Finders Keepers…

Why is it that all of the cool, unique things in the world are “lost”?  There is the lost ark of the covenant, the lost city of El Dorado and those people who crashed on that island.  It just seems that these things are pretty valuable and yet somehow they get lost, only to be rediscovered by some lucky chump.  Well faithful readers, this time I am that lucky chump.  I have had the joy of discovering a brewery from the great state of California, Lost Coast Brewing.

Lost Coast is out of Eureka (yes, as in I found it…duh) California. I was recently in possession of four of their brews.  Like most wealth that is found, they went very quickly and were enjoyed much. The four beers that I tried were their Downtown Brown, Indica India Pale Ale, Great White and the Tangerine Wheat.  These beers were a true find.

The Downtown Brown has an ABV of 5.0%.  This brown was a little darker than what I am used too for this style.  This was unique. It smelled like a standard brown but the flavor was that of a brown and a stout mixed.  It wasn’t heavy by any means, it just has a slightly heavier and a little toastier flavor than a standard brown does.  It was a really enjoyable beer and it was satisfying.

Next up was the Indica IPA.  This one has a little more punch, ringing in at 7.0% ABV.  There is a picture of what I assumed to be Ganesha on the label.  I knew after seeing that, this was going to be a damn good beer.  It had the pleasant aroma of hops and citrus that I have learned to cherish in this type of beer.  The taste was amazing.  It was a full on blast of a multitude of hops and quite a few citrus notes.  This beer completely stimulated the first 3/4 of my tongue into a frenzy.  Yet, therein lies the problem I had with this beer.  The only problem I had too.  It was so amazing up front and coming around the bend it just didn’t have any follow through.  This was one of best tastes I have had with an IPA.  It was a mash-up of everything I love in a beer.  It just didn’t have any oomph at the end.  I savored each sip as it started its journey over my taste buds.  Even after this, I still bragged to all my beer drinking buddies that I had tried this and they hadn’t.

The third one in the tasting grounds was the Great White.  I LOVED THIS BEER!!!  It was one of the most enjoyable, unique beers I have ever had.  This is a Belgian style beer that they have mastered.  I was shocked at how light the color of this beer was, it was literally white.  I picked up a hint of citrus and coriander in the smell.  I took my first sip and I fell in love.  This beer is the definition of crisp and refreshing.  It was light and flavorful.  I wasn’t able to pinpoint all the spices, but I loved every one of them.  This is a beer that I would drink everyday after work to relax and refresh.  The taste is perfect for anytime of year and it just sits so well.  I hate to admit that I almost, ALMOST, cried when I finished this.  I have to, if I can find anymore, revisit this one in the summer.  It might give the Wheach and Summer Shandy a run for my summer drinking list.  The Great White is great on everything but it is only sitting at 4.8% ABV.  That makes this perfect to just sit down and drink a few.

The last of the newly found booty was the Tangerine Wheat.  There is no subtlety to the tangerine either.  It is full of tangerine essence.  It is in the smell, the color and especially the taste.  This is a beer that is available all year, as I believe all of these are, and it can make anytime of year summertime.  I can just imagine up an ad for this one where a guy is sitting in his house drinking one of these and there is a luau going on and it pans outside the house and it is in the dredges of winter.  The amazing thing was that there was perfect balance in all the flavor.  I mean the tangerine was there and very up front but it never overtook the palate at all.  It was always a beer with tangerine and not an alcoholic tangerine.  That it hard to do with these fruit enhanced beers, especially the wheat ones.  The ABV for this fruity concoction is 5.0%

All in all, I really feel that I have stumbled onto something here.  This brewery has put out some delicious beer and the ones I tried were all unique.  This is a brewery that I have to look into more.  I mean the more I delve the more treasures I am bound to discover.  I am just glad that I found Lost Coast, and trust me, I will never lose this one.  Sorry to all you future Indiana Jones’ out there but I am keeping this relic close to me.

Check out the website for Lost Coast here, you won’t regret it!

Cheers!!!

My main brewery in Maine

I just want to say that personally I love Maine, yeah the state.  Without Maine, the great state that I live in would not even be a state (that would be Missouri for all of you who have no clue).  If you have no clue of what I am talking about then most of you should have paid a little more attention in history class in high school.  If you slept through said class, here is what I am talking about. Now I have another reason to love the great state of Maine and I shall tell you all about it.

Up in the great city of Portland, Maine there is a brewery named Allagash.  I have just been acquainted with this brewery and I have to say that I have nothing but love for what they have to offer.  I, sitting in the commercial beer center of Missouri (outside of Schlafly and Boulevard), have had the pleasure of being introduced to a couple amazing beers from this craft brewery outside my region.

I recently was in possession of, I am no longer though, Allagash’s Tripel Reserve and their White beer.  I felt nothing but gratification for these and I have a few things to say on each one.

The triple came in a big bottle.  The ones that have the cork you have to pop off.  These beers are usually fancier ones and this beer is no exception to this rule.  Upon the first sip of this concoction I was totally blown away at the skill that was used to make this beer.  It was delicious.  The first thing I noticed upon drinking this delectable, was how amazingly smooth it was.  This tripel was very drinkable.  It sits at 9% abv and I would have sworn that it was a normal 5% beer.  There was no alcohol aftertaste or burn that I have grown to notice and sometimes expect from a beer at that high of percentage.  Another thing was that the beer gave way to sensations all over the entire tongue.  My whole palate was stimulated as I drank this.  There were tastes of sweet and sour, flowery and earthen and it just caused my whole mouth to be a tingle with delicious curiosity.  The only negative that I have about this beer, and I mean only, is that when it was done it was done.  What I mean is that, to me, there was no aftertaste at all.  It was an amazing variety of flavor from the get go and then it just stopped.  This only downfall isn’t necessarily a deal breaker though.  There is enough taste and satisfaction in the up front that there really isn’t any needed in the back-end to make this beer any better.  I just was surprised at the abrupt end.  I still would, and already am starting to, recommend this beer to any and all of my beer drinking friends.  Maybe even my non drinking friends.

The White was one that truly amazed me.  My review for this one will be shorter because I really only have one major thing to say about it.  The Allagash white is what you would get if you took a Hoegaarden and you kicked it up a notch.  This white was full of flavor, very refreshing and a very satisfying beer on all fronts.  I love me some Hoegaarden and this beer is the beer that I would drink on those summer’s nights ( who am I kidding, every night of the year) to get that feeling of a day well done.

My conclusion about my new dear friends at Allagash is  that I more than appreciate and approve of the work they do.  Their contribution to the field has strengthened my beliefs that the craft beer industry puts nothing but heart and soul in their beers, and that it can be tasted.  I cheers you all up in Portland and I can only hope that I will be able to enjoy more of your beers soon.  I mean if it weren’t for Missouri you wouldn’t be a state, I can hope for some reciprocation nowadays.

For all of you that can get this beer on a regular basis, you have my jealous loathing.  For those of you who have never heard of this brewery here is their website…check em out.  I highly recommend it.

Cheers!!

It’s good to be back

I am back dear followers.  As the trusty calendar told me a few days ago, March 1st has arrived.  That arrival meant that I could begin again my journey on the road of inebriation.  I took a small break, as was mentioned in the last post, from the nectar for 2 months.  Now, that hiatus is over and my sojourn into the amazing world of beer of all types may continue.  A few days before the day of days, I thought about what potent potable would I make my glorious return with. It was a hard decision to make and I decided that I would make it a trifecta.  I was going to get something light and easy, something with a hoppy bite and lastly something I have never had in the past.  These 3 categories left A LOT of possible decisions.  I decided that I wasn’t going to adventure to Friar Tuck’s all the way across town.  I ended up at the local liquor store in my neck of the woods, which has a very impressive ever-growing catalog of beer.  I did a once over of my possible choices and I made my selections.  For the light and easy, I chose the Mothership Wit.  My hoppy selection was the Torpedo and the altogether new selection was the Black Hemp.  Now this wouldn’t be a blog without me going to a little description about these 3 and what they mean to me and my taste buds; and how they made this the BEST welcome back party a boy could ever want.

I started out with the new, so that is what I will start out here with (as I am currently drinking another one of these).  The Black Hemp is a new offering from the O’Fallon Brewery.  This is my hometown brewery.  They have a wonderful selection of brews and when I saw this one in the cooler it jumped out instantly.  This is a variation of another beer they put out earlier, the Hemp Hop Rye.   The Hemp Hop Rye is brewed with hemp seeds and has an intense nutty flavor.  It is very smooth and is a very well done malty amber beer.  The Black Hemp is a black ale along the same lines as the Hemp Hop Rye.  The first thing I noticed as I poured it into the pint was that it is definitely a black ale.  It is very dark and syrupy in consistency.  Remembering how the Hemp Hop tasted, I expected this to be a little along the same lines.  I focused on this first drink too, just to point out.  The first drink of my anti-sobriety.  It was very pleasurable. It had the same malty taste but it was more full-bodied.  The barley and malts tasted more toasted and the flavors were more pronounced than in the Hemp Hop.  There was a more oat and coffee flavor in this than a nutty one. There is a slight hint of the hops on the back-end, which gives is a mild citrus kick, and it was overall a very  pleasant experience.  This one sits at 5.8% abv, which isn’t too bad for the first one of many.  I was successful and satisfied with the first of my three categories.  On to category number 2.

Btw, the O’Fallon website hasn’t been updated in a while but here it is to check out.  Also here is a fun website the explains the beer a little bit…kinda neat.

The next beer I drank was from the hoppy category.  This is the category I think I missed the most.  So for my welcome back I decided to choose one of my all time favorites, the Torpedo.  Torpedo is brought to us graciously from the Sierra Nevada Brewery. The label notes that this is no ordinary IPA, it is an EXTRA IPA.  This is one helluva extreme IPA.  It is like drinking a hop field and a coniferous forest all in one.  The smell is that of hops and pine.  It would be the best car freshener ever, if not for the whole open container laws…damn the man.  To drink this beaut was just a blast from the past.  My tongue was washed with a hop takeover.  It is literally like eating a handful of hops and downing it with a glass of water.  Hell to some, but to me, pure bliss.  The color is a glorious dark copper with a head that is a creamy white and just looks as good as it tastes.  This one brings it to the table sitting at 7.2% abv.  There will be more posts just on this beer I am sure.  So I will cut this one short, you can only enjoy a beer so much before it gets weird, and before the girlfriend gets a little jealous.  That means I am 2 for 2.  All that leaves is the last one.

Beer number 3, the light and easy category, is the Mothership Wit.  A year round offering from the New Belgium brewery.  This is an organic wheat beer “brewed with spices” according to the bottle.  This beer is amazing.  It is one of those beers that have instructions on the label on how to pour and enjoy it.  One of those beers that your pour about three-quarters out of the bottle, stop and swirl to mix the yeast and then pour the remainder of the bottle out.  This causes a really nice looking head and it activates all those flavors.  This is  refreshing beer.  I am one of those that is iffy of that “organic” word, but I swear there is something to it here.  It has a taste that is unique.  I have had plenty of wheat beers and even witbiers (white beers) and this is unique from them all.  It has that bold wheat flavor and the aftertaste is that of just refreshing…I know that is vague and doesn’t really explain anything, but it is the only way to explain it.  You have to go out and try one.  Coming in at 4.8% abv it is the definition of light and easy.  This is, as aforementioned, a year round beer, but it is one that is perfect for a summer’s eve.  This beer is pure refreshment, somehow compressed into a liquid, fermented and bottled.  Here is the link to the New Belgium page. Look at it you won’t regret it

This means, as a whole, I went 3 for 3 for my welcome back experience.  All 3 of these beers reminded me why I love beer, and all of them for a different reason.  I guess it is true you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.  For me, the great taste and variety of beer is something I didn’t know I had.  On the other hand, the hangovers…they were not missed at all.

Cheers!!

.5% of greatness

So it has been awhile (this seems to be the way I always start these things) and I have a few things to talk about.  Actually just one thing really, and it inspired me enough to get off my beer laden ass and dust off the keyboard and soapbox and share a few things.

As of January 1, I decided that I needed to dry out a bit.  I wanted to “cleanse” myself and I have been on a no booze kick. Yes, I have cheated a couple of times, I mean really….it was to be expected.  Super Bowl was one, a definite one at that.  Anyhoo, before I digress to far, this is going to be about the wonderful life I have been living thus far.  I only have to the first of March til I am done by the way.  This post is going to cover the few wonderful ( complete lie) N/A beers that I have had.

Before I go into this, I want to explain something.  Mainly that N/A (non-alcoholic) beers actually do have a minute trace of alcohol in them.  Most of them sit at the .5% range.  So that means that it would take 10 of them to equal the alcohol content of one normal beer.  I am not quite sure how the booze is sucked out, that is a research project for you, dear reader.

The first one of these that I tried to help me get through this trial was Kaliber.  Kaliber is Guinness’s main fare at a N/A beer. Well to tell the truth…it sucked.  I mean, I love Guinness and that was the downfall.  This beer is a light color, like that of Bass or Smithwicks. The initial taste was really light and not that bad. Where it went wrong, and just hurt, was the aftertaste.  It was one of sugar, no..not sugar, more like artificial sweetener.  It was like someone had poured an entire sugar bowl of Splenda into a Bass and let it sit there overnight.  It was just offensive.  I was saddened by this and it just made me long for a real Guinness that much more…to think of how they mock those who don’t drink.

The next one on the list of crutches was O’Douls.  Now this is one of AB’s many attempts to steal money from all people.  Even those that do not partake in actual alcoholic beverages. I have had the regular one in the past and I remember that is was awful.  I remember describing it to people as if they took a few pieces of wheat bread and let it soak in a vat of water overnight.  Then it was poured into 12oz bottles to sell.  It had no flavor and was not worth the price it cost.  So this time round I had the O’Douls Amber.   This was different from the regular one.  This one was like if they put a WHOLE LOAF of bread and soaked it.  It still was practically tasteless.  There was  a little hint of flavor but nothing to be noticed or appreciated.  Definitely nothing worth paying $3.50 for in a local bar.

Next up in the support group was the Warsteiner N/A.  This one was a real surprise, it actually had flavor.  It tasted much like a standard alcoholic Warsteiner.  I was really impressed.  It had a full feel in my mouth and my stomach, as if I were drinking an actual beer.  The only problem with this one is the availability in my neck of woods.  It is hard to come by.

There are several others out there to try.  Pretty much every major brewery has a N/A beer of some sort.  It seems to be popular.  St. Pauli Girl, Coors, Heineken (the Buckler is theirs and just don’t drink this…please, for me.) and even Pabst all have beers that are geared toward the non drinkers.

The last one that  I am going to go over is Busch N/A.  This one is a staple around my neck of the woods.  Since Busch is a local beer for the most part, the non-alcoholic version is pretty much the same.  I have had this in the past and if for some reason I ever decide not to drink beer again, this will be the one I turn back to.  It has the taste of Busch.  It is muted, but it is definitely recognizable as Busch.  It tastes like a beer, a beer that I am used to.  A beer that makes me feel like I am drinking with the guys.  Plus, the label almost looks the same.  Just cover up the big red N/A with your hand on the can and for the most part, all your drunk buddies will never ever know.

That covers it.  With the first of March approaching soon, I need to get into shape for St. Pats. Hopefully you will hear from me before then…if not, make sure the only N/A in your life mean Non applicable on a job application or police report.

Cheers!!

Remember to drink plenty of fluids during the summer

I know that is has been a good long while since I put a post up last.  It has been since the winter Olympics…and yes, I know that it is now summer.  I get very absent-minded at times (all the time) and I always think about it but alas, I always forget at the end of the day.  Every post starts up with me stating how I am going to be better about writing more frequently…this one is just going to be subtle about it.  I mean come on, I review and drink A LOT of beer, some memory lapses can and should be forgiven.

There have been so many wonderful, delicious beers that I have drunk in the past season and there have been a fair share of not so good ones as well.  Too many to cover in one post anyway.  So today I am going to go over a few beers that I have been drinking a lot of lately.

You see, summer here in St. Louis really really sucks.  There are mostly 85 degree plus days and the humidity is usually around 179%.  It is just a miserable place to be.  This is why I have been relying on those few beers made for these awful days that are hot and sticky.  Beers that just make the unbearable weather that much more enjoyably.  I know there are those out there who say drinking is the worst thing for hot days outside.  I was at the store recently purchasing a twelve of one of these brews and the cashier mentioned how she liked the beer.  I replied that nothing is  better after cutting the grass in the sweltering heat than to sit back and enjoy a few of these ice-cold brews.  Upon coming out of my mouth almost the entire store started harping on me about how unhealthy that is and barking about dehydration and the negative affects of alcohol.  Apparently water is the go to thing in that situation.  I just laughed and left the ignorant amateurs to their business.

My first go to beer of summer is a local one.  This is the beer I was buying in the above story.  It is from the O’Fallon Brewery and is called Wheach.    This is a wheat beer that is brewed with peaches.  Upon pouring, one can see that it is a nice golden, almost peach color and finished with a nice creamy white head.  It smells of peaches, not too strong though, not like opening a can of fruit cocktail.  The first taste is not quite as one would expect from the aroma it gives off.  The initial flavor here is of a very light, crisp, unfiltered wheat beer.  One that is comparable to a Boulevard or better than any A/B In-Bev go around.  The back-end of this beer is where the peach is.  After the initial wheat beer taste then comes the peach on the back of the tongue.  It is not a strong peach flavor at all.  It is just enough to taste the hint of peach and be really enjoyable.  This is a very light wheat beer and is easily drank in any situation.  Yet, this beer really excels to me in the ridiculous heat of these Missouri summers.  The peach and the lightness of taste and body make this the perfect summer beer.  Wheat beers are usually summer beers for me, the problem being that some of them sit heavy in my stomach after having a few.  This beer does not do that at all.  A smooth crisp flavor and a very light body and feeling in the tummy.  Sitting at 5.10% ABV this is a standard beer and you will feel it after a few in the sun.  The best word to sum up Wheach is simply refreshing.  Also, on a side note, O’Fallon has started distributing this is 12 packs of cans.  The best for a float trip or to throw in that BBQ cooler and not have to worry about breaking.

Here is the link to the O’Fallon page…check out the Wheach and all their other great products

The next summer beer must is Hoegaarden. This beer is distributed by In-Bev which made it easy to get in this area for a little while now.  Hoegaarden, which according to the six-pack is pronounced (Who-gar-den), is a white ale that is a Belgian style.  Traditionally called a witbeir, which means “white beer” this beer lived up to that in the color.  It is a very pale yellow color and has a white head as well.  Ok, the first time I had this beer was a while ago…and I remember not caring for it too much.  Upon going back to it, I love it and it is a staple of my summer (all year ’round actually) drinking.  This beer is comparable to a wheat in many ways. It is brewed with orange peel and coriander and a number of spices.  It has a nice light fruity flavor on the palate.  This beer is another refreshing beer.  It is light and just sits well after drinking.  At this stage of the game there is no lemonade for me in the summer to cool off, it is strictly these types of beer that are cold, light and have a hint of fruit to them.  Hoegaarden is a beer that, if it is possible, needs to be drank out of the tap. This one sits at 4.9% ABV.  A cool pint of this is an ideal add to any meal, any morning, evening, night, midnight, date, birthday, bar mitzvah, baby shower, etc… Also a little trick of the trade, if you are at a bar that has this and Guiness on tap, ask for Cream of Wheat.  That is half Guiness and half Hoegaarden.  It layers and it is as delicious as it is pretty.

Hoegaarden’s web site link

One more staple for me to drink in the heat of the summer is the one I get the most crap from all my buddies for.  I like the fruitier beers and this beer is refreshing, delicious and fruity.  Remember what I said about me not going for lemonade anymore.  Well, I lied a little bit.  Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy is the exception to that rule.  I loved this beer from the first sip.  This is a beer that is brewed with lemonade.  This beer has the taste of beer that is followed by the refreshing taste of a tart lemonade.  It is the perfect combination.  This is not a beer for everyone though. For those that want their beer to have a distinct hop and barley taste to it then stay away.  This beer has no distinct hoppy taste.  One can sense the light pilsner taste from the get go but the lemony taste takes over fairly quickly and strongly.  This is a sitting outside with the friend’s on a hot summer’s eve and enjoying good times beer.  Plus, at least it’s not Mike’s Hard Lemonade.  Sitting at 4.2% ABV, this is definitely a lighter. enjoy in refreshing mass quantity beer.

Leinenkugel’s web page is here…look em up, they got a very unique selection

That sums it up really. There are a couple more that I have just found and loved but I need to save those to motivate me to get my ass back on here to write some more.  All in all though, I think that it takes an open mind to try summer beers.  They are lighter and not very beer like, yet, that is what I like about them.  I could never drink a sixer of Budweiser or Miller Genuine Draft on a 95 degree day.  These types of beers are meant to be enjoyed in those extremes.  I have noticed that a lot of the craft breweries put out summer seasonal.  Beers that are lighter and a little more citrusy to enjoy on those hot days.  So after spending a hot summer day outside, whether it be cutting the grass or lounging in the pool, reach for one these.  I promise it will get you ready to do it all again (especially if it was lounging in the pool).

Cheers!!!

Drinking the gold

So the Canadians beat us at hockey in the Olympics.  They got a gold medal in the sport the pretty much invented.  In honor, or tribute, to that game the US lost I am currently involved in a rematch of that game.  Well it’s not hockey, but beer drinking. Whereas  Canadians are known for their beer drinking prowess (they did have a team in Beerfest), Americans excel in their beer drinking and making to boot.  This is my tribute to the US bringing home the gold in what matters….beer.

I went to the store after the game and got two sixers.  One was of Labatt Blue (Canada) and the other was the good ole American PBR.   No brackets or playoffs are needed here.  Just heads up in the two of the best beers the countries have to offer (mainstream wise).  There are several others to choose but I picked these since they are my favorite and they both conveniently had “blue” in the name.

Labatt is a Canadian staple.  Every time I go to visit the Great White North I have to get hosed on this beer off the tap.  It is always better of the tap.  Canada is also known for Molson Canadian and Moosehead.   Moosehead, I believe, comes pre-skunked.  It has never failed to just utterly appall me just by opening the cap.  It’s one of those beers you leave in the fridge just to offer that one guy who comes over who you don’t care for too much.  Labatt is the one I hold in highest regard, therefore it will battle for the gold.  On a side note, Unibroue is from Quebec.  Which is in Canada, but it regards itself a loner and I feel that Canada is okay with that…kinda like the US and Texas…therefore all of them are disqualified.

I love many American beers.  Most are craft brews and there are not a lot of mainstream, commercial beers that I regard very highly (there are exceptions, as are mentioned in previous posts).  Pabst Blue Ribbon is an all around blue-collar beer.  It is cheap and flavorful and it is meant to be appreciated by those who can’t afford the finer things.  That is what America means to me and PBR is truly America’s beer.

Okay, so now comes the fun part.  I started with a Labatt at the beginning of this post and I finished it in no time.  I actually had to focus to remember that I drank it.  There really was no flavor at all or at least not one that was memorable.  If being water like is smooth and drinkable then this is the Bud Light of Canadian beer.  I really loved this beer when I was younger. Maybe because it was imported or that I didn’t know any better…I have a feeling it was the later.  It is drinkable at a quick pace and I much rather would drink this to Bud Light.  The PBR, which I just finished, is clearly a better quality beer.  It had a distinct hoppy taste that stays with you.  This is a beer that has flavor, a lot of it and as aforementioned, it is cheap.  This beer makes me happy and makes me glad I drink beer.

So there you have it.  In the only competition that matters USA takes the gold.  It looks like Pabst not only has a blue ribbon, it now has a gold medal.  This is a beer that makes me proud to be American.

Cheers!!

Liquid diet

I have been lazy about putting up posts lately.  I think that needs to stop.  So here, without further ado, is a NEW post!! (applause).

On the 15th of February I started a diet.  Diets, for the most part, are the bane of beer drinkers.  At least for beer drinkers that like good, flavorful beer.  I bought a book that had the alcohol, calorie and carb count of a lot of beers. Of course it doesn’t have some of my more eclectic favorites but you can’t win them all.  I bought this book to find out the “nutritional” value of the beer that I was drinking, since beer does not have a label on the side saying as much.  This was the worst book I have ever bought in my life, and I even bought Dianetics.

It really amazed me how many carbs and calories my favorite, everyday drinking in mass quantity beers contained. (To be honest, I knew that beer was all carbs.  But, when you have only an allotted amount each day to consume, the numbers seem to be that much worse).  I mean I am giving myself a good amount of carbs a day and to think that ONE, yes ONE, PBR has about 1/10 of that amount really makes me angry.  That means that I could only have one PBR a day, and that is if I eat really light and healthy foods.  Miller High Life has even more carbs than PBR.  I don’t even want to go into the calories.  I mean this is just outrageous! I seriously just contemplated not eating.  I would rather drink my calories and carbs if it came down to it.  My girlfriend usually doesn’t appreciate this too much.  Something about not being healthy…blah blah blah.   I now understand the phrase “drinking your dinner”.  I have done it, on a few occasions now.  It is amazingly satisfying too.

Most of those in the book are all standard, run of the mill, everyday beers that anyone can get from any grocery store.  There are a few pale ales and bocks mixed in, but the picture was clear.  I was not going to efficiently lose weight and still keep drinking.  If all of these lagers were that bad I couldn’t even imagine the malty beers or the IPA’s or the Imperials…I was at a crossroads.  Either quit the diet, quit drinking beer or just constantly cheat on the diet with beer.  Now the first option was definitely the best option in my mind.  It was winning all the votes in my head.  The second option meant death, so it was dropped really quick.  The last option was plausible, just not as wonderful or as good for me as the first.  So as I was about to give up (diet not beer) I came across a literal (to me anyway) lifesaver.

Before I go any further I want to throw something in here.  I know everyone is thinking “hey dummy, just drink light beer…duh!”  I too said that to myself at first.  This is where this book came in handy.  You see light beer may have almost half the calories and a significantly less amount of carbs as normal beer BUT…yes the big BUT…the alcohol percentage is lower.  Not by too much in some, but enough to make a difference in my mind.  For instance; a Budweiser has 145 cal and 11 grams of carbs and it sits at %5 ABV, whereas Bud Light has 110 cal and 7 grams of carbs but it is only %4.2 ABV.  That is a difference my friends.  This stat is pretty consistent throughout the normal/light beer world.  Okay, now I can continue

I give AB a lot of trouble but, yet again, they have helped me in a bind.  You see they have a beer called Bud Select (just called Select).  Bud Select is a really special beer to me now since it has given me an out, so to speak.  This beer has only 99 cal and 3 grams of carbs and it still %4.3 ABV.  I guess technically it is a light beer, but it has the highest booze amount out of pretty much all the domestic “lights”.  The only beer that is less in cal and carbs than this is Michelob Ultra, and that is still only %4.2.

At first I was taken aback at the flavor, or lack thereof, rather.  After realizing that it was one of the only options I could drink and still be on my diet and still get decently drunk without drinking around 20 of them, (which defeats the diet part anyway.  I mean if you can get drunk off 6 Budweisers, but they are too bad for your diet, why drink a slightly lighter beer if you have to drink double or more because of the lesser alcohol content?) , the taste got that much better.  It actually started growing on me.  Of course I get harassed by my friends but when I am looking my best at the beach…err..the front or back yard this summer, they will be jealous.

Cheers!!

Here is the link to the book that I found, neat stuff all the way around…just cover up the carb column in the beer section ( I now have..heh heh heh)

Boulevard of tasty beer

When it comes to drinking good beer, one thing is a crucial factor.  That one thing is availability.  There has to be a market for good beer in your area.  If you live in an area without that market, you pretty much are stuck drinking whatever the beer aisle in your local supermarket offers.  Luckily, I live in an area with a very good craft brew availability.  There are several really good liquor stores and not to mention there are 2 breweries other than AB in the Show-Me State.  One is Schlafly.  I will write on them at a later date.  The other is Boulevard.  This is the brewery that I will be sharing with you this time around.

Boulevard is based out of Kansas City, Mo.  It is the second biggest brewery in the state (second to you know who).  They offer an extensive variety of beer too.  They have a very impressive catalog of beers and it is growing at a pretty regular pace.

I first heard of Boulevard in college.  Their flagship is the Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat.  This is the beer that was first brought to my attention.  I heard it and instantly thought “Ewwww, unfiltered, gross”.  I was thinking that it would be full of stuff that I did not want to put in my mouth, much less swallow.  God, how wrong was I.  It seems that I have been wrong on most of my notions about beer that I made in college.  Damn higher education, this is the stuff I should have really learned.  Anyhoo, I avoided it for a while.  At a party a buddy of mine, who went to Mizzou (University of Missouri at Columbia), brought a sixer.  He said it was all the rage.  I finally tried it.  I liked it.  Not as much as I do now, since I have learned much more since then, but I liked it.  It had a nice flavor and it had a unique feel in my mouth.  It reminded me of drinking a heavy orange juice.  After that I would get it at the bar now and again if it was available.  Unfiltered wheats tend to go well with a lemon wedge and this one is no exception.  It helps bring out the flavor of the wheat in the beer.

After drinking the unfiltered wheat for a year or so I went to the store and found a sampler of the other beers that Boulevard had to offer.  Some of these beers were the first kinds of a style of beer that I had tried.  The sampler had the Bully! Porter, the Dry Stout, the Pale Ale and the Lunar Ale.  The Bully! Porter was the first porter I ever really tried.  From that experience I learned that I was not a porter fan.  Way to dark and thick for my liking.  I felt the same about the Dry Stout.  Their Pale Ale was also one of the first pale ales I had ever tried as well.  I found it intriguing and really hoppy.  I had not yet developed by taste for hops yet.  I drank this one quite regularly until I tried other pale ales that I found much more appealing, like the Schlafly. The Lunar Ale, however, I instantly fell in love with.  The Lunar Ale is an unfiltered brown ale.  It has a very unique smell and has a delicious toasted malt flavor.  I tried this beer and I knew that I was going to truly enjoy some of this brewery’s selections.

Recently, they have put out a new collection of beers called The Smokestack Series.  These beers are in a bigger bottle (1 pint 9.4 oz).  These beers are much higher in alcohol content and are more flavorful.  There are a few of these out.  More are getting put out every season.  One of them is the Double-Wide I.P.A.  This is one of my top I.P.A.s.  This is a very well balanced, yet, it still has a very strong hop profile that I love ever so much.  They also a quadruple ale called The Sixth Glass.   It is a very warming, robust ale.  It is comparable to an abbey ale.  Sitting at %10.5 abv, it will warm the soul on a cool winter’s eve.  They have a Seeyalater Doppelbock.  This is a serious malty beer.  There are several others out too, all of them a step above the standard beer in the 12oz bottle.

Another thing that they had just put out recently is the Boulevard Pilsner.  This is an attempt at a standard pilsner.  The label states that it is a recipe that follows an old tradition of classic American lagers.  I was very excited to see this beer and even more so to try it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  This beer can hold up to most American lagers and pilsners.  It is way better and more well balanced than Budweiser or Miller Genuine Draft.  It has a nice full flavor and a body that is not that heavy at all for a pilsner.  Trying to drink a Bud is kinda like drinking a three course meal out of a bottle…it is way too heavy.  The Boulevard isn’t and it doesn’t sacrifice the flavor to do it.

All in all I am glad that I have this brewery close enough to me that I can enjoy these beers.  I consider this a “local” brewery even though it is about six hours away from me.  I consider myself lucky to have them there.  I enjoy most of what they  have to offer and it is a welcome change from the AB drudge than can be seen in bars in this area.  I have been blessed to have learned to enjoy beer and live in this area.  It gives me plenty of new beers that are available.  I was going to put in some really bad pun to end this using Boulevard but…they don’t deserve a bad pun.  They deserve appreciation, and that is the avenue I am going to take…

Cheers!!

Here is a link to the Boulevard site with all the year round and seasonal beers.

Getting over myself

There comes a time when stereotypes need to be confronted.  A time when you need to stop judging something based on preconceived notions.  This can be said for all things…but since this is my blog, it is mostly about beer.   There were a lot of beers that I had damned before even really giving them a chance.  Beers, that for some reason, I wasn’t going to give the time of day to.  There are a few that I have, looking past those feelings, and that I have truly liked.  One of those beers is Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewery.

I have memories of college that involve this beer.  Memories of frat boys and the “upper echelon” drinking this beer.  Fat Tire was on tap a pretty  much every bar in the town where I went to college.  I was drinking my Busch and catching a lot of crap from those ordering Fat Tire on draft.  I ultimately associated that beer with those types of people.  I assumed that only stuck up, snobby, holier than thou people drank it.  From that point I told myself that I wouldn’t drink that beer.  I would always stick with my good old friend Busch.  Even if it did get me mocked.  That was the story for years, well 8 years anyway.

I had managed to avoid my blacklisted Fat Tire for that long.  I secretly judged those I saw buying and drinking it.  Until, (there always has to be one) a New Belgium assortment pack was the topic of the week for beer club.  Inside the aforementioned sampler was, of course, Fat Tire.  There were three other beers in there also, but it was the Fat Tire I was instantly glued to.  I knew this was going to be a rough meeting.

You know in the movies, when the good guy and the bad guy lock eyes for a moment.  The one where they size each other up in a staring contest.  That is how I felt with my mortal beer enemy.  It was the first one we tried, because it is their flagship.  I struggled bringing it to my lips, and grimaced as I swallowed.  What followed can only be described as a form of instant enlightenment.  I compare it to drinking a potion that grants wisdom, and great taste in beer instantly.  I truly loved this beer.

Fat Tire is my favorite amber ale.  If I remember correctly, the whole time all I did during beer club was explain how a had such disdain for this beer and how much of an idiot I was for keeping those feelings.  This beer is delicious.  This is my definitive amber.  This beer is beautiful in color and delectable in taste and aroma.  Fat Tire has almost the perfect balance of hoppy bitterness and malty sweetness.  It’s kind of like drinking delicious biscuits.   To be honest I think I made sure to hide the rest of the Fat Tire from the sampler so I could finish them later.  Yeah, it is just that good and I am just that dumb.

Now, at my local watering hole, Fat Tire is my staple.  Literally, if I ask the bartender to give my staple, I will get a pint of Fat Tire.  I feel like such a fool for holding out for so long based on silly notions I had in college.  I am glad I got the opportunity to rectify that mistake.  Since then I have gone to try other delicious brews by New Belgium. Yet, their flagship will remain dear to my heart.  We have a checkered past, but now, Fat Tire is the main reason I have a “spare tire”.

Cheers!

This is New Belgium’s page for Fat Tire

Immature tastebuds

I remember, like it was yesterday, the first real-time I set out to try new beers.  It was a Sunday night in summer and a friend and I had the evening off.  There was a new liquor store that opened up and had a better choice that most. I had just gotten paid and when we went to the store we only had one rule: get something that we have never had tried before.  There were 4 beers bought that day:  Tiger, Samuel Smith’s Winter Ale, La Fin Du Monde and Paulaner.  All of them were new and exciting to me.  One of them though, or the brewery that made it rather, would become a small obsession of mine for a while. The beer was La Fin Du Monde (which is French for “the end of the world”) and the brewery was Unibroue.

Unibroue is located in Chambly, Quebec.  They make a few beers and they are all quite similar to each other.  They are all Belgian type ales. Coming from a pretty regular AB and Miller background, these beers were completely different and new to me.  They were full of flavor and stronger than anything I had ever tasted up to that point in my life.

After trying La Fin Du Monde, which is a whopping %9 ABV, I had to go out and find as many of these beers that I could.  I enjoyed this beer.  It was strong and it was full of flavor that was totally unexpected from a beer.  I could definitely taste the alcohol in this beer.  There was a slight burn going down my throat and a hint of dryness in my mouth caused by the high percentage of alcohol.  There were so many to choose from.  There is Don De Dieu (which means Gift of God) which has a more fruitier taste to it.  It is very refreshing.  Another beer sitting at %9 ABV, it manages to handle the alcohol better than the La Fin Du Monde does.  It is crisp and very flavorful immediately and goes down a bit smoother. Ephemere (which means ephemeral or lasting a short period) is my favorite of Unibroue’s beers.  It is the least amount of alcohol at %5.5 ABV and this is easily noticed upon drinking it.  This is a very refreshing beer with a nice hint of apples to it.  It is a white ale that is brewed with apples and it comes out very tasty.  There is no burn or roughness to this beer since the alcohol percentage is quite low.

Before continuing on describing a couple more in detail I want to go over a few things that all these beers have in common.  First, they are all bottle conditioned and double or triple fermented.  This means that, at the time of bottling there is some yeast put in the bottle to keep fermenting.  This explains why the percentage of alcohol is noticeably higher in these beers.  Second, due to the bottle conditioning, they are all unfiltered and very cloudy.  These beers still have the yeast added usually clumped in the bottom of the bottle.  When poured and held up to the light, it is easy to see particles of the yeast floating around in the beer.  Third, they are all very “champagne-like” beers.  All of these beers are very rich in flavor and have that champagne like feel in your mouth while drinking them. Lastly, all the artwork on the bottles are very complex and really beautiful pieces that all have to do with the name of the beer. Don De Dieu has a drawing of the boat that the beer is named after.  Ephemere has a fairy, which is an ephemeral spirit. La Fin Du Monde has a drawing of the Earth on the bottle. This goes on for each beer.   All of the beers that I have tried by Unibroue share these characteristics.

Trois Pistoles (French for “three coins”) is another beer they have out.  This is a darker beer and is has a bit more flavor than a few other of their beers.  It is harsher in taste and his reminiscent of a port wine.  They also put out a beer for each anniversary of the brewery.  Each one is different and is something to be tried.  Also, they put out one called Quatre Centieme (French for “four centuries”) which was in honor of the province of Quebec’s 400 years of being around.  They also brew and bottle the Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale.

I remember just fawning over these beers every  time I got a chance too.  I tried all of their beers  I could and I loved every minute and drop of it. Again, coming from a strictly AB background, these beers were the be all end all.  I started using these as my method of comparison to other beers I was trying.  I just loved this brewery and couldn’t believe I had passed them up for so long.

Fast forward to a little over a year.  My friends and I went back to try these loves again.  It had been awhile since we had these.  It was exciting to go back to these and try them again considering all the memories of deliciousness I had for them.  After the first sip I could tell that my palate had changed and that these beers were not the pinnacle of greatness that I once thought.  I have mentioned before and will here again that it is very interesting to try beer and get to understand and know what beer is supposed to be and taste like.  I enjoy being able to compare beers in a more “educated” way.  These beers that I loved so much once in the day were just so-so now.  They all had a great initial burst of flavor but that was it.  There was no carry out or follow through with the flavor.  Unfortunately, the follow through wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of after taste.  The champagne like feel and flavor wasn’t a wonderful as I had remembered either.  It was too malty and yeast flavored.

The more I sat in almost utter despair over the fact that I really didn’t whole heartedly enjoy these beers, the more I started thinking.  These beers were amazing compared to what I was drinking at the time of trying these.  They were everything that AB wasn’t.  That made me truly enjoy them and start enjoying what other beers that there were out there.  After having some amazing beers since then, some that were just so flavor and hop intensive, going back wasn’t like the first time.  This happens in all aspects of life and personal tastes.  Something we tried and loved as a kid (or watched, listened to, etc.) isn’t as special when we go back as an adult and try the same thing over again.  This experience happened to me here in the beer realm.  My immature beer experience caused me to totally worship these beers.  As I matured I realize that I was just coming into the world of beer and these beers are just like a lot of them out there, knowledge and experience I didn’t have when first trying them.

I do recommend these for people to try.  La Fin Du Monde has a great spiced ale taste and is good to warm the body on those cool or downright cold nights.  Ephemere is a really light fruity ale and can be something refreshing during the summer or just something for the women who don’t like beer to try (my gf didn’t like it).  These beers are good in their own right, just not what I remembered.

Cheers!

Here is the link to the Unibroue website, check em out for yourself.

Here is my friends and my review of Unibroue after going back to try them.  This is our podcast.  It is episode 31