 miles round trip to work a festival with them, then decided they liked some other guy better. So as long as I’m already angry at everyone and everything, why not dredge up more bad memories?

Speaking of which, everybody knows that beers like this need to be poured, so out comes the Celtic Fling and Highland Games pint glass that I got on one of my first dates with my ex girlfriend. What could be more appropriate for this beer than the glass I got with the woman who, like Harpoon, strung me along for months before finally deciding – and only acknowledging after my prodding – that it just wasn’t working out? It’s perfect!!

Poured out, the beer strikes an immediate resemblance to my failed relationship. It’s kind of a looker, but there isn’t really any head. The smell? Deceivingly nice, but nothing truly noteworthy. Bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass like bile to my throat.

Then I sip it. Bitter. Go figure. But there’s something else. It’s almost…salty? Oh, the lack of head is understandable now – what fluffy foam may have existed has been broken by the tears of a man with shattered dreams and an angry heart.

There’s probably more to the taste than that, but I’m not taking the time to bother with it. I’m sucking down the contents of the glass so fast that it barely even touches my tongue. The sooner the glass is empty, the sooner I can fill it again. And again. And again. And only then, when my woes start to fade, can I put aside my differences and join the revelers in their St. Patricks Day celebrations. Or pass out in the corner, curled up in the fetal position and crying into my stuffed Lucky the Leprechaun.

A weekend of beer in review

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum= AWESOME

Burton Baton= AWESOME but do NOT drink it as a row beer with Hoptimum

Ithaca Ground Break= Good, not great. Might as well just buy Cascazilla for the price

BIG CAN OF SN TORPEDO= AWESOME WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Also, HSBC Arena sells a 20+ oz cup of Ellicottville Pale Ale (a solid beer) for the same price as getting a big can of Genny, High Life, etc.

GUITAR SOLOS AND BEER YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1-2-Horse-3 PUNCH

Inspired by Jeff's quest for the perfect 1-2-3 weekend knockout spectacular, I myself set out on a warn Saturday evening to engage in a slightly less perfect sequence of beverages. I give you:

THE GENESEE HERITAGE LINEUP OF UNDERRATED AND SHAMEFUL BEERS.

There's a free pizza sitting on the table (thanks, America!), which is the obvious food choice to complement these cheaper-than-Yuengling beauties. Do they taste as good - or as bad - as the $16/case price suggests? Let's find out!

18:14 - 12 Horse loses its cap. Like those about to follow, the beer will be transferred to my mouth via a "stubby" bottle. No glassware here. This is Genny we're talking about. What little I can smell is pleasantly surprising: there's a tiny bit of creaminess detected. Mostly, though, this smells like the kitchen of any college apartment full of unrinsed bottles and cans. That's not to say that it smells bad - it may be an off-putting smell for a residence, but it's what a cheap beer should smell like. And it tastes...well...the way you expect "beer" should taste. Not an IPA, pale ale, stout, porter, Belgian, whatever. This is what your everyday, I just want to come home and yell at the stupid people on TV while I drink, beverage should taste like. It'd be fantastic for grilling. Honestly, I wish Genesee would make this a year-round standalone offering.

19:01 - Lager is next. Love the label. But holy hell, that's the only thing to love about this. The smell is...musty? Dusty? Rusty? Whatever it is, it's not great. And it tastes the same way it smells. Egad. I never thought I'd say this, but I need a Cream Ale. NOW.

19:08 - Oh, Genny Cream Ale. Screamer. Green Death. Putting you to my lips has never been more welcomed. There's something about this beer that takes me to a sunny, but rundown and sub-par (HA) golf course. I can only assume this means Neil and I have used this as our golf course beer before, but I honestly can't recall. All I know is that, for the first time in my life, I'm drinking this on the same night as other beers and thinking "wow, this isn't the worst beer I've had today." It's fairly smooth. A little creamy. Appropriately chilled. And the label is kind of neat, too.

So, have I found the perfect 1-2-3 weekend punch? Of course not! But I did find a surprisingly good budget beer (12 Horse), and I learned that buying a case of Genny Lager for future cookouts is a horrible idea. And I ate half a pizza that I didn't pay for. Then again, maybe the night was pretty great after all.

Bithday Beers!

1st- Ben's Gift! GIANT CHOUFFE! AGED 2k10!!!!

2nd- 2 pitchers of Union Jack WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NICE!!!!!!

FREITAAAAAG

What a LOOOOONG week. Not bad, just LONG. It's a row beer night and you know I love'um muh IPAs. I guess it has to be FLOWER POWERS, that's the only IPA available in Penn Yan it seems?!

I don't care if it's 6:30 and I'm thinking about beer! Some Fridays are just like that.