So what happens to a person after they go on a 10 week long quest for the love of beer? Not much. I've tried so many different types of beer now. So am I beer lover? Do I still drink beer every week? Not so much.
Instead of finding a love for beer, I think i found an understanding and an appreciation for beer. Beer is not my favorite alcoholic beverage and to be perfectly honest, i doubt it ever will be. But the quest was not a complete waste. One recent thing i've taken a note of is how refreshing beer can be. I was out at a picnic and i couldn't find anything to drink other than a beer, but it hit the spot. It was ice cold and refreshing. I still wanted some water, but the beer was surprisingly enjoyable.
I do get the occasional craving for a beer. Just the other day I grabbed a six pack of Michelob Ultra. I know, I know. I said that I had moved on to better beers but I guess I lied. No not really. I just cannot afford to buy expensive beer. I really wanted Guinness but that beer is hard to locate in gas stations. The other downside of working in a restaurant is that I do not get out of work till liqour stores are closed. The other reason drink Mich. Ultra is because it is a light beer with few calories. I don't want you to think I am obsessed with my appearance, but I do care about how heavy a beer is. I definitely don't want a beer gut. My dad has looked 8 months pregnant for about 5 years now. Its not a future that I look forward to.
Most recently I have been thinking about another project. A quest to ween myself away from sweet drinks. When I say I like liquor better than beer, I should make it clear that I mean I like fruity drinks that taste nothing and I mean NOTHING like alcohol. My most recent concoction is a drink called the Mary. It has Bacardi Gran Melon, Peach Schnapps, Cranberry Juice, Sweet and Sour Mix, and Sprite. It tastes alot like a Jolly Ranger. The downside about the drinks I like is that I get a tummy ache the next day from all the sugar. My thought process is that if I could gain a tolerance for the taste of beer can't I gain a tolerance for less sugary drinks?
But even now, just thinking about this, I'm beginning to to wonder if this endeavor will be fruitless. The taste of pure liquor is so much more intense than the taste of beer. This experience may end up turning my tastes back to drinking beer. Nevertheless it is worth a shot.
Learning to gain a taste for beer was alot easier than I thought it would be. I just wish I had had the funds to try more types of beer. If I ever come across a new interesting beer I may have to post it on here for old times sake. This is still not good-bye. Just a ta-ta for now!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Infamous Stout
The day had finally arrived. I promised that I would work my way to try the infamous stout, and that day had finally arrived. As I've mentioned before, I am a college student and finals are around the corner so its the perfect time to finish up this adventure before the stress levels of exams reeks havoc on me.
My stout of choice is Guinness Draught in the bottle. Guinness is a famous beer from a company that started in Dublin in the 1700s. There are four key ingredients: barley (specifically roasted barley which gives it a burnt taste), hops ( feminine hops), water, and GUINNESS yeast. This process consists of milling, then mashing, seperating, boiling, fermentation, maturation, and finally packaging. The packaging is very important, for example in the Guinness Draught nitrogen is added which gives it its famous head. While there are many resources online about how to pour the perfect Guinness, it is best to drink Guinness Draught Bottle straight from the bottle.
Before I could even open the bottle, my nerves were going wild.There aren't many people who actually like Guiness so I was pretty intimidated. In my mind I envisioned Guinness drinkers as ultimate beer drinkers, the tough guys of the beer drinking society, and I was pretty sure there was no way I could be apart of that group. I popped the bottle cap off and took a whiff. It smelled something like coffee, black coffee. I poured a little into a glass to see the color. It was a really dark brown almost black color with a foamy head. Then I tasted it. Whoa. I really like Guiness! The beer was really smooth and tasted something like coffee and almost but not really sweet. The coffee taste comes from the roasted barley. There wasn't an after bite either. The day had finally come and I succeeded. I drank a Guiness, the infamous stout, and I liked it. Guiness was my favorite beer from all of the ones I tried. I looked to Beeradvocate.com as usual for another review:
Stro23m ( Pikeville, Kentucky )
A+ / 4.9
look: 5 smell: 4.5 taste: 5 feel: 5 drink: 5
rDev: +31%
I Love this beer more than any other stout, its classic and delicious.
reminds me of cold good coffee.
my mom hates beer and when i got her to try a sip from nitro can poured into glass she said she was suprised and enjoyed it.
Not the most punch u in the face stout out there but has very good flavor to be a stout.
i love the bitter choclate and coffe flavor to this beer.
This beer is best if u can find it on tap not regular tap but on nitro tap.
A- dark almost black
S- malt
T- delicious if u like stouts
M- creamy thicker than most beers
D- if you like stouts this is probobly the most drinkable one out there.
overall impression= this beer is sexy and seductive
Serving type: nitro-tap
Reviewed on: 10-09-2008 04:35:02
I agree almost completely with this review, except I'm not sure I would have described it as sexy and seductive, but to each his own.
When I started this endeavor to find a love of beer, I had no idea what to expect. I planned on trying several different beers and finding a beer that truly suited my tastes. I hoped that this girly frou-frou drinker could change and become a beer drinker. So what were my results? I tried several different beers including lambics, fruit beers, lagers, ales, and even a stout. I learned to appreciate the art that goes into beer brewing and most importantly I discovered certain tastes that I did and did not enjoy. For instance, I now know that I do not enjoy beers with a strong hoppy taste. The bitterness throws me for a loop; Also, I can actually drink a round of beers, not because I have to but because I want to. Honestly, I was skeptical of whether or not I would succeed because the smell of beer alone used to make my stomach turn; however, this adventure has become a learning experience I won't soon forget.
So the question now is did I succeed? Do i love beer? I want to say yes, but love is such a strong word;hoever, I feel that I did succeed because while I don't constantly crave beer or want it more than sweet frou frou drinks everytime, I've found a few beers that I actually enjoy drinking. I'm not intimidated by any beer and I've become open to trying all beers. Just because I won't be documenting every new beer I try, doesn't mean that I'm not going to continue to try new beers. This adventure is over but its just the beginning.
The day for the infamous stout came and went. I bought a Guinness, conquered it, drank it, and loved every bit of it. (Guinness drinkers aren't that tough, they can't be because I'm one of them.)
Thank you for following me in my search for the love of beer, I appreciated your comments and encouragement and I hope I've at least inspired you to try a new beer as well.
My stout of choice is Guinness Draught in the bottle. Guinness is a famous beer from a company that started in Dublin in the 1700s. There are four key ingredients: barley (specifically roasted barley which gives it a burnt taste), hops ( feminine hops), water, and GUINNESS yeast. This process consists of milling, then mashing, seperating, boiling, fermentation, maturation, and finally packaging. The packaging is very important, for example in the Guinness Draught nitrogen is added which gives it its famous head. While there are many resources online about how to pour the perfect Guinness, it is best to drink Guinness Draught Bottle straight from the bottle.
Before I could even open the bottle, my nerves were going wild.There aren't many people who actually like Guiness so I was pretty intimidated. In my mind I envisioned Guinness drinkers as ultimate beer drinkers, the tough guys of the beer drinking society, and I was pretty sure there was no way I could be apart of that group. I popped the bottle cap off and took a whiff. It smelled something like coffee, black coffee. I poured a little into a glass to see the color. It was a really dark brown almost black color with a foamy head. Then I tasted it. Whoa. I really like Guiness! The beer was really smooth and tasted something like coffee and almost but not really sweet. The coffee taste comes from the roasted barley. There wasn't an after bite either. The day had finally come and I succeeded. I drank a Guiness, the infamous stout, and I liked it. Guiness was my favorite beer from all of the ones I tried. I looked to Beeradvocate.com as usual for another review:
Stro23m ( Pikeville, Kentucky )
A+ / 4.9
look: 5 smell: 4.5 taste: 5 feel: 5 drink: 5
rDev: +31%
I Love this beer more than any other stout, its classic and delicious.
reminds me of cold good coffee.
my mom hates beer and when i got her to try a sip from nitro can poured into glass she said she was suprised and enjoyed it.
Not the most punch u in the face stout out there but has very good flavor to be a stout.
i love the bitter choclate and coffe flavor to this beer.
This beer is best if u can find it on tap not regular tap but on nitro tap.
A- dark almost black
S- malt
T- delicious if u like stouts
M- creamy thicker than most beers
D- if you like stouts this is probobly the most drinkable one out there.
overall impression= this beer is sexy and seductive
Serving type: nitro-tap
Reviewed on: 10-09-2008 04:35:02
I agree almost completely with this review, except I'm not sure I would have described it as sexy and seductive, but to each his own.
When I started this endeavor to find a love of beer, I had no idea what to expect. I planned on trying several different beers and finding a beer that truly suited my tastes. I hoped that this girly frou-frou drinker could change and become a beer drinker. So what were my results? I tried several different beers including lambics, fruit beers, lagers, ales, and even a stout. I learned to appreciate the art that goes into beer brewing and most importantly I discovered certain tastes that I did and did not enjoy. For instance, I now know that I do not enjoy beers with a strong hoppy taste. The bitterness throws me for a loop; Also, I can actually drink a round of beers, not because I have to but because I want to. Honestly, I was skeptical of whether or not I would succeed because the smell of beer alone used to make my stomach turn; however, this adventure has become a learning experience I won't soon forget.
So the question now is did I succeed? Do i love beer? I want to say yes, but love is such a strong word;hoever, I feel that I did succeed because while I don't constantly crave beer or want it more than sweet frou frou drinks everytime, I've found a few beers that I actually enjoy drinking. I'm not intimidated by any beer and I've become open to trying all beers. Just because I won't be documenting every new beer I try, doesn't mean that I'm not going to continue to try new beers. This adventure is over but its just the beginning.
The day for the infamous stout came and went. I bought a Guinness, conquered it, drank it, and loved every bit of it. (Guinness drinkers aren't that tough, they can't be because I'm one of them.)
Thank you for following me in my search for the love of beer, I appreciated your comments and encouragement and I hope I've at least inspired you to try a new beer as well.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Fancy Shmancy
I feel like something fancy tonight. Generally speaking 'fancy' and 'beer' are not two words found in a sentence together; however, Stella Artois is a fancy looking beer that even sounds fancy ( stella ar-twa). About a year ago my restaurant recieved a new selection of beer and stella artois was included, but not many people order it. I decided to give it a try.
Stella Artois was first brewed in 1926 as a Christmas brew with the name because stella is latin for star. While Belgium is mostly known for its table beer ales, Stella Artois is a bottem-fermented pilsner lager, also it means it is fermented at a very low temperature with an ABV of 5%.
I bought a pint bottle of Stella Artois the bottle is very fancy (as seen below). The initial smell is like a bitter distillery smell, acidic and sour. the color is a light, clear, yellow, with very little head. And finally the taste: its smooth, similar to bud light ( no offense). The taste is hoppy and yet a little watered down. The after bite is acidic.
The taste is better than what I thought it would be after smelling it, but it still is not a beer that I enjoy. Perhaps I expected something as extravagant and as impressive as the bottle, but overall it was not a bad beer. I do not think that I would buy this beer again, because I did not enjoy it enough to drink all of the pint, let alone another one.
Here's a review from beeradvocate.com:
SamN ( Fort Collins, Colorado )
C / 3
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 3.5
rDev: -3.7%
On tap as a taster from the Crown Pub, from jotted notes.
A- Pale, pale, pale. Clear, a light yellow color, no head whatsoever.
S- Rice and cheap floral hops. Slightly sour smelling.
T- Sweeter fruits, herbal hops. Mild and subdued, slightly adjunct but easy to sip on and easy of flavor, nothing outrageous here.
M- Spritzy. Bubbly. Soda like.
D- Eh, not bad. Pair with food. I'd like this with a creamy alfredo, something rich to contrast with it's light flavors and body.
Serving type: on-tap
Reviewed on: 03-24-2010 00:06:04
I liked this review because of how similar our reviews of the beer were. Also I appreciated the note on food pairings. I usually drink beer by itself, and I've never tried pairing it with food, but the note on pairing this beer with food with rich flavor was highly useful and I'll keep that in my mind for the next beer.
I had a big revelation tonight. Lagers are tolerable and good for when i'm out at an Applebee's. Applebee's doesn't have a large beer selection and after a long, unfruitful day at work it is easy to just order a simple lager, not to mention cheaper; however, I prefer a heartier more flavorful beer such as a stout. Another revelation I've had is that, while I don't love beer, meaning I don't just crave it, I can drink a round of beer without making the 'face'. The face is the scrunched-up, disapproving look that a non-beer drinker displays after taking a sip of beer. If you've never seen one, you should make it a point to see it soon, its hilarious (even if it means drinking a beer in front of a mirror).In other words, I'm making progress.
I wanted something fancy tonight, but I drank beer. Compared to drinking a Bud Light it was fancy but not suit and tie fancy. Beer really is not fancy.
Stella Artois was first brewed in 1926 as a Christmas brew with the name because stella is latin for star. While Belgium is mostly known for its table beer ales, Stella Artois is a bottem-fermented pilsner lager, also it means it is fermented at a very low temperature with an ABV of 5%.
I bought a pint bottle of Stella Artois the bottle is very fancy (as seen below). The initial smell is like a bitter distillery smell, acidic and sour. the color is a light, clear, yellow, with very little head. And finally the taste: its smooth, similar to bud light ( no offense). The taste is hoppy and yet a little watered down. The after bite is acidic.
The taste is better than what I thought it would be after smelling it, but it still is not a beer that I enjoy. Perhaps I expected something as extravagant and as impressive as the bottle, but overall it was not a bad beer. I do not think that I would buy this beer again, because I did not enjoy it enough to drink all of the pint, let alone another one.
Here's a review from beeradvocate.com:
SamN ( Fort Collins, Colorado )
C / 3
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 3.5
rDev: -3.7%
On tap as a taster from the Crown Pub, from jotted notes.
A- Pale, pale, pale. Clear, a light yellow color, no head whatsoever.
S- Rice and cheap floral hops. Slightly sour smelling.
T- Sweeter fruits, herbal hops. Mild and subdued, slightly adjunct but easy to sip on and easy of flavor, nothing outrageous here.
M- Spritzy. Bubbly. Soda like.
D- Eh, not bad. Pair with food. I'd like this with a creamy alfredo, something rich to contrast with it's light flavors and body.
Serving type: on-tap
Reviewed on: 03-24-2010 00:06:04
I liked this review because of how similar our reviews of the beer were. Also I appreciated the note on food pairings. I usually drink beer by itself, and I've never tried pairing it with food, but the note on pairing this beer with food with rich flavor was highly useful and I'll keep that in my mind for the next beer.
I had a big revelation tonight. Lagers are tolerable and good for when i'm out at an Applebee's. Applebee's doesn't have a large beer selection and after a long, unfruitful day at work it is easy to just order a simple lager, not to mention cheaper; however, I prefer a heartier more flavorful beer such as a stout. Another revelation I've had is that, while I don't love beer, meaning I don't just crave it, I can drink a round of beer without making the 'face'. The face is the scrunched-up, disapproving look that a non-beer drinker displays after taking a sip of beer. If you've never seen one, you should make it a point to see it soon, its hilarious (even if it means drinking a beer in front of a mirror).In other words, I'm making progress.
I wanted something fancy tonight, but I drank beer. Compared to drinking a Bud Light it was fancy but not suit and tie fancy. Beer really is not fancy.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hectic Life and Pretty Beer.
I'm not dead. I deeply regret my recent disappearance and lack of blogs. Just as the cliche says, life is a rollercoaster, filled with ups and downs, and my life recently experienced a down. As I've mentioned before, I'm a full time student taking 15 credits, not to mention having to drive an hour just to get to school, also I work full time 30-40 hours a week, plus I do sunday school on sunday(of course). Lately, my hectic schedule finally caught up to me. I've never been the best at time management, but getting only 4 hours of sleep a night did not work out so well. The other factor that contributed to my blogging absence is the economy. Ha! No, but really it was the economy indirectly. With the recession, the restaurant business is still going just not as strong, and season finally hit, but because we were so slow, no new people were hired and we were short handed: more hours (yay), less sleep( not yay). So all of that on top of personal issues with family gave me the poor excuse of leaving you dry. Not too mention drinking beer did not rank high on my list of priorities. Oh no, beer wasn't strong enough, I needed liquor. Worry not. I am not destined for AA. I'm slowly pulling through my slump and drinking beer to boot.
A couple weeks ago while out of town, I found a ABC with a pretty awesome beer selection, and because I never got around to trying a true lambic, I decided to give it a try. I bought the raspberry lambic which sat in my fridge for sometime. A few days ago, I finally popped it open. Popped it like a champagne bottle I should say, because while it had a bottle cap, attached to the bottle cap was a cork. Lambics are definitely a distinct type of beer. I looked up lambic on wikipedia. According to wikipedia, Lambic is only brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels. It is different from other types of beer because unlike its comrades Lambics are produced by way of spontaneous fermentation. It is exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria, which give it a distinct taste that is dry, cidery and viney. It is generally brewed from 70% barley malt and 30% unmalted wheat. Another interesting fact is that only aged dry hops are used for their antibacterial purposes only. After the start of the fermentation process, lambics are left to mature for anywhere from 1 to 3 years. Just as with other beer types, there are many subtypes of lambics: pure, Gueuze, Mars, Faro, Kriek, and fruit.
I tried the fruit lambic, specifically a raspberry lambic. The bottle was very beautiful (above),but expensive. It was 4 dollars, which is pricey compared to what I usually pay. This beer was actually a good transition back into the beer world, after drinking my fruity liquor drinks. I had no clue what to expect. I knew that I would most likely enjoy the beer since lambics are the least favored among beer enthusiasts. After I took the cork out, I smelled it. It was strong and fruity. The color was a purple hue, with alot of carbonation. The taste was as expected. It was raspberry juice with a tiny kick. My first instinct was, Hey! Where's the alcohol, but it was definitely in there. I would give the beer an A if it were intended for a non-beer drinker, but a D if it were for a beer lover; I'd give it a D instead of an F because I have a deep respect for what
According to Beer Nemesis on Beeradvocate.com
Lindemans Framboise Lambic.
He rated it an A-
Appearance:
Poured from an 11.2 oz. bottle into an oversized wine glass. Getting into the beer necessitates peeling back the red aluminum wrapper, popping the cap and pulling out a miniature cork. Once poured, the body is a deep raspberry rose color with a thin frothy pink head that pools on the seething burgundy surface into bubbling islands and swirling eddies. Bubbles abound; lacing is lacking.
Aroma:
Spritzy tart raspberry and sour green apple boldly blast upwards out of the glass. the nose is strong, fresh, and almost candy-like, but overtime I started to get used to it and appreciate the complexity.
Taste:
The first sip yields a crisp, champagne-like smoothness, delicately cradled and a bubbling effervescence. Tart raspberry flavors pack quite a punch and virtually dominate the scene. Sour apple peel notes also swim around in the mouth. Not much else is going on here, but the fresh fruit is refreshing, spritzy, and fun. It hardly tastes like beer -- almost the mix between a sophisticated fruit juice and champagne.
Mouthfeel & Drinkability:
Champagne-like carbonation is strong and gives the tart fruity notes a good backbone. The finish is slightly thick, quick, and dry. Really very drinkable because the alcohol is almost completely masked by the carbonation. The powerful flavor keeps me interested.
Notes:
A drink like this seems appropriate earlier in the day -- a nice complement to brunch perhaps?
Serving type: bottle
Appearance:
Poured from an 11.2 oz. bottle into an oversized wine glass. Getting into the beer necessitates peeling back the red aluminum wrapper, popping the cap and pulling out a miniature cork. Once poured, the body is a deep raspberry rose color with a thin frothy pink head that pools on the seething burgundy surface into bubbling islands and swirling eddies. Bubbles abound; lacing is lacking.
Aroma:
Spritzy tart raspberry and sour green apple boldly blast upwards out of the glass. the nose is strong, fresh, and almost candy-like, but overtime I started to get used to it and appreciate the complexity.
Taste:
The first sip yields a crisp, champagne-like smoothness, delicately cradled and a bubbling effervescence. Tart raspberry flavors pack quite a punch and virtually dominate the scene. Sour apple peel notes also swim around in the mouth. Not much else is going on here, but the fresh fruit is refreshing, spritzy, and fun. It hardly tastes like beer -- almost the mix between a sophisticated fruit juice and champagne.
Mouthfeel & Drinkability:
Champagne-like carbonation is strong and gives the tart fruity notes a good backbone. The finish is slightly thick, quick, and dry. Really very drinkable because the alcohol is almost completely masked by the carbonation. The powerful flavor keeps me interested.
Notes:
A drink like this seems appropriate earlier in the day -- a nice complement to brunch perhaps?
Serving type: bottle
I appreciated his review, probably mostly because I felt the same way. While this lambic was not my choice beer, I did enjoy it for what it was. I'm back to drinking beer. I'm alive and I'm ready to find more beer.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Brewz Crewz Newz
I thought chaos was about to break out when they ran out of Magic Hat Number 9. It all started with a flyer. Pretty much everyone at work knows about my quest for the love of beer, so when the flyer was put up in the break room for the Brewz Crewz Craft Beer Festival it was made a point to be brought to my attention. So what is Brewz Crewz? Its a craft beer festival held in downtown lakeland in the park. They have about 25 different craft beer vendors come out with a few different selections and tasters pay a fee to get in and they get a 2oz tasting cup to go around and try them all out. Because I am new to the beer world, this was my first ever beer festival of any sort, and I was extremely excited.
Prior to the event, Eric Pera printed an article about it in the Lakeland Ledger. The article's opening lines made the event more appealing than it already was. It reached out to me and the cause of this blog, and it just seemed like the perfect event to attend:
Pera's introduction spoke to me because it was as if the event was made for this blog. That sounds ridiculous but true beer lovers are not content drinking Budweiser or Michelob Ultra, their palates are better suited for a fine craft beer, one with more flavor to boast: more than flavored water. To better understand the festival and its purpose it is imperative to know what a craft beer is. To be considered a craft beer, Pera wrote, that "according to the Brewer's Association, [a true craft beer] must have annual production of less than 2 million barrels, half of which must be an all-product." In lamens terms, it means that craft beers are rarer than your average Anheuser-Busch product; they are sometimes difficult to find.
So this past weekend, I took the night off from work and attended the festival. It was definitely an experience. First of all the event started at 6, but I didn't get there until 6:30 because, it was the same day as my best friend's birthday party and I spent the day getting stuff for the party, that was after the festival, and ended up running late. When me and my fiance finally arrived there was no parking, so I parked at the bank, even though there were signs about towing cars that were non-banking customers, but the bank was closed. We purchased our tickets at the entrance, even though they did offer advance ticket sales online, but because I was broke and I procrastinated, we waited to buy ours last minute. Two types of tickets were sold, general admission and VIP. VIP ticket holders recieved a t-shirt, 5 fast passes to cut ahead of lines for beers, and access to an indoor venue with an indoor restroom; the difference in price between the general admission and VIP 35 vs. 50. We got general admission, but my friends got VIP. VIP wasn't worth the extra money. I enjoyed myself just as much as they did, and I didn't have to use the restroom till we were leaving so i just used the ice cream shoppe restroom by buying a soda. Thanks to my fiance, I tried a lot of different beers. We would both get different beers and then try each others. I tried all different types: ciders, IPAs, ales, lagers, bocks, and even a porter.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the festival. Not only was there plenty of beer to sample, but there were free food samples, which included GrillSmiths who had a delicious lemon feta chicken Mmmm, and live music. Tons of people attended and I got to see all kinds of characters of people. Beer drinkers are happy people, and they are especially happy when they are drinking beer. I only ran into a couple of belligerent drunks, which was way less than what I expected. The cons were that the lines were semi-long, it was cold, the map wasn't very explanatory, and it was dark out so i couldn't really see the colors of the beers I was trying. The worst con was that an hour into the festival, approximately 7pm, a few vendors ran out of beer and food, they just were not prepared for the amount of people who showed up.
I am very glad I attended the Brewz Crewz craft beer festival. It was highly enjoyable and I experienced a lot. I also learned quite a bit. First of all i learned I really don't like hoppy beers. I don't enjoy the flowery bitter tasted, but on the contrary I did learn that I'm taking a liking to darker beers, especially those with a caramelly, coffee-ish, or chocolate-y flavor. I learned to really savor each taste of beer and try to taste the different flavors.
I had two highlights of the evening. the first was at the second to the last beer vendor I went to. As I walked up to the table, I asked my fiance which beer I should try to which he responded, the porter. So I said ok and requested it. The pourer looked at me with an odd face and said why don't I give you a small taste first because most people don't like the porter. As I tried the beer everyone around me was grinning waiting for me to be digusted. WRONG! to their surprise, I liked the porter and so he filled my tasting cup up. My last highlight was at the very last table we went to: Magic Hat. Magic Hat was only serving #9, and it was draft. Apparently, #9 was a hit, that night so the line was very long, but we waited patiently and then it happened. A man at the table shouted that they were all out. I thought chaos was about to break out. You don't tell beer drinkers who have been waiting a while for a 2 oz. pour of beer that there isn't any left. Thank goodness they found another mini keg. the day was saved! O and the beer was pretty tasty.
Prior to the event, Eric Pera printed an article about it in the Lakeland Ledger. The article's opening lines made the event more appealing than it already was. It reached out to me and the cause of this blog, and it just seemed like the perfect event to attend:
Pera wrote, "The Brewz Crewz craft beer festival, featuring some of the nation's finest artisinal brewers, is notable for its brazen attempt to steer beer drinkers deep
in the heart of Anheuser-Busch country to an alternative universe, where
Budweiser and other bland, light lagers made for the masses are forbidden."
Pera's introduction spoke to me because it was as if the event was made for this blog. That sounds ridiculous but true beer lovers are not content drinking Budweiser or Michelob Ultra, their palates are better suited for a fine craft beer, one with more flavor to boast: more than flavored water. To better understand the festival and its purpose it is imperative to know what a craft beer is. To be considered a craft beer, Pera wrote, that "according to the Brewer's Association, [a true craft beer] must have annual production of less than 2 million barrels, half of which must be an all-product." In lamens terms, it means that craft beers are rarer than your average Anheuser-Busch product; they are sometimes difficult to find.
So this past weekend, I took the night off from work and attended the festival. It was definitely an experience. First of all the event started at 6, but I didn't get there until 6:30 because, it was the same day as my best friend's birthday party and I spent the day getting stuff for the party, that was after the festival, and ended up running late. When me and my fiance finally arrived there was no parking, so I parked at the bank, even though there were signs about towing cars that were non-banking customers, but the bank was closed. We purchased our tickets at the entrance, even though they did offer advance ticket sales online, but because I was broke and I procrastinated, we waited to buy ours last minute. Two types of tickets were sold, general admission and VIP. VIP ticket holders recieved a t-shirt, 5 fast passes to cut ahead of lines for beers, and access to an indoor venue with an indoor restroom; the difference in price between the general admission and VIP 35 vs. 50. We got general admission, but my friends got VIP. VIP wasn't worth the extra money. I enjoyed myself just as much as they did, and I didn't have to use the restroom till we were leaving so i just used the ice cream shoppe restroom by buying a soda. Thanks to my fiance, I tried a lot of different beers. We would both get different beers and then try each others. I tried all different types: ciders, IPAs, ales, lagers, bocks, and even a porter.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the festival. Not only was there plenty of beer to sample, but there were free food samples, which included GrillSmiths who had a delicious lemon feta chicken Mmmm, and live music. Tons of people attended and I got to see all kinds of characters of people. Beer drinkers are happy people, and they are especially happy when they are drinking beer. I only ran into a couple of belligerent drunks, which was way less than what I expected. The cons were that the lines were semi-long, it was cold, the map wasn't very explanatory, and it was dark out so i couldn't really see the colors of the beers I was trying. The worst con was that an hour into the festival, approximately 7pm, a few vendors ran out of beer and food, they just were not prepared for the amount of people who showed up.
I am very glad I attended the Brewz Crewz craft beer festival. It was highly enjoyable and I experienced a lot. I also learned quite a bit. First of all i learned I really don't like hoppy beers. I don't enjoy the flowery bitter tasted, but on the contrary I did learn that I'm taking a liking to darker beers, especially those with a caramelly, coffee-ish, or chocolate-y flavor. I learned to really savor each taste of beer and try to taste the different flavors.
I had two highlights of the evening. the first was at the second to the last beer vendor I went to. As I walked up to the table, I asked my fiance which beer I should try to which he responded, the porter. So I said ok and requested it. The pourer looked at me with an odd face and said why don't I give you a small taste first because most people don't like the porter. As I tried the beer everyone around me was grinning waiting for me to be digusted. WRONG! to their surprise, I liked the porter and so he filled my tasting cup up. My last highlight was at the very last table we went to: Magic Hat. Magic Hat was only serving #9, and it was draft. Apparently, #9 was a hit, that night so the line was very long, but we waited patiently and then it happened. A man at the table shouted that they were all out. I thought chaos was about to break out. You don't tell beer drinkers who have been waiting a while for a 2 oz. pour of beer that there isn't any left. Thank goodness they found another mini keg. the day was saved! O and the beer was pretty tasty.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentine's Weekend Escape!
I had just walked out of hell alive and I needed a drink. Valentine's Day is like D-Day for restaurants. A never-ending stream of guests walked through the front doors and I was helplessly trapped behind the bar. Picture it for yourself. There are three other bartenders and we are surrounded by at least 20 people waiting, rather impatiently, for drinks, appetizer, and our souls. Then at the service bar end, tickets are continually printing out for server drinks, and every 2 minutes a hostess is yelling "take-out" at us because we are also in charge of preparing all the take out orders. At one single moment, I just wanted to run, but no I was stuck. Soon, I just kept telling myself, the night will be over soon and then you can have a drink. Over and over, I repeated this to myself. A man at the bar decided to ask me how many nail salons I owned (I'm of asian descent), so I turned around and walked away and repeated the thought, it will be over soon and then I can have a drink. Later on, another gentleman ordered a drink and said it was watered down, to which I told him, the glass was 3/4 of the way full of liquor and he demanded more so I walked away and remembered, it will be over soon.... Finally it was 11:20pm and I was free to go. So I ran to my car and drove to Applebee's. Once I was finally seated I waited, with my order mentally ready, for my server. As he walked to the table the final call bell was ringing, and I practically yelled "BEER PLEASE!", after realizing my insanity I calmed down and said, I'll have a shot of Patron, a Sam Adams Seasonal, and a coke, and when my drinks arrived, all the stresses and annoyances of the night drowned away as I drank my drinks.
So the beer for the week was Samual Adam's Noble Pils.
So the beer for the week was Samual Adam's Noble Pils.
Samuel Adams has a line of seasonal beers. The restaurant that I work for carries some of these Sam Adams Seasonal beers in bottle. We only have four of the total seven available, and true to the name: seasonal, we carry one per season: Noble Pils for Spring, Octoberfest for fall, etc. Samuel Adams has a very informative website that contains information on the history of their company, the history of beer in general, and even information and tips on homebrewing. Before trying the beer of the week, I looked to their site because they also have specific descriptions of every beer they brew. The beer description offers general information, the history of the beer, brewing information, and characteristics. Their section about Samuel Adams Noble Pils was very informative.
Samuel Adams® Noble Pils is brewed with all 5 Noble hops for a distinct hop character and fresh taste. Deep golden in color with a citrusy hop aroma, Samuel Adams Noble Pils is a traditional Bohemian Pilsner. The honeyed malt character from traditional Bohemian malt is balanced by delicate yet pronounced citrus, floral, and piney notes from the Noble hops. The winner of our 2009 Beer Lover’s Choice election, this beer was chosen by over 67,000 drinkers for its crisp complexity and refreshing taste.
In short, the beer is very well crafted and offers immense sensual appeal for the taster to experience. To better understand how the beer will taste without actually tasting it, one must know what hops are and the taste they dictate. Hops are dried ripe flowers of a certain plant that are used in beer brewing to prevent any bacterial action and add a characteristic bitter taste. In other words to the non-accustomed beer drinker, this beer is bitter. I did not like the beer, but in my pursuit of the love of beer, I did my best to appreciate the wide range of smells and tastes. I really did not like the beer.
A reviewer said this:
jwinship83 ( Naperville, Illinois )B+ / 3.95look: 3.5 smell: 4 taste: 4 feel: 4 drink: 4.5rDev: -2.3%12oz bottle drank form my sierra nevada hop tulip glass.A- this one pours very pale yellow colored body with a full finger of fluffy bright white head. small bubbles of carbonation can be seeing racing to the top of the glass.S- semisweet grainy malts and a decently spicy hop finish. well balanced. T- the taste is similar to the smell. mild and refreshing. well balanced with just enough of a hoppy finish.M- light bodied. crisp and well carbonated. clean and refreshing.D- easy to finish. nice flavor and a low enough ABV to be considered a session beer. ill look forward to this every spring.Serving type: bottleReviewed on: 02-16-2010 04:53:22
I cannot disagree with the facts. The facts being that the beer was a pale yellow color, and it was quite bubbly. As for my non-beer drinking opinion, the taste was very strong and bitter. It was sharp/crisp, and it had several different bitter flavors going wild on my tounge. I took two tastes and i was done.
My verdict: NOT a good beer for the girly drinker.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Fruit Basket in a Chilled Glass
Me and fruit beers are not friends. This week's selection: Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat and Woodchuck Cider. But I'll get to the final reviews later. When I finally decided on the beers for the week, I began questioning why drinking beer just did not appeal to my senses. Me v.s. beer has been a battle for a very long time now. I believe my first encounter with beer was when i was in elementary school. One thing you must know is that my dad is an avid beer drinker. My dad without beer is like a reality TV show without drama, it just doesn't happen. But the other important thing to note is that he isn't really a beer connisseur, because he only drinks light beers: Bud Light, Busch, Natural Light (ew), etc. Anyways, my whole life my dad has drank bee, constantly, and one day we were out running errands and he was drinking, yes in the car. He had his beer and I had my drink from McDonald's. Well, an hour later i'm sitting in the car, thirsty and he's pumping gas, so i go to drink out of my McDonald's cup and UGH! The most horrendous, bitter, gross taste flooded my mouth. It was beyond Awful, i even dry heaved afterwards, and to make matters worse my dad laughed because unbeknownst to me, he had stuck his beer can in my McDonald's cup:my first taste of beer...disgusting. I honestly believed I was traumatized. Even now, at least 15 years later, I have just begun to tolerate beer. Up until recently every time I saw my friends or my fiance drinking beer, i cringed, i mean who in their right mind could drink beer and say that it tastes good? But I'm slowly starting to see the light. I haven't found my "love" of beer yet but its ok. I like to compare it to my love of steak. It is very similar to the story about beer. My dad also loves steak, medium well steaks: GROSS. Whenever I thought about steaks, thoughts of chewy dry meat caused me to lost my appetite, then one day I had my very first mid rare filet mignon at cheesecake factory, and it was love at first bite! It was the most delicious piece of meat, EVER. I love steak, the only difference is I've now become one of those "gross" wierdos that loves RARE steaks lol. I mean pittsburgh rare. but that's another story. My focus now is on beer. Most specifically, this week, fruity beers.
Because I am the fruity drink loving girl that I am, I was sincerely hoping to enjoy the beers I tried this week, but they were just okay. I bought the six pack of Cherry Wheat at Publix, I've only drank half of one, and I had a draft Woodchuck Cider, at Jessie's, a local bar. Neither of them were bad, but just not my cup of tea. I read many reviews about the Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat, and they for the most part spoke of the strong cherry flavor and light wheat flavor, HA! I had the opposite experience. I tasted a strong wheat flavor and a light cherry aftertaste. As for the Woodchuck cider, I've had it before, because I frequent that bar quite often, and its one of their beers on tap. Its definitely a cider. STRONG apple taste weak beer taste. The funny part about that is, the weak beer taste is a big deal to me, because it indicates progress? What kind of progress? Well let me just say that the first time I drank the cider all I could think about was the beer flavor, and now, its a background taste. i would have to say that the cider is an excellent transition beer for the frou frou cosmo girls out there. The week overall was a success. Sure I didn't find a beer that I love yet, but I'm not giving up, and tonight while I was out watching the Superbowl (which sucked), I drank my usualy Mich Ultra, and the taste was different...hmmm perhaps its time to find a new usual for myself. Any Suggestions?
And the ratings are in!:
Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat
On Beer Advocate, it was rated a B- overall.
The Color is a yellowish almost reddish (agreed)
The aroma: cherry, yet almost cough syrupy(agreed)
The taste: pretty strong cherry taste with slight after thoughts of wheat ( not so much, to me it was vice versa.
drinkability: decent (agreed, was that great but the cherry aftertaste smoothed it out)
Their rating: B-, my rating a C
Woodchuck Cider
Overall Online rating B+
The color A fairly clear yellowish color(agreed)
The Aroma: light green apple scent(i think its a strong green apple scent)
the taste: crisp, tarte, sparkling(agreed, but I would even go as far to say it was pretty sweet to me)
drinkability: very good, similar to champagne (eh. It was definitly tasty but the carbonation was alittle heavy for my preferences, i'm trying to steer away from smirnoff ice lol.)
My rating: B-
a last note: last week I drank Mich Ultra pomegrante it is a light Lager, and it's BA (beer advocate rating) was a D. I didn't care for it much either. and then the Blue Moon, its full name is Blue Moon Belgien White, and it is a whitbier and its BA is a B-. Meh I would have given it a C-, I really didn't enjoy it either. Me and fruitbeers are not friends right now.
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