Maui Brewing Coconut Porter

As the weather is turning from fall to winter, so does my taste for beer. I find that nothing goes better with the season of falling leaves than a nice amber to match the color of the foliage outside. Yet, now that we're in November, it's getting a little bit colder out, and many trees are bare, I find myself focusing my attention on the darker and hearty brews of porters and stouts. Interestingly, while I enjoy these porters more in colder weather, this particular one comes from a place where it is rarely below 70 (in Fahrenheit that is).

Maui Brewing company is a favorite of mine, all of their beers coming in very cool designed cans are great for BBQ's (see their blond lager, and big swell IPA), and if I ever get the privilege to go down the Colorado river again, these will be the beers I take.

Alright, enough of my personal digression, and on to the beer. This porter is quite dark in looks, with very minimal breaks in it's black color. Sweet in smell, and a standard coffee taste at first with a subtle, sweet taste of roasted coconut at the end. The blend with the roasted malt and coconut is fantastic, making me believe that I could really drink this beer regardless of the weather outside as the coconut flavor lightens the brew up. My only gripe would be that the light brown head didn't last long enough for me. But I like a bit of froth on top more than your average beermigo.

Beermigos Rating: Burger and a brew beer. Fairly high in abv (5.7%), but I would imagine that a nice cheeseburger with a pineapple ring would buddy up with this beer like PB and J.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Oh dear Beermigos, I know, I know, the recent updates have been severely lacking. But I do have a decent excuse in the fact that I was in Europe. Other than Germany, and Guinness, there isn't much good beer in the Old World. I will not complain however, because the trip was fantastic and while I was missing beer, I would willing sacrifice Northwest beer for another go 'round in that region.

Any-who, my first beer back in the US was a familiar one that I had not drank in a long time. Naturally, this fine brew was consumed at the amazing establishment, Sam Bonds Car Garage, on another Monday Night Bingo. Pat was there to enjoy a beer with me, and we discussed our two different European experiences, and how I had missed Northwest-ish beer. Sierra Nevada is made in Northern California (geography!), but still has that hoppy, bitter, Northwest taste. It was fantastic to have a familiar beer, at a familiar event, with a familiar Beermigo. For those of you who may not sampled this beverage, it's a pretty typical pale ale. Copper in color, off white head, a spring floral scent, and a pleasant bitter finish.

Hot damn how I missed Northwest(ish) beer.

Beermigos rating: Beer with the Girlfriend/Boyfriend's parents at dinner. Solid taste, decent amount of alcohol, reasonably priced. Can't ask for too much more.

Dynamo Copper Lager

So there is this bar in Chicago in the Avondale neighborhood called Kuma's Corner. I was having an exploratory day and had heard of this bar because of their burgers and their whiskey on tap (yes, on tap). It was hot and I had been walking around a lot. Earlier I had eaten a fine meal from one of my new favorite restaurants, Hot Doug's: The Sausage Superstore (no joke). I was full from the greasefest and thirsty but not parched from the heat. I needed a good brew as a comfort blanket to the hot dog and fries. Nothing too thick but I wanted something with some flavor. When I saw the title of this beer "copper lager" it seemed like an interesting combination so I gave it a go.

Well first off it's a lager but with a solid copper color rather than a bold yellow color. My goodness this was refreshing. It was partially the situation but also just the smooth finish. It was smooth like a lager but I felt that this had a more bold flavor than most lagers. It was very hoppy but it had a nice balance of malts in the aftertaste. There was a very nice hint of spice in the taste that the malty finish cancelled out. It was very interesting because this was a very full-bodied beer but it was not too filling. Usually a beer with a bold taste can be a one and done but this didn't fill me up too much at all. The brew finished great! I refreshed myself with a shot of spicy Buffalo Trace whiskey (on tap) and headed out the door on my way home. All in all a good day of exploration.

Beermigos Rating - The Burger and a Brew Rating: This was a tough call between this rating and an In-Laws beer. I chose this because I know that this beer would go fantastic with a burger. At 5.6% ABV it's not a thumper but it's still plenty. Frankly I've been thinking about this beer since I drank it and if I saw this as a deal with a burger it would be too good to pass up. This flaovor would hold it's own not only against a burger but with a lot of different foods. It complimented my hot dog well. But really this beer could be drunk at anytime, that's how much I loved it.

Stella Artois

The second review from Ireland is a much different beer from the first. This time around the beer is quite a light lager from Belgium that was quite refreshing. After a hard day's work, nothing felt better than to feel the rare Ireland sun beam down on to my body, while laying on tires, drinking this beer, and listening to about four different languages. We currently have some frenchmen, two spaniards, two germans, and two other eugenians!

The beer again was a nice lager, so while not heavy in taste, it was verry refreshing. A nice bite to it, but still very light. Crystal clear in color, almost a European version of our Coors, and Miller but better tasting.

Beermigos rating: Throwback brew. Average amount of alcohol content, 5 %, and very smooth. Almost screams at you to start barbequeing burgers.

Guinness in Ireland

A-hoy matees! I come to thee from a far away land, known for it's lush greenness and it's dark, dark beer. All right enough of this pirate bullshit, were there ever pirates in Ireland? Vikings maybe, but would...damnit enough of this digression. I've been working at a soon to be hostel in Wicklow, Ireland filling tires with dirt that will eventually be covered by cement. So far so good except for one small detail: the nearest beer is 6 kilometers away. Damn it. Never the less, when a beermigo is in need of a brew, he will get one if it's the last thing he does before reaching Davey Jones' Locker (son of a bitch).

I walked the 6 km to the nearest semi-town with beer. My only option was to stop by a nice little pub and grab a couple of bottles to go. Playing to the friendly, openness stereotype of the Irish culture, I walked into the pub because it's door was wide open, yet there was no one inside. I called hello a couple of times, but no one came calling back. If I didn't have a conscious I could have easily hopped the bar, grabbed a handful of brews, and been on my jolly, deviant way. Instead I found the man who owned the bar working on a cement wall at the side of the house (is everyone in Ireland working on some sort of cement wall?). He walked me in, and got the attention of his 70ish year old mother who was glad to serve me.

Having worked 8 hours that day, a 12 km walk was a little rough, and about half way on my walk back I needed a pick me up. I some how managed to crack open one of my Guinness' with my coat zipper, and took healthy swigs as I strolled back to the hostel. I'm not sure if there is more of an authentic Irish experience of walking on an old country road (which are scary as shit, by the way), sipping a Guinness, and having nothing to listen to other than wind, and cows.

Beermigos Rating: Onesy Brew: We've all had Guinness before, but naturally this one was a little more special. It is true what they say, the Guinness here is better than in the states but I think it's just because it's a little fresher. You would think carbonation would eliminate that factor, but there's something about them here. That, and you don't want to drink more than one beer while walking on these roads, trust me.

Miller High Life

I'm back fellow beer drinkers! Sorry for the hiatus, but I've been on the Colorado River for two weeks, rafting, camping, and fearing for my life. The scenery was astonishing. The fact that the youngest rock at the very top of the rim is approximated at 300 million years old, while the stuff at the bottom is dated at 1.7 billion years old. Considering those numbers, it makes one feel pretty insignificant. 

Now since you are required to carry everything that you bring in the canyon back out, it's easiest to bring canned beer. After drinking them, you get to harness your inner caveman, and smash the can flat to make it easier to carry out. The biggest debate is which cheap domestic do you want to drink for the next two weeks. My choice was the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life. Now while I do enjoy one every now and then, it isn't my top choice as you readers know. However, while you're sitting on a rock watching Hermit rapid the night before you go down it, or cracking a celebratory beer after surviving your first really big rapid, a High Life tastes damn good. Simple, refreshing, crisp, and leaves a little buzz. That's all you need to go with the massive adrenaline rushes.

Beermigos Rating: Contemplating the meaning of Life brew. While this rating is based mostly on the scenery and the trip itself, there really isn't anything that tastes as good as a beer after a long day of rafting and hiking.

Magic Hat: Summer Scene Variety 12 Pack

As I was rolling through the aisle of an alcohol emporium that I've discovered, called Binny's, I poked around in the beer section looking for something new and interesting (like I usually do). Upon my search I found this 12 pack that had an appealing cartoonish drawing on its side. As I delved further into this mystery I found this was 1. a beer company I had never heard of, 2. a variety pack with 4 of their summer seasonals and 3. obtained what looked to be very unique brews. My search was over.

Magic Hat is a brewery in South Burlington, Vermont. They are mostly in the Northeast and they distribute to Binny's some who does a good job of collecting beer from all over the country and world. Their goal is to establish themselves as a brewer of world-class beer and continually evolving brand of distinction. They also place a high value on having positive energy in the workplace because they feel that it has an effect on the quality of their brews. I thought I had discovered a new secret to pass on to my beermigos and brag about. I was pumped! However, when I boasted about my new finding to another beermigo he had already tasted their sweet delights and informed me that he had tried it before while in Washington D.C. two years back. DAMNIT...I thought. But wait just one second Douglas. It's just not the beermigo way to be angry at another beermigo for having tasted a delicious brew and thouroughly enjoying it. Shame on me I thought..no, good for my beermigo and good for me. Because now I could enjoy not only 1 but 4 of the brews that he had been so lucky to try before. And enjoy I did.


#9 Not-Quite-Pale-Ale: This beer is very much like the title. It tastes like a pale ale in a lot of ways, but it's not quite a pale ale. This beer is dry, crisp and refreshing but there's a hint of sweetness to it that's not normal with a pale ale. Some sort of gingersweet spicyness that is not overwhelming and adds a unique and awesome taste to it. This beer is very light, but because of that sweetness very flavorful too. It finishes real smooth and the last taste was just as good as the first.

Beermigos Rating: Dinner with the In-Laws - At 4.6% this beer accomplishes you being able to have a couple and not look like a drunkard in front of that special someone's parents. It's also a fairly high quality beer. The sweetness makes it still taste like a beer but not be too rough for the ladies. The unique flavor and title (not quite pale ale) will have the father impressed with your vast knowledge of different types and varieties of beer in the world. While doing all of this you'll be able to sit back, relax and enjoy a good beer becase you will have impressed the in-laws.

Lucky Kat: Lucky Kat is described as a mysterious beer that when you take a sip will bite back with a big hoppy kiss. I must say, I think these Magic Hat brewers know what they're talking about. This beer doesn't really fit into a specific type or category. It is incredibly sweet and very hoppy. It's hoppy and bitter taste make me want to say IPA but its sweetness just throws you off. With all that's going on in there it is still very smooth and has a definite clean and CRISP finish. The hops are very overpowering and this beer most certainly is.................mysterious.

Beermigos Rating: Debating the Meaning of Life with your Beermigos - This beer is very mysterious as I said. It's not the most complex beer I've had but it's still rises up many questions which is how a good discussion on the meaning of life begins. Just as you're trying to wrap your tongue around it you get smacked pack with a powerful-aftertaste-punch. Plus at 5.8%, it can easily put you in that right mindset for opening up with the deeper questions.

Wacko: This beer is fucking Wacko! It is described as a beet red summer beer. This is because an extra (and potent) ingredient they've chosen to put into this is beet sugar. So the beer has a beet red coloring as well as sweet flavor. Although I have to say, it doesn't ruin the beer. It is very malty with a subdued hop bite which is followed by a crisp sweet finish. It has a slight sour taste to it as well (odd). Ultimately though the beet sugar throws you a new one and keeps you guessing, as well as taking more sips just figure out this unique taste.

Beermigos Rating: I'm afraid this beer doesn't fit into our rating system. This beer really is fucking Wacko! It's not a Debating the Meaning of Life because it just stands out too much to allow clear thoughts of other more complex things. It's not an In-Laws because they could very easily be unimpressed with your odd selection. Too flavorful for a Throw-back or Ballgame brew. At 4.5% it's not very strong, but even though it has no category it is more than worth trying. Maybe a Onesy but it has a very uniqe taste that may not be enjoyed. This beer is just fucking Wacko!

Odd Notion Summer: This beer is a Belgian Blonde but not your typical Belgian Blonde. It is golden in color and has a nice buttery sweet taste to it. This is from the Belgian candy sugar that has been added. In many ways it's kind of like a sweet treat...that you want many of. It also has a noticeable spice to it that apparently comes from the unique Belgian yeast strand. It tastes light but it feels very filling after you've had one. Probably all the sugar and the 5.9% ABV. A few of these will knock you back. It's got a little bit of that hoppy bitterness and it just pretty damn refreshing. The aftertaste is where the true refreshment comes from. That is where all the flavors linger for a little bit, especially the slight spice. This beer is a delight.

Beermigos Rating: Onesy Brew- I thought about Debating the Maning of Life but I felt Onesy was better. This is a beer that should never be slammed down. It must be enjoyed slowly to appreciate it. I think this beer would fit right in at Sam Bond's. I envison myself sitting with my firends and fellow beermigos at a local establishment known for having fun but relaxing as well. Plus with the 5.9% after 3 or 4 of these you will be a little surprised/gleeful.

Magic Hat Brewery: Baller!

New Belgium Lips of Faith Dandelion Ale

The other night, inspired by the power of camraderie, the celebration of graduation, and the sweet linger of a 21st Ammendment Brew Free or Die IPA ,courtesy of the Bier Stein, I entered the fourth bar in a long line of bars that would complete, and ultimately define my evening.

The night was Thursday, the bar was Davis' downtown and the man behind the magic was Brother Nikos. This man, having recently earned a minor in Business Administration had prepared for us a loose itinerary of after dinner casual entertainment as a rowdy, drunken testament to his various achievements over the past five years at the University of Oregon, the least of which were two excellently orchestrated "pub crawls" in 2007 and 2008. The pub crawl of 2009 was a culmination of research compiled and organized throughout the previous years and Nikos, Friday morning would defend his honors thesis on the topic.

The night began at Taylors, went west to the city center, looped down to the back quarter where I was left behind at Joggers playing pool with an Icelandic geologist. Eventually, the tour returned to Rennies via Burrito Boy and continued on down to the river for a nice, early morning stroll during which Nikos articulated eloquently the main points of the speech he would deliver later on that very same morning. By this point, I had lost my sense of direction, my ability to count, and vast array of basic motor functions. I had, however, gained confidence, courage, warmth, strength and the ability and desire to write on bathroom walls and tag t-shirts with a sharpie. These two critical skills, I believe, were a direct result of circumstancial contact with Dandelion Ale.

This ale, a recent addition to the New Belgium product line, offered perhaps the most interesting and unexpected surprise to my palate, sending sparks of flower power to dance with my tastebuds. I had wandered to the side of the bar to inspect the on-tap selection, and my eyes had naturally gravitated to the New Belguim label proudly displayed as the most accessible of beers. At first I mistook the label for that of the Skinny Dip Summer Seasonal Red and was slightly disappointed when I realized that my eyes were sufficently blurred so as to make reading difficult. This being said, my eyes soon opened wider than ever before, so inspired and excited was I to taste a new New Belgium. The only other time I had ever felt that way was last summer when first I touched my lips to those of the Mighty Arrow Pale Ale. My lips that night at Davis' however, did not qiuvver with the nervousness, the slight hesitation of a first kiss; no; they were strong and ready and willing. They were lips of faith.

Immediately, a smile. Then, a grin, a knowing nod and the calm deep breath of satisfaction of meeting a blonde and discovering that really, truly, she's a redhead in disguise.

http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/dandelion-ale

Top 5 Beers for the Weekend

As I rambled about in my last review, I love three day weekends. Who doesn't? But Memorial Day weekend is special, because of it's usual events of camping and drinking beer. So here are my top five beers I will/want to drink at some point this weekend:

1. Laurelwood's Hop Monkey IPA: This bad boy is pure spring. So fresh, so crisp, so hoppy, so damn good.
2. New Belgium Brewery's Might Arrow: This pale ale goes along with the theme of spring, crisp and fresh that just makes everything so much better.
3. Amnesia's Copasetic IPA: Going to be up in P-twon later, gotta stop by Amnesia. If only I could remember how to get there...
4. Mac and Jack's African Amber: A very hearty dark amber, that's surprisingly smooth considering the color. P.S. Maria if you're still reading this site, I'm still looking for some bottles!
5. Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar Pale Ale: The ultimate throw back beer will be needed as a certain Lauren will be up in Portland, and will bring back nostalgia of river kick its.

Have a safe weekend everybody,

PROST!

Pelican IPA

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have upon us a a very rare occurrence that must be taken advantage of to the greatest ability of your inner soul. I am talking of course, about an up coming three day weekend. There are very few holidays were it seems to be more appropriate to drink beer than this weekend. I know when I think about Memorial Day weekend, I envision camping which is clearly associated with campfires, hotdogs, and beer. Enjoy it regardless of what you do.

Any-hoo, this fine crafted IPA was created by Pelican Brew Pub in Cape Kiwanda. I've sampled some of their beers before, the cream ale is ridiculously delicious, and was excited to see this beer at Bierstein. The India Pelican Ale, as they call it, is considered one of Oregon's best made beers. This bad boy came in a 22 oz bottle and was an IPA fan's type of beer. Very bitter (85 IBU's) with Cascade hops dominating the bitter taste. A twinge of malty sweetness started the taste, but unless you have an appreciation for hops, and bitter beer, I would not suggest this one to you. However, if you do enjoy hops, this baby is jam packed with them.

Beermigos Rating: Onesy Brew. This beer is not for every one. But as I said before, for the IPA fans it's pretty darn good. A very nice spicy aroma, with a light white head to start, very crisp and Cascade hop dominant. 7.5% ABV so a 22 oz bottle can get you pretty buzzed.

Oakshire Amber

Good afternoon to all of the beermigos out there, sorry for the couple of weeks hiatus, there's been some nice weather making it a little difficult to sit inside and write. Excuses be damned, I've got to step my game up along with my two compadres. Anyway, recently PJames came back from his Spanish excursion and it's been very nice having one of the other Beermigos to consistently enjoy a beer with. One of those times happened to be a week ago at the fine outdoors store known as Back Country Gear Limited. They hosted a professional rock climbing lady to come show some slides of insane routes she had completed recently. You can see some of the pictures here, I highly suggest it. There were two great things about this event; free beer and Pat found the love of his life.



Yes I know, free beer is an amazing thing. But it's even better when the beer is high quality local brew. Oakshire used to be known as Willamette Brewing Company, and while the name may have changed the good beer hasn't. This amber was a very dark and had a nice hearty filling. The malt was the strongest taste, but there was a bit of hops that finished out.

Beermigos Rating: A Dinner at the In Laws Brew. A very solid amber that could really go with a lot of different foods. On the maltier side with only a 30 IBU so keep that in mind, but average alcohol content at 5.4%.

Hop Monkey IPA

One of my favorite parts of the arrival of spring, is the similar change in beer styles that become available. Don't get me wrong, I love a good stout, but after a long winter with plenty of chocolaty, creamy stout (OK I kind of want one now, damn it) it's nice to start turning to the citrus smelling perky IPAs that come with spring. I was at the favorite watering hole with some buds, kickin' back with some beers and testing each other with trivia quizzes we had made for each other. All of my questions had to do with sports, Seinfeld, or Arrested Development seeing that those three things with beer are all I need in life, it was a pretty damn good night. Then came the beer selection of Hop Monkey. My goodness, did I make one hell of a choice.

The fine folks up at Laurelwood Brewery up in Portland blessed me with this beer, and I can't thank them enough for it. It's color was of a lighter yellow, not quite lager yellow, but a couple of shades above. The head was pure white as to be expected, and the smell was simply fantastic. A very citrusy, alive smell that had me giddy to begin drinking the beer. The taste, oh the taste, was quite possibly the best balanced IPA taste I've had in a long time. A quick punch of hoppy bitterness, with a slight twinge of malt, and then finishes concisely with one last burst of hop goodness. This beer was so crisp, I feel like I could drink this beer after a marathon and quench my thirst. I could not put this beer down, I drank it so damn fast I went and got another one just to experience it all over again.

Beermigos Rating: Pondering the Meaning of Life with your Beermigos Brew.
I absolutely love this beer. From the first sip to the last gulp, the Hop Monkey is in my top 5 beers of all time. I would highly suggest it if you come across it. It is so crisp, complex, and finishes so clean it is perfect for getting one in the mood for good weather.

Fun Fact Friday!

Good Friday to you readers (literally) hope all is well. My bad about two FFFs in a row, I've been meaning to review this fantastic IPA I had the other day, but haven't got around to finishing the review. Anyway seeing that it is Good Friday, making Sunday Easter, I figured I would drop some knowledge about a mythical creature that seems to have very little to do with the actual holiday. I am speaking of the Easter Bunny.

While the early Christians were trying to spread their religion through out Europe, their biggest opponents were the Pagans. In efforts to ease the transition from Paganism to Christianity, many Pagan holiday dates were kept around the same time, but were given different Christian meanings. The Pagans would celebrate natures re-birth with a festival that appreciated the Goddess of fertility and spring, known as Eostre or Eastre. Two prominent symbols of fertility were the egg and the hare. The first documented appearance of an Easter Bunny like character was in Germany around the 1600's, when the character Oschter Hawes would deliver colored eggs to well behaving children. Eventually when settlers came to the US, so did the Easter Bunny.

Interestingly enough, the Easter Bunny isn't as popular in every Christian state as it is in the US. Australia didn't have any rabbits in their natural habitat, so when they were brought from Europe, they destroyed many crops and other wildlife making them a complete pest. So instead the Aussies have the Easter Bilby, which is an indigenous marsupial.

Enjoy the weekend,

PROST

Fun Fact Friday!

Happy early April to everyone, we're getting closer day by day to warm weather full of hikes, swimming and bike rides and I'm sure you're all as excited as I am. Anyone in the US, and in many other countries, over the age of five will know that the beginning of April is a fun day for those merry pranksters inhabiting the world. This particular April Fool's day I was neither duked, nor did I play any sort of prank. It's a big stepping stone in my maturity level, NOT. I figured I would search the interwebs to find a good prank that is worthy of special mentioning. There were plenty of good ones from the BBC doing a special report on Swiss Spaghetti trees, to finding the corpse of the Loch Ness monster, and the left-handed Whopper Burger King was releasing for their customers. But being a blog about beer, I decided that this story was best:

In 1998 the good folks at Guinness issued a statement that they were going to be the official sponsor of the Old Royal Observatory's Millenium celebration. The Observatory is located in Greenwich, London, and had agreed to change England's name of time from the Greenwich Mean Time to the Guinness Mean Time. The Observatory would recognize this change, start counting seconds in "pint drips," and it would all go back to normal at the end of 1999. Apparently The Financial Times didn't find that appropriate, and criticized the beer makers, until they realized it was a joke and retracted their statement in the next issue. Oh those wacky beer makers, you just never know with those guys.

Enjoy your weekend,

PROST

Raison D'Extra

Enjoying the company of the special lady friend for the first time in about five days, I felt I needed to run down to the best watering hole in all of Eugene, possibly Oregon, the Bierstein. It not only has eight or more beers on tap at a time, but three hundred different bottles in their refrigerator. A Beermigos' dream. I picked this brew from Dogfish Head because I was in an adventurous mood, and I know what you're thinking, picking a beer to be adventurous is semi-lame but give me a break, it's a monday night.

While the girls were watching their Gossip Girl, I needed something high in alcohol to make it through the pain that is that horrible TV show (I try not to be negative, but it's just sooooo bad). Well I definitely picked the right beer. According to their website, it's at 18 ABV thus only needing one of them to effectively block out the TV while playing Bubble Spinner. It was incredibly complex, as to be expected of a Dogfish Head creation. It's a fairly traditional brown ale with a slight nut taste, but then out of no where, an extreme sweetness takes the tongue hostage via the raisins they used in the wort. RAISINS? Are you kidding me? These guys can find a way to mix just about anything with malt, hops, and yeast.

While the raisin taste comes crashing in out of no where, it fades away very comfortably and leaves nothing nasty hanging. The only thing this brew left was a fantastic buzz from it's high ABV.

Beermigos rating: Onesy/Contemplating the Meaning of Life Brew: This one is so very unique that it can only be created by Dogfish Head. It really shocks you at first, but the taste becomes very comfortably sweet once you know what is coming. With the high ABV, you definitely don't want to be pounding these away, and could start some epic conversations because of it's complexity.


P.S. The Special Lady Friend didn't like it, but I did.

SuperBock!

A few weeks ago I slept alone in the gymnasium of a portugese elementary school. It was kind of wierd, but I simply inquired at the local pharmacy and the lady there hooked it up with the key. It was saturday night and the place was emptier than the cooler after a good river kick-it. Because the water in this small town was slightly off-color (meaning it had colors in it) and because normally I boycott bottled water, I purchased a liter of SuperBock to help wash down the sandwitches I made for dinner.

Now, SuperBock (Sabor Autentico) is just about anything but super. It is slightly too bitter to really be enjoyable in a light beer, but it is slightly too heavy to really be refreshing. The flavor is crisp, but in the way that leaves your tongue feeling like a piece of aluminum foil. Of course, none of this matters if you are slamming them down in a beach bar with a boatload of Australians, dancing and fighting with your friend over the company of a woman without a sexy British accent. On the other hand, when you're hanging out by yourself in a place where children usually play, its just kind of creepy. However, the low price and high alcohol content (the only redeeming qualities of SuperBock) provide just enough of a buzz to bring a brother out to the playground on a warm winter night to do some swinging and look at the stars.

It was strange to be so isolated, out there 22kms North of Porto, but to be so comfortable with it at the same time. It's not everyday you wake up in a country where you don't speak the language and cruise through it so easily and smoothly, watching the countryside slide by as the sun moves across the sky. And then, when night falls, and the stars come out and the moon is starting to peak up, its good to have nothing to do except sit out and watch, nursing a brew and pouring out a splash or two for the beermigos back home.

Rating: Throwback/meaning of life, the same, strange dual-rating of a Pabst 40, which is perfect party-fodder but also perfect for a good, in the park man-chat.

Fun Fact Friday!

Happy Friday to everyone, it's quite lovely outside today in the Big Eug and you know I will be taking advantage of that later. As for the Fun Fact for this week, I originally was going to inform the world on the beer drinker's Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, but after last night at the MSG I cannot contain my excitement of college basketball. In case you've never heard of a television set or the internet, you probably know that sports fest known as the NCAA National Championship tournament will be set this sunday. The tournament is affectionatly known as, "March Madness," but anyone who pays attention knows that the true "Madness" starts with the confrence championship tournaments. Regardless of size of school, student body, or arena if you are a division 1 school and you win your confrence tournament, you are automatically in the National Championship tournament. Thus, guys will play until their limbs melt off of their torso in attempts to be apart of the Big Dance. There is no better example than what was put on display at Madison Square Garden of what March Madness means to these teams. Syracuse and Conneticut played to a 127-117 decision that advanced Syracuse in their confrence tournament. High scoring NBA game right? Well it took SIX OVERTIMES for this game to be decided. The game started at 9:30 P.M. and ended at 1:22 A.M. Eight players fouled out, four for each team. Every player on each benched played some minutes. Overtimes are five minutes each, so that means an extra complete one half and a half (that makes no sense, two halves in a game each twenty minutes, an extra thirty minutes). Unbelievable.

Enjoy your weekend, hopefully you wont have to work half as hard this weekend as any of those guys did,

PROST

P.S. Just in, Coach Bellotti stepped down as head coach. He has had the highest amount of Pac-10 wins than any other Oregon coach, and really took the program to new heights. Thanks Coach B.

Fun Fact Friday!

What's up my babies? That's right, I'm channeling my inner Conan for my intro today, got a problem with it? Didn't think so. This week's Fun Fact is going to be a quick one, there isn't much out there at the moment, and I've got a half an hour to research and write this. Anyway this day in 1899, the German company Bayer trademarked a little pill that they called aspirin. No Lloyd, the Germans are not A-holes (Ha Dumb and Dumber reference, Aspen, Aspirin. Oh the tangents I go on). I had no idea that aspirin has been around that long, but I do now. Have a great weekend, be safe, and as always...

PROST


P.S. since I feel like a lazy ass for such a short FFF, here's a link on how to become a Knight within Royal England. Kinda cool.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/23356

Three Floyd's: Alpha King Pale Ale

This brewhaha comes from the brewing company known as Three Floyd's. This brewery is based in Munster, Indiana. They primarily serve their brews in Indiana and Illinois (especially Chicago) but I've found a small bar in Pennsylvania through the internet that has them on tap as well. I've had another one of their beers called Gumball Head which was damn good and had gumball flavoring in it. This, however, was very different and quite a delight.

I had gotten off work, taken the El home, had a lie down (not a nap) and then went out with the notepad for a beer. I got a couple of looks for sitting at a bar on a Thursday night by myself at midnight, but what the heck. I was mostly thinking about my kids at work and how to handle them. It had been a good day so positive thoughts were on the mind. But I was off work and it was time to think about something else. The beer in front sufficed.

This beer had a reddish-orangish color to it. The first sip surprised me with its potent flavor. According to their website, Three Floyd's says that this is a Pale Ale jam packed with hops and contains a citrusy flavor. Could've fooled me. I could taste and smell the sweetness but it seemed like more of a malty sweetness rather than a citrusy sweetness, particularly in the aftertaste. There also seemed to be just a hint of molasses in it as well. The aftertaste just left me with an unbelievably settling feeling.

Beermigos Rating - Debating the Meaning of Life with your own Beermigos Brew:
Dude, this beer is apparently packed with Centennial, Cascade and Warrior hops but I swear to God there was some serious maltness to it that overpowered the hops. Even with this confusion you can't help but feel good and relaxed because it tastes so good. At the same time though, the confusion also rises questions. This is essential to beginning a debate on the meaning of life. At 6% ABV it gives you that perfect buzz for having a man-chat with your beermigos about greater spiritual things.

Goose Island: Nut Brown Ale

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm writing to you today about a certain beer named Goose Island Nut Brown Ale. If you've read this blog you've heard me mention Goose Island before and personally, I think this is one of their best.

The scene was a Thursday night at the Goose Island headquarters (Goose Island Bar & Grill, 8 buildings away from Wrigley Field). I was expecting a drunk dial from a certain Clairetoris Hambly, but alas that call never happened because she was too drunk to remember. Instead I enjoyed my roommate's band perform onstage while I joked with some new friends and got made fun of for taking notes in my notepad about the taste of this beer.

This is an English Brown Ale style and a fantastic one at that. The nutty flavor smacked me out of my chair with the first sip, but left me begging for more. I LOVE NUTS!!! It is apparently brewed as a chestnut-hued ale, no doubt the source of the nutty taste. However, you can also detect subtle hints of chocolate, honey and tobacco in it. Particularly the honey and then chocolate, which is an awesome combo. It was of course a dark brown color but the smell.......maaaaaaaaaan, it smelled like malted brown sugar. For as rich and flavorful as this brew is it finishes smooth. The taste just fades away and melts like butter.

Beermigos Rating - I'm gonna go with Dinner with the In-Laws/Girlfriend or Boyfriend's Parents:
This is a beer with a lot flavor that I would say just about anybody could at least respect (which is something that's good to have from your significant other's parent). It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but no one will hate on this choice. It's a safe bet for this sort of situation. It's not a Onesy because while flavorful, it's not as complex as other brews. Plus at 5.2 % ABV you're not running too many sobriety risks after one or two. At dinner though, you could throw them back and not feel too drunk.

Stuart and Bruce's Fruity Bash!

OK, that's not the real name of the beer, but the two mensches that put the hard work into this ale couldn't think of anything more serious. This was the second home brew that I've completed, and I had the utmost pleasure of making the wort, and beginning the fermentation process with Douglas. To give you sports fans some kind of time frame, we did this on the same day as the Wild Card game of the Atlanta Falcons visiting the Arizona Cardinals. While the recipe called for the beer to prime for four weeks after being bottled, I couldn't contain myself and had one after a week. It tasted OK, but I could tell that it would be much better three weeks from then. Yet this weekend while watching the Oscars with the Special Lady Friend and some of her gal pals, I couldn't resist again and cracked one open, two weeks post the original opening. The title of the beer is completely mis-leading, there is no fruit in the beer, but rather a bit of fruitiness was in order during the brew (the Circle of Purple jokes ran a muck that day). The aroma was a little weaker than expected, but still very present. I didn't get a chance to get a real look at the color of it because I drank straight from the bottle, but I'm guessing it was a cloudy amber. The taste, I felt, was fantastic. The hops stood out most with a slight bitterness that wasn't harsh, yet there was still a sweet malty undertone present. Fruity Bash left nothing hanging afterwards, and finished delectably crisp.



Beermigos Rating: Dinner with the Inlaws/Burger and Brew: This one could go either way. It had a lively bitter taste, yet finished very crisply that would allow one to further enjoy a burger with it. Yet, the alcohol content didn't seem very high, making it safe with the In laws.

Estrella Galicia

In the northwest corner, Galicia is separated from the rest of Spain by a mountain range only the most hardy of travellers may pass.  This divide, over the centuries, has helped harbour sentiments of neglect, aliention and natural superiority of Gallegos  over the other Spaniards.  Like every other autonomous region of Spain, this is evident in the continuation of a unique language, special, delicious cuisine, constant, occasionally violent protests calling for a socialist sovereign nation and by the sheer and decisive lack of any beer other than their own shining star: la estrella Galicia.

There, as in every bar during the siesta, I sat among the other men at midday with my cana and tapa, reading the newspaper and watching Rafa Nadal destroy some pithy opponent on television.  Santiago de Compostela is one of the few spanish cities that exercises still the practice of delivering a tapa (a small plate of food place on top of the beer to keep the flies out) with the purchase of every alcoholic beverage).  I looked down the bar at a thick old man hunched deep on his stool, leaning on the bar with a beer in one hand and a piece of bread in the other, wiping the foam from his face like a napkin.  Down the other side of the bar was a younger man, cigarette in hand, leaning back legs crossed, gazing carefully at the tennis match, muttering softly vamos rafa vamos rafa at every return.

"Joder!" I heard, "Joder" with the dense thump of knuckles on the table as one old man behind me, with his cigar clenched tight in his teeth, swearing, slammed down his cards on the table.  His old man friend, bursting from his three piece suit smiled and kicked back in victory before the two raised their beers together, "Salud, no pasa nada."

I took a swig and wiped my face with my bread as is the local tradition.  I took a bite of the tapa, a hearty beer stew, swigged again, finished the tapa, paid my 1.20 euro, folded the paper and stepped out into the sunny day for a nap in the park, the star of galicia settling deep in my stomach, urging me to enjoy the day without rain, without boots, without pack.

joder, i say.  galicia non se vende!

rating: burger and brew.  although not consumed with the fanfare of a burger, this estrella galicia/tapa combo is certainly the european equivalent of that cherished american meal.

Fun Fact Friday!

Ole! There's supposed to be an accent on the E, but again, don't know how to do it. This week's fun little nugget is about a feat that was accomplished today, 47 years ago. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth in outer space in the spaceship the "Friendship 7." For such an awesome accomplishment, doing it in something called the "Friendship 7" seems slightly demeaning. Why didn't they called it the "Space Ripper 5000," or "Atmosphere Obliterater?" Yeah, yeah I know the whole Cold War thing was going on, but come on. Glenn himself was a bit of a bad ass who started out in the Marine Corp as a pilot, who eventually moved on to be an astronaut for NASA. He flew 59 combat missions in World War II serving in the South Pacific, mostly dropping bombs and taking out Anti-Aircraft guns. Glenn also served in 63 combat missions in the Korean War, where he earned the alias "Magnet Ass," for all of the Anti-Aircraft guns that went after him. He eventually moved on to NASA, and was apart of the initial astronaut program known as the Mercury Project. He eventually went into space and orbited the Earth three times in a little less than 5 hours. After his NASA career he became a US Senator for his home state of Ohio for almost 25 years. He became relevant again in 1999 when he went back into space at the ripe age of 77, making him the oldest person to leave the Earth.

Have a great weekend,

PROST!

Fun Fact Friday!

Since today is the widely feared Friday the 13th, and there's been more than enough baseball in the news with all of the steroids and players reporting to spring camp soon, I felt it was necessary to inform you readers about the most famous curse in baseball; the Billy Goat Curse. The Chicago Cubs currently hold the longest championship drought in all of American major professional sports. The Cubs won their last World Series in 1908, yes, over 100 years ago. They saw a fair amount of success through out the twenties and the thirties winning multiple pennants, but that all changed one day during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. A local pub owner, William Sianis, had bought two box seats for the game. One ticket for himself, one ticket for his pet goat Murphy. Another little tid bit, the cost of each ticket was $7.20. For box seats. Game 4. World Series. Are you kidding me? Sianis and Murphy got by the ushers at the gate, but were forcefully ejected by the owner, Phillip Wrigley, because of the objectionable smell. Naturally Sianis was offended, and when being taken out of the building he proclaimed that the Cubs would never win a pennant, or play another World Series in Wrigley field. Since then, the late Mr. Wrigley apologized to Sianis, who after a couple of years proclaimed to lift his curse. It didn't work. The Cubs organization tried bringing in Sianis' Nephew, who brought in a goat, the first time it was ever aloud, and the Cubs ended up winning their division that year. However they didn't win the pennant. In 2003 there was the infamous Bartman incident, and if you don't know what happened there, you probably didn't even read this because you couldn't care less about sports. So this weekend, give a nice toast to any of your buds that may be Cubs fans, they've gone through suffering that very few sports fans have ever known.

PROST.

The Abyss

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking a trip out to Bend where the Special Lady Friend's parents live. Bend is a lovely little town, that appreciates the outdoors more than any town I've ever seen. You have multiple mountains with in driving distance (the three Sisters, Broken Top, Bachelor), there's more than enough skiing in the winter, along with endless amounts of hiking and bike trails. It is also home to one of my personal favorite breweries, Deschutes. While we were there, Whit's family and I took advantage of the free tours of the Deschutes facility, and it is top notch. They had a giant, refrigerated room where they stored all of their hops making me want to set up a cot in there so I could live in the aroma euphoria. Naturally, that didn't fly with them. Anyway, later that evening after we had celebrated Whit's birthday, her pops and I cracked open a tall boy of The Abyss, a brew that has won many awards. Watching it being poured, I could tell this was going to be a hardy stout that was going to be a damn fine desert. It came with a very thick, brown head that kept true to the thick feel of the beer. It smelled of beautiful sweetness, a mixture of malt, molasses, and licorice. The taste was primarily of licorice and left nothing hanging at the end. I can understand why this drink was difficult to find. In the end, I wanted more, but even if there had been anything left in the bottle, it was so filling I don't think I could have had any more.

Beermigos rating: Onesy. This is a well crafted beer, and really shows Deschutes mix of creativity with simplicity that is a characteristic of their beers. I was tempted to rate this as a "Pondering the meaning of life with your Beermigos," however, I'm not a big fan of black licorice so the taste wasn't quite at that level for me. However, if you do enjoy black licorice, you might disagree with my rating.

Fun Fact Friday!

I want to take a more serious angle on this week's FFF because of a tragedy that has hit home recently. A dear family friend took her own life last week and has left a wake of hurt, confusion, and frustration behind. I attended her funeral yesterday, and I truly believe that if she could have seen people's reactions to her untimely death, things would be different. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, they are wonderful people and it is a truly devastating thing that no one should go through. What I wanted to add as the Fun Fact, or in this week's case the Serious Fact, is that there are people out there that want to listen to you talk and help you. If you don't feel comfortable talking to your parents, talk to a friend. If you don't feel comfortable talking to your friends, talk to a teacher. There are many different suicide hot lines that all want to listen to you vent about what's wrong in your life, and maybe help give you some perspective. http://suicidehotlines.com/ this website has a couple of hot lines for national services that are free, and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The web site also has numbers for hot lines in each individual state through out the US. If you ever hear someone mention something about suicide, don't be afraid to tell somebody else that can get them help. If you've had thoughts of suicide yourself, there are people out there who want to listen to you and try to help you, don't be afraid. I've never had thoughts of suicide myself so I'm not going to pretend to know what it's like, but I do know how much pain it causes and that there are billions of people who would stop in an instant to talk to you.

Here are the two national hot lines:
1-800-784-2433
1-800-273-8255

PROST

Mighty Arrow New Belgium Brewery

Good afternoon beer lovers, hope everything is going well in your lives at the moment. I had the pleasure to enjoy this fine pale ale at one of my favorite spots, Rennie's Landing. The occasion was very special as well, seeing as it was the Special Lady Friend's birthday. This was a fantastic beer to celebrate her 22 years on this planet, and also a tease of the up coming spring with it's fantastic weather. The light yellow color along with the thin white head, and sweet floral smell had me excited to start downing the brew. There are some beers with the way they taste, smell, and look that just automatically put you in a good mood, and Mighty Arrow is one of them. The taste started with a strong bite of hops that dominated most of the after taste. The finish was quite sharp and quick after the sip, but had a slight taste of malty goodness. There might have been just a tweak of wheat in there, but that might be my imagination as well. All around a very pleasant beer that would be good any day of the year.

Beermigos rating: BBQ brew; this beer just made me think of sunshine while roasting up some brawts and dogs. I have a feeling this is why it made me so chipper, and really is an excellent one for spring because it's very refreshing and has substance at the same time.

Fun Fact Friday!

Good afternoon mai babaies, thinking of past FFFs and considering what is coming up this weekend, I'm sure you'll be able to take a "wild" guess to what this week's FFF is going to be about. The best, un-official holiday of the year that is Super Bowl weekend. While it isn't the best Super Bowl ever, only because the Packers aren't going to win, it is still a festival of joy, beer drinking, and sadness as it is the last football game for seven painful months. For those who don't know, the Packers actually won the first two installments of the Super Bowl, sorry I had to get that in there some how. The game started out to ease the eventual merger between the NFL and the AFL. In the early days, there was the National Football League that was consistently the top pro football brand, and there would also be another league that would last a year or two before financially failing. That was until the American Football League came around and was the NFL's only real viable threat. The original NFL teams consisted mostly of the current NFC teams except for the expansion teams, and three others who moved to the AFC after the merger, to balance the divisions out (The Colts, Steelers, and the Browns). The name "Super Bowl" was coined by the late Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs after a ball that his children were playing with called the "Super Ball." The first team from the original AFL to win the Super Bowl was the New York Jets, who beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III still considered one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Today's game is much more than just bragging rights between two similar leagues. Now it is a multi-billion dollar extravaganza. I'm sure everyone knows the $3 million price tag for a thirty-second commercial during the Super Bowl, not to mention the truck loads of merchandise the NFL moves with which ever team wins and the amount of betting that's made on the game. Hell, Vegas even takes bets on whether the coin toss will be heads or tails.

Enjoy the festivities and be safe,

PROST!!!!

FFF Aluminum Can Add On

P.S. I also wanted to add on a fun little factoid to the aluminum can aspect of FFF. Aluminum cans should be cheered, but there is something that must be acknowledged as a trade-off to the new aluminum cans. Before, when you drank beer in college (like my Dad in the 70's), you could line up your cans in a row connected because that's how the old style of beer cans were shaped. If you lined up 4 or 5 of them, put some lighter fluid at the bottom, then inserted a tennis ball all you had to do was drop a match in and you had yourself a cannon that would launch that tennis ball a couple hundred feet. You can't do that anymore, which unfortunately means not as much drunken hilarity. However it may be safer for drunken bozos like us in college. Regardless though, it would have been awesome. That's all.

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

Hello all. It's been a while since a posting from me but I am in Chicago now and I am only exposed to the Midwest type brews here rather thank the glory that is the Oregon/Northwest brews. It's been rough, and not being able to be nourished with such warming and heartfilling beer has made winter feel just a little more cold on the inside, but I'm getting by. They do have some interesting staples out here though. Goose Island is a well known Chicago brewery that puts out all different kinds of seasonals and different creations. 312 is one of their more well known ones and I have to say not terribly impressive. Maybe it was the mood or my preference but on this particular day this just wasn't doing it for me.

It was a Sunday evening/afternoon and the Philadelphia Eagles were playing the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles were getting stomped but about to surmount a comeback that the Cardinals would eventually answer on their own to win the game and go to the Super Bowl. I was sitting by myself but in Chicago that usually means you're going to end up having a conversation with the person sitting next to you (especially during a football game). This was the case. The man to my right tried to talk football with me but he was a little out of it. The man to my left was an Eagles fan (tough day for him) and he expressed to me how much he has always disliked Donovan McNabb. I thought, what an opportunity to try a local brew and write down some sampling notes for the beer blog. I looked at the selection and thought I'd try out 312.

It had an appealing light yellow color that you could almost see through. I took my first sip and was caught off guard. Very bitter, as a matter of fact unexpectedly bitter. I took another sip to confirm, and it was what I would even describe as sour. This was not a good mix with football and Irish soup. It was very light and was not too filling at all. It also had a good crisp finish. In this case the crisp finish immediately removed any lingering sour or bitter tastes. I could see the appeal but given the time and my own preferences it just wasn't doing it for me. I nursed it and finished it as the Eagles made their last attempt on 4th down. While watching that play I could see the Eagles and I had made a similar but different mistake on that day. We both made a bad call.

I think our new brewing system is genius, but I also feel that there is one category that is missing so I'm gonna go ahead and create it right now because I feel that this applies. It's called the Summer BBQ Brew. This is a beer that is generally low in alcohol content but very light and not too filling. Make no mistake, a ball game brew or a throw back can serve just fine in this situation. However, these are beers that taste especially good during that summer time kickin it/relaxing mode and are considered to be a little better quality. A BBQ, a river kick-it or a porch hang out are activities commonly associated with this.

The Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale is a Summertime BBQ Brew. This is a big reason why I didn't find it that enjoyable in the situation listed above. I could see this being comfortably enjoyed in the outdoor patio of a local pub on a hot summer day here in Chicago. The unique crisp finish is what does it. It contributes to the not filled feeling. I don't think it is my favorite because the sour bitterness just isn't my style, but after writing about it some and thinking about the situation it is definitely growing on me. I think I could definitely enjoy it in a few months, but it would not be a favorite.

Enjoy yourselves ladies and gentlemen,
Peace be the journey.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

OK, I know I've been a little obsessed with DFH lately, but I can't help the fact that they make really good beer. Any way, this nice brew was a very good desert after a nice pasta dinner. I drank it while doing some other writings, on paper even! My eyes are a little burnt out from screens. The 60 minuter is far less intense than the 120 minuter, but that doesn't detract from the quality of either beer. This brew had a very light golden color for an IPA, but still had a typical scent with strong hops. On top of the hop scent, there was a hint of sweet malt that really had me giddy to have the first sip. There was definitely a nice beginning bitterness from the hops, quickly followed by a subtle sweet malt flavor that disappeared leaving a slight hoppy after taste. In the long run, there wasn't much of a lingering flavor making it very crisp.

Beermigos Rating: Burger and a Brew. This was a very lively beer, had some nice tastes to it, but really seemed like it would go well with cheddar and beef. Fairly high in alcohol content, but not quite the absurdity of the 120 minute IPA.

Fun Fact Friday!

Happy Friday to everybody out there, hope your week has been scrumtrulesantly pleasant. The little invention that our fact is about today had it's fiftieth birthday yesterday, and changed the beer industry as well. The product I am talking about, is the aluminum can. Credit the fine people at Coors for inventing this packaging method that changed the shipping capabilities of the beer world forever. Ruben Hartmeister and Bill Coors were the two brains behind the creation of the aluminum can. Now, there were other metallic cans used before the introduction of the aluminum based type, but they were primarily made of tin and steel. There were multiple plates of tin that had to be soldered together, including a steel base, that was a hassle not only to make but also to dispose of afterwards. Coors was met with criticism by the United States Brewers Association, along with other beverage tycoons who didn't want to deal with the change it was going to bring. When Coors thought about it, he couldn't go against the fact that it was going to be cheaper to make, easier to recycle, cheaper to ship, and didn't leave a bad after taste. So if you happen to raise an aluminum can at some point this weekend, hold it a split second longer for the people who brought it to you fifty years ago.

Have a good weekend,

PROST

Palo Santo Wood Malt Beverage

For those consistant readers out there, you will remember a FFF where we talked about the scale used to measure the strength of wood. This is the beer/malt beverage that inspired that FFF. I read about it in the Wall Street Journal, it was a very interesting article, about how this wood was imported from South America to make special barrels because of the woods long lasting scent that would add to the beer's flavor. This is another Dogfish Head Brewery beer that is pretty crazy. It really is just pure malt, there is no trace of hops anywhere. The scent is very malty as well, and has a slight alcohol smell to it. The color is of a pitch black stout while there was very little head at the beginning which had the brownish stout head as well. There didn't seem to be much carbonation when the bottle was opened explaining the low amount of head. They claimed it was a brown ale on the side of the bottle, but it was so thick that it had the feeling of a syrup.



Beermigo rating: Definitley a Onesy Brew. This beer is very unique in it's all malt flavor, yet I don't think it's at the pure nirvana taste to really get your brain flowing with your buds. Alcohol content is at 12%, making it a little strong as well.

New Fancy Pants Rating System

As much as Doug, Pat, and myself have enjoyed putting this collection of reviews together, I've felt there was something missing. I always wanted to have some sort of scale to rate our beers, a little OCD yes, but the problem is there really aren't any beers out there that I don't like. It's not as if week in, and week out we could say "this beer is awesome, this beer is amazing." After a while, it would sound stupid. While discussing this with Doug, we've decided on creating our own scale of the perfect situation for the reviewed beer. Factors that will attribute to a beer's rating are pretty simple; complexity of tastes, alcohol content, and any other natural feeling that comes with the brew. Here are the categories and their generic personalities:

Ball game brew: This beer isn't the most complex beer you will find on the market. Since you're at a ball game, it wont be very high in alcohol content, that way one can enjoy a couple of beers without being too tanked to not pay attention to the sporting event. Drunkenness + foul balls= Bad News Bears, and not the ones Walter Matthau coached.

Throw Backs: These are very similar to the Ball Game Brews, except they'll be a little higher in alcohol content. The primary reason for them having more alcohol is because you'll be more worried about sinking the same cup as your partner in beirut, than deciphering why your team's O-line can't pick up the defense's blitz package in their over front.

The Beer while at dinner with the In-Laws/Girlfriend or Boyfriend's parents: This beer is higher in quality than the first two, but not high in alcohol content. It shows your special someone's parents you aren't cheap, but at the same time you can drink one or two with out being smashed and looking like an alcoholic.

The Burger and a Brew Beer: This kind of beer is typically a micro brew that tend to be higher end, but because of the special with the burger, it's too good of a deal not to get. The alcohol content can vary, but the most important thing is that the taste must flow with beef, tomato, lettuce, onion, and a bun. Cheese optional.

The Onesy Brew: These fine specimens are very complex, and should really be enjoyed slowly to appreciated the beautiful concoction of malt and hops. The beermigos have enjoyed many of these at Monday night bingo at Sam Bond's (highly recommended), but be careful, three or four of these may put you in a situation where it might not be a good idea to bike back home from bingo.

The Debating the Meaning of Life with your own Beermigos Brew: This is a very rare craft of beer. It is in the upper crust of taste complexity, all the meanwhile still being very smooth to allow clear thoughts. Typically these beers bring to mind Benjamin Franklin's quote, "beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Once done acknowledging that masterful quote, your own philosophy begins to pour out just as smoothly as the beer that started the mood.

Fun Fact Friday!

Happy Friday to everyone out there, hope you have some awesome plans for this weekend because I sure don't. WOOO HOOO! Enough with the negative Nancy-ness and on to a headline that forces a double take. Pablo Cayo of Peru fought the law, and the law was on his side. Mr. Cayo was recently fired from his janitorial job, for being drunk while at work, took it to court and won his job back. The top court in Peru felt that the firing was un-just because, "...even though Cayo was drunk, he did not offend or hurt anybody (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28660054/)." Sign me up for that union. Can you imagine all of the additional Beermigos entries we could make if we were aloud to drink on the job? That my dear Dames and Sires, is the true Audacity of Hope.

Have a good weekend,

PROST

Yellow Snow IPA

Boy, all of the sudden I've been throwing back nothing but IPAs. Maybe it's because the weather has been pretty damn nice for this time of year, but who knows. I happened to enjoy this brew made by the fine folks at Rogue this weekend, while catching up with some old friends. The one competitive advantage Rogue has, with out sounding too business-y and serious, is their bottles. I freaking love every single one of them. This particular bottle had a snowboarder with a dog on the front of it, the dog being the best part because it looked like little ol' Duffers.

The scent to this beer was full of flowery life, I absolutely loved it. While expensive compared to most beers, Rogue is consistent at pumping out fantastic beer, and this was no exception. The first, and lasting taste is a definitive hop bitterness. While not over powering to the point of obnoxiousness, the bitterness dominates from the first sip to the last but still finishes smooth. I enjoyed the Yellow Snow a lot (ha yello.... OK I know, childish) it wasn't trying to be over fancy, it just said to your taste buds, "I'm an IPA, I'm damn good, and leave a nice lingering bitterness. Hope that's cool." What, you don't imagine conversations between your tongue and beer? Weirdo.

PROST

Fun Fact Friday!

Good Friday to everyone, hope your new year is going well so far. It's been a while since we've pumped out a fun fact, so here we go with the new year in new facts! This week Slovakia changed their currency from the Koruna (did their bills come with lime? Ha Koruna, Corona, OK that was really dumb) to the Euro, making them the sixteenth country in that region to run off of the Euro. There are actually 27 total members of the European Union, but only sixteen of them use the Euro for their currency. The reason for using the Euro is to try to create a common market, and a customs union. Which is pretty interesting because the two concepts contradict each other. On one hand they want to be able to freely trade within the nations that are apart of the EU, yet they want to have a unified tariff system for the rest of the world that isn't apart of their club (reminds me of my youth, and all those times I wanted to go play with the big boys... single tear.... brings back tough memories... OK enough of the side commentary, this is getting ridiculous). To have your country accepted into the EU, one must fulfill the Copenhagen Criteria; meaning that you must have a stable democracy ruled by law, an internal economy that can keep up with EU standards, and follow the laws of the EU. One last little side bit, their anthem is "Ode to Joy." Kinda random.

Have a great weekend. PROST

Inversion IPA

Happy New Years everybody! Sorry that there were no reviews for the past two weeks, we decided to take a little vacation. Over the vacation there was definitely some beer drinking, so I'm not short of reviews. This Inversion IPA was crafted by the fine folks at Deschutes Brewery. I'm a big fan of Deschutes' Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, so expectations were a little high for this beverage. Inversion had a true IPA color of a dark golden hue. I didn't have access to a glass, so unfortunately I didn't have the greatest ability to get a good sniff of it's aroma.

The taste, of course, was excellent. The Inversion was different from most IPA's I've had recently, in that there was a predominant malt taste with a slight hoppy finish. My taste buds were indicating mostly Cascade hops, fitting considering from where the beer is from. Deschutes continued their high reputation in my mind by creating this sweet beginning taste, with a nice, subtle bitter finish.

PROST!