On June 8th I begin my studies with the American Brewers Guild. That will consist of ten hours of lecture per week plus another six hours of studying for 29 weeks. Add that to my full-time job and a second part-time job and any free time will disappear. I thought I should have one last hurrah before going underground for the next seven months and a beer trip sounded good. While both my vacation days and budget are limited this year we decided to take a road trip and do it over the Memorial Day weekend. Colorado is definitely a beer Mecca so it was off to the Centennial State.
Our trip included stops in Des Moines and Omaha along the way followed by stops in Fort Collins, Longmont, Denver and Golden. The itinerary included a couple of stops in Boulder and Lyons as well but due to some rescheduling we weren’t able to make it. Missing Boudler was disappointing but that just means we’ll have to go back.
We had a lot of great beers – I tasted 105 different beers in all. We had a lot of good laughs – Carolyn even had beer coming out her nose at one point. We made a bunch of new friends and even got to catch up with some old ones. We met some great people in the brewing and beer bar business and had about as great a trip as we could have imagined.
Inspired by another beer blog I follow (Thanks Kris and Mag), in the coming days I will be blogging in more detail about our daily visits to the local beer scene. Check back soon and often.
DA
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Convert This!
I’ve read various blogs recently arguing Craft Beer vs. Macro Beer. The argument is never about which is better, but always about why craft beer is better than macrobrewed (mass produced) beer. For the most part I’ve stayed out of this like I do most debates. My Mom is nearly full blooded Norwegian which makes me nearly half and we Scandinavians like to avoid conflict. If you keep your mouth shut, it can’t get you in trouble. However, I feel it’s time to comment, especially since this week is American Craft Beer Week.
How do I feel?
My feelings on the matter are simple… if you like the way it tastes, drink it. The problem is that I am confident many people think Bud, Miller and Coors products taste good. Are they wrong? Not necessarily. Do I think they taste good? No, but I also don’t think they taste bad either. In fact I don’t think they taste much at all. But just because I don’t think they taste good doesn’t mean they can’t taste good to someone else. But what if that’s all they knew? I believe a conversion to craft beer enjoyment begins with a little education and some good old fashioned persistence. How many of you liked the taste of beer the first time you had it? I certainly didn’t and I would bet a majority of you didn’t either. I learned to like it though. As they say, it’s an acquired taste. Some younger drinkers are lucky to have started with craft beers but many of us older guys did not. But that doesn’t mean we’re a lost cause. Why did we start drinking light lagers in the first place? Certainly not because they tasted good. For a long time in this country that was all that was available. And if Light American Lagers are all you know (like me until I was 24) chances are you’re not going to go into a bar or liquor store and buy anything else.
I remember my junior year of college. I was just barely legal. Not a rookie beer drinker by any means, but turning legal means going to bars and making your own decisions on what to drink. One evening I ordered a Sam Adams. Holy crap did that taste horrible. I didn’t know what it was that I was tasting but it wasn’t beer. I even remember buying one for a friend on her 21st birthday as a joke. Sadly I went back to old reliable. I wish I hadn’t given up on old Sammy so easily. More importantly, I wish I would have had a friend to tell me what it was I was tasting, that is was normal, in fact intentional and to tell me that people actually enjoy that flavor. I would have become a craft beer drinker a lot sooner if someone had educated me and told me it was okay to explore those flavors.
Well, I didn’t have to wait long. Three short years later my family took a trip to England. I was forced by some pretty persistent (and evidently brilliant) uncles to drink what the locals drink… and I fell in love. By that time, the American Craft Beer scene was nearly 20 years strong and I had no idea what I was missing. When I came back state-side my beer life made an about-face and I have never looked back. My uncles introduced me and educated me on the wonders of different beer flavors. While many of the beers I drank in jolly old England are not available here in the States, I began seeking out beers that compared to them (in my rookie palate’s opinion). Eventually the evil Sam Adams became my best friend.
Although the craft beer scene was long past the infancy stage in 2000 it was still rare to find anything but macros or common imports on the majority of restaurants tap lists. Sadly this is still the case in many places, but it is getting much better. We are lucky here in the Twin Cities to have a local brewery like Summit. Most places around town have Summit’s flagship beer Extra Pale Ale on tap and it’s a pretty dang good beer. For me my go-to beers when dining out became Summit EPA and Sam Adams Boston Lager. Now here’s where it gets interesting. For a while I actually thought that Sam and Summit tasted “pretty much the same”. Many of us know that this is most certainly not the case but at that point that’s what I perceived. Eventually my palate matured as I tried new things. As my tongue became barraged with new flavors, bitterness, sweetness, spiciness, roastiness, etc it actually got more refined. I was able to perceive and identify new flavors and distinguish similar beers from each other. And I’ll tell you what, my friends, there is nothing more exiting than that. I remember the first California Common I tried. Gross! What is that stinky rotten cheese aroma? And what’s that bitter/tart flavor? That can’t be healthy! Well as things progressed I learned that those were Northern Brewer hops, a defining character of this style. “Stinky cheese” and “tart” became “woodsy” and “rustic”. Once I knew they were intentional and unique I became more open minded and began enjoying the complexities that set this style of beer apart from others.
I challenge you.
Let’s back up a little bit and follow the progression of Sam Adams in my life. For the first thirteen years Sam Adams was around I had never heard of it. First time I tried it I hated it. Tried it again and again and I started to enjoy it, but still compared it to every other hoppy “dark” beer. Eventually it became individually unique and even more enjoyable. So I challenge you today, in the spirit of American Craft Beer week, convert a friend or two. It’s not an overnight conversion but you just might be the person to flip the switch and redirect a friend down the ride of their life. I’m not sure if craft beer sales will ever equal (or heaven forbid exceed) macro beer sales, but it’s worth a shot. We have a wonderful opportunity here to start, or I should say continue, a revolution. Light Lager lovers are curable and I truly believe that craft beer drinkers are irreversible. Convert someone today!
How do I feel?
My feelings on the matter are simple… if you like the way it tastes, drink it. The problem is that I am confident many people think Bud, Miller and Coors products taste good. Are they wrong? Not necessarily. Do I think they taste good? No, but I also don’t think they taste bad either. In fact I don’t think they taste much at all. But just because I don’t think they taste good doesn’t mean they can’t taste good to someone else. But what if that’s all they knew? I believe a conversion to craft beer enjoyment begins with a little education and some good old fashioned persistence. How many of you liked the taste of beer the first time you had it? I certainly didn’t and I would bet a majority of you didn’t either. I learned to like it though. As they say, it’s an acquired taste. Some younger drinkers are lucky to have started with craft beers but many of us older guys did not. But that doesn’t mean we’re a lost cause. Why did we start drinking light lagers in the first place? Certainly not because they tasted good. For a long time in this country that was all that was available. And if Light American Lagers are all you know (like me until I was 24) chances are you’re not going to go into a bar or liquor store and buy anything else.
I remember my junior year of college. I was just barely legal. Not a rookie beer drinker by any means, but turning legal means going to bars and making your own decisions on what to drink. One evening I ordered a Sam Adams. Holy crap did that taste horrible. I didn’t know what it was that I was tasting but it wasn’t beer. I even remember buying one for a friend on her 21st birthday as a joke. Sadly I went back to old reliable. I wish I hadn’t given up on old Sammy so easily. More importantly, I wish I would have had a friend to tell me what it was I was tasting, that is was normal, in fact intentional and to tell me that people actually enjoy that flavor. I would have become a craft beer drinker a lot sooner if someone had educated me and told me it was okay to explore those flavors.
Well, I didn’t have to wait long. Three short years later my family took a trip to England. I was forced by some pretty persistent (and evidently brilliant) uncles to drink what the locals drink… and I fell in love. By that time, the American Craft Beer scene was nearly 20 years strong and I had no idea what I was missing. When I came back state-side my beer life made an about-face and I have never looked back. My uncles introduced me and educated me on the wonders of different beer flavors. While many of the beers I drank in jolly old England are not available here in the States, I began seeking out beers that compared to them (in my rookie palate’s opinion). Eventually the evil Sam Adams became my best friend.
Although the craft beer scene was long past the infancy stage in 2000 it was still rare to find anything but macros or common imports on the majority of restaurants tap lists. Sadly this is still the case in many places, but it is getting much better. We are lucky here in the Twin Cities to have a local brewery like Summit. Most places around town have Summit’s flagship beer Extra Pale Ale on tap and it’s a pretty dang good beer. For me my go-to beers when dining out became Summit EPA and Sam Adams Boston Lager. Now here’s where it gets interesting. For a while I actually thought that Sam and Summit tasted “pretty much the same”. Many of us know that this is most certainly not the case but at that point that’s what I perceived. Eventually my palate matured as I tried new things. As my tongue became barraged with new flavors, bitterness, sweetness, spiciness, roastiness, etc it actually got more refined. I was able to perceive and identify new flavors and distinguish similar beers from each other. And I’ll tell you what, my friends, there is nothing more exiting than that. I remember the first California Common I tried. Gross! What is that stinky rotten cheese aroma? And what’s that bitter/tart flavor? That can’t be healthy! Well as things progressed I learned that those were Northern Brewer hops, a defining character of this style. “Stinky cheese” and “tart” became “woodsy” and “rustic”. Once I knew they were intentional and unique I became more open minded and began enjoying the complexities that set this style of beer apart from others.
I challenge you.
Let’s back up a little bit and follow the progression of Sam Adams in my life. For the first thirteen years Sam Adams was around I had never heard of it. First time I tried it I hated it. Tried it again and again and I started to enjoy it, but still compared it to every other hoppy “dark” beer. Eventually it became individually unique and even more enjoyable. So I challenge you today, in the spirit of American Craft Beer week, convert a friend or two. It’s not an overnight conversion but you just might be the person to flip the switch and redirect a friend down the ride of their life. I’m not sure if craft beer sales will ever equal (or heaven forbid exceed) macro beer sales, but it’s worth a shot. We have a wonderful opportunity here to start, or I should say continue, a revolution. Light Lager lovers are curable and I truly believe that craft beer drinkers are irreversible. Convert someone today!
Monday, April 27, 2009
It’s Finally Done!
I have been working on a project for nearly a year and a half and it is finally finished. In a post (paragraph two) earlier this year I wrote briefly about a project that was finally completed. Well it wasn’t completely done. It was finished to the point where we could move it out of the garage and into our living space. But it wasn’t the completed working bar that I had envisioned when I started. Here’s the long story.
My father has been a Lutheran pastor for nearly 25 years. It is customary in this profession to move around every ten years or so to keep congregations from getting stale. These days you can find him on St Paul’s east side at Arlington Hills Lutheran Church (or with my mother at any of the many great pubs in St Paul). I sometimes think they have more fun than I do. We’ll get picture text messages from them while they’re at places like The Muddy Pig, W.A. Frost or Great Waters. What can I say? They know how to enjoy life. Back to the story… Before moving to St Paul, Dad was a pastor in rural central Minnesota. They lived in a parsonage (home owned by the church reserved for the pastor's family). And in that parsonage was a garage. And in that garage was a workbench. For the first eight or nine years they lived there I never knew that the workbench was actually an altar. The decorative side always faced the wall since the back had a door on it and inside they would keep gardening tools and what have you. Well, the altar must have been removed from one of the old country churches that are constantly closing up all over the Midwest. No one really knows how long it was sitting in the garage but I really wanted it. Dad asked around and no one seemed to know where it came from or whether it was of any sigificance to anyone so he said I could have it. I saw lots of potential in this beat up old grubby workbench.
The first thing we had to do was evict all the tenants that resided in the altar. Yep, it seems between the frame and the decorative crown molding lived a family of mice. Once that problem was eliminated we loaded it up in dad’s truck. I got it home and into our garage and quickly got to work. Shows like Mythbusters and Smash Lab are successful because people like to destroy things and see things getting destroyed. This was no exception. I had a lot of fun disassembling this little gem. Crowbars, hammers, flying nails, yay! However, once I got it all apart the fun stopped and the “work” began. I quickly got burned out and neglected the project. I found it was too hard to sand all the intricate decorative pieces that adorned the front of the altar. I gave up and pursued other interests. Eventually I returned and decided it might be easier to sand if I removed all the pieces. So I did just that. The wood was old and brittle and some of the parts broke. Frustrated again! This pile of lumber nearly became firewood. But since I wanted the end result to be rugged and antiqued I decided to plug away. I bought a dowling jig and slowly put Humpty Dumpty back together. Slowly I worked about an hour a month. We’re talking glacial pace. Then all of a sudden I got the urge to step it up and finish it. My brother comes to town once, sometimes twice, a year and he was coming soon! I decided in early December that I would finish it by the time he got here January 10th.
I worked and worked and worked until finally I got everything sanded, everything broken put back together, every rotten board replaced, everything stained and everything reassembled. I did it; I got it finished literally the night before he flew in. And by finished I mean I now had a nice new piece of furniture to grace our living/dining room. It was pretty and it worked too. Sort of. The problem was that I had to fill a cooler with ice and place the kegs in it to keep them cool. Not difficult but a pain in the kiester. In addition to that, when beer warms up, the carbonation comes out of solution (un-dissolves?). So the lines between the keg and the tap (uncooled) ended up filling with foam. That’s all that would come of the tap for a few seconds. Every time you’d pour a beer you’d get a glass full of foam. Becasue of this I didn't use it very often. It wasn't much more than a piece of art that was nice to look at.
What I had envisioned all along was a kegerator so to speak. A refrigerated altar that dispenses kegged beer. Am I going to Hell? Perhaps. After three months of just admiring my bar, I went back to work. I framed up the inside of the altar kinda like you would do if you were finishing a basement. Next, I applied quarter inch plywood for a nice smooth interior. Using Liquid Nails I adhered 1” foam insulation to the plywood and finally adhered pieces of FRP to the foam. Let me tell you this was no easy chore. FRP stands for Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic and it is very hard to cut. Also fiberglass is very itchy and you don’t want to breathe the dust. I ended up using my dad’s Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut it. I wore gloves, long sleeves, a mask, safety glasses and took my work outside. This seemed to work well and it got me outside one nice afternoon. Once the FRP was applied I caulked the corners with white caulk and now I have a nice waterproof and easy-to-clean interior. I did the same to the bar top and it actually insulates very well.
Of course at this point all I have is a glorified cooler. I’ve been holding on to my old dorm fridge for use on the altar bar and it was time to install it. It wasn’t hard to remove from the original fridge and not very hard to reinstall on the new altar either. It did annoy me a little that I had to cut a big (4” x 4”) hole in the side but I had no choice. It doesn’t cool as well as I’d like and I’m sure it’s not efficient but it does the trick. Perhaps I can find another old fridge and put another one on the other side. Right now it cools to 39-42 degrees which is good enough. Can’t wait to see my electrical bill. Overall, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. And my wife is pleased since I did all this most recent work in our dining room! Running up and down between the garage and dining room... sawdust and tools everywhere... but I digress. I got home from work yesterday and poured myself a beer from my own living room. It was nice.
That being said, I am sure I will continue to play around with this project. I would like a bigger bar top, I’d like to improve refrigeration, add another draft tower, etc. I am fully resigned to the fact that it may never be truly completed. Pictures of the project can be found HERE.
Cheers!
My father has been a Lutheran pastor for nearly 25 years. It is customary in this profession to move around every ten years or so to keep congregations from getting stale. These days you can find him on St Paul’s east side at Arlington Hills Lutheran Church (or with my mother at any of the many great pubs in St Paul). I sometimes think they have more fun than I do. We’ll get picture text messages from them while they’re at places like The Muddy Pig, W.A. Frost or Great Waters. What can I say? They know how to enjoy life. Back to the story… Before moving to St Paul, Dad was a pastor in rural central Minnesota. They lived in a parsonage (home owned by the church reserved for the pastor's family). And in that parsonage was a garage. And in that garage was a workbench. For the first eight or nine years they lived there I never knew that the workbench was actually an altar. The decorative side always faced the wall since the back had a door on it and inside they would keep gardening tools and what have you. Well, the altar must have been removed from one of the old country churches that are constantly closing up all over the Midwest. No one really knows how long it was sitting in the garage but I really wanted it. Dad asked around and no one seemed to know where it came from or whether it was of any sigificance to anyone so he said I could have it. I saw lots of potential in this beat up old grubby workbench.
The first thing we had to do was evict all the tenants that resided in the altar. Yep, it seems between the frame and the decorative crown molding lived a family of mice. Once that problem was eliminated we loaded it up in dad’s truck. I got it home and into our garage and quickly got to work. Shows like Mythbusters and Smash Lab are successful because people like to destroy things and see things getting destroyed. This was no exception. I had a lot of fun disassembling this little gem. Crowbars, hammers, flying nails, yay! However, once I got it all apart the fun stopped and the “work” began. I quickly got burned out and neglected the project. I found it was too hard to sand all the intricate decorative pieces that adorned the front of the altar. I gave up and pursued other interests. Eventually I returned and decided it might be easier to sand if I removed all the pieces. So I did just that. The wood was old and brittle and some of the parts broke. Frustrated again! This pile of lumber nearly became firewood. But since I wanted the end result to be rugged and antiqued I decided to plug away. I bought a dowling jig and slowly put Humpty Dumpty back together. Slowly I worked about an hour a month. We’re talking glacial pace. Then all of a sudden I got the urge to step it up and finish it. My brother comes to town once, sometimes twice, a year and he was coming soon! I decided in early December that I would finish it by the time he got here January 10th.
I worked and worked and worked until finally I got everything sanded, everything broken put back together, every rotten board replaced, everything stained and everything reassembled. I did it; I got it finished literally the night before he flew in. And by finished I mean I now had a nice new piece of furniture to grace our living/dining room. It was pretty and it worked too. Sort of. The problem was that I had to fill a cooler with ice and place the kegs in it to keep them cool. Not difficult but a pain in the kiester. In addition to that, when beer warms up, the carbonation comes out of solution (un-dissolves?). So the lines between the keg and the tap (uncooled) ended up filling with foam. That’s all that would come of the tap for a few seconds. Every time you’d pour a beer you’d get a glass full of foam. Becasue of this I didn't use it very often. It wasn't much more than a piece of art that was nice to look at.
What I had envisioned all along was a kegerator so to speak. A refrigerated altar that dispenses kegged beer. Am I going to Hell? Perhaps. After three months of just admiring my bar, I went back to work. I framed up the inside of the altar kinda like you would do if you were finishing a basement. Next, I applied quarter inch plywood for a nice smooth interior. Using Liquid Nails I adhered 1” foam insulation to the plywood and finally adhered pieces of FRP to the foam. Let me tell you this was no easy chore. FRP stands for Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic and it is very hard to cut. Also fiberglass is very itchy and you don’t want to breathe the dust. I ended up using my dad’s Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut it. I wore gloves, long sleeves, a mask, safety glasses and took my work outside. This seemed to work well and it got me outside one nice afternoon. Once the FRP was applied I caulked the corners with white caulk and now I have a nice waterproof and easy-to-clean interior. I did the same to the bar top and it actually insulates very well.
Of course at this point all I have is a glorified cooler. I’ve been holding on to my old dorm fridge for use on the altar bar and it was time to install it. It wasn’t hard to remove from the original fridge and not very hard to reinstall on the new altar either. It did annoy me a little that I had to cut a big (4” x 4”) hole in the side but I had no choice. It doesn’t cool as well as I’d like and I’m sure it’s not efficient but it does the trick. Perhaps I can find another old fridge and put another one on the other side. Right now it cools to 39-42 degrees which is good enough. Can’t wait to see my electrical bill. Overall, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. And my wife is pleased since I did all this most recent work in our dining room! Running up and down between the garage and dining room... sawdust and tools everywhere... but I digress. I got home from work yesterday and poured myself a beer from my own living room. It was nice.
That being said, I am sure I will continue to play around with this project. I would like a bigger bar top, I’d like to improve refrigeration, add another draft tower, etc. I am fully resigned to the fact that it may never be truly completed. Pictures of the project can be found HERE.
Cheers!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Beer + BBQ + Baseball = Good
Good Friday was good to me. I woke up refreshed from having the previous day off (which I spent brewing). Work was slow as the Market was closed. I left work early, went to the gym, went to church and all this before 5pm. Heck, I’m not even home from work by 5pm on most days. Good Friday was good indeed.
Like many people, I like to have a little balance in my life. For instance, when grilling I like to have a beer in one hand and the tongs in the other. This creates a nice balance and keeps me from tipping over. Seriously though, I find it a lot easier on the conscience if I hit the gym before over indulging. Balance. By the time I was home from church and got cleaned up after the gym it was almost 5 o’clock. I was heading over to our good friends’ home in Savage. They have a seven month old and I am a bachelor on Friday nights so it’s a win-win for both of us. I don’t have to spend the night alone and they don’t have to get a sitter but we both feel like we didn’t waste a perfectly good Friday night. The warm weather meant it was time to get the grill out (enter ‘Tim the tool man Taylor’ sound effects here). In my opinion there’s nothing better than sitting outside on a warm evening. The smell of marinated meat sizzling on the grill, the sound of dogs barking and a glass of craft beer in your hand… ahhhhhh. The only thing missing was the smell of freshly cut grass. Soon enough.
The night was planned out perfectly. 5:00, happy hour. 6:00, eat. 6:30, enjoy a nice cigar. 7:00, Twins game. The evening was welcomed by a nice cold Summit EPA. Ah, yes, a man’s beer. A Minnesota staple. A craft beer brewed to perfection every time. Sure there might be more exciting, trendy craft beers out there but there is no beer more solid. Enjoyable day in and day out. A local favorite and must have in my fridge. After supper (and a couple cold EPA’s) it was time for a new favorite of mine… Cigars and Surly. I just love the flavors that dance in my mouth during the combination of a good cigar and a Surly Bender. As they say; it takes two to tango. The cigar tasting of rich tobacco, spice and of course smokiness with the dark chocolatey roastiness of the Bender meld in prefect harmony with one another. However, it could be the over the top hoppiness of this beer that really compliments the cigar. Give it a try.
After the fire was extinguished and Kaylee was put to bed the boys retired to the man cave for a night of baseball and bitterness. Bitter because the game wasn’t being broadcast in HD, Grrrr! But bitter also because I was enjoying the latest Surly seasonal – Bitter Brewer. I find myself saying “this is one of my favorites” about many of their beers but this one I really look forward to. So easy to drink yet so delicious at the same time. I love hops and this beer has plenty. A far cry from their Furious but more than enough to make me happy. Bitter brewer is also low in alcohol (4% ABV) so you can drink a few and still function. A classic session beer.
Our mighty Twins were just coming off a 2-2 opening series home stand. I always get excited for baseball’s opening day. For me, at least mentally, it signifies the end of winter and the beginning of summer. Other than that, there really is nothing too exciting about Seattle coming to town. I would have preferred to sweep them but hey, the Twins will lose 50 or 60 games this season so I can’t get down on them already. This next series is where it is at. Many of you remember last year… the dreaded game 163. A crushing defeat in a one game playoff with our arch-rival Chicago White Sox. That game was decided by a solo homerun by Twins-killer Jim Thome. Final score 1-0. White sox in, Twins out. Now, seven months later, we pick up right where we left off; US Cellular Field in Chicago’s south side. As we all know by now the game ended up in favor of the Twins and it was a treat to watch as a Twins fan. The highlight for me had to be Joe Crede’s homecoming. Joe was acquired by the Twins as a free agent from the White Sox in the offseason. He was a crowd favorite in Chicago.
When he came up to bat for the first time he was greeted with not only a standing ovation but a warm up song. As Joe stepped into the box the loud speakers blasted Air Supply’s hit All Out of Love. “I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you…etc”. It was pretty funny and even Joe himself got a kick out it as he was seen chuckling. Moments later he reminded the White Sox fans just what they loved about him… his ability to hit the long ball. Crede laced a 2-0 pitch off Jose Contreras (see picture) into the left field bleachers giving the Twins a two to nuthin lead. After see-sawing for the next five innings the Twins finally broke it open with a seven run seventh innning. Final score 12-5 Twins. It was a great game to watch if you are a Twins fan. And it was a great way to finish out the work week. Beer, Baseball, BBQ and Blunts. It was a Good Friday indeed.
Like many people, I like to have a little balance in my life. For instance, when grilling I like to have a beer in one hand and the tongs in the other. This creates a nice balance and keeps me from tipping over. Seriously though, I find it a lot easier on the conscience if I hit the gym before over indulging. Balance. By the time I was home from church and got cleaned up after the gym it was almost 5 o’clock. I was heading over to our good friends’ home in Savage. They have a seven month old and I am a bachelor on Friday nights so it’s a win-win for both of us. I don’t have to spend the night alone and they don’t have to get a sitter but we both feel like we didn’t waste a perfectly good Friday night. The warm weather meant it was time to get the grill out (enter ‘Tim the tool man Taylor’ sound effects here). In my opinion there’s nothing better than sitting outside on a warm evening. The smell of marinated meat sizzling on the grill, the sound of dogs barking and a glass of craft beer in your hand… ahhhhhh. The only thing missing was the smell of freshly cut grass. Soon enough.
The night was planned out perfectly. 5:00, happy hour. 6:00, eat. 6:30, enjoy a nice cigar. 7:00, Twins game. The evening was welcomed by a nice cold Summit EPA. Ah, yes, a man’s beer. A Minnesota staple. A craft beer brewed to perfection every time. Sure there might be more exciting, trendy craft beers out there but there is no beer more solid. Enjoyable day in and day out. A local favorite and must have in my fridge. After supper (and a couple cold EPA’s) it was time for a new favorite of mine… Cigars and Surly. I just love the flavors that dance in my mouth during the combination of a good cigar and a Surly Bender. As they say; it takes two to tango. The cigar tasting of rich tobacco, spice and of course smokiness with the dark chocolatey roastiness of the Bender meld in prefect harmony with one another. However, it could be the over the top hoppiness of this beer that really compliments the cigar. Give it a try.
After the fire was extinguished and Kaylee was put to bed the boys retired to the man cave for a night of baseball and bitterness. Bitter because the game wasn’t being broadcast in HD, Grrrr! But bitter also because I was enjoying the latest Surly seasonal – Bitter Brewer. I find myself saying “this is one of my favorites” about many of their beers but this one I really look forward to. So easy to drink yet so delicious at the same time. I love hops and this beer has plenty. A far cry from their Furious but more than enough to make me happy. Bitter brewer is also low in alcohol (4% ABV) so you can drink a few and still function. A classic session beer.
Our mighty Twins were just coming off a 2-2 opening series home stand. I always get excited for baseball’s opening day. For me, at least mentally, it signifies the end of winter and the beginning of summer. Other than that, there really is nothing too exciting about Seattle coming to town. I would have preferred to sweep them but hey, the Twins will lose 50 or 60 games this season so I can’t get down on them already. This next series is where it is at. Many of you remember last year… the dreaded game 163. A crushing defeat in a one game playoff with our arch-rival Chicago White Sox. That game was decided by a solo homerun by Twins-killer Jim Thome. Final score 1-0. White sox in, Twins out. Now, seven months later, we pick up right where we left off; US Cellular Field in Chicago’s south side. As we all know by now the game ended up in favor of the Twins and it was a treat to watch as a Twins fan. The highlight for me had to be Joe Crede’s homecoming. Joe was acquired by the Twins as a free agent from the White Sox in the offseason. He was a crowd favorite in Chicago.
When he came up to bat for the first time he was greeted with not only a standing ovation but a warm up song. As Joe stepped into the box the loud speakers blasted Air Supply’s hit All Out of Love. “I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you…etc”. It was pretty funny and even Joe himself got a kick out it as he was seen chuckling. Moments later he reminded the White Sox fans just what they loved about him… his ability to hit the long ball. Crede laced a 2-0 pitch off Jose Contreras (see picture) into the left field bleachers giving the Twins a two to nuthin lead. After see-sawing for the next five innings the Twins finally broke it open with a seven run seventh innning. Final score 12-5 Twins. It was a great game to watch if you are a Twins fan. And it was a great way to finish out the work week. Beer, Baseball, BBQ and Blunts. It was a Good Friday indeed.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
By Myself, Yet Not Alone…
Last Friday, March 27th, I found myself in need of some good beer. I had plans to meet up with a good friend of mine at Acadia Café in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood near the U of M. They were celebrating their first anniversary in this “new” location and I had still never been. I should say it’s about time. Well, unexpected car trouble kept my friend close to home but I still wanted to check this place out. So I ventured out on my own. Not knowing the area very well I drove around looking for parking. I found myself on one-ways which darned near led me to the U’s East Bank. Before long I was back in Cedar Riverside and in the Carlson School of Management parking ramp. One flight of steps and a half a block later I got to Acadia and in the front door. Seemed like everyone else had the same idea I did. 7pm, I figured it would be somewhat subdued, a lull, a break in the action. Wrong. I find that downtown (where I work) there is usually a break on Friday evenings between the happy hour crowd and the night crowd. The bars seem to thin just a little between 7:00pm and 9:00pm. I should have known, this was a college bar, there are no breaks. Long story long, there were no open tables, no open seats at the bar and a lot of people standing… waiting. I walked right back out after quickly scanning the place, making it look like I was trying to find someone. Good news is, anything under ten minutes and the parking ramp is free. The better news, I was only a few blocks from the Blue Nile.
Al, if you are reading this, I don’t want you to feel like second fiddle. I’ve been to the Nile a handful of times which is a handful more than I’ve been to Acadia. Besides, free beer for a year is quite the temptation. If second place is a bar with Surly, Tyranena, Duchesse, Lion, Tremens and Summit then you can call me the Buffalo Bills any day. But I digress. Knowing I wouldn’t be disappointed I hauled my thirsty palate on over to The Blue Nile. The Blue Nile is home to local beer celebrity (though he won’t admit it) and bartender extraordinaire Al McCarty. If you ask him he’d rather be known as just the beer guy. And he is exactly that. With ‘I don’t know how many’ years in the craft beer dispensing business and nearly 3000 personal beer reviews, this guy knows his stuff. But enough about Al, let’s talk about beer. My first beer of the evening was a Surly 16-Grit. I’ve been waiting to try this beer for a long time. See my previous post here for more info on that. This was great! In my opinion, this was like a Furious on steroids. At first whiff I got loads of hops. It seemed like a similar hop profile as Furious. But upon further investigation, there was a lot more going on in the aroma. Definitely smelled like a double IPA. IPA’s smell, well, mostly hoppy, but not much in the way of maltiness. But with doubles (Extras, Imperials, etc) I get that rich deep caramel sweetness. And I was certainly getting that here. It tasted fantastic and was rich and hoppy, perfectly carbonated and a nice smooth mouthfeel. I could swirl, sniff and sip this all night, but at 10% abv I better not. On to the next.
Al has started something new here at the Blue Nile, the Beer Cruise. It seems like local establishments are finally catching on to what wine people have been doing forever… flights. However, the word flight in this case suggests elevation or escalation and a ranking of sorts. This seems a little silly since all of Al’s beers are good so he’s decided to call them cruises. Cruises consist of three 4oz pours and if I remember correctly there are four different cruises to choose from. A hoppy cruise, a malty (dark beer) cruise, a Surly Cruise – 4 Surly beers – and I can’t for the life of me remember the forth one. Although I think it has a Belgian or two. I decided to go with the dark beer cruise. Of the three beers, there were two that I hadn’t tried before so this seemed like the logical choice. This cruise consisted of Surly Bender, Tyranena’s Chipotle Smoked Imperial Porter and Lion Stout. I wanted to taste them one at a time so as not to confuse my palate. I would save the Bender for last since I’ve had that many times and start with the Lion Stout. I had watched a lot of that being poured since I arrived so my interest was piqued. Mmmm, smells great! Lots of dark/dried fruit, mostly raisin. It smelled great! And the taste was just as rewarding. Lots of raisin and also the roasty dark malt that stout is known for. Finishes with a nice thick mouthfeel.What a sweet treasure, I will certainly be looking for this one again soon, I recommend you do the same. In fact go see Al at the Nile and tell him the Lion sent you. I enjoyed this one so much that I decided to save it for last. I wanted it to be the one I remembered on the ride home. So next up was the Tyranena. As I said at the bar, I really couldn’t find the chipotle. I think I may have sensed its spiciness on my tongue, but I really couldn’t taste it at all. I did get the smoke though. Just enough to know it’s there and very pleasant. Wish I could have tasted the chipotle pepper though, I do like a little of that and I think it would have been nice with the smoky porter. I think I’ll look for ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ next time. The Bender was business as usual a solid dark beer that just doesn’t quite fit into any style. And that’s the way Surly wants it. Fine with me. Although I must say, this was a nice change of pace as I have been drinking mostly the coffee version of Bender these last few months. I had just a taste of Duchesse de Bourgogne before cutting myself off and heading for home. It was a little after 9:00 and I thought I had plenty of time to get home (Eden Prairie) before my wife got home at 10:00. That thought soon came to screeching halt. Tonight was the night that 35W south would be shutting down three of four lanes. I could expand but that is neither beer nor there.
Well, that’s another episode of BEER THIS! Special thanks to Al at the Blue Nile for not only providing me with content for this post but for also keeping me company. I may have been sitting on that bar stool by myself that night, but I was certainly not alone. It’s always a pleasure to talk beer with the great Felonious Monk.
P.S. I made it home just in time!
Al, if you are reading this, I don’t want you to feel like second fiddle. I’ve been to the Nile a handful of times which is a handful more than I’ve been to Acadia. Besides, free beer for a year is quite the temptation. If second place is a bar with Surly, Tyranena, Duchesse, Lion, Tremens and Summit then you can call me the Buffalo Bills any day. But I digress. Knowing I wouldn’t be disappointed I hauled my thirsty palate on over to The Blue Nile. The Blue Nile is home to local beer celebrity (though he won’t admit it) and bartender extraordinaire Al McCarty. If you ask him he’d rather be known as just the beer guy. And he is exactly that. With ‘I don’t know how many’ years in the craft beer dispensing business and nearly 3000 personal beer reviews, this guy knows his stuff. But enough about Al, let’s talk about beer. My first beer of the evening was a Surly 16-Grit. I’ve been waiting to try this beer for a long time. See my previous post here for more info on that. This was great! In my opinion, this was like a Furious on steroids. At first whiff I got loads of hops. It seemed like a similar hop profile as Furious. But upon further investigation, there was a lot more going on in the aroma. Definitely smelled like a double IPA. IPA’s smell, well, mostly hoppy, but not much in the way of maltiness. But with doubles (Extras, Imperials, etc) I get that rich deep caramel sweetness. And I was certainly getting that here. It tasted fantastic and was rich and hoppy, perfectly carbonated and a nice smooth mouthfeel. I could swirl, sniff and sip this all night, but at 10% abv I better not. On to the next.
Al has started something new here at the Blue Nile, the Beer Cruise. It seems like local establishments are finally catching on to what wine people have been doing forever… flights. However, the word flight in this case suggests elevation or escalation and a ranking of sorts. This seems a little silly since all of Al’s beers are good so he’s decided to call them cruises. Cruises consist of three 4oz pours and if I remember correctly there are four different cruises to choose from. A hoppy cruise, a malty (dark beer) cruise, a Surly Cruise – 4 Surly beers – and I can’t for the life of me remember the forth one. Although I think it has a Belgian or two. I decided to go with the dark beer cruise. Of the three beers, there were two that I hadn’t tried before so this seemed like the logical choice. This cruise consisted of Surly Bender, Tyranena’s Chipotle Smoked Imperial Porter and Lion Stout. I wanted to taste them one at a time so as not to confuse my palate. I would save the Bender for last since I’ve had that many times and start with the Lion Stout. I had watched a lot of that being poured since I arrived so my interest was piqued. Mmmm, smells great! Lots of dark/dried fruit, mostly raisin. It smelled great! And the taste was just as rewarding. Lots of raisin and also the roasty dark malt that stout is known for. Finishes with a nice thick mouthfeel.What a sweet treasure, I will certainly be looking for this one again soon, I recommend you do the same. In fact go see Al at the Nile and tell him the Lion sent you. I enjoyed this one so much that I decided to save it for last. I wanted it to be the one I remembered on the ride home. So next up was the Tyranena. As I said at the bar, I really couldn’t find the chipotle. I think I may have sensed its spiciness on my tongue, but I really couldn’t taste it at all. I did get the smoke though. Just enough to know it’s there and very pleasant. Wish I could have tasted the chipotle pepper though, I do like a little of that and I think it would have been nice with the smoky porter. I think I’ll look for ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ next time. The Bender was business as usual a solid dark beer that just doesn’t quite fit into any style. And that’s the way Surly wants it. Fine with me. Although I must say, this was a nice change of pace as I have been drinking mostly the coffee version of Bender these last few months. I had just a taste of Duchesse de Bourgogne before cutting myself off and heading for home. It was a little after 9:00 and I thought I had plenty of time to get home (Eden Prairie) before my wife got home at 10:00. That thought soon came to screeching halt. Tonight was the night that 35W south would be shutting down three of four lanes. I could expand but that is neither beer nor there.
Well, that’s another episode of BEER THIS! Special thanks to Al at the Blue Nile for not only providing me with content for this post but for also keeping me company. I may have been sitting on that bar stool by myself that night, but I was certainly not alone. It’s always a pleasure to talk beer with the great Felonious Monk.
P.S. I made it home just in time!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Open Mouth... Insert Foot
Dang, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything and I have something fun that needs to be addressed. Most craft beer connoisseurs have tried or are at least aware of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine. This annual limited release by the west coast giant (pun intended) receives much attention by the national beer drinking community. Every year aficionados wait patiently for the release. And every year they are not disappointed. I decided this year would be the year for me to get in on the action. BEER THIS, Bigfoot!
I got luckier than I expected. Not only was my first Bigfoot ever a 2009 edition, but I also got to try the 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008! That’s right, I got to taste 11 years worth – 1998 thru 2009 (sans 2000) – of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot side by side in one sitting. In a word, amazing! I can see why this is highly anticipated. In a country such as ours where the masses love hop bombs this young Barleywine resembles an Imperial IPA. But as with any Barleywine, they only get better with time. We started with 2009 and worked our way backwards. While high in hop bitterness and flavor while fresh, the hops are the first to go. Each year proceeded to get less hoppy and more malty. The hop bitterness stuck around longer than the flavor and aroma but even that mellowed with time. The addition of time also brought out the wonderful dried fruit aroma and flavors and just a hint of toast. It was just incredible. Even now, almost two weeks later I can still taste it and it leaves me longing for more.
I found 2002-2004 to be my favorite, although I can certainly respect the hype the fresh Bigfoot demands. My advice, go out and buy the Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA and drink it fresh. Buy the Bigfoot, cellar it appropriately and enjoy 2-3 years later, you will not be disappointed. A HUGE thank you to the BJCP judge, we’ll call him “Joe Nathan”, who brought these gems to our weekly BJCP class, it was a treat indeed!
Cheers and BEER THIS!
I got luckier than I expected. Not only was my first Bigfoot ever a 2009 edition, but I also got to try the 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008! That’s right, I got to taste 11 years worth – 1998 thru 2009 (sans 2000) – of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot side by side in one sitting. In a word, amazing! I can see why this is highly anticipated. In a country such as ours where the masses love hop bombs this young Barleywine resembles an Imperial IPA. But as with any Barleywine, they only get better with time. We started with 2009 and worked our way backwards. While high in hop bitterness and flavor while fresh, the hops are the first to go. Each year proceeded to get less hoppy and more malty. The hop bitterness stuck around longer than the flavor and aroma but even that mellowed with time. The addition of time also brought out the wonderful dried fruit aroma and flavors and just a hint of toast. It was just incredible. Even now, almost two weeks later I can still taste it and it leaves me longing for more.
I found 2002-2004 to be my favorite, although I can certainly respect the hype the fresh Bigfoot demands. My advice, go out and buy the Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA and drink it fresh. Buy the Bigfoot, cellar it appropriately and enjoy 2-3 years later, you will not be disappointed. A HUGE thank you to the BJCP judge, we’ll call him “Joe Nathan”, who brought these gems to our weekly BJCP class, it was a treat indeed!
Cheers and BEER THIS!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hopslam, Torpedo, One Thousand, oh my!
Okay, I’m sorry for the Wizard of Oz reference but I’m just so giddy I feel like dancing around like the brainless Scarecrow. Call them what you will – Double, Imperial, Strong, Extra – but the selection of big IPAs that is available to us right now is nearing utopian levels. The elevated amounts of hops, malt and alcohol give these beers a very pleasing experience. These beers, so rich and bitter yet smooth at the same time, deserve a multiple punctuation BEER THIS!!!
I am new to the whole hyped beer revolution. I joined an online forum dedicated to beer lovers in January 2008. It was there that I learned about all the beers in my area, the US and even the world that everyone was talking about. If something was getting built up and I could find it locally, I usually sought it out. And here is the funny thing; they are almost always worth the hype. It’s not like movie trailers that play every commercial break for 3 months and then the movie flops. No, this isn’t Hollywood created advertising hype, this it certifiable 100% consumer created hype. Thanks to this website http://www.beeradvocate.com/ I learned about so many new beers. Can you believe 2008 was the first Darkness I’ve ever had? Well, here’s another shocker, this year is the first time I’ve ever tried the Bell’s Hopslam. Sure enough, again, this is worth all the hype. It pours a nice orange copper color with a little off white head that dissipates quickly but still leaves a nice lacing behind. A little swirling revives the head and aroma. Pretty much clear, maybe just a little haze. I stick my nose in and bam! Hops hops and more hops. Mostly citrusy including grapefruit and some pineapple. But, there is also an inviting sweetness as well. Pretty balanced in the nose despite the extreme hoppiness. Can’t wait to taste it… Yuuuuuum. Just as it smells, lots of delicious hops and malt. Maybe a little dried fruit, a lot of caramel. Not really toasty or bready, just hoppy and sweet. Sweetness may come from simple sugars as excessive crystal malts can make a beer dextrinous and cloying. In spite of the bitterness this beer is still incredibly smooth. A must have if hop bombs are your thing.
About a week later I picked up some Sierra Nevada Torpedo, a brand new year-round offering which they are calling an Extra IPA. And then just a couple of days ago I stopped in to Town Hall Brewery and tried their Batch 1000. This beer named simply for the milestone batch number in which it was brewed is similar to both Hopslam and Torpedo but is being marketed at a Strong IPA. I won’t bore you with reviews of each of these as they would sound very similar to the one I did for Hopslam. I can, however say that each of these beers is unique in its own right. don’t settle for trying just one, you will certainly appreciate the subtle differences of each. I’ll give you a few tidbits from each of the brewers about their respective beers.
First, the Sierra Nevada Torpedo…
“Chico, CA (1/05/09) - For a brewery known for its use of hops, it seems out of character to wait nearly 30 years to produce a year-round IPA. Torpedo is worth the wait. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of Torpedo Extra IPA as the newest addition to its year-round roster of beers. This is the first full-production IPA to come from the brewery and the first change in its year-round lineup in over a decade.”
I would have to agree, not that we had a choice, but definitely worth the wait. Makes me excited for all the other great beers we're waiting for???
– from Sierra Nevada's website
Next, Town Hall Batch 1000…
“Today is the day for the release of Batch 1000. This is a Strong IPA (8.5% abv) that used about 11 pounds of hops per barrel (another way to celebrate our 11th year). This is limited in supply and I do not think it will be around long.”
– Mike Hoops, Brewer, Town Hall Brewery in an email newsletter 2/24/09.
Congrats, Mike on batch 1000, it’s a good one!
Since we’re on the subject of big IPAs I feel compelled to mention that Surly 16-Grit is returning. In an email to Surly Nation, owner Omar Ansari told loyal drinkers that the brewery “got some new 60 bbl fermentors a few weeks ago. The 1st beer we brewed into it - 16 GRIT!” (bbl = beer barrel - one bbl = about 31 gal) They made this beer late 2008 and sold it the last week of the year. Brewer Todd Haug and company made a small amount, 30 bbls and they sold it in growlers only. State law allows breweries to sell growlers (large take-out jugs of beer) if they produce less than 3,500 bbls annually. Well, in 2008 they far exceeded that, so as of January 1st 2009, no more growlers. To go out with a bang they made this huge IPA and sold it December 27th-31st. You can imagine how excited I was. December 30th being my birthday I decided I would go that day and pick up my growler. Unfortunately they sold out on Dec 29th. Good for them, bad for me. Oh well, if you are one of the 3 people who regularly read this blog, you know what happened on my birthday. I probably wouldn’t have made it there anyway. There have been a lot of questions since then about whether they will remake this beer sometime and I guess our questions (prayers) have been answered. I am so excited to try this beer. Let the hype begin!
Well, that’s all for this episode of BEER THIS! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this almost as much as I enjoyed drinking the beers I wrote about. Next time you read or hear about a beer that’s all hyped up, I would encourage you to go out and try it.
Please also visit www.lutherpublichouse.com for more fun with beer.
I am new to the whole hyped beer revolution. I joined an online forum dedicated to beer lovers in January 2008. It was there that I learned about all the beers in my area, the US and even the world that everyone was talking about. If something was getting built up and I could find it locally, I usually sought it out. And here is the funny thing; they are almost always worth the hype. It’s not like movie trailers that play every commercial break for 3 months and then the movie flops. No, this isn’t Hollywood created advertising hype, this it certifiable 100% consumer created hype. Thanks to this website http://www.beeradvocate.com/ I learned about so many new beers. Can you believe 2008 was the first Darkness I’ve ever had? Well, here’s another shocker, this year is the first time I’ve ever tried the Bell’s Hopslam. Sure enough, again, this is worth all the hype. It pours a nice orange copper color with a little off white head that dissipates quickly but still leaves a nice lacing behind. A little swirling revives the head and aroma. Pretty much clear, maybe just a little haze. I stick my nose in and bam! Hops hops and more hops. Mostly citrusy including grapefruit and some pineapple. But, there is also an inviting sweetness as well. Pretty balanced in the nose despite the extreme hoppiness. Can’t wait to taste it… Yuuuuuum. Just as it smells, lots of delicious hops and malt. Maybe a little dried fruit, a lot of caramel. Not really toasty or bready, just hoppy and sweet. Sweetness may come from simple sugars as excessive crystal malts can make a beer dextrinous and cloying. In spite of the bitterness this beer is still incredibly smooth. A must have if hop bombs are your thing.
About a week later I picked up some Sierra Nevada Torpedo, a brand new year-round offering which they are calling an Extra IPA. And then just a couple of days ago I stopped in to Town Hall Brewery and tried their Batch 1000. This beer named simply for the milestone batch number in which it was brewed is similar to both Hopslam and Torpedo but is being marketed at a Strong IPA. I won’t bore you with reviews of each of these as they would sound very similar to the one I did for Hopslam. I can, however say that each of these beers is unique in its own right. don’t settle for trying just one, you will certainly appreciate the subtle differences of each. I’ll give you a few tidbits from each of the brewers about their respective beers.
First, the Sierra Nevada Torpedo…
“Chico, CA (1/05/09) - For a brewery known for its use of hops, it seems out of character to wait nearly 30 years to produce a year-round IPA. Torpedo is worth the wait. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of Torpedo Extra IPA as the newest addition to its year-round roster of beers. This is the first full-production IPA to come from the brewery and the first change in its year-round lineup in over a decade.”
I would have to agree, not that we had a choice, but definitely worth the wait. Makes me excited for all the other great beers we're waiting for???
– from Sierra Nevada's website
Next, Town Hall Batch 1000…
“Today is the day for the release of Batch 1000. This is a Strong IPA (8.5% abv) that used about 11 pounds of hops per barrel (another way to celebrate our 11th year). This is limited in supply and I do not think it will be around long.”
– Mike Hoops, Brewer, Town Hall Brewery in an email newsletter 2/24/09.
Congrats, Mike on batch 1000, it’s a good one!
Since we’re on the subject of big IPAs I feel compelled to mention that Surly 16-Grit is returning. In an email to Surly Nation, owner Omar Ansari told loyal drinkers that the brewery “got some new 60 bbl fermentors a few weeks ago. The 1st beer we brewed into it - 16 GRIT!” (bbl = beer barrel - one bbl = about 31 gal) They made this beer late 2008 and sold it the last week of the year. Brewer Todd Haug and company made a small amount, 30 bbls and they sold it in growlers only. State law allows breweries to sell growlers (large take-out jugs of beer) if they produce less than 3,500 bbls annually. Well, in 2008 they far exceeded that, so as of January 1st 2009, no more growlers. To go out with a bang they made this huge IPA and sold it December 27th-31st. You can imagine how excited I was. December 30th being my birthday I decided I would go that day and pick up my growler. Unfortunately they sold out on Dec 29th. Good for them, bad for me. Oh well, if you are one of the 3 people who regularly read this blog, you know what happened on my birthday. I probably wouldn’t have made it there anyway. There have been a lot of questions since then about whether they will remake this beer sometime and I guess our questions (prayers) have been answered. I am so excited to try this beer. Let the hype begin!
Well, that’s all for this episode of BEER THIS! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this almost as much as I enjoyed drinking the beers I wrote about. Next time you read or hear about a beer that’s all hyped up, I would encourage you to go out and try it.
Please also visit www.lutherpublichouse.com for more fun with beer.
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