Day 181, June 30 / Beach Bum Blonde Ale

Day 181 /  June 30, 2011

Beach Bum Blonde Ale

Michelob Brewing Co (InBev)  /  St. Louis, MO

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Over?  Did you say "over"?  Nothing is over until we decide it is!

And we (well, I) have decided that the Summer Beer Run is over!  And because it’s June 30^th, of course.  And so ends what will be the longest Beer Run of this blog.

Unfortunately, it’s ending with a whimper, not a bang.  I actually went out for a nice dinner with the family for our 21^st anniversary (Happy Anniversary, Linda!).  And Chef Geoff’s in Tyson’s Corner VA actually had several summer beers on tap… but I had tried them all this month already.  So I had a Long Trail White Ale with dinner, and it was quite good.

But, upon returning home, I had only two summer beer choices left in the fridge.  I saved them for last for a reason – one was from MillerCoors, the other from Anhesuer-Busch (InBev).  Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale or Michelob Beach Bum Blonde Ale? 

<< I feel like this guy.  I chose… poorly.  Although, I would have probably been disappointed with either choice.

The Beach Bum Blonde Ale is actually a lager, and it is supposedly lightly hopped and slightly fruity.  I really had no taste for this beer.

The Last Song of Summer:  Name that tune – here’s the opening lyrics: 

   Summer. 

   It turns me upside down. 

   Summer, summer summer. 

   It’s like a merry-go-round.

Day 180, June 29 / Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

Day 180 /  June 29, 2011

Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company / Chippewa Falls, WI

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I like beer (duh).  I like lemonade (who doesn’t?).  But….

Hey, it said “Summer” on the label.  And it’s mostly beer (it’s 4.2% alcohol).  By definition, a shandy is a beer mixed with carbonated lemonade or other citrus/fruit flavored soda.  In Germany, this type of drink is called a Radler (German for "cyclist") or an Alster (river in northern Germany). In France and in Italy, it is called a panaché ("mixed"). In Spain it is xampu ("shampoo").

I call it nasty.  While I occasionally like a little fruit taste in my beer (the Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale from the other night was excellent), this was way too much, and way too sweet.  In the glass, it was very yellow, with a foamy head, kind of like a lemon meringue pie (think about washing that pie down with a beer).  It had a smell not unlike Lemon Pledge.

Think about this – try pouring half of a Harpoon Summer Beer and half of a Mike’s Hard Lemonade into the same glass.  Would you drink that?  No?  Then don’t drink this!

Song of Summer:  While I don’t like shandy, I do want candy!

Day 179, June 28 / Blue Point Summer Ale

Day 179 /  June 28, 2011

Blue Point Summer Ale

Blue Point Brewing Co / Patchogue, NY

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Got this one out of the way early….much better beers followed…

I gotta say, I’m not too impressed with the 2 beers I’ve had this year from Blue Point.  Their Summer Ale is an American Blonde Ale, brewed with some wheat as well as barley.  The taste was average, nothing too remarkable.  But while it is was the Summer Beer of the day, it certainly wasn’t the best beer of the day.

A couple friends dropped by to drink a few (too many) beers, smoke a cigar and listen to music.  The beer that initiated the get together was picked up by one of my friends who had the good fortune to win tickets to the SAVOR beer event here in DC back in early June.  Attendees of SAVOR received a bottle of an exclusive collaboration beer from Dogfish Head and Boston Beer Company.  SAVOR Flowers is made with rosewater, lavender, hibiscus, jasmine and rosebuds.  It had a very unique taste, and thanks to my friend Jeremiah for bringing it over.  I came across a video about the making of SAVOR flowers – check it out!

Over the course of the evening, we also shared the beers listed below and I’m sure one or more will end up on the blog later in the year.

Fin du Monde Belgian Style Ale (Candada)

Smuttynose Maibock (New Hampshire)

Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale (Massachusetts)

Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA (Ditto)

Ommegang Rare Vos (New York)

Song of Summer:  The (summer) song of the day was a track that one of the guys put onto the Rhapsody playlist that night.  Catchy tune, haven’t really tried to decipher the lyrics yet.

Day 178, June 27 / Sunray Wheat

Day 178 /  June 27, 2011

Sunray Wheat

Terrapin Beer Co. / Athens, GA

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As sweet as Tupelo honey…

And brewed with a touch of it too.  Terrapin Sunray is a good summer wheat beer, with the typical tastes of cloves, banana and just a little honey.  The honey is not overpowering and not too sweet.  The beer pours a cloudy but bright yellow color with a thin head.

To the best of my recollection, my dad only had three albums – Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”, The Associations Greatest Hits (they had more than one?), and Herb Alpert’s “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” (I liked that one).  So when I was a senior in high school, I was discovering all the music that may parents should have been listening to when I was growing up.  So I bought a Time Life six record set of the greatest rock and roll hits of the 60’s. 

Today’s Song of Summer was on that collection.  Enjoy!

Day 177, June 26 / Smuttynose Summer Weizen

Day 177 /  June 26, 2011

Summer Weizen

Smuttynose Brewing Co.  /  Portsmouth NH

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I spent a nice afternoon at the Nova Summer Brewfest in Leesburg and had the pleasure of sampling several beers, in mini pilsner glasses!  I ran into some friends, smoked a cigar, had some buffalo jerky and a chili dog.  What’s not to like?

Thankfully, one of the first beers I came across was the Smuttynose Summer Weizen – I also happen to have a bottle of this in the fridge too.  This was a nice, crisp wheat ale, definitely great for a hot summer day.

Down below the song of the day is the full published list of the beers that were allegedly on tap at the festival, and no, I did not sample them all. 

SSOTD:  Is this a summer song?  Don’t know.  But I heard it again today for this first time in a long time, and you should too.

Beers of the NoVa Summer BrewFest

16 MILE                     AMBER SUN/GOLDEN BLUES/OLD COURT

21ST AMENDMENT       BACK IN BLACK/FIRESIDE CHAT

ABITA                       PURPLE HAZE/RESTORATION ALE

ALLAGASH                 WHITE ALE/BLACK ALE/CURIEUX

ANDERSON VALLEY      WINTER SOLSTICE/WEE GEECH/BOONT AMBER

ANHEUSER BUSCH       SHOCKTOP/SHOCKTOP RASPBERRY/MICHELOB AMBER BOCK

APPALACHIAN             WATER CAP WHEAT/TRAIL BLAZE BROWN/HOPPY TRAILS IPA

BALLAST                    BIG EYE/BLACK MARLIN

BLUE POINT               SUMMER ALE/BLUEBERRY

BOSTON                    SAM ADAMS LAGER/SUMMER ALE/CHEERY WHEAT

BROOKLYN                 LAGER/BROWN

BRUERY                     ORCHARD WHITE

CAP CITY                   AMBER WAVES ALE

CLIPPER CITY             LOOSE CANNON/IPA

COTTRELL                  OLD YANKEE ALE/MYSTIC BRIDGE IPA

CRISPIN                    ORGINAL ORIGINAL SIN APPLE

DC BRAU                   CORRUPTION/PUBLIC

DUCK RABBIT             MILK STOUT/RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT/PORTER

EPIC                         MID MTN MILD/SPIRAL JETTY/SOUR APPLE SAISON/SMOKED & OAKED

EVOLUTION                LUCKY #7 PORTER/SPRUNG/LOT #3 IPA/MENAGERIE #5

FLYINGDOG                DOGGIE STYLE/ RAGING BITCH

HARPOON                  IPA/SUMMER BEERS

HEBREW                    CONEY ISLAND LAGER/ALBINO PYTHON/HUMAN BLOCKHEAD ALE/LENNY RIPA

HIGHLAND                 FIALIC ALE/OATMEAL PORTER

KONA                        LONGBOARD/WAIALUA WHEAT

LAGUNITAS                IPA/LUCKY 13/LITTLE SUMPIN SUMPIN

LAUGHING DOG          ALPHA DOG/DOGZILLA

LEFT HAND                THE STRANGER/MILK STOUT

LEGEND                     BROWN ALE/HEFEWEISEN

LONG TRAIL               DOUBLE BAG/IMPERAIL IPA

LOST RHINO               FACE PLANT IPA/NEW RIVER PALE/PACIFIC PILS

MAD FOX                   KOLSCH/WEI HEAVY

MAGIC HAT                #9/WACKO

MILLER                      BATCH 19/BLUE MOON SUMMER HONEY

NEW HOLLAND            GOLDEN CAP/DRAGON’S MILK/POET/FULL CIRCLE KOELSCH

NORTH COAST            RED SEAL

OLD DOMINION           BEACHHOUSE/OAK BARREL/HOP MT/

OLIVERS                    ALS TBD

OMMEGANG               BPA/HENNEPIN

OSKAR BLUES             DALE’S PALE/MAMA’S YELLA PILS/G’KNIGHT

PORT CITY                 OPTIMAL WIT/MONUMENTAL IPA/ESSENTIAL PALE ALE

REDHOOK                  LONG HAMMER/PILSNER

RJ ROCKERS               BALD EAGLE BROWN/BUCKWHEAT AFTER DARK

SCHLAFLY                  KOLSCH/DRYHOP APA

SMUTTY NOSE            IPA/SUMMER WEIZEN

ST GEORGE                IPA/SUMMER

STARR HILL                NORTHERN LIGHTS/THE LOVE

STOUDT’S                  SCARLET LADY/SEASONAL

TALLGRASS                OASIS/BUFFALO SWEAT

THE RAVEN                LAGER

TROEGS                    TBD

UINTA                       ANGLERS PALE

VINTAGE                   50 TBD

WIDMER                    PITCH BLACK/ROTATOR IPA X114

WILLIAMSBURG           CHESAPEAKE ALE/WASHINGTON’S PORTER/TAVERN

WOODCHUCK              AMBER/LIMITED SUMMER