Some Beers I've Had

I keep meaning to post the beers I've had over the past several days, but I have been unable to keep up with this blog, which is better than I can say about several of my other blogs.

Anyway, here are some highlights over the past few days. You can also check my RateBeer account for other reviews.
I had new Belgium's take on the IPA, Ranger. The aroma hit me in the face with Simcoe and Amarillo, but the beer was super bitter and dry. That and it had this lingering New Belgium presence that I blame on their yeast. It never seems to show its head in their bigger, barrel-aged beers, but it rears its ugly head here. This is a fine beer, very sessionable. It's just not going to be my first or third choice at the bar.I hit a local joint called Broadway Brewery before a rock show the other night. Word had it that they had tapped a DIPA. So, I thought I'd give them a try. The beer had a great nose of Centennial and Willamette (I think), but it was very, very green. It tasted like your homebrew 3-4 weeks before you should drink it. Hopefully, it will stay around for a while or the brewery will get a chance to brew it again. Like the brewpub/restaurant, it just needs time to improve with age.


I made some burgers with a Founders Porter (which I finished while preparing dinner). The burgers were juicier and richer thanks to the beer. I don't know that this beer made a difference, but they were good burgers. I'll certainly remember to add three tablespoons of dark beer to my next batch of burgers. Also, along with the porter burgers, I smeared on some delicious stout mustard made with Schlafly's Extra Irish Stout. The combination was perfect and I look forward to trying it again.

Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot 2010 hit shelves this week. I promptly bought a sixer and chilled a '09 for comparison. Due to circumstances out of my control, I had to split the two beers over two nights. Assuming that it's the aging, the '09 was say more complex and fuller than the '10 version. It's nice to know that aging some of those beers is paying off.


Tonight, Schalfly, O'Fallon, and New Albanian collaborated for an oak-aged smoked rye pale ale. Someone best described it as more interesting than good. The rye pale ale part was good and as solid as anything else I've tried, but the smoke just didn't fit. Someone smelled Jack Daniels, but I chalk that up to the rye and smoke. Smoke doesn't work with everything. However, this beer did pair well with the Vietnamese hot wings Uprise Bakery was serving with the beer.

Friends and I also split an Avery dunganA double IPA. Aside from the odd bleach smell and taste from the glasses, the beer is fresh, crisp, and citrusy. It was a nice finish to the past several days of beer drinking.

The Beer I Drank Today: BrewDog/Stone Bashah

I'll drink and enjoy anything the folks at Stone brew. That's just a fact.

On the other hand, whatever BrewDog puts in a bottle promises an awful lot, but it rarely delivers on that promise.

This beer somehow fulfills both prophesies. Like the black pilsner they collaborated on, the beer defies style and definition. It's black black with lovely lacing. The aroma is big, roasty, raisiny, and even oddly hoppy. However, the mouthfeel is a bit watery and the flavor doesn't quite live up to what's promised in the appearance and smell.

That said, I enjoyed the beer anyway. It's still better than 90% of the beers out there and is unique enough of an experience to warrant another pint.

The Beer I Drank Today: Special Holiday Ale (Retox Edition)

I decided some time ago that maybe I should take better care of myself. To do this, it seemed best to rid my body of toxins in order to begin a new regimen of eating better and exercising more. I certainly ate better, limiting portions, sugar, caffeine, and even alcohol. (The exercise will have to come later when it gets warmer.)

The program of supplements meant to clean me out was a ten-day deal. Today is the 11th. It's time to undo all the good I've done. It's time to retox as one friend put it. I started with coffee this morning, but a beer this evening was what I really looked forward to.

I decided to finish off one of the few holiday beers I still had left from the...err...holidays. The Special Holiday Ale from the collaboration of Jolly Pumpkin, Nøgne-Ø, and Stone (three of my favorite breweries) hit the spot. Juniper berries, chestnuts, and other spices dominated this malty slice of heaven. When the hop presence wasn't felt, I could swear I was drinking the best, fruitiest Coke ever. And at 9% ABV I was sure not to confuse it too much for a fruity cola.

Welcome back beer. I've missed you. It's been since last year...

This was my first beer of 2010, just in time for Hopslam's arrival tomorrow. Enough of that talk. Let me enjoy my first beer of the year, of the decade.