Wednesday, June 28, 2006
BEHOLD!
Behold. This is going to be #365 for the year.
No label you say?
Look at the cap.
Yes the rumors are true. I have scored a bottle of Westvleteren 12.
WESTVLETEREN 12!!!!!!!!
This is the one that is ranked #1 beer of all time by both Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com users.
I will open it as the #365 beer of the year. I can't think of any other beer I would be more excited to try.
Falling behind
No, I'm not falling behind on my goal. That is going along just as planned. I am falling behind on my blogging lately!
I promised that I would write a food article next but since I don't have that set of pics with me at the moment, I will hold off on that until next time and go back to the beer.
Late Monday night I strolled into David Copperfield's and decided to have another beer to add to my list. The kitchen was closed so it was just Joe the bartender and a few locals/beer lovers. And me.
I sat myself down at the bar and ordered...
194) Oskar Blues Gordon - These guys brew out of Colorado. I've loved all the Oskar Blues output that I've tried thus far. This was no exception. I think they put out a lot of other beers but their main ones are this, the Old Chub, and Dale's Pale. This pours with a dark reddish-copper color with abundant floral hops aroma. There was actually a bit of a sweet malty taste to this to balance the hops. An amazingly easy drinking brew, you've gotta be careful because it is 9.2% alc and you won't be able to tell.
Gordon
Got another one after this...
195) Sixpoint Gemini - Sixpoint brews out of Brooklyn, and I think they have potential to give the Brooklyn Brewery a run for their money if they could get more recognition and distributorship. I couldn't find any information about this beer on the web so I assume its another new release from Sixpoint. As with the previous beer I had, its also a double IPA. As you can see, this was served in a goblet, indicating that its probably more potent than the Gordon. The head of this beer was nice and tall, long lasting with fine bubbles. I think this was a more typical style double IPA than the Gordon.
Sixpoint Gemini
195 down and 170 to go.
During my time at Copperfield's I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of the locals, Bill and Angelo, along with Joe the bartender. We talked about all kinds of things... beer, the World Cup, beer, life, travel, beer, what its like to work the bar and manage the taplist. I told them about my blog and hopefully I'll run into these guys again.
That's the great thing about good beer - it opens up the conversation and you get to meet all kinds of people, which I love to do.
Tonight and tomorrow I'm going to Copperfield's again. Tonight mainly for dinner, though I'll try at least one new beer, but tomorrow night they have the Captain Lawrence event, which I'm pretty excited about.
Back again soon.
I promised that I would write a food article next but since I don't have that set of pics with me at the moment, I will hold off on that until next time and go back to the beer.
Late Monday night I strolled into David Copperfield's and decided to have another beer to add to my list. The kitchen was closed so it was just Joe the bartender and a few locals/beer lovers. And me.
I sat myself down at the bar and ordered...
194) Oskar Blues Gordon - These guys brew out of Colorado. I've loved all the Oskar Blues output that I've tried thus far. This was no exception. I think they put out a lot of other beers but their main ones are this, the Old Chub, and Dale's Pale. This pours with a dark reddish-copper color with abundant floral hops aroma. There was actually a bit of a sweet malty taste to this to balance the hops. An amazingly easy drinking brew, you've gotta be careful because it is 9.2% alc and you won't be able to tell.
Gordon
Got another one after this...
195) Sixpoint Gemini - Sixpoint brews out of Brooklyn, and I think they have potential to give the Brooklyn Brewery a run for their money if they could get more recognition and distributorship. I couldn't find any information about this beer on the web so I assume its another new release from Sixpoint. As with the previous beer I had, its also a double IPA. As you can see, this was served in a goblet, indicating that its probably more potent than the Gordon. The head of this beer was nice and tall, long lasting with fine bubbles. I think this was a more typical style double IPA than the Gordon.
Sixpoint Gemini
195 down and 170 to go.
During my time at Copperfield's I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of the locals, Bill and Angelo, along with Joe the bartender. We talked about all kinds of things... beer, the World Cup, beer, life, travel, beer, what its like to work the bar and manage the taplist. I told them about my blog and hopefully I'll run into these guys again.
That's the great thing about good beer - it opens up the conversation and you get to meet all kinds of people, which I love to do.
Tonight and tomorrow I'm going to Copperfield's again. Tonight mainly for dinner, though I'll try at least one new beer, but tomorrow night they have the Captain Lawrence event, which I'm pretty excited about.
Back again soon.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
What in the Sam Hef?!
Back again with the latest beer update.
Raided my dad's fridge over the last weekend and took home 2 bottles from a Sam Adams summer variety case that I hadn't had before.
191) Samuel Adams Hefeweizen - Typical American style hef. Pour is cloudy, as you can see in the pic below. The pics on this site are about to get a lot better, but I'll explain later. I haven't really had an American hef that I have wanted to drink over and over again. The German styles are where its at.
Cloudy picture of a cloudy beer
Yesterday I bought a new digital camera. I got a Canon PowerShot SD450. I was going to get the SD600 but I didn't the extra mega-pixel was worth the extra money.
I feel kind of weird because I am now using the same camera as my friend Robyn (aka The Girl Who Ate Everything), and I feel like a copycat. I spent most of the time in the store staring at the camera thinking "uhhh... it's a good camera but... should I copy Robyn or tread another path?"
Why mess with success.
Had another new beer, mainly so I could test the new camera.
192) Schwelmer Pils - Awesome German pils. First, check out the nice pic below. The first pic I took with the new camera so maybe I didn't setup all the options yet but you can already see how much clearer it is than the others on this site. The aroma of this pils is subtle but there are definitely hints of crusty French bread. Very nice bitter finish.
HALLEJUJAH! A CLEAR PIC!
Also added another just a while ago:
193) Samuel Adams Pale Ale - This pale ale from Sam Adams is done in the English style and is made with Fuggles and Golding hops. Malty and hoppy, this is a well-balanced beer, but I wasn't overly impressed.
Sam Adams Pale Ale
193 down and 172 to go. This week I don't anticipate too much progress on the beer front, but like the New York Mets, I've got a comfortable lead.
Check back soon for a FOOD update!
Raided my dad's fridge over the last weekend and took home 2 bottles from a Sam Adams summer variety case that I hadn't had before.
191) Samuel Adams Hefeweizen - Typical American style hef. Pour is cloudy, as you can see in the pic below. The pics on this site are about to get a lot better, but I'll explain later. I haven't really had an American hef that I have wanted to drink over and over again. The German styles are where its at.
Cloudy picture of a cloudy beer
Yesterday I bought a new digital camera. I got a Canon PowerShot SD450. I was going to get the SD600 but I didn't the extra mega-pixel was worth the extra money.
I feel kind of weird because I am now using the same camera as my friend Robyn (aka The Girl Who Ate Everything), and I feel like a copycat. I spent most of the time in the store staring at the camera thinking "uhhh... it's a good camera but... should I copy Robyn or tread another path?"
Why mess with success.
Had another new beer, mainly so I could test the new camera.
192) Schwelmer Pils - Awesome German pils. First, check out the nice pic below. The first pic I took with the new camera so maybe I didn't setup all the options yet but you can already see how much clearer it is than the others on this site. The aroma of this pils is subtle but there are definitely hints of crusty French bread. Very nice bitter finish.
HALLEJUJAH! A CLEAR PIC!
Also added another just a while ago:
193) Samuel Adams Pale Ale - This pale ale from Sam Adams is done in the English style and is made with Fuggles and Golding hops. Malty and hoppy, this is a well-balanced beer, but I wasn't overly impressed.
Sam Adams Pale Ale
193 down and 172 to go. This week I don't anticipate too much progress on the beer front, but like the New York Mets, I've got a comfortable lead.
Check back soon for a FOOD update!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Huge World Tour Update
Haven't updated for a few days because I was being retarded and forgot to email myself the pictures I had taken.
I'm going to go through the Russian, Ukranian, and Czech beers I had recently. Some of them were decent, others... not so much.
Here goes:
185) Zolotaya Bochka Klassicheskoe - This was pretty basic and inoffensive for the most part. It's a Russian lager and the characteristics were pretty much the same as the others I had.
Glasnost!
186) Zolotaya Bochka Vyderzhannoe - This is a Vienna style lager. But it was kind of boring and not at all vibrant like the Brooklyn Lager. What I'm really trying to say is that its not a standout, but not a bad effort.
Bow to Mother Russia!
187) Slavutych Ekstra - We move from Russia to the Ukraine with this one. At first I thought this was a different beer because I couldn't understand the label but I finally figured it out. This is another pale lager, but of all the ones I had recently, its easily the standout. It's a serious challenger to Yuengling as the best lager I've had. Fuck that, this is better and I will be returning to the same supermarket to clean out their supply. Great everyday beer. Look at how good the pour looks below. Notice the tall head. Aroma was excellent all around. More complex than your average lager. Mouthfeel was smooth and the flavor was like dough before you bake it.
This beer rules.
188) BB Burgerbrau - After our brief detour in the Ukraine, we move to the Czech Republic. The actual name of this is "B.B. Originál Svetly Lezák Budweiser Bier" but I guess they can't use that in the states. Don't confuse this with the Bud we all know and hate either. This is a bohemian style pilsner. I had heard good things about this pils but I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. It's simple and certainly its nothing bad but I don't know... maybe I've been spoiled by the last couple of Pilsner Urquells I had which were on point. But you could do much worse than this in choosing a beer for the summer months.
The better Bud
189) Nova Paka Brou Czech 3.5 - From the land of great pilsners comes this dud. It was just awful and I wondered if they just filled the bottle with a Bud. In the brief seconds that the head lasted, I was able to snap this picture. The taste was just way, way off and the body was wimpy. Really disappointing.
This beer doesn't really deserve a clear picture, I guess.
190) Krusovice Imperial 12° - This concludes our trek through all things Czech. I wasn't planning on having another beer but after the debacle that was #189, I had to rectify it somewhat. This was much better than the previous entry, though it was just an average Czech pils. Typical of the style, nothing really stood out as particularly memorable here.
Krusovice Imperial 12°
So we are now at 190 beers leaving me 175 to go. I still have a slew of bottles to go through, and tonight there is an Avery Brewing event at the Hop Devil Grill, though I'm not sure if I will go to that or not. Only 10 more to hit 200 for the year!
I'm going to go through the Russian, Ukranian, and Czech beers I had recently. Some of them were decent, others... not so much.
Here goes:
185) Zolotaya Bochka Klassicheskoe - This was pretty basic and inoffensive for the most part. It's a Russian lager and the characteristics were pretty much the same as the others I had.
Glasnost!
186) Zolotaya Bochka Vyderzhannoe - This is a Vienna style lager. But it was kind of boring and not at all vibrant like the Brooklyn Lager. What I'm really trying to say is that its not a standout, but not a bad effort.
Bow to Mother Russia!
187) Slavutych Ekstra - We move from Russia to the Ukraine with this one. At first I thought this was a different beer because I couldn't understand the label but I finally figured it out. This is another pale lager, but of all the ones I had recently, its easily the standout. It's a serious challenger to Yuengling as the best lager I've had. Fuck that, this is better and I will be returning to the same supermarket to clean out their supply. Great everyday beer. Look at how good the pour looks below. Notice the tall head. Aroma was excellent all around. More complex than your average lager. Mouthfeel was smooth and the flavor was like dough before you bake it.
This beer rules.
188) BB Burgerbrau - After our brief detour in the Ukraine, we move to the Czech Republic. The actual name of this is "B.B. Originál Svetly Lezák Budweiser Bier" but I guess they can't use that in the states. Don't confuse this with the Bud we all know and hate either. This is a bohemian style pilsner. I had heard good things about this pils but I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. It's simple and certainly its nothing bad but I don't know... maybe I've been spoiled by the last couple of Pilsner Urquells I had which were on point. But you could do much worse than this in choosing a beer for the summer months.
The better Bud
189) Nova Paka Brou Czech 3.5 - From the land of great pilsners comes this dud. It was just awful and I wondered if they just filled the bottle with a Bud. In the brief seconds that the head lasted, I was able to snap this picture. The taste was just way, way off and the body was wimpy. Really disappointing.
This beer doesn't really deserve a clear picture, I guess.
190) Krusovice Imperial 12° - This concludes our trek through all things Czech. I wasn't planning on having another beer but after the debacle that was #189, I had to rectify it somewhat. This was much better than the previous entry, though it was just an average Czech pils. Typical of the style, nothing really stood out as particularly memorable here.
Krusovice Imperial 12°
So we are now at 190 beers leaving me 175 to go. I still have a slew of bottles to go through, and tonight there is an Avery Brewing event at the Hop Devil Grill, though I'm not sure if I will go to that or not. Only 10 more to hit 200 for the year!
Friday, June 16, 2006
Bring me my grog, wenches!
Last evening Big Daddy Cal and I returned to the Hop Devil Grill for their latest beer event. Middle Ages Brewing was on hand to showcase 5 of their beers, including a new release.
With the nice weather, they had some tables setup outside, but we elected to move to the inside as we usually do. The last time we came here it was still too cold to sit outside. I think that may have been a few months back.
We arrived a little before the kegs were tapped, so we put in our food orders and got our first beers. Wednesday night is also Kill the Keg night, and there were 4 beers available for $3 a pint. Tonight's choices were the Stoudt's American Pale Ale, Olde Saratoga Premium Lager, Chelsea Standard Ale, and PBR!
I first asked for the Olde Saratoga, but they took that down to get one of the Middle Ages beers up.
Then we both asked for the Stoudt's. Same deal.
KEGS WERE GOING UP!
The waiter brought back two pints of Chelsea Standard Ale, which I wasn't crazy about trying at the moment, so while Big Daddy Cal drank his, I sent mine back in exchange for:
179) North Coast Scrimshaw - A fine pilsener from California. Nice foamy head with faint grassy aroma. Very drinkable especially as the weather warms up.
Scrimshaw
Soon after our food arrived, the Middle Ages kegs were all tapped and ready to go!
We ordered the $16 flight, which looked like this:
Beer... one after the other
As you can see above, I was almost halfway done with the first one when I realized I needed to snap a picture.
I'll review them in the order in which they were consumed.
180) ImPaled Ale - Very aromatic - piney I would say. Cascade hops dominate the finish, so its pretty bitter on the finish.
BREAKING NEWS!
I GOT BEER!
Here I am at work and a co-worker I helped out on a major problem showed his appreciation today by bringing over a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Though it won't count towards my yearly total, its one of the best tokens of appreciation I've received on the job.
NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG!
181) The Duke Of Winship - The Duke is a porter. Big Daddy Cal didn't really like it, while I thought it was a decent porter with all the facets you are looking for in one. It has all the roasty aromas and flavors with some mild hop bitterness on the finish.
182) (XI) 11th Anniversary Ale - This is a new release, a double-wheat beer. I'm not a huge fan of the American Wheat style but this was ok, maybe becaue it was stronger than the norm.
183) Wailing Wench - With this beer I pass the halfway mark for my goal. This is a strong ale, similar to the Arrogant Bastard. Malty but with lots of hop bitterness in there as well.
184) (X) 10th Anniversary Ale - Struggled to finish because I was so full and drunk by this point. 10% alcohol, double IPA. Very intense and bitter. The finish lingerssssssss.
As we were finishing up, the bartender announced they were having a raffle. At some point the waiter dropped a bunch of tickets on the table and I split them up with Big Daddy Cal. There were 2 drawings, and guess who won the 2nd.
MEEEE!!!
Looky at what I won.
PRIZE!
I will probably push it up to 185 tonight (another Russian) and take it slow over the weekend. As I stand now, I have had 184 new beers this year and that leaves 181 to go.
BREAKING NEWS!
I GOT FREE LUNCH!
I saved the Vice President's PC and he's buying me lunch. Awesome.
Have a great weekend! LETS GO METS!
With the nice weather, they had some tables setup outside, but we elected to move to the inside as we usually do. The last time we came here it was still too cold to sit outside. I think that may have been a few months back.
We arrived a little before the kegs were tapped, so we put in our food orders and got our first beers. Wednesday night is also Kill the Keg night, and there were 4 beers available for $3 a pint. Tonight's choices were the Stoudt's American Pale Ale, Olde Saratoga Premium Lager, Chelsea Standard Ale, and PBR!
I first asked for the Olde Saratoga, but they took that down to get one of the Middle Ages beers up.
Then we both asked for the Stoudt's. Same deal.
KEGS WERE GOING UP!
The waiter brought back two pints of Chelsea Standard Ale, which I wasn't crazy about trying at the moment, so while Big Daddy Cal drank his, I sent mine back in exchange for:
179) North Coast Scrimshaw - A fine pilsener from California. Nice foamy head with faint grassy aroma. Very drinkable especially as the weather warms up.
Scrimshaw
Soon after our food arrived, the Middle Ages kegs were all tapped and ready to go!
We ordered the $16 flight, which looked like this:
Beer... one after the other
As you can see above, I was almost halfway done with the first one when I realized I needed to snap a picture.
I'll review them in the order in which they were consumed.
180) ImPaled Ale - Very aromatic - piney I would say. Cascade hops dominate the finish, so its pretty bitter on the finish.
BREAKING NEWS!
I GOT BEER!
Here I am at work and a co-worker I helped out on a major problem showed his appreciation today by bringing over a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Though it won't count towards my yearly total, its one of the best tokens of appreciation I've received on the job.
NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG!
181) The Duke Of Winship - The Duke is a porter. Big Daddy Cal didn't really like it, while I thought it was a decent porter with all the facets you are looking for in one. It has all the roasty aromas and flavors with some mild hop bitterness on the finish.
182) (XI) 11th Anniversary Ale - This is a new release, a double-wheat beer. I'm not a huge fan of the American Wheat style but this was ok, maybe becaue it was stronger than the norm.
183) Wailing Wench - With this beer I pass the halfway mark for my goal. This is a strong ale, similar to the Arrogant Bastard. Malty but with lots of hop bitterness in there as well.
184) (X) 10th Anniversary Ale - Struggled to finish because I was so full and drunk by this point. 10% alcohol, double IPA. Very intense and bitter. The finish lingerssssssss.
As we were finishing up, the bartender announced they were having a raffle. At some point the waiter dropped a bunch of tickets on the table and I split them up with Big Daddy Cal. There were 2 drawings, and guess who won the 2nd.
MEEEE!!!
Looky at what I won.
PRIZE!
I will probably push it up to 185 tonight (another Russian) and take it slow over the weekend. As I stand now, I have had 184 new beers this year and that leaves 181 to go.
BREAKING NEWS!
I GOT FREE LUNCH!
I saved the Vice President's PC and he's buying me lunch. Awesome.
Have a great weekend! LETS GO METS!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Time to get Medieval
No, I am not going to Medieval Times.
There is a beer event going on tonight, but more on that later. First I must get into the latest beer to add to my list:
178) Yachmenniy Kolos Zolotoe - This is brewed in Russia by Ochakovo, same brewer of another recent beer I had. I thought this was a little better. As with the others, the pour generated a thick foamy head. The aroma was of grains but it was faint. Very similar in taste to the other Russians I had recently, not much complexity.
You will drink for Mother Russia
Okay, so that's 178 with 187 to go. I expect to pass the halfway mark for the year tonight at the Hop Devil Grill, where Middle Ages Brewing will stop by with 5 of their beers. Check back for a full report tomorrow.
There is a beer event going on tonight, but more on that later. First I must get into the latest beer to add to my list:
178) Yachmenniy Kolos Zolotoe - This is brewed in Russia by Ochakovo, same brewer of another recent beer I had. I thought this was a little better. As with the others, the pour generated a thick foamy head. The aroma was of grains but it was faint. Very similar in taste to the other Russians I had recently, not much complexity.
You will drink for Mother Russia
Okay, so that's 178 with 187 to go. I expect to pass the halfway mark for the year tonight at the Hop Devil Grill, where Middle Ages Brewing will stop by with 5 of their beers. Check back for a full report tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Glasnost
The Russian term glasnost means "openness" and that is really the theme of this year's beer adventure. To be open to all kinds of new beer and open to debate about each one.
Here's the latest I had, in keeping with the Russian theme:
177) Zhigulevskoye (Samara) - The actual brewery is named "OAO Zhigulovskiy Pivo-Byezalkogolniy Kombinat". Samara is the city in Russia where this is from. The head is nice and fluffy, and the aroma is just like that of a Heineken. In fact, if you switched this out with a Heineken in a blind taste test you might not be able to tell the difference. I thought this had a more pleasant finish though. Not bad and for the price I got it, maybe I'll get a few more to keep on hand for the summer months.
Is official drink of KGB... not really.
That's 177 down and 188 to go. I would do the math all in Russian but I would probably just screw it up. Tonight's plan is to have yet another Russian lager, in keeping with the theme, with a possible visit out to one of the bars tomorrow night.
Here's the latest I had, in keeping with the Russian theme:
177) Zhigulevskoye (Samara) - The actual brewery is named "OAO Zhigulovskiy Pivo-Byezalkogolniy Kombinat". Samara is the city in Russia where this is from. The head is nice and fluffy, and the aroma is just like that of a Heineken. In fact, if you switched this out with a Heineken in a blind taste test you might not be able to tell the difference. I thought this had a more pleasant finish though. Not bad and for the price I got it, maybe I'll get a few more to keep on hand for the summer months.
Is official drink of KGB... not really.
That's 177 down and 188 to go. I would do the math all in Russian but I would probably just screw it up. Tonight's plan is to have yet another Russian lager, in keeping with the theme, with a possible visit out to one of the bars tomorrow night.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Farewell to the Cracka
Before we begin, check out this website, the International Beer Liberation Front. Support the cause and do your part to liberate as much beer as possible, whether it be bottles or cans, casks or kegs!
Well Cracka is heading to the west coast, so this weekend we held a little farewell dinner and drinking thing to send him off on his merry way.
This weekend was also a good one to be a Mets fan, watching them drub the Diamondbacks. The Braves are way back now, and I don't know if they have what it takes to catch the Mets this year.
My new policy, which I will try to uphold, is to get a picture of every new beer I try. Since I didn't have the camera at Cracka's farewell bash, I just drank stuff I already had before.
Here's one from the past that I didn't get a picture of last time. It is the River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale, and it was beer #149 on the year.
#149
Now this weekend due to a lack of funds mainly, I decided to work over some of the bottles I have in the fridge.
First one up was:
174) Hair of the Dog Rose - This Belgian inspired brew comes to us all the way from Portland, Oregon. Hair of the Dog is a highly regarded microbrewer and this is the first beer I've been able to try from them. This is in the tripel style. You can see that this beer has a thick, apple cider-like appearance. It's cloudy and opaque. Rather sweet with a cotton candy finish. Overall I liked it but I have had better in the style.
Hair of the Dog Rose
175) Heavyweight Stickenjab Alt Bier - Beer #175 comes to us from New Jersey. This is an altbier and only the 2nd one that I've had. I'd like to have a few from Germany but I will say I rather enjoyed this. It had a sweet caramel aroma and better depth of flavor than the Tuckerman I had a while back.
Heavyweight Stickenjab
Yesterday I stopped at another supermarket close to my house, but in the Russian section. I bought 9 new bottles of assorted Russian, Ukranian, and Czech beers. Expect to see a little glasnost spirit on toomuchbeer.com for the next week.
I opened one of them with dinner last night.
176) Ochakovo Zhigulevskoe - Apparently a "zhigulevskoe" is a style of Russian lager. Pours a pale gold with a fluffy head that dissipates quickly. Taste and aroma is that of sweet corn. Finish was... buttery?
Vodka this ain't.
No beer for me today, as its a gym day, but I will have more Russian beer for you this week.
Here are the stats:
176 new beers down and 189 to go.
Well Cracka is heading to the west coast, so this weekend we held a little farewell dinner and drinking thing to send him off on his merry way.
This weekend was also a good one to be a Mets fan, watching them drub the Diamondbacks. The Braves are way back now, and I don't know if they have what it takes to catch the Mets this year.
My new policy, which I will try to uphold, is to get a picture of every new beer I try. Since I didn't have the camera at Cracka's farewell bash, I just drank stuff I already had before.
Here's one from the past that I didn't get a picture of last time. It is the River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale, and it was beer #149 on the year.
#149
Now this weekend due to a lack of funds mainly, I decided to work over some of the bottles I have in the fridge.
First one up was:
174) Hair of the Dog Rose - This Belgian inspired brew comes to us all the way from Portland, Oregon. Hair of the Dog is a highly regarded microbrewer and this is the first beer I've been able to try from them. This is in the tripel style. You can see that this beer has a thick, apple cider-like appearance. It's cloudy and opaque. Rather sweet with a cotton candy finish. Overall I liked it but I have had better in the style.
Hair of the Dog Rose
175) Heavyweight Stickenjab Alt Bier - Beer #175 comes to us from New Jersey. This is an altbier and only the 2nd one that I've had. I'd like to have a few from Germany but I will say I rather enjoyed this. It had a sweet caramel aroma and better depth of flavor than the Tuckerman I had a while back.
Heavyweight Stickenjab
Yesterday I stopped at another supermarket close to my house, but in the Russian section. I bought 9 new bottles of assorted Russian, Ukranian, and Czech beers. Expect to see a little glasnost spirit on toomuchbeer.com for the next week.
I opened one of them with dinner last night.
176) Ochakovo Zhigulevskoe - Apparently a "zhigulevskoe" is a style of Russian lager. Pours a pale gold with a fluffy head that dissipates quickly. Taste and aroma is that of sweet corn. Finish was... buttery?
Vodka this ain't.
No beer for me today, as its a gym day, but I will have more Russian beer for you this week.
Here are the stats:
176 new beers down and 189 to go.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Utenos Porter
As promised I had another new one last night.
173) Utenos Porter - This is a Baltic porter from Lithuania. Only the 2nd Baltic I've had and I have to say up front that this is nowhere near as good as the Perkuno's Hammer from NJ. The pour is dark but against the light its not as opaque as I would have expected. Head dissipates quickly. The nose is all sweet caramel. The taste of the beer is also quite sweet, leaning towards the syrupy side, with raisins and other dark fruits being the primary flavors here. You can also taste the alcohol on the finish.
Why does this photo look like it was taken in 1975?
Tonight I'll have another, as it stands now I am at 173 with 192 to go. At some point I need to get more proper glassware for all these different styles of beer.
173) Utenos Porter - This is a Baltic porter from Lithuania. Only the 2nd Baltic I've had and I have to say up front that this is nowhere near as good as the Perkuno's Hammer from NJ. The pour is dark but against the light its not as opaque as I would have expected. Head dissipates quickly. The nose is all sweet caramel. The taste of the beer is also quite sweet, leaning towards the syrupy side, with raisins and other dark fruits being the primary flavors here. You can also taste the alcohol on the finish.
Why does this photo look like it was taken in 1975?
Tonight I'll have another, as it stands now I am at 173 with 192 to go. At some point I need to get more proper glassware for all these different styles of beer.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Gavroche
Here's the latest on the beer front:
172) Gavroche - This bottle was received via the Beer of the Month club. I have to remind myself to check on how many months I have left, because my subscription is probably expiring soon and I don't want to miss any months. Anyways... this is from France and is a Biere de Garde which translates to "beer for keeping." This is also the first of the style that I've had, so I've really got nothing to compare it to. As you can see from the picture the first thing I noticed (and I had been warned about this style) is the huge foamy head. It takes forever to go down. The color of the beer is a nice copper. Aromas are yeasty, which reminds one of a Belgian ale, but there is some earthy qualities to it as well. At 8.5% alc. it looks to contain a little more than others in the style, and you can definitely taste it. Overall I enjoyed this and hopefully over the next two bottles I will be able to learn a little more about the nuances of this style.
Gavroche
172 down and 193 to go. Tonight my plan is to open a porter but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out which one it is.
172) Gavroche - This bottle was received via the Beer of the Month club. I have to remind myself to check on how many months I have left, because my subscription is probably expiring soon and I don't want to miss any months. Anyways... this is from France and is a Biere de Garde which translates to "beer for keeping." This is also the first of the style that I've had, so I've really got nothing to compare it to. As you can see from the picture the first thing I noticed (and I had been warned about this style) is the huge foamy head. It takes forever to go down. The color of the beer is a nice copper. Aromas are yeasty, which reminds one of a Belgian ale, but there is some earthy qualities to it as well. At 8.5% alc. it looks to contain a little more than others in the style, and you can definitely taste it. Overall I enjoyed this and hopefully over the next two bottles I will be able to learn a little more about the nuances of this style.
Gavroche
172 down and 193 to go. Tonight my plan is to open a porter but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out which one it is.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Westside Brewing Company
Please excuse me, as two of the beers on today's update are photoless, as I didn't have the bulky ol' digital with me at the time.
This Saturday I popped in mid-day to the Westside Brewing Company for lunch. The visit was unplanned and I kind of stumbled upon it whilst looking for a place. At first, I wasn't going to have any new beers, specifically because I didn't have the camera, but I figured why waste a good opportunity to further my goal.
I sat at the bar, there was plenty of space. For food, I ordered a cheesesteak, which was ok. The onion rings were decent though.
The name "Westside Brewing Company" is a misnomer, as they are not a brewpub, nor do they even make their own "house beer." The house beers are all made by the Chelsea Brewing Company.
Nonetheless, the tap selection is decent, and the bottled list looked like it had some good stuff on it.
The first beer I had was:
169) Brooklyn Light Ale - When trying numerous beers in one sitting, always try the lighter stuff first. Don't start with an imperial stout then work backwards to something like this, as it will kill the flavors. Anyways, this is a good alternate for other light beers. There is actually some body to this unlike the piss water most people drink.
Ended my stay here with:
170) Sixpoint Black Soul - This is a nice porter also brewed in Brooklyn, NY. Lots of roasty, chocolately aromas. A little hop bitterness on the finish. Nice beer overall.
At home on Saturday night I opened a new bottle:
171) Atwater Dunkel - Since I was at home, I got a photo of this one. This is from a brewpub in Detroit, and I received the bottle as part of a Beer of the Month club shipment. Dunkel means dark in German, and this is a lager style. I'm not crazy about dunkels. I don't think I've had one that has endeared itself to me. I don't really like the sweetness here.
Atwater Dunkel
Yesterday on the way home I picked up 6 new bottles from Whole Foods, so I have a total of 16 bottles at home ready to be added to the list. That should at least get me through the halfway mark.
As it stands, I'm at 171 new beers for the year and 194 to go. Today is a no-alcohol day so check back later this week.
This Saturday I popped in mid-day to the Westside Brewing Company for lunch. The visit was unplanned and I kind of stumbled upon it whilst looking for a place. At first, I wasn't going to have any new beers, specifically because I didn't have the camera, but I figured why waste a good opportunity to further my goal.
I sat at the bar, there was plenty of space. For food, I ordered a cheesesteak, which was ok. The onion rings were decent though.
The name "Westside Brewing Company" is a misnomer, as they are not a brewpub, nor do they even make their own "house beer." The house beers are all made by the Chelsea Brewing Company.
Nonetheless, the tap selection is decent, and the bottled list looked like it had some good stuff on it.
The first beer I had was:
169) Brooklyn Light Ale - When trying numerous beers in one sitting, always try the lighter stuff first. Don't start with an imperial stout then work backwards to something like this, as it will kill the flavors. Anyways, this is a good alternate for other light beers. There is actually some body to this unlike the piss water most people drink.
Ended my stay here with:
170) Sixpoint Black Soul - This is a nice porter also brewed in Brooklyn, NY. Lots of roasty, chocolately aromas. A little hop bitterness on the finish. Nice beer overall.
At home on Saturday night I opened a new bottle:
171) Atwater Dunkel - Since I was at home, I got a photo of this one. This is from a brewpub in Detroit, and I received the bottle as part of a Beer of the Month club shipment. Dunkel means dark in German, and this is a lager style. I'm not crazy about dunkels. I don't think I've had one that has endeared itself to me. I don't really like the sweetness here.
Atwater Dunkel
Yesterday on the way home I picked up 6 new bottles from Whole Foods, so I have a total of 16 bottles at home ready to be added to the list. That should at least get me through the halfway mark.
As it stands, I'm at 171 new beers for the year and 194 to go. Today is a no-alcohol day so check back later this week.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Chelsea Brewing Company
Last night I met up with Big Daddy Cal and we headed to the Chelsea Brewing Company at where else but Chelsea Piers.
Chelsea Brewing Company is the only real brewpub in New York City. Meaning that they do all the production on-site. Heartland used to do this, but they have since moved their production facilities off-site and everything you see in their restaurants are decorations.
I will say that while it is the best brewpub in the city, Manhattan deserves a lot better. Someplace with the quality and reputation of the Southhampton Publick House out on the east end of Long Island. Hopefully some rich beer lover will wake up and open such an establishment.
Anyways, back to the Chelsea Brewing Co.
It is located at Pier 59 by the driving range. I had been there once before in 98 or 99 after hitting some balls with my dad. Back then I hadn't had more than a handful of beers, and I just had one pint of the Checker Cab Blonde.
Last night Chelsea was offering 7 beers, but they were out of the spring wheat so the sampler only consisted of 6 brews, pictured below:
Labeled. For your convenience.
I started at the bottom left and worked my way around, so the first one up didn't count towards my goal, but I will write about it anyways.
The Checker Cab Blonde Ale is one of Chelsea's year round brews, made in the German kolsch style. I've only had a few of this style, so I can't definitively say how it stacks up against the competition but it is a nice, crisp, easy drinking ale and perfect for the summer. It's rather light-bodied with somewhat of a citrusy finish. If I came here on a nice day, and was sitting out on the deck by the marina outside I would order one of these. Better than a Corona anyday.
The rest of the beers on the sampler were all new to me, so here goes:
164) Chelsea Blackberry Wheat - Chelsea always has a fruit/wheat beer available. Today it was the blackberry and you could indeed taste it right up front. However it was too cloying for my taste.
165) Chelsea Piers 10th Anniversary Abbey Ale - Chelsea's version of a belgian style ale. Tastes malty with some spice notes in there. Not a bad try but there is too much going on and nothing really brings it into balance.
166) Chelsea Sunset Red Ale - Now this I really liked. Any drinkers of Killians should take note and get this into your rotation instead. Nice balance between the caramel malt taste and hops. I could really drink this all day. Chelsea really did a great job on this. As a bonus, this is available year round. If you see it on draft around town, give it a try.
167) Chelsea Hop Angel IPA - If you like your IPAs to be intensely bitter, then this is right up your alley. I like bitter IPAs but the finish was a bit coarse on this. That I could deal with, but my main peeve here is that I couldn't discern any kind of malt whatsoever so the beer was not balanced at all. Very unrefined. I will say this though. I have had worse IPAs. At least it has the intense hoppiness going for it. Better to have that than an IPA without any character whatsoever. I just don't like when brewers play it safe, so kudos to Chelsea for actually trying.
168) Chelsea Gotham Stout - This was the final beer out of the sampler. This stout was hoppy. I bet the IBUs on this are sky-high, though because stouts are so malty you never notice. But this one definitely had an interesting kick to it. Bit of a different aroma on this one as well, due to the prevalance of the hops. It had the typical chocolate notes but with a piney element.
We both liked the stout so we each ordered a pint, pictured here in all its glory.
The logo shows through!
Well, some nice progress was made yesterday, bringing my total for the year to 168. That leaves me with less than 200 new beers to try for the year, 197 to be exact.
The next milestone will be #183, as that will mean I'm more than 50% done. Tonight is a gym night but I imagine I'll have one or two new ones this weekend.
Chelsea Brewing Company is the only real brewpub in New York City. Meaning that they do all the production on-site. Heartland used to do this, but they have since moved their production facilities off-site and everything you see in their restaurants are decorations.
I will say that while it is the best brewpub in the city, Manhattan deserves a lot better. Someplace with the quality and reputation of the Southhampton Publick House out on the east end of Long Island. Hopefully some rich beer lover will wake up and open such an establishment.
Anyways, back to the Chelsea Brewing Co.
It is located at Pier 59 by the driving range. I had been there once before in 98 or 99 after hitting some balls with my dad. Back then I hadn't had more than a handful of beers, and I just had one pint of the Checker Cab Blonde.
Last night Chelsea was offering 7 beers, but they were out of the spring wheat so the sampler only consisted of 6 brews, pictured below:
Labeled. For your convenience.
I started at the bottom left and worked my way around, so the first one up didn't count towards my goal, but I will write about it anyways.
The Checker Cab Blonde Ale is one of Chelsea's year round brews, made in the German kolsch style. I've only had a few of this style, so I can't definitively say how it stacks up against the competition but it is a nice, crisp, easy drinking ale and perfect for the summer. It's rather light-bodied with somewhat of a citrusy finish. If I came here on a nice day, and was sitting out on the deck by the marina outside I would order one of these. Better than a Corona anyday.
The rest of the beers on the sampler were all new to me, so here goes:
164) Chelsea Blackberry Wheat - Chelsea always has a fruit/wheat beer available. Today it was the blackberry and you could indeed taste it right up front. However it was too cloying for my taste.
165) Chelsea Piers 10th Anniversary Abbey Ale - Chelsea's version of a belgian style ale. Tastes malty with some spice notes in there. Not a bad try but there is too much going on and nothing really brings it into balance.
166) Chelsea Sunset Red Ale - Now this I really liked. Any drinkers of Killians should take note and get this into your rotation instead. Nice balance between the caramel malt taste and hops. I could really drink this all day. Chelsea really did a great job on this. As a bonus, this is available year round. If you see it on draft around town, give it a try.
167) Chelsea Hop Angel IPA - If you like your IPAs to be intensely bitter, then this is right up your alley. I like bitter IPAs but the finish was a bit coarse on this. That I could deal with, but my main peeve here is that I couldn't discern any kind of malt whatsoever so the beer was not balanced at all. Very unrefined. I will say this though. I have had worse IPAs. At least it has the intense hoppiness going for it. Better to have that than an IPA without any character whatsoever. I just don't like when brewers play it safe, so kudos to Chelsea for actually trying.
168) Chelsea Gotham Stout - This was the final beer out of the sampler. This stout was hoppy. I bet the IBUs on this are sky-high, though because stouts are so malty you never notice. But this one definitely had an interesting kick to it. Bit of a different aroma on this one as well, due to the prevalance of the hops. It had the typical chocolate notes but with a piney element.
We both liked the stout so we each ordered a pint, pictured here in all its glory.
The logo shows through!
Well, some nice progress was made yesterday, bringing my total for the year to 168. That leaves me with less than 200 new beers to try for the year, 197 to be exact.
The next milestone will be #183, as that will mean I'm more than 50% done. Tonight is a gym night but I imagine I'll have one or two new ones this weekend.
