Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Big Catchup
Before I go any further, get yourself over to Quality Meats and order one of these:
That's the rib steak and its awesome. Come hungry!
Back to the beer now. I have 5 bottles to throw into this update and that will put me up to date on this blog.
251) Tama no Megumi (Ishikawa) Bottle Conditioned Ale - The first is yet another bottle to come to us from Japan. I brought this back with me from my trip. I believe I purchased this at the tourism office in Shinjuku at the Gov't Office Building. The pour is a murky orange-brown tea color. The head does not last long and there seems to be a lot of carbonation in this one. Floral hops on the nose with malt dominated taste and a slightly bitter finish.
252) Hopf Helle Weiss - Our second beer of this review comes to us from Germany, courtesy of the Beer of the Month Club. This is a German hefeweizen with the classic aromas of banana and clove. These are very evident on the nose. Great flavors of peppery spice and wheat. Light bodied and easy to drink. Smooth, refreshing finish.
253) Presidente - I think this may be the last major beer I hadn't had before this year. It's always been around but I have never opted to try it. I had this one while having lunch at work, at a restaurant called It's a Dominican Thing, which was excellent. I wish I could say the same thing about this beer. It was a dead ringer for Budweiser, whose awful taste, like an intimate encounter in a prison shower with an inmate named Bubba, somehow never leaves the memory. I didn't bother to take a pic.
254) Odell Levity Amber Ale - Another one from the Club. Foamy head on the pour, which is clear copper color. Aromas are subtle, but maybe too much so. You get hints of bread, mainly, but just sit there smelling it, hoping to get more. Not much to this one. Drinkable and inoffensive, but bland. I will try it again after the other bottles have had time to sit, but I reckon this is one of those so-so microbrews that a macro fan tries and decides to stick to the usual stuff because its not very special.
255) Abbaye des Rocs Brune - With #255 also comes #450 for my career, so I wanted it to be something special. This beer is currently ranked #34 in the world on RateBeer and it is no surprise why. First of all, peep the new glassware, which my mom swiped for me from a local restaurant. What a mom! Now I can take photos of all my heavier beers in the proper glassware. The last 100 or so on my list is going to be a great run for sure. Anyways, back to this wonderful creation from Belgium. This beer had one of the thickest layers of yeast inside - you could probably age this one for some time before drinking it. Pours a deep reddish brown with an everlasting head. The aromas are so complex and heavenly it is hard to come up with the words for it. You could literally just sniff this all day and be satisfied. Look for hints of sweet caramel followed by all kinds of scents of dark stewed fruits. I'm talking raisins and plums. This is the beer to give to a wine drinker or a skeptic if they don't respect beer. Full bodied, with a subtly sweet taste followed by notes of wood. The finish lasts forever. The first sip makes you want to savor this beer slowly. The best I have tried this year and one of my top 5 all time, easily. If I had to wrap it up in one word it would be: indulgence.
So 255 down leaving 110 to go. Unbelieveable that I have come this far already. There is no stopping now. I will have a new one tonight, as I still have many bottles to work my way through. Because I sprung for Mets season tix and postseason tix, I am not going to any bars this week, I don't think.
Check back soon for the latest updates!
That's the rib steak and its awesome. Come hungry!
Back to the beer now. I have 5 bottles to throw into this update and that will put me up to date on this blog.
251) Tama no Megumi (Ishikawa) Bottle Conditioned Ale - The first is yet another bottle to come to us from Japan. I brought this back with me from my trip. I believe I purchased this at the tourism office in Shinjuku at the Gov't Office Building. The pour is a murky orange-brown tea color. The head does not last long and there seems to be a lot of carbonation in this one. Floral hops on the nose with malt dominated taste and a slightly bitter finish.
252) Hopf Helle Weiss - Our second beer of this review comes to us from Germany, courtesy of the Beer of the Month Club. This is a German hefeweizen with the classic aromas of banana and clove. These are very evident on the nose. Great flavors of peppery spice and wheat. Light bodied and easy to drink. Smooth, refreshing finish.
253) Presidente - I think this may be the last major beer I hadn't had before this year. It's always been around but I have never opted to try it. I had this one while having lunch at work, at a restaurant called It's a Dominican Thing, which was excellent. I wish I could say the same thing about this beer. It was a dead ringer for Budweiser, whose awful taste, like an intimate encounter in a prison shower with an inmate named Bubba, somehow never leaves the memory. I didn't bother to take a pic.
254) Odell Levity Amber Ale - Another one from the Club. Foamy head on the pour, which is clear copper color. Aromas are subtle, but maybe too much so. You get hints of bread, mainly, but just sit there smelling it, hoping to get more. Not much to this one. Drinkable and inoffensive, but bland. I will try it again after the other bottles have had time to sit, but I reckon this is one of those so-so microbrews that a macro fan tries and decides to stick to the usual stuff because its not very special.
255) Abbaye des Rocs Brune - With #255 also comes #450 for my career, so I wanted it to be something special. This beer is currently ranked #34 in the world on RateBeer and it is no surprise why. First of all, peep the new glassware, which my mom swiped for me from a local restaurant. What a mom! Now I can take photos of all my heavier beers in the proper glassware. The last 100 or so on my list is going to be a great run for sure. Anyways, back to this wonderful creation from Belgium. This beer had one of the thickest layers of yeast inside - you could probably age this one for some time before drinking it. Pours a deep reddish brown with an everlasting head. The aromas are so complex and heavenly it is hard to come up with the words for it. You could literally just sniff this all day and be satisfied. Look for hints of sweet caramel followed by all kinds of scents of dark stewed fruits. I'm talking raisins and plums. This is the beer to give to a wine drinker or a skeptic if they don't respect beer. Full bodied, with a subtly sweet taste followed by notes of wood. The finish lasts forever. The first sip makes you want to savor this beer slowly. The best I have tried this year and one of my top 5 all time, easily. If I had to wrap it up in one word it would be: indulgence.
So 255 down leaving 110 to go. Unbelieveable that I have come this far already. There is no stopping now. I will have a new one tonight, as I still have many bottles to work my way through. Because I sprung for Mets season tix and postseason tix, I am not going to any bars this week, I don't think.
Check back soon for the latest updates!
# posted by Nick @ 5:32 PM 
