Our Tastes-- Anchor Christmas Ale

Never far from a good taster, I happened upon some Anchor Christmas Ale while in Mount Olive and being the beer adventurer that I am, I took to it. This is the 33rd time this beer has been offered starting in 1975. It's a guarded recipe with a base and a subtle change every year. Many keep a few bottles and try them with others as they come down the bottle line or even try those within the same year later to see how they age. The abv is also a changing %. They also change the label every year, incorporating a different tree, the symbol of renewal with the changing of the seasons. Grab some of this years, even Merry likes this dark beast;)

Brew Batch #24 REINKE'S REVENGE 2007

What better way to celebrate Christmas than by bottling excellent beer. Reinke's Revenge went to the bottle with Merry's help tonight (a little out of practice she is, had some serious dribbling going on). Overall though probably my best batch of this stuff ever. Weird it ended up 1.020+0.00 @62F giving it 8.7%abv!!! The only reason I can think of is the fact that I used the propane burner this time, did it extract a little more sugar from the grain? 48&1/2 long neck browns with the standard pitch black crown and 1 clear. Can't wait for a vertical of this stuff!

Our Tastes-- Squatter's Provo Girl

Recently, The Enabler's mom-in-law (so to speak) made a trip to Utah where she was able to pick up several magnificent beers for us to taste. Provo Girl made by the Squatter's Brewery is the 1st one I'm trying tonight and I've got to tell you the aroma of this fine pilsner was the utmost characteristic that I noticed. It has a great light blonde color and the head dissipates to leave a slightly broken foam. I think she was able to visit the brewery but unfortunately the website for the brewery is under construction so all I have to go on is the label info. Says it is brewed with Magnum hops then lagered for a true German experience, 4%abv. (site back up)

Product Endorsement

Normally I won't endorse items on this page because it may show favoritism and people love to boycott certain ideas of others. I've showcased a couple of items in the last few years that I truly believe are a furtherment of mankind such as the Igloo Fire & Ice grill, Thermocell's Mosquito Repellent System and now I am proud to endorse Samuel Adams handcrafted pint glasses.

Sam Adams has created the Ultimate in glasses. According to Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams ,"It's been a personal passion of mine to create a beer glass that elevates the craft beer drinking experience. We wanted to create a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory drinking experience by fully showcasing Samuel Adams Boston Lager's complex balance of malt and hop flavors. This glass achieves that mission."
Tiax, the world-renowned sensory experts, worked closely with Jim to identify and evaluate the functional design features needed in a glass to showcase the key attributes of Samuel Adams Boston Lager®. The key requirements for the perfect glass for Samuel Adams Boston Lager included: delivering sweetness from the malt; maximizing the hops aroma and flavor; maintaining the ideal temperature; supporting a rich and creamy head; and sustaining the right amount of carbonation.

Our Tastes-- Blue Moon Harvest Moon

Gettin' it on like Donkey Kong we try Blue Moon Harvest Moon. The pumpkin ale now distributed by Coors. Not my favorite out of the bunch. But a 5.6%abv that gives a taste of the season. Again not my favorite orange mellon bevvy. Damn thing just tastes like pumpkin rind with no cinnamon or nutmeg. So, in conclusion, we rate them from best to worst: Saranac, Shipyard, Blue Moon.

Our Tastes-- Saranac Pumpkin Ale

FRD with some Saranac Pumpkin Ale: medium brown to orange with no head. The website leads to little info other than 5.4%abv and a matching of fowl and game birds. The nutmeg is heavy but nice for a seasonal. Nuff said. KOKO (keep on Keepin' on). As good, if not better than the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

Our Tastes-- Shipyard PumpkinHead Ale

Keeping with the whole taster motif we started a short fall taster with the pumpkin ales. One of the few Shipyard brews that I can open and finish, they've made one of the best pumpkin ales I have ever had. This one pours a bland orange color but redeems itself with a cinnamon and pumpkin taste like no other plus nutmeg. There's not a lot on the site about it but the 4.5% makes it almost a session beer.

Our Tastes-- Yazoo Hefeweizen

To throw a little light craziness in at the end of the mix we're trying the latest additon to the Yazoo family, Hefewezien. This beer won gold at the GABF in 2004. There's not much on the bottle short of the snakes and naked lady. This wheat beer is made with 70% wheat and a special ale yeast. When The Enabler and I made the field trip to the brewery they still had the prototype bottle with label sitting on the shelf in the tasting room. It pours with the usual wheat characteristics that I have waxed on about many times. So sit back and break the brown/black monotony with this summer brew.

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Double Bock

Just for fun we threw the Double Bock in there at the end of the sampler to see how it faired against the others. BAM!! At first sip I felt a sharp pain in my left eye. It pours a light/medium brown with little head (like most high content beers do). As the site says due to legal restrictions it's not available in AL, so it's a bootleg, which I have found to be the best. Here's to hoping the Bill goes through the AL state legislature next year along with the HomeBrewing Bill since that's still illegal here. You can smell the heavy malt bill in this one fo'sho! At this point I don't really care about the hops and malt involved, the 8.8%abv speaks for itself. Salut!

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Black Lager

Finally, the last beer in the Winter Sampler line-up is the Black Lager. This beer pours an almost abyssal black minus any head at all. Unlike porters and stouts that come from Britain, this is a schwarzbier. Instead of being heavily hopped and Brit this one is German and lightly hopped and uses a lager yeast. This type was big in East Germany before the unification and became a staple brew at SA in 2004. Characteristics 4.9%abv and 191cal/12oz.

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic

Continuing with the Sam Adams Winter Sampler taster, the Cranberry Lambic. This one has a nice orange/brown color with a hint of red and little head. The bitter fruity aroma is so apparent that you can hold the pint away from you and it still wafts to your nares. The cranberry is absolute on the palate. Don't like it at Thanksgiving? Don't drink this beer! This is a wheat beer brewed with cranberry juice and maple syrup from New England. A few charateristics Spalt-Spalter Noble hops are the only addition, W-68/ale yeast strain is used, 5.9%abv and 200cal/120z.
Check out the history of the true lambic.

Lost Photos of Green Monster

Finally, for your viewing pleasure...pics of the Hempen Hulk Batch. This one should just about be ready for tasting...hope I don't rip my pants;)

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

Now this is a keeper!! The Holiday Porter is the greatest beer out of this batch yet. It pours a great tan to light brown head with traditional porter malt bill aroma. Brewed with Fuggles, East Kent Goldings, and Spalt Spalter.. porters in the 18th century asked brewers for a beer to reinvigorate them during break and the porter was born. Truth that great beer cometh from hardest working folketh! Made with 5 different malts and falked oaks this one is 5.8%abv with 211cal/12oz.

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Next up in the sampler tasting is the Old Fezziwig Ale. I've never had one of these but it smacks at first taste of a phenolic dunkel and matches color of a deep brown. It's namesake comes from The Christmas Past spirit in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Made with 2-row pale, Munich 10, chocolate malt and Caramel 60. Oddly enough it also has the same Noble hops that are in the Boston Lager. First brewed in 1995 and discontinued, it's popularity brought it back in the Winter Sampler in 2000. 5.9%abv and 210cal/12oz.

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Blech! It's been since 2002 when I had this beer last and the taste to me is still the same. We're trying the Samuel Adams Winter Sampler starting with the Boston Lager. We just got through seeing the commercial on the Discovery Channel as we watch Planet Earth and I'll just use Jim's words, "When you pour a Boston Lager it pours a golden brown, then you put your nose to it and I smell flowers, these are called hops." That's about all the kind words I can say about it. Even Indiana, my dog, won't drink this stuff. Introduced in 1985 using Jim's great-great grandfather's recipe (initially named for him Louis Koch Lager) it went on to be named "Best Beer in America" at the GABF only 6 weeks after coming out. A few chrarcteristics: 4.9%abv, 2-row pale and Caramel 60, Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnang Tettnanger, 170cal/12oz.

Our Tastes-- Single Malt Ale

Still knocking down Rogue beers, I found some of the 1st release of GYO beers from Rogue. Single Malt Ale. SMA is a wildflower honey color with citrus lemony aroma. No head to mention. On tasting, the woody pine flavor comes through, not what I would consider single malt unless you hearken back to young scotch then I feel it. Little to no nose and the taste came before. Made with Dare™ malts and Revolution hops. I may revisit this brew and update with a fresh palate. This is the 1st of many new American only beers. I love the idea of on-site grown everything. That really pushes the definition of "microbrew". Abv 5.3% 

Our Tastes-- Harpoon Ale

The Ale in this sampler has a wonderful fresh hop aroma and a frothy head that dissipates a bit quicker than the IPA. The sites says it is not highly carbonated in order to allow more flavor to come through. The color is lightbrown/red and is the same recipe since 1987. This 5.0%abv brew has a well balanced bitterness and is definitely worth trying.

Our Tastes-- Harpoon IPA

Thought I would try the Harpoon sampler I picked up. It has the Ale, IPA, UFO and Munich Type Dark . I've already tasted and posted the UFO (which is an awesome summertime beer). The IPA pours a nice creamy white head and light orange color. The aroma is less than hoppy for sure, more sweet than anything else and at 1st taste I'm not even sure I'm drinking an IPA. The floral aroma may come from the use of Northwest hops. Now I will say that the aftertaste is not "sweet" as the description on the site implies but I do have that honeysuckle feel. It's 5.9%abv and not the best IPA I've ever had. Don't get me wrong though, even a dog will eat tomatoes on the 3rd day of starvation;(

TnDC Field Trip #5 Oktoberfest

Well Merry and I just got back from a very interesting trip. We went to Oktoberfest in Helen, GA. Now I highly recommend that EVERYONE experience this at least once in your life, I may go back but I'll be over 50 when I do it (or 60 that way I match everyone in the Festhalle). This thing runs from mid Sept. to Nov 1st and may very well be one of the most innovative ways to bring tourist money in for a short period of time. This was a little town that was remodeled and painted to match a small German town then started holding Oktoberfest. So when you peak the mountain and start down into the valley the tan and dark brown village is all you see. BUT the vendors aren't all beer related, it was like a market at the beach with t-shirts that said "Suck my Harley's Smoke" and airbrushed vanity plates for cars. The only true German thing was the food and beer at the Festhalle Merry and I went to. Now wieners and krauts were awesome. The draft beer imported and mostly German, buy a mug (which has a nice logo on it) and get beer specials!! Old farts dancing and slapping them selves during a dance-off. And there was no doubt that Merry and I were by far the youngest people in line for the Halle to open and the line just got longer. The draft Erdinger Dunkel was so good I had to bring The Enabler a bottle of it, the Weizen, ok. We had lunch on the Chattahoochee river at the Underground Troll? (something like that). I even got an iron-on t-shirt;) Go, even just for a laugh. I'll continue to try Oktoberfests in other towns just to see how it measures up. Oh and if you get lost here's the GPS for it:
34º 42' 08.16 N by 83º 43' 36.45 W
2008 is right around the corner!!

Our Tastes-- SweetWater Donkey Punch!!

Man, tasting new brews is OK! SW's new Donkey Punch is a 10% barleywine with 90 IBUs that does not fit the typical "barleywine" mold. First the bottle is an amazing 1L flip-top with golden foil. It pours a medium brown with a fleet of small particluate matter floating around in it. The aroma shoots a hop rocket right up the ole nare! Now when I bought this new seasonal in the "Catch and Release" series, I expected an almost sweet malt taste, boy were Merry and I wrong (yeah, she's a keeper she tried more than her fair share). The guys at SW have really outdone themselves. If you get a chance to grab this one up, try it. It is not their usual Festive Ale that comes out at this time of year. And the great thing about it is that you don't have to drink it all at once or alone, I've been sampling for 2 days;)

Brew Batch #24 REINKE'S REVENGE 2007

Well it's that time of year again when I brew what has become one of my most look forward to recipes, Reinke's Revenge. It's hard to believe that only 5 other batches have come between the 06' and 07' series. Soon I'll be able to offer a vertical of this single batch. This year I managed to at least get it back into the month it belongs to be brewed in but I was a few days late from the original date itself (10/4). This year I did it on the King Cooker outside and it was a fast and smooth batch. I've got this one down pat and really enjoy brewing it. Nothing like 12lbs. of amber malt and 1.5lbs of mixed crush grain to get the ole "monster" twitching. OG 1.080+0.001 @74F. Hopefully, it's got a long way to fall;)

Our Tastes-- Thunderhead IPA

This a beer I picked up a few months ago and I'll admit I haven't had too many IPAs this summer other than Jamie's new one at MPB (Montgomery BrewPub). Man, did I miss out!! Made by Pyramid Brewing Company Thunderhead IPA has a foam that hangs onto the glass like rubbing cotton on a 2 day old beard! This stuff is nice. And once again I realized that I hadn't had any good IPAs since the conservatives pulled all the SW420 IPA out of the state because it had 6.5%abv (even though it had been here for at elast 4 years not to mention on draft in Auburn for no less than 3!!) However the color and awesome aroma jacks my olfactory receptor cells around like a stepchild. And we all know 50% of your taste is the perception of smell. Made with great light grains and a single hop I've never heard of Tomahawk. At 6.7%abv tread lightly, lest ye be scalped;)

Our Tastes-- 312 Urban Wheat Ale

And finally what I deem as the last of the true summer ales we'll be trying another nice bevy from Goose Island, 312 Urban Wheat Ale. This one has all the makings of a true wheat. The color is standard with a prominent difference in aroma from it's Summertime cousin. The wheat has a definite "wheatie" smell to it and noticably bland taste. Everytime I have one I envision all of the wheat grain going through the mill crushing out the fine white seed starch. Man, wheats have become my new summer fav, I'll be sorry to see them go but so tis the season of life....and beer. (wax on) I'd like to tour Goose Island one day and snap up some of this 4.2%abv brew on draught. I understand wheer the 312 part comes from (area code) but is the wheat really grown in Chicago? I lived just outside of it not too long ago and never saw any wheat fields in Soldier Field.

Our Tastes-- Goose Island Summertime

In keeping with finishing off the summer brews, I'm trying the Summertime from Goose Island Brewery. First things first, the color is a smooth light straw retaining little head on the pour. The Enabler snagged a few of these last year during a trip to the "Windy City". It has an awesome aroma and begs to have more than one drank in a sitting. It is a Kölsch-style beer with a light hoppiness and only 5%abv. No mention of the types of malts orhops used on the site but well worth a try.

Our Tastes-- Beach Bum Blonde Ale

We had enough of these last weekend to commemorate the end of summer, enough to float a john boat but not enough coordination to blog about it. Continuing with their 2nd year of microbrews A-B added this draught to the line up this year. A golden straw in color from the pale and caramel roasted barley malts. It has a clean refreshing taste from the Hallertau and Alsace hops (they come from France) much like the "Coneheads" probably from the German-loving Strisselspalt or Herbrucker family strand...enough French rant...I digress. Must be why this isn't my favorite beer out of the seasonal lineup! Still a good brew with the addition of Cascade and Pacific Northwest somewhere in the dryhop process. 5.4%abv, go have one;)

End of The Best Era to Date!!

In celebration of me being licensed as a PharmD and knocking out my 1st 16 hour shift; dad, Merry, The Enabler and I finished out the 2005 Samuel Adams Utopia. It had deepened in color somewhat and even changed a little in flavor profile. But the 25.4% abv was still there, fo sho!! Even had a Cuban Cohiba cigar that Big D gave me to go along with it. Afterwards I got the sweet decanter and all I have to do is decide whether I want to let the residue stay in there so I can smell it or ..... just buy a couple of the 07s due out soon;)

Our Tastes-- Harpoon Hibernian Irish Style Red Ale

On to the next pack we're trying and this one is from Harpoon. A great throw back to March, this one has a great malty true Irish aroma and taste. The color is a wonderful deep red copper. Hibernian, Latin for winter "hibernia", given to the land by the Romans upon their conquest. It started out as a St. Patty's tribute in Boston and has become the spring seasonal. I'm new to Harpoon and looking forward to the next one.. this one is 5.4%

Our Tastes-- Spring Heat Spiced Wheat

Spring Heat Spiced Wheat is a limited edition brew from A-B of a belgian-style wheat ale. Pours a cloudy stir needing the "wheat swirl" at the last few ounces. Of the microbrews put out by A-B this may be the most complicated brewing process by the addition of orange, lime and lemon peels as well as coriander to the brewkettle. Throw in a little Cascade, Williamette and Hallertau hops and you've got a annual favorite added to the microbrew lineup for the 2nd year in a row. Serve in a tall, wide-mouthed glass and watch the magic happen as the citrus aroma is funneled straight to the nose. The 5.2%abv goes well with fresh salads, chicken and Asian cuisine. Probst!!

Our Tastes-- Abita TurboDog

And finally TurboDog is the last out of the Party Pack. Surprisingly enough this isn't as heavy as I remember from '96. This is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of British pale, crystal and chocolate malts. The site says it's a little stronger than the usual brew so "beware of the dog". Oddly enough this is a dark brown ale. Oh, and about the brew, it poured a frothy head that reminded me of the "monster" that will rear its head in a few months. The aroma and taste are that of good chocolate and toffee with little resemblance to a stout considering it poured a DARK brown/black. Cheers to the Party Pack!!

Our Tastes-- Abita Christmas Ale

Christmas Ale in September!! This one pours a slightly sweet malt with spice and or nutmeg in a medium brown color. This dark ale comes with no recipe or ingredients listed on the site, just says it is an interesting offering every year. I like it, nuf' said. Oh and the new label is all silver with red writing.

End of an Era

Brew Batch #5 IRA bit the bullet tonight and that Irish malty goodness never tasted so good.

Our Tastes-- Abita Amber

Let's go Abita Amber. Pouring a frothy light brown head with a nice light/medium brown color. It smells of a malty bevvy ripe for the drinking. This was the flagship brew of Abita and continues to be a fav of the N.O. area. Made with crystal malt and Perle hops. The head clears quickly leading me to believe that maybe the artesian water has something to do with it. A nice brew again that Indiana still begs for after a sample herself.

Our Tastes-- Abita 20th Anniversary Pilsner

Going from the light side to the dark, next up is the 20th Anniversary Pilsner (no listing on the site to link to). This one pours a color much like the Golden with a quickly dissipating head. The hop aroma is nice but the taste is truly a break away from the usual Abita beer. Artist James Michalopoulos captures the original brewery on canvas for this six pack and bottle label. Made with America hops this one is a must.

Our Tastes-- Abita Purple Haze

Next up is the Purple Haze. See the IVAN Hurricane Special edition post for this one.

First time I've been able to cite myself!!

Our Tastes-- Abita Golden

I told you another sample pack tasting was coming and this time it is the Abita Party Pack. This past year it came packed with 2 Golden, 2 TurboDogs, 2 Amber, 2 PurpleHaze, 2 Christmas Ale and 2 20th Annivery Pilsners. The Golden is our 1st of the pack. It pours a nice golden straw as the name implies made with only pilsner malt, german lager yeast, Hallertauer hops and of course the artesian waters of Abita Springs. The head dissipates quickly and so does the aftertaste. This is a great summer brew, reminiscent of Sam Adams Summer Ale. It has a clean, crisp taste that even Indiana approves of and sports a great green crown. Something to be said for having an eye-catching crown....

Beer and Ice Cream?

What a strange combination. That is something I would not think of going together.

While down at the beach last month as I lie baking in the sun, I was asked by the brew master if I could make some home made ice cream. So I quickly agreed without knowing what kind he wanted-- because I love Ice Cream!! So here it is Labor Day weekend and I am making Wake N Bake flavored Ice Cream. He found the recipe in the Southern Brew News. If you are not familiar with the Wake n Bake Oatmeal Imperial Stout it is a combination of the two "breweries" Terrapin and Jittery Joes (coffee). This special blend includes premium coffee beans from Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Zimbabwe. It is dark in color having a rich coffee smell with an abv of 8.5%.

This was a very simple recipe. Heavy cream, a 120z bottle of Wake N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, and Egg Yolks. Heat it up and pour it in the ice cream container. Unfortunately the alcohol is burned out. Then the magic happens.

The ice cream smells just like the beer! It looks like chocolate ice cream but looks can be deceiving-- it does not taste like chocolate! I think that you have to be a fan of the Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout to like this ice cream. So grab a spoon because the ice cream is done!

Our Tastes-- Dominion Ale

This beer is quite a bit more hoppy than it's predecessor a few gulps ago. It pours a light brown (just a shade under Milo's tea) with light foamy head. This brew has a slight malt flavor to it as well and when looking into its profile is actually an EPA not an "American" ale per se. This is Old Dominion's largest volume brew using Perle, Williamette, & Mt. Hood hops from the Pacific Northwest and English Kent Goldings. It's fermented with American ale yeast (probably like Wyeast 1056) in the German Kolsch-style-- warm, fast fermentation with slow maturation (sounds like me at 19;) 4.7% abv and not my favorite but well worth trying.

Our Tastes-- Dominion Lager

This beer pours a nice lager color of light straw and was the perfect start to some Labor Day BBQ and brew enjoyment. Shortly after pouring, the head dissipated leaving simply a light foam on top. The aroma was awesome. Not to delve a blow to Old Dominion but it has the perfect "lager" aroma, like when you pour a Budweiser. We all know the TRUE smell I'm talking about, it makes your mouth water (like cookies when you were 5). Oddly enough it also had some weird sediment to it but it didn't look like yeast, may have been malt since thye use German pilsner, Munich, Carapils, & Caramel. GOld in 97' at GABF and 5.4%abv.

Brew Batch #23 Hempen Hulk

Tonight The Enabler and I bottled 35 grolsch-type pints and 1 clear. This one was an odd light red in the carboy but a terrifically extreme pale when we poured it for tasting. We tried it and I hope it's a little better when cold. The color was a little disconcerting because I wanted more of a red hue and the taste straight from the bottle bucket was hoppier than I expected. I'll try to get a growler of Olde Auburn AleHouse's Hemp and see how they stack up head-to-head. Later I'm going to seal the bottles with purple wax and hopefully post a pic. FG 1.002 +0.002 @77.7F to give it 5.14%abv. Not bad for my first full-on recipe!

Our Tastes-- Dominion Octoberfest

One of the many beers The Enabler boot-legged from last year's run to DC. It pours a great medium brown/orange with a sweet malty aroma taste and light head. Of late Old Dominion has won the 2nd medal (silver) in three years for this beer at the GABF in 2006. It's brewed in the spring and cellared throughout the summer to give it an awesome smoothness. Maybe a little early for Ofest beer tasting but then again, "It's a Dirty Job" cleaning out the beer fridge. 5.4%abv. Prost!

Giving Props

If you're in Montgomery go by and see Ted at TedTheWineGuy for some great deals on grapevine brews. I've known Ted for a long time and he'll shoot you straight on any wine need.

Our Tastes-- Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale

Next in line this afternoon is the Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale. Pours a dark golden honey color with a nice krausened head that if you pull on the aroma hard enough may make you high. Much hoppier than its brethren Pils at almost 60 IBUs. This one was created after tasting a table full of ales at Old Dominion with Ron Barchet and John Mallett (former Old Dominion brewmasters) in conjunction with Bob & Ellie Tupper of D.C. Brickskeller fame. "This beer was designed by skilled beer drinkers for experienced beer drinkers". Have it at 5%abv and celebrate the Gold from the 1997 GABF. Can you find the THPA symbol on the label!!??

Our Tastes-- Tupper's Hop Pocket Pils

In keeping with the cleaning of the beer fridge we found yet another pilsner to try and this time it was an Old Dominion brew from The Enabler's trip to D.C. last year. Tupper's Hop Pocket Pils is brewed by Old Dominion for that brewing company. Ranked by beer expert Michael Jackson as one of the top 10 beers in the US. It has a slightly darker color than the aforementioned PoleStar, an extremely cloudy unfiltered look along with a bit more sweet aroma and taste. Northern Bavarians used to call their beers "kellers" as they were aged in cellars dug into the sides of hills. This too is aged and dry-hopped using whole-leaf Saaz and Mt. Hood hops, not to mention the Saaz, Mittelfruh, Spalt, and Mt. Hood hops in the kettle!! This beer is bottle and keg conditoned to give it a thick creamy head. 5%abv with a head turning gold at the GABF in 2001.

Our Tastes-- Left Hand PoleStar Pilsner

Located in Longmont, CO; Left Hand Brewing Company has several different beers to sample. Using Rocky Mountain water, Perle, Vanguard, and Czech Saaz hops along with Weyermann Pilsner malt this beer pours a light straw typical of all pilsners with ample head. One thing The Enabler noticed is the "particulate" matter that seems to settle in the glass. Self described "hardest beer" they make tipping the abv scales at 6%. We didn't sample it in a true pilsner glass to show the color of such beers but the aroma from the standard pints was lightly hoppy;)

From The Ashes

If you can attend have a beer for me, I'll be studying for the boards. Olde Towne Brewing Company burned to the ground on July 4th-ish and FTH has ramped up an event to rebuild the state's only microbrewery. Go say "Hello" to Don, Alan, Milton and Kevin. Give'em a "War Eagle" for me!!

TnDC Field Trip#4 Music City BrewFest

Just got back from the Music City BrewFest and it was an awesome sold out event. I couldn't believe they were scalping tickets to a damn brewfest! And the panhandlers were thick. I didn't realize Nashville had such a terrible problem with those slimbags. But thankfully my partner in crime was there to keep me going with the flow and my hands sanitized after I went pee;) I'll admit it wasn't as nice as the Magic City BrewFest due to the setting and lack of free food and of course the 20,000 other people that were there in such a small area. All I know is that my first beer was Bosco's Cascade IPA and the VERY last one was a Hazed and Infused dry-hopped pale ale. Evereything in between is a bit muddled. Oh, and Merry scored more schwag than I have ever seen in my life. She had to literally carry it back to the hotel in a bucket!

Brew Batch #23 The Hempen Hulk

I have always wanted to brew some hemp ale since Jamie Ray (current brewmaster at Montgomery BrewPub) gave me a pound of it a while back. So I did a little research and came up with my own recipe and brewed it tonight, affectionately naming it The Hempen Hulk, because I am going to bottle this one in green Grolsch bottles and dip them in purple wax!! Just another commemorative in the making. Hopefully this one will turn out okay. This was also the first time I put the LME in at the end to preserve the color of the brew. The guy at Alabrew suggested me trying this if I had gotten to the point where I wanted to start brewing consistent batches all the way around including color (aka SRM). So with a little Dingemanns, Centennial and Irish Moss I put this behemoth in the lautertun only this time I was outside using the propane King Cooker. Yeah, this was the first batch I used an outdoor burner and other than a little getting used to the heat settings I found to be rather neat. It will definitely be the modus opperandi in the winter time and may be the standard for the following batches. I'll admit it smelled a little "grassy" but after being around the brewpot for a few hours I didn't even notice. As I started this batch it was a clear summer evening then ironically as I added the bittering hops the night sky became a light purple and it began to sprinkle a little. Hey I can't make this stuff up, I'm not that imaginative. All I could think was , "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."-- Bruce Banner the tv series ca. 1978. We'll see how it turns out. OG 1.038+0.002 @77.1F.

Had To Blog This...

Okay so Bao Xishun the current world's tallest man and a herdsman from Inner Mongolia at 7'9" marries Xia a hometown girl at 5'6" and hopes to have an NBA girl in a few short years. The wedding was sponsored by 15 companies hoping to cash in on his fame donating everything from her shoes to the liquor to the bridal bed! Today he meets He Pingping, the current world's shortest man at 2'5" also from Inner Mongolia. Now considering Asians are "fast acetylators", my question is how many beers does it take these guys to get a buzz? By the way they don't hold the all-time records for height.

Our Tastes-- Michelob Märzen

The last of the brews from the 2006 Ales & Lagers Sampler is the Märzen. This one has been around for a while and definitely has the coolest dark green label with Adolphus Busch superimposed on it, looks like a dollar bill. It has a smooth malty finish to it with little legs or head. This Märzenbier has a nice malty aroma and dark amber color. This is actually a recipe Adolphus brought with him when he came to America and is made with Two-row and barley malts. Best enjoyed in a tulip glass and contains 5%abv.

Our Tastes-- Michelob Pale Ale

This beer left me wanting more out of a pale ale. Straw in color with no initial head, little to no hop aroma. However, what taste it had was good n' smooth, BUT no Sierra Nevada. It's brewed with Northwestern Hallertau, Saaz and Tettnang then dry-hopped with fresh Saaz cones. Best enjoyed in a tall, fluted-pilsner glasss and with red meats. 5.2%abv

A New Brew Buddy

Many of you have already been introduced to this new addition to the Brew Crew. You know her as B.C (Birth Control) Her name was changed to protect her innocence. Here she is helping in the racking process. When she is not brewing beer she splits her time at home with her mommy and being a dog model. Check out her work on the photo gallery at www.generationdog.com (she is the last one wearing a white t-shirt)

Ok back to the beer….
So this made me start thinking how good is it to give dogs beer? There are so many owners who like to share their brew with their dogs. Some dogs really seem to enjoy drinking beer.

In my research I found that there are some bad long term effects. Just like a human drinking beer a dog can experience a sense of euphoria. This can cause your beloved pooch to stumble and fall and let's not forget the throwing up that comes after drinking too much. They also can wake up after a night of drinking with a hang over. It can also cause liver damage just like in humans. In order for the alcoholic beverage to really hurt your dog they would have consume about 10 beers a day. I am sorry to report that there is not a Doggie AA organization.

How can you help your dog ditch the bottle?
There is a special beer brewed just for dogs. It is called Kwispelbier. The name is Dutch and means wagging tail. This is a non- alcoholic beer. Dogs really do not seem to know the difference. It tastes like beer. They do not know that it does not have alcohol in it. The brew master is a pet shop owner named Terrie Berenden. She made the brew from beef extract and malts. If your dog is truly your best friend you will have to shell out some money for this beer. It cost $2.14 a bottle.

For all you dogs and dog lovers remember to drink responsibly!!

Brew Batch #22

I shall name this one Ménage à Frank! The color and taste on this trippel is truly going to be something special. Tonight phat daddy and I filled one 12oz longneck brown, 1 clear and 26&1/2 22oz longneck browns and capped them off with nice dark blue crowns. FG 1.012+0.002 @78.2F to give it 7.4%abv. For some reason I am worried about this one not having fermented all the way but it came down from 1.066!! Dad said he didn't want to hear any hand grenades going off in the house. Well we'll know in less than a month if that happens. If not this one is going to age nicely.

Our Tastes-- Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat

Another fine brew from the sampler pack. This refreshing beer pours clear just before turning a wonderful cloudy straw after swirling the yeast bed at the bottom and adding it to your pint. Reminds me of a cloudy urine sample that has too many colonies in it leading to the promise of a UTI (threw that in for D Dub). It has an awesome "wheaty" taste with no legs or head after pouring the last bit over the ample initial frothy foam. Obviously unfilitered like all great hefes! Typically enjoyed in a tall flute this one has 5.2%abv.

A Great Chapter Loss

November 21, 1993 - June 14, 2007

TnDC Eastern Oaks Chapter has lost a valued member recently. Lucy was the first born out of 7 in her litter, and the last one to leave us. I could always count on her to share a beer or six with me. Always happy and full of life up until the very end. She never turned down a brew and eagerly drank whatever she could, never refusing to finish off the pinger. My only hope is that the beer in Heaven is as good as we had together down here on Earth. We'll miss you, Lucy.

New Equipment Provider?

Made a trip to Alabrew today and snagged some 220z bottles for the Trippel batch. Got a case for about 30 bucks with no S&H because it is about 20 minutes from Merry's place!! It's a nice little brew store with a great selection of stuff. It was nice to see the owner having a couple of fermenters going in the back, one with meade! I may try one of their crushed grain kits later on this summer, but the best part is being able to have someone close once I start kegging this summer. I've added a link on the side bar to their under construction website.

Our Tastes-- Michelob Amberbock

Next up in the Ales & Lagers is the Amberbock. Made with all-imported hops and a load of dark-roasted barley malt this beer pours a minute head, clear medium brown color, very little lattice, but then again it is a mass made brew, keeping that in mind even my dad drinks this like Kool-Aid and Coors Lite is his favorite beer. Maybe in his "golden years" I'm making progress. Best served in a tulip glass with cheeses or BBQ. 5.2%abv.

Our Tastes—Michelob Porter

I’ve always wanted to just sit and go through a whole sampler pack, so for the next few weeks that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. I’ll start with the Michelob Ales & Lagers Sampler. From year to year they vary the assortment but usually keep some great staple beers. In 2004 it included the All Malt Seasonal Lager and All Imported Hops Lager. In 05’ it had the Pumpkin Spice Ale (later named Jack’s Spiced Pumpkin Ale to start the “microbrew” series in the fall of 2006) and a new look to the marzen bottle. The 2006 sampler included porter, marzen, wheat, pale ale and amerbock in a 20 pack. The porter is an awesome dark brown roasted brew. Named after laborers (porters) in 18th century London this one is made with chocolate caramel and pale malt. Well worth picking it up since it seems to be a regular in the annual pack.

TnDC Field Trip #3 Magic City Brewfest

This may be the most fun I have had on a TnDC field trip. Merry and I got tickets for the 1st Annual Magic City Brewfest hosted by FTH (Free the Hops) on June 2nd. As soon as we got there the line was already 50 people deep BUT Merry bought us advance tickets so we coolly walked to the front after getting there 10 minutes late and started the fun. They handed us a 2oz commemorative sample glass at a tent that had the T’s for the event and several others along with tulip glasses and bumper stickers. There were a couple of guys selling bottle openers made from railroad spikes and great photos of Sloss Furnaces where the event was held. The first beer I tried was Terrapin’s IBA and it was a hoppy brown baby!! Then Rye Pale Ale had to follow. I tried 31 beers in total MULTIPLE times. There were 188 beers represented but some of the breweries didn’t show up for the first session from 2-6pm (FB Shipyard!!). Some others that I tried were Old Speckled Hen, several Samuel Smith’s brews, a few Belgians at the end and of course SweetWater 420’s Catch & Release series Road Trip Pilsner. It would have to be a toss up between this one and the exclusive beer that is soon to hit the Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Qs in the Alabama area Reverend Mudbone This was an American style Golden Ale named after a loyal Golden Retriever made by ATL Brewing Co. Now I can’t wait to have this one on draft again (thanks to the girl handing out check lists that hooked us up at the J’NN’sBBQ tent for a full glass!) We also had 3 out of 4 of the Spanish Peaks beers that Merry really liked. There were great bands, the restrooms were always quick (for me) and Merry scored us a ton of schwag!! Koozies, stickers, coasters and of course the Steve tease for a nice pint glass from SW420. By the end we were living proof that you can have a great time and get a little tanked in only 4 hours. The car ride home was interesting and the pretzel that disappeared down a certain someone’s cleavage resurfaced somehow in a nether region? Check out the FTH blog for more about the event. Can’t wait for the next field trip…

End of Another Era

Last night the last of the over carbonated Dunkelweizen bit the bullet. This was a great tasting batch that I will definitely brew again, I'll just make sure that I drink it faster than 3 years later when it apparently becomes WAY TOO pressurized!

TnDC Field Trip #2 Yazoo Brewery

This is a post that is long overdue. Shortly before moving from the Rocket City, The Enabler and I set out to Yazoo Brewing Company in Nashville, TN. This trip as shown by previous posts was worth it beyond words (because now we KNOW where it is;)

Yazoo Brewery was once home to Marathon Motor Works from 1910-1914. It is an awesome deep red brick building with as many wooden doors and area of cool breeze. The owners Linus and Lila Hall moved to Nashville in 1996 and opened their brewing doors in October 2003. Linus has been brewing for over 10 years and has a craftbrewing degree from the American Brewers Guild in California, with an internship at the Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York.

Linus adheres to the "Four-pint principle", meaning with optimum conditions a person trying this beer should want to have 4 pints of it. They had the following on tap: ESB, Sly Rye Porter, Amarillo Pale , Onward Stout, Dos Perros, Hefeweizen. We either tried all of them or bought a growler full for boot-legging. They had also just started bottling the Hefeweizen (2004 Gold GABF) in a nice short-brown with an awesome label. If you're up that way take it in.

Pinger Anyone?

What is a pinger you might ask?

Well it is the beer that a woman leaves at the bottom of the beer bottle and refuses to drink it because it is just hot backwash! And let’s face it is has to be only women who do that because a man would have to turn in his balls if he were to waste beer. So I was tired of my boyfriend always telling me that I am wasting his heavenly brew so I did a little research on what you can do with you left over pinger.
Some spas have actually added beer to there menus. Now boys do not get excited it is your pores that will be doing most of the drinking!
If you want super shiny hair forget about drinking that cold beer, pour it over your hair. Now let your hair air dry. (Stick with a lite beer)

You will definitely have the people wondering
A: How did you get your shiny hair and B: What does your hair smell like?
You can also give your feet a nice treat. Instead of using soap or salts in your pedicure tub try dipping your toes into a bath filled with an enzyme-rich beer bath. Your happy feet will emerge smooth and silky.

Now what if you are a home brewer? Can you say Facial??

You can use the left over malts and hops to create your very own mask. By scrubbing your face with this mixture your skin will be eliminated of blackheads and your pores will be deeply cleaned. You can also use this mixture for your body. How about 60 minutes in the tub. Soak your body in the Malts and Barley for a detoxifying scrub…Talk about Happy Hour!!

The next time you are about to waste that pinger, just stop and think of all the things you can do with that little bit of beer.

If you do not feel like putting in the work yourself then here is a list of the spas that offer these services:

The Spa at Kingsmill
The Spa at Omin Interlocken
The Millcroft Centre for Well-Being
Exsalonce Salon & Day Spa

Charlotte Trip Day 2

All I can say is that the Bud Lite ran out before I did and I have already visited a great place called Totally Wine that has one of the most extensive beer selections I have ever seen. Ran across some Spanish Peaks Raspberry Honey Ale. Definitely have to grab some for Merry before I leave. Also JRCigar is only 30 minutes away so I can grab some stogies from my favorite stog website!

Charlotte Trip Day 1

Already made it to The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. It was sweet, I'm going back every night I'm here. I tried Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar and Highland Oatmeal Porter. The brown nectar was a nice headless sweet malty bev and the porter left a little to be desired, maybe it was due to the fact that "the monster" has already left me. They had some new brews on tap including Rogue Menage A Frog and Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck porter. Every Monday night is Damn Near All Pints for $2.50. However, neither of these were cheap pints so I'll be looking for these before I leave the Eastern Time Zone.

Brew Batch #22

Racked over the Trippel tonight with Merry (former Gardendale chapter now of the recently moved to Mount Olive chapter). It had a nice light brown color to it reminding me of belgian candi (yes that's spelled right). The abv could have knocked the socks of a monk!! Tomorrow when I head to Charlotte I'm going to look for a brew shop that has 22's to put this batch in, some pink or purple crowns may top them off nicely

Brew Batch #21

Tonight The Enabler and TaskMaster (Eastern Oaks chapter) helped me put #21 in the bottle tonight. We got 50 long-neck browns with green crowns and one clear of this wonderful NBA (Nut Brown Ale). The last 2 times I did this batch I used long-neck greens but some of these have gone missing due to sample packs given away and it's the beer that truly matters. FG 1.004+0.002 @78.4F to give it 4.3%

Our Tastes-- Yazoo Amarillo Pale Ale

On a recent field trip The Enabler and I picked up 6 or so growlers, one of which was this little dandy. Now we also picked up Sly Rye Porter, ESB and Dos Perros. Well Dos Perros didn't last long and from what I can remember was a wonderful brew that will simply have to be gotten again on a soon to be mentioned summer field trip. Sly Rye Porter has already been blogged (see the Our Tastes catagory) and though I was in lust with the ESB in an ironic twist this one was flat due to not being sealed properly after the bar maiden blew the keg on filling my growler. We'll give this one another try this summer. It has a dark straw color and light foam head. This is a very unique beer in that they use Amarillo hops only in the brewing process. This hop is American grown and described as "super Cascade" with AAUs being between 5% to 11%. It has a citrusy note and is a mutation of another hop variety that was introduced by Virgil Gamache Farms Inc. I give this beer a FRD!

Is Merry really a Wicked Berry?

I was surprised to find out that My-Ex boyfriend named a beer after me. Let’s face it you do not expect someone to do that after you supposedly break their heart! I guess one good thing came out of our break up. He told me that several people have enjoyed my name sake. So of course I was eager to try it out. So let’s get down to business!
The Name: Wicked Merry’s Berry
Wicked: Growing up my mother always called me her precious little angel, so I can’t take credit for the wicked part. We all know that angels can be naughty..... but never wicked!
Merry: Most people assume that my name must be Mary! Well it is not! You should know what happens when we assume!! Merry is a nickname I was given by the brew master.
Berry: SweetWater blue is my favorite beer. So I am guessing this gave him the idea to make his own blueberry beer. Is it too coincidental that Merry rhymes with Berry?
The Beer:
It took me over a month to sit down and pour up a glass of my very special beer. I took out a pint tumbler glass that I confiscated from SweetWater on one of our bottling adventures (I thought it was fitting) Popped the turtle top, then slowly poured it like I was instructed by my x! Hey I still remember how to do some things. I saw the remnants of hand crushed blueberries. My only hope is he wasn't picturing me while he was crushing them. Once poured I immediately noticed the color and smell. The color was a nice brown and the smell was sweet! I like watching the bubbles swirl around in the glass. The first sip hit my taste buds with sizzle! It had a nice taste! I was pleasantly surprised. I can’t decide if I like the berry part or the taste of honey the best. I drank the rest of my beer thinking of all the good times I had helping brew beer. I was always amazed that my “x” could brew his own beer and for him to name one after me was truly an honor. I wonder would he have named a beer after me if we had stayed together. Well I guess everything happens for a reason and we will never know! I look forward to enjoying more bottles of my beer. Who knows maybe if I am “wicked” again I will get another beer named after me.

$800 Birth Control

Now I wouldn’t pay this much for BC, but being the professional I am alternatives are always open to me. Now this little go-getter will run across the room and jump from the floor to your ear and pierce it for you within the first couple of visits to your ex’s house. And at very inopportune times jump between you and kiss you, lick your fingers and BITE your toes at concentrating times!! However, she does know how to sit, lay, shake, roll-over and ghetto-run when she hears the word “BANG!!” So how much would you pay and on a personal note do you have an open home??..at least for the weekend?

Our Tastes-- Olde Towne Brewery German Pilsner

Now “The Enabler” and I managed to boot-leg this one before I moved on the 21st of April. We visited Kevin and the guys and managed to help with a little bottling while enjoying this seasonal on tap. I’ll have to admit it ranks right up the there with the porter they made that was available on tap ONLY. It has a great slight hop of Hallertauer with a straw golden color. The head is a light white with nice foam legs for a pilsner with next to no after taste. I’d love to give some more specs on this beer but it was a once in a lifetime taste until it goes to bottle. Visit their website and go visit for yourself, they even welcome “Tide” fans;)

Brew Batch #22

Well I'm on a bit of a brewing kick so today I started #22 Belgian Trippel before I go to work. I'm already thinking this on needs to be in 22oz bottles to give them that true Belgian feel and pink or purple crowns. We'll see. I'm really hovering over the lautertun today because I want this one to be just right.
Pulled this one off without a hitch and it smells great without any fermentation having taken place yet. OG 1.064+0.002 @75.9F. Looks like this one has a lot of room to move!!

Important Announcement!!

Please visit the FTH "Free The Hops" link on the side bar. A great first time event is occurring in Alabama and changes need your support. I'll see you at the first session. Come out and have some awesome beer not yet seen in the state, I know I have had to boot-leg it!!

Brew Batch #20

This marks my 1000th bottle. With the aid of BugMan we bottled 49 long neck browns with golden crowns and one clear. One thing is for sure, the color on this Belgian Wit is truly perfection. I hope that after its treacherous journey from the Rocket City that is didn't oxidize too much and that it conditions well, we'll find that out in a week or so. Had a little taste of it last night while getting FG and it seemed okay, just like with everything else only time will tell. FG 1.003+0.002 @76.7F, 5.57%abv.

Our Tastes-- Shiner Dunkelweizen

Spoetzl Brewery is one of the oldest breweries in the nation creeping into their 98th year. This one pours up a flat-headed low foam with a med-brown color. For aroma, I can defer to The Enabler. He brought up a good example of the smell, that of kettle boiled peanuts that have been freshly poured into your bag. You can smell the malt proteins that haven’t broken down in the beer. We’re going to try my #4 DW against this one next. Shiner uses krausening during the brewing of this one. Shiner a town of 2070 people has been the sole site for brewing every drop of Spoetzl Brewery beer. Founded by Kosmos Spoetzl, because of the need for “traditional brew” for Czech and German farmers who started the town. "This beer uses the old Czech mashing technique of taking small portions of the mash and boiling, then mixing it back in the main mash. This technique, called ‘decotion’, takes a great deal more time... but develops the rich dark color and creates the body which is enjoyed in the finished beer." As I try more Shiner beers over the summer I'll incorporate more of the brewery's history.

Our Tastes-- Shipyard Winter Ale

This beer is one of the last two 6-packs that Melonhead bought me prior to our demise but once again she displayed excellent tastes. This beer pours a cloudy brown, with a sweet aroma of your typical winter spiced brew. The cinnamon and nutmeg are evident. It has a soft, small bubble head with ample legs. Shipyard makes this one with 5 different types of malt and 5 different types of hops. Shipyard started in 1992 as part of a restaurant called Federal Jack's in Portland, Maine and by 1994 truly started their own brewery due to increased demand. I have found that their seasonal beers are usually the best. This one is OK and easily consumed at 5.3%abv. Currently Shipyard is a regional brew with over 69,000 barrels made in 2006 and ranked 16th in the nation. They make 13 total English style and seasonal ales and 7 flavors of Capt'n Eli's sodas.

Chapter Change

As of today the Rocket City chapter no longer exists as far as membership, but will always hold a special place in our hearts. Who knows maybe someone will take up the reigns. I have moved back to the original founding city of Montgomery and am considering changing the name to the Goat Hill chapter due to Montgomery's history, more to follow.

Brew Batch #21

After a long hiatus, I returned to the ole brewing roots with NBA tonight. The Enabler (of the newly formed Eastern Oaks chapter of TnDC) was in attendance and certainly got a first hand look at what brewing beer is all about. Tonight's festivities included a massive boil over on my mom's stove (sorry mom) and some tasting of Yazoo's Dos Perros (with a little given to my perro). It has a great color and took about 10 days for the old yeast strain to activate. OG 1.036+0.00 @ 66.9F. Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best now that I've settled back in Montgomery to brew for a while.

The End of Another Era

Tonight I had to celebrate and #14 EPA was the brunt, plus the fact that not even the recycle guy would pick these bottles up. I would have loved for Junk or BugMan to have culminated this event with me but tonight I needed to let go of my heart. I salute you #14 with the crappy metric crowns and relinquish the botles that I will never drink agian, next time you will be in long neck brown with green crowns like you deserve.

Advice for Having Dinner With the "Yucky Ex""

When having a little pre-move/post-final grades dinner with the ex you're trying to be friends with:
1. DO agree to meet her early because the bridge over the TN river will be one lane due to construction
2. DO call (because it's proper etiquette, which she teaches) to let her know that you will be late due to the above mentioned traffic problems
3. DO buy 2 bottles of wine (1 Greg Norman if you think she is going to cook and 1 Three Blind Moose if you are going out) because it's nice to be prepared for everything
3. DO realize that she's had a long week prior to spring break and may not be the perky girl you once knew
4. DO smile when you find out she found her 2nd note from seeing her last time
5. DO correct her when she says she's read the blog about "1st Date Advice" and is open about being a little jealous because she "hasn't been" mentioned. She is on the blog a TON OF TIMES, afterall she was your best brewing buddy for a long time (sorry Junk and Brian, but it's true)
6. DO let her pick a lot of the sushi items because you haven't been to a sushi bar since 2001ish
7. DO be patient when she is trying to teach you sign language, she doesn't know how smart and fast she is
8. DO NOT attempt to show her how open minded you are by trying smelt on the Rainbow Roll!! It tasted like raw goldfish when you had it last time and still does, blech!
9. DO NOT say a word when she starts talking about the perks of the guys she is currently dating, she loved you when you were broke and apparently offered no "perks", just smile and wrap your mouth around the Sapporo beer
10. DO NOT look away even though you guys aren't talking but try not to stare when she is so beautiful in her dress (corrected quickly as being a skirt)
11. DO pick up the check even though it was going to be her treat, you never know how long it is going to be before you see her again
12. DO NOT leave your fortune cookie fortune, are you an idiot? She took hers with her for a reason (even though we "don't keep paper long"). It said "The vice (weakness) next to you may become your greatest virtue (strength)"
13. DO NOT leave your Monster energy drink when you leave, it makes it that much harder to leave when you go back
14. (Drum Roll please) DO realize that the next day is "Friday the 13th" and even though she said she was supposed to be at the ballfield that night doesn't mean you should leave!! When she calls and you are 12 miles down the road already, forgot to hug her goodbye when you were the one that made that stupid promise, agree that both of you had the wrong impression when you thought she wanted to be doing something else but she didn't tell you she wanted you to leave SIMPLY TURN THE CAR AROUND AND GO BACK even though this is the first time you can remember ever being around each other and having no physical contact whatsoever

Our Tastes-- Reaper Ale Mortality Stout

The last dark beast of the night was Reaper Ale Mortality Stout. First of all the website alone is wicked. It poured abysally black with a head so brown it looked like crushed gingerbread men. The aroma was a sweet alcohol hop and a sweet stout taste with coffee on the sides of the tongue in between sips. It had a great lattice. ABV 7.5% and horizon as boiling hop additions. The site lists six beers year round, including some named Sleighor and Redemption Red. Nothing else about how they came into existence is listed just that they are located in Foothill Ranch, CA (the same place Oakleys are made). This was by far rhe best stout of the night and possibly the best I've ever had.

Our Tastes-- Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout

Next stout up was Big Bear Black Stout. This is a strong Russian Imperial Stout, which we already figured out from the aroma of hoppy sweetness. They use Belgian and English roasted barley and crystal malts as well as Lousiana sweet molasses and brown sugar, HELLO!! Hopped with Chinook and Cascade hops. It won a silver in the World Beer Cup and has an abv of 8.1% and IBU 68. Bear Republic truly is a family run operation of mom, dad, son and daughter-in-law (yeah she's a keeper)located in Healdsburg, CA. Something neat about the restaurant/pub/brewery is the Tanker Club where you can buy a 1 liter mug for $100 and have your favorite mug of beer for $3 all year long! After the first year it is specially engraved and a special dinner is planned every year for the members. The site lists 20 beers made during the year.

Our Tastes-- Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout

Well this past weekend the Enabler and I got deep into some stouts he ordered from CA, and let me tell you stout mouth is still in full effect. I haven't drank this much dark beer since... well, since St. Patty's Day (this year). First bomber(22oz bottle) up was Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout. This was a real treat. Man we had crackers and everything to rinse the palate in between tastes and I am amazed after looking at the website how close to being dead on we were. This is a complex sweet stout with a chocolate nuttiness and dark roasts plus oatmeal. It had little brown foam head, no foam legs, poured thick and had a great aroma. Definitely a full flavored stout beer. "Oh my nasty God", I believe is the phrase one of our co-tasters yielded. We had this one at 4.7-5.2%abv, but the site lists it at 5.9% was good enough for me to want another one. This brew has won several awars including the silver at the World Beer Championship. Lost Coast is run by 2 women homebrewers, one of which is a pharmacist. Founded in Eureka, CA (Humboldt Bay region) in a restored 1892 castle (Pythian Castle) purchased from The Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias during 1990 the café opened. Now if you ask me any place with an average temp of 55F is begging to have some brew made. As of this year the brewery is scheduled to make 30,000 barrels of their 7 wonderful beers making it the 46th largest in the nation.

St. Paddy's Day 2007

So much happened this year I can only haiku it at best. 3 days of revelry and lots of dark beer. "do me i'm irish". bouncing toucans. irish car bomb, hemp ale, catch her in the rye, full monty stout, irish car bomb in that order. new brewer at Olde Auburn Alehouse. green, red and brunette as far as the eyes could see. gams galore. melonhead text message. Alehouse on fire. Opie wants an ass whoopin'. trying to qualify on the entrance ramp to I-85. more dark beer. Festive Ale 2005 1 liter. Mr. Vega's hypothermia. couple of stogies. drinking till you're sober. more dark beer. and the stout mouth is still hangin' around!!

Our Tastes-- SnakeBite

Yep, that was next on the list after the Rotten Pear. Guinness layered on top of wonderful Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider. Now this was truly a treat. I hadn't had one of these since 1997 or so.

Our Tastes-- Rotten Pear

The Stump brought over some Woodchuck pear so we layered some Guinness on top of it of course. It layered out beautifully!! It drank a bit too sweet for me so we moved on to true....

Our Tastes-- Black Chaser

Using Brüno we had BlackStone Chaser Pale Ale with Guinness. Very nice and different. Amazing what you'll start to layer under Guinness this time of year. Also had some Boddington's which was kick-ass, but never got to really make a good Bubblebee out of it. Save it for later.

T-Minus 7 Days to the Green

Ok, so I've watched Braveheart half a dozen times already and starting training for those irish car bombs. Also gotten back to running because those pints aren't calorie free. Last year I found a great place that had my family's tartan, you can find at your own here.

Our Tastes-- Rotten Pumpkin

This is one of my own concoctions. Half Jack's Spiced Pumpkin Ale and half Guinness. Seems to be very pleasant. The pumpkin gives a nice sweet maltiness to the Guinness as the finish. The 5.5% of the pumpkin ale doesn't hurt either.

Brew Batch #20!!

I went All-American for my 10th batch so for this one I salute the other great country that makes okay beer, Belgium, with witbier. A personal milestone! This marks my 1000th personal bottle (assuming it makes). This type of beer originated in Louvaine (that's not France!) by mixing hopped beer with unhopped to give it a cloudy appearance. Of course some of the taste came from it being bacterially infected too. OG 1.044+0.00 @63F. I'm really hoping it drops to 1.005 at least because I added an extra 1lb of sugar since the yeast strain is EtOH tolerant.

Our Tastes-- BlackTop

I personally think it should be renamed Black Asphalt but this is half Guinness and half Fat Tire Amber Pale. Very nice indeed. The difference in colors of the beers gives great layering effect. The overall matching of brews is extremely nice as well. The crispness of the Fat Tire is a great finish the Guinness heaviness.

T-Minus 10 Days to the Green!!

Start brushing up on your history to impress the lasses and "walk the dog"

Our Tastes-- Black Fud and Black & Blue

Since I started getting ready for the Shamrock Run (placed 2nd in my age division, good time overall to be posted at http://www.auburnrunning.org in a few days) I haven't had any beer or stogies. Well I took care of that Saturday night until the wee hours of the morning. Guinness and anything never tasted so good. Black Fud (Guinness and FudPucker Pale Ale) not so great, but the Black and Blue (Guinness and Wicked Merry's Berry brew batch #18) was wicked sweet!! It had a soft light purplish head and Wicked Merry's just seemed to gently slide under the velvety Guinness. Kick ass sea-bass. Unfortunately this beer is not available at mass market as of yet. So let the weeks of Black and ANYTHING roll on!

Quittin' Pharmacy School (not)

But after today's big haul, I'm certainly thinking about it. Ok so these fisherman caught this squid by accident hauling in some Patagonian toothfish off the coast of Antarctica, big deal. Well to put this example of the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni species into proper perspective it weighs approx. 990 lbs, is 39 feet long and could swallow a man's head whole no problem through its beak. All I'm saying is that on the weekends I was a "doctor" to the little girl that lived at the corner, but throughout the week I was the consummate motorcyle-riding policeman/fighter pilot/marine biologist. I'd go back to school (again) if I knew I'd catch one of these things, but here's the real question.... considering calamari rings come from the trunk and this one would have appetizers the size of tractor tires....(wait for it).... how much beer would it take to batter this bad boy?

May the Mojo Be With You

Lately I have noticed that things seem to be slightly off in my life, then again it could be that I just need to brew some beer or perhaps start kegging. No, it unfortunately is worse than that. Today I saw a friend and mentor that I had given a baculum or oosik to in order to give him good mojo for the rest of his days. Specifically, I gave him a coon dick. Now I must rectify what I told him in that many mammals have bones for the male reproductive organ; however, the raccoon has the largest per animal (same size as a black bear) even though the whale and seal oosiks are the size of the human forearm. I realized when I got out to the car that the Texas toothpick I usually kept in my ashtray was in fact in my other car!! For the last few months, I've been mojo-less except for when I had one in the car to give him. Thinking back, I met the bridesmaid, made it through his hellish rotation and came across some of the best beer in the world! Coincidence, I think not. Now as the power begins to wane like the sun's light at setting, life has become mediocre at best. Even the ole dating life has slowed. Now it's no secret that these wonderful items rank right up there with john the conquerer root and black cat bone when placed between the boxsprings and mattress in producing "man babies". Sarah Jessica Parker wore a set of these earrings during a photo shoot and Mick Jagger has a few (look at how long he's lasted). I sense some disbelief and even though I would love to give the world great mojo some of you are just going to have to buy your own .

"Why the hell you lookin' at my privates??!!"

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams Honey Porter

Well I can't drink any after this due to tapering for the Shamrock Run so I might as well blog about it. This past weekend BugMan and I were able to partake of the latest Samuel Adams "Beer Lover's Choice" beer the Honey Porter. This beer is truly a work of art. For a porter the first thing you notice is the black-brown beautiful color. It has a light thick head but the taste and aroma are awesome. A great smoked honey aroma with a slightly sweet hoppy flavor profile probably from the roasted malt. Brewed with Spalt Spalter and UK Fuggles then dry-hopped (hopped after fermentation) with East Kent Goldings. The honey used is a Scottish heather honey grown on the moors. Even though this is the second "Beer of the People", it's actually a slight twist on an older Sam's recipe from the late 1990's. All in life is cyclical even beer. Because is it new, this brew is only available in the mixed sixer or mixed 12-pack, the Nut Brown Ale (last year's winner) gets a regular rotation in its own half cases and 6-packs. Five types of malt including 2-row Metcalfe and Harrington, Munich, Caramel and Weyermann Carafa went into this beer. All of this sweet malt is complimented by the honey. Some characteristics are: 192kcal/12oz and 5.45%abv.

Our Tastes-- Moylan's Kilt Lifter Scottish Ale

And another great beer is Moylan's Kilt Lifter Scottish Ale. BugMan scored a dos dos of this brew and for my first scottish ale it was different. We were able to pour 2 glasses, the first was a nice ruby then we swirled the yeast bed and it gave it a light reddish-brown tint. The cool part of this beer is it said to refrigerate upon receipt because the yeast were still fermenting (must use lager yeast). Considered a wee heavy it had a definite aroma of charred bourbon barrels. The aftertaste had a bitterness that "hit" the sides of the tongue. It has won several GABF medals and is worth the shilling. Some characteristics: 7 different types of grain (American 2-row, Crystal malt 77L and 120L, Durst Vienna, Munich, Special B, Acidulated), one hop only East Kent Goldings, 25 IBUs, OG= 1.080 to give an 8% abv!!. It also says to allow it to warm slightly before tasting?

Happy S.A.D.

Singles Awareness Day as I've renamed it. This day is purely a ploy by greeting card companies to shower your cutie pie with better gifts than those of her co-workers, but did you ever think about how you got yourself into this predicament? For fodder around the ole kegerator I propose this scenario. Rate this situation on a scale of blech to yum-- a Nattie Lite with too much head and green food coloring used to create a clover in the foam (worst) and the perfect stout with a half and half shot of Bailey's and the finest Irish whiskey you can find to create the perfect carbomb (best). What's the worst feeling:
A. Being into a girl and ordering flowers on Saturday afternoon for today (no roses!! just cute attention getting flowers that every nice girl deserves) then having her blow you off totally OR B. Having to actually make that phone call to the florist (that knew one of her bosses) on Monday morning telling her you made a big mistake and can she please cancel your order? Uh, yeah I'll take 2 Nattie's in SOLO cups to go! Well, maybe by the time Easter rolls around she'll be more of a chocolate bunny kind of girl.

1st Date Advice From The Master

When being "set up" to meet a girl blindly for the first time after a wedding when the wedding party gets together at an unspecified BrewPub,
1. DO NOT under any circumstances do the ole "hand in the air and finger over the lips" maneuver like you did in elementary school to quiet the bar no matter how much 2 of her friends are egging you on from the back of the bar to do it. (It did however win me kudos and quieted the bar as they probably thought I was going to buy a round, but then simply ordered my own beer. All it did to her was embarrass her:(
2. DO NOT sit next to the drunk in the cowboy hat at the bar because you think he has now gotten quiet, he will simply lean over and tell you what time it is (email me for an explanation)
3. Two pink roses are nice, but die more quickly when when the girl doesn't even own a vase.
4. DO NOT ask your date if she enjoyed playing pattycakes in the water of the "weird" sink in the bathroom like you did when she gets back to the table.
5. DO NOT try new food trying to impress her with your ability of open-mindedness, tomatoes made you gag when you were little and they still do even though they are "dressed" pretty and she notices your screwed up face quickly. (goes double for those damn orange tomatoes)
6. DO NOT pull a Fred Astaire on the wine aisle at Bruno's, she may not like you being that close and simply tolerate you as she looks for the Fat Bastard Sauvignon Blanc.
7. Holding hands is OK, but her catching you looking at her "dumps" in the reflection of the tv may only remind her that you did it previously at the unspecified BrewPub it doesn't matter how nice you think they are (see #'s 1&2)
8. Let it slide if she drops the "F-bomb" while you are looking at her cute little ears. (apparently the right one has a trigger on it that you pulled)
9. Let it slide if she says, "If you wanna kiss me goodnight just do it." (afterall that's Nike's slogan and you are a runner at heart)
10. Above all else, DO NOT pat her on the butt like she is your shortstop and tell her "nice effort". (if she ever pats you back then and only then can you guys turn double plays)

Shamrock Run

Just heard from Hillary and Shelley from Kappa Delta and the Shamrock Run will be March 3rd (their website to be updated later). So I have a real moral conundrum, Committee of 19 5K on March 17th with a bunch of AUHSOP profs for hungry Ethiopians OR sorority run for abused kids in AL 5K. Yeah, that was a hard one for about a nanosecond, see ya on the 3rd;) Plus you can start your run taper today like me.

Generosity In All Forms

Made a quick run down to Olde Towne Brewery today to see Kevin and scored a montrous bootleg of half a case of Bock and a growler full of their porter that is only available on draft. These are a nice bunch of guys, of course since they are AU grads. A little sneak peak...they currently have a tank full of german pilsner as their next seasonal!! Can't wait.

Not Just a Beer Brewer/Drinker

Much like many other famous beer drinkers/brewers, I too gaze at the sky in wonder...how did I fall? was my cellphone in my back pocket? what was the abv on that last beer I drank? is beer on other planets;) I noticed on my 3 miler tonight that Venus is awesomely close and will be until June. Take a stroll and check it out by looking in the western sky. You can't miss it, it is the largest brightest planet in our solar system and glows a wicked orange.

Dirty Box Turtle!!

Buddy of mine picked up a Brütül for me for Christmas and I finally got around to trying it for the first time this past weekend. This thing is awesome and pours the best black and "anything" I have ever seen so instead of a black and tan, I have created the Dirty Box Turtle, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale and Guinness. This is proof that drinking beer is not only heart-healthy but an art form;) Get one for your favorite liquid bread lover!

Event Annoucement

After several inquires as to St. Patty's Day gatherings, events, etc. I have concluded that the TnDC chapters will meet this year at the Olde Auburn AleHouse. For the last 3 years it has been a mind-numbing stress release-fest that has made many of us swear off of dark beer until at least 9 months later (when the stout mouth monster begins to rumble again). So pick out your favorite green T and get ready for some Irish Car Bombs at the same ole watering hole before we are all scattered like Leaves of Grass-- Walt Whitman- ca. 1855

'"drink green today, pee green tomorrow"--let the countdown begin'- Junk ca. 2007

Our Tastes-- BareKnuckle Stout

BugMan1109 dropped a dime on me about a new beer put out by A-B called BareKnuckle Stout. So last night just before going to meet some friends I checked out the only place within 100 miles of me that has it, the Kaffee Klatch. Yeah I know it sounds like an STD, but the trip was well worth it. Oelfeekee- Rocket City chapter (formerly AU chapter still High Springs subchapter) and I met down there and grabbed a pint. This beer is awesome considering it is extremely mass produced. Probably one of the best stouts I have ever had. Even a non-stouty drinker (frankie jay chicken hater) would like this brew. It of course had the usually neat rolling upward of the bubbles, probably due to the nitrogen and the head was 1/2" thick. Aroma was slight at best but that may have been because the Klatch was so smokey you could have cut a doughnut out of the air. The taste was only slight coffee, cool but not cold and the best part was the lattice. This stuff left a smooth white foamy lattice with every sip and by the time I got to the bottom there was a last sip of chewable foam! It looked as though the pint had been painted on the inside. Obviously, it doesn't take much to entertain me and at only 4.2%abv I'll be sneaking back for more.

Groundhog Day!!

Today is Groundhog Day!! According to both representative's Punxsutawney Phil (above) and General Beauregard Lee (below) we'll be having an early spring. Many of you probably didn't realize The South has it's own prognosticator of winter's end. Thank goodness, we're going on our 2nd day of snowfall today with chances again next week here in the Rockey City.

No Mush Without The Push!!

One of the many new ideals my 17K has paid for this fourth and final year. I started to short change this day, but this rotation lived up to its expectations and then some. My preceptor, we'll call him D-dub, to protect the innocent, is a master of clinical knowledge and mental annihilation of his students. Today's weather is a metaphor for this month in IM, mentally I had prepared myself for the 15F bitter cold with windchill of 4F, I was strong and resilient. But when it came time to step from my warmed silver tiger tamer the awesome force of the strategic numbing cold struck away at my codsack relentlessly. Yeah, that's exactly my month. Having said my peace I learned that:
1. You don't chase an NH+3 level even if it is 591 as long as the patient has no AMS
2. Tap water enemas of 150-200mLs or lactulose 300mLs in 1L of H2O is not only easy but good clean fun for the nurse and patient
3. Doctors don't always know their drugs
4. There is a difference between "pimping" and "grilling" students, during grilling you feel as though you have been eaten alive, not just "hoed" out
5. *Drumroll please*, your preceptor does want you to feel loved, just not by them and you can't start anything with anyone else because it's like cheating on them;)
This month every time I have reached into the fridge, I've heard the collective sigh of the specialty six-pack I bought at the New Years when it's the chocolate milk I pull out because I simply can't spare the neuron. Today, when I looked in I realized that it's nothing that a banana bag times 3 days and PRN ativan won't take care of. They scream, "Yes, we'll give you transient gastroenteritis!! We may cause your AST to be at least 2x your ALT in the short run because in the long run your liver won't be able to mount that kind of response, and we can cause hypertension/tachycardia due to central nervous system dehydration. But hold us, we'll make you happy, you'll see." So tonight Brooklyn Winter Ale is my hemlock and Gurkha Reserve Perfecto #2 is my firing squad smoke.

Brew Batch #19 REINKE'S REVENGE 2006

Reinke's Revenge 2006 went to bottle this morning with the help of PhatDaddy of the Montgomery chapter. We got 2 Grolsch pints, 1 clear and 47 wonderful long-neck brown in standard black crowns. FG 1.022+0.00 @62F giving this one a higher content than last year 8% (as opposed to 7.7%, I believe). this may be due to the fact that I let this one ferment all the way for 2 months. I must say I have this recipe under my belt fairly well even though I only make it once a year. We'll crack one open in a month to see how it's doing.

Stout Mouth Effect

Ever wondered what I was like when stout mouth was in full effect and it was St. Patty's Day?
Juggernaut

Our Tastes-- Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale

I've been drinking this all season and have just now started to get to the end of the stash my mom of the Beat-12 chapter got me. Anheuser-Busch made a good move bringing this one to the bottle since originally it was draught only. My stout mouth is in full bloom right now, but I dip into the unknown for tasters. A-B is trying to cut into the micro market a little with this one and doing a damn good job. For a pumpkin ale, the pumpkin, clover, nutmeg and cinnamon come through nicely. It has a great copper color and boastful aroma with the addition of Hallertau and Saaz hops. They use Golden Delicious pumpkins from the Stahlbush Farm in Oregon. Tall fluted glasses are the best way to serve this one due to it funneling the aroma straight to your nose. The 5.5%abv doesn't hurt either.