So the bell rang Wednesday and it had already officially been a long week. Then we went to a staff meeting for an hour and a half. This got me thinking, "when is the weekend gonna come?" I decided today, Thursday, that I can't hold out any longer and I want my weekend NOW!
I figured that I'd better get it started off right and I had a little help from The Pike Brewing Company. Their "scotch-style" Pike Kilt-Lifter is a fan favorite in Seattle. Brewed right downtown near the waterfront, you can't visit Seattle and miss The Pike Brewery, great brews and good views of the waterfront, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The Kilt Lifter is a ruby ale that fits right in with the atmosphere. It pours a ruby color and is quite malty. Its smooth to drink and goes down like a champ. Not a hoppy beer by any means, but when you've had a long week and you need get something tasty down the hatch, the Kilt Lifter gets it done.
The Pike Brewery Company
Pike Kilt Lifter
6.5% ABV
27 IBU's
http://www.pikebrewing.com/index_flash.shtml
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl Brews (Pt. 2)
Well, it almost time to kick this thing off. I've moved on from the Imperial IPA to a dark beer, full of vigor. North Coast Brewery's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout is a beer that pours a dark black with a foamy head. Named after Grigori Rasputin, the "mad monk" of Russia, this beer is your prototypical imperial stout. Its dark, strong and complex. It has a bit of hop to it, but is also aided by a hint of coffee and chocolate flavors. This is a big time stout, perfect for a big time gameday!
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
9% ABV
75 IBU's
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
9% ABV
75 IBU's
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm
Super Bowl Brews (Pt. 1)
Today is an important day in any self-proclaimed beer-drinker's life. Its Super-Sunday after all, and a giant amount of beer will be consumed today. The question is, what beer are you drinking?
Budweiser, Miller and Coors will saturate today's commercials with their adds asking you to choose between less filling or more taste, ask you to catch the Silver Bullet or simply tell you that This Bud's for You. If you are a true beer-drinker, you know this is bullshit from the get-go. They want you to drink a mass-produced, inferior product simply because "everyone else is doing it." The good news is, you can do better! Throughout the day, I'll be drinking a few good ones and letting you know about it.
To start off with, I've chosen Dogfish Head's 90-minute Imperial IPA. If you are a hop-head and love IPA's as much as I do, you've gotta try this one! There are more than a few IPA's out there that don't pack enough of a hoppy-punch while others don't live up to their expectations by not being hoppy enough. There are few that come to mind that strike the balance well. This one does it perfectly.
Labeled as perhaps the best IPA in America by Esquire Magazine, this brew won't let you down. While it packs sufficient hoppiness into every drink, it also has a malty core. This gives it a hop-bite on first taste, but a malty finish that isn't bitter but rather smooth and perhaps a little carmelly. The dry-hop process gives it that kick we love, but Dogfish Head has ensured that the hops don't overpower the entire beer. A good start to Super-Sunday
I'll be back around kickoff to profile another beer. In the meantime, feel free to leave your drink of choice in the comments section!
Dogfish Head 90-Minute Imperial IPA
9.0 ABV
90 IBU's
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/90-minute-ipa.htm
Budweiser, Miller and Coors will saturate today's commercials with their adds asking you to choose between less filling or more taste, ask you to catch the Silver Bullet or simply tell you that This Bud's for You. If you are a true beer-drinker, you know this is bullshit from the get-go. They want you to drink a mass-produced, inferior product simply because "everyone else is doing it." The good news is, you can do better! Throughout the day, I'll be drinking a few good ones and letting you know about it.
To start off with, I've chosen Dogfish Head's 90-minute Imperial IPA. If you are a hop-head and love IPA's as much as I do, you've gotta try this one! There are more than a few IPA's out there that don't pack enough of a hoppy-punch while others don't live up to their expectations by not being hoppy enough. There are few that come to mind that strike the balance well. This one does it perfectly.
Labeled as perhaps the best IPA in America by Esquire Magazine, this brew won't let you down. While it packs sufficient hoppiness into every drink, it also has a malty core. This gives it a hop-bite on first taste, but a malty finish that isn't bitter but rather smooth and perhaps a little carmelly. The dry-hop process gives it that kick we love, but Dogfish Head has ensured that the hops don't overpower the entire beer. A good start to Super-Sunday
I'll be back around kickoff to profile another beer. In the meantime, feel free to leave your drink of choice in the comments section!
Dogfish Head 90-Minute Imperial IPA
9.0 ABV
90 IBU's
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/90-minute-ipa.htm
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Chatoe Rogue's First Growth Creek Ale
Maybe you've caught on and discovered that I'm a big fan of Rogue Brewery. Those guys keep it real and only brew beer that is worthy of appreciation and nothing less. They've recently began a project that they call "Grow Your Own (GYO)" and it is quite an interesting idea. Much like the wine industry, Rogue has taken a leap towards growing the ingredients needed to brew a handful of their beers. Chatoe Rogue produces the needed supplies and the beer makers do the rest.
The First Growth Creek Ale is one of the staples of the GYO series. While its listed as a pale, it pours a dark brown and has a relatively creamy, malty taste. Honestly, I can't figure out why its listed as a pale ale but I'm sure the guys at Rogue have a reason (probably because of how its brewed) and I won't mess with that, even though I'm pretty sure there's no way you'd sip this brew and think pale ale. In fact, its quite malty and has a hint of cherries, which are added in the brewing process. This makes the beer pretty unique in addition to the fact that Rogue used their own malts and hops. Its a little sweet, has a creamy head and makes for a good sip.
http://www.rogue.com/beers/chatoe-creek.php
Rogue First Growth Creek Ale
25 IBU's
15 Degrees Plato
The First Growth Creek Ale is one of the staples of the GYO series. While its listed as a pale, it pours a dark brown and has a relatively creamy, malty taste. Honestly, I can't figure out why its listed as a pale ale but I'm sure the guys at Rogue have a reason (probably because of how its brewed) and I won't mess with that, even though I'm pretty sure there's no way you'd sip this brew and think pale ale. In fact, its quite malty and has a hint of cherries, which are added in the brewing process. This makes the beer pretty unique in addition to the fact that Rogue used their own malts and hops. Its a little sweet, has a creamy head and makes for a good sip.
http://www.rogue.com/beers/chatoe-creek.php
Rogue First Growth Creek Ale
25 IBU's
15 Degrees Plato
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Dogfish Head India Brown
Dogfish Head Brewery absolutely rocks! So it comes as no surprise that the their India Brown Ale is wicked good (they're from the NE). I don't usually like brown ales since they are very malty and don't usually have much pop to them. This beer, however, breaks the stereotype.
The color of the brew is a traditional dark brown, almost black. The aroma is warm and maybe a little chocolaty and the beer has a bit of a caramel taste, very common for browns. Where it differs is the bite. Its been dry-hopped like Dogfish Head's 60 and 90-minute IPA's so it has enough of a hoppy quality to keep crisp beer lovers, like myself, satisfied.
If you like dark beers, or especially if you don't, give this one a shot. Its a strong, creative effort from Dogfish Head, something they are very familiar with. There's enough dark beer qualities to keep the brown ale lover happy, but there's enough hops to make the beer enjoyable for those who like IPA's. Its a best of both worlds scenario, nothing to complain about.
Dogfish Head India Brown Ale
7.2 % ABV
50 IBU's
The color of the brew is a traditional dark brown, almost black. The aroma is warm and maybe a little chocolaty and the beer has a bit of a caramel taste, very common for browns. Where it differs is the bite. Its been dry-hopped like Dogfish Head's 60 and 90-minute IPA's so it has enough of a hoppy quality to keep crisp beer lovers, like myself, satisfied.
If you like dark beers, or especially if you don't, give this one a shot. Its a strong, creative effort from Dogfish Head, something they are very familiar with. There's enough dark beer qualities to keep the brown ale lover happy, but there's enough hops to make the beer enjoyable for those who like IPA's. Its a best of both worlds scenario, nothing to complain about.
Dogfish Head India Brown Ale
7.2 % ABV
50 IBU's
Monday, January 10, 2011
Don't Settle for Mediocre Beer!
I've a had a long affinity for beers from North Coast Brewery. Hailing from Norther California, this brewery has it figured out. Their beers are very crafty but also very drinkable. I'm all about unique craft beers but if you don't like drinking them, then what's the point? Don't worry, North Coast won't let you down, especially with their Red Seal Ale.
Red Seal Ale is a red ale with multiple gold medal beer awards to it's credit. Its got some hoppiness to it, which I love, but is pretty well balanced with malts as well. The first impression is a hoppy one, followed by a maltiness that balances the taste. Its finish is a bit hoppy to end the drink. Being a little spicy but balanced with a smooth maltiness, Red Seal Ale won't disappoint. Its a little spendy if you're unused to buying quality brews but its worth every penny and isn't anywhere near the top of the price spectrum.
Check out the website of North Coast Brewery for more information regarding this one, its special and the experts agree!
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-RedSeal.htm
Red Seal Ale
5.5% ABV
42 IBU's
Red Seal Ale is a red ale with multiple gold medal beer awards to it's credit. Its got some hoppiness to it, which I love, but is pretty well balanced with malts as well. The first impression is a hoppy one, followed by a maltiness that balances the taste. Its finish is a bit hoppy to end the drink. Being a little spicy but balanced with a smooth maltiness, Red Seal Ale won't disappoint. Its a little spendy if you're unused to buying quality brews but its worth every penny and isn't anywhere near the top of the price spectrum.
Check out the website of North Coast Brewery for more information regarding this one, its special and the experts agree!
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-RedSeal.htm
Red Seal Ale
5.5% ABV
42 IBU's
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Assisting with the Christmas Cheer
December is typically a time for enjoying dark seasonals with spicy tones and malty finishes. Every now and then, its important to break the mold. Rogue Ales' Juniper Pale Ale is a nice fit! Another award-winning beer from Rogue, the Juniper Pale Ale uses real juniper berries in the brewing process and they give this pale a nice floral taste without washing out the best aspects of any good pale. It maintains a crisp bite but balances nicely with a smooth, somewhat-malty finish.
Rogue Ales brews plenty of exotic brews but the Juniper Pale is realistic and very drinkable. Perhaps this is the beer's best quality: it is easily approached by someone who doesn't drink a lot of microbrews but has enough sophistication to keep a keen drinker entertained. If you're looking for something that will knock your socks off, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a beer that has some complexity but goes down smooth, a critical element if you're trying to survive this holiday season, then look no further.
Juniper Pale Ale
13 degrees Plato
34 IBU's
5.3% ABV
http://www.rogue.com/beers/juniper-pale-ale.php
Rogue Ales brews plenty of exotic brews but the Juniper Pale is realistic and very drinkable. Perhaps this is the beer's best quality: it is easily approached by someone who doesn't drink a lot of microbrews but has enough sophistication to keep a keen drinker entertained. If you're looking for something that will knock your socks off, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a beer that has some complexity but goes down smooth, a critical element if you're trying to survive this holiday season, then look no further.
Juniper Pale Ale
13 degrees Plato
34 IBU's
5.3% ABV
http://www.rogue.com/beers/juniper-pale-ale.php
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