Archives for January, 2010
I struck out three times in my attempts to buy growlers of fresh beer in Hood River this morning. Seems Double Mountain and Full Sail don’t open their doors until 11:30 AM, and the new Everybody’s Brewing in White Salmon, Washington doesn’t open until noon. So I had to go to the cellar to make [...]
RateBeer.com just released their “Best Beers 2010” list. As someone observed, the beers included are more like “the best beers according to beer geeks” than a reflection of what is truly the best-made beer. Those beers whose titles include “double,” “imperial,” or tend to be of limited distribution tend to do better in this type [...]
Enjoyed a goblet of this in the new-ish side bar of Double Mountain’s Hood River tasting room while I waited for a to-go pizza (they make very good pizza, FYI). We’re here for the weekend with several other couples, using the Gorge as a staging area for various mountain assaults (skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and my [...]
I forgot to take a photo of this beer, an after-work sipper I experienced at Bailey’s Taproom (also a 33 Beers retailer. My guess is that this was left over from their CellarFest, and the reason it was still on tap four days after the fest was this beer’s mediocrity relative to all the other [...]
We went to Maine in the summer when I was a kid. Not every summer. We didn’t summer in Maine. I loved eating clam chowder at the Two Lights Lobster Shack. As I got older, I’d sometimes get a lobster dinner, and pretend I knew how to eat it. I visited my sister in Boston [...]
I guess after nearly 1000 years, you learn a thing or two about brewing. This was a very tasty beer, despite wheat beers not really being my thing. It had a very complex flavor, and lacked the coarse bubbles, high spice levels and astringency I don’t admire in some domestic styles. My mind isn’t changed, [...]
I almost had a moral dilemma with this beer. You see, I’m pleased to welcome Firestone Walker as 33 Beers’ first California retailer. So I wondered what I’d do if I didn’t like this beer. Risk offending a new retailer with a bad review? Probably not. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that! This is a [...]
I was pretty excited about this beer today. By sheer cooincidence, I made gumbo last night. Today, my friend Dan (a diehard Saints fan) invited us over to watch today’s playoff game against the Vikings. I offered to bring said gumbo. And I had this “New Orleans” beer in the fridge. It just seemed too [...]
Sampled this beauty in a Budweiser chalice at one of the 33 Beers retailers, Saraveza. I wondered as I sipped about the person who originally ordered the vintage goblet back before it wasn’t vintage. Did this person really believe that Budweiser was worthy of such elevated glassware? Or was this person just playing dress-up preparing [...]
Dear Reader, I hope you like the Horse Brass. Darts season starts in a few weeks, and that’s where my esteemed team plays from. At least every other Thursday, I’ll be posting blurry photos of obscure hoppy beers. Alternate Thursdays, you may sometimes see more common IPAs (Widmer Broken Halo) and even some swilly beers [...]
Spokane is a really underrated town, I think. The downtown is small, but surprisingly cool, with a beautifully restored, turn of the century downtown hotel (the Davenport), a great bookstore (Auntie’s), and something I guess I’d call a “vertical mall” in the heart of downtown that’s at least 6 stories tall, with a really nice [...]
I’m pretty sure this beer was infected, one of the few infected beers I can recall ever opening at home. I don’t think it’s that common, and you’ll even notice I still gave it two stars, because I can tell this is probably an interesting IPA that bucks the “super sweet and alcoholic” model that’s [...]
Two canned Vancouver beers in two days, but this one is from the southern Vancouver. Picked this up in Washington Saturday morning when I dropped off a 24-pack of 33 Beers books at the newest retailer to carry the booklets, Vancouver’s By the Bottle. Great conversation with Arlene, who helpfully directed me towards beers generally [...]
A year ago today, I was shivering my way from heated space to heated space in sunny Madison, Wisconsin, getting ready to head over to the hotel where my old college roommate Brian was having his wedding reception. I had checked into the hotel the night before, making my way over to the Essen Haus, [...]
Drinking a beer my wife doesn’t care for while I watch a movie she’s not interested in. Must be daddy’s night in with the boy. The film is “Public Enemies,” and the beer … well, you can read the label. Oh, I think I hear the pulled pork timer going off. Cheers! Beer Name: Vinter [...]
After a long week, a nice beer to relax to. It’s been doing a little relaxing itself in my basement since I bought it at the Portland pub in summer 2008. I wish I would have bought a case instead of the four I did buy. Beer Name: Dissident 2008 Brewer: Deschutes Brewing Price: $11 [...]
I love at least two things about Surly beers. One thing you can probably see from the photo below. The packaging is awesome. I’m a graphic designer by day, and this is some nice work. The other thing? Yup, still the packaging. It’s a can. It travels well. Which is how I’m drinking this beer [...]
I found myself at the Green Dragon for the second night in a row last night, an odd occurrence given that the last time I was there was likely in late summer. I enjoyed a few beers and the above-average happy hour menu with some old friends. This was my first beer of the evening, [...]
Had a few minutes in SE Industrial to kill tonight after hitting up Ecohaus for some countertop finish, so I ducked in the Green Dragon as I waited for my pickup. Sarah and Eli ended up joining me for happy hour, but Eli preferred milk to this sour beer. I hadn’t been to the Dragon [...]
Went with a few friends to the opening celebration for the new Hollywood district Whole Foods location. There were several beers being tasted by Rogue, Full Sail, Ninkasi and Laurelwood. While I tried selections from all four, seems appropriate to write up the neighborhood brewery this time. Solid beer, this. Beer Name: Free Range Red [...]
What must people be thinking of me at this point? I’ve had two Anheuser-Busch products in 9 days, as part of a beer-drinking adventure? “And he calls himself a beer geek.” Really, my choices thus far have been strategic – I’m trying to focus on beers that aren’t widely available, as I fear that as [...]
Lots of people say you shouldn’t age hoppy beers, but I find that another year in the bottle really makes this already special beer much special-er. Made by one of my favorite Oregon breweries, this beer is excellent with food (I had risotto made with bacon and peas) or all by itself. Highly recommended. Beer [...]
My wife Sarah told me the other day that it’s not in the rules I have to post beers the same day I drink them, but I’m generally going to try to. Sampled this cloudy beer last night while in the clouds myself, at the 15th floor of the Macy’s building in downtown Portland, at [...]