Merry Beer Club Christmas

The Dirty South Beer Club has been spending a lot of time together recently (check out post on Chattanooga trip - HERE). Last week the Dirty South Beer Club celebrated the holidays as you might have expected; with a sampling of seasonal brews. But we also upped the ante by holding a beer-themed white elephant. The combination of the two resulted in a fantastic time had by all, though I regret to say that we did not get around to rating any of the beers we drank.

We started with a magnum of Anchor's Special Ale 2009. In ordering this at bars and bringing it to parties I have not heard rave reviews. Since we had no ship to christen, we embarked on drinking it. Birthday boy, Ajay, who brought the beer remarked that "we are never gonna finish this thing," and we did have a hard time getting through the huge bottle. This slight departure from our normal habits resulted in uneven pours for this first, and the next few rounds. Amelia was heard saying that she had, "a lot of the that," as she tried to share a large pour with others.

Second was Bruery's 2 Turtle Doves, provided by our hosts Brennan and Catherine. Someone was quoted saying that it "tastes like raunch beer." But I think it was generally well received. I also sampled their Autumn Maple on Thanksgiving and remember being satisfied.

Next was Weyerbacher's Merry Monks'Ale. It was described by the group as "fresh" and a "little bitter." Or as a "light seasonal ale" that was "more carbonated than normal."

The Heavy Seas Yule Tide followed that. This is part of their 'Mutiny Fleet' of imperials. Its Belgian Triple styling did not win the group over. One person said that "it smells like my towel when I need to wash it." Similarly the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale disappointed the group. The Special Holiday Ale Stone, Nogne-O, Jolly Pumpkin collaboration effort smelled great and received better reviews. The alcohol content was apparent as some mentioned cough syrup.

The next three all featured Santa and brewers that begin with the letter 'R': Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve and the Pickled Santa and Santa's Butt from Ridgeway Brewing in the UK. Santa's Private Reserve faired well last year when we tried it. Comments usually reflect its spruce flavors. The Pickled Santa sounds gross, but it was not special enough to merit much attention for being especially bad or good. Santa's Butt is a porter "so big it won't fit down the chimney." It was also said to taste like the reindeer's butt. Keeping with the santa theme, Mikkeller's Santa's Little Helper 2009 was next. This beer was hands down the favorite of the night. "It tastes like Christmas," said one secular sipper after a sample. Another (with a computer head) said, "crazy different wild conifers." (applejuice) Get this one while you can.

Next was the X-mas Zinnebir from Brasserie De La Senne / De Zenne Brouwerij. Despite its "funky surreal label" it could not stand up to the tastes left in our mouth by Santa's Little Helper. On person said it had a, "high traffic carpet aftertaste." There was also some frozen margarita in a bag purchased solely because it read "ALCOHOL is IN IT!" and a rather delicious barleywine (Uinta, from Utah) that appeared serendipitously. Finally, the night was capped with some Sparkling Ale from Bell's.



During all this beer drinking there was also the white elephant taking place. Some of the gifts included a Decatur bottle opener, a knitted DSBC coozie, a six-pack of Beck's NA, BSP t-shirt and Guinness Bell, St. Bernardus 4 pack and glass, bottle of Life and Limb, signed copy of Love at the Pub, pack of Burton Baton and glass, matching tuxedo pint coozies, glass made from old Stone bottle, a bottle of Ola Dubh Special 40 Reserve, and a box of beer themed and flavored NUNU Chocolates. The first 7 people opted for wrapped gifts but then the stealing began. The Ola Dubh bottle was highly sought after. The Beck's was not.

The whole thing was presided over by a polyester suit-wearing, martini-wielding, Will-Ferrel-impersonating-Robert-Goulet-impersonator played by Brennan. Additionally, the King of Beers(Club)--Ben--made 'Dirty Awards' for all of us. They included titles like the Best Baking, Beer Bringing, and Baby-Making Award. The whole night unwound into a mini Thursday night party, exacerbated by some whiskey tasting. This is common for DSBC. I think a new tagline for the group could be "Dirty South Beer Club: The third Friday of the month just got a lot less productive." This picture even appeared in the notebook to acknowledge the steady stream of hip hop bumping in the background. At some point, it was switched from Christmas music, the unofficial new anthem of DSBC, Fur in my Cap. Needless to say, DSBC is one of my favorite things.

Happy Holidays from Dirty South Beer Club

Chattanooga Beer Weekend

Just over a week ago the DSBC had an outing in Chattanooga. We rented a cabin just north of town where we spent Friday and Saturday night. We also made it out into town to sample the local brewery's offerings.

On the way up to Chattanooga we stopped off on the north side of the river to sample the city's finest hot dogs at Good Dog. They offer a variety of hot dogs including one topped with frites. I (vargo) opted for the Chicago Dog and a separate order of frites. For dipping they offer the traditional Heinz ketchup, as well as a wasabi and a curry ketchup, a spiced mustard, and mayonnaise. We got a second dinner down the road at Greenlife: the grocery store nobody doesn't love.

Upon arriving to our dear slightly suburban abode, we were quite impressed by the extensive variety of styles featured in decor. But the house became more and more special the more full it became as DSBC members trickled in. As we cranked the Lady Gaga and commenced a low-key beer tasting, we all sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed. We sampled the delicious (but unbalanced, as Ben says) Rogue Yellow Snow IPA, Anchor Christmas (many people enjoyed the spiciness--Katy thought it to be mediocre), Mt Carmel IPA from Cincinnati (Lauren enjoyed, some found it too malty and not hoppy much), Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, and perennial favorite Dale Pale Ale. Among others.

Saturday activities were kicked off with a fabulous breakfast and a lunch buffet to pack--so we could get on and do our thang. At that point, we split--one group went hiking up in the Chickamuga river bluffs, one to climb at Little Rock City, and one to urban hike in Chattanooga.

Fun was had.

Returning to our 'Nooga home was made sweeter by a quick dip in the hottub. Well, not exactly, as Katy started cooking her body in that hot whirly pool of hell. But eventually it cooled down and we dipped before spiffying up to check out BEA'S! Bea's is a great southern diner with circular tables and a simple menu. You pay one price and it is all you can eat. Servers constantly bring out plates of fried chicker, okra, peach cobbler, chicken and dumplings, pulled pork, and mashed potatoes, which are placed on a lazy susan and shared by everyone at the table. There is almost no waiting for food; you sit down and eat.

After dinner we headed over to the Terminal Brewhouse. This is a new local brewery in Chattanooga next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We battled the big crowd to find spots at the bar and stayed for a drink before heading back to the Sudworth residence. There we drank more beers like the Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale, Avery's DuganA, and the new Georgia favorite Bell's Two Hearted Ale. We also played games and talked about Jersey Shore and The Situation, but ironically we did not get in the hot tub that night.

Sunday morning was a busy one, as our check out time was 10:00. The kitchen was buzzing as Sam and Amelia prepared a bintl of latkes for us. We ate more breakfast and took our time cleaning up, and then headed in to town with packed lunches. We landed on the south side of Chattanooga's Riverfont in the Bluff View Arts District. We strolled around in the misty rain and took some pictures before getting back in to the cars and rolling down to Atlanta. All in all a successful DSBC outing.

Skull Crushing Power

Check out this story (link) in the The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. It examines the structural integrity of the beer bottle and asks whether or not it is stronger than a human skull. Both full and empty bottles were examined. Here is an excerpt of a recap of the study by Pat Walters.

Bolliger, who is head of forensic pathology at the University of Bern, went to the store and picked up 10 half-liter bottles of Feldschlösschen Original — his nation's most popular brew. He emptied six of them, left four full and, using a precisely calibrated energy-measuring device, started dropping a steel ball on the bottles from various heights. Bolliger's conclusion: Full bottles shatter at 30 joules, empties at 40, meaning both are capable of cracking open your skull. But empties are a third sturdier.

I'd be interested to see how different bottle shapes and sizes affect this. But here at DSBC we, in no way, advocate using beer bottles as weapons. Beer is for drinking.

The Allegory of the Beer Cave

It's been a while since I've read Plato, but this McSweeney's piece -- THE ALLEGORY OF THE BEER CAVE by Craig Klein -- is still pretty funny.



I'm gonna go ahead and pretend that the author wrote it during his Introduction to Political Philosophy class.

In Anticipation

I'm just back from my first beer in 5 days. Vargo convinced me (he didn't really have to twist my arm) to go to the book signing for Love at the Pub. Vargo asked me if I a) wanted to bid on a BSP table, and B) if I wanted some Sweetwater IPA. Well, Ben wouldn't let me bid on a table (but Vargo did!) so that left me with one option. And I don't really like Sweetwater beers very much, so I wasn't very excited about it. But Vargo told me this was a special Sweetwater, made with Centennial Hops. I was skeptical at first, too, but it was delicious!! Sweetwater CAN make good beers afterall! (Though I am still slightly skeptical that it was a Sweetwater beer--it tasted a lot like Bell's 2 Hearted Ale)

Anyway, we are off to Chattanooga tomorrow. That's right, the dirty south beer club is taking over Chattanooga. We've got lots to do there and lots o' plans. Between the excellent hiking/bouldering/rock climbing/swimming (wait--too cold to swim--it will be in the 20s!) options, coupled with the historic city with a wonderful Riverview Bluffs arts district and cool sculpture gardens plus the art museum and aquarium, the start of the Trail of Tears, yummy pizza/home made ice cream/gourmet hot dogs/southern style joints, we are so set. We are certainly going to be holding court and doing some major beer samplings!

Plus, we're descending, en masse, to Terminal Brewhouse. They won't know what's hit em.

Any suggestions?!

Montreal - Biere!!!!!!!!!

I went to Montreal. I don't speak french. But, I speak beer, so I figured I'd be ok. I was right.

First, let me say that I was a bit skeptical of Canadian beer. A few years ago we Lovehardsteins went to British Columbia and Seattle and found the stateside beer far superior. But, I had heard and read good things about Montreal beer scene so I went through customs (slowly) with an open palette. Good thing.

The beer in Montreal is off the hops!

I was there for two nights - and Basserie Dieu Du Ciel got my patronage both nights. I knew this brewery was well-respected, but it wasn't until I put their Peche Mortel Imperial Stout (au Cafe) to my lips that I understood. This beer was big, bold, and balanced. Just about perfect - especially with the chill Canadian autumn weather nipping at me. I have this thing when I drink an amazing beer where I'll sip, and then remove the glass from my lips and just kinda stare at the glass in awe. And I did that twice before I could even say anything about this one. My buddy got the Chaman Imperial IPA - risky business when you aren't in the US - land of big IPAs, but it too was excellent!

Upon returning home (with a couple Peche Mortel's in my bag) I learned that this beer gets Beer Advocate's #19 best beer in the world, making it the highest rated beer I've ever tasted. I also saw that I can get it here in the Dirty South - albeit at twice the price.

The other great exbeerience was a midday flight of beers at Le Saint Bock (and here). I remember the baltic porter being particularly good, as well as a Saison, but all five were solid and a couple were their own.

On the culinary side, I ate Poutine = french fries, cheese curds, and gravy) at 3:30am. Not good.

Can you beat Hop City?!

Ben and I finally made it over to Antico Pizza in the West Side. Yes, it was a pain to make the trek from the perfect city of Decatur. But the West Side was worth the trip. The pizza--though I'm not here to talk about the pizza--was perfection! I won't go into it, but we brought our own (because they literally only make Neapolitan style pizza and calzones, oh and a few canolli. Our pizza was enjoyed even more because we had the Founders Centennial IPA and the Great Divide Hercules (Double IPA). The Founders can't be got here in GA and was lovingly brought in from TN or NC or something. They both truly deserve their A rating on Beeradvocate, but I prefered the Centennial along with the pizza (Hercules was too sweet).

But hither dither, we used the opportunity to go into Hop City. Mama mia, what a beer store! Of course the staff were super knowledgeable (even if they didn't swoon when we talked about DSBC) We skipped the Belgian section entirely and hunted around for the best possible Yankee Swap Beer Club gift ever. The only requirements (besides being beer related) is it must cost around $15.

[Yes, our beer club is engaging in a "White elephant gift exchange" also known as a yankee swap (watch the Office episode on this subject). No, we didn't purchase an iPod.]

We bought lots of stuff we hadn't seen in GA before, a six pack of random brews (Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Hop Wallop, Hop Infusion) and the Clipper City Yule Tide (it has a Santa on it) and the Oskar Blues Old Chubb (no Xmas relation but it Red & Green. Plus, we never have scotch ales!) for our Beer Club holiday themed beer.

We got a Thomas Creek Extreme IPA for our upcoming Beer Club getaway to Chaaaaat-a-Nooga , which Ben will complement with his Cincinnati feature of Mt Carmel Nut Brown Ale and the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Be excited, this is rated an "A" both by the bros and by the general masses on BA! Lots of good beers to look forward to in our lil' club.

Decatur, up your game...watch out Sherlocks, Hop City is in town!

Howling Monkey -- Great Design for a Defunct Beer

One of the stupid things about beer is that it often seems like the same person who brewed it also designed the unpleasant labels or wrote the mind-numbing copy.

Clearly, that is not the case with Howling Monkey.


Look at that magnificent monkey! He is hilarious! And quite dashing.

Beer should always be this handsome.



Word on the street is that Howling Monkey is no longer a beer. Instead, its an energy drink with an inexplicably confusing website. Oh well.

(h/t bad banana blog, who also happens to be the best person to follow on Twitter.)

Brooklyn: A Beer Maven in a Beer Haven

New York, New York...Frank Sinatra sings in the background.

Not sure Sinatra knew much about beer, but I'll tell you what, Brooklyn is where it's at for beer lovers! Although surely all beeroughs (get it? Burroughs?) have excellent beer options, BK knocked my socks off.

Started out on Friday night with my friends Ateesh & Jeremy at Lucali, quite possible the best pizza I had had on this earth, and a jaunt to Brooklyn Social (a neat bar in the style of a speakeasy). Where I ordered nary a beer, but rather a fancy ole cocktail with some well cut ice. After being simply shellshocked by the quality of food and drink Shideh and Ateesh at High Dive. Yes, it sounds lame. But it is on the contrary! Because there I got one of my favorites (not to be found in Atlanta): Bear Republic Race 5 IPA. A delightful experience with wonderful friends, I left totally satiated.

And all around Park Slope I saw cute bars with great beers on tap--4th St Pub, Pacific something something, I was amazed.

Saturday afternoon my friend Jenny and I found BierKraft after stopping in Nunu Chocolates for what was definitely the best chocolate I have ever had in my life. When I say found, I mean we were trying to get there all along, because I had heard rave reviews about this specialty cheese, chocolate and beer place. They have 22 or so beers on tap, and I got a pint of the delicious Blue Piont Brewing Co. Hoptical Illusion on cask (in these genius homemade casks!--see left). Yum yum. From Long Island. Then some boutique window shopping and a few hours later, it was dinner time again.

Justine and I then headed out to an amazing bar on her corner called Washington Commons where I got the delicious, delicious Otter Creek Imperial IPA. So perfect! And later a Cape Ann Fisherman's IPA- more normal but still good.

But it's not all Shangri-la in Brooklyn--our beloved Avery Maharaja that sells for about $7 or $8 in ATL was on sale for $14! Wow.

All weekend and I didn't even drink a Brooklyn Brewery Beer! Suffice to say: I found my gift for our Beer Club Secret Santa in BK!!

Love at the Pub Book Trailer

One of the best bars around here (or around anywhere, really) is the Brick Store Pub. It's much more than a watering hole -- it was a catalyst for the renaissance of Decatur and the inspiration for a book, Love at the Pub.



Brick Store is hosting a block party for Love at the Pub on December 10th from 5 - 10. Apparently you get a free pint when you buy the book. Sold!

h/t Decatur Metro

Paste Magazine Rates the Top 25 Breweries of the Decade

Our neighbors, friends, and fellow Brick Store Pub enthusiasts over at Paste Magazine have compiled the top 25 breweries of the decade.

Where did they get it right? Where did they get it wrong?

I'll tell you where they got it waaaaaay wrong -- Samuel Adams Imperial White as their favorite beer from the 15th best brewery. It's the worst beer I've tasted.

Boy, does this guy do some good PR

If you need to get a message out, talk to our own Lain Shakespeare. Just yesterday, as I was preparing for a lecture and listening to the local NPR station, guess whose mellifluous voice comes over the airwaves: yes, that's right, our own Lain Shakespeare. Have a listen as he discusses the controversial Disney movie, "The Song of the South," on City Cafe with John Lemley.

It's been a while, but this was so on point...

So I've been buried under a stack of papers to grade (and am getting another stack this afternoon), but I surfaced just in time to find this amazing post...

And I'll actually get on that post about Italian beer sometime soon.

How 'bout that Cusqueña?

I feel an obligation to do a post about Peruvian beer situation. First of all, you know, they do a lot of chicha here--but I have yet to experience the alcoholic version, I have only consumed a fruit style version which was delicious. HOWEVER, lucky for this readership (??), I have had Peruvian Cusqueña beer, skipping the lager and going straight to Cusqueña Negra (BA describes it as "Premium Dark Beer").

Well it gets a "C" rating, which is maybe even a little generous. Since I think it is pretty nasty (and very very malty and sweet), I'll be on a beer respite for the few weeks I am here.

Here are some of the comments people give it "Unfortunately, the head fades quickly." "Smells like beer, kind of a chemical smell with a little lemon." "This thing is far too sugary to be appetizing, with sickly-rich notes of high fructose corn syrup and a hint of dark roasted barley" and I have to agree. This is a pretty rotten beer.

But hey, we don't come to Cusco and Peru to drink beer do we? There's a reason why Pisco Sours are much more famous than Cusqueña beer. As they say in Costa Rica, "Huacala!!" (as in "Nasty!")!

One last BrewHaHa in Maltimore / Brewtimore / Baltimalt

Returning to Baltimore I wanted one last TASTE-a-roo of the Baltimore beer scene. I tried to get my team plus one humanitarian dude slash navy seal to go to WharfRat (yes, a horrible sounding name, but a place that came highly recommended by BeerAdvocate). But alas, it was closed.

But this beergirl does not easily dissuaded become! A dinner at a a very new & nice (but kinda just decent, I now think in retrospect) PanAsian (mostly Thai) place whose name I can't remember ensued. But that is not important. And is neither here nor there.

Let's cut to the chase: MAX'S in Baltimore is the Bomb. And that, my friends, is simply that. The vibe is...a rowdy college sports bar. Totally clashing with the laidback pub style of the BrickStore, this place did not inspire. But good thing we stuck around...

OH MY GOD! Beer fans, delight and rejoice, check out the beer list: http://www.maxs.com/beerlist.php (though this was most definitely not what we had). I have never seen the 120 minute on tap, plus pangea, theobroma, Sah'tea, and many more. Avery Grand Cru (14%?) on tap? Oh mama! I did not indulge.

I got the Boulder Oblivion or Obilon or something that I can't be bothered to look up. I also had the ... OH BUGGER as my English compatriots would say, I simply can't remember! I guess the point is, Max's is the best place to check out PLUS Brewer's Art of course. But Max's has MUCH Better beer and MUCH worse atmosphere.

Stouts get their fifteen minutes

I pledge allegiance to the beer...

This fabulous picture is from a piece the New York Times published today on North American Stouts. While I do not concur with the writer's taste for "classic" stouts over Russian Imperial and other mega-stouts, I am a fan of several of the beers that made their top list: the McAuslan, Anderson Valley, and Bear Republic stouts are all bomb.

DC Beer Search

It wouldn't be proper for DSBC member "Sleeping Brewty" to visit B'more and not make a stop-over in DC. So one was made. (This story will be written in the third person. For dramatic affect).

Katy and her friends, Gen & Emmy, met up at the new and spiffy Birch & Barley where the mediocre grill Dakota Cowboy was previously sitting. A swanky feel and a beautiful "beer organ" with 50 beers on tap. Katy ordered the Harpoon Glacier Harvest Wet Hop though I must admit I am not sure if they served me that or the Green Flash Hop Head Red. It is embarrassing that I don't know which it was that was served as I should have known (and I am, by the way, giving up on writing in the third person!). But regardless, yum yum! One annoying note was the level of noise. My throat hurt from talking too loud when we left. But I was satisfied and happy nonetheless with another wonderful beer contribution to the DC scene!

Then I got Otter Creek Imperial Russian Stout. It gets an A- on beeradvocate (I'll save you the drama of clicking) and it was indeed delicious, but a bit sour compared to Great Divide's Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. They deservedly get an A. And it is chocolatey and only slightly oak-agey and mostly just the best part of a chocolate milkshake. In a beer. Wow--that is a nasty sounding description.

Life was good. Da end.

Baltimore Brewsky

I can be quite snobby about beer. I guess we all can be. Well some of us can let our guard down and imbibe a Miller High Life (no names) or a PBR occasionally. But sometimes I also really hate it. In Atlanta/Decatur, I know my turf. I pretty much know the places ahead of time. But I was in Baltimore, out of my league. Other than Clipper City Brewing, I didn't know much about the beer scene.

I had the wonderful luck of checking out the Brewer's Art--a very funky and beautiful brewery in the lovely slash trendy Mount Vernon neighborhood. Well, not exactly luck. It had been featured in the NYTimes. And I had come there based on that. They had a good selection of bottles and their own brews on tap. Which were mostly Belgian styles, my favorite being the Saison/farmhouse style beer. And rosemary garlic frites---delightful!

My stint at the 13th floor of the Belvedere Hotel was different. It was also another cool old and lovingly restored building in the same area of town. Taking the creaky elevator to the top floor, I expected a lovely view and a classy bar. The view was nice, though no windows, but the bar was not classy at all. And it made me depressed when the best beer they had was a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That one beer confirmed that I do not like that beer very much. But the company was fun and exciting that I hardly noticed.

Last night back in my old 'hood of DC, my dear friend Magda & I checked out Bread and Brew, a nice lil' bar + restaurant. Good beers on tap of course, including BREW FREE OR DIE! IPA. Actually quite fruity and delicious!

The Real "Mallternative" -- Decatur, GA or Mike's Hard Lemonade?

This afternoon I stumbled across the Wikipedia page for Mike's Hard Lemonade. I was checking to see if God's gift to fifteen year-olds was classified as a beer or a "malt beverage" or alcopop or what.

The answer was shocking! ...especially to this law-abiding Decatur, GA resident. Mike's Hard Lemonade is actually a "malternative."

You heard me! Malternative. Sound familiar?



Unconscionable!

First, there's the brazen thievery of The Grange, a Decatur watering hole, and their attempt to steal the identity of The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry -- now this!

Decatur, have you no shame? Were we really to believe you wanted to establish yourself as a "mallternative" as in an alternative to mall shopping!?! Please.

This sneaky marketing campaign -- right under our noses! -- has all along been an attempt to lure 15 year-old lushes out of the basements of unsuspecting, out-of-town parents and onto our city streets! Stumbling about no less, in search of their precious malternatives.

I won't stand for this, just as you wouldn't stand our motto being "Decatur: A City of Homes, Schools, Places of Worship, and Underage Imbibers of Sweet, Sweet Malt Beverages." Somebody do something. I am disgusted.

Beer #7: Terrapin Depth Charge

Well, you've undoubtedly read about Beer Club's innovative communications strategy: SOCIAL MEDIA, here we come! With Lain and Amelia and their expertise in blogging how on earth could we go wrong? That's right, we couldn't.

So we come to beer #7...and it is a real hit. People were ready to ditch that funky barleywine (WTF, Green Flash?!) and we are onto coffee stouts!

OK, not the world's best photo. But gives you an idea of the color.

Words that come to folks' mind:

• Bright Rwandan coffee
• Instead of Wake & Bake, it's Wake & Burn, no...Wake & Churn.
• a real breakfast beer
• coffee coffee coffee!
• Burnt? ! No...Dunkin Donuts...no!
• Chocolate covered espresso beans!

We are currently debating our theme for November (in honor of Catherine's baby)...and...we've got it! Girly beers or manly beers! ! ! LOVE IT? LOVE IT!

Back to the beer at hand.

VOTING TIME!

SCORE: 5

Green Flash Brewing Company, Barleywine, 2008 Vintage

Hoppiest barleywine ever
alcohol foamieness
barlipa
ipa/barleywine combo
technical
no depth of flavor
i can like you if I try hard
maybe some dirty socks going on
amelia smells pizza
challenging
one of the more bitter beers ever
nothing subtle about this beer
hits and sits
less harsh as it warms

VOTE: 1

Imperial Iniquity Black Ale

I like the smell
-Christa
I love htis beer, it's my favorite so far
-Katy

"Some may consider it an immoral act to blacken an ale, but it's an ale black as night so it's the antithesis of unearthly"

Better balance than the Dogzilla, not as hoppy, more refined, very smooth, tastier finish
Taste chocolate or chocolate-flavored, somewhat astringent, taste the hops at the end and sort of chemical taste.
a little dark fruit flavor in the middle

7 points, thumbs up all around!

Beer #4: Dogzilla Black IPA -- Laughing Dog Brewing

So sayeth the Beer Club Crew of Laughing Dog Brewing's Dogzilla Black IPA:

"This aroma is crrrrazy."

"[This aroma is] So interesting."

"Doing a lot [olfactoraly]!"

Amelia made a face like a dog licking peanut butter: "I thought it was done making tastes, but oh I was wrong."

[Discussion about how neither Idaho nor Pittsburgh nor Buffalo is in the midwest. Someone posits Buffalo is "mid-Atlantic" (ed. note: untrue)]

"I'm not from Kansas anymore, Toto." - Katy

"Tastes like it's been aged in my grandmother's trunk." - Christa

[Discussion about how color affects expectations of taste.]

"Tastes musty."

"There's a nutty flavor, with a little chocolate."

"Complex, and it really makes you think."

"Long and bitter finish."

Ben reads from the bottle: pure poetry. How many times can you rhyme with the word "down?" Too many, according to Laughing Dog's copy-editor.

Suggestion: "Everyone should create a haiku about each beer." (Groans)

Final Score: 0 (7 voters)

(picture courtesy of Ben McCleod)

Live Blog! Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy IPA

It's from Boulder, CO, in case you were interested.

"That was good, Christa/out"

"Orange oil -- zest! It takes me a while to find it, but once I do -- BOOM!"

"Piney" (the label told us as much, to be fair) "Pine Sol!"

"Lemon!"

"Easy finish -- not as bitter and pinching as some"

"Good malt backbone" -- attributed to Ben

"Slight metallic finish ... may be due to olives"

There's a man somewhere who knows Don Henley. And now, Brennan known that man.

Vote: 6 (with 7 folks voting)

numero tres: Lake Louise Corn Rock Cream Ale

Apparently this beer is one of Christa's family friend's favorite beer.

We are now sidetracked by Christa's stories from the Great American Beer Festival. We are all so jealous that she got to sample so many beers that we can't access down here in the dirtay dirtay.

The Corn Rock Cream Ale is on the sweet side - but also hits you with some funk. Somebody commented: "like a dessert you would have at a holiday party." I find that good beers demand attention from our crew though, and this beer is NOT the center of attention right now. So, perhaps the B- grade on Beer Advocate is on target.

Sam thinks this is "for a more delicate palate" - and there are not very many delicate palates in our group, so we are "prejudiced" against the light beers. Sam: "smooth buttery mouthfeel."

Count: 1!

Liveblog of Beer Club: Beer #2

Alright, this is a Great Divide Hoss.
"Lain matches the beer in style"
"lunberjacky"
"does anybody taste cherry?" - "Yeah, Luden's, like candy cherry."
"great divide: great brewery, but..."
"subtle rye bread flavor"
"dark beers are coming..."
"it's Christa!"
"slightly sweet"
"for a lager..."
"not undrinkable, but..."
"grows on you"
"that is what a squirrel looks like" (?)
vote: 1 out of 8

First Beer: Flying Dog Kerberos Triple

We just had the genius idea to liveblog beerclub. Ben is in the kitchen baking his stellar cookies, adding that to the popcorn, okra, olives, delicious cheese and more he prepared us. (Go on Ben!) Oh, and of course, Catherine brought her famous baked goods...pumpkin cake.

So live blogging...here we go!

I (Katy) really like the Kerberos...very malty. But Brennan is not so hot into it. "Has a strong taste of rubbing alcohol in the middle!" he says. "Tasty" is Amelia's (very uninspired) comment. "awww...that's not a lame comment, she's just getting started" says Catherine.

"This does not look like a three headed monster in my mouth." Ben writes.

This beer be trippel fermented. Aftertaste is questionable to some. Some nice spices prevail like pepper..."a lil' too sweet?"

"mmmMMMmmmm" we exclaim.

SCORE: 3

Oktoberfest with Palestine's Only Brewery

TIME magazine recently published an article on Taybeh Beer, the very first brewery in Palestine, and their well attended (10,000 people!) Oktoberfest.

The bonus video is pretty great (please note how many cups deep that festival attendee is):



They've struggled a bit -- being surrounded by Muslim communities that completely abstain from alcohol doesn't exactly boost sales -- but they've found their niche and are turning a profit.

It looks like London may be the closest place to try Taybeh Beer, though the article mentions that there are more Taybeh natives living in Michigan than in Taybeh itself. Hopefully it's just a matter of time before Vargo gifts us a sixer from Detroit.

Finest Beer I Ever Tasted -- Schaefer!

I'm gonna have to take Hedy Lamarr's word for it on this one. I do like that glass.

(picture courtesy if of the indefatigably fascinating If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats)

Wedge, Asheville

During our Beer Club envoy to Boone this past weekend, we were able to make a stop at the ralatively new Wedge Brewing Company in Asheville's River Arts District. We sampled the newly tapped porter, the Golem (strong Belgian), and a few others and then sat down with a pitcher ($10) of the Iron Rail IPA. The patio is varied, with seats arranged at different heights, spacing and orientation, making it versitile and dynamic for great socializing. It also featured live music. Next time you're in Asheville be sure to check it out.

Other notes from the weekend included a comeback for the fallen Breckenridge Brewery with its small batch 471 IPA. We also sampled the Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin Ale. This one is as spicy as a seasonal cider and fitting for the fall. At dinner we sampled a great Ska Decadent Imperial IPA (only a B!!?!?!??). But the best came from OR, by way of Christ(P)a(in). It was Deschutes Mirror Mirror American Barley Wine. This is a winner. Another scary-good bottle also made it from Oregon to Boone. It was McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey. Delicious. If you're fortunate enough to get a glass I would.

All of these extras made an already pleasant North Carolina mountain trip all the more enjoyable. And, of course, it goes without saying that we brought a bunch of that NC goodness back home with us for the rest of our DSBC mates.

Oktoberfest Courtesy of Boston Globe's Big Picture

The reliably amazing Big Picture photo blog at the Boston Globe covers Oktoberfest this week. Here's my favorite. Or maybe it's this one.

(Photo: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Climate Change Affects Quality of Pilsners

From the New Scientist:

Climatologist Martin Mozny of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and colleagues say that the quality of Saaz hops -- the delicate variety used to make pilsner lager -- has been decreasing in recent years. They say the culprit is climate change in the form of increased air temperature.

No wonder I don't really like Pilsners. Do you think climate change accounts for the tinny flavor in lower quality pilsners or is that something else entirely?

(h/t kottke.org)

Georgia's Sunday Alcohol Ban -- Turning Beer Buyers into Felons

Robert Keefer Dell, guy who wanted to by beer in Georgia on a Sunday, was arrested on charges of DUI, fleeing police, and aggravated assault.

Dell walked into a convenience store, ignored the orange tape indicating "no Sunday alcohol sales," and put $6 on the counter. When the clerk followed him out the door Dell showed off his handgun. He then led deputies in a car chase, attempted to run over an officer, and struck a police car.

Obviously this guy is already a few cereal box tops short of a secret decoder ring, but Lord knows what would've happened had he actually been able to buy beer on Sunday. Thank you, State of Georgia, for keeping everyone safe on the Sabbath.

beer graphic

found somewhere on the interwebs. check it in its full glory.

edit: click here for the link to full/high-res graphic

Not today, fella. I've got my Beer Gauge.

You love beer. You're also the type of person who tells it like it is, doesn't take sass from anyone, and who knows the truth is better than lying -- even if it would have spared Grandma's feelings. She'll be fine.

Here you are at your favorite local brewpub, enjoying a draft. What's this?! Your pint glass isn't filled to the brim? Son of a bitch. In fact, there's almost half an inch of vacant space -- space that should be filled by beer you paid hard-earned money for, dammit. And lord knows that because of the idiotic design of the pint glass, that vacant space up top could account for upwards of 15% of your beer. Unacceptable.

What does that jerk behind the bar think you are -- some kind of sucker?! Looks like he tried to swindle the wrong guy this time. Nice try, but no dice, chief.

Why will justice be served today? Because you have your beer gauge with you. Now you have evidence that you deserve -- nay, require -- a full pour.

No doubt that when you show your harried barkeep your pitiful pour, chart in place and evidence undeniable, s/he will graciously amend the issue. And definitely not mutter "jackass" under his or her breath. No, that was probably just a menu rustling or something.

Would it be going too far to call the beer gauge part of the arsenal in the fight against malfeasance worldwide? Probably not. Weird that it's so hard to get the bartender's attention for your next beer, though.

The Beer Gauge. Perfect for:
Beer drinkers
Douchebags

(Thanks, Consumerist.)

This is Spinal Tap...Drunk

I knew rock had a lot of weird sub-genres, but I wasn't aware that "death metal drinking music" was one of them.

Well, leave it to the folks at NPR to enlighten us in this recent story. Apparently there are bands out there with names like Tankard and Alestrom that specialize in writing songs that are angry and loud, while also offering dubious advice on such matters as resisting the urge to remain sober, and pretending you are a pirate so you can go "looting" for beer.

While it's somewhat entertaining to listen to this stuff, I think I'll choose Yo La Tengo and moderation.

Fast Company Interviews Jim Koch, Founder of Boston Beer Company

Here's a neat little interview with Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company, better known as the brewers of Sam Adams:



I love how the brewery's location came about -- through a nonprofit development corporation dedicated to creating jobs for the local community of immigrants.

I also love Sam Adams. I'm not a dad yet, but I think it's the quintessential "Dad Beer."

Going to your kid's annoying friend's birthday party? Bring Sam Adams. Thirsty after jogging with a stroller? You need a Sam Adams. Watching a baseball game and listening to it on the radio? Sam Adams is already in hand.

Finally, I like following Fast Company writer (and author of this FC article) Ellen McGirt on Twitter. She knows what's up.

Hey, Ladies...It's Not Beer, It's Medicine

Hey, Ladies ... It's Not Beer, It's Medicine
By: Tom Jacobs August 11, 2009 05:05 PM (PDT) Comments
Recent studies found habitual beer drinkers had higher bone density than habitual wine drinkers or teetotalers. This discovery suggests that "other beer components besides alcohol" are likely at play.stockxpert.com
New full-bodied research finds beer drinking increases bone mass in older women.
We at Miller-McCune carefully track countless lines of scientific research, but we keep a particularly close eye on the ongoing inquiry into whether drinking beer is good for you. Well, a newly published study suggests that if you’re an older woman concerned about bone fractures, you might want to pop into the pub for a pint.
In February, a Tufts University research report revealed that, among older adults, regular, moderate alcohol intake is associated with greater bone mineral density. Now, a Spanish study in the journal Nutrition finds that the specific type of alcoholic beverage makes a significant difference, at least for females.
Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Cacerus, led by Dr. Juan D. Pedrera-Zamorano, examined the health records of nearly 1,700 healthy women living in their region. The mean age of participants was 48.4; approximately half were premenopausal and half postmenopausal.
They found habitual beer drinkers had higher bone density than habitual wine drinkers or teetotalers. This discovery, they write, suggests that "other beer components besides alcohol" are likely at play.
While it’s unclear exactly what those components are, the researchers point to beer’s "phytoestrogen content." (Funny – that never gets mentioned in those high-testosterone television ads during sporting events.) It turns out beer contains two phytoestrogens, apparently because "the female flowers of the hop plant have long been used as a preservative and flavoring agent." Previous research has suggested these compounds have "a protective effect on bone."
"Beer is also a major source of silicon," the researchers add. "It has been demonstrated that dietary silicon intake may have salutary effects on skeletal health, especially cortical bone health in premenopausal women."
The researchers do not recommend drinking beer to strengthen one’s bones, presumably due to the numerous health problems caused or exacerbated by excessive alcohol intake. But maintaining bone density into old age is certainly a good thing, especially given the prevalence of osteoporosis among the elderly.
The study concludes with the caveat that further research is needed to refine these results. (Will the subjects be known as Guinness pigs?). But if the benefits of beer are confirmed, the phrase "six-pack abs" may someday be replaced by "six-pack bones."

DC Beer Week -- the Best Thing Until ATL Beer Fortnight

It has come to my attention that our nation's capitol is starting a beer week.




Sounds good, y'all.

However, as a native Atlantan, pompous civic boosterism and one-up-manship course through my veins.

I read about DC Beer Week and my first thought was not, "Good for the citizens of that fair city." Nor, "Ah, I wish I could attend." Folks, my first instinct said: "We need a beer week in Atlanta! And it shall be bigger and better than that of DC!"

And thus, I humbly submit: the Inaugural ATL Beer Fortnight.

Someone: call Hop City and Sweetwater and ABC and Monday Night Brewery and those guys who were in Creative Loafing. Someone else: figure out the details. Then let me know when the greatest fortnight of our lives begins, and I will gladly take credit for the idea.

What does your beer say about you?

With all the media circus over yesterday's "make up" beer session between Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley, it's obviously a question on everyone's minds.

Apparently, among things, the beer you drink is a signifier for whether you are a self-syled elite or working class Joe, a patriot or a traitor to the Constitution.

According to New York Times columnist Eric Asimov, Obama chose Bud Light because, "like every Ivy League Democrat must battle the public impression that he’s an effete snob, [he] made the sensible political decision to go for an American everyman’s beer." But, Asimov (an effete snob himself, if there ever was one) goes on to explain that he should have picked a plain ole' Bud, lest he wanted to be perceived as "fussy" about his weight.

Well, folks, clearly this is one of those issues that Obama can't possibly win on. If he chooses a an All-American beer, like Bud or Bud Light, people accuse him of political theater and trying to appear to be blue collar. If he chooses, heaven forbid, a craft beer or a Belgian import, he risks Fox News calling him an East Coast liberal elite, or worse, some Benedict Arnold.

The irony in all of this, of course, is that Bud is now owned by InBev, the European beer conglomerate...

Which brings us to other interesting revelations that have come about from this weird episode in our nation's history:

1. U.S. Congressmen-especially ones you've never heard of--will seize upon any media opportunity to promote their local interests.

U.S. Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts actually wrote a formal letter to President Obama today, chiding him for not drinking an American-owned beer, and offering the friendly suggestion that, next time, he choose a Sam Adams (coincidentally brewed in his district of Boston).

2. Craft beer aficionados are equally opportunistic and, dare I say it, shameless. One NPR commentator is reporting that many a hipster bartender shed a tear over Obama's "wasted opportunity" to champion the David vs. Goliath cause of micro-brews by choosing a small batch brewery's product.

3. Nerds will always find a way to make a nerdy graphic--in this case, a venn diagram--explaining the news, even if the news is about the role beer plays in political discourse.

Beer Summit

Uniting enemies and diffusing the Nation's collective racial tensions... how are we still lacking a post on this monumental occasion for beer tonight at the White House. Not that I want to divert any more attention to the incident in Cambridge but I had to get a word in about the prominence of beer in the latest twists of what is turning into a larger discourse on race.

On the menu are Bud Light (Obama), Blue Moon (Crowley) and Red Stripe (Gates). Obama should have selected Allagash White to complete the Stars and Stripes trifecta. More than that an American craft brewery could have received a shout out here since they we're handed any bailouts in the stimulus package.

Read or listen to more in this story on NPR.

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On the Road

Quick update from Venezia - poor internet access up in these regions, but the style and beauty of this place more than makes up for it. It's most definitely not beer culture around Venice; I've followed local example and quit the amber (or more likely, in these parts, a limpid yellow) liquid, moving into prosecco and Campari territory. There's one lone beer store I've found selling things you can find just about anywhere in the states, so I passed. Oh, well; the spritzes are so nice, anyway...

La Dolce Birra

Catherine and I are now in Rome, and seriously, I'm impressed with the Italian beer culture. Exhibit number 1: On our street, where our hotel is, there's a microbrew store that I've been frequenting every time we pass by. There's some good beers out here - I'll take the time to explain later, but we should take note of the advancements Italian microbrews have made in the past ten years or so.

Des nouvelles de biere

Since the last posting, we've been having a session. Winners: St. Rieul Brune sur lie (a fantastic Belgianish Stoutish brown, pours black, no head, tastes of espresso, figs, chocolate, but also the Belgian cloves and spices come out; beautiful), and Volcelest Brune (a nice, crisp, balanced, slightly hoppy brown ale, very refreshing and satisfying without making me slobber for more). Losers: Just barely losers, Garrigues La P’tite Bière (great initial taste but thin to the point of falling over like cardboard; refreshing for a summer day but didn't live up to the hoppy hype - Simon told me a great story about how at the end of the year they cleaned out all their remaining hops with this beer, but that must have been like ten hop pellets) and La Choulette Brune (not too bad, but kind of a medicine-and-dust combination that made me not want to finish the bottle.) Alright, back to tasting. It's a hard life.

For Vargo

Vargo, can you read this guy's shirt? Are they really traitors? That's what I will call them from now on. This was taken in front of the Paris Opera; this dude (fanny pack, pajama pants and all) was selling scarves on a Boulevard.

Paris, Je t'aime (ton bière)

Boucaneir at Le Sous-Bock

French Beers: The Mediocre and the Great

La Cave a Bulles: Best Beer Shop in France

Le Sous-Bock: Get any Major Microbrew You Want

Well, it's been a busy couple of days for us Breeds. Besides me fitting in a few hours a day to research my dissertation, we've walked all over this amazing city, sampled some great food, seen some amazing art and architecture, and rested our bones in beautiful gardens. What's more, we've gotten to try some amazing French brews. But, to be honest, it's actually hard to find the really good stuff on tap. We did get to Le Sous-Bock, the place described in Time magazine (in an article written by our own Ben Gerhardstein's cousin, no less) as a "Basque-country-themed tavern in Paris" with over 40 local microbrews. Well, they do have lots of beer, and they cook some good Basque food (especially their Axoa, a basque kind of goulash topped with crunchy potato wedges), but they didn't have much in the way of the real good French stuff. We ended up getting some Belgians that we didn't know about before, since Jenlain and Angelus seemed to be the most micro-brewy it got for French beers. (Also, they had Desperados, the margarita flavored beer of choice over here, but we declined). (Update: tried the Desperados. Tastes like a generic lime-flavored lollipop - you know, the kind banks have in fishbowls and cheap people hand out for halloween - melted on a hot sidewalk and then stirred into a glass of year-old Lipton tea.)

We ended up getting Bière Du Boucanier Golden Ale from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, Mort Subite ("Sudden Death") Oude Gueuze from Brouwerij De Keersmaeker, and Brugse Zot ("Crazy Bruggeian") by Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik. I liked all three quite a bit, but the Boucanier and Mort Subite were fantastic - the Zot was a bit thin and disappointing. The Boucanier was very alcohol-y, but in a good way: hot and spicy. The initial alcohol faded into cloves, herbs and even a touch of honey. It was fantastic... highly recommended. The Gueuze was a lambic-type beer that I've been getting into over here - kind of like a Flanders sour, similar to the good Duchesse. This particular Gueuze, the Mort Subite Oude, had that wild-yeast funk with a sharp cider and pear flavor. Mmmmm. So good for a summer night: a strong flavor but light, crisp, and dry.

So we were just ordering stuff we had never heard of, but it turns out you can get all of these at least somewhere in the States. Kind of a bummer, until I looked up the rest of the beer menu that I could remember. It turns out you could get most of them in the States. But that's the problem with even the best French beer restaurants: there's nothing but broad-distribution brews, even if they have a lot of beers available. It's like going to a beer bar in the states that says it has "microbrews" but that means Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, and Magic Hat. I've given up on finding a Brick Store East.

However... I did find the Holy Grail of French beer: La Cave à Bulles.

Awesome street art in front of the Cave.

I only had a short window of time to get some beers and then meet back up with Catherine, so I peeled off and got to the store... only to find that he closes for a three-hour lunch (which I love) and was due to get back in ten minutes ago. Problem was, he wasn't back yet. I could tell this might be the case for some time, because a delivery dude was sitting there all frustrated with his beer. After twenty minutes or so, Simon the owner rode up on his bike and hurriedly opened the shop back up. I ran in and asked him a bunch of rapid-fire questions, which he was more than happy to answer. I had literally heard of maybe five beers out of the two hundred he had on hand. This is the beer-lover's dream: alone in a store full of medal-winning beers you've never even seen. It was a shame to only have fifteen or so minutes talking with the guy, since he knew everything about these beers - their stories, the region from which they came, the brewers, and even the people who import a small sliver of this stuff to the States. A full report of the beers is coming later, since I need to go at the moment, but suffice it to say that the Biere de Brie line from Ferme-Brasserie De Gaillon and the Page 24 line from Brasserie St. Germain are amazing... more to come.

Beerbucks? Starbeer?

Starbucks to drop their famous name and start serving beer? I'm skeptical.

The Louvre: Beer History

Not only did ancient Egyptians make beer; they made little models of people making beer. These models were put in a royal tomb in order to give the deceased servants in the afterlife. The idea was that these wooden models had a spirit that would enable them to do what they were pictured doing in the spirit-world. They had all sorts of models - for example, of boats, cattle herders, bakers, and, of course... beer brewers.

Here's a model from about 2000 BCE (or 4,000 years ago). These are beer brewers; the guys on the right are pounding out the grain, while a woman does something next to them (the model here is damaged). She's probably brewing the beer. Next to her is a big jar of grain and smaller vats of fermenting beer. Probably tasted like crap, but seriously, it's enough that they are making the stuff (but no hops, remember: that's not until the middle ages).

Below is another dude pressing a wet fermented bread-cake on to a filter over top of a jar. He's squeezing out the beer and leaving behind the grain. I am glad we don't brew like this today, or we might be using words like "putrid" and "insipid drivel" to describe our beer.