Don’t Dump It!

[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.29.10 under Rants, Tasting

Excuse me for a moment.

WTF is it with people that dump relatively high quality beers, calling them “undrinkable”?

OK So you might not prefer that particular offering. But there’s no way you’re telling me that this particular beer is “undrinkable”. I’d say that so many years of history demonstrates that the beer in question is totally drinkable. Maybe you are just too jaded to appreciate its subtleties, or maybe the bottle you got hadn’t been treated as well as possible, but I assure you that beer is not undrinkable.

Next time before you take to the keyboard, log onto BeerAdvocate, and decry a beer you don’t like as undrinkable and a complete drain pour…stop. Maybe I have low beer standards (I don’t think that I do) but there are so few beers that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many) that I actually had to dump because I couldn’t finish it.

Actually I can think of one. Consider this: the first Rodenbach Grand Cru I ever had, I dumped the latter half of the bottle because I found it “undrinkable”. Which obviously just meant I couldn’t handle it, or in other words the mouth-puckering sour tartness was not for me at the time. I found it undrinkable in the moment I was trying to drink it. But even so, I gave it a fair chance, nursing it for nearly an hour, waiting for my tastes to magically acclimate to this new form of “beer”.

These days, a Rodenbach Grand Cru would be welcome here any time. Turns out it isn’t “undrinkable” – it was just not in favor at the time I originally tasted it.

Look, even Natty Ice, Nasty as it may sound, is not “undrinkable”. Even the most “undrinkable” beer you could think of (for me it’s Rolling Rock) is someone’s favorite beer. So save your irrational discarding for something that’s actually inedible, like spoiled milk or moldy vegetables, but for Christ’s sake just drink the Goddamned beer!

Questioning the Wisdom

[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.14.10 under Brewing, Tasting

My Glass of Anchor Christmas 2007Maybe I have become too confident. Maybe it’s boredom… I just don’t know what inspired me to try to copy a beer that I don’t even really like all that much. I mean Anchor’s Our Special Ale is a true American classic, released once a year in time for the holidays, and somewhat different each year. Time after time it’s basically a black beer with trees added to it. I’ve written about it before, and I’ve liked it, but these days, this is not exactly my kind of thing. However, it is a classic, so I always get at least one sixer, just to have it.

One time, I think it was December of 2008, approaching the start of my third year of brewing, I got the idea that OSA was really pretty similar to what you’d get if you took a porter and used a Bavarian wheat beer yeast to ferment it.

Read the rest of this entry…

Dundee Mix Pack

[ No Comments ] Posted on 01.22.10 under Tasting

When you’re value shopping, you come across tough choices.

I ended up with a Dundee mixer 12-pack for $10.99. One dollar cheaper than the Red Hoook $11.99 special (I already used the $5 rebate, so that doesn’t count any more). Worth a shot for the Dundee.

Plus it’s a mix pack, two each of six different beer styles. IPA, Pale Ale, Porter, Wheat, Pale Bock, and the immortal Honey Brown. At least it’s a variety, and if one is terrible, little is lost. Besides, who could predict which would be the best? Mix packs like this satisfy the ticker in me.

Read the rest of this entry…

Bison Honey Basil

[ No Comments ] Posted on 12.28.09 under Free Beer, Tasting

I have to admit that I have had some guilt over this one for a while.

One day, I got an email from a brewery seeking a media outlet for their beer. And I was it. I love that kind of thing. I don’t get it every day. Or really every month. Or even quarterly. So I had in the mail a pair of bottles of beer and some marketing info. I’d given the expectation to the brewery that I’d review the beer online. But yet I never found that “right time” to “formally review” the beer. I drank one of them right away, and formed my initial impressions, and then the second has sat in my fridge since then. It’s been probably about six months since I first tried this summer special from the certified organic Bison brewery from California.

Now, finally, I have got the guts up to write up this one.

Read the rest of this entry…

What Kind of Beer is That?

[ No Comments ] Posted on 12.02.09 under Alcohol, Barley Wine, Brewing, IPA, Style Profile, Tasting

IIPA or Barley WineI pull a half-pint of my latest monster – a 10% ABV beer, pale in color, with a moderately high bitterness and lots of late hops. A huge nose of Amarillo and Centennial hits me right away – floral citrus notes assault me like Coltrane’s Sun Ship. Then I take a sip. Bitterness is not that strong, and alcohol dominates the flavor. This beer was meant to be an IIPA. But now I am not so sure.

Read the rest of this entry…

My Favorite Part

[ No Comments ] Posted on 11.02.09 under Brewing, IPA, Kegging, Stout, Tasting

Kegging has got to be my favorite part of the whole brewing process. Or bottling for that matter, if that’s all you got.

The punch line is that this is the time when I first taste what has transformed from wort to beer. I learn the alcohol content, and I get to do rudimentary quality checks on the finished product.

At kegging, I can tell if it has basically come out OK. Plus I get very close to cold homemade beer. And somewhat close to cold carbonated homemade beer. These are the reasons for the pursuit of the passion. Cold carbonated homemade beer is what it’s all about.

When you strip away the chemistry, creativity, and process, what is left is beer. That’s what’s so great about it all. Not only do you get a great activity to while away a Saturday afternoon, but you also get a whole ton of beer to drink.

For what it’s worth, the IIPA came out 10.1% ABV (FG 1.013), still has a hot alcohol aroma and flavor, that I’m sure will mellow with cold and carbonation. I also expect the hop aroma and flavor to emerge in the next week or so.

The RIS came out at 10.5% ABV (FG 1.020), and good solid stout all around. A bit hot, too, at room temp. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t guess it got any oak if I didn’t know it, but it still looks to finish in a very satisfactory state that’s sure to ensure its demise way before its’ time.

On Lists

[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 10.16.09 under Stories, Stout, Tasting

When it comes to things that other people like, I go back and forth. At times, the popular seems petty, but then at other times, I fall for that shit right away.

One of my favorite things that are also other people’s favorites is lists, like top ten lists. Perhaps this fascination started in high school when I was first able to stay up late enough to see Mr. David Letterman’s top ten lists. Of course, now I can’t manage to make it to any post-prime time shows, given the kids and all. But I still find a soft spot in my heart and mind for top ten-style lists.

So what does this have to do with beer? I forgot.

Read the rest of this entry…

Michelob Pale Ale

[ No Comments ] Posted on 10.06.09 under Tasting

You might assume that by the nature of this blog and the name of the post that there’s about to be a hateful rant going on here. Like how can this giant behemoth of a “brewer” dare to make a “pale ale”.

WRONG.

Read the rest of this entry…

Theobroma

[ No Comments ] Posted on 09.28.09 under Tasting

theobroma_labelI love Sam Calagione. I love Dogfish Head beers. I love off-centered ales, and I suppose that makes me an off-centered person. Though I feel that since my back has stopped hurting, I’ve been pretty well symmetric.

Ever since I first heard of Theobroma, I’ve been eager to try it. Like all the DFH historically influenced brews, the back story is just too good to ignore. It’s brilliant, really. Like who the hell would intentionally put chocolate, chiles, honey, and annato (whatever that is) into the same bottle with malt hops and yeast?

Read the rest of this entry…

Mystic Bridge IPA

[ No Comments ] Posted on 09.08.09 under Cottrell, IPA, News, Tasting

At long last, Charlie Buffum has come out with a companion beer for the great Cottrell Old Yankee Ale!

I thought the idea had been kicking around a while over there across town in Pawcatuck. And then the other day I happened past Chris Keppel (the sales guy) on the street in downtown Mystic. He was wearing a shirt with something about Mystic Drawbridge beer. I was curious, but he was with someone and I didn’t bother him.

Read the rest of this entry…

« Previous Entries