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/