Archive for the 'Drinking notes' Category

Hofbräuhaus Double Bock revisited

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Gee, I wish I’d received the press release before we were in Las Vegas and I went looking for a doppelbock to try for The Session rather than a few days ago.

For the second straight year, the Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas is pouring a draft beer that is truly special - even by the standards of […]

Monday morning musing: A case for Mild

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Lots of catching up to do after a wonderful time in balmy St. Paul, Minn. Great beers, not so good beers. More important, great conversations and stories, not all of them about beer.
So just one bit of musing, then off to all that e-mail. First stop Thursday was The Muddy Pig in St. Paul, […]

The IPA at the end of the journey: Why Pete Brown is smiling

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

If you don’t want to drink this beer then I will:
“It poured a rich, deep copper colour, slightly hazy. It reminded me of American IPAs – you could almost see the weighty alcohol content. The nose was an absolute delight – an initial sharp citrus tang, followed by a deeper range of tropical fruit – […]

The Session #10: Great Divide Hibernation

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

Welcome to The Session #10, hosted this month by Ted at Barley Vine. The theme “Let it snow, let it snow, Winter Seasonal Beers” does not leave us wanting for choices.
Lest there be any doubt: Don Russell offered a combined history lesson/shopping list last week, a Baltimore Sun panel tasted a whopping 52 winter beers, […]

Bitter, baby: It says so right here

Saturday, December 1st, 2007

This is just a great idea from Ølfabrikken, or maybe from Shelton Brothers, which imports the Danish beer.
I want to see similar information on the label of every beer in the store.
What else do you need to know?
OK, if 100 gram IPA is any good (yes) and if it is worth $8.99 (in New Mexico; […]

Firestone 11 and a ‘Tale of Two Matts’

Friday, November 30th, 2007

I’ve already ragged on Firestone Walker for the Plane Jane names attached to spectacular anniversary beers. So to be constructive I should suggest a sexy alternative to “Firestone 11,” the beer they’ll be lining up to buy today at the Firestone Walker taproom in Paso Robles, Calif.
With apologies to Dickens let’s call it a “Tale […]

Sometimes you can’t use the best ingredients

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

The easiest way to understand how malt and barley proved over several millennia that they are the best grains for brewing is to drink a gluten-free beer (no barley, wheat or rye).
That sounds harsh, but it’s hard to imagine choosing to drink a beer brewed for the gluten intolerant, most often celiacs, unless you have […]

GABF: Last call (all the news that didn’t fit)

Thursday, October 18th, 2007

It’s time to bid a fond farewell to Great American Beer Festival coverage, so a few notes from the tattered pieces of paper I found in the pockets of my jeans after their official post-GABF washing:
No, it won’t be GABF East: Ten years after the Great American Beer Festival on the road didn’t play well […]

What’s the 12 in Westvleteren 12 mean?

Thursday, October 4th, 2007

InventorSpot has posted what Seth Plattner calls the 10 Best Beers with Balls of 2007. The premise is that the “beers on this list push the limits of conventional brewing.” So you get Midas Touch Golden Elixir- The King’s Beer and BILK - The Weird Guy’s Beer (since it is made with milk).
Also Westvleteren 12 […]

Scottish & Newcastle learns why where matters

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Local drinkers say they can taste the difference (and that’s good) now that Scottish & Newcastle has resumed brewing some of its John Smith’s cask ale in Tadcaster.
A spokesman for the company said: “In order to gain a better understanding of the recent product quality issues experienced by some stockists of cask John Smith’s we […]