I picked up a Sam Adams winter variety case. The chocolate bock is great.

 

last night's beer selection:

Speakeasy Scarlett Red Rye Ale, limited release.


It's not the best rye beer I have had (that honor currently goes to Founder's Red's Rye PA) but it's solid and drinkable. good color, good head.

 

Hopp Slam has come and gone until next year. Hope I can wait that long

 

Shots of Jameson and a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid and eating like I'm in Hawaii! So lei me.

 

So, who enjoys 21st Amendment?

Pt. Pinos Grill is over in Pacific Grove and its usually overrun with the wine and cheese golf set from Carmel and Pebble Beach. Its not generally somewhere I eat, but I couldn't pass this one up. The guys at Pt. Pinos did a phenomenal job with the pairings. The Head Chef and Events Coordinator are tired of dealing with crusty old bastards so they have been adding private beer pairing events to their schedule. This was my second and I will be returning.





I got to talk beer with a very sloshed Shaun O'Sullivan (Brewmaster @ 21A) and sample some things they usually have very very limited production/distribution.



That's the flight of 3 IPAs, probably my favorite pairing of the evening.

Not listed and probably one of my new favorite beers:


Sneak Attack Belgian Saison

I've been super tired of big heavy seasonal beers recently so this was a perfect change. Farmhouse Ale/Belgian Saison "dry hopped" with whole cardamom pods. Finishes dry like a Saison should and has just the right amount of spice. I like that the cardamom is not used in the boil, this keeps what very easily becomes overpowering spicy flavors restrained and gives you all that awesome aroma.

I'm not going to give you pictures or tasting notes on all the beers because no one wants to read that wall of text Needless to say, go find their products and enjoy them.

They were also giving away Back in Black IPA pint glasses, so I grabbed like 3 of them because who doesn't need more pint glasses?!

 

I'm drinking an Anderson Valley Winter Solsitce right now. Washing it down with a double shot of Midnight Moon Apple Pie Moonshine. I am happy.

 

Winter Solstice is still available?

I had a couple of Left Hand Milk Stout Nitros last night. Solid, but I'm not sure what the nitro does for it.

 

Not sure if still available...I had a few stashed. I'm out of that kind of beer stage and entering really hoppy beer stage. It goes in seasons.

 

I found a 6 of Winter Solstice last week. I'm not super into all the weird spicy winter/seasonal beers but the Solstice is a really solid beer. How well does it keep? I may stash a few.

 

If you're like me, you don't much care for Guinness.

Frankly, I find it over-hyped. Clever marketing and a dark color has branded it as some kind of exotic witches-brew, but I find it to be watery and bland, lacking a distinct mouth-feel or a rich flavor. Guinness is my Stout of Last Resort when I find myself at a restaurant in which the only other offerings are "Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, etc..." If it were a wartime operations plan, you'd open it only in the event that an enemy nuclear strike has destroyed the British state and killed or incapacitated the Prime Minister.

Last week, a co-worker gave me a bunch of beer as payment for fixing his computer. Among the collection was a Guinness variety-pack. Most of the contents were exactly what I expected, but one really surprised me:



I'd never had Guinness Foreign Extra before. Apparently it's only been available in the US for a few years, but is their #1 selling brand in Africa and Asia. I can see why.

This Guinness actually has flavor. It's by no means the richest stout I've ever tasted, but it's a lovely departure from the usual Guinness Draught. It has a nice hoppy character- rich, and just a hint of spice on the palate.



The a new one (new to me) from Oskar Blues, which my local BevMo has finally started to stock. Ten-Fidy Imperial Stout:



No description needed. If you're familiar with Oskar Blues, you know what to expect. You don't so much pour this as scrape it out of the can with a spoon. It's a massive beer. Huge, powerful and malty, with a nice roasty bite and a complex flavor that I can't even begin to characterize. Very much recommended if you can find it.

 

Find that ten fidy aged in some kind of wood barrel formerly containing brown liquor.

I'm a huge fan of porters and stouts with used-barrel flavor. one of the weirdest and most interesting ones I will never get out of my head is the Andersen Valey Port Barrel Aged Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout.

I will probably never have it again as it was an EXTREMELY limited bottling. I managed to get some in their tasting room a while back.

It's one of these on the back right. This was our tasting mat. Hell yeah.



Wave to the Beer.


bear + deer. get it?

 

(Post training wheels)

runner up

 

The very first Oskar Blues brew I ever had was at the Falling Rock in Denver, just after GABF. It was a left-over from the competition, which was essentially Old Chub (Scottish Strong Ale) that had spend 18 months in a sherry cask.

Un-*******-believable.

The Falling Rock:

 

The 10 fidy was the first Oscar blues product I ever had. I had it on draft and I found it incredible. I bought a bomber of Sam Adams cinder bock on Thursday, and am waiting for tomorrow morning to have it as part of my "start my week off right" breakfast.

 

I just bought a Goose Island variety case. Now I'm filled with disappointment as I just found out it is a Anheuyser Busch product. I'm ready to toss it off a bridge. Whatever.

 

Troegs dreamweaver has been tasting really good recently.

 

I love Dreamweaver. That's on tap right up the street from my house. Come over and we'll drink a few.

 

It has oats, molasis, light lactose/milk feel, not too bitter, not to malty...really finessed beer. I'm super impressed. My GF brought it to me from Seattle.

 

Latest round of things I've had...


Austin beer shopping... by AnonymousNamelss, on Flickr

and from my Untappt...

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
Port Older Viscosity
Firestone Walker Black Xantus (OMG IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THIS...GET IT!!)
Worth Brewing Lights Out Stout
Georgetown Brewing Lisa's "The Sun is Trying to Kill Me" Chocolate Stout
No Label Brewing Elda M. Milk Stout (pretty sweet stout)

 

I am hooked on Southern Tier Live. It's a bottle conditioned pale ale. Tastes like a very good homebrew.