A little timeout for Great Lakes

Beer Log: April 1, 2012

State: At the TGIF at the Pittsburgh airport

After choking down a Budweiser at the US Airways club, I figured it would be better to pay for a good beer than get a Bud for free.

Great Lakes Burning River

Clear amber with a big white head. Nice cascady grass nose. Great light hops and malt. Perfect marriage of the two with no corn or butter. It's beauty, is in it's simplicity. As clean as the Shiner Wild Hare but gives you a lot more flavor. 4 stars.

Back in Town, DVR Marathon

Just loved the trip with the family to Central Florida. Lot's of great beer in Walt Disney World Resort. A brewpub, a couple of beer bars, a good cigar bar. Not to mention I found some decent beering out on the town. Anyway, I'm back home and will probably just spend a few hours recapping all the beering and travelling I've done this year since I haven't had the chance to do more than microblog (@beerbrotha) much this year.

But I'm back here with the wife at the house and we doing a DVR marathon. While we are here, we are going to hit some good beers in the cellar.

Boulevard 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Enjoying this in my Stella Artois goblet. Yes I know Bully's anniversary is a year ago and one should probably drink a fresh hop beer as soon as you get it. Moving on. Amber color and kind of cloudy with a huge tan head. Nose has a huge flowery hop head. Just awesome. I get a pinch of chalk just before a rush a great caramel and grassy hop goodness. The beer is rather simply done with a nice caramel malt (reminds me of bread pudding or something with that caramel topping) and with another sip I get a pine cone thing going on. Must have been all the pine trees in the Magic Kingdom influencing me. The mouthfeel is still a chalky yet finishes incredibly dry, which begs you to have another. Low 4 stars. Probably would be all aces if I drank it immediately. Won't let that happen with the next round.

...and later on

Saint Somewhere Lectio Divina

Sounds divine? Smell that jolly rancher once we pop the cork. Ruby amber color with a highly effervescent rapidly dissipating head. Taste has a moderate sourness with a regular old school bubble gum taste. It has a nice moderate caramel to it. It's like someone took a red jolly rancher and cherry coke (two things I typically don't like) and made a beer out of it. Very nice. High 3 Stars.

It's a Firestone Walker Night

After hanging out all over San Francisco, I picked up a party pack of Firestone Walker Beers. We were very fired up to find this beer at the BevMo over on Van Ness. I gave a couple bottles of DBA to @Davewantbeer, and the rest is for Dad.

Beer Log: Right now
State: hungry, still a little stressed. Eating Pork chops and applesauce

Firestone Walker Solace
Lightly cloudy straw colored beer with white head in my Alamo Drafthouse shaker glass. Beer tastes of a great strong veggie and malt, and this one tastes rather sweet. Pretty smooth with a lagery taste yet ale feel to it. Don't really notice the 6% ABV. Very tasty that could go with a variety of foods. I wouldn't be surprised if some folks hated on this beer b/c it's kinda Cream Ale like. Great fruity and clove flavor reminiscent of some of those great Belgian beers you find out there. May be some wheat in there as well. Looking on their website I see they have seven different malts in this one. And it meshes just really well. I could drink an insane amount of this beer. 4 stars.

After all that goodness, actually taking it down a couple notches in alcohol with the

Firestone Walker Pale 31
You know this is a very interesting logo, with the lion on the left and the bear on the right. Looks like a kickass soccer jersey shield. Oh that smells great. Brilliantly clear, great hop and malt nose. Taste has a great musty bread thing going on. Has a soda/bitter type of hops flavor. Good crystal malt coming through early on. I like the subtle strength, the crispness, and whatnot. But we'll see. 3 Stars.

After setting up the Christmas tree and whatnot...

Firestone Walker Union Jack
This beer is what I heard about so much from the Brewing Network as their 2009 Beer of the Year if I recall. Excellent strong malt with balanced citra hops. Once again, perfectly clear with a poofy off-white head. Unreal flavor. strong malt and hops, though not too cloying. I can see this as the lighter end of a double IPA. Knocked it out the park with the caramel malt, maybe even a touch of roast. Moderate bitterness at the back of the tongue and the hops are not so strong that they punch you in the junk. I'm going to give this the big 5 stars. That one along with the Maui's Coconut Porter are just stealing the show from all the beer I smuggled from San Fran.

And speaking of Fire. I've never heard a sportstalk guy on as much fire as Chad Dukes after the Redskins lost 59-28 to the Eagles.

Sun King Osiris

Picked this up in Indianapolis:

Beer Log: Right now
State: Just taking a break from fixing the car

Sun King Osiris

Shows up in a pint can (that's right cans). Lord knows it was expensive enough at $12 a 4-pack at the United Package Liquors. Drinking this out of the my BN Army glass. Amber color with a huge head. Very clear. Nose is an acidic grassy hops, probably cascade. Loving the light malt sticking out in there. Great hop forward balance, but not too strong. Very drinkable. Light caramel/bready malt and a great moderately citrus malt. Could stand up with the Ranger Creek OPA for my new favorite session pale ale. Low 4 stars.

A Pale Ale

Beer Log: Right now
State: Cleaning the kitchen

Moylan's Tipperary Pale Ale
Clear amber color with slightly tan somewhat bubbly head. Has a good caramel malt to the smell. Moderate hops with a good caramel malt. I get hints of chocolate somewhere in there. This one is just a notch above the stronger ambers I've had. Kind of a good break from all the Imperial beer I've been knocking down. Beer has an icky hop taste to it now. Kinda funky, a little bready now. Low 3 Stars.

Hey it's kegging time on the homebrew.

Beer by the Amish

Lancaster Amish Four Grain Pale Ale

The wife picked it up in Maryland. I didn't know the Amish made beer. Buttery bread nose. Light copper and quickly dissappearing white head. Has a buttery smoothness on the tongue (no homo). Lightly hopped but has just a touch of fruitiness to be a pale ale. My spider sense picks up some dryness and chalkiness as well. High 2 Stars.

Maybe they should stick to the apple pie. That stuff is not to be effed with.

Shout Out to our Soldiers

I see I now have a lot of readers from Afghanistan. Considering that the local clientele in Afghanistan are prohibited from drinking alcohol (as I understand it), I'm going to venture a guess that we have some soldiers checking out "The Brotha" in the warzone. You guys stay strong out there! Hope you come home soon.

Live Blogging:
State: Right Now, watching the Anderson Silva/Forrest Griffin fight on DVR for the 15th time.

Firehouse Brewing Company American Pale Ale
Big offwhite head with amber clear color. Nose is a pleasant fruitiness and malt. Maybe a touch of apricot. Taste is kinda malty, with a nice dose of toast. Hops are not overpowering, just barely balancing the malt. Very nice. I would say this qualifies as an American Pale Ale, but on the lower end of the bitterness. I'd say we have to segregate the West Coast Pale Ales as they bring the pain on the hops. A nice sweetness on the back of the tongue. High 3 star.

British Random Beering, Just call me the Black Knight

I don't know what happened, but I had a whole British beer post set up. I post the damn thing, and it comes up empty. Let me try an abbreviated version, b/c I don't feel like retyping all of that.

Drafthouse ESB
From Alamo drafthouse. Malty nose, tastes a bit hop heavy. 3 Star.

Snake Dog IPA
Flying Dog brewery getting 'er done. Balanced heavy malt and hops. Low carbonation. Loving it.

Later on at the Flying Saucer

Monty Python Holy Grail Ale
Name is better than the beer, coming out of Black Sheep. Complex nose (all different versions of malt) but a touch sour and a little velvety on the mouthfeel. Low 3 Stars

Samuel Smith IPA
Smells like bubblegum. Rather hop-forward IPA with some sweet malt in the background. I was eating some kind of smokey cheese and it gets more malty. Looks like the Brits are trying to get all American-like with the hops. 3 Stars.

Lagunitas Pale Ale
Grassy/malty nose. Clear straw color. Taste is hop heavy once again, like the Smith. The malt is just plain missing. Low-med body. 3 Star.

To Getting Naked to Count to 21

You ever have one of those beers that the title coupled with the beer just has that appeal. For some, the downtown Specs had this huge display of "Drifter" in the corner near the freezer. A pale ale from Widmer should not disappoint. I just love that name "Drifter". Anyway...

Beer Log: February 26, 2009
State: At the house

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale
The Brothas give me a very orange citrus and piney hop nose. Strong tinged orange head with Baylor Gold clear color. The first thing you notice is the medium body followed by the rush of bread and citrus hops. (Ok, I must have been off b/c I get a lot more maltiness when I drink Drifter now...). Good tailgating beer. Funny how smells prepare you for a harsh hop and the taste doesn't deliver. It has a pretty quick finish as well. 3 Star.

Jomo Lager from Starr Hill
A Karrin Stefans amount of head with an orangish chill haze appearance. I get that caramel maltiness sweet smell that's kinda gentle. I think it soured and skunked up on me a bit. We got this one from a trade with a dude in Virginia and forgot about it. We've since put our low ABV stuff in one cabinet and the high ABV in another cabinet so we remember which ones to get to first. Back to the beer, I get some caramel and bready pilsner on the flavor. It has some bitterness but not biting. It's aiight. 2 Stars.

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Copped this one in Hotlanta on a trip to Georgia Tech. Terrapin is brewed by the dudes in Athens, Georgia (or Jawhja if you went to U(sic)GA). Copper color with white basic head. Nose is a little crisper with malt and bread. (then again I have a stuffy nose). High carbonation with some bite from the spice and the hops. Very tingly but not all that inspirational. Low 3 Star.

Beering in Atlanta: If you SMELL...What the Rock...Is Brewin

Here in Hotlanta where the weather is 35 deg F. Feel good to be back in my stomping ground, but actually with a few dollars to my name. The city is looking great these days, very clean, very classy. They're really upped the ante with Midtown and Downtown. I got one of the boys from FAMU living in town and we decide to get some food and brews. Atlanta has about 5 brewpubs I want to try, and first stop is

Beer Log: December 7, 2008

State: Happy to be in Atlanta, eating a steak

Rock Bottom Brewery in Buckhead

Buckhead is this swanky big money area of Atlanta just north of downtown. It used to be a slew of cool bars and hangouts, but after the "hood" started hanging out in Buckhead, they decided to condo up. There are still a lot of good places to go, and Rock Bottom is one of them. The decor is very nice with some Christmas theme, and there are a few Steelers fans in full regalia acting a fool watching the tube. The waitress seems to know her beer, and we go ahead and order a flight of all their beers.

Hooch Pilsner

First one is clear with a straw color with a white thin head. It's got a nice bread background with medium body. Very light hops that taste like Saaz. There is a slight malt there as well. Low 3 Stars.

Pinstripe Pale Ale

Getting into the hoppy stuff now. It smells of flowery hops and light caramel. It tastes like your basic English Pale Ale although she claimed it was an American Pale Ale. There's a moderate amount of hops, likely cascade, and it goes down great with it's low carbonation. 3 Stars.

IPA

Looking forward to this. Slgith malt smell with a strong hop presence, but not killer I'd expect of an IPA. It has that dark amber color. Low 3 Stars as the flavors did not mesh well for me.

Sweet Magnolia

No smell and it is dark brown and opaque. It has a nice roasted and choco malt flavor, but I'm getting a lot of butter. It's biscuity and buttery to me. Low 3 Stars. Sad as this one is their signature beer. I think they actually cook with this one.

Iron Horse Stout

Sounds like it should be pretty hard core. It smells of roasty smoke malts. It has a nice brown head with a black color. It's okay on the flavor, but not much there but some roast and malt. It's not budweiser, but it's still a 2 Star for me. That butter is hitting me once again.

Winter Seasonal

Finally the seasonal. It tastes like the last one, just a little better and a little more hoppy. I didn't write down a rating.

I think it's obvious the top three beers were the

3. Hooch Pilsner

2. IPA

1. Pinstripe Pale Ale

They do a pretty good job with the drinkable lighter beers but something is off in my opinion with the dark beers. It could be that I was just having an offnight. I'll give them another shot next time I happen upon one of their chains.

Pale Ale-ing in Houston

Back at the Sauce to meet up with an old college buddy. He is not a beer drinker but the waitress eventually got him to drink a Pear Cider (sad). In the meantime, I am a beer drinker and decided to finally get something off cask for the first time.

Beer Log: 11/21/2008
State: Chillin, not very hungry

Avery IPA on Cask
If I was ever diligent enough to add it up, Avery probably has what I figure are the most 4-5 star beers in their portfolio. I don't brag on them too much b/c I'm a homer and would love for a Texas brewer to pick up that mantle. Although we just aren't a "Big Beer" state.
Straw color with a very thick and strong lacy head. It smells like a lovely bouquet of flowers and rather sweet. The taste is an excellent strong caramel malt with a strong hop presence right after it. There is a hint of both alcohol and some cascade (or other hop) bite in the aftertaste. 1-2-3-4 stars man. It's incredibly smooth and very drinkable. Methinks this is a double IPA, a style which I love.

I must have been feeling the alcohol b/c instead of going to more IPAs, I went down to Pale Ales.

Oskar Blues Dale Pale Ale
You got to love that Gordons that they make. Solid 4 stars. The Dales was also in a can poured into a glass. Orange and cloudy with a white lacy head. It tastes bready and hoppy, kinda like an amber. Actually, kinda like an the Budweiser American Ale. It leaves a gritty feeling in my mouth. The hop smell is coming in more as it warms and it seems a little musty. It is smooth with medium carbonation. No ranking this time. The IPA just ran roughshod over this one. I'll switch it up next time.

The handwriting in my beer notebook is getting really crappy now as I read it a week later. But we weren't going anywhere for a while, so what the hell.

Bear Republic XP
I'm feeling tipsy now. All I managed to write was flowery smell coming off a low head. It's also orange and cloudy. And like the last one, musty and bready. It's pretty hoppy but with no bite. I wrote 3 stars but I'm not counting that one either.

After we drank up we just strolled through downtown telling war stories about FAMU and our current experiences in trying to become Oil Men. A couple cigars and a lot of water and we're sobered up enough to not get tasered by Houston PD. Great experience overall.

Found another Oktoberfest... Yes

And I thought I had found all I could down this way without resorting to beer trading. We braved the roads of downtown to go to The Sauce, as that and a couple of Chinese and Mexican joints are the only ones that are open. Broken glass everywhere.

The waitress brings out my Oktoberfest and the wife's beer, whatever she ordered.

Live Oak Oaktoberfest
And its local. Light malty and cascade hoppy smell. Clear amber color. Light malt in the taste but medium to strong hops. WTF man? Lacy head. What's going on here. I'll have to try this one again at maybe Alamo Drafthouse or something. If someone told me this was a Pale Ale if not an IPA with that maltiness, I would believe them. I mention to the waitress that this is kinda hoppy for an oktoberfest, but she must be new as she didn't seem sure what I was getting at. Oh well, I'm already halfway through the pint. I even go to the kiosk to see what the "answer" is on the receipt. I has German hops on there, which could mean it has those musty hop aromas like the Hofbrau I have in the fridge. I taste the wife's beer and realize that she has a soapy oktoberfest while I have her Flying Dog Doggy Style Pale Ale. Isn't that just great. At least I got the style right, and even the hops. 3 Stars for the Doggy Style. It's so funny b/c I was thinking medium malt the entire time, but still got that pale ale flavor going on.

Live Oak Oaktoberfest, the real one this time.
Wow. Lighter amber than the Doggy Style, low head. Light malt and sweetness. Lops hops. True oktoberfest but has some bubblegum mintyness to it. Turns out the wife's lipstick is on the glass and that's what I'm smelling and tasting. Oh behave. Medium carbonation and kind of light in the body. 3 Stars. Goes great with the Guiness Au Jus sauce and roast beef sandwich we're having. Here's to hoping I can find a few more Oktoberfests before the season wraps up.

But the oktoberfest was what I thought it was. And we let 'em off the hook.

Back Home: Sorta... Purity!!!

Well, I made it off the platform and have decided to stop in Lafayette while letting the Tropical Storm make its way north of I-10. No sense in driving in this mess if I don't have to. A little Googling reveals a chain of restaurants called Zea Rotisserie and Grill. Turns out they get their beer brewed out of the Heiner Brau brewery. It's not exactly a brewpub, but it's close e-damn-nough. I have some time before I'm going to see my cousin who works out of Lafayette, so I make my way to Zea.

The decor is nice, and it feels great getting out of the heat. The menu has four microbrewed beers available with suggestions for food pairings. I would like to take their advice, but screw that, I make up my own pairing lunch.

Zea Amber Lager

State: starving, haven't had a beer in over 2 weeks, ordered Hummus with Pita bread.

I figured hummus would go well with the amber lager, and I loved it. It could have been that I hadn't had a drink in over 2 weeks, but the beer was great. It served as an excellent foil with hummus, in that both the food and the beer tasted like the first bite/sip throughout the whole experience. They brought it out in a bottle with a frosted pilsner glass. It has a nice bready malt scent with a little caramel in there, almost syrupy when the head vanishes. Brown/red in color and clear. Light malt taste, medium body, and medium bready taste on the aftertaste. Low carbonation (excellent) yet I'll say moderately drinkable. The hummus is excellent. I was thinking this stuff tastes like purity law beer , and sure enough it is. Very well done. High 3 stars. It's the next day and I still want this one again.

When I say purity law, I am referring to the German law that beer can only have barely, yeast, water, and hops. Beer brewed in this style is typically very clean, very crisp, and very good pure beer. As much as I like the creativity of guys like Dogfish, Sam Adams, etc, there is something to be said for a brewery that puts all its energy in the four basic ingredients. It's great craft beer without the cloves, cinnamon sticks, raissonettes, rice, cane, ubu, watermelon, blood, chicken feathers, wine, candy sugar etc.

Category 5 American Pale Ale

The aptly named Pale Ale was something I was looking forward to since walking in. I order this with one of the signature Rotisserie chicken dishes (that says spicy on the menu). Another bottle with a frosted pilsner glass. Low head with my vigorous pour. Similar color as the last beer. There is a light maltiness on the nose (hmm no hops). I can taste the Cascade bite hops late, but it's kinda unbalanced. A little icky on the aftertaste as well. I don't know if they should have used Cascade by itself. The Rotis Chicken has arrived. The beer tastes a little better and balanced as it warms up a bit (figures). Near the end it got much better, but the chicken wasn't all the spicy, though very very good. Probably Munich specialty malt, which is what I think the other one had in it. It's basically like the amber lager, but with Cascade. At 45 degrees, it's a 3 star. At bone chilling cold, they can keep it.

The waitress convinced me to get the bread pudding for desert, and I ordered their...

Pontchartrain Porter

Another frosted glass. Not much of a smell, but I did notice that inside of the glass was COATED with bubbles. Means they did not rinse this glass thoroughly, and the soap residue probably killed the head on this one. It's dark brown and tastes like a dark Munich malt with low hops. Not much of a compliment to the bread pudding, which was very sweet. In fact, it was a bad idea to order any desert with this one. I won't give this one a rating just yet, as I had it with the bread pudding, and it just overwhelmed whatever flavor was in the Porter. Lord knows I'll be in Louisiana enough to try it again.

Overall, the place was fantastic. Food was great, beer was pretty good. I'm hope to try it again with some other food, and maybe they'll have some seasonals. Seems like Munich malt is their house specialty malt. Cool beans. I was a little miffed that they kept bringing out frosted glasses, but I can understand the marketing, as it is hot as balls out there, and cold beer is just what the doctor ordered.