Day 212, July 31 / Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Day 212 /  July 31, 2011

Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Buffalo Bill’s Brewery  /  Hayward, CA

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Tastes like a beer creamsicle… which is why they don’t make beer creamsicles…

I’ve seen this beer sitting on the shelf for a few years now, and I was always a little curious about it.  So this little beer blog of mine was a good excuse to pick up a bottle. 

This beer is a spring /summer seasonal brewed with sweet orange peel, orange blossom extract and honey.  It pours a slightly cloudy orange / golden in the glass.  The smells of orange waft upwards as your pour it into the glass.

This beer is not excessively sweet, but just sweet enough to be too sweet for me.

Day 211, July 30 / Three Philosophers

Day 211 /  July 30, 2011

Three Philosophers

Brewey Ommegang  /  Cooperstown, NY

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Like night and day…

From Budweiser to this!  From a light, mass produced, corn and rice filled macro-brew to a dark, complex Belgian Quadrupel style ale, blended with Lindeman’s Kriek.  It’s the beer drinker’s equivalent of getting the bends!

Three Philosophers’ is made by Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, perhaps the most celebrated US brewer of Belgian style ales.  (Ommegang’s website is down right now, so I can’t do my usual crack research).

What I did find out is that the beer’s name, Three Philosophers, is a reference to the three main characters in William Blake’s An Island in the Moon, a satire written in 1784 and published posthumously – Quid the Cynic, Suction the Epicurean, Sipsop the Pythagorean.  Want more?  Check this out!

Some other beer geeks recommend aging this ale several years.  In fact, some vintages of Three Philosophers are actually aged in nearby Howe Caverns, 40 meters below ground at a constant temperature of 52 degrees.

This is a big beer – 9.8% ABV – a dark, strong, malty ale, blended with Lindeman’s Kriek from Belgium, a lambic fermented with sour cherries.  Now I’m a relatively simple guy.  Maybe too simple for this beer.  Like other beers I’ve had this year, I can definitely appreciate the style, but it’s not something I’d probably go for again.

Day 210, July 29 / Budweiser

Day 210 /  July 29, 2011

Budweiser

Anheuser-Bush, St. Louis, MO

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Isn’t it ironic…

Here I am, at an award-winning brewpub.  Surrounded by people drinking 2 Very Good beers, 2 Good beers, and 1 Passable beer.  And I’m drinking a Budweiser. 

I was warned this might happen.  I tried to avoid it.  Sweetwater only has 5 beers on tap at any given time.  I had one of them earlier this year, and I had the others Monday through Thursday.  I begged the bartenders to put something else on tap.  I asked if there was a secret keg anywhere.  They tried to talk me into a Black & Tan, but that would be beers I already had, mixed in the same glass.  I even had a backup growler of Chipotle Porter from the Sterling Sweetwater location in the car.

But the deal was, I’d be at the bar at 9pm.  My only choice was Bud.  They also had Miller Lite (had it on a hangover day) and Beck’s NA (aka Not Beer) in bottles, and that’s it.

I couldn’t convince any of my friends (or my wife) to have a Bud with me, and I can’t say I blame them.  I haven’t had a Budweiser all year – I was thinking I’d give it a Passable grade, but compared to Sweetwater’s Naked River light it was… well, Not Good.  ‘Nuff said.

So what did we prove, and what did we learn?

• The bartenders at Sweetwater are good people, even if they couldn’t find a secret beer for me.
• If you offer your friends one free beer, they will do whatever they can to expand that to more free beers.
• No, I didn’t get a free beer out of it.
• I had a taste of what it’s like to be a regular at a bar… and it was kind of fun.

Thanks to everybody who joined me at Sweetwater this week.  Actually, I should say, “You’re welcome,” for the beers.

 

I’ve got an idea for another social experiment later in the year…. Stay tuned!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	Gold Rush Ale	Wit’s End Ale	Iron Horse Black Lager	Naked River Light	Budweiser Really?
Jeff	G	G	VG	P	NG
Corey	G	P	VG
Henry		VG		G	Pass!
Kevin		G
Greg			VG	NG
Carrie			G
John			G
Mark			G
Jeremiah				P
Rosie				P	Pass!
Linda				P	Pass!
Katie					Pass!
Average Score	G	G	VG	P	NG