Tonight's beer was a Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale. I just finished a bottle at the end of winter. Not bad. It has a deep amber color. Nice carbonation, better than the last one, anyway, and a good malty flavor as well as a good amount of bitterness. For me the weakness would be the increasing sweetness towards the end of the bottle, but that's just my taste. I think it's worth a try if you've never had it. I don't know if you can see it, but the photo below shows a 2007/2008 "vintage" bottle. The bottle I just finished was their 2008/2009 "vintage". Also, the illustration on the label changes every winter. I love that attention to detail. These people are serious about beer.
"...your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." - Anthony Bourdain
Spending the next ten days in Vermont. Had a couple of very decent brews at a local joint this evening. Flying Dog "Tire Bite Golden Ale" was hot shit refreshing. The Brewery's marketing header is a quote from the late great Hunter Thompson, "Good People Drink Good Beer." Well, shit, we knew that. Anyway, I enjoyed the Tire Bite.
The young pup of the pack... Tire Bite Golden Ale is a refreshing, light, warm weather slammer with a flavorful hop edge. Brewed using exclusive imported German hops, this beer draws craft beer drinkers back from the "dark" side of the cooler.
ABV:
5%
Plato:
11.5
IBU's:
16.5
Specialty Malts:
Malted White Wheat, Munich
Hops:
German Perle, Hallertau
Process:
Brewed with a unique
proprietary yeast
"...your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." - Anthony Bourdain
The other brew I had tonight, Trout River Rainbow Red Ale, is from a Vermont brewery. It's darker than the Flying Dog but just as refreshing. BTW, it's not available outside of Vermont, sorry.
Last edited by Jimmy Cantiello; June-27th-2009 at 09:15 PM.
"...your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." - Anthony Bourdain
Also picked up a case of Sly Fox Phoenix Pale Ale. Good stuff! I'm always looking for good pale ales because sometimes I'm better off with something closer to 5% alcohol compared to the 7% of most IPAs I love. This is one of the better ones for sure. Small distribution, though.
Took a Sunday afternoon drive to the Buzzards Bay brewery in Westport this past weekend. Unfortunately, they're closed on Sundays. Fortunately, the Westport Winery was open, and they sell Buzzards Bay beers there, so after tasting five wines, I picked up a six pack of BB Black Lager:
Believe it or not, my neighbor has one in his basement. It's sweet. His wife is a saint for agreeing to clean that thing after a football party (sadly, I won't be attending a football party there this year because my team has decided to hire someone who takes pleasure in torturing animals).
I do have lots of nice shrubbery in the back yard.
Also picked up a case of Sly Fox Phoenix Pale Ale. Good stuff! I'm always looking for good pale ales because sometimes I'm better off with something closer to 5% alcohol compared to the 7% of most IPAs I love.
Lenny, what is your favorite these days?
I can't get the Two-Hearted, so I have had to settle for Stone's and Dogfish (60min and 90 min) IPAs.
anything else in (relatively) wide distribution you recommend?
I can't get the Two-Hearted, so I have had to settle for Stone's and Dogfish (60min and 90 min) IPAs.
anything else in (relatively) wide distribution you recommend?
What about Pale Ales?
I wish I could find more pale ales that I really enjoy. That's why I was happy to find that that Sly Fox one. I love the IPAs and I almost always am disappointed in the pale ales (I generally find that I would rather be drinking an IPA) but nowadays I get hung over too easily so a long string of IPAs is bad for the next day. So on weekends I start with something like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (which I love) or Liberty Ale, something like that, and work my way up in alcohol. That works better for me anyway because I hate going in reverse down the hops scale.
I'm lucky to be in a position to buy in DE, PA and MD. I can only get the two hearted in PA but man did it shoot up in price. Painful. I have to buy a whole case (PA rules) but then only drink a couple a week. So I mix in Stone IPA, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (bought a few cases end of last season) and things like Founders Centennial IPA, Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, Great Divide Titan IPA, etc. The Sierra Nevada Fresh Hop IPA is really solid too, but only comes in bombers, I think.
Have you joined Rate Beer or Beer Advocate? At RateBeer.com you can often see the top rated beers that are available in your area. Try the Southern Tier that Jason mentioned. I'm sure you can get that.
Wish I liked 60 minute IPA more. I just had some on tap over the weekend in Bethany Beach, DE. Like it on tap but can't take a liking to the bottle. The 90 Min, too, is so much better on tap. I have the same problem with Victory Hop Devil, which you might be able to get. Just a different animal in the bottle.
If you really get desperate (and can part with the extra cash!) you can try liquid solutions or some of the places that ship. At least that way you can try things you can't otherwise get.
Lenny, brilliant. I'll stop on the way to/from State Line Liquors!
Rollhead, I don't know where in NY you are, but if you can find it, Southern Tier's IPA is pretty tasty. My two cents.
Definitely! And if you ever make it up this way there are a couple of killer beer distributors in PA, The Beer Yard being one (check out that inventory). I can pick you up something in advance.
When do you make it to State Line Liquors? Funny, when I was there last time one of the guys took me in the back where they have stuff tapped. Tried the Southern Tier imperial IPA. Great stuff.
Last edited by LennyH; August-18th-2009 at 05:35 PM.
I was at Swarthmore in late May and hit State Line on the way back. I can't believe the selection! I spent an obscene amount of the money I made on that trip and invested in the craft beer industry. The selection of Cantillons alone was jaw-dropping.
I'll definitely let you know next time I'm up that way.
The other brew I had tonight, Trout River Rainbow Red Ale, is from a Vermont brewery. It's darker than the Flying Dog but just as refreshing. BTW, it's not available outside of Vermont, sorry.
'Tis available in NH and MA. They make an excellent stout, I might add.
Last edited by Kevin Bresnahan; August-19th-2009 at 10:41 AM.
The other brew I had tonight, Trout River Rainbow Red Ale, is from a Vermont brewery. It's darker than the Flying Dog but just as refreshing. BTW, it's not available outside of Vermont, sorry.
Originally Posted by Kevin Bresnahan
'Tis available in NH and MA. They make an excellent stout, I might add.
I don't know why I said that. Maybe I read it on their website or maybe I had one too many while posting.
Last edited by Jimmy Cantiello; August-19th-2009 at 11:11 AM.
"...your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." - Anthony Bourdain
Speaking of Hop Devil, I have to sing the praises of Wild Devil, a new offering from Victory. It's HD which has been spiked with brettanomyces, a strain of funky yeast often used in Belgian or "wild ales." Really nice combination, a killer IPA with a little bit of tart funk to it.
Thumbs Up for Beer Fans
Court Signals Lenient Treatment for Oktoberfest Drunks
AP
Beer heaven is about to open its gates at the Munich Oktoberfest.
Good news for inebriated beer drinkers walking zig zag through the streets of Munich on their way home from the Oktoberfest this year -- a local court has ruled that motorists will be held partly liable for any accidents involving drunks.
Motorists in Munich beware -- if you collide with a drunken reveller who runs out in front of your vehicle during the Oktoberfest beer festival, the courts may well decide it's your fault.
The Munich district court set a precedent on Monday by ruling against a woman motorcyclist who was claiming compensation for injuries she sustained and damage to her motorbike when an inebriated man jaywalked in front of her at a traffic light during the 2006 Oktoberfest.
The judge decided that the woman was to blame for half the damage. "During the Oktoberfest it is officially known that large numbers of drunken people are at large (…) and one can't always expect them to stick to traffic rules," the court said in a statement, citing the judge.
The motorcyclist should have driven more slowly in view of the obvious dangers, the judge ruled. The man was ordered to pay only half the €2,478 ($3,620) in damage to the motorbike and the woman wasn't awarded the additional €1,000 she had claimed as compensation for her superficial injuries.
This is good news for the 6 million visitors expected to flock to the world's biggest beer festival, which opens on Saturday, Sept. 19 with a parade of Bavarian folk groups wearing lederhosen and dirndls.
Many who savor the amber nectar served up in one-liter glasses in the enormous beer tents are preprogrammed to end up drunk. The beer, brewed specially by six Munich breweries for the two-week festival, has a six percent alcohol content, which makes it stronger than normal lager beer.
Last year visitors guzzled 6.49 million liters of beer. A total of 4,600 lost items were collected from the 14 giant beer tents including one dachshund, one superman costume and one pair of diving goggles.
Originally Posted by Jason Bivins
