Day 95, April 5 / Cooper’s Sparkling Ale

Day 95 / April 5, 2011

Cooper’s Sparkling Ale

Cooper’s Brewery / South Australia

 

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G’day mate!  Fancy some pencil dust resin?

I went down under tonight for a Cooper’s Sparking Ale.  The style of this beer is closest to an English pale ale.  It pours a cloudy orangey color, with a little sediment in the bottle, so you can either mix it in or swirl it to the bottom before you pour it.

It had a nice mild taste, with just a touch of hops taste and malt taste.  But don’t just take my word for it, check out what this dude had to say on Beeradvocate.com:

The smell of this beer is nothing short of "viscous."  There is a sense on the nose of dense, boiled bananas and tropical green growth. Dried mint leaf aromas fold into elements of mustard greens and chamomile. Quite exquisite really.   And then there is the experience of submitting one's mouth to the liquid.

Strident lines of gas slash deep grooves onto my tongue. There is vigorous, powerful atmospheric pressure in this bottle. What a perfect complement to the banana/clove aromatics and thick texture. It remains dry with powdered pencil dust resins on the finish. Efficient. Powerful. Impeccable quality.

Really?  Boiled bananas?  Pencil dust resin?  Really?

Day 94, April 4 / Full Sail IPA

Day 94 / April 4, 2011

Full Sail IPA

Full Sail Brewing Company / Hood River, OR

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Write quick… gotta watch the game!

OK, real quick tonight!

I’ve got an old friend in the beer distribution business.  He had a business trip last week, from home in Syracuse NY to Oregon.  Day 1 – the “Full Immersion” experience at Rogue Brewing Company.  Day 2 – “Full Immersion” at Full Sail Brewing Company.  I haven’t spoken to him yet after his trip, but it sounds awesome!

The Full Sail IPA was quite good – hoppy, but not too much.  It poured a golden/copper color with a two finger head.  Yummy.

Hey, check out my new glass!  Go Bulldogs!

Day 93, April 3 / Sweetwater Outlaw Ale

Day 93 / April 3, 2011

Outlaw Ale

Sweetwater Tavern  /  Falls Church, VA

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The best singer songwriters you never heard of… and a beer…

Sweetwater Tavern twice in one week.  Stopped by with some friends before heading out to see a concert (more on that later).

This time I had the Outlaw Ale, and this time is did count.  Outlaw is dark colored ale with a toasty, malt taste, not too hoppy.  A friend described it as “thin” – you could easily have a few of these at one sitting.  Tonight, I just had two.

We then headed up to the Strathmore Mansion to see Don Dixon and Marti Jones (Marti is a she, and she is Don’s wife).  In the 80’s, Dixon produced several albums by REM, The Smithereens and other bands, and then struck out on his own.  The only Don Dixon song most people maybe have heard of is “Praying Mantis” from 1985’s Most of the Girls Like to Dance.  Dixon went on to record about a half dozen other albums, with clever lyrics and catchy hooks, but never really hit it big.

Marti Jones’ career followed a similar path, releasing 4 albums between 1985 and 1990, all produced by Dixon, with his rapsy vocals backing her up on several tracks.  Jones has released only two albums of new material since 1990, and now makes her living primarily as a painter.

Jones and Dixon are touring in support of a just released new album of duets (available on CDbaby.com).  Dixon spoke about how he had to coax Marti back on the road again.  It was great to hear them sing together again.  They also came out and chatted with the crowd when the show was done.

Here’s a couple YouTube clips of some of their performances from recent years.

Day 92, April 2 / Dale’s Pale Ale

Day 92 / April 2, 2011

Dale’s Pale Ale

Oskar Blue Brewery / Longmont, Colorado

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Check out those cans!

A can revolution is upon us.  More and more craft breweries are canning and distributing their beers in cans.  Some are canning in addition to bottling, and some, like Oskar Blues exclusively distribute their beer for sale in cans.

Some argue that the can is a superior package to the bottle. Cans are lighter and take up less space, making them cheaper to transport and store. They’re more durable once filled. Cans are completely lightproof, meaning the beer won’t get “skunked,” acquiring the nasty odor that comes from hops compounds breaking down in sunlight. Cans today come with a lining that keeps beer away from the aluminum, eliminating the metallic taste that used to affect canned beer. They seal up with very little air in the can, keeping the beer fresh longer. They’re even cheaper to recycle. Any “but it’s a can” stigma evaporates with the first taste of the emphatically nonmainstream taste.

[That last paragraph was stolen unapologetically from this article.]

Be forewarned – there will be a craft beer in a can Beer Run sometime this year.  So if you have a favorite, please let me know.

Dale’s Pale Ale may well be the first craft beer to be widely distributed in cans, dating back to 2002.  It pours a slightly cloudy copper color, with a medium head.  It is definitely a hoppy beer, clocking in at 65 IBU’s (which, by comparison, is twice as hoppy as a Sam Adams Boston Lager).  It’s a good choice for those of you who like a strong, hoppy ale.

It is a Huge Voluminously Hopped Mutha of a Pale Ale (their words, not mine)

Oskar Blues also operates a few restaurants and music venues in and around Longmont, CO, which is northeast of Boulder).

Day 91, April 1 / Ommegang Rare Vos

Day 91 / April 1, 2011

Ommegang Rare Vos Belgian Style Ale

Brewey Ommegang  /  Cooperstown, NY

April Fools!

Yeah, it was a day late, but it was for the beer I allegedly drank (or didn’t drink) on April 1.

Did you fall for it?  Yeah, I didn’t think so.

So, I’m still happily off the wagon.  Yesterday with my friend Patrick I stopped into a new place by the office, Stone’s Cove Kit Bar.  Kit Bar?  What’s that?  It’s a new concept, apparently, combing the Kitchen and the Bar – thus, Kit Bar.  The kitchen is literally in the middle of the bar, which is oddly shaped with lots of corners, so you can seat a group of 5 or so at the bar and all be looking at each other.  The place is staffed with chef-tenders, who make your drinks and your food.

Had this one too, but it
doesn't count.

Anyway, the beer list was quite varied, containing everything from Stroh’s to Ommengang.  And yes, I had one of each.

The Ommengang Rare Vos is a Belgian Style Amber Ale, but it is not as strong in taste or alcohol as many Belgian Ales.  After a very unfortunate and foamy pour (my fault), the beer settled to a nice bright orange color, just slightly cloudy with a formidable head.

The taste was very refreshing, with hints of spice and citrus, and extremely enjoyable.  I should have had another instead of the Stroh’s that I was talked into.

Ommegang Rare Vos is named after a Brussels bar made famous as the starting point for bicycle and pigeon races, and it has earned the honor of being my first Outstanding beer of the year.

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And had this one
with dinner.

And it’s time to announce the March Beer of the Month – the weekly winners were:

- Clipper City Loose Cannon

- Cotleigh Barn Owl Premium Bitter Ale

- Rogue Irish Lager

- Schlafly American Pale Ale

And the BOTM for March is Clipper City Loose Cannon!

Day 91, April 1 / A sad, sad day…

Day 91 / April 1, 2011

A sad, sad day…

I can’t believe it.  I didn’t even make it 100 days. 

Yesterday was busy day at work, I had a whole bunch of errands I had to run after work and got home a little late.  I feel asleep on the couch after dinner and didn’t wake up until after midnight. That means no beer yesterday.  I can’t believe it.

So what do I do now?  Am I done?  Do I call a mulligan and pretend it didn’t happen (kinda blew that by posting this on the blog).  Do I start another 365 days, starting today?

I guess I should keep up the 50 pounds part, but that’s not very exciting.  I’ve got to think about this some more.  I’ll post tomorrow where I go from here.