Beer tossing fridge

I’m not sure what you’d file this one under. Besides his sad choice in beer this is a great idea.

Beer #6: Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

I was first introduced to Dogfish Head Brewery by the documentary “Beer Wars” which also introduced me to Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione. For some reason I hadn’t gotten around to trying one his brews out. Hear is a quick video about this beer.

 

The aroma is very citrus/Apricot like and jumps out at you.  Has a deep orange amber color. Has a fruity sour taste with active carbonation that is nice on the tongue and has a dry finish. I feel the fruitiness is overwhelming and is actually a turnoff. It’s like I’m drinking apricot juice that’s carbonated.

This beer has perplexed me. If you look around at beer sites everyone seems to be in love with this beer. Beer Advocate gives this one an A- and scores a perfect 100 at RateBeer. At the time of this writing I’ve tried this beer four different times to be sure that I’m getting the right impression. This is my first Imperial IPA and if others are like this I think I’ll skip over them. I don’t mind a hint of hops aroma but it’s too much for me. I leave this one to the beer snobs. I gave it a “C-/2.65“ on Beer Advocate.

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Mr. Beer Christmas

My wonderful wife bought the Mr. Beer Kit for me for Christmas. This was pleasant surprise because I had been toying with the idea of home brewing but the whole process seemed intimidating and didn’t get further than the idea phase. Well I guess this will enable me to try my hand at it.

The kit comes with the bare necessities for the home brewing beginner (like me). It comes with a two gallon plastic keg, eight 1 liter bottles, caps, Pale Ale malt extract, booster, sanitizer and instructions. The instructions are simple and to the point.

I checked out the Mr. Beer website and it is full of information, refill kits, accessories and more.

This is a review I found of it starring Garret Oliver, Brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery, giving it a positive review.

I can’t wait to get going with this.I will post here my progress with this new project.

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Bottoms Up Beer dispenser

What will they think of next? The dispenser is called the Bottoms Up and is made by Grinon Industries.

Beer #5 : Narragansett Porter

I have finally gotten around to trying Narragansett Porter. This one is brewed locally through the Trinity Brew House in Providence, Rhode Island and Cotrell Brewery in Pawcutuck, Connecticut. I’m testing mine through 16 oz. “tallboys”.

I had seen these through few videos I’ve featured on this site. It’s a very dark beer with a rich flavor. This is as close to “root beer” as real beer gets in my opinion. It has a very strong malty taste at first but then seems to mellow the more you sample it. I need to hold it up to a light bulb to see through it. It has a very rich flavor that doesn’t over power you. It has a very thick head with faint hint of chocolate and malt. It’s worth checking out. Here’s a recent article from the Providence Journal.

Narragansett Brewing Co.

Beer Advocate Rating: B/3.7

My Beer Advocate Rating:B+/4

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Narragansett Beer’s 120th Anniversary luncheon

I found this article in the Providence Journal about a luncheon with executives from Narragansett Beer both past and present. It also includes former Rhode Island Governor Joseph Garrahy who also used to be a Narragansett Beer salesman. It’s a nice write up about this local brew that’s attempting to make a comeback.

Here’s a video of Mark Hellendrung who along with Jim Crook started resurrecting the brew in 2005.

Technorati Tags: narragansett,beer,gansett,rhode island

Schlitz Beer

Root Beer with Narragansett Porter

 

This looks good. I’ll have try this one. Here is the website for Art in the Age  Root Spirits.   Good luck.

Narragansett Porter Float

I haven’t tried the ‘Gansett Porter yet either so this may make it more interesting. Ice cream and beer?

 

Technorati Tags: narragansett,beer,porter,float,ice cream,how to,make,gansett

Beer #4: Anchor Steam Beer

After trying Anchor’s Liberty Ale I had wanted to try Anchor Steam Beer. The term “Steam” is a 19th century term used to describe west coast brewers who used to make beer under harsh conditions without ice. No one is quite sure why the word “steam” was used but it stuck. It’s style is called California Common/ Steam Beer according to BeerAdvocate.com.

As for the beer itself it has a nice medium amber color Gives a nice one finger sized foamy head. This one reminds me a lot of Samuel Adams Boston Lager in taste, color and overall balance. No one thing is overpowering. It has a nice mild malty taste with just enough bite to remind you it’s a beer at heart. It’s looks can be deceiving as it doesn’t look very carbonated but it does have a nice champagne like feel on the tongue.

I still favor the Liberty Ale by Anchor Brewing but this one is close behind. I would certainly recommend this to others to try out. Thank you and always drink smarter not harder.

Anchor Brewing Co. 

Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.85 (1498 reviews)

My Advocate Rating B/ 3.7

Beer #3: Narragansett Lager Beer

Hi Neighbor! Narragansett Lager beer is another beer from the past making a comeback.  This was a beer that was very popular in New England from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.  It was the official beer of the Boston Red Sox for many years. It’s famous slogan “Hi, neighbor…have a ‘Gansett!” was coined by Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy. Narragansett Brewery shuts it’s doors in 1981 and the brewery demolished in 1998. In 2006 the brand was bought out by Providence businessman Mark Hellendrung and hit the shelves soon after.

This isn’t your typical mass produced watered down beer.  It has a light gold color that is quite appealing. Has a light smoky like taste that disappears quickly. It has a faint hoppy aroma and a quickly disappearing head. Very little bitterness or negative after-taste. It makes a good choice for game day, cookout or just relaxation.

Narragansett Beer Official Website

Beer Advocate rating:  B- / 3.44 (183 Reviews)

My Beer Advocate Rating : C+ /3.1

Technorati Tags: narragansett,gansett,beer,lager,review

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Remember to drink beer responsibly and use a designated driver if necessary.

Miller High Life vintage ad

Many times the beer commercials are better than the beer itself. Not in this case though because I actually like Miller High Life.I love these vintage ads. I’ll actually be doing a review of this real soon as it’s one of my favorite macro brew pale lagers. It’s not a craft brewed specialty but it serves it’s purpose. Enjoy the vintage ad.

Beer #2 : Schlitz – Classic 60’s Formula

This was the beer I remember my uncles drinking when I was a kid. For nostalgia sake I decided to try this one out. It had a surprisingly good taste and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this one.

Part of the history of this is that up until the 1970’s this was one of the America’s best selling beers. It was at that time though that someone in management tried to reformulate(can you say “New Coke”?) the brew to save money in production. It altered the taste and also led to freshness issues. Sales declined and after a strike the brand was bought out by Stroh’s then Pabst in the late 90’s when it seemed the brand was relegated to “cheap” beer status only sold in can’s.

In 2008 the classic 60’s formula was revised and has made a comeback. I was surprised to find it in beer stores not to long ago and I’ve finally gotten around to trying it. Like I said before I pleasantly surprised that it tasted wonderful. It does have a slightly hop like flavor and aroma. Has a soft amber color with a head that disappears quickly. Very smooth going down with no bitter after-taste. For a pale lager type of beer I thought it was very good. It’s certainly worth a try.

Beer Advocate Rating: B (107 reviews)

Schlitz Official Website

My Beer Advocate Rating: B- (3.35)

Technorati Tags: beer,schlitz,classic 60's formula,review

Beer #1: Anchor Liberty Ale

This ale is just unbelievable. It has a great head and slightly fruity aroma that just keeps growing on me. Has a soft amber haze color with a very active bubbly feel on your tongue. I’m definitely buying this one again!

This is brewed by Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco, California. Now only 98 to go.

More about Moonshot

Poor Moonshot beer can’t get a break here. Here’s another article from the Boston Globe online which doesn’t offer much help to Rhanda Kallman and the future of her caffeinated brew. They do make to point that Moonshot’s barely is not even in the same class as the infamous Four Loko brand. It would seem like authorities are simply reacting to pressure and just banning any alcoholic drink with caffeine in it without taking the time for making any distinction.

Judging from the poor ratings at beer sites like RateBeer and Beer Advocate maybe they should have put more effort into taste rather than a gimmick like caffeine.

Moonshot Banned?

I wouldn’t have noticed this news item if I hadn’t have seen Beer Wars which Moonshot Beer was one of the stars of. The FDA has grouped Moonshot Beer with the now infamous Four Loko caffeinated alcoholic beverage. Rhanda Kallman, founder of New Century Brewing Company, (also a major star of Beer Wars) issued this statement regarding the ban from the FDA.

When first hearing about this controversy I did think of Moonshot (after seeing the movie) and wondered how they would be affected by it. The amount of caffeine in Moonshot is only small fraction of what the Four Loko contains and I was a bit surprised they were grouped together. What ever you may think of Moonshot this seems like a knee jerk reaction by the FDA due to all the press this issue has been getting lately.

Having been given only 15 days to reformulate your core product and removing it’s main selling point seems like they’re getting the rug pulled out from them. All this wasn’t even brought on from Moonshot who have been around seen 2001 without causing any problems until Four Loko arrived on the scene. If some other resolution can’t be found I’m sure this would be the end of Rhanda Kallman and Moonshot for good.

Technorati Tags: moonshot,caffeine,beer wars,four loko,beer,fda,ban

Beer Wars!

Beer Wars takes a look at the beer industry as it is today. It shows how big beer became big and how the smaller brewers are struggling for survival. It is a bit biased against the likes of Budweiser, Miller and Coors and grants a sympathetic look at start up brewers like DogFish Head and the makers of Moonshot. Then again a small guy versus the big bully makes for better entertainment anyway.

This a must see for any beer loving American. Despite it’s biased we get an inside look and some recent history on how macro brewers(Big Beer) became what they are like them or not. It also looks at the at the up and coming craft(or micro) brewer revolution that has occurred in the last 20 years or so. You may never look at your beer the same again.

Technorati Tags: budweiser,beer,wars,dogfish head,moonshot,miller,coors,documentary,film

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall!

I remember singing this song on long car trips as a kid. Obviously it’s an inspiration for this blog. Even though I’ve drank beer for many years as an adult I’ve come to realize how little I know about this wonderful beverage. As a younger adult it was just a means of getting a drunk. Yes it still does that but it’s gone beyond that. After quitting smoking the past year one of the things I noticed is that beer tasted a lot better without that nasty nicotine addiction. That’s amazing considering that the two almost go hand in hand, at least it used to with myself. In the last few months I’ve grown to appreciate beer more and more.

My first experience with beer came as a kid with an older adult(probably inebriated) by taking a sip of beer that was offered. I remember as a kid that it had an awful taste  and wondered why so many adults had this affection for it. I tried some as a teenager but it really wasn’t until I was in the Army that I grew in my usage of this beverage. Of course like many young adults joining the service I became an avid consumer of alcohol. Of course at this age what type of beverage was unimportant as long as it contained alcohol. Many times it was just limited to what your budget was or what was your fancy at the time.

I was lucky enough to be stationed in the holy land of beer lovers,Germany(then West Germany).  The most common type of beer I drank there was what they call Export Beer. Binding Bier was the local favorite where I was living(in Hanau, near Frankfurt). Little did I know that this told me that there was better beer out there somewhere.

My goal with this blog is taste and test at least 99 beers of as many types as possible. I’ll post as many reviews, thoughts, ramblings, rants, and beer related articles as possible. I’m not a professional beer taster or snob so I’ll try and keep it real as possible. Cheers!