Day 315, Nov 11 / Otter Creek Black IPA

Day 315 / November 11, 2011

Otter Creek Black IPA

Otter Creek Brewing Co / Middlebury, VT

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A quick, unceremonious finish…

… to the Black Beer Run.  Gotta blog and run this morning!

The OCBC Black IPA was recently added to their year-round lineup, and was formerly called Alpine Black IPA.  It’s what you’d expect – a decent IPA, with good hop character, accented by the roasty, toasty, malty taste that makes it darker.

Also, a quick shout out to a good pizza and salad at Pete’s New Haven Style APizza, in the Clarendon area of Arlington.  The salad was fresh baby greens with toasted walnuts and gorgonzola, and the 18” pizza with a slightly blackened crust had a great taste, good sauce and toppings.  I’m looking forward to trying a slice of clam pizza on my next visit!

They also have a good beer (Eggenberg Pils) and wine selection, and the first self-serve Boylan’s soda fountain I’ve ever seen.

And a sincere thank you to those who have risked and given their lives in service to this great country!

Day 314, Nov 10 / Guinness Black Lager

Day 314 / November 10, 2011

Guinness Black Lager

Guinness Ltd. / Dublin, Ireland

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Step Right Up, Step Right Up…

Let’s recap some of the high points and low points of my Thursday evening, shall we?

Low Point: 

Guinness Black Lager, before I left home, to continue my Black Beer Run.  Compared to the other rich, full bodied black beers of various styles this week, the GBL was just kind of bland.  Seemed like it pasteurized or something – there was no distinguishable (to my palate, at least) hop or malt character.

High Point:

Meeting up with several guys at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, over fish tacos and/or burgers, catching up on the events of the day, including the unfortunate demise of Joe Paterno’s career, and the fortunate demise of Rick Perry’s presidential aspirations.

Low Point:

Our burly, surly waiter, who asked us,  “This may sound weird, but are you guys all married?”  Yes, I do think he was hitting on all or any of us, casting his net and hoping to catch the one of us who may not be married and have a tendency to lean that way.  Sorry bub, next table.

Low Point:

The current Widmer Rotator IPA selection, O’Ryely IPA, on tap at Clare & Don’s.  Not much hops for an IPA, and a strange fruity sweetness to it.  Not what you’d expect for an IPA.

High Point:

My second live Here Come the Mummies show at the State Theater, and introducing a new batch of friends to the terrifying funk from beyond the grave.  Over 90 minutes of literally non-stop funk, infectious grooves, rock solid horns, filthy innuendo and single entendres, all delivered by a cast of funky Mummies.  Incredible show!

Low Point:

The tall, solo dude in the buttoned-up white button-down, dancing in his own world and out of his mind, a few people away from us on the dance floor.  There’s one at every show.  As experienced concert goers, we should have the right to make a citizen’s arrest, and remove said dork from the dance floor, before he elbows the guy next to him just one too many times (that would be twice) and gets his ass kicked, or before he spills my drink.

High Points:

Libido Knievel

Mummies on the couch, mummies on the floor…

Being single, drinking double, sleeping triple….. Hmmmmmm…

Day 313, Nov 9 / Lubrication American Black Ale

Day 313 / November 9, 2011

Lubrication American Black Ale

Clown Shoes Beer / Ipswich, MA

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Vaseline, WD-40, Astro-glide, Crisco, Clown Shoes. 

What are Lubricants for $300, Alex?

That last one is a social lubricant.  But then again, so is the third one.

Clown Shoes Lubricant is a very dark American Black Ale, slightly thick with a thick khaki head.  It’s not as thick as last month’s Old Engine Oil.  But like that beer, it’s flavor changes as it warms up.  So the first sips were actually not that great.  As it warmed up a little, I could appreciate a more complex taste.

Tastes of chocolate, roasted malt, maybe a little molasses.  For me, this is more of a sipping beer, not a session beer.

Day 312, Nov 8 / Fade to Black Pepper Porter

Day 312 / November 8, 2011

Fade to Black Pepper Porter

Left Hand Brewing Co. / Longmont, CO

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From Left Hand’s website:

Imagine Robert DeNiro sitting in your darkened parlour near the fire in his Louis Cyphre persona smoking a Tuscan cigar. This may be the beer with which to save (or lose) your soul.

Dried fruit flavors entwined with smoky pepper and licorice embossed on roasty malt sweetness open on your tongue as the slow warmth of chilis creep up on your tongue and throat, finishing in an herbal smoke ring flourish.

Compared to the Chipotle Porters and Ales I had a couple months ago, this beer is mild on the peppers – in fact it tastes more of black pepper than chile pepper.  It was OK, but I’ll say I’m not a huge fan.

But I do like the logo - here's a big version of it...