Wachusett Brewing Night!

Busy night tonight! I bought a 12 pack sampler of Wachusett beers, and today has been such a day that I can easily do several reviews... Cause today sucked, and beer makes things less sucky.

So I started tonight with a Samuel Adams Boston Lager to get the pallet going... sort of a baseline...

Then I started the learning process with their Blueberry. Now, I don't really like fruity beers as a general rule. I don't even like flowery or fruity hops, let alone beer that's actually flavored like fruit... But I gotta say, this was a hell of a beer. The second I cracked the cap, it was like inhaling blueberry pancakes (which I DO like). It poured very pale, and somewhat cloudy. It had a crisp refreshing taste, a little yeasty, not bitter. It was sweet with a slightly sour finish. I liked this beer very much. I'd buy it again for those times when I just want one or two. I probably wouldn't drink a ton of these in one sitting (like I tend to do...).

I then moved on to the Pale Ale. I'm not the biggest pale ale fan. I find that they tend to be sort of bland and on the wrong end of my spectrum. I like heavy bitter hops generally speaking. ...once again, I have to say "That said..." this was a good beer too.

It was sorta bready, lightly carbonated, and, as the name implies pale. When I say bready, I mean that it really tasted like more of a baked good than a beer.... a biscuit, perhaps?

So now, we're up to date... BUT! I'm not done. I have at least two more beers to yap about.

Just FYI, I'm milking these, so it's not like I'm pounding them and eventually my writing will increase in typos and everything will taste the same to me... No, if there's one thing I do well, it's drink beer... And type. So. We're good. ...moving on.

I'm excited with the next beer. It's an IPA, my favorite type of brew. I was thrown off a little by this beer, because in this sampler, there were two different IPA brews (I know, awesome right!?) and I saw the other one first... If you look at this picture, the label is purple... I didn't read it right away, because I thought it was the blueberry.

I ALMOST drank this one first thinking it was blueberry. That would have thrown off my whole post! I started with the more mild stuff so that it wasn't as much of a pallet shock going from beer to beer... sorta worked up to the IPAs.

Right now, I've got a glass full of this stuff sitting right next to me, so you get the reaction as it happens. Don't you feel like an insider now?!

When I poured it, I poured it slowly. Even still, I got a dense head, about an inch thick. Even now, (after all my rambling!) about 15 minutes after I poured it, it's still got some suds on the top. Impressive, eh?

It's a pale amber, almost yellowish. It's not overly aromatic, but that may be because it's sat a while. I forgot to whiff it when I opened the bottle.

First mouthful was not bad. Better than I'd expected, given the lack of scent. It's generally more citricy than I go for, but it balances out well.  Light and crisp with a strong bitter finish on the back of the tongue. It's got a lingering sensation, almost like a halls cough drop. When I breath out, I feel like I can taste the fumes from it. Might be due to the slightly higher than usual alcohol content, at 5.6%.

I can say that I WILL buy this one again. Possibly this month, even.

So the next brew is also an IPA, but I don't have one with me... I also have to finish the current one, and I don't want to chug it. I want to taste it. So you're just going to have to wait.

OK, I'm ready.


This brew is called "Larry".

Once again, I'm excited. I love a good IPA, and when I cracked this one, it was like I crushed up pine needles and snorted them.

If you've read this blog before you may have read that I like a bitter pine cone flavored IPA any day of the week.... I like it to taste strongly, and I like it to burp just as powerfully. I've set myself up with some pretty high expectations here...

So let's get to it.

I poured it just as slowly as the last one, less of a head initially, but it grew a little more after the pour than the other one did.

Oh. My. God... OK, I have to share this... I was double checking the scent, and I accidentally tipped the glass a little too far, sniffed a little too sharply, and got a nose full. Obviously it was a shock. But I am looking at this as an opportunity! Where else can you get a review of a beer based on the sensation of snorting it?!

OK, so now that the initial pain or carbonated fluid surging through my left sinus, basically everything smells like bread.

Back to the task at hand here, this IPA, like the last, is still a little sudsy after about 10 minutes, and a nose dunk.

First mouthful... I'm a little disappointed. Bear in mind though, I really pumped myself up for this one, so it's not the beer's fault. I'll accept responsibility for that initial reaction.

This beer tastes much like the last one, the other IPA. Interestingly, the first post at Beer Advocate says "Tastes good, but not quite so good as the aroma had me hoping for." I bet he didn't SNORT it though... Still, he gave the beer an A+ and really, I have to agree... This beer is damn good.

Best part: This beer is 7.5%. For those of you who don't know what that means, Bud Light (which Beer Advocate gives an F, by the way... just saying...) is a 4.2%

SO! In conclusion, THUS FAR, Wachusett doesn't make bad beer... But I haven't had all the brews yet.

...yet.

Woodchuck 802

I am continuing my research into hard cider tonight. I picked up a "Woodchuck 802" six pack.

This is a very pale version of the Amber I talked about before. About the same amount of carbonation, but a bit dryer, almost like the difference between Schweppes ginger ale and Canada dry. I like it, though I think I'd like anything I made to be just a shade dryer, maybe slightly more bubbly.

I still say a peanut butter sandwich would be the PERFECT compliment to hard apple cider.

Hard Cider Field Notes - Vol. 1

Many moons ago, I used to drink "Cider Jack" because it wasn't as "bitter" as beer... this was back before my pallet matured, so I really didn't care for the taste of beer...

Anyway, Cider Jack was pretty decent if I recall correctly, but they don't make it anymore.

Tonight on my way to get pizza for the family, I stopped at the packy (which is what it's called in New England) and bought a 6 of "Woodchuck" amber. This is commonly what people think of these days, when they say hard cider, I believe. I've never had it.

Now, granted I did have a couple (or four) Sam Adams Boston Lagers earlier, but I cleansed my pallet with a couple slices of too-hot Greek pizza...

Given that I'm slightly tainted already, take my assessment here with a grain of salt, I guess...

The scent of this is pretty much what I'd expect to get if I mixed apple juice with like, a Bud Light, I guess... Appley... beery...

Taste-wise, it's pretty clean and crisp, but rather sweet... Not quite as dry as I think I'd like. I'm also surprised at how flat it is. I expected a little more carbonation.

All in all not a bad drink. 5%, so about the same as a beer, and next to no carbonation is good as far as drinking lots and lots of them... Oh, and gluten free too apparently. So... that's nice, I guess.

I can see why this is a popular drink though. It wasn't expensive, it's sweet, and it's as strong (if not just a little stronger) than a beer of similar price.

If I made a brew that came out like this, I would not be unhappy. Still though, I think I'd prefer a little dryer. More like a champagne, less like a juice-box.

Hard Cider

My interest in brewing again is starting to itch... Thus, I will be starting up again. This time, I think I'll try my hand at something that looks equally as easy, and just as rewarding.

Hard Cider.

I'm not going to go all wild and pick my own apples, and mash em, etc... I'm just going to go cheap and buy cider.

"FEH!" the purists are saying right now, I'm sure, but hey, I'm just a broke guy, who likes to drink beer and cider. It doesn't need to be expensive and difficult to be great. I know this from baking cakes using boxes of cake mix. I've baked things from scratch, and honestly it's a pain in the ass, and it's not any better. I'm not going to break my back and my bank for something that may very well suck.

I've researched it just a little bit (read: for the last 15 minutes online) and I've got some good ideas about it. I think I may actually make 5 gallons, since I have everything I need to do a 5 gallon batch. I won't have to buy 4 more stoppers and 4 more air locks, etc. Those are the reasons I will give to justify making so much. ;)

If you've done this before, and have some recommendations, I'm all ears!

Pete's Wicked Ale - A to Z Blog Challenge

Boy, I've fallen behind here agian... Two days in a row! Sorry about that. I guess it's still today, so I'm not "late" per se... Though by that logic, when it's tomorrow, it will also be "Today"...

As you can see, I don't have any beer, cause I'm over thinking everything... I'm broke at the moment. I was hoping to have something to sample here, because I haven't had a Pete's Wicked Ale in many years, and I was really looking forward to trying them...

An even bigger downer, I haven't had a beer that starts with P in as long as I can remember. (Though they do ALL END with PEE! HAR!)

I DID however find this rough cut commercial for them that never aired... Enjoy!

Opa - Opa (And Octoberfest by Sam Adams) A to Z Blog Challenge

Yikes! I missed a day again... Could have sworn I had this post written already, but here it is "O" day, and N is still up. SO here goes a double-header. (That means lots of extra foam at the top... "head" you know.)

Opa - Opa is a Steakhouse / Brewery up in Southampton MA. Gotta be one of the best combinations right there, steak and beer. If only they were a pig farm / laundromat, I'd move in.

Like the Berkshire Brewing stuff I've blogged about, this stuff comes in GRRROWLERS. I don't think I mentioned this before, but you get probably four to six glasses of beer out of a growler, and when it's done, the deposit on THESE growlers is TWO BUCKS. I can't tell you how awesome it was to bring a few of these back and have enough to get another growler.

They've got a whole bunch of different brews, but the Raspberry wheat is interesting to me, cause the package store I go to up the street actually had that brew created. I went in one day, and the owner looked at my friend and I and said "You guys have been here before right?" Heh, does the pope sh*t in the woods?? He gave us a growler of it for free to sample. It definitely was NOT my cup of tea, but on it's own merits, it was a good beer... Very flowery, like a strong jasmine tea. I'm not big on wheat beers either, but hell a free grrrrrowler of beer can taste like liver and farts for all I care, I'll drink it.

Not to mention the fact that I felt like a freakin champ for walking into a liquor store and getting free beer. I DO feel silly when I say the name though... Not fair to make people say things as silly as "opa-opa". I bet it's easy to order when you're drunk though. Especially if you have a New England accent.

Second "o" beer is Sam Adams Octoberfest. I loved this beer last year. I didn't get to have too much of it cause it's a seasonal, and wasn't around much longer after I'd found it. I checked over at beeradvocate.com where beer snobs like to condescend on another that isn't really weird or amazing, but it's not on there, and for the life of me I don't remember what it was I liked about it, but I do remember marveling at it for about a month. Unfortunately, that's the best I can do for you. I don't remember what it tastes like or why I liked it... but it was great. Trust me.

New Castle Brown Ale - A to Z Blog Challenge

I like a beer with a little more flavor than most folks, so brown ales caught my attention quickly, when I started exploring the not-bud beers. I found it interesting that it really sort of tasted brown, if that makes any sense.

This beer is like a normal ale, but it's got flavors like a brown bread, and some caramel, some nuttiness too. It's not overly carbonated, slightly watery, and not too... anything. I think the best part about this beer is it's not too much in any way... not too bitter, not too sweet, not too carbonated, etc... It's very well balanced. I think it's just a decent drinking beer if you're looking for a different, richer taste. 

Their website is pretty awesome too. 

This stuff is imported from England and manufactured by Heineken International. It comes in at 4.7% alcohol, so you get to enjoy the flavors a little longer, because that point where it doesn't matter what it tastes like takes longer to occur.

I had a teacher for one of my Microsoft certification classes who loved this beer. He was one of those guys who would quickly go over what was in the book, as if you had questions, and if you didn't he'd just say "OK, practice your labs" and we'd goof off on the computers. If you got him talking about beer, he'd go on all night long and it was usually about New Castle Brown ale. I owe him my thanks, cause had he never told me about it, I probably wouldn't have had it for a lot longer. 

Molson XXX - A to Z Blog Challenge

The Molson brewery is one of the most popular in Canada, a country known for hockey and beer. I personally don't care too much for Canadian beer, but it's mostly not terrible. Molson XXX however is disgusting. (Remember, it's my opinion, feel free to disagree). 

The whole point of XXX is that it's higher than usual in alcohol, and it seems like that was the only goal they had in mind when brewing. Taste was never a consideration. The conversation probably went something like "Let's make something with a lot of alcohol, and we'll put "XXX" on the label and people will buy it regardless of the taste." 

As a kid I watched Tom and Jerry drink from bottles that had XXX on them countless times, and they were always hammered right away, remember? The thing about Molson XXX is it's not ALL THAT high in Alcohol, only 7.3%. I can understand, even if I don't necessarily agree with, sacrificing a little taste for extra alcohol if you're goal is to get drunk. You see people doing shots all the time that don't really taste good, but it's just a shot, it's over in a second... Molson XXX is 12oz and tastes bad, so for the alcohol content, I'd rather drink one and a half of something else. 

The taste is somewhat metallic and bitter. Some say it tastes a little fishy. Lots of bready / corny flavors. Do not let this warm up at all, it'll start tasting like rubbing alcohol. This stuff pours nicely, looks like a normal pale ale with a thick foamy head, but you can smell the alcohol right away. 

Probably the best thing said about it over at BeerAdvocate was "If flavor isn't your think, but drunk is, here's your poison."

Lost Sailor IPA - A to Z Blog Challenge

SO. Here I am again. I JUST finished up a few other posts, such as the J post here...  So why did I skip K? Cause I've had enough Killian's that I could post about it with my eyes closed, both hands tied behind my back, using the force. I wrote the Killian's post a week ago.

OK, so I've told you before, IPA is currently my favorite brew, so again, a biased post... Keep in mind, I just did the J post, while working on this one AND doing my H post for my usual blog... so at this point, anything that I write that's even coherent, is a bonus.

So the Lost Sailor IPA... I can't say enough good things about this stuff... When you crack this growler, the first thing you notice is that it pours and looks like a normal pale ale... But you smell Christmas trees! The bitterness of the hops used for an IPA (like Harpoon for those of you who are familiar" always reminds me of Christmas trees... I don't know why, perhaps it tastes like Christmas trees... and yes, I've tasted Christmas tress... It was sort of a tradition for my cousin and I. More him than me, but when he was over, and sampled a sprig if my tree, I felt like it would be rude if I didn't join him. Anyway, that's what the bitterness of an IPA reminds me of. Call me crazy if you like.

SO, the Lost Sailor IPA, like I was saying is awesome if you like IPA. It's about 5.5%. According to that website that I linked, you can get it in single bottles, but I only have access to the growlers. ...boy, poor me. Why "lost sailor"? I don't know. Perhaps cause it's a MA brew, and there was a lot of sailors here? Could be!

To learn more, don't look to me, cause right now, my field research has me drunk and I still need to cook dinner for myself and the kids. It's looking like hot dogs for tonight.

Killians - A to Z Blog Challenge

Killian's Irish Red is actually not very Irish, and hasn't been since it left Ireland in 1956. It was sold at that time to a French brewery, and then later sold again to Coors which is based in Colorado. 

Regardless of where it's brewed though, it is based on an Irish recipe, so we'll give it a pass. 

I like Killian's, and it's one of my baseline beers. It's good enough that I enjoy it, but not usually the first thing that I'd reach for. It's light, fairly clear, kinda watery, but still has a decent amount of flavor. The interesting thing to a beer geek like me, it's a lager like Bud, but it's got a taste similar to an ale. 

Another interesting thing about Killian's, it goes very well with pepperoni. Dunno why. Just does. It also makes me crave peanut butter sandwiches. 

Killian's rings in at 4.9%. 

Sorry I don't have much to say about Killian's. If this were a Video Log, it'd be even sorter, cause I'd probably just give it a thumbs up, and make a face that says "Sure!" I write a lot more at my other blog, to which there's a link to the right. ...just sayin.

Jiahu, Chateau by Dogfish Head - A to Z Blog Challenge

Interesting beer... Once again, like the flemish, it's an ale with huge fruity over tones. I picked this, mostly just because it starts with J, but also because it's a Dogfish Head brew, which I have a great respect for.

Drinking this is an investment. You have to be committed, cause it's a standard beer bottle cap, but the bottle is 1 pint, 9.6 oz. Can't cap it back up once you've opened it, especially if you're like me and crush the cap and drop it into an empty bottle to keep your kids from swallowing it. It's open, you're going to kill it.

It's about the size of a standard wine bottle, and I'm about 1 and a half glasses into it right now. Initial impressions: When I opened it, I could smell that it was heavy on the fruity end of things. It was definitely like a beer / wine. It poured not unlike a regular pale ale, except that there was much less head. (resisting the urge to make a joke). For all intents and purposes, it looks like a pale ale, if only just a little more opaque.

At first taste, I can tell it's an ale... though, it's a little sweet / sour, but it has a wine after taste... In fact, if you sit a moment after swallowing, your belly feels like you just had wine... you know, that sort of burny feeling. It burps like a white wine in my opinion.

So my problem with this brew is that I know it's a beer, but it drinks like a wine... You want to sort of sip this, but I drink beer fast. I haven't eaten anything today either. Now's where I look up the Alcohol content, and hot damn, this stuff is 10%. Each glass is like 2 beers. I'm just getting to the bottom of my second glass, which means, I've had the equivalent of 4 bud lights in the last 10 minutes. My spelling is very likely to take a dive in the next few paragraphs.

...actually IF there are a "few paragraphs" more, you'll know this stuff is doing it's job, because I talk when I'm under the influence. In fact, you may even notice a Boston accent come out, which I don't have when sober. (that's a joke... I don't have one, but it comes out when I'm drinking).

ANYWAY. This is basically and Ale that was brewed with honey, hawthorn (whatever that is) fruits and fermented with grape concentrate.

I just poured the end of the bottle, which makes 2 and a half beer glasses per bottle, by the way.

I just realized that on the side of this bottle, it says 9000 year old... Which I imagine means that it's a replica of something they drank 9000 years ago, or at least we think they did. I wonder if DfH has a 9000 year line of brews, or if this is the brew that one of my commenters was talking about a day or two ago.. I'd look up the comment, but I just had about a 6 pack in a very short amount of time.

I like this stuff... it tastes pretty good, although I admit it wasn't what I was expecting, so I had the "sourface" during the end of my first glass... and it packs a hell of a punch. not bad for twelve bucks.

for more official stuff about this brew, go here.

Ipswich Ale Brewery - A to Z Blog Challenge

When I realized that I loved beer, I would get myself a twelve pack of something I loved, a six of something different that I'd had before, and a six of something I've never tried. I wasn't developed a pallet yet like I have now, or perhaps I just hasn't numbed my taste buds or brain cells enough, but I seem to recall Ipswich Ale being too bitter for me.

Like I say, I was still new to beer drinking, and favored the watery stuff, so it deserves a second chance. I'll gladly give it another whirl, but I'm broke right now, so you'll just have to read whatever factoids about it that I can dig up.

Ipswich is a little town in northern MA, which according to their visitor's center, is loaded with history like farms and attractions like Crane beach.

Right, big deal, I know. I'm trying here, it's tough to do a beer review without said beer...

My friends over at BeerAdvocate.com gave Ipswich Ale's Oatmeal Stout an A-... People who like Oatmeal Stouts find this to be terrific, those who just like stouts find it less creamy than they like, but still pretty good.

The Oatmeal stout is 7%.

OK, so I had a hard time coming up with a beer for I, but I have had this before, and even though I didn't like it at the time, I'm willing to bet I would now, cause there've been a lot of beers that I didn't like at one time or another... Heck, when I started drinking, I stuck with "Bud" cause I thought "Bud Light" was too bitter... so...

But something else that's cool about these guys, is they also make soda, or "pup" for you mid-landers. My mother calls it "tonic"... not sure where that comes from, but I always thought that was what you put on your head to grow hair.

In addition to these beverages, they also make a mustard, and shared some outstanding-sounding recipes on their sight.

If you've had their stuff recently, and would like to let me know your thoughts, please do! I'll let you know if I get some sometime soon too.

Honey Dew by Fullers - A to Z Blog Challenge

This beer is a very pale yellow, like 3 parts water, 1 part pineapple juice. It's crystal clear, no haze at all. Very little carbonation, and I'm wondering if they used any hops at all...

It's smooth and has a sweet taste of honey in the finish, but it's not the sweetness of honey, it's sort of a tart honey flavor, if that makes any sense... Says it's 5% on the bottle.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this beer is the fact that after having half the bottle, when I burp, it's like I just ate a bowl of honey nut cheerios. A very different feel for having a belly full of beer (which I have cause I just finished the posts for E, F, and now H... G is Guinness, which I'm familiar with, so I don't have to sample. ... Sorta wish I could right now though... )

At the end of the day, it's not a bad beer, but I'd need to be in the mood for it. Cool bottle though. Can't wait to blog on a beer I actually love... Bound to happen sooner or later.

I guess I'm a little jaded here. A friend of mine makes a honey stout that he calls "Honey... I need a ride home". It's a Guinness clone but has a bunch of honey in it, and is like, 15%, but still very smooth. I was expecting something like that.

Guinness - A to Z Blog Challenge

Guinness is one of my favorites, so I'm rather biased here. I find it's smooth thick froth, and full bodied flavor to be absolutely wonderful, and on this blog, my opinion is law. Guinness is great.

I like to think that Guinness is to beer what espresso is to coffee. Just better, thicker, richer... The picture here is of the classic clover (or more specifically a shamrock) that us New Englanders like to put in the froth of a draught Guinness to help us pretend we're more Irish than we really are. We like to grill bartenders who can't do it, cause there is a bit of a trick to it. Those who can do it well pretend that it makes them a little closer to godliness, and those of us who like Guinness let them believe it, cause in reality, we believe it too.

I don't know where the clover in the foam came from originally, but I'm willing to bet it's more of an American thing than authentic Irish. If you know one way or the other, please let me know. Another cool part is that once poured, you can watch the nitrogen bubbles flow down the sides of the glass, which you'll see in the video blow.

Interesting fact about Guinness, the folks from Ireland who I know over here don't like it here. They say it's gross after shipping, calling it muck. ...or more accurately "Mook", the oo's sounding like they do in "foot", and not in "food"... They've also been known to call it "pess", which if said with an Irish brogue, you should be able to interpret.

There are folks who go around to bars, and I don't know if they work for Guinness or what, but they give out awards to bars who pour the "Perfect Pint." Those who do, get a nice award to hang on their wall.

The perfect pint pour:

Guinness is a little lower in alcohol, ringing in at only just 4%.

There is also an urban legend that once upon a time, Guinness didn't taste good... Which I find hard to believe, so I think this myth is already busted, but, all of a sudden, supposedly it tasted great. When they emptied the barrel, there were dead bloated rats in the barrel... So because they thought their drinkers wouldn't go for rat bones in the brew, they use fish bones. So the legend goes anyway. I think it's a crock, but you know, if it's true, it's working... so I'm good.

Flemish Sour by Monk's Cafe - A to Z Blog Challenge

I'd never heard of a "Flemish Sour" before, but I saw it on the shelf while I scoured for an E beer, and grabbed it. I didn't realize there'd be many other "Flemish Sours" otherwise I probably would have kept looking.

Anyway, what a weird beer. I cracked it open, and I swear it smelled more like a red wine than a beer. I poured it in a glass, as is my way, and it was a dark redish brown, and still smelled very much like a sweet red wine. Well, hell if it doesn't taste like a sweet red wine, only sweeter. It's almost like a raspberry ginger ale, it's so fruity and sweet.

It's 5.5%, so it's not overly strong. If you have one of "those" friends who doesn't like beer and is unwilling to try anything that remotely tastes like beer, and you're trying to get him or her to develop a taste for beer, this might be a good one to start with. It's practically a wine cooler.

All in all, not a bad drink, but if I'm looking for a beer, it's definitely not going to cut it... It's like turkey bacon. Not bad, but not bacon.

The best part about this beer, if you zoom in, you'll see the price tag... It was $2.95 for this bottle. So far, the cheapest "single" beer I've bought for this challenge.

ESB by RedHook - A to Z Blog Challenge

I had a really difficult time finding a beer that started with E. I found a few online, but the packy up the street didn't have anything EXCEPT this one. It was an Ale, so I figured "how bad could it be?"

Honestly, it's not horrible. It's better than Bud, so...

It's a very hazy yellowish orange. It's citrusy. Almost no carbonation, even for an ale. Very little hops, so it's not very bitter, but a little tart. Very bready. It's 5.77%

The best thing I can say about this beer is that it's drinkable, and better than bud. I'm a little let down considering ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter, and it's hardly bitter at all.

I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping it sucked. Posts about beer that's "meh" aren't very amusing, I think. But all in all, I'd go for this at a cookout if it was there. It does taste like something that wouldn't be bad while standing outside in the hot sun after mowing the lawn or something. A burger in your hand and a pile of potato salad on your plate. ...can you tell I'm ready for the grilling weather??

I have no stories about Redhook, nor do I think I ever will if this is the kind of beer they make... But at least you got a nice little picture of it and you can admire my back-splash. My wife does wonderful work with interior design.  ...I think I'll put in a new light-switch, that one's looking a little dingy.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales - A to Z Blog Challenge

One of my favorite brews is the I.P.A., or India Pale Ale. This is a particularly bitter ale, a taste that comes from the hops.

Dogfish Head brews Ales, and perhaps one of my top five favorites is the 90 Minute IPA. I like to think of the 90 Minute IPA as the example of an excellent IPA. This beer vs bud light is like smoked salmon vs fish sticks.

There's no doubt that this is a heavy beer with lots of flavors going on. If this beer were a guy, he'd be one of those confident, outspoken, slightly louder than necessary, opinionated by charismatic fellows. You'd hear him two rooms away and prepare to be irritated, but his words would strike a chord and as you'd listen, you'd begin to respect him. You would feel more important when in his presence, and soon, you'd find yourself looking for him every time you came back to that room.

The malt is apparent in the smell and taste, the hops are heavy and slightly citrusy, but it all balances out and is very not bitter in the finish.

The alcohol content is high, coming in at 9%! this means it's like drinking two bud lights as far as the buzz is concerned. However, this is not the kind of beer you chug. You savor this beer, enjoying every ounce. You can drink this beer slowly, and still get your buzz on.

Their website, Dogfish.com does not require that you be 21 to enter, as the other sites that I've linked so far in the challenge have. I find it really silly that a 19 year old would be allowed to enter pornographic sites, but not one about a beer, but they didn't consult me, so...

Definitely a non convential brewer, they even have a music group. See here.

For a tour of their brewery, watch here:

Corona - A to Z Blog Challenge

You'll have to forgive me for this post, as it comes pretty darned close to main-stream beer. I wanted to do Ciderjack, but was hesitant since it's not exactly a beer. Turns out it's not made anymore anyway, so I had to turn my sights elsewhere. The next obvious choice was Coors, which... bleh.

Corona is a popular beer among the "Fizzy Yellow Beer" drinkers, (a phrase used by Stone Brewers in promotion of their "Arrogant Bastard" brew... Wish I'd thought about that beer when doing "a"... Ah well.) I don't particularly like Corona, and I'm sure I could have found a different craft brew to talk about, but I chose Corona, because I think there's enough stuff to say about it.

Corona is a popular alternative to beers like bud light, though I don't find it much different. The major difference is that it's common for the drinker to add a slice of lime. While I'll admit, adding the lime does make this beer taste better, I would submit that just drinking a better tasting beer would be the way to go instead.

Watching Jeopardy last week, there was a lass who said she and a friend or two had gotten scurvy in college. She said once they were diagnosed, they added limes to their Coronas and it went away. So, I guess that's one benefit of drinking Corona...

I do have to give credit where credit is due though. Through clever marketing the brewers have convinced people that drinking Corona = paradise. When I think of Corona, I think of beaches and limes and bathing suits, and Hawaiian shirts. Because of these associations, I can't hate Corona, even though I think it tastes rain water with a twist of lime.

Here's a prime example:

Beer Advocate has the same sort of reviews, one person saying it tastes like "carbonated water and dirty coins.". Marketing aside though, if you love beer, I suggest you don't bother with Corona. 

The best thing about this beer is the lime wedge. This, I think, is a sad testament. 

Berkshire Brewing Company (BBC) - A to Z Blog Challenge

Berkshire Brewing Company started in 1994, coincidentally the same year I finished my sophmore year in High School. There's no common thread between those two facts, I just thought I'd throw that in there, cause aside from it being my sophomore year, there was nothing memorable about it for me. At least, if there was, I can't recall it.

Being a New Englander, and more specifically a Bostonian, I have an over-inflated sense of pride regarding things in, around, and from this area. It seems a common trait we New Englanders have. I love that we see the best and worst of all four seasons. Case in point: As I write this post, a little early on in this challenge, admittedly, but knowing myself, I'll finish it only just in the nick of time anyway, it's March 21st, the first day of spring, and it's snowing like crazy. There's so much white stuff on my deck right now, it looks like Charlie Sheen's coffee table. 

I also love that we have the ocean, lakes, forests and mountains. Imagine my non-sensical swell of pride to find a beer by the "Berkshire Brewing Company"!

This beer was introduced to me in probably one of the coolest ways by my buddy. He brought over in a Growler. In the picture below, you'll see one of my brews in recycled bottles... The 6 large ones in the middle are growlers. You can see, these are actually BBC growlers I used. 

I can just imagine the conversation that lead to the genesis of the growler... Two guys bottling beers, one says "Christ what a pain in the ass!" and the other says "Let's make a bigger bottle! That'll be MANLY!" and the first guy says "Yeah! And to make it more MANLY, we'll call it a GRRRRRRROWLER!" I'm sure it was shortened for convenience. 

Anwyay, back to the beer. 

This is a craft brew, and as such, it has a sludge that settles on the bottom called Lees. Some people prefer to toss the last few ounces to avoid drinking the lees, others drink it. It's perfectly harmless, as it's mainly dead yeast cells. If you don't like the lees, you'd best store the bottle upright. 

Being that it comes in such a large vessel, it's best to drink the whole thing that night, to avoid having flat beer tomorrow. 

I've had several brews, and they were all exemplary. My favorite of these is the Lost Sailor IPA. This is a very nice IPA similar to Harpoon, though a little more flowery. It's definltey got some wine overtones to it, but the hop flavor comes out in the finish. Perhaps a little more sour than bitter. 

This beer comes in at 5.5%. Definitely a good beer.

Amstel Light - A to Z Blog Challenge

Amstel Light is a light beer from Amsterdam, hence the motto "One Dam Good Beer! If you can get their website to work, good for you, cause I can't. let me know if there's anything good there. I'd hoped to find a little blurb of info there that I could post here, but I'll just have to wing it.

Now, I could have gone the easy way out here and used "Anheuser Busch" for A, but I can't spell Anheuser. Still though, I feel I owe it to them to at least recall an episode of "Married With Children". Naturally, I can't find a video of it, but I did find this transcript.

Here's the part I'm talking about:

AL- [unwrapping his gum] I'll pick my own name, huh? My new name will be um... [looks at the gum wrapper] ... Bazooka Joe.

JEFFERSON - Damn! Wish I'd thought of that before I decided on [picks up a beer can] Anheuser-Busch. Yep, the Buschmeister's going to Seattle. Join up with some friends who have a lobster boat and I'm gonna be The Mighty Fisherman. How 'bout you, Al?

AL - Going to LA. Gonna be The Big White Hooter Hunter. [they pick up their beer glasses] God, life is gonna be great for us!

They clink glasses and begin to sip but stop when they hear the announcer.

P.A. - Bus to Seattle now leaving, gate eleven.

Al and Jefferson pause for moment, then put down their glasses and stand up.

AL - Back to the wives?

JEFFERSON - Yep, back to wives.

AL - But if is she has another baby in the eighteen years, I swear I'm going!

JEFFERSON - Me too!

The dancing girl returns.

AL - I'm going home... Can I have my dollar back?

As far as beer goes, I find Amstel Light to be at best "not bad". As far as light beer goes, it's very good. I like this beer on  hot summer days when a stiff buzz is just as important as staying hydrated. It's a good "drinking beer" as opposed to a chugging beer like Bud, or a sipping beer like Harpoon.

It's very low in calories, and carbs and a light beer should be. It is an import, so it's a little more expensive too. For folks like me who prefer a full bodied non-light beer, it's like someone who is used to whole milk drinking 2%. It's not bad, but not quite perfect either.

I was trying to find a video of my favorite commercial of theirs, but naturally I couldn't find THAT video clip either. The commercial featured two guys, who were supposedly brewers. They looked abashed and apologetic. "We're sorry," they said. "we didn't know light beer was supposed to suck."

Here's one that's just as amusing though, and features a good song too!

I don't have any raunchy tales of drunken foolishness after a night of Amstel light, so I can't entertain you with any recounting, unfortunately. The reason for this is that the alcohol content is on the lower side, coming in at 3.5%, in contrast to Bud Light's 4.2 I use Bud Light as a basis for comparison because I'm sure most of us DO have raunchy tales of drunken foolishness after a night of Bud Light. For those of you who don't, I don't know what else to compare it to for you, except to say that in the US, the alcoholic proof is twice the percentage... So 3.5% is 7 proof... 80 proof and it's flammable. For more on this, go here.

If you're looking for a beer that tastes like a beer, but you're watching your weight, or can't be trusted with a higher octane beer, give this a shot.

Preparing for the A to Z

I have joined the A to Z challenge, as is displayed proudly on the right -->

My A to Z is going to be about beers and brewers, and I thought I'd give you some idea of what to expect as we plunge forward with this. I love beer. I love a full bodied, heavy, bitter beer. I like to still be able to taste it after I've swallowed it. I like it to burn my pallet a little when I burp. And yes, like a male beer drinker, I like to burp. :) 

This isn't to say I won't drink a bud light, I definitely will if that's all that's available, or if my goal is to drink as much as possible in a small amount of time. As I get older, I find that being less and less appealing though. 

For this challenge, I'm going to stick to the lesser known beers, and as far away from the mainstream as possible. Anyone who is still reading this post is either interested in beers enough to be able to write his or her own review of Bud Light or Coors, or Michelob, and maybe Heineken, OR he or she doesn't care what they read, so it might as well be about something I like. 

Naturally, anything I post is going to be my own personal opinion, or simple fact, such as nutrition information. Feel free to agree, or disagree, and please don't take any of my opinions personally if you happen to love or brew something that I find unpleasant. 

I'm looking forward to this challenge, and I'm hoping I can keep things as entertaining as possible in doing it. Thanks for reading!

The A to Z Challenge

In an effort to help me keep writing, I have decided to join the A to Z Challenge! Starting in April, I will be posting an A to Z about beer, and what better place to do it than here??

To check out more about the A to Z challenge, click here, or on the badge to the right.

Back in the Saddle Again

It's been a while since I've posted anything, and I believe the last post here was a post where I said "It's been a while since I posted anything.".

I've been conserving money, and paying a lot for oil to heat the house, etc, so my brewing hobby took a back seat.

As the black eye peas said, tonight's going to be a good night. Harpoon for the drinking, and a couple others for the tasting. :D

More to come!