Ending a weekend thrice as nice...

No better way to end a weekend, good or bad, is a damn good Belgian.  The St. Bernardus Tripel is a winner and highly recommended (at the beginning of the week, the middle of the week, and the end of the week).  This golden colored ale has a gentle fruity nose and yeasty finish. Thrice as nice.
Prost.

San Diego Be My Home...

A whirlwind week in San Diego was filled with a trip to an established craft brewery (Stone), a cool urban, edgy brewery (Mission), and two nano-breweries (Bay City, Modern Times).  Home of craft beer, there are a lot of choices, but this selection gives you the big, the bad, and the fledgling.

Too bad work got in the way...

And so Gose the Summer...

Admittedly I was a bit apprehensive about trying a Gose (Go-zuh), as I'm not a fan of sours, but after reading the article below I was tempted enough to get a 6-pack of Six Point Jammer to try during a trip to the beach.  (I've found you can never go wrong with a Six Point.)

As a first try of a Gose, I thought Jammer was a terrific introduction and represented the style well.  Jammer was light (4.5 ABV), a bit spicy, a bit salty, a bit sweet.  I enjoyed it to start the on-beach happy hour and while tending the grill.  The taste was different, but enjoyable - a welcome step out from the traditional beach wheat.  

If you're looking for an IPA or a traditional beer you'll be disappointed.  If you're looking to try something different, light, with a complex flavor profile, you'll be satisfied with a smile.

Prost.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/dining/gose-beer.html?_r=0

Imperial Stout with just a touch of Shout

A straight up stout with a hint of coffee, not much head, not much aroma, but a 10.2% ABV kick that creates a nice smile while watching the Nats and O's pick up wins.  Not sure if I would seek out this Sierra Nevada Narwhal, but it's a nice way to end a Friday night.
Prost.

Time to Get Summerish...

And so as we start the summer we turn to summerish beers, a bit light, a bit hoppy, a bit different. This month's selection was a tight race between a Great Lakes favorite and a hop laden Six Point Crisp.  Congrats to the Dortmunder Gold - a tribute to the Fatherland.

Heil Summer.

You say Tornado, I say Toronado...

 A recent trip to San Francisco brought us back to Mikheller (more on that in a later post), but it was a first at Toronado, a local 'garage beer bar' located in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. This place is awesome on its own - selection, ambiance, a neighboring homemade sausage bar - but what made this special was the trio of Russian River that was available - Nirvana.

Pliney the Elder (which we ordered first for fear the keg would kick), Damnation, and Blind Pig. I would recommend this even if you had to drag your Grandmother.

Prost.

How to spend your weekend for the next 2 months...

Bored on the weekend?  Don't have an array of chores and baseball practices and games to attend such that you're sitting around thinking of how to occupy your time?  Fear not.  Follow the link below and pick from the myriad regional beer festivals.  Get out there!  Enjoy something new, something different.  There's a whole world of beer out there waiting for you!

Prost.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2015/04/09/its-beer-festival-season-or-how-to-spend-your-weekends-for-the-next-two-months/

Hop Slam - Round 2

To carry forward the Easter Celebration and end the extended weekend with a smile, I popped and gently poured an eye pleasing Hop Slam.  It presented itself with a nice golden color and rich, creamy head.  It had an earthy, hop filled nose, with a slightly sweet overtone (perhaps it was the honey). It was a smooth entry and exit on the palate and contrary to the label's description, I didn't experience a bruising or bitter taste.  If there was a bit of bitterness with the first bottle, I didn't taste this round.  Perhaps it has mellowed from the 1/9/15 bottle date. Either way, it was a winner and I look forward to savoring the remaining 3 bottles. Prost.

Westvleteren 12 Tasting

John Curle, Steph, and I shared a bottle of Westvleteren 12 on Saturday.  The date on cap is November 2015.

It's pretty good.  Raisins was the most pronounced flavor for me.  The alcohol isn't noticed until in sits in your stomach.  Very smooth.  We paired it with a Samoa cupcake from Fluffy Thoughts.  It was a good choice.

John was extremely satisfied with the beer.  He drank the lees and proclaimed "it's different in the bottom" in a good way.  Hours later, after having a late lunch at a DC brewpub, John was still raving about it.

How come you dance so good?...

Lagunitas Brown Shugga - what a nice way to end the week.  This caramel colored ale is true to it's name - a brown sugar malty nose, and a sweet, smooth mouthfeel. It has a slightly bitter back-end but @ 51 IBUs there is not much mouth bitterness.  The 9.1 AbV helps cap it with a smile. Get 6; it's a keeper.

Washington Post Beer Madness 2015

Beer Madness is here.  Follow along at:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2015/03/10/beer-madness-2015-the-bracket-to-find-the-best-brews-in-america/

Double, double...Ommegang Style

I've never met an Ommegang I didn't like and though I've had this before, it was great to experience it again. The Ommegang Abbey Ale presents itself with a rich color and thick head that holds through the entire glass.  It starts with a fruity nose and is a bit nutty with what seems to be a hint of brown sugar maltiness.  This solid Belgian-style Abbey ale is smooth on the front and back end and lightly carbonated throughout. The 8.1 ABV puts a nice smile on your face when you reach the end of the glass.

Prost.

Ah, the hopped holy grail of the DIPA...the famed Bell's Hopslam...This hard to find beauty was stumbled upon in Total Wine when I almost tackled an unsuspecting patron - who informed me the stash was at the front desk - one 6-pack per customer.  After 2 days of chilling the most expensive 6-pack I've ever purchased (knowingly), I opened, poured, and savored.  It started with a nice head on the pour that falls away quickly, a pleasant hoppy, grapefruit nose, and an ABV of 10 that hits quick and easy. The taste was a tad more bitter on the front end than the traditional DIPA to which I've become accustomed, but it was smooth on the back end with a slight malty sweetness (was it the advertised honey?) aftertaste (that was not too sweet).  This is worth the price (knowing it's only annual) and worth the wait.  Now to just find it on draft...

Prost.

Bornem Double Time...

Named after the town from which it hails, Bornem's Double Abbey Ale brings a chocolatey sweet nose, and a smooth entry and finish that tastes like it smells.  There is nothing magical about this beer, other than it tastes good and is true to its Double name.  Would I buy another?  No.  Would I drink another?  Yes.
Prost.

Three Taverns rolls a Quadruple..

Thanks to my faithful Georgia connection I was lucky enough to try another selection from Three Taverns brewing out of Decatur, GA - Quasimodo.  This selection was a Belgian style quadruple brewed in 2014 and bottle conditioned.  As you can see from the picture, the label may be a bit scary but the deep rich color and creamy head was welcoming.  It provides a sweet, somewhat fruity nose reminiscent of a Belgian style ale and it definitely is a smooooooth entry and exit on the palate. The 10% ABV provides a nice but subtle kick.

If you can find this beer outside of Georgia, but it, enjoy it, it's a keeper!
Prost

St. Bernardus, my friend...

St. Bernardus in a St. Bernardus glass.  Is there a better way to end the day?  I closed out a long day with the Pater 6.  This solid, pleasant Belgian was not overwhelming, not extraordinary other than it is Belgian and that's always a keeper.  This pours with a nice fine head and toffee color.  It had a gentle, slightly bready aroma, was lightly carbonated through the entire taste, smooth, with a slight sweet caramel overtone.  It also provided a nice kick with a 6.7 ABV.  Find it.  Drink it.

Prost.

The Year End Tourney Results...

And so we ended the year on a boisterous, highly attended beer club meeting.  Though we were missing some regulars, we welcomed some out-of-towners to the fold to vote on this year's DrS Beer Club Tournament Winner.

As usual we pit the winners from earlier in the year, or those of similar style if the winners were not available, in a bracket formula.  The 8 style selections ranged from wheat to bock to Belgian.  There were some previous winners that didn't make it out of the first round (Boulevard's Wheat), some that fooled the crowd with their complex flavors (Ommegang's Abby Ale), and some newcomers that made a solid impression (Troegenator's Bock and Green King'a Abbot Ale).  The winner, however, was the Schneider Weisse Aventinus - a complex bock with overtones of a dark wheat beer - a banana nose, a rich malty body.  The pictures below presents the contestants and how they fared in the bracket; drink from the second and third rounds and you'll be well served.
Prost.

Christmas in a bottle...

This selection out of Three Taverns Craft Brewery, Cecatur, Georgia, Feest Noel, was a Georgia Christmas present in a bottle - it brought with it a strong character, strong flavor (read ABV), and a strong spice that was consistent from start to finish. The color was dark and welcoming and thankfully enjoyed with a friend otherwise I'd probably have found myself climbing up a chimney. This a Christmas keeper.
Prost.

Football Magic...

What do you do when everyone is asleep in the house, the NFC divisional game is on (still within 7 points), and you're a bit thirsty - you reach for a Christmas present > a Samuel Smith Tadcaster Yorshire Stingo. This bottle conditioned ale is smooth like butter with an oaky armoa(and not a single hint of hops); it is a classic English ale with some yeast in the bottom of the bottle. This 500ml, 9.0% ABV bottle conditioned ale is aged in oak ale casks matured for over a year and puts a smile on your face when you drink it alone. The bottle I had was brewed in 2011 and was good to the last drop. It's a keeper. Find it. Try it. Prost.

OK, so these results are a a bit late, but they still are valid...September pitted a group of Oktoberfest beers against a wildcard growler from NJ. As one would expect, the German Hacker-Pschorr steam rolled the competition with it clean, clear, crisp traditional German flavor. The wild card NJ ale (a mild hoppiness and clean finish) and the Yuengling (a tad spicy) tied at a distant second, and the Great Lakes pulled up the rear. (I had the Great Lakes on a spearate occassion and I wouldn't get it again). Prost.

Ringing in the New Year with International Flair

What do you do on New Years' Eve when you've got three kids <12?  You treat yourself to a nice beer (in the appropriate glassware) and add some international flair.
I chose a Belgian Ale - a Brugse Zot from De Halve Mann Brewery - a slightly cloudy pour with a nice small bubble head with a tad of carbonation on the swig; it was smooth with no bitterness, but I was hoping for a bigger taste.
Mona chose a Franziskaner Weissbier - a classic wheat beer - clean, clear, with a bit of a clovey aroma. (Yes, I took a swig, enjoyed it, but had no beer remore.)
Happy New Year.