Archives for March, 2010
Last year, when some friends and I embarked on our San Francisco beer trip to celebrate my 30th birthday, our first California brewery was Bear Republic in Healdsburg, CA. Beyond the extreme size of their taster tray, my strongest memory was of a beer they’d aged in Chardonnay barrels. The bartender spoke disparagingly of it, [...]
I added a kegerator/beer fridge to the basement recently, which has come in quite handy on this beer-tasting adventure. I’ve developed a bit of a bad habit, acquiring new and unusual bottles or cans of beer as I encounter them, and there’s a backlog at least 30 beers deep for this blog, all conveniently kept [...]
“Dave, drinking 999 beers sounds like a dream! I wish I had an excuse to do what you’re doing! You’re so lucky!” Oh contraire, dear reader. Yes, there are days when I sip obscure Belgian beers so rare that single bottles sell for triple digits on eBay. There are also days when I spend actual [...]
In Congo, I think you’d call me “Ilunga,” a new word I learned the other day from one of those popular “Top # of Something” lists, this time “13 Words Not Found in the English Language.” According to this blog, an “Ilunga” is someone: who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, [...]
When I picked up this bottle a few weeks ago, I mentally filed it under “Tripel,” not reading the label carefully. When I retrieved it from the fridge this evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see the “Belgian-Inspired IPA” text on the bottle – perhaps a replacement for my beloved (and apparently no longer brewed) [...]
This is a good example of why I love this project. Being constrained to trying 999 unique beers in 999 days, I have to try some new things. Normally, I’m a bit of an “ale snob,” by which I mean that I prefer ales to lagers. In particular, I’m not a fan of Pilsener-style lagers, [...]
And our northern California adventure concluded with a trip in a town probably better known for its high density of wine tasting rooms, Healdsburg. Thankfully for me, Healdsburg is also a town known for being the home of Bear Republic brewing, a personal favorite of mine (love, love, love the Racer X and its lesser-known [...]
On the chalkboard menu, this was labelled as “Weltenburger Amber,” which I’ll admit is a lot easier to mouth than “Winter-Traum,” and also more descriptive of the beer’s contents. But it took me a bit of sleuthing to decipher the beer’s true origin. And to be completely honest, I’m still not sure. The picture on [...]
Taking advantage of a sweet Alaska Airlines promotion*, my wife, son and I embarked on a long weekend to Northern California this weekend, and I’m writing this overlooking Tomales Bay near Pt. Reyes Station, California. We flew into Santa Rosa, which necessitated a stop yesterday at Russian River’s brew pub, where we had some exceptional [...]
I’m not sure what OVL stands for, but this beer proves to me that Russian River is more than just a great maker of sour beers and hop bombs. It’s tough to brew a full-flavored beer without a lot of alcohol, but this beer proves it can be done, and done well. I ordered a [...]
I didn’t realize this was going to be a “top beers” series, but I just realized that the day after sampling the second-best beer in the world (at least according to the geeks at beeradvocate.com), I tasted the third-best. This one does seem like a strong contender. In 2006, when the beer debuted, it became [...]
When Belmont Station announced their plan for Pliny the Elder distribution, I knew I had to do it. If you’re reviewing 999 beers, you’ve got to include the so-called “Best Beer in the World,” right? Although, it seems the list has somewhat righted itself, with Westvleteren 12 now occupying pole position, and Pliny is now [...]
Had this beer with some Thai food for a work dinner meeting. Apparently I was distracted, because I failed to take a photo of the beer itself, but it wasn’t the kind of beer that makes you take notice, either. I ordered a second, but only finished half of it. What can I say? I [...]
Any trip to the Gorge is a good excuse to stop at Double Mountain in Hood River. Or is a trip to Double Mountain a good excuse to visit the Gorge? Either way, this is easily in my top five favorite Oregon breweries, with excellent thin-crust pizza and an always-changing menu of top-notch beers. We [...]
I spent the afternoon brewing up an Imperial IPA with my brother-in-law Jeff. It was an extract-based recipe I kind of made up as I went along, juiced up with a pound of Candi sugar and 1.5 lbs. of toasted malt for flavor. I used Chinook and Cascade hops, the former for bittering and the [...]
Add another one to my “cult beers” list. Though not as well-known on the West coast, Bell’s makes some great beers, and I always look forward to visiting Minnesota and Iowa, where my family lives, not just because I’m related to them, but because I can once again gain access to the magical elixer known [...]
There have been a few times I’ve forgotten my 33 Beers book, despite its near omnipresence in my mind. I’ve had to recreate the book from memory in a pinch, or simply have two beers in one day (oh, the horror!), the second playing the role of my “daily beer.” But when you forget your [...]
Though unintentional, this review is a good illustration of the answer to a question I received the other day on my five-star scale. Sabes asked whether 3 stars meant “I’d try this again” or not. Yes! This blog is a reflection of my personal taste, not a measure of conformity to style guidelines. This may [...]
During my obsession three years ago with Belgian IPA, I took a real shine to this beer, which I considered poor man’s Houblon Chouffe. It was no less delicious than I remembered it, and I wish they’d make more. In six packs. Year-round. Beer Name: Le Freak Brewer: Green Flash Brewing Price: N/A Sampled: March [...]
Went to a party, a combination birthday and … you guessed it! The Oscars! Trying to come up with something appropriate (What would James Cameron drink? Probably Raven Mad), I debated between this and something from the fine folks at Oskar Blues. Having shown them a lot of love lately, I decided to combine my [...]
Once again, the pixel pixies have conspired to hide this beer photo from me. Be that as it may … I continue to be impressed with the cans from Oskar Blues brewing, the first craft brewer to can its beer. Recent BPA concerns aside, I love the whole phenomenon. Cans transport easily (no breakage), are [...]
I swear I took a photo to accompany this review. I enjoyed this beer at the County Cork, a delightful little Irish pub on Fremont I’d never been to before. That’s a great thing about darts – each week we travel to a new pub. Sometimes they’re great little discoveries (County Cork), and sometimes … [...]
With a name like “Old Engine Oil,” I was expecting something pretty thick and syrupy. Something sweet and alcoholic, something that would coat your teeth in a dark, hoppy, sweet mess. The beer I imagined is nothing like the actual beer tasted. The actual beer was … robust, but not heavy-handed. Full-flavored, but eloquent. I [...]