365 Days of Beer

I returned yesterday morning from Orlando after a week down there on business. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be so we did get to go out quite a bit. I could never live in Orlando because the bars all have to close at 2 a.m.

The highlight was probably when the company rented Universal Studios for the night. We had the whole park to ourselves and got to ride things like the Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black, and Terminator in 3D. Orlando is great if you go there just to visit the theme parks and be a kid but if you are in the mindset to do some serious partying and drinking it is not that great a place.

So as you can imagine I have lots of updates to put in here. Let's start with a visit to the Ginger Man with my friend Kaval.

I fixed up his laptop and met up with him to return it and go for some brews.

127) Radeberger Pilsner - This is a German lager that was quite drinkable. The kind of beer to start a long drinking session with.

128) Coniston Bluebird XB - On cask. This was more of a pale ale to me than a bitter. A lot of sour hops and not much maltiness.

129) Kira Wit - For some reason I can't find any information about this beer or the brewery. If anyone knows where I can find their webpage, please send it my way. I can tell you it was a decent Belgian witbier. Not anywhere as good as a Hoegaarden and probably a lot better if you get it in a bottle.

The night before I flew out to Orlando I stopped off at my parent's house to drop off my car, because I needed to avoid the alternate parking rules here in the city. My mom bought a six pack of beer and I had one of the bottles.

130) Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale - A great amber ale, probably the best I have had to this point. It was a very complex brew highlighted by a beautiful caramel maltiness.

Down in Orlando I took advantage of any opportunity to have new beers. As it turns out, I only got the chance to have three. At all the company events they had Miller Lite, Bud, Coors Light, Miller High Life, Michelob Ultra, etc. So I drank my share of crap beer and even switched over to having margaritas at one point.

131) Hurricane Reef Pale Ale - An American style pale ale. This was pretty good. I drank it right out of the bottle at the bar so I couldn't tell you much about the color but it was dominated by a citrusy/grapefruit hop character with a creamy malt finish.

132) Key West Sunset Ale - This was also brewed by the Florida Beer Company. Had this one on draft at the hotel bar. Nothing to write home about. Amber color, not very hoppy.

133) Alligator Lager - This was brewed for the hotel, probably by the Florida Beer Company. I don't know if this was the exact name for the beer but it kinda sucked. The bartender threw the bottle into the recycler before I could ask to see it. Can't find any information about it anywhere. If you really must try it go to the poolside bar at the Rosen Centre.

133 beers down and 232 to go. So having the buffer paid off because during this 8 day stretch I only tried 3 new ones. While I was away, the latest shipment of beers in the beer of the month club came. I will start on those soon.

Because there was an abundance of free food and drink at the hotel this week I am going to take it easy this week. I need to get back on track, eating healthy and all that. I return to work on Monday and at most I will go out once this week.

Last Friday I didn't get the chance to go to New Beer Distributors. I was carrying two laptop bags and there was no way I would be able to lug any beer along for the ride home. I'll try again another time.

Saturday I paid a visit to Nevada Smith's to watch a Newcastle vs. Wigan match. Nevada's doesn't serve any food (unless you like Dublin pies) so I stopped off at Blue 9 Burger before the game and got a double cheeseburger. Very tasty.

Cracka is a big Newcastle fan and he shows up there with the Toon Army to watch all the big matches. Wasn't a big crowd this time but it was a really nice day so maybe that had something to do with it. I've always hated soccer but each match I watch my tolerance for it grows as does my understanding of the game. I still know next to nothing and would much rather watch 5 or 6 other sports first but I can now sit through a whole game.

During the game I had 2 new beers, thus finishing up Nevada's tap lineup.

124) Spaten Premium Lager - Nothing mind-blowing but easy drinking. Nice way to start the day.

125) Bare Knuckle Stout - Not bad, but it is brewed by the evil Anheuser-Busch organization. That wouldn't bother me all that much if not for the fact that their actual commercial description according to Ratebeer.com states: "Bare Knuckle Stout is Anheuser–Busch’s warrior that is intended to combat the increasing sales of Guinness." Fuck you guys.

After the game, which was won by Newcastle, we headed down to the St. Mark's Ale House to watch the Mets lose to the Brewers. They have a good tap list but there was only 1 I hadn't had.

126) Spring Heat Spiced Wheat - Ugh. So awful it put me to sleep quite literally. A Belgian style witbier but just nasty tasting and sour as hell.

126 down and 239 to go. This Wednesday there is an event at the Hop Devil Grill so I will be going to that to add about 5 more to the list. Then I'm going to Orlando on business until the end of the month, so here is where that all important 20-25 beer buffer is going to come in handy.

Yesterday was incredibly dead at the office. Almost nobody was around. I was about to go to lunch (anyplace with the Mets game on would have been fine), I walk around the corner, and one of my colleagues says "hey, go to lunch with us, we're going to Stout."

Lunch? Stout? I'm there, dude.

So off we went to Stout for our European style lunch "hour."

Shared some appetizers and I had a burger with bacon and swiss. I asked for it medium rare but it was well done. I ate it anyways.

Most of the TVs had the Yankee game on, but if the Mets keep on rolling, by mid-season I would imagine the balance will shift.

THE WORM IS TURNING! This will be a Mets town again real soon. Nobody wants to see boring overpaid A-Rod, Damon, Unit, Posada, etc. Jose Reyes, David Wright, Beltran... these guys bring youth and enthusiasm. And they are a TEAM. Not just a collection of names like the Yankees are. Ultimately that is why the Yankees will disappoint yet again in 2006 while the Mets continue their rise.

Suck it, Yankee fans.

Anyway, I had the following:

123) Fullers London Pride - Pretty enjoyable stuff. I like the malty characteristics of this bitter. It had a very rich and caramel-like quality to it.

So that's today's quick post. 123 beers down and 242 to go. Tonight I will be cooking up a batch of tonkatsu, but first I believe a stop at New Beer Distributors around lunchtime is in order.

Last night a friend came over to have me try to fix a problem with his laptop. He's the same guy who made the homebrew which was beer #105 this year. So at the same time I also wanted to reward him for his brewing efforts by sharing some good stuff that I had.

The other night was a revelation. I have met the perfect stout. It was the most perfect, well balanced, intensely aromatic, deeply flavorful stout I have ever had.

122) St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - Luckily I had 2 bottles left, one of which I poured for my friend. This beer looks great. Murky and dark as night. Pours to a nice long lasting head - dark brown with small bubbles. Lasted the whole way down the glass. Aroma is intense. Like walking into the coffee aisle at your local supermarket, one where they have the fresh beans the do-it-yourself grinder, with a hint of chocolate in there as well. A winner from the first sip. Everything is just perfect, and in complete harmony. Like a supermodel with a brain. No wonder this is an award winner.

I got this beer from the Beer of the Month Club, and now is as good a time as any to talk about it, as I've mentioned it, but never really reviewed it here. First, I will say it is kind of pricey, but remember that much of the cost is going into the shipping. A box of 12 bottles, well packed, weighs 17 pounds. One month is $24.95 + shipping. The total each month is $36.95. So you are paying just over $3 a bottle. Sure, some of the beers are mediocre but there is no way in hell I was going to find this Oatmeal Stout anywhere unless I went to Montreal. So its clear to me that these guys care about sending you good stuff. If you are like me, and are willing to pay a premium to get beer you haven't been able to find anywhere else, then its totally worth the cost. I am halfway through my 6 month membership, and as of now it looks like I will definitely be renewing.

Oh, and the shipping materials are great. They have a special styrofoam insert which has slots for each bottle, so they are well protected. I have 2 boxes with the inserts, and I intend to send them to my brother in California so he can send me even more beer that has no NY distribution.

In addition to the Oatmeal Stout, I shared a bottle of my favorite beer, the Victory Storm King Imperial Stout, and a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12. We also talked about making a trip to PA to hit up all the top breweries in that state, and also taking a day to just bar hop the city in search of good beer.

My next shipment of beers from the club isn't due until the end of the month, and I only have 2 new bottles left at home, so tomorrow I will be making a trip to the store to replenish my supply of choices.

122 down and 243 to go... things are definitely coming along nicely.

The weekend began Friday night with Big Daddy Cal's birthday bash at David Copperfield's. In attendance were a few friends from college. We got all nostalgic and started talking about those days and the people we hadn't seen in years. I pulled out a list of phone numbers from my wallet and we called a few people, and actually got in touch with someone we hadn't seen in at least 5 years.

For his birthday I gave Big Daddy Cal a bottle of Remy Martin cognac and a bottle of Stone Arrogant Bastard. When my birthday rolls around at the end of July, I hope I get lots of free booze as well.

So it was a good time but what would a visit to David Copperfield's be without lots of beer?

116) Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA - By now I've had tons of IPAs, and while this was enjoyable, it doesn't really stand out amongst the pack. All the basic elements of a good, drinkable IPA are there but at this point I am just looking for something more distinctive.

I don't remember what everyone else ordered but the table shared an appetizer sampler and I got a southwest chicken sandwich, which was awesome as usual. Next up on the beer front was:

117) Carlow OHaras Irish Red - Reminded me of a Killians or Smithwicks. My guess is this is the recommendation for Killians or Smithwicks drinkers when they come in.

118) Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber - A beer in the "steam style". Sometimes this is called the "California Common" style. The gold standard of this style is none other than Anchor Steam and this really didn't come close, not that there are many available steam beers anyways.

At this point I realized there were only a handful of taps that I haven't had yet, so I thought about getting into the bottle list but they were out of the Stone Ruination IPA. Still in the mood for a bigger beer and tired of playing around, I ordered:

119) Rogue Imperial India Pale Ale (I2PA) - This is the one that started it all. Though others have since taken the imperial/double IPA style to new heights, this is the original. In 1996, at the Oregon Brewer's Festival, Rogue showed up with this new creation. Only in the last 5 years or so has this style become very prevalent. This is probably my favorite style of beer with the Great Divide Hercules being the best one I've tried thus far. The color is darker than a regular IPA because there is a greater amount of malt need to balance out the hops. Beers of this style easily top 100 IBUs, but if there is enough malt you won't notice the bitterness as much. You also dont notice the alcohol, which is usually in the 8-10% range, so be careful when you drink one of these. The alcohol really sneaks up on you. Very intense stuff.

Over the weekend itself I had 2 bottles from my fridge.

120) Bink Bloesem - From the beer of the month club. Very nice Belgian ale. Distinct pear flavors and aromas.

121) Chimay Bleue (Blue) - Had this bottle waiting for the right time to be opened and I guess Sunday was the right time. One of the best things I have ever had. Right from the get-go I was in love with this. I sniffed it and there was just this amazing floral character to the aroma. It was like a really great perfume. Just incredible. Nice lingering aftertaste. Loaded with complexity.

121 beers down leaving 244 to go. I am about 1/3 of the way to my goal. I got out of the gate very fast, so I anticipate the next 1/3 to be slightly tougher. As I run out of tap choices I see myself getting into the bottled lists over the next few months, and also making runs to the good beer stores. Check back again soon.

I really can't think of a better title at this time. The last week has been a roller coaster ride. I'm probably also getting senile.

On Tuesday, as promised, I went to the Waterfront Ale House with some friends. I had the Texas dip to eat (which is a southern take on the French dip) and a few brews.

Started with:

114) Sierra Nevada Scotch Ale - Can anyone confirm if this is a relatively new release from Sierra Nevada? I wasn't sure but I haven't seen it before. I only recall this beer being very sweet. Nothing to get thrilled about.

Then had:

115) Avery The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale - A great beer to liven up the conversation. Part of Avery's "Dictator" series. Really big beer and very in-your-face with the hops. 112 IBUs, I believe. Very powerful stuff. Cracka would gag on the finish, that wuss.

Went to last nights Mets game. There was really a "full moon" kind of vibe in the stadium the whole night. Fans were rowdy, it was Pedro's first game of the year, there was a near brawl, one of the umps may have died, big hits galore. Very strange night indeed.

I blew a chance to have a new beer last night but I'll get it next time. Instead I had a Widmer Bros. Hef. from the "brewhouse" on the field level. It was .25 cents cheaper than the macros. Hopefully when the new stadium opens up there will be more choices and they will be spread throughout the whole park, rather than just having a few good beers in this one place.

Tonight is Big Daddy Cal's birthday party and the celebration is to take place at David Copperfield's. I'll look to probably just have 2 new beers tonight along with dinner, as I've been eating too much lately to do any more than that.

Don't have a lot of time but here's a quick summary. Had a pint of Heavyweight Lunacy via tap at Waterfront Ale House. This isn't a new beer to me so it doesn't count but the bottle was so much better. Also I think that the line was maybe dirty, because the taste was pretty far off from what I remembered about that beer.

I'm still dealing with a lot of personal things so I'll cut right to the chase with a quick recap:

111) Paulaner Hefeweissbier - This, the Ayinger Brau Weisse and the Weihenstephaner Hef are the best of this style that I've had. Amazingly refreshing and enjoyable banana flavors. The Germans are the best in the world when it comes to wheat beers.

Stopped into Copperfield's for a quick couple of pints.

112) Southern Tier IPA - One of the better IPAs that I have had. Aromatic with a nice bite to it. Definitely try this and support New York brewers!

113) Rogue Chocolate Stout - This was love at first taste... or was it smell. This smelled so good I was seriously debating whether or not I should even drink it. You know that smell when you open a good bar of dark chocolate? Those aromas were just wafting out of the glass. My new favorite stout, not including imperials. Rogue is going up on the link list.

252 left to go. I will probably go back to the Waterfront Ale House after work today and add another couple.