Labor Day Beer Fights

Now that school is in, I have decided to revive the beer fights in earnest. After a summer in which the St. Louis temperature was over 100 seemingly every day (and too hot to sit outside and drink), I made a Friday trip to Friar Tuck's and loaded up on new beer to enjoy and blog about. I figured a perfect way to honor the workforce on Labor Day would be to sit in my dining room/ front porch, try a new beer, and tell everyone about it.

So, without further fluff to start this off, here we go.



All the way from England, we have a heavy hitter in the beverage business:

Samuel Smith's India Ale. Sam is facing off against a beer from a brewer I haven't heard of: Joker IPA.

First the Samuel Smith. I believe, as hard as it is to imagine, this is the first time I have drank Samuel Smith beer of any kind. Unless I have forgotten in a drunken haze, I'm pretty sure this is the maiden voyage for me. What a nice trip it is!

Brewer: Samuel Smith, England
Beer: India Ale
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
Price: $3.99 for a 20 oz bottle.

Appearance: Looks like a pale ale. Medium brown in color, clear, nice lacing, good head on it but that disappeared quickly.

Mouthfeel: Traditional ale; slightly watery but definitely beer in your mouth.

Smeel: Sweet, hoppy goodness. It makes me want to drink it. Very appealing. Not overpowering.

Taste: Outstanding. Simply, the best IPA I've tried yet. It is not as hoppy as some but the hops are the defining feature with a the malt coming in as the secondary taste. This is a very drinkable beer by anyone as it is not nearly as overpowering as the majority of IPA's out there. This is a full flavored beer that I could drink all evening with no problem at all. I'm 3/4 through the 20 oz and it's better then when I began. An outstanding beer. You need to try this if you want to try IPA's at all.

Overall rating. 5.0. I am going to load the fridge the next time I go to Friar Tuck's. Perfect in my book. What a way to start the new drinking season off. My first perfect rating.



Brewer: Williams Bros. Brewing, Scotland
Beer: Scottish Joker India Pale Ale
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
Price: $3.99/ 20 oz bottle.

Appearance: Slightly darker then the Samuel Smith- looks like a dark pale ale.

Mouthfeel: Similar to a pale ale- beer but not very thick; slightly watery.

Smell: Not overpowering but definitely more hoppy then the Sam Smith.

Taste: Up until the point where I tasted it, I thought I was going to have issues as it seemed pretty similar to the Sam Smith. Once I tried it, I realized this fight ended with a TKO. It is much more hoppy which isn't necessarily bad by any means; these hops don't enhance the flavor- they overpower it. It is a harsh hoppy taste with no malt flavoring at all. It is a very unbalanced flavor which didn't impress on the first drink or the last. Skip this one for sure.

Overall rating: 2.0. Not missing anything here unless you like hops for the sake of hops.

God Save the Queen and the Samuel Smith beer and have a Scottish tea party when they bring a boatload of the Joker in. Next up will be a battle of Rouge Brewery flavored beers for the summer/ fall. Looking forward to this one. Tune in in a few days for the final results.

Back for more!!!

After a long delay, I'm ready to get back to it. With the World Cup ending and the summer heat being unbearable, what better time to try new beer? I picked up some new IPAs at Friar Tucks and since golf was rained out tonight, no better time that I can think of.

Here it is:
Beer Name: Southern Tier IPA
Brewer: Southern Tier
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
Price $7.99/ six pack

Appearance: Medium Amber, good head and lacing in the glass. A very nice looking beer.

Smell: As most IPA's, the hops are the prevailing taste and smell. If you don't like bitter tastes, then IPA's probably aren't for you. This is a beer with character and a very crisp aroma.

Mouthfeel: Very similar to an ale, slightly watery but overall not bad. Could be slightly heavier in my opinion but this is a fairly light IPA.

Taste: Outstanding. A fine, hoppy, crisp, slightly bitter man's beer. this isn't for Bud Light drinkers. You have beer taste ion your mouth for a good 30 seconds after a drink. I don't think I could drink this during the heat of the day but as a drink with BBQ or a steak, this would be perfect. I would recommend everyone try something similar to this just for the exposure. It is an eye-opening experience.

Overall rating: 4.5. I like the beer but it is slightly mellow for an IPA and I want super-bold, in your face hops when I drink an IPA. This would be an excellent beer to broaden your horizons with but I doubt that many seasoned IPA drinkers have this with dinner every night. Still a very good beer that I would recommend to anyone.

Next up Kevin Porter has requested a full review on Old English 800. As soon as he brings me some, I'll review it. Nothing like a little charcoal filtering to grow the chest hair (and back hair and between-the-toes hair, etc). So, for those of you who have never experienced that wonderful flavor, the review should be entertaining.

Goose's Birthday Present

Goose got me 2 very nice bottles of beer for my birthday this year. Here are the details, a nice picture, and the complete ratings. Thanks again Goose.



BEER #1

Brewer: Unibroue, Quebec, Canada
Beer Name: Chambley Noire Ale:
Beer Style: Black Ale
Price: ?

Appearance: Well, I'll start with the obvious. This beer is dark; almost black. There is no way to see through the glass as the beer is so dark although it looks to be a fairly clear beer to look at. It looks very intimidating as your glass fills up.

Smell: There is definitely something citrusy although I'm getting a small coffee odor as well. Smells good.

Mouthfeel: Not too heavy, not too light. Feels like a good beer. I expected it to feel like liquid lead but it is smooth with a little zip to it.

Taste: I have had this beer before but I never remembered it being this good. Not at all what you expect. This beer has an almost light, fruity taste to it that is not indicative of the dark, black color. It is quite smooth with very little aftertaste at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer.

Overall Score: 4.5 with a chance to move higher when I get over the difference in appearance and taste. It doesn't go together but it's surprisingly good and smooth.

BEER #2:
Brewer: Bavik Brewery, Belgium
Beer: Petrus Winter Ale
Beer Style: Dark Ale
Price: ?

Appearance: Dark, full brown color with a very foamy head that didn't hold it's lacing in the glasses I had.

Smell: A nice wintry ale with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and coffee. Smells good.

Mouthfeel: A little lighter then I was thinking but still feels like beer. 6.2% alcohol so not too much but enough to let you know it's not Bud Select.

Taste: Ummmmmmmm, good. I like beer. Especially Christmas beer. This one is outstanding; an ale with plenty of holiday spices in there to liven it up but it's not too heavy. This is worth whatever Leigh paid for it. If you are looking to try a quality XMas ale, don't pass this one up.

Overall Score: 4.75. Solid from start to finish with no real faults at all. If I have it next year and it remains this good, we might be looking to bump it up into the 5.0 category.

Goose, outstanding choices that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait to turn. No scotch for me though. It won't get drank.

Saturday Night Beer Fights!!!

Last night, my neighbor Kerry (and previous guest taster) brought over a couple of bottles of beer to sample. Thanks for the unexpected gift Kerry. Always a pleasure watching a Cards game (heartbreaking loss for Wainwright by the way- two blown calls in one inning on two consecutive plays- way to go Umps!). After that we took in the first hour of Saturday Night Live which had some funny stuff but we were both disappointed that there were no more Women's Sports on ESPN skits. If you haven't seen any of them, here are the links:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/espn-classic-womens-curling/1205311/

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/espn-classic-ladies-darts/1194032/

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/espn-classic-womens-weightlifting/1219732/

Anyways, on to the beer:

BEER #1

Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg, CA
Beer Name: Brothers Thelonius Belgian Style Abbey Ale
Beer Style: Belgian Style Abbey
Price: ?

Appearance: Dark, Very Clear Red. Looks like a cabernet wine.

Smell: Not overpowering but you can definitely smell the dark fruit that the beer tastes like.

Mouthfeel: A full bodied beer with plenty of substance. A good feel. Nice foam on the glass and lacing that remained.

Taste: A very typical Abbey Ale; almost a wine flavor to it. Tastes like a beer that has been mixed with a shot of Cabernet. I did notice a caramel hint as I got closer to the bottom. Overall, fairly smooth, easy to drink, after the first few drinks, I settled in and enjoyed the rest of the glass. And I did enjoy it at 9.4% alcohol. Kerry said that he enjoyed it as well after the first few drinks.

Overall score: 3.5. Not bad at all but you definitely have to be in the mood for this type of beer. Probably a fall or winter beer for most people.

BEER #2
Brewer: Schlafly's Brewery St. Louis, MO
Beer Name: Quadrupel Ale
Beer Style: Belgiun Ale (4th in a series of four that Schlafly's has made)
Price: $7.99

Appearance: Medium Brown, semi cloudy; looks much more like beer then the Abbey Ale which looked like wine with foam.

Smell: Definitely the traditional fruity aroma of a Belgiun ale. Not nearly as overpowering as the Tripel that Kerry and I sampled earlier in the winter. (see this post:

http://thebigwallabowski.blogspot.com/2010/02/friday-night-beer-fights-episode-two.html

for the ratings on the Tripel.

Mouthfeel: Good also; this is a heavyweight and there is no doubt about it. It has more alcohol in one 12 ounce drink then 3 Bud Lights. 12% overall and it packs a punch. Heavy and thick.

Taste: Not as fruity as the Tripel by any means but it is much heavier. Definitely a noticeable difference between the two. This leaves a much more nor=ticeable skunkyish taste in your mouth at the end that seems to have about three phases; none of which are extremely enjoyable. Overall, the taste is not as overpowering during the drink but it makes up for that in the aftertaste.

Overall Score: I think I like the Tripel better overall. I'm saying 3.0 on this but only as a one glass drink at dinner. As a stand-alone beer on the patio, it's probably not going to happen at all with me.

And the winner is: The Thelonius Monks from Califoria!!! Who said Church was bad? If they served this, I might actually go.

THANKS TO KERRY FOR THE BEER!!!!

Footnote: After we finished these, we each wanted one more beer before bed so I went to the fridge and grabbed the only thing in there: two Natural Lights. They tasted like watered-down rain water after the other two beers. It was like drinking purified air.

Friday Night's Escapades

On Friday, Tim M. came up to watch the draft. Several of the fellas decided to get together and head to Culpepper's to watch the NFL draft and drink drafts... After the draft was over, they all headed to Rob Porter's favorite bar; the Hook and Ladder on Highway M (North of 70 Highway K). While they don't have a website, here is the Metromix review:

http://stlouis.metromix.com/restaurants/american/hook-and-ladder-pub-ofallon/419680/content

To start the evening off, we order several buckets of assorted AB products at $12 apiece during the Cardinal game (normally $15). The evening as usual, got hopping as the karaoke DJ opened things up to everyone about 10:30. To start the evening off, Kevin did a Smashing Pumpkins song, "Disarm." It went downhill from there. I soon sang "The Bad Touch" by the Bloodhound Gang. (This is the "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel" song. Classy. Everyone say "getting horny now."

The majority of the Karaoke songlist is in the player so if you have little ones nearby, you may want to avoid the Bloodhound Gang song and definitely the Sandler song that Owens nailed: "A Medium Pace." He hit every note and rocked the house with that one. The best was when the bartender (a nice 50 or so year old named Patty) stared at him with her mouth open after he sang the "pull the shampoo bottle out of my ass" line. It was truly hilarious and probably the best karaoke song I've heard.

Here was the complete lineup:

Kevin: Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm"
Black Crowes "Remedy"
Simon and Garfunkel "Homeward Bound"

Owens: Adam Sandler "At a Medium Pace"

Slim: Lit "My Own Worst Enemy"
Sinatra "New York, New York"
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three"

Rob: Ram Jam "Black Betty"
Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl"

Me The Bloodhound Gang "The Bad Touch"
Tom T Hall "I Like Beer"

Slim and Me (Duet) Toto "Rosanna" in honor of the Vegas lounge act at the Excalibur a few years back. We heard Rosanna at least 20 times in one weekend by the same band in the same lounge in Vegas. I have nightmares about that song.

Everyone should see the fellas karaoke at some time in their life. It is a spectacle.

IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE: It was decided that on the day of the USA/ England game, we are going to head to a St. Charles bar at about 6 AM to pre-party. Can't remember the name of it. I'll add that in a little bit. June 12th. Everyone block out that day on your calender and plan on meeting us for the game.

Here's how we grow rocks in Wentzville

Recently, I decided to fix a spot of grass on the side of my yard that would not grow. I knew there was a rock left underneath the ground that had to be taken out. So, I got the shovel out and decided to dig. And dig, and dig. Eventually, I had to get the pry bar out to start getting this thing out of the ground. About two and a half hours later, I fin ally removed the last piece from the ground. Here's a picture of the final damage:




As you can see, the five gallon bucket is full of rock pieces less then 2 or three inches across. The shovel lying on the hole is a full size garden shovel so you get some perspective on the size of this rock. All those pieces lying on the ground were broken off by me using a sledge hammer.

The moral of the story is that if you move to Wentzville, you get rocks; big ones.

Return of Friday Night Beer Fights!!!!!!

As the weather warms and I get more in the mood to drink outside on these semi-warm (OK- basically freezing) nights, I start to think of ales, IPA's, and other lighter beers to spend the evening with. Tonight, I planned on watching my beloved Duke Blue Devils advance to the Elite Eight in my garage. As the temperature is supposed to get down to 38, I'm going to instead enjoy the game from the comfort of my living room.

During that time, I am going to be settling the new Friday Night Beer Fights Main Event:

Beer #1
Brewer Name: Bear Republic
Web Site: www.bearrepublic.com
Beer Name: Ricardo's Red Rocket Ale
Beer Style: "A Bastardized Scottish style red..." (Their description; not mine)

Appearance: Dark Reddish brown depending on the light. Brown when not in direct light- red when you hold it up to the light. Clear but hard to see through unless you have a light behind it due to the dark color. Nice, consistent lacing on the glass as well.

Smell: Smells carameley like a scotch ale- yet has a hint of hops to it as well.

Taste: Halfway through the second glass, I'm happy with it although this seems to fall into more of a cold-weather ale then a light summer beer. You can definitely taste the Scotch background although it is almost a "scotch light" as it definitely doesn't compare with some of the stronger Scotch ales I've tried this winter. Alcohol content is 6.8% so not as high in alcohol either. Overall, pretty smooth and I will definitely buy this again. Kelly tried some and said "uh, uh, too like something..." I wonder why she hasn't started a blog of her own. OOOOOhhhhhh- I just got called an A-h**e. Not very nice treatment for the blogging royalty... I thought I was an A-lister by now. I'm going to call my agent.

Mouthfeel: Nice, medium feel to the beer; slightly watery but close enough to not disturb me.

Overall rating: I'm pretty happy with this and am almost disappointed that I have to end this bottle. I have that nice, warm feeling in my stomach that signals that the beer is doing it's job. Good stuff. 4.0 overall.

Beer #2

Brewer: Charleville Vineyard Winery and Microbrewery (St. Genevieve, MO) Hometown drinking- always a plus.
Web Site: www.charlevillevineyard.com
Beer Name: Tornado Alley Amber Ale
Beer Style: Amber Ale

Appearance: Medium Brown, Light Red; very clear.

Smell: Very fruity. I am not surprised that this comes from a vineyard. I can't put my finger on the actual fruit. Kelly says orange; I say more of a cranberry/ raspberry odor to it.

Taste: I'm saying pretty good. It has a very fruity during and aftertaste that probably will be either like it or not proposition for most drinkers. Kelly does not like it at all but I appreciate that they are trying to make a very light, summerish type of ale that can be enjoyed while you mow the yard, run a marathon, play some jarts, etc.

Mouthfeel: Not surprisingly, not much here. A fairly light beer with little to no lacing on the glass. As previously mentioned, a nice spring, summer beer to drink during a leisurely round of golf or playing on the beach (at Creve Couer park- wait- that's Busch Light, sorry.).

Overall: I'm going 4.0 on this as well. A very, nice, light beer with a fruity during and aftertaste. I can see myself sitting on the front porch with a 6 pack of this as I watch the kids kill each other (I mean play) in the court. No DFS calls please.

And, for the first time ever, we have a tie!!! The only thing to do is to purchase another beer by each brewer and double-down like Mikey in Swingers!!! This fight isn't over. We'll be back after another trip to Friar Tuck's!!!

To be continued...

GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!