Frambozen

While trying to write a semi-decent short story of a first person view of being a zombie, and doing a crappy job of it, I decided I needed 12-ounce inspiration. This seasonal comes from the lads at New Belgium Brewery. Personally, beer mixed with fruit tends to annoy me. Call me a cynic, but I like the bitterness of hops, and the sweetness of malt. I don't need any apple, orange, or for the love of God, pumpkin, to spice my beer up. Having said this, I'm going to be a complete hypocrite. I was very intrigued by the combination of raspberry and brown ale that NBB puts out every year at this time.

The first thing that is very apparent after pouring this brew, is raspberries are present. The sweet fruity aroma flies out of the mug as if it were a fly stuck in a plastic container. Along with the dark ruby color, I was very concerned that this beer was going to be raspberry overload. Lucky for me, the taste was predominately a true brown ale nuttiness, with a slight tweak of raspberry at the end. Quite pleasant, I must admit. The combination between the two actually comes out tasting a bit like dark chocolate. A rugged, dare I say, Chuck Norris sweetness, rather than a Richard Simmons over the top fruity sweetness. Well done gentlemen, well done. As long as we're on the topic of Sir Norris, did you know that he destroyed the periodic table, because he recognizes only the element of surprise? That's scary stuff.

PROUST!

Fun Fact Friday!

Good afternoon to everybody. I hope that everyone has had a safe holiday season so far, and are excited for the snow to come! And with the snow, comes Christmas, and with Christmas comes Santa Claus. We all know that Santa can tell who's been naughty or nice, but how do we tell when someone has been lying, if we're not Jolly Ol' Saint Nick? We rely on a little invented called the polygraph test, also known as the lie detector test. Now there is some debate as to how legitimate the polygraph is; some swear by it, yet it's rarely used as significant evidence in the legal system, no matter how perfect it works on CSI. It makes it's readings by measuring the perp's blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and galvanic skin response(I have no idea what that last one is). This system was created by Dr.'s John A. Larson and Leonard Keeler in the 1920's. However, the lie detector concept was made popular in WWI when Dr. William Marston was hired to use his blood-pressure based tests, to see if prisoners were telling the truth when being interrogated. For all of you comic book lovers, yes, it is the same William Marston who created the character Wonder Woman.

Enjoy the holidays, and PROUST.

Finkbrau Hefewisen

Thank god!

Here in spain, beer is like water; its everywhere, its cheap, its dirty and it doesnt taste good. Fortunately, the guesthouse i work at, hosts people from many different walks of life and many different nations including, fortunately, German climbers.

This really nice couple from a small town in Bavaria showed up with their one year old son and i spent a week hiking and climbing almost every day. They became pretty good friends with all of us who work here and on their last night decided to make dinner for us, rather than the other way around. During the day, they went out and tracked down a german supermarket, and brought back supplies for a traditional baravian meal, including, naturally, beer.

the dinner was delicious. We had blaukraut, like saurkraut but with purple (blau) cabbage, knudle, basically huge bread dumplings, a giant roasted ham, and apflstrudle for dessert. Throughout the meal, and before and after, we delighted in the pleasures of Finkbrau Hefewisen, seriously the first good beer i've had in three months.

Since Hefewisen standard is set at Widmer Brothers Hef, all i can do is compare it to thus. This one was darker, sweeter, but not as crisp. It did have a higher carbonation level which led to faster consumption and larger burping. It was served, thanks to my racing down six terraces fetch fresh lemons, with a wedge and a squeeze and enjoyed with a great sigh of relief and contentment.

I also got directions to the german supermarket, found the beer and bought a case of it. Like i said, beer in spain is cheap: each tall boy can rang in at 38 cents euro. excellent

peace

pat

Fun Fact Friday!

Ladies and Gentlemen, today is a top five favorite holiday of mine in US history. While I only began to celebrate this holiday last year, it is one to be cherished with at least a pitcher of good beer (getting into an argument with an Australian girl about her ridiculous statement that Australia has more Chinese immigrants than the US has Mexican immigrants, probably wont become a tradition). Yes everybody, today is Repeal day. Seventy-five glorious years ago, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment. For those who are unfamiliar with our Amendments, the 18th Amendment made the sale and consumption of alcohol illegal, ushering in one of the darkest periods of American history known as Prohibition. Ironically enough, the 36th state to vote for the 21st Amendment, thus passing the movement, was Utah. October 14th is quite the festival as well, when Jimmy Carter allowed home brewing to be legal.

So give a PROUST to ol' Jimmy, and the 21st Amendment this weekend, because with out them, we wouldn't have the privilege to enjoy our adult beverages.

Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA

There are only two words that come to mind when explaining this beer: DEAR GOD! This was one of the craziest, out of control, and complicating beers that have ever crossed paths with these taste buds. The beer tasted as if some one had lit a fire in my mouth with a torch, then doused my face with pure cane sugar to put the flames out, then bandaged the wounds with fifty pounds of hops. They call it the hoppiest of all hoppsters on the bottle for a reason. I checked out Dogfish Head's website to see what they had to say about this beer of all beers, and it claimed to have crowded the wort with as much hops as possible during the TWO HOUR BOIL, then put in new hops every day for a month while fermenting. That's not even the craziest part. Are you ready for the crazy part? Are you sure? 100%? The ABV is 20%. 20 freaking percent. Needless to say, I was the most hammered from this one beer than I have been from any other type of beer.

As to an actual break down of the beer, again it was immensely unique from the first sniff. The intense floral smell was hint number one I was going to have an experience like I've never had before. It was a dark bronze with a creamy white head that was as thick as a head of a Guinness. The beautiful hoppy bitterness was incredibly intense, yet very short lived as the malt and sugars dominate as it goes down smoothly. Yet, at the end it leaves a hint of hops resting gently on the top of your tongue just to say, "yeah, I just rocked your shit."

Buyer beware, this is no ordinary beer. It's tough to find (they only release it three times a year), and it's one hell of a ride.

Fun Fact Friday!

GGGGGGOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDD afternoon my beermigos, hope everything is going well in your lives along with setting up plans to get some massive grub for Thanksgiving in 6 days. I stumbled upon this interesting morsel of info while reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about the Dogfish Head Brewery. There was a specific brew that seems to be escaping me at the moment, that is fermented in a specific wood that's grown only in Central America. This wood is known for it's toughness and constant aroma. Before this article, I had no idea as to how we measured the toughness of wood, but now I do. It's called the Janka scale, or the Janka hardness test. How it measures the wood's toughness is by the amount of force that is required to lodge a 11.28 millimeter steel ball half way through the diameter of the wood. Crazy huh? Depending on where you live it can mean different amounts due to the measurement of force your country uses. For example, the US uses pounds-force whereas in Australia they would use Newtons or Kilonewtons. A commonly seen tree in my neck of the woods is the Douglas-Fir, it has a Janka ranking of 660, where as the toughest the Lignum Vitae,has a ranking of 4500.

Hopefully I'll actually post some sort of review of a beer before Thanksgiving, but there are no promises. PROUST!

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's fun fact is more of an advertisement, an advertisement without pay so you know that this site is incredibly awesome because I'm mentioning it out of the goodness of my heart. www.mentalfloss.com. It has all kinds of trivia, random facts, even quizzes. I actually just took the Troy McClure film or actual crappy film quiz and scored 60% on it. I was chuckling the entire time thinking of what Phil Hartman would have sounded like saying the film titles. Some of the other quizzes I've taken have been a Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Office, Super Nintendo, and regular Nintendo quiz, all of them being incredibly entertaining. So if you've got time to kill, and feel like getting nostalgic up in your B-I-itch, check it out.

Have an awesome weekend everybody, be safe, go Ducks, and PROUST!

Muddy Puppy Nose Ale

Last thursday, my family and the city of Eugene lost a great friend in Randy Pape. Randy was an amazing man in so many different ways. He was the work-a-holic type that made time for his family. The way he lived his life, with optimism and love, is something we should all strive for. My guess, by the way he worked not only in his family's business, but on other boards and committees around the city and the time he spent with his family, I would guess he slept maybe two hours a night. Just a constant go go go type, Randy sure knew how to light up the room with his positivity and enthusiasm.

In his honor, the Big Guy and I decided to pop our first bottle of Muddy Puppy Nose Ale and toast to Randy. The first bottle was a little flat, but the meaning of it was possibly the most sentimental brew I've had. Other bottles of my first batch of home brew ended up being a lot better than that first bottle. It's a very light brown color and very cloudy (I'll have to use the Irish Moss next time). It's got quite the hoppy, malt entangled scent while it's taste is predominately the malt. All in all, pretty damn good for the first home brew batch if I must say so myself.

Naturally, I'd like to sent a big ol' PROUST to Randy and his family. We'll miss you big guy, the world needs more people like you.

Budweiser/Budvar

Let's start with some facts here. Budweiser is not as American as we may think. We are aware of the recent purchase of Budweiser by a Belgian brewing super giant but there's more. Budweiser actually started out as a Czechoslovakian brew. Then, the Budweiser that we know in the states came in and stole the Czechoslovakian recipe making a cheap knock off of the original Budweiser recipe. These two companies have had a lawsuit going back and forth for a long time now. The region of Czechoslovakia is now in the Czech Republic and they still lovingly call this beer Budvar.

The night and the situation I chose to have this beer in was simple. It was a Friday night in Prague, but I was not going out partying. The night before my friend Mariel and I had gone out to a pub crawl and we were quite hungover all day. Plus our Czech Koruns were running low and we were leaving the next day. We had a night in at the hostel where we made ourselves a broke man's version of mac & cheese. Pasta with cheese slices melted in. Delicious. We knew about Budvar and decided we wanted to try that before we left so we bought a 12 oz can each for 4.65 Korun, or somewhere around 30 cents U.S. As we sat in our hostel room and she told me some more about her family I reached over at a certain point and cracked that bad boy open. Let me tell you, definitely better than Budweiser. It wasn't amazing but it didn't taste like ass. It basically was a step up from Budweiser.

With this Lager you could taste the hops but there was much more of a noticeable malt influence. It didn't finish particularly smooth, didn't have an enjoyable aroma, didn't pair well with mac & cheese and was drank luke warm. It still did the trick though. I would recommend this as much as I would recommend a cold PBR. Mariel gives her approval as well. So we drank them down and in the middle of our talk we were interrupted by two Canadians walking into our shared room because they had just arrived. We talked with them for close to 30 minutes and then they left to get some food. We went to bed, woke up early, mobbed on some free breakfast, took one last walk through Prague and then I flew off to London (Typical Saturday for me really). That Budvar though, still has special spot in my memory.

Block 15 Nebula Stout

The lady friend and I made a trip up north to Corvallis to see our friends open for the most kick ass, two-man band, Hillstomp. Unfortunately, I happened to get the starting time wrong, and we got into C-town about three hours before anyone went on. To kill the time, Whitney and I frolicked around until we came to a restaurant that we had been to about a year and a half ago. Very good American style restaurant, had a bunch of different options that all looked amazing.

I decided to order this fine brew, that they actually make up there in Corvallis, and was pumped to see it because it came in a glass that resembled a Pilsner glass, but a little thicker. Typical looking Stout, very dark with a light brown head, smelled of mostly coffee. I was incredibly surprised at how smooth it was. I really felt like I was drinking water, that had a coffee taste that was most present and a hint of chocolate at the end. Even Whitney, who prefers Pinot Gris, enjoyed her sip and was equally surprised at it's smooth finish.

Stoked about my awesome brew, we went and checked out the McMinamens and rocked out to Green is For Go, and Hillstomp in the Bombs Away Cafe they played at. Really was an awesome night.

I'd also like to send a PROUST to our recently elect President. Barry, while I may not agree with all of your policies, I'm pulling for you bud you've got quite the task at hand.

Bit Burger Pils

It's been a little while since my last posting and I lost my notepad which had some beer notes/titles from my trips, so it's taken me a bit but here goes. Let me lay the groundwork here. I am writing about a pilsner and my God, this is the best Pilsner I've ever had. (Yes John, it is) Not only do I think so but the bartender/owner at a local pub/hostel in Heidelberg, Germany called this his favorite beer of all time. It is exactly what one would want from a pilsner. It has one of the best golden shimmers which is always nice to look at. Taste wise though, you get that hoppy taste but unlike what other pilsners sometimes do this one did not taste overly bitter at all. It is always good to taste the hops, but not too much. Bit Burger Pils has perfected the art. It also had a dry flowery scent which gave a nice aroma to the few evenings I sat around and enjoyed this brew. Smoooooooooth. Absolutely. This beer had one of the smoothest finishes I have ever tasted. It tasted like hop candy. Every time I took a sip or a gulp it went down the hatch with ease. It only wet my tongue and sparked my appetite for more, which I got plenty of. It didn't even fill me up. After 2 liters I felt light as a feather.

This beer was just what the doctor ordered for most situations. I enjoyed this 3 nights in a row while sitting at the bar at a local pub in Germany. I wasn't going crazy, just talking with some of the local people and other travelers at the hostel that would stop in for a drink. This was also a beer that could be enjoyed at a wild drinking festival, like say Oktoberfest. I wasn't fortunate enough to have this beer there but due to the lightness and deliciousness of this beer it could easily be enjoyed and be very appropriate for a wild drinking time.

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's installment is quite spooky! Ok no, it's not. As a matter of fact the only thing that might be considered scary would be my vocabulary. Spooky? When am I going to learn that grandma ISN'T up to date with her slang? Anyway since it is Halloween today I felt that a little history lesson was in need to understand why we dress up, ask strangers for candy, or get drunk. The quasi-holiday began in Celtic times in Ireland to celebrate the end of the harvest season. Around this time of year in Ireland, along with Oregon, crops start to die off because of the crappy weather. Well the Celts saw this as a mixing of the living world and the dead world; thus the Celts felt a need to scare off the dead world by having animal sacrifices and burning the animal remains in a large fire. At the same time they would be wearing masks and costumes in attempt to copy the dead.

The Irish immigrants spread this wonderful day to the US in the 19th century where we have put our own traditions in place, most notably, the pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern. The Irish would carry a light, but instead of it being in a pumpkin, the light would typically be in a turnip or rutabaga. The Irish always used the head of the plant because the head was seen as the most powerful part of the human body, thus making it the best weapon to fight off the dead and their spirits. The name Jack-O-Lantern came from Irish lore as well. It's been told that a farmer known as Stingy Jack tricked the Devil up a tree, then carved a cross on the tree, in attempt to keep the Devil there. In turn, the Devil laid a curse on old Stingy Jack that forced him to walk only at night, with his only light being a candle inside a turnip. The reason why we use Pumpkins is because we have a better inventory of them, and they just look cooler.

Well have a safe Halloween, get some free candy, enjoy the Simpsons Haunted Tree House episode on sunday, and...............PROUST!

Liberty Ale/ Fun Fact Friday!

The Liberty Ale I had last night, was possibly the most needed beer of my life. Not only did the Freshman football team I help coach lose badly to the cross town rivals, one of our kids broke his leg, which shook me up a bit. At that point in the night I really didn't care what the beer by the infamous Anchor Brewery in San Fran tasted like, I just needed comfort in malted barley and hops. Oh how the bitterness of hops can really keep your head level.

The second I opened the brew, I could smell the intense hop flavor the beer was going to have. Actually, I really don't remember much of a sweet malt taste to it, just the fine bitterness of a strongly hopped beer. If you're looking for a beer that will smack you in mouth to get you out of a bummed mood, I would strongly suggest this one. And an episode of the Office helps too.

On the interesting/FFF side, the beer was originally released on April 15th (14? One of the two)
1975 in celebration of Paul Revere's historical ride two-hundred years before. As long as we're on the subject of American Revolution, apparently, George Washington had a hellacious right arm. I mean, the guy had a CANNON! Multiple stories exist talking about how in throwing competitions among his soldiers, he would throw once and that would be it, the game was over. I found this on a pretty funny article about US Presidents and their athletic ability here (http://www.faniq.com/blog/Video-On-Election-Day-Barack-Obama-Or-John-McCain-Will-Join-The-List-Of-Somewhat-Athletic-Presidents-Blog-13026).

Enjoy the week end, and if you get a chance, send a Proust Joe's way. Get well soon bud.

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's instalment of the always thrilling FFF is some what of a sad story, but interesting at the same time. On this day in 1814 in London, England, there was a beer flood that killed nine people. A BEER FLOOD! The Meaux and Company Brewery had a vat break spilling about 135,000 gallons of beer, that took out other vats adding up to a total of 323,000 gallons of beer that flooded the brewery. It all eventually flowed out of the building, and destroyed two homes as well. Eight of the deaths were because of drowning, and the ninth was because of alcohol poisoning. And to top it all off, the brewery wasn't criminally charged because the judge and jury saw it as "An Act of God."

Well, that's about the craziest thing I've heard in a while. Here's hoping to everyone to have a safe weekend, and that no one is involved with any beer floods.

Proust!

Fun Fact Friday!

Good afternoon to you all, hope everyone is having a pleasant week and will have an even better weekend. This week's Fun Fact is just a compilation of a bunch of random facts that are good conversation starters, or are so useless that they stick in your head forever! I tried to find something entertaining and interesting this week, but everything is covering the list of lies our two politicians are claiming, and my head is just too cluttered with BS. So here we go:

All of the continents in the world end with the same letter they start with. EuropE, AustraliA, AmericA you get the picture.

The kings in a deck of cards represent different kings from history: Spades is King David, Hearts is Charlemagne, Clubs is Alexander the Great, and Diamonds is Julius Cesar.

The only days of the year that don't have a major professional sporting event (NBA, MLB, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and after the MLB All-Stars Game.

The first number, spelled out, to have the letter "A" in it is 1,000 (One ThousAnd).

Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots.

To finish us off, there are only 18 countries in the world that are richer than Bill Gates.

I promise, I don't have eight years worth of Snapple bottle caps stored in my room, my mom made me throw those out when I was 16. Have a lovely rest of your week, go outside it's not that cold and it's more fun because there are less people out there!

Proust!

Iron Horse IPA

I am finishing up this fine IPA from the glorious state of Washington as I write this entry, and am thoroughly enjoying it, just like every beer I drink. It's a pretty typical fall night right now, it's really started to rain and moisten up around these parts, which is alright because now I feel like drinking heavier beers because of the colder weather. As a side note, thank you for your addition to the FFF Douglas, and I did get your post card, so YING YANG TWINS UP IN THIS B-I-ITCH (that means thanks)! I also just finished updating myself on Douglas' travels on his other blog. He seems to be having an awesome time, which I always love to read about my beermigo's experiences.

This brew is a pretty typical IPA; Hops are the dominant theme. Taking the first sniff of it, I could tell it was going to be bitter because of the strong Cascade hop aroma that exploded out of my glass (that's a guess and I'll explain my reasoning later). Typical copper color with an off white head, and again, the hops dominate to the point where my inexperienced tongue can't muster up any other flavors.

As to why I am guessing they used Cascade hops, is because I embarked on a first time journey today. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I brewed my first batch of beer. The Big Guy helped out with organizing stuff, and it was nice spending the time with him, but the smells are what had me in pure euphoria. I think my favorite smell combination was right after I poured the malt in, after the barley grains had been removed. My concoction had that faint oatmeal smell, with the added smell of the sweet malt just set my beer libido on fire. But when I was breaking up the hops, it expelled a herb filled aroma that is unforgettable, the same smell that came from the Iron Horse. It took a couple of hours to finish the process for now, thus I figured all of that hard work earned myself the Iron Horse that was sitting in the fridge.

Add on to FFF

Hey dude, well here's a couple of other things to add on to your great FFF. First the actual celebration now begins in late September because of problems with the weather. I heard that they started doing that several years ago. I wish I could tell you when exactly but I was kinda sloshed. Another thing, no beer fountains just tons of beer and drunkards. The sausages are not that big John, but plentiful to say the least. As far as your vision of German hotties goes...exactly. Lowenbrau is a great tent with a reputation well deserved and some damn good pilsner beer.

Fun Fact Friday!

For this week's installment of FFF, I felt that since it was the first week of October, there was only one thing I could talk about; Oktoberfest. Our Beermigo Douglas is going to have the supreme privilege to attend this festival, and hopefully he'll be able to add on to what I scribe down here since he'll have the fortune of actually attending.

The festival first started on October 12, 1810 in celebration of the marriage between the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Say that last name five times fast. There was a horse race on the 17th of that same year that continued the celebration, so there are different opinions as to what the true original date of Oktoberfest is. As wonderful as this festival is, there have been some unfortunate years where it had to be cancelled, whether it be for war or an out break of cholera. There are six breweries that have supplied beer to this festival since 1818. Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr, who are apart of what's known as the "Big Six."

Well Doug I hope you can add on to my quick blurb about possibly the greatest festival ever created (sense some bias?). As long as it's good stuff, I don' want my vision of beer fountains, sausages the size of baseball bats, and German hotties walking around with gold plated clogs. Anyway have an awesome and safe weekend everybody, and go Ducks!

Copascetic IPA

As I write this, I am trying to recall a certain Friday evening some time ago, but it's not going too well. I've forgotten many details and even the general situation is a bit hazy. Thus is the power of Amnesia.

On the corner of Mississippi and Beech in North Portland is a warehouse brewery with a pub out front The restaurant serves two food options, burgers or dogs, and the taps rotate slowly--four regulars and a seasonal. I started with a pint of the standard pale ale, but once my lips touched the rim of my pint of IPA, my senses instantly slipped into a deja vu of recollection from my only previous encounter with the interesting orange beer.

About a year ago, I'm not sure exactly when, I stumbled across the Copascetic IPA at the Bier Stein, a Eugene pub well known by the beermigos crew. I selected the Amnesia ale based solely on the name, and after that night, promptly forgot everything about it save the title and the euphoric flavor. Research revealed that rare is the occasion that Amnesia escapes Portland, but nobody could specifically give directions that I might find it again. Fortunately, the internet knows all, and again, that fateful Friday, I rediscovered Amnesia.

Of course, since that time, I have forgotten anything that would help me describe it, but I can say that it was delicious and that I know where to get another one.

Copascetic IPA: orange, fantastic, well-paired with cheeseburger. Other information cannot be said in mere words. Such is the tragedy and beauty of Amnesia.

Laurelwood Porter

For some reason last night, I was really feeling like a darker beer. I think it may have had to do with the weather, it was a little colder than usual, so I needed a little more substance to help keep me warm. Sounds like a good excuse. I enjoyed this brew at a weekly occasion that I haven't been to in a while, Sam Bonds free Bingo. This was a big event for us beermigos, week in and week out. So much so that Douglas and I went on Tom and Scott's (the hosts of Bingo) yearly trip to the Enchanted Forrest.

The porter was pretty standard in looks and smell; very dark, non-transparent, light brown head. The first sip was quite heavy in a pure coffee taste, but it diminished as I drank the rest of the pint. What I found most surprising however, was that the beer was quite crisp and not heavy at all. Very well done by the folks at Laurelwood up in Portland.

As much as I enjoyed my beer, the night of bingo was possibly, for a lack of better terms, the biggest cock tease ever. I was one space away four different games, twice it was O 72 and both times they called O 73! And then, to top it all off, I guessed a can of Spam for "What's in the Nut?" and Scott claimed he didn't here me, and some jerk off yelled spam and won. BLASPHEMY! Oh well, I guess it is just spam.

Chimay White Trappist

Once again a Belgian brew and brewing historz factoid. Trappist brews are fairly well known as a style. However, there are only 6 breweries in the world that can claim they concoct a true Trappist brew (Trappist with 2 P's) and they all heil from Belgium. They are all Trappist monastaries where the monks have been brewing for hundreds of years and still do to this day. All of these are typically 7 to 12% ABV so get ready for a beer that packs a punch.
On this fateful night in Bruges I chose to drink a Chimay White Trappist, which is a mere 7% ABV. As I sat at my hostel window looking at the church across the street I was warmed by every sip. It's hard to drink in Europe without some religous reminder nearby. This beer was a peach colored citrusy brew that was very bitter. My one general complaint for citrusy beers was absent from this one. It did not with an overwhelmingly citrus aftertaste (the sign of a good citrus beer). This was probably helped by the high ABV% but regardless, it had a bitter aftertaste with minor citrus notes. It was definitely not a smooth finish though. It was rough and kinda hit you all at once. It was a bit acquired but I liked it more and more with each sip. And this one isn|t even considered the best of the trappist breweries. Go Belgian beer. Next stop, Germany.

Lindemans Kriek, Lambic

Lambic is a different kind of beer. In fact, many would say it doesn't even taste like a beer at all. But make no mistake, a lambic is simply a creative and fruity take on a beer. A true lambic is brewed along the Senne River in Brussels, Belgium. This is why I felt so compelled to try a lambic. I was recently in Belgium and wanted to try the brews in the area. Thanks to my beer guide book I was able to learn about the rich history of brewing in Belgium (which rivals that of wine in France).
Kriek means brewed with cherries and that's exactly what this tasted like. It was a dark cherry flavor with a sour aftertaste, which is characterisitic of a young lambic. Part of the reason that these lambics taste so sweet is not just that they are brewed with fruit but they are also stored in old wine barrels for long periods of time. Make no mistake though, this is a beer and a dessert beer at that. At 3.5% you're not drinking this to get drunk. Something so sweet and fruity you'd think is just like a Smirnoff Ice or a wine cooler. This was nothing like that. What makes those drinks so sweet is the sugar that's been added, which is very apparent in the taste. Lindemans Kriek tastes fresher and better quality it's brewed with the actual sweetness of the cherries. It is very hoppy and finishes with a very bitter sour taste. Like I said before, you should have this as a dessert but not just because of the sweetness. By the time I finished this I was very settled. I highly recommend trying this, but be warned...you can probably only handle one of these bad boys.

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's Fun Fact comes from our old buds across the pond in France. The place is known as Rennes-le-Chateau (there should be a little cap on the first "a" but I don't know how to do that) which is located in the South-West corner of France. The chateau is on top of a hill in a very small town that draws thousands of tourists every year because of the chateau. The chateau draws thousands every year because of rumors, and beliefs that it holds secrets to the truth about some of Christianity's biggest secrets.

The area is no stranger to religious controversy. The Languedoc region was known for being the home of the 13th century Cathars, who held a dualism belief since they felt that power and love were incompatible traits. But Rennes-le-Chateau is what this area is currently visited for, because it is believed, by some, that in the late 1800's Father Bérenger Saunière uncovered secrets that the Catholic church did not want in circulation. The reason for this belief is because Father Sauniere amassed a large wealth out of no where, renovated the church, and added certain relics to celebrate Mary Magdalene. While there was always debate amongst the small town how Father Sauniere came up with the money, it wasn't well known until a restaurant owner in the 1950's started spreading rumors in attempts to bring in more business. Plain and simple, the restaurant owner's plan worked. Rennes-le-Chateau is a center piece for the bloodline of Christ theory that has been documented in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" and "The Da Vinci Code," to name a few. However the truth about the so-called secrets that Father Sauniere found are highly unlikely. The Priory of Sion, which in theory is an order that was made to protect the bloodline of Christ and also what some believe Father Sauniere found documents supporting their existence, is a complete farce. The Priory was made up in the middle 1900's and was admitted to be by those who wrote about it, to be a figment of Pierre Plantard's mind.

Well I'm going to have to stop there, I've got to go back to work (Poop). But have an amazing weekend, and hopefully the Pac-10 can do a little better this week. I take 100% of the blame due to my overboard, homer of a college football review about a month ago. Karma, you got me good.

Mac and Jacks African Amber Ale

Good afternoon to all of my beermigos out there, hope everyone's week is going splendid, and continues that way into the weekend. On Tuesday night I frequented good old Max's for trivia night. Pretty simple concept, grab some friends, grab a beer, make a team name (our's was "I got felt up five times on my way to the bar, but I liked it." because there was a poop-ton of people at Max's that night. However the best name of the night went to "If Sarah Palin becomes President, she'll be Baberham Lincoln), and get ready to use your noggin. I approached the bar and saw the Mac and Jacks, which I had sampled before when a certain Mrs. Lezlie Winsor got me a tid bit drunk one fine afternoon, and I wanted to get it again. I was partial to it because of the taste, but also because of the lion on the tap. I wanted to display my overall dominance, especially that of the mind, and what better way to do so then to get a beer with a freaking lion on the tap?

The Amber ale was quite strong and fantastic as I remembered. It's quite the hefty Amber ale, very cloudy dark maroon color, with a dark white head to go with it. The hops were the most obvious taste in the brew giving it a confident bitter bite while it went down the hatch, but had a subtle sweet finish.

I will let you know that I did feel quite dominating while drinking this fine brew, it unfortunately didn't carry over to trivia knowledge. The team did alright in the first couple of rounds, but teetered off at the end. However, I did come out a winner because the sweet lady taking the score cards gave me one bitchin' beer cozy that's made out of astro turf! To you beer cozy old timers, I know, I know, astro turf isn't right it plays too fast and almost single-handily ruined baseball. But I feel so apart of the game when using it. Wait, no, no I don't it's a freaking beer cozy, but still very cool.

PROUST!

Fun Fact Friday!

Well simply put, today is International Talk Like a Pirate day. YYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


Enjoy the weekend!

Frog Wart Pale Ale/ Kells Irish Lager double header

My bad about the fun fact Friday! from last week, I got caught up in some buiz and didn't get a chance to drop some knowledge. I figured I'd make it up by doing a double posting. Last weekend was probably the second biggest hippy festival in Eugene, the Eugene Celebration. Basically it's a Saturday market, except it goes late into the night and lasts all weekend. My main reason for going to the Celebration was Hillstomp. These two righteous dudes can get a crowd going better than any other two dudes I've ever seen, hands down. They rock the old Blues stuff with their primary influence being R.L. Burnside. I cannot emphasize enough, if they play near your city, GO YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID. I've gone to a show of their's where they started at eleven and I kid you not, there was a man somewhere between the ages of 78-82 rockin' it.

I sipped on the Frog Wart Pale Ale while listening to Hillstomp, and dancing at the same time. The beer was good, it was a pretty standard Pale Ale by being a dark copper color with an off-white head. The malt in the beer dominated the taste, making it a pretty simple beer. However mixed with Hillstomp, I think I would enjoy drinking Ram's piss. There was a middle aged man in white pants, a Prince of Arabia vest on with no undershirt, and a Spanish conquistador facial hair style dancing, I'm telling you this band reaches all kinds of audiences.

The Kells Irish Lager had me intrigued from the moment I saw it at the Eugene City Brewing Co (The restaurant is owned by Rogue, thus they sell all kinds of Rouge beers along with making some themselves). When I think Irish beer I'm thinking something so dark that if you were in a pool of it, you would be able to see your submerged body. Not surprisingly, the lager was a darker tint of yellow than your average lager. And while it had a typical wheat dominating taste, it had an amazing, quick bitter bite from some type of hops they put in there that really sets it apart from other lagers.

Until tomorrow my Beer-migos, I've got to redeem myself for a lack of FFF! from last week. Until then, PROST!

P.S. If you want to here how old Dougy-poo is doing, check out his Europe blog, http://www.new.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdougtravels2008.blogspot.com%2F&h=689ebe530f492c7fe9366802e7b0c426

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

While touring the Guinness factory in Dublin, Ireland a new fact was brought to my attention. Guinness brews not 2 but 3 different brews. There is the original Guinness Draught which is distributed everywhere. The second is their Guinness Staught which is distributed to Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. the third is their Guinness Foreign Extra Stout only distributed within Ireland and to Africa, South & Central America and the Carri beans. I bought a bottle for 2 Euros because I knew I had to try this.
The main difference, aside from the yellow label, is that the alcohol content (7.5%) is higher to balance the overpowering taste that makes you take your sweet time while drinking this brew. As i drank this brew in my hostel I found myself completely agreeing with their wisdom. It has that familiar Guinness taste but this is even hoppier and sweeter. It finishes smooth like a good Guinness always does and after each taste you want to gulp down another one right away. The dark brown color is there with that sweet beer smell coming from the foam at the top. In Ireland the Guinness is like a completely different beer. It tastes like a beer milkshake. This particular beer, which was had at room temperature and from a bottle, still fit that standard.
It is incredibly hard to stop at just one Guinness. I had a Kilkenny's as previously recommended but I have to respectfully disagree with my fellow beermigo. Kilkenny's is delicious but there's nothing quite like a properly poured pint of Guinness in Ireland. Foreign Extra Stout is a unique twist on a Guinness. It's even more flavorful and therefore more overpowering, but still absolutely delicious.

Love, Doug

Veille Provision, Saison DUPONT, Belgian Farmhouse Ale

To our regular readers, you've all probably heard of the Bier Stein at this point. A couple of months ago I was at the Bier Stein with the other beermigo Pat. We went there to have a couple of beers on a relaxing summer evening. While there we ran into a former professor of ours who insisted on buying us beer. Who were we to decline.
This professor was very knowledgeable of the intricate details that encompass beer. After the first beer he walked off to the cooler, came back and poured us each a pint of what he deemed as the best Belgian beer he had found while living there for a year. It was a citrusy ale, almost apple, but this was different. I find that citrus flavored beers tend to have too much of a fruity flavored after taste for my liking. However, this beer had the noticeable citrus flavors and a very crisp and clean after taste that wasn't very sweet at all. It was packed with flavor without being too filling (yes I know that's eerily similar to Miller Lite but it's true). The color was a nice dark yellow and even though an Uncle Fester type character made John Lysaker accidentally foam the beer a bit too much at the top by running into his arm it didn't ruin it at all. I'm in Ireland right now but I will be heading through Belgium soon and I fully intend on trying to find this beer there so I can enjoy it again.
Another note: This professor shared an interesting fact with me that I think is noteworthy. He said that when in Belgium all the beer is fantastic except for Pilsners. According to him they're not bad, they're just not up to the exceptional level of every other type of beer in Belgium. He said to wait until Germany to get a great Pilsner. i know John will appreciate that.

Peace out ladies and gents

Rogue Dead Guy

Rogue Dead Guy is a staple of the Northwest beers, and in my opinion, the quintessential amber ale. The Rogue company has been able to expand their line of products because of the popularity of this beer. If you ever get a chance to tour the brewery in Newport, there is one room full of boxes of Dead Guy waiting to please the taste palates of beer drinkers everywhere.

The Big Guy and I were enjoying dinner at one of Eugene's local hot spots, Turtles, when I decided to enjoy another Dead Guy. We were discussing football plans, and what we were attempting to accomplish during our game the next day; I couldn't have felt more manly. My Dead Guy's color was a nice copper with just the slightest hard shade of red with a nice, pure white head. As usual, my beer had the perfect combination of malts and hops that blended so well together that it puts an image of the malt and hops being BFFs, and giving each other hugs during the brewing process. Weird? Yes. But try picturing that while enjoying that fantastic brew and tell me that it doesn't put a smile on your face.

Once again the fellas at Rogue continue to produce fantastic adult beverages, supplementing their reputation for being one of the best breweries in Oregon, one of the best beer making places in the world. Is that bias? Yes. But do it, malts and hops giving each other hugs? That's just hilarious.

Philosophy Class

Stumbled upon this very, very true joke/story on the trusty Internet:

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous - yes.
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar - effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, and your children - Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

siempre perfecta

I asked my new roomie about styles of beer in Spain and he gave me this inquisitive look, thought about it for a minute and asked me to repeat the question. This is no NorthWest folks; Ive been spoiled.

We did, however, go to the store and buy some beers which he deemed muy bueno. These, and all beers like them, are called las claras, un estilo de birra que incluye limon. Its like the spanish version of a Hefewisen, if the lemon came included in the can. I don´t want to compare it to the MGD with lemon, or the Coors with lemon, which are marketed in American supermarkets across the nation, simply because im not in America and this is new to me. Instead, i sipped the cold, refeshing birra, and agree with the clarity, succinct flavor and the crisp deliciousness of the first cool drink all day.

Apparently, you can get a glass of la clara, a style not the brand, at any bar and its only like €1,50 tops which is not bad in my book. i dig it and i´ll drink it again, but its no widmer hef, oh god, how am i going to do this?

Fun Fact Friday!

I've got the early morning edition of your weekly fun fact today! As I hinted to last week, today's fun facts will be political convention themed. Both parties have had their convention, and our next event to look forward to is the first debate, where they will both spew out their ideologies that they'll never get done. Damnit, I told myself I wouldn't be pessimistic.



So the first convention for the Democratic party was way back in 1832 in Baltimore Maryland, who they nominated I have no freaking clue. The first televised convention goes to the Republicans, in 1940 when it was located in Phila-illa-delph-e a. The city that has hosted the most political conventions is Chicago with a total of 25, 11 for the Dems 14 for the Repubs. Length wise the Dems have the old Elephants beat, with the appointing of James Davis in 1924 after 17 days.


Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, enjoy the last days of summer and go outside for the love of Prefontaine. Ok that was really bad, showing my intense Eugene-ness, but I could think of anything else.

Juniper Pale Ale

Guess what? I had another Pale Ale! Shocking, I know, but I just can't stay away from them and I feel no guilt because why stay away from stuff you love? Especially when it's as phenomenal as Pale Ale. Anyway, I was lucky enough to enjoy this fine craft at the Mecca that is the Bierstein. The Bierstein is on 11h and High here in Eugene, they make amazing sandwiches at 8.95 each, that includes a side. Oh, and did I forget to mention they have over 300 different bottled beers from around the world, and 10 different beers on tap? If I could spend five hours a day there, I definitely would, just imagine all of the Beermigos entry.

Now that you have an understanding of this beer haven, this night was really wonderful. The pretty lady friend and I moved some stuff to her new place, that happens to be right behind the Bierstein (HALLELUJAH!). So we went to the Mecca, and I got an incredible turkey sandwich with red onions, avocado, lettuce, and cream cheese. Sitting with the love, eating a sandwich that massaged the taste buds, and Billie Holliday playing in the background, it didn't even need the beer to make the night wonderful.

The Juniper was made by the infamous Rogue, which was light bronze in color while a little cloudy, which lead me to believe it would be jam packed with flavor. Surprisingly though, it's taste was very light. There was hardly any after taste, and in all reality all I could taste was almost a snow like taste. I found this really shocking considering it was made by Rogue, but at the same time I'm questioning how on their game my taste buds were.

The night finished with Whitney and I discussing future plans of visiting Ireland, which is probably the best place to talk about visiting while drinking beer. Ask Pat about it, I think he would agree.

A Good Pint

In my experiences, few things can beat a lively conversation in the Spanish language with a beautiful french girl in an Irish pub while enjoying the pint she just bought you, and when the pint is a Double Stout Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, thatś just a cherry on top if you catch my drift.

Red in color, and smoother than a rootbeer float, Kilkenny ranks immediately near the top of any beers list. I found itś flavor mild, its aftertaste delicious and its composition sooooo easy, just so fucking easy. I also found that i could drink them down in a moments notice, just so i could start drinking another one. Shoot me if you want, but Kilkenny takes a Guinness, slaps it in the face, kicks it down the stairs and throws the empty pint glass down on it just for good measure. let that be a lesson.

Fun Fact Friday!

Good Friday to everyone, especially those who get the three day weekend! WOO Labour Day! For this weeks fun facts I was very torn between two topics: Political Party Conventions, and College Football. Since only the Dems have had their convention, I'm going to save that bad boy for next week, and celebrate the beginning of college football this week. Horay!



For those who are as excited for college football as I am, last night was like Christmas Eve, you got a taste of what's to come but still haven't got to the big day (unless you're a weirdo and open your presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. What's your problem?). So since I'm a West-Coaster born and raised, and am filled with East-Coast bias conspiracies, I'm gonna focus on the left side of the nation as much as possible. Suck it Mark May.



The Pac-10 currently supports 22 sports, and their headquarters are at Walnut Creek, California. The largest school in the Pac-10 by enrollment numbers is Arizona State with over 64 thousand students. When the conference was first established in 1915 there were only four schools: Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington. It did not become the Pac-10 conference until 1978 when it added the two Arizona schools to its repertoire. Since there are at least two schools in the conference in each state, there are a couple of infamous inter-boarder rivalries. The winner of the Big Game between Cal and Stanford wins the Stanford Axe, Washington and Washington State fight in the Apple Cup, Arizona and Arizona State battle it out for the Territorial Cup in the Duel in the Desert, the winner of USC-UCLA gets the Victory Bell, and last but definitely not least the two Oregon schools play in the Civil War for the recently recovered Platypus Trophy.

With today's Bowl system some old timers claim that it ruins the meaning of the postseason to have so many bowls. Some are named the San Diego Community Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, and the Gaylord (not Focker) Hotels Bowl, which gives them a legitamite argument. While there are around thirty-two bowls, only fourteen different states host bowls, including one bowl in Canada! California, Texas, and Florida are the three biggest sites for bowls. The first bowl game was played in 1902, which pitted the University of Michigan and Stanford University. It was at the Rose Bowl and Michigan won 49-0, being the last time a Big Ten(Eleven) team won a big time bowl game. OH SNAP!

Have a lovely weekend, and rejoice, football is back.

Big Swell IPA

Another craft from the Maui Brewing Company has me dreaming of the islands and the ocean, again. While when it comes to taste the two are different (this IPA and the Bikini Blonde I sampled earlier), the art on the can is in the same category of bitchin'. The shadow of the anonymous surfer with tower-sized waves dominating the picture reminds any avid surfer of Eddie Aikau, and creates a yearning to go sit in a line up regardless of how great the waves are. 

But about the beer (probably the reason as to why you are here), it is really a fantastic IPA. Very smooth, and while I fancy myself a beer snob and do the whole smelling of the beer even if I haven't had any instruction, it really smells like some phenomenal, island grown hops. That had me wondering however, because I know to grow hops there are very specific weather conditions (one of the reasons why Oregon is an exceptionable place to make beer), and I was curious as to whether they imported the hops. Regardless, the hop taste is simple yet delicious. It doesn't try to be too elitist by mixing five different types of hops while making it a high gravity yada yada yada, and all of that madness. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginning beer drinker based on that most don't like IPAs much, but for those who want to expand their beer-rizon, this is an excellent choice.

I am really enamored with this beer. While each sip in incredibly consistent, it really just projects thoughts of left to right breaks, where the barrels are lasting the length of the beach,all the while curling so gently to drip on the surface of the water. If you can't tell, it's been waaaaay too long since I've hit the ocean.

Word to your Mother.

Fun Fact Friday!

I've got another history lesson for todays fun fact, this time dealing with revolutions! Todays date in 1791 marked the first day of the Haitian Revolution. For those who are familiar with generic revolutionary history, you will know that the French revolution began in 1789. And if you have studied the Enlightenment era, you would know that Haiti was a French colony known as Saint-Domingue. If you're sensing that I'm going to tie these statements together, well then give yourself a pat on the back, you're quite the attentive reader!

During the years of their revolution, the French held meetings to help guide the Kings decisions known as the National Assembly. However, these meetings of the Assembly tended to have a radical sense of mind in the opinion of the wealthy back then. In late August of 1789, the Assembly published "Declaration of the Rights of Man" demanding equal treatment for all. Since Saint-Domingue was a French Colony, what the Assembly generated and produced was for the people of the colony as well. Thus, since the King wasn't allowed to make the lowest class pay multiple taxes along with working in horrible conditions, there was no way the slaves of Saint-Domingue were going to accept their current positions.

The reason why the Haitian Revolution is such an interesting topic, is because it is the only revolt that was successful during this period that was lead by slaves. They eventually became an independant nation in the year of 1804. Toussaint Louverture, the main leader of the slaves, had seen many battles before this one. He fought the Spanish Crown, and the English on separate occasions. He fought the English in favor of the French, believing that the French would not turn the island into a slave colony.

The Revolution inspired many, most notably in American slave history, Nat Turner. Turner was a self educated, religious man who instigated the most successful slave revolt in the United States. Turner lead around 50 other blacks to attack certain white, slave owning houses killing every man, woman, and child who accepted slavery as a legitimate practice. However, Turners revolt was not nearly as successful as its Haitian comparison because of a lack of ability to communicate and loyalty among the other revolutionaries.

Well that wraps it up for the history lesson. Have a safe weekend and we'll see you next week. Oh and as long as I am posting, Doug and Pat are in the midst of traveling to their next homes, so it may be a while before you hear from them. But I'll continue with the postings, so that should keep you coming back for more, right? RIGHT?

Schwag Light Lager

Ah the good ol' Schwag. This light lager is about the only light lager I will consider drinking. I'm sorry but Bud light and the rest of those are just shitty, don't try to argue. The reason why I will drink it is because the local brewery Ninkasi makes it. For those of you who don't know Ninkasi I pity you. They piss excellence. If you've never had a Ninkasi brew and one day find an opportunity to enjoy one, do yourself a favor I guarantee you will not regret it.

Now as much as I love my Ninkasi selections, and the Schwag itself, this giant mug at Max's was very bitter sweet. The beer was as refreshing and crisp as always. Clear as a desert's morning (jacked lyric from Paper Bird, check'em out), it truly is the king of all light lagers. But this was the last board meeting between us Beermigos before my brethren moved away. And un-like other light lagers, the light wheat taste stuck around the entire mug swig after swig, until the last gulp. While I wish the beer would've lasted forever thus forcing the beermigos to camp out in our window spot at cozy ol' Max's, it did not.

When finally coming to our 'See ya laters' I began crying like a sorority girl, who's dress had been ruined on the way to the Barn Dance. While this evening was not a goodbye, Doug and Pat will be moving to Chicago and Spain, respectively. This creates a huge strain not only in my heart, but monday night bingos at Sam Bonds as well. I realize, in a cliche sense, that all good things must come to an end, but it doesn't mean that I wont miss sitting on Pat's roof, going to Prom themed parties in jeans and a t-shirt, the 'Prose before Hos' shirt, and the epic runs in beerpong. So to you guys, Proust, and enjoy your journeys. I'm sure that the characters that you will befriend will consider themselves as blessed as I have to be accompanied by you two, dare I say, gentlemen.

Fun Fact Friday!

Good afternoon Ladies and Gents. Hope everything is going well in your life, right now the Olympics are going on and it's absolutely beautiful. I love the competition, and the patriotism it brings around the world. If you haven't seen the 4x100 IM swimming relay, stop whatever you're doing and look it up, simply amazing.
So our random facts this week are inspired by the four year wonder that is the Olympics. How the games started are debated quite often. Some believe they were started by Heracles to appease Zeus, while others believe it was started based on the Greek ideal of Olympic truce. For those who believe in the Heracles story, once he finished building the Olympic stadium, he ran in a straight line for 400 steps. This was the measurement the competitive field was supposed to be, and why one lap around the track is 400 meters.
While which fact you want to take is up to your opinion, there is something about these games that is non-debatable. Michael Phelps is a golden God in the US right now. He set the all-time record for most gold medals won in the modern era. However there is one record that he will not beat, considering he's said this is his last games. The greatest Olympic athlete of the old days was a wrestler by the name of Milo of Croton, who scored a victory in six different games, the only person in history to achieve that milestone. Suck it Dara Torres (competing in her fifth games, a Women's American Swimming record)!
One last tid-bit of my ranting. The pre-games tradition of carrying the torch from Olympia to the host city by runners was first implemented by the Germans in 1936 to promote their National Socialist party. Have a safe, fun weekend and we'll put up some pictures of our Tour de Fat experience.

Skinny Dip

While this is not a new beer for myself, I always find it a good selection while wetting my whistle at Rennie's. However last night I was enjoying the brew while watching the four year spectacle that is known as the Olympics.
The event that was on was the synchronized diving. I'm not sure at what height they were jumping, but it was high enough to be a platform, so it was a heighth you definitely wouldn't want to land awkwardly into the water from. I'll admit it, my diving spectatorship comes around every four years during the olympics, so I'm usually in shock and awe at the crazy flips and how little of splash they make.
I also couldn't help but to think how much more interesting synchronized diving would be after adding the title of the New Belgium Brewing Company product I was drinking. My pervertedness digresses. The beer is a good summer time amber because it has a nice caramel taste to it like a good amber should, but at the same time it's very crisp and fairly light compared to other ambers. It isn't a beer that you would sit with for a while and try to understand it's complexity, but is perfect when hanging out with beer-migos of your own, or on a hot summer night and want that amber ale taste.

P.S. Just in case anyone is reading out there, Pat, Doug, and myself will be attending the Tour de Fat up in Portland on Saturday. In case you aren't sure what it is, it's an even that New Belgium Brewing Company puts on in different western US cities that is a bicycle festival with merrymaking after words. There are elaborate costumes and bikes, so it should be a rockin' ass good time.

Heaven on earth

Organic used to be a term that designated food grown on a commune from food found freeze dried on supermarket shelves. Slowly, it became a more common expression that seperated expensive tomatos from normal tomatos. Then, then it became an American cultural phenomenon spawing organic as environmentally conscious, organic as political, organic as social resistance.

At Deschutes Brewery, I don't think they fucking care about any of that. They just want to make good beer and their Green Lakes Organic Ale is is most premium. It isn't so much that each of the malted barleys they use is USDA certified organic, it's that they had the foresight to blend five different barleys to make one beer. It isn't so much that the hops were grown in such a way as leave less of an impact on the earth, it's that the choice of two specific hops is different from other beers, and they care enough to specify. It isn't the pure, unfiltered crisp cascade water that tastes so delicious, but the way in which it compliments and accentuates the other ingredients. And it isn't so much that this beer is good for the planet, it's just good.

Flavor-wise, Green Lakes Organic Ale is rich and brisk. It goes down smooth, it feels healthy and refreshing and it doesn't taste like dirt or a love-child of Mother Earth. It tastes like a carefully crafted amber ale, treated with respect and determination. It tastes like it you shouldn't be able to buy it at a 7-11. It tastes like heaven on earth.

And it's organic.

peace.


Pat

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's edition of fun facts comes from the wonderful world of sports. In case you don't follow sports, or live by Walden pond, my dear old number 4, Brett Favre was traded to the Jets. Here he will be looking to make completions to Laveranues Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery, while making middle aged women excited in their mom jeans (http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/mom-jeans/229048/). But, do you know who Favre's first completion was to? Believe it or not, it was to himself for a gain of negative seven yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992.
Another nugget I heard today was that this is the first time in 102 years (1906, Yikes!), that both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox have been in first place, this late in the season. Man, if your in Chicago use this to your advantage: "baby, both the north and south side squads are in first. What do you say that we keep the run scoring going, and both hit a home run tonight, if you know what I mean?" Seriously, if anyone has the number to a good shrink, it would probably help mankind.
Have a safe, awesome weekend and one more week till merrymaking in Portland!

Blue Moon Belgian White Belgian-Style Wheat Ale

It was a summer afternoon that was slowly transitioning into the evening and was hammock was calling my name. Before I could relax I did all the things necessary; picked up my book, gave the local stray cat a can of tuna to nip on, made a sandwich and grabbed a beer. As I sipped on the first brew from my six pack of Blue Moon I dozed off for a few minutes. When I awoke I finished the first and promptly grabbed another.

As I lay there I thought about all the things that I have enjoyed over these last few years. I thought about good house parties with many friends, fooling around in the dorms, football and basketball games, one on one conversations with many good friends, rooftop parties, bingo at Sam Bond's, kickin it at the river, porch gatherings, quint get together's and even the silly dramatic events and arguments that came up over and over again. I thought about how different and unique these experiences were, how important they have been to me and how much I am going to miss them when I move.

The style of this beer doesn't relate much to my thoughts while drinking it but looking back in some ways it does. I thought of all the things that have occurred over the last 4 years and all of the different situations. When I think of Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat Ale there is no situation where I feel it doesn't apply. It has a perfect balance of malt and hops with an unbelievably creamy smooth finish. This light spicy citrus flavor is from a combination of white wheat, oats, coriander and orange peel. It can be consumed from a bottle, a glass, paired with an orange a lemon or without. Just one or many is always a good call with Blue Moon. This beer can be had with all of the situations that I mentioned as well as many more. It is very universal, one of my favorites and it comes with only the highest recommendation from me. It was the perfect beer to enjoy while relaxing and thinking of fond memories.

Bitch Creek

There are very few things that I appreciate as much as beer, and consider myself a connoisseur of the field: playgrounds, cheeseburgers, and hiking routes are a few. However, front porches are a hidden passion of mine. As weird as it may sound, whenever I see one, I just want to run up to it and take a seat, feel the aura or the Feng Shui if you will. While tonight I didn't have a porch I did have a roof, and sitting out on my special lady friend's roof while sipping away at this beer was a real treat.
Today was very warm, but has really cooled down tonight, making it good weather for any kind of beer. This summer I've been fixated on lighter beers because it's been pretty warm and muggy. Because of the break from the heat tonight, I decided to kick the blonde, pilsner, and other lager tendency to go with a new, heavier beer.
After browsing the lovely beer library known affectionately as Hilly's, I knew I had to try this beer from the Grand Teton Brewing Company once I saw the name. I know, I know, how consumerist of me to be suckered in by the marketing on the bottle, but with a name like Bitch Creek, can you blame me?
This ale is an ESB from the beautiful city of Jackson Hole(which a little tid-bit, is truly a natural beauty of a town. I've been there once when I was younger, and did not posses the appreciation for nature that I have know, but remember it being a very unique mountain town. There are very few places now a days where you have to change your run path because there's a buffalo in the middle of your path). It was quite delicious, at first it didn't have the typical bitter taste that one would expect from an ESB. But as I sat on the roof, listening to the minor league baseball game off in the distance, I could feel the bitterness begin to slowly gnaw it's prescience on to my taste buds, yet change to a strong malty, smooth finish. Bitch Creek was quite an interesting brew, because with each sip it showed its true flavor more, and more. I liken the ale to that guy/girl that you grew up with who always seemed alright, but didn't talk much. But once you got into a rare situation where you were one-on-one with the shy guy/gal, and really started to open up, they ended being an incredibly deep and interesting person.

Newcastle Brown Ale

It was a cool summer evening. A t-shirt, jeans and my Teva's were the attire for night. A fellow beermigo and I were looking for a beer and a new scenery at the bar Villard Street Pub that we had never been to but had only heard positive things about. Unfortunately to our dismay that bar had closed early for the night. We continued our pursuit while talking of life, changes, the future, friends and of course...beautiful women.

We then came to a for in the road in the night. Continue on to the right to the familiar McMennamen's or go left to Tom's Market to grab a beer and go to a local park that we don't regularly use for recreation. Tom's and a park bench was the decision. While in Tom's I was thinking about how their selection would appease my appetite. When choosing a beer I usually make sure to look at all the options rather than what just first jumps out to me. After a thorough run through I decided on a simple choice and one that I hadn't had in a while, Newcastle Brown Ale. It had been a couple of years since this particular brew so it was a different choice than usual.

As we sat on the bench perched at the top of the park, looking at the dark night casting its shadow on the light green field, blocked off from the street by the surrounding bushes and shrubbery I couldn't help but think about how surprisingly delicious this beer was. I had always remembered that Newcastle Brown Ale was good but with each sip it got better and better. It had a sweet malty taste but was not too overpowering. There weren't many hops so this beer is all about that perfect malt balance. The nutty brown flavor that is standard with this beer also gives a great compliment to the malty flavor. Overall you get a flavorful beer that is not too filling to slug down a generous portion of. This is the type of beer that yo could drink just one of and be pleasantly surprised or you could drink multiple of over the long haul of a merrymaking night without being disappointed. This beer's celebrity profile is Tina Fey. It's not the first choice when choosing but when you drink it all in you are pleasantly surprised. With each sip it grows on you more and more and you find yourself thinking, "Why don't I choose this beer more often? I really like this beer a lot." So next time you're out drinking and nothing jumps out to you right away, try a Newcastle Brown Ale and see what you think.

- Doug

Fun Fact Friday!

Our weekly nugget of useless trivia comes from our Nordic friends, the Vikings. Back in their hay-day, these crazy bastards would take breaks from battle to drink some delicious ale, then continue their battle. But, after drinking their beer, and feeling a little more daring, they would typically go back into battle without armor, allowing their chests to glare violently in the sun. This is where our English word berserk comes from; in the Norse language it meant "without a shirt." Considering they were going back into war sans armour, I believe our definition of berserk is a little better, seeing as these Vikings were, for a lack of better terms, bat-shit crazy.
So if you happen to go berserk this weekend, do so safely and raise a pint to the crazed shirtless men that brought you this vocab.

BELATED BEER RESUME

I am the third and final participant of this blog and I have taken my sweet sweet time to begin this blogging and tasting journey. Don't let my timing put you off, I enjoy and appreciate a relaxing cold brew as much as these two gentlemen that have come before me.

Let's start at the beginning. I remember my first taste of beer was when I was a youngster in the beginning years of elementary school. Like all good young men my journey began with my father. We were sitting around the kitchen table on a relaxing weekend day and for some reason still unknown to me my Dad was drinking a Sharp's non-alcoholic beer. I asked him for a sip and he told me that I probably would not like it. He was correct. I have not had a Sharp's beer since then and I feel confident in saying that I probably wouldn't like it today, but for different reasons.

My regular consumption of beer took its course in high school and blossomed into what it is today in college. I like all types and kinds of beer because they each provide a different refreshing feeling that fit specific moods but I generally prefer a malty beer with less hops that's not too heavy and not too light. A nice light brown color with a moderately nutty flavor hits the spot on most occasions for me. My favorites are New Belgium products, Blue Moon products, Deschutes Brewery products, Rogue Brewery products and Samuel Adams products are slowly growing on me. My single favorite beer would have to be a simple ice cold Rolling Rock on a humid day.

To whom it may concern, I look forward to this journey and exploration of describing my beer adventures that I am about to embark on. I sincerely hope you do as well.

-Douglas B Weil

Bikini Blonde Lager

Oh how I would have loved to been on the islands while drinking this. My sweet, lovely mother snuck me back a can of this light lager and I was incredibly excited to sip on this brew while eating my home-made double decker tacos. The Maui Brewing Company only bottles their beers in cans, citing their care for the environment, and keeping the beer protected from sun light. While I'm not a huge fan of cans, I let it slide considering the awesome drawing of a bikini babe on the can, and since my mom had to beg the stewardess to give her an un-opened can of the blonde as well.
The color was a light yellow like a blonde should be, yet cloudy at the same time which caught me off guard, but also got me excited to give it a try. MBC created a very mellow taste that was very complicated at first. While their web site claims that the beer is crafted with 100% malted barley, the after taste really had a subtle, smooth hint of hops that is incredibly unique that I've never tasted in a blonde before. It may be the perfect beer for right after a long surf/bogey boarding session, depending on your preference of water activities.
If this beer was a person, this beer would be Diane Kruger. Well known for looks, but there's definitely something deeper and complex about the beauty. I mean, she did help Nick Cage find the hidden treasures of the Freemasons; she's got to have some brains right?

Today was my day off

There is a small organic market on a corner in Eugene. Sundance Natural Foods. I rode my bicycle there this evening, a beautiful balmy evening, and I bought a beer. I bought one twelve ounce bottle of Workingman's Brown Ale by Dick's Brewing Company. I also bought an artisan loaf with cilantro polenta and cracked pepper and a small wedge of smoked gouda. The total came to seven dollars, eighty four cents and printed on the receipt was a quotation:

"If God Dwells inside us like some people say, I hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting" --Jack Handy

I didn't notice the quotation until later, after the bread and cheese washed down with some brown. I was sitting on a gravebench in the pioneer Masonic cemetery, four blocks deep off the market, watching the beautiful summr evening relax into the sunset. I had taken off my shoes; my knife sat next to me. The empty bottle sat next to the knife and I sat watching the colors filter through the trees' silhouettes reaching towards eachother.
I took the reciept out of my pocket, looked at it, read it and put it back. I picked up the bottle and examined the label. It featured a man with his sleeves really rolled up. He was binding grain with his bare hands and behind him were hills of fields. More work. I looked at him and I felt guilty, like I was drinking his beer while he was still on the clock. I was sitting here, feeding myself metaphorical enchiladas, and all he got was the 5 cent deposit.
Seriously. I recalled my thoughts during my meal. How pleasantly the brown ale soothed my tongue after the peppercorns had bitten it. How comfortably the cilantro had rested against the smoky cheese. And how refreshing was it to imagine myself tilting the bottle back, silhouetted against the setting sun, draining off the last drop of the day.
I looked again at the man in the bottle, sweating under the blue hot sky and I hoped that he would be finished soon and that he could go home after a long day and sit and watch it come to a close. I hoped that on his days off, when his evenings were free like mine was tonight, he came up to a good sight, took off his shoes, ate a snack and drank it all in.

www.dicksbeer.com

Fun Fact Friday!

In a generic discussion the other day, I was told that the process of a woman giving birth on her back was started by the French King Louis the Fourteenth. Up until his time, women would stand to give birth rather than lay down. However, this was more difficult for Ol' Louis to watch the child birth. Why he would want to watch I'm not sure, the scene from Knocked Up is enough for me, but I digress. Since everyone wanted to be considered royalty, or apart of the upper class, giving birth on back became a trend to prove one's sophistication. I'm sure today there are some medical reason's why women continue to lay while giving birth, or maybe it's more comfortable, I do not know.
I can just imagine the pick up line with this little nugget right now: "We don't got to follow Louis' lead girl. If you want to stand while giving the baby we make tonight I'm cool, I'm down with women's rights." I think there might be something wrong with the way I think.
Regardless have a fun and safe weekend, and look forward to a beer review on monday!

Curriculum Vitae

The first beer I can remember drinking was a Miller Genuine Draft with a chunk of lime crammed down the neck. I was seventeen and sitting in the back of a pickup truck singing about the emgeeeeedeee sunrise coming up over the rest of the campground. I drank that beer, and I drank a few more, and I decided that I didn't like it because it didn't get you drunk fast enough and it tasted like shit. I spent a few more years like that, swilling the cheapest of vodkas and grudgingly imbibing thirtyracks of pisswater. I loved it; ignorance was bliss.
When I was almost nineteen, I tasted my first beer. I thought that the Deschutes Cindercone Red Seasonal Ale gripped in my fist was perhaps the foulest beverage I had ever allowed to pass between my lips. A friend of mine had shoved it off on me after he stole it from his dad's fridge.
"This shit is gross. Do you want it Pat? You'll drink it right?"
True to form, I answered "Probably," and probability proved a blessing. I took one swallow, coughed it on my jeans and poured the rest down the sink. At that moment though, the flicker of curiosity that governs the world of beer jumped, igniting the now comfortably ablaze appreciation I have for a good brew. That one bitter bite showed me that there were more options to beer than just lite, ice and original.
Two years later, I had my first pint. I had been twenty one for about six minutes, had a glass in each hand and another resting on the table. In the name of efficency I tried to drink all three at the same time. I coughed those on my jeans too. However, the following day, I had my first real pint, sitting and relaxing, enjoying the intricacies and delicacies of each little Drop Top sip with my beermigos. Now, I can't help but think, just a little bit, just the tip, about the composition, the make up, ingredients and process that goes into every beer I drink. Some beers don't require much thought, but others keep my head spinning, even to the point where the room keeps moving once I lay down and try to sleep.
Beer is good. It is healthy and delicious. I have tried many and I plan to try more. Someday, I might make my own for you to try. But for now, I will describe, in too much detail, my relationships with beer for your amusement and education. Thus is my mission.

Peace,

Pat


P.S.

Top five beers off the top of my head
1. Dollar Pabst (any form)
2. Pitcher of Blue Moon
3. Pint of Deschutes Black Butte Porter
4. Amnesia
5. Case of Fat Tire