Friday Night Beer Fights Episode Three (Part Two)

Part Two!!!!!!!!! We have two new guests for this round. My brother-in-law Eric and his friend Greer from Cincinnati. Greer is a true beer connoisseur. He is a true professional so pay attention. He will have a TV show on the beer network some day. You watch. As for the beer, in honor of Eric's red hair, I figured it would appropriate to do two Irish red's (and Eric is a Nebraska fan so the red goes with his gay football team fetish. Whatever.)

The first beer: Samuel Adams Irish Red
Brewer: Duh...
Name: Sam Adams Irish Red
Style: Irish Red Beer Again, for anyone that missed it, we're drinking Irish Red beer.

Appearance: Dark Red (wow- deep...), clear.

Smell: Somewhat sweet, very light. Eric says: Makes him feel like a real Irishman. Eric adds it reminds him of his college abode after a party when he picked up the beer cans and was overwhelmed by the old beer smell.

Taste: Slightly sweet. Eric says it tastes like a dark beer; bittersweet symphony of life in his mouth.

Drinkability: Eric says not buying soon. I would buy this again. As with all Sam Adams, it is the easy, safe road of beers. Not many twists and turns but no chance of a 12 car pileup either.

Score: Eric says 2.7. Not the best beer ever. I say a 3.5. Greer says 2. Not bad; Greer prefers the Boston Lager. Eric says vaJJ beer.

The Second Beer: Schlafly's Extra Stout Irish Red.
Brewer: Schlafly's
Name: Extra Stout Irish Red:
Style: Stout/ Irish Red

Appearance: Greer says blacker then a struck match. I concur without the racial undertones. Karla says "superdark".

Smell: Greer says slight coffee, maybe some caramel. I smell smoke. Definitely, some smoke somewhere. Eric says "smells like stout." Eric is not exactly sober at the moment.

Taste: Greer says roasted hops, caramel, coffee, a little soapy. I say buttery, smoky, stoutish but with a slight Irish feel to it. Not quite as harsh as most stouts but you are drinking a heavyweight. Eric says "really, really stout."

Mouthfeel: Greer says smooth, Belgian feel to it. I say definitely a beer here. Nice, full feel.

Drinkability: Greer says not much; dessert beer; only with a light dessert; perhaps creme' brulee' or French Vanilla ice cream. I'm going not much; if ever.

Score: Greer says 3. I'm going 2.5. Too smoky for me but not undrinkable. Eric says 3; good but not as good as Guinness.

And in a photofinish, the Schlafly's wins again!!! They are 3-0 and I better score some scwag pretty soon or this Schlafly's love fest is coming to an end.

Friday Night Beer Fights Episode Three!!!!

It looks like we are going to have a double header tonight. First off, we will be trying two beers that I bought for the label only as they are both awesomely titled, appealing to my sense of studpidity more then my tastebuds. (Maybe- We'll have to see.) And later, I'm taking this show on the road to my brother in law's for a battle of Irish beers so keep checking back!!

But before we begin, I have to introduce my guest taster; Clark (John) Dooley. He is a financial wizard so if anyone needs financial advice, contact Waddell and Reed in Wentzville. John is the last true family man; thereby earning the nickname Clark from Vacation infamy. (Real tomato ketchup Eddie? Nothin' but the best for you Clark.)

But off to the fight!!!!!

In the Red corner, we have:

He'brew (The Chosen Beer) Pomegranate Ale

Brewer: Schmaltz Brewing Company Sarasota Springs, NY
Beer Name: Pomegranate Ale
Style: Ale
Price: 4.99 pint

Appearance: Light brownish-orange, almost looks like sun tea. Cloudy; can't see through the glass.

Smell: Clark says doesn't smell bad; got a weird smell. I say fruity, since I have no idea what a pomegranate smells like, I'm guessing smells like such. Michelle (Clark's wife- beer taster #3) adds "very smelly."

Taste: Clark says pomegranaty. Since I don't know what a pomegranate even is, I'll go with good. Smooth, good through the drink with a little bite (maybe said pomegranate) at the end. I was expecting it to be a horrible girl beverage (no offense ladies) but this is good. Seems like a summer taste but has 8% alcohol so I'm not sure a day in the sun with a cooler full of the He'brew would be a good idea. Clark agrees that it is light enough for springtime but heavy enough to carry you through a cold winter's night. Michelle says it has a kick or a punch to the toilet paper holder.

Mouthfeel: Pretty good, not too watery, feels like beer.

Drinkability: Clark says novelty only. I say I'm down with the He'Brew. Decent for a spring or summer evening and at 8%, you don't need more then two pints for the entire evening. (Unless you're Slim or Bill Crews.)

Overall Score: Clark says 3.5. I say a flat 4. Not perfect by any means but definitely worth a try and second try...

We are going to eat. The second beer comes after dinner...

And we're back!!!

The second beer:

Brewer: New Belgium
Beer Name: "Le Fluer, Misseur" Lips of Faith Ale (I have no idea what it means but it sounds cool)
Style: Ale
Price: 7.69 per pint

Appearance: Light beer in color; looks very light yellow. Semi-cloudy. Can see a muddled image through the glass.

Smell: I say it smells like baby-poop. Seriously. I asked my wife, a pediatric nurse, and she said roto-virus. I'm not making this up. Clark says "hmmmmm." Clark says light and something- just not sure what.

Taste: Miller light mixed with oranges and baby poop (or maybe I just can't get the smell out of my mind while I taste- not sure). It gets better if you drink with your nose pinched shut. Maybe this beer should come with a clothespin or noseplugs. Clark says, "I don't like the aftertaste. It tastes like something but I can't figure it out. The original taste is OK but the aftertaste ruins it."

Mouthfeel: very light; not much too it at all.

Drinkability: Unless you have a diaper fetish, I'm going never again unless I get to a bar with this or Keystone Ice as the only two choices. And the Keystone Light is boiling hot. Clark says he would not recommend it unless you like babypoop.

Score: Clark gives it a 2. I'm going 1.5 only because it has alcohol. And it beats Zima; barely. (Clark says pop a Jolly Rancher in your Zima- makes it a memorable event.)

And the moral of the story is: Go with the Jews!!!!! In the most lopsided fight yet, The Chosen Beer takes out the New Belgium diaper ale! Stay tuned for Irish beers later at Eric's!!!!

2010 Cardinals Preview

Ah, the smell of ballpark hotdogs, freshly cut grass, the sound of the vendors: COOOOOOOLLLLDDDDDD BEEEEEEEEEER HEEEEEEEEEERRRRE!!, the sight of Holliday dropping a ball in left field to lose the NLDS last season. Anyone else have a hangover? I sure do. Combine that with Mizzou's loss to Nebraska and you have two reasons I'm avoiding Harpo's in Chesterfield like Tiger Woods avoids text messages.

So, where does that leave the Redbirds for 2010? Assuming we stay relatively healthy; right back into the playoffs as far as I can tell. Hopefully, Holliday will take a little outfield before the playoff games and avoid ruining my 2010 perfect sports night out.

Obviously, the two key free agent signings are Holliday and Brad Penny. Both of these acquisitions really shore up the lineup and staff respectively. Here is your potential lineup:

2B Schumaker
CF Rasmus
1B Pujols
LF Holliday
RF Ludwick
3B Freese
C Molina
SS Lugo
P

Backed up with a rotation of Carpenter, Wainwright, Penny, Lohse and either Rich Hill, Kyle McLellan, or Jaime Garcia (my personal favorite unless Hill benefits from Dave Duncan's magic) and the same bullpen we had last year (Provided McLellan doesn't get the fifth starter spot) and we are looking very solid.

With several nice players being groomed in the minors, the Cardinals have enough to plug some holes as they arise. Here are my predictions for the 2010 season:

Division Winners:
NL East Phillies
NL Central CARDINALS
NL West Dodgers
WC Braves

AL East Boston
AL Central Twins
AL West Angels
WC Yankmes

Series: Cardinals beat the Angels in 6. Take it Vegas baby...

FRIDAY NIGHT BEER FIGHTS EPISODE TWO

In the spirit of the Olympics, I figured it would only make sense to have a little international competition. And since all the cool sports (ice skating, synchronized swimming, etc.) involve a panel of judges, I figured only one opinion wouldn't be very Olympicish. So, for the second episode, I am bringing in the big gun; my next door neighbor and fellow beer lover, Kerry...

Without further ado, here are the two competitors:

In the Red Corner, hailing from The United States by way of St. Louis, MO, standing in at 11.5 inches tall and weighing in at one pint, The Beer Without Fear, Schlafley's Tripel Ale!!!!!!!!! USA!USA!USA!USA!

In the Blue corner, hailing from the beer capital of Europe, Belgium, by way of Buggenhout, standing in at the exact 11.7 inches tall and also weighing in at an even pint, the European that gets you peein', Karmeliet Tripel Ale!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOO!BOO!

USA!USA!USA!USA!

So the stage has been set for an epic brawl between these two middleweights. The Belgiun sure has the pedigree but the young, upstart American has the heart. We'll see what happens as they battle it out!

Brewer: Schlafly's
Beer Name: Tripel Ale
Style: Tripel Ale
Price: $8.99

Appearance: light amber, clear,

Smell: fruity characteristics,

Taste: very fruity, sweet, and not a very traditional beer taste. There is a very strong underbite of alcohol. The 10% is not overpowering but it's presence is felt. Kerry says there is a rubbing alcohol tinge on the palate after the fruityness is done.

Mouthfeel: Coats the mouth with foam. A fairly powerful beer feeling. Very pleasant.

Drinkability: Kerry says not a beer you could drink all night; good change of pace. I agree although it could grow on me; especially during the summer by the pool. Assuming I didn't have kids and drowning was not such a downer. By the way, Google Tanith Belbin if you hate ice dancing in the Olympics. I'm betting this will change your mind. (Honey, Kerry made me do it.) My suggestion is that you start here:

http://www.myavidgolfer.com/resources/tanith%20belbin09.jpg

Overall: 1-5 (5 being highest) Kerry says: Definitely better then the Heineken. Going with a 4. The Russian judge said 2.5 but I'm going 3.75.

Brewer: Karmeliet
Beer Name: Tripel
Style: Tripel Ale
Price: $9.99

Appearance: Lighter in color but very cloudy. You can't see through the bottle. As a sidenote, this beer is so foamy, you could use it as shaving cream. Or Johnny Weir's skating costume. (with feathers of course).

Smell: Smells like Heineken. Hopefully, it tastes better.

Taste: Tastes like Heineken. Hopefully the mouthfeels better.

Mouthfeel: Feels like Heineken. Pretty sure it's not going to win...

Drinkability: If you like Heineken, this beer is about 3 times as expensive, and not much better. The bottle says it's fruity; I'm guessing they mean sexually. I think this is the Lindsey Vonn of Downhill beer drinking. USA!USA!USA!USA!

NEW CATEGORY: BELCHABILITY: Kerry says: Belches like Heineken too. Surprise, surprise.

Overall: 1-5 (5 being highest) Kerry says it's drinkable; not crap. Maybe a 3. I say 2 at the highest. It's crap. Not drinkable.

We Have a Winner. For the second week in a row, Schlafly's wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned for next week's edition of Friday Night Beer Fights!

New Beer Rating!!! Black Eye Ale

Chili and beer for dinner tonight. It doesn't get much better then this. Here is the beer my wife pulled out of my well stocked fridge to try.

Brewer: Mendocino Brewing Company
Beer Name: Black Eye Ale

Style: Blended Ale

Appearance: Dark, almost blackish in color, a hint of darkish red at the edge.

Smell: Nutty, slightly hoppy aroma.

Taste: Surprisingly smooth with a good aftertaste. There is a lot of ale taste left in your mouth after a drink but it is not bitter or overly harsh. It's one of the better dark ales I have tried.

Mouthfeel: Good for an ale. Not too watery; pretty good actually. Not as thick as a stout or really heavy beer but enough to know it's a serious ale you are drinking.

Drinkability: A very good winter beer when you are curled up by the fire. This may be a bit much for summer days but depending on the mood, a summer evening could be spent with this one.

Overall Score (1-5; five being perfect) 4.5 Definitely a repeat buy. (probably the next trip to Friar Tucks or Lukas Liquors) Good flavor, appearance, and overall impression. If memory serves correctly, this was one of the cheaper beers on the shelf at $3.99 a pint if I remember right. Worth every penny.

Friday Night Beer Fights Episode One!!!!

Starting a new tradition on the Big Wallabowski!!! Remember Friday Night Video Fights on MTV? No? Check out this commercial to refresh your memory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRSHAP0HNrM

I'm not JJ Jackson or Alan Hunter, but I'm here to host the new Friday night tradition.

Without furthur ado............................................

It's time for the Friday Night Beer Fights! I'm going to pit two beers against each other and see who comes out on top!!! Here is the inaugural edition!

In the Red Corner, Standing at 6 inches tall and weighing in at 12 ounces, we have Founders Brewery Fat Bastard Scotch Ale!!!! This beer really packs a punch. It has an alcohol content of 8.5% and packs a very powerful punch.

In the Blue corner, standing in at 7.5 inches and weighing in at 12 ounces also, we have Schlafly's Scotch Ale! While not capable of the same knock-out punch as the Dirty Bastard, it's smooth moves will knock you out for sure.



Now, on to the Scorecards!

Brewer: Founder’s
Beer Name: Birty Bastard

Style: Scotch Ale

Appearance: Dark red, with a dark brown head after the pour.

Smell: Not as strong as the taste by far. Lacking the caramel aroma I like in my Scotch ale.

Taste: STRONG!!!! This is a one or two bottle maximum beer. I had two of these on New Years and couldn’t drink any more. Most of the scotch ale caramel taste is lost in the high slcohol backlash found in each drink. I imagine someone who likes scotch would enjoy this beer as it has a very distinctive, almost harsh aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Full, A very good mouthfeel. This is how beer should feel in your mouth. You are definitely not drinking water.

Drinkability: Low. Unless you mix it with soda. Too high in alcohol to drink more then 2 in an evening.

Overall Score (1-5; five being perfect) 3; much too harsh and alcoholy-ey for me. I'm getting old but not that old yet.

Brewer: Schlafly’s
Beer Name: Scotch Ale

Style: Scotch Ale

Appearance: dark reddish, brown, a nice head; lace left on the glass as you drink.

Smell: Caramelly, beery, lovely, heavenly.

Taste: It’s almost perfection. Perfectly carmeley, spicy, a tad bit of smokiness. Just a perfect mix straight from beer utopia.

Mouthfeel: My only very slight, very picky complaint. I would like just a little more weight to my scotch ale. But, the tradeoff between not feeling like I’m drinking a 12 ounce shot is worth it.

Drinkability: Highly repeatable. This is poured from the beergarden of the Gods. (That’s not Woodsen Terrace Days Corey). I love this stuff.

Overall Score (1-5; five being perfect) 4.95 I could drink this every day of the year. Hot cold, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with or without cheerios, etc.

And the winner is..................

Schlafly's Scotch Ale in a 2nd round TKO. Not even close. The Schlafly's dominated. Now that I'm off blog work, I have some beer to drink.

Top 10 Inventions Ever

OK. So this list is debatable but after much thought and a few beers, here goes in reverse order:

10: Cheese Sauce- think about it; Nachos at the Ball Game, QuickTrip hot dog dripping with cheese, Nachos anywhere besides the ball game, the gringo dip at 54th Street grill- all brought to you by cheese sauce. And you can buy it by the 6.5 pound can at Costco. We made an entire crockpot full at Halloween and Clark Dooley and I must have eaten 3/4 by ourselves. Needless to say, I had no need to use the bathroom for about 9 days but the ensuing anal hurricane was worth every second of cheese sauce heaven.

Here's my favorite recipe:

Ingredients:
1 6.5 pound Giant can of Que Bueno cheese sauce from Costco (about $10)
1 Bag of your favorite tortilla chips. (About $4)

Directions:
First warm cheese. Then dip chips in cheese and enjoy!

9. Icemaker- Do you remember filling the ice cube trays as a kid? Half you freezer was full of ice cube trays and the worst was when you ran out during the summer. Warm water when it's 95 degrees out? Not a pleasurable taste. Luckily, ice cube trays are a thing of the past. They still sell trays at Wal-Mart by the way. Can you imagine buying ice cube trays in 2009 for anything other than making jello shots? You know you're old school when you still have more blue plastic then ice cream in your freezer.

8. Fox Soccer Channel/ Sentanta Sports/ ESPN Saturday AM Premier League/ Gol TV. For the first 35 years of my life, I wished for one thing more than any other. Quality international soccer covering both clubs and country. Then, after I ordered Dishnet, I discovered these fantastic channels and my weekends no longer consist of Saturday baseball, Sunday football, or any other sport besides football starting at 7 AM Saturday morning (depending on whose playing). Since being able to watch every weekend (and midweek matches as well), I have become a huge supporter of Manchester United. (Wayne Rooney for FIFA player of the year in 2010!) If you love soccer, send me a comment. By the way, Chelsea are wankers. USA 2010!

What other sport do the fans chant during the entire game in unison? Not anything here in the US- hell half the fans don't even know what's going on, when to cheer or what color "their" team is wearing. But I digress. A couple of my favorites:

Take me home, United Road,
To the place, I belong;
To Old Trafford, to see United;
Take me home, United Road.

And the anti-Chelsea chant I love the most:

Stamford Bridge is falling down!
Falling down! Falling down!
Stamford Bridge is falling down,
Poor old Chelsea! (Generally, they substitute old with a word that rhymes with mucking)

7. Remote Control- Remember when you had to get up out of the Lazy-Boy to change the channel? Neither do I. And that's a very good thing. They waited to invent cable and satellite TV until after the remote was invented so we all didn't get carpal tunnel from manually changing the 600 different channels while half crouched by the TV as our spouses/ moms/ dads/ siblings yelled at us to get out of the way.



6. Golf. What other sport can you smoke stogies and drink beer while playing? And when else do you get to wear plaid shorts, a glove on your left hand only, and a visor without looking like a backup dancer for TPain?

5. Mobster movies. The Godfather Trilogy, Goodfellas, Casino, Heat, The Departed just to name a few. Is there a better movie genre than this?

4. Fire. Not really an invention as much as a discovery but hey, whatever. Consider: heat, cooking over an open flame, Evil Knievel's awesome fiery ring motorcycle rides, and most importantly drinking beer next to the firepit all spring/ summer/ fall long. It's a guarantee that if you make a fire, people will be there.

3. Kegerators. A fridge that holds just a keg allowing draft beer to be served from any location in your house! We had one in our living room at the pad in Creve Couer. That was the happiest time of my life. There's something about a leftover bowl of chili and a 20 ounce Budweiser for breakfast that just can't be appreciated enough. BONUS: A kegerator can prevent you from breaking your mom's refrigerator and bathtub trying to keep the keg cold. Not that we ever saw John Cabbage break his parents fridge and tub in the span of about 15 minutes...

2. The internet. Ebay, live sports scores, fantasy sports, and this blog. Need I continue?

1. Beer- seriously, what else could be #1?

First Beer Review- Great Divide Pale Ale

Before we get into this review, I'm going to follow the same format for every beer I review; hopefully a picture of the bottle, and the same tasting criteria for each beer. If you have tried this beer and agree or disagree, please post. If you know of any comparable beers that might be slightly less expensive, please feel free to post those as well. Let's get as much info out there as possible.

I'm going to start a post titled Beer Scores to keep track of all the different beers I have rated and their scores so they can be quickly reviewed and compared.

Here's the review and the format I'm going to use each time. Comment if something isn't clear. Thanks for reading.

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company
Beer Name: Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale

Appearance: Pale, almost wheatish color.

Smell: Not much of an aroma; what is there smells like a typical ale.

Taste: About middle of the road; solid pale ale taste with nothing extra to set it apart. A good, safe beer to order when out for dinner or drinks.

Mouthfeel: Not too watery. Not too heavy.

Drinkability: Definitely a repeat purchase. Not at the top of my pale ale list but definitely not at the bottom either.

Cost: $4.99/ pint.

Overall Score (1-5; five being perfect) 4. Good solid beer but not anything more than that.

Welcome to the Bigwallabowski's Beer Blog

As the name suggests, I am a big fan of The Big Lebowski and the spirit exhibited by the main character, the Dude. The only thing we don't agree on is our choice of drink. He stuck with White Russians; I'm a definite beer man. This blog will be dedicated to just that: beer- along with sports, movies, maybe a slight hint of politics, and anything else that interests me at the moment. So hit the fridge, grab a cold one, and read along. Hopefully there will be something for every one here at some point or another. Cheers...

Tom