Official Field Guide to Beer

Moving on...

2011-08-15T22:44:00.002-04:00

I have relocated. Gone are the hills and farms of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and now I reside among the hills and farms of State College, Pennsylvania. Well, not so much in the hills and farms, but they aren't far away. You go a few miles from Penn State campus and you see dozens of cattle and/or acres of corn.

It's exciting to enter a new stage in my life, and even more exciting to have access to new beers. I am much closer to lots of delicious breweries in the eastern half of the state, and I have, right in town, a delicious restaurant that brews its own beer. Otto's Pub and Brewery just relocated to a larger venue and they have yet to deliver a beer I haven't enjoyed.

But. But back to the task at hand. I recently bought a 12 pack of Brooklyn Brewery's summer seasonal brew. Their Summer Ale is tasty.

To me, it embodies everything you would want for a summer barbecue. It's not overly hoppy and goes down easy and smooth. If Tom weren't over in Wyoming I likely would have picked up a case or two to throw down while relaxing in my back yard next to a fire (and perhaps taking a drunken trek through the woods behind the house).

However, without Tom or the woods behind my house I enjoyed it at home with a delicious meal. I made some homemade garlic toast(as pictured pre-broiled below), meatballs and penne with leftover sauce I had made earlier in the week.

It was made all the more enjoyable by having my girlfriend there to share it with me. Now if only I could get her more interested in beer...

After dinner I took the time to bake some zucchini bread. Tis the season. It turned out pretty well. I hope the grad students in Penn State's Materials Science and Engineering program enjoy the leftovers.

Redemption

2011-05-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

So Wisconsin has redeemed itself. We stopped and had lunch in Madison. A place called Bluephies. It was a really sweet place that was a blend of mexican/asian/american. The menu had a very Wisconsin touch to every item. I had a pulled pork Mac-n-cheese grilled cheese sandwich and Tony had a fried cheese curd grilled cheese with tomato jam. He originally settled on a duck confit grilled cheese with brie and something else but they were out if duck. They had an awesome selection o local brews but since we were driving for a distance we steered clear of then. They also had a extensive vodka selection. Here are some photos. And Wisconsin you can thank Bluephies for saving your image.

Midget ketchup!

Mil-suckie...

2011-05-10T23:29:00.001-04:00

Well Milwaukee sucks. Heres some of the beers we drank today.

These were both very tasty beers. I hate this city so much I don't feel like talking anymore about these beers. They were very good though. Sucks that this city is so shitty. Yay for rhyming.

Chicago stop 2

2011-05-09T23:59:00.001-04:00

So day 2 comes to a close and I lay in my hotel bed satisfied and somewhat buzzed. Today was a day filled with touristy skyscraper tours but combatted with popular local eateries.
To start off our day we caught a cab off to Hot Doug's

This place was brought to light light for me by Anthony Bourdaine's No Reservations. It is a cash only hot dog joint that serves extravagant sausages and hot dogs. I had a normal hot dog with chili cheese and onion and a rib eye steak sausage with horseradish mayo and roquette cheese and crispy onions. Tony got a bratwurst with kraut and mustard and the famous fois gras dog. Everything was amazing.

We finish there then head off to the sears tower then the Hancock tower. On the 95th floor of the Hancock I had my second encounter with 312 beer. A common wheat beer of Chicago. Nothing spectacular but alright.

After a nice stroll around downtown Chicago we decided to head to dinner. After a long debate we settled on Kuma's Corner. This place was recommended by our bartender the night before at US beer co.
Kuma's in short is a heavy metal burger bar. You go in and it about the size of naps. They refuse to sell any beer like miller or bud or coors. The loud sounds of Mastodon when we first entered was a treat. The first beer I ordered was Dark horse boffo brown ale. Just as it sounds malty and dark. A very tasty brew. The second was Langunitas censored "aka the kronic" red ale. This beer was extremely good smooth and flavorful. The burgers were amazing served on pretzel buns with either fries or homemade chips.

Location:N Kedzie Ave,Chicago,United States

Chicago stop 1 of the brews and food tour

2011-05-08T21:48:00.001-04:00

This is only stop one of the trip to Wyoming and already am I blown away by our first choices of brews and food.
Chicago is a mecca for amazing dives. At first we left the hotel thinking we were headed to this Chicago brew pub called Goose Island brewery but instead we accidentally walked into a place called US Beer Co. We knew right away this was only a bar and thought fuck it let's get a beer and find out the places to go. So we sat down and ordered a beer both of us got this...

New Holland Brewing's Poet stout. It was a great balanced stout that had a nice flavor without being to overpowering. We struck up a conversation with the bartender which led us to find out that we should skip our regular decision and go with the Burger Bar. Just as the name states it is a bar that serves awesome brews and awesome burgers.

My burger which was a hormone and antibiotic free grass fed beef with bacon and a fried egg. It was also served with truffle fries. Amazing.

Tony got some crazy German inspired burger that was a burger with polish sausage kraut and a nice mustard on a pretzel bun. Also with truffle fries. Talk about addictive.
Now to my brew...

I had a New Holland's Dragon Milk stout which may have been the best beer I have ever drank. It was dark with a tan head. The first sip was smooth with a nice alcohol burn at the end. It reminded me of drinking a nice glass a malty bourbon. Had hints of vanilla and the nice aged flavor from the oak barrels it was aged in. Had a alcohol content of 10%. It was a great beer to clean the pallet after and during eating the most amazing burger and fries meal.
There is so much more to come from this trip and I can not wait.

Location:W Mart Center Dr,Chicago,United States

So I'm leaving PA...

2011-05-04T16:04:00.001-04:00

So I'm leaving PA and heading off to Wyoming. More specifically Jackson, Wyoming. Today is also my birthday! So, Tony's girlfriend brought me a 6 pack of my favorite beer... Yuengling. I don't know if she knew this but I will probably not be able to get it while in Wyoming. So this gift means a lot to me.

Yes this beer is not one of those nice micros that we've been posting about but I feel it deserves a spot on here. It is my go to beer for nights out. It is a nice lager that is cheap and tasty. It's also in my stolen Yuengling puppy glass. Well expect a nice start to updating more regularly cause I will be drinking a lot more beers that are unknown to me!!! Cheers mates and enjoy a cold one for me!

Location:Morris St,Clymer,United States

I'm a Liar...

2011-02-23T17:00:00.002-05:00

Apparently I'm a liar. A bad one at that. I'll spare any half-hearted apologies and get get on with things.

I've had a few beers and a few adventures over the past week, but I've decided this post to be one of reflection. A year or so ago I was keeping a pretty strict beer journal. I tried to write down a few words about a bunch of beers that I was sipping. What I'm going to do now is just pick some of the ones I gave a higher rating to and go from there.

I'm going to start off with Shiner Bock. I picked up a mixer six-pack of Shiner blends a long time ago. And I really enjoyed most of them. They aren't the fanciest of beers, but that isn't always something you want or need. This bock doesn't have the highest of ratings on beeradvocate.com, but according to my beer journal, I still dug it. I haven't had it in a while, but thinking about it makes me want to revisit it as soon as I finish the Troegs mixer I have sitting in my room. Overall, I gave Shiner Bock an 8/10. I enjoyed it's malty tastes and look forward to having it again.

Next in line is a brew I was saving for my giant of a friend. Why? Because it is called Skullsplitter. It poured a nice red with an almond colored head. In the smell of it I got lots of sweetness. The taste was also interesting. It is 8.5% alcohol, so it had that familiar alcohol burn that also intensified the flavors. Overall, I really enjoyed it and gave it a 9/10.

Lastly, I am going to share a brew I enjoyed that comes right from Pennsylvania herself. Slab Cabin IPA from Otto's Pub and Brewery in State College was a treat. Now, I've only been to the restaurant twice and haven't had the pleasure of tasting this brew on tap, but I've had several of their other offerings and have yet to find a brew of theirs I don't enjoy. Luckily, bombers of their year-round and most of their seasonal offers hit the local grocery shelves. The food is great, and the brews are fantastic. One day, I'm going to go to one of their "firkin Fridays" where they open up a cask of aged ale. Sounds fantastic. I really need to go back there.

And on that note, I'm done.

It's Christmas for Christ's sake!

2011-01-02T22:32:00.003-05:00

Although I don’t normally believe in New Year’s Resolutions, perhaps I should make an exception this year regarding this blog. I’ll consider it. But don’t count on any resolutions from me. That way, if and when I do eventually stop updating, I can’t say I ever made any promises not to do that. Sure, that may make me callow, but I take solace in the fact that no one probably reads this anyway.

And now for something completely different, I’ll actually talk about beer.

Tom got me a growler from Marzoni’s Brick Oven & Brewing Co. in Duncansville, PA. The name of the brew was Mark’s Mash Hopped Pale Ale. I enjoyed this beer but should probably preface this write up explaining why it’ll be a little lacking. I wasn’t aware that Tom was going to call me out to review this until I was on my last glass after drinking this growler slowly all day on Christmas. I was drinking out of a cheap plastic cup (not even a Solo cup), and had drank so slowly that it was a little flat by that glass. If I had thought about it, I would have made some notes on the first pour, but that’s not what I did.

I also got zero pictures. Which is ridiculous considering I was visiting my 14 month old nephew and his brand new 2 week old brother. I don’t think anyone in my family took pictures. That is heresy in this day and age, but I suppose we were all just relaxing. Plus, after people started digging into the cheesecake I baked no one could move.

(that's a growler, boys and girls. A half gallon of yeasty delight)

From my week old memory, and a few handy notes typed up on Google Docs, I enjoyed this beer. When there are empty glasses or bottles it means that I enjoyed it. Mark’s Ale poured a rich gold with hints of red with a nice thick white head. The mouth-feel was good. Not too thin and not thicker than a beer of this style should have been. It had a nice even carbonation that wasn’t overwhelming. I never really thought about that before, but sometimes a beer that is overly carbonated is less enjoyable to me.

I don’t have much on smells. I know I sniffed at the first glass, but several hours later when I was trying to sniff the last for this write up, there was not much left to smell. I don’t think I have a very sensitive nose. Most beers of similar styles smell similar to me. Reviews on Rate Beer did say that it had a nice crisp hoppy smell with citrus tones.

For me, this beer had a nice malty start. It had a nice amount of hops flavor that was more floraly than bitter, which I was definitely digging. A slight bitter finish ended this beer well. Overall, I found this to be a very drinkable brew. I’d love to head back up there to find another brew to try.

I give it 4 out of 5 whatever I end up using as an image for my ratings.

2010-12-25T22:57:00.003-05:00

So I found another beer that I took a picture of and will share a little bit about cause I rember it.

This is the Rogue Brewery's Chatoe Rogue's Dirtoir Black Lager. It was their first run at this beer utilizing all of their own Hops and Malts. This is where if you can see it on the bottle it has GYO. Simply meaning "Grow Your Own" It's certified organic and very limited. I got my hands on this beauty at Dee's Six Packs and Dogs in Regent Square, Pittsburgh. This beer as you can see is as black as night and has a nice tan head that stuck around for the majority of the time in the glass. It had a right chocolaty malt flavor with a nice bite of hops to round it out. The flavors of this full beer stuck around after every sip. All in all this beer is great and for being a limited thing and their first run, they did an amazing job and can not wait to see what is next.

2010-12-25T17:55:00.003-05:00

So, I have noticed that I am a complete and utter failure when it comes to updating this blog. I had this big plan to constantly update it and share my knowledge and love for the beers I have been consuming throughout the days. This was also going to be a reference to what I have and have not drank. So, starting today I will try to have a continuous update weekly and my partner in crime Kait (cappy) give her input to the world of beers. I know for a fact that we are having a beer and whiskey session in the next week so that may be the first joint effort on a post. And I know she has a SHITload of good beers to throw some words down about. Well until then I'll leave you with a picture from my latest venture of local Brewpub drinkery.

Here is the 8 6-oz. samples of all the beers offered and made at Marzoni's in Duncansville, PA. The 6 beers in the holster are the standard year round beers made and served at Marzoni's. The two sitting on the table at Mark's Mashed Hop IPA and their Baltic Porter. Kait will have to give a run down on the IPA since I purchased her a growler of it. But yes all of the beers here are excellent and the food is just as good. If you are in the Altoona area hit this place up! More to come soon!!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Once More With Feeling...

2010-05-07T22:09:00.005-04:00

Tom and I aren't very good at this whole "blogging" idea. Sure we love beer and the good times that associate with it, I think we just have a hard time sitting down and writing about it.

My plans for tonight, however, just begged to be written. After a long week of working, I had ideas. A movie, a beer or two and perhaps a few homemade cherry bombs would cure all the ails of the week.

Tonight I am enjoying a bomber of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I remember the first time I had this beer. I was completely unaware of any craft beer. I drank PBR and Yuengling because they were cheap and Guinness when I wanted to feel classy. I bought a six pack of Rogue on a whim, both because it was actually in a local six pack shop, and I needed something for a byob basement show at a friend's house. Everyone else, used to 40s and Natty Ice, scoffed at my gross beer. I think there's even a picture somewhere on facebook with me sipping a brew that is captioned "dead guy ale, gross." I enjoyed my six pack and got thoroughly drunk. Judge ye not, I'm five feet tall and if I'm in the mood I get drunk good and fast. Since then, I've always been trying new beers. It was a gateway drug for me, and I'll always be glad of my decision to spend a few more dollars to take a chance on something new.

As a companion to my beer I will be partaking in some homemade cherry bombs. It was an experiment so I only bought a tiny jar. I made these with two kinds of rum. Maybe a shot of Sailor Jerry Rum, just to finish off a fifth, and filled the rest with Kraken. Kraken is interesting. Super cool bottle design, horrible smell, nice taste. Easy on the wallet as well, which never hurts. I essentially dumped all of the syrup. In my next batch I think I'll leave a little more, just for a bit of extra sweetness, and if my luck holds, the next batch will be dangerous. I'm hoping to get my hands on a fifth of Everclear this summer. I have family in Tennessee, and it seems to be the vacation destination this summer. I know this is a beer blog, but hell, what is life without some spiked fruit in it? If I can get some hypodermic syringes, I could have oodles of fun with some oranges. Imagine that in a wheat beer. Good times.

I almost forgot to mention that I opened my beer with this bitching mermaid bottle opener my mother bought for me from some craft store that resides in a remodeled barn. It isn't the best opener, the tab is thick, so you have to use a lot of pressure to get it under the cap. I excuse this on the basis of form over function. It's heavy and iron and I can't wait to make up some bullshit story about how it's a family heirloom of some kind. Yes, I'm that kind of person.

Now before I get too long winded, I'm going to pay attention to Gangs of New York, drink my beer, eat my liquor and munch a bit on some sour cream and onion chex mix. Once the weekend comes, I am truly living the good life.

First Snow

2009-10-15T21:55:00.004-04:00

Today it snowed for the first time. I didn't get to see it, but I heard it happened, so that's good enough to me. To commemorate this event I decided to crack open a Russian imperial stout I've had in the fridge. Well I have a lot of beer in the fridge that needs drinking, but this was in the front, and I wanted an imperial today.

I reached in my fridge and pulled out Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout by North Coast Brewing Co.

On a cold wet miserable day, this is just what the doctor ordered. It poured black. Blacker than black. More black. Ebony. Holding it up to the light delivered no refracted copper or mahogany tones that are found in some stouts and porters. The head was this rich dark tan color that was thick and foamy that laced nicely as I emptied the glass.

The smell hit me in the face as soon as I cracked the cap on the bottle. Strong roasted smells. Coffee, caramel, barley, chocolates. A rich smell that I could put my nose in all day.

The taste hits you in the face. That first pull is akin to someone setting off a roman candle in your mouth. Big flavor. Strong roasted barley tastes with a slight sweetness that tastes like caramel. Maybe a little fruity. It finishes with a super strong bitter coffee flavor that just pulls it together. I barely drink coffee anymore, and tend to miss it, and this type of beer is right up my alley. That coffee taste stays with you. It also gives you a very nice warm alcohol burn on the way down. Not too overpowering. It has a pretty light to medium mouthfeel that means I could probably drink a few of these and call it a pretty good night.

This beer kicks ass. I would suggest it to anyone that can handle imperials. Not that long ago, I couldn't handle this type of brew, now I search it out and love it. This style of beer is as close as we get to the ambrosia of the gods. This particular brew lives up to that standard. Go get yourself one today.

Ramblings on the Week End.

2009-09-25T23:12:00.002-04:00

Tom and I aren't very good at keeping this thing updated, but here's an attempt at a post. I'll add pictures tomorrow. Eventually.

For me this has been a long week. Every week ends up feeling longer than the previous regardless of whether or not it actually is. Tonight I decided to pop open a bomber I've had in the fridge for a few weeks. Slab Cabin IPA from Otto's Pub & Brewery up in State College, Pennsylvania. It's pretty delicious. Lots of citrus flavor, grapefruit and orange zest. It's nice and hoppy without being too overpowering. Well balanced. Could probably drink it until I'm good and pissed.

This isn't just a beer night though. This is all about ambiance. I've got this week's premier of SVU playing as I type this right now. I've got some pumpernickel pretzels and some uber tasty wasabi and soy sauce flavored almonds. I'm surrounded by a dirty desk, a dirty room, and I've got piles of sorted dirty laundry in my bedroom. Beer is more important on Friday nights after a hard week of work. Tomorow I'll do some cleaning. Tonight, I'm going to enjoy my IPA and some pretzels.

Better Late Than Never

2009-07-21T22:20:00.003-04:00

Fourth of July was a good day. Went to some festival in Greensburg with Tom and the family, then came home for fire and brews. We picked up a case of Troegs Nut Brown Ale. It made for a pretty good evening. There was a kid hopped up on vicodin that had brain surgery earlier in the week. We had some wicked steak hoagies from a place called Sharon's in Blairsville. Total dive, but goddamn, that food was excellent.

Overall this was a pretty good session beer. The overall flavor was pretty mild, and typical of a nut brown. Good malt finish with a slightly bitter taste left in your mouth. It was good cold out of the fridge and warmed up at the bottom of the bottle.

Tonight I had one bottle leftover from that evening and poured it out for a refreshing after work beverage. It poured a deep brown with a light brown head. I wish I had more than one left. It didn't really have any stand out flavors, but all in all it was a solid beer. Tasty and refreshing. If you like the flavor of a nut brown, then you'd probably enjoy this beer.

Beer, beer and more beer.

2009-07-15T21:46:00.004-04:00

I'm new to this beer game. Not new to alcohol or beer itself, just the act of tasting beer rather than just drinking it. There is a difference, and any fool who says that Natty Light is their favorite beer isn't aware of it. Then, at the opposite spectrum, you have to watch out for the beer snobs who won't even look sideways at a Pabst Blue Ribbon or any other macro. It's really all about your surroundings. Sometimes I want an imperial stout so thick it's like syrup in my mouth, and others I just want to pound some brews and get drunk with my boys.

The beer game is all about balancing things out. There is a time and a place for everything. At times I feel myself drifting toward the snobbish realm, but then I'll have an I.C. Light with my pops and come back to my senses.

I'm still green and developing my palate. A year ago I tried an imperial stout only to find it undrinkable. I just could not handle it. Going online to see what others thought was a rude awakening. On Beer Advocate it received an A rating. It was then I knew how much I had to learn.

I love beer. I love trying new beers, and I love drinking old favorites. I always love trying new ones. There are so many to choose from that I'll often stand for five or ten minutes in front of the coolers figuring out what adventure I am planning on taking this time. With so many choices, I can only grow as a beer drinker. My palate is still developing. I can enjoy a more hoppy beer without cringing. I can weigh the hop and malt notes. I still can't distinguish plenty of flavors and more subtle tastes. Hopefully it'll all come with time. And if it doesn't, I'll still enjoy drinking as many beers as I can get my hands on. This is a lifelong game, and I intend to win.

New

2009-07-01T01:20:00.003-04:00

so i have asked my good loving friend Kait! to join me in my venture to begin a blog about beer. she and i are on an adventure to expand our pallets and knowledge of beer! so, expect some more discipline as far as posting new posts about our tastings! she has many that will be up here in the next few days! as do i!

cheers!

2009-02-20T17:24:00.002-05:00

so i'm slow to come up with the descriptions for the three sam adams beers. i think what i am going to do is wait till i try all 21 then do one mass sam adams post. until then i recommend everyone try these tastey brews.

next in the line up will be another lancaster brewing company beer, Hop Hog.

i also got my hands on three new beers to my beer senses, boston lager, marretti, and penn dark.

reviews soon to come.

2009-02-17T20:22:00.000-05:00

I will get to the Sam Adams soon. But First I would like to talk about this beaut. I recieved 4 Beers from my love Kait! that are from the Lancaster Brewing Company. This is the first one that I have tried

This brew comes from the Lancaster Brewing Company. It their Amish 4 Grain Pale Ale. This beer is light on the palate with a very nice and well balanced hop flavor. It also has a very refreshing, almost citrusy, tone to it. I enjoy this beer very much. It would go beautifully on a nice warm summer day.

Pairing with food, I would say it could go with about anything. It would be a nice palette cleanser inbetween courses or just a nice beer to go along with dinner.

It has a nice caramel color to it.

According to the website the 4 grains are 2 row barley, oats, wheat, and rye. They also use imported Saaz hops. Which gives it its hint of dryness.

2009-02-17T17:05:00.000-05:00

So I am on a roll today. I got my dads camera and here is the notebook i have purchased.

It is pretty cool. I like it. Coming soon is the First three Samuel Adams Beers that I have tried. I am on a mission to try all 21 of the Sam Adam's brews.

not everything is going to be about beer

2009-02-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

So, I have this little notebook that I plan on writing in about every beer I drink untill I completely fill it up. I'll post a picture soon of it but I do not have a camera right now. I am going to post each of my entries in the notebook followed with a picture of the beer. But, I will also type about other shit too and post other photos and fun stuff. I am new to the bloggin world so we will see.

Untill then Cheers!