You kow what they say about consistency, dontcha?

Well, neither do I. But I'm sure they are wrong.

My last 2 reviews were eaten by the Maintenance Monster, who must have had some foul indigestion because they were filled with scathing, sarcastic sludge.

Let's review, shall we?

Jimmy Buffett's Land shark Lager was on the menu for me last month. Good name, as the flavor had apparantly been swallowed by something with big teeth. It was bland, watery and disappointingly boring. I had high hopes for this lager but I should have known better, coming from the largest marketing whore-fest since the Olson Twins.

In the spirit of falling leaves and pumpkins on the doorstep I was generously given Post Road Pumpkin Ale to try and review and this one is a keeper. It had a smart, cozy sent of pie spices upon opening. I could not wait to sip it! The taste is less sweet than I anticipated with the perfect blend of hops and finishing on a clean note. The aftertaste was nothing short of delicious...it made me want to add whipped cream.

And another BIG FAT THANK YOU to Flying Dog Ales, for sending me my favorite beer of September: Flying Dog Ale's Dogtoberfest. Everyone knows I am a big fan of the In-Heat Wheat and truthfully, I was not certain the fall brew could hold up to that standard but let me assure you...this is the one beer to try if you only try one this season. It had a strong, german beer smell (which my sister tells me is a compliment). But the taste was so warm and rich! Dogtoberfest is to beers what Brad Pitt is to hearthrobs: It makes you want to curl up on the sofa with it and watch a great movie with your dog warming your toes. The finish was slightly sweet and creamy and left me with an aftertaste that reminded me of Moxie a little bit. I cannot wait to try their winter brew now. I happy to report that my friends a Raynham Wine and Liquors carry this and it is front and center for me to find.

I ended September with some personal crapola (health issues) so I did not review anything new for the past 2 weeks. But I'm back in the saddle. Lookin' for action. bring it on!!

one long week and one impossibly adorable waiter later.....

Last weekend I finally tried a Blue Moon Belgian Style Pale Ale (with the obligatory orange wedge) at the suggestion of the waitress (it's been on my long list). It was really smooth and sweet and light...I surprised myself by liking it. It was so easy to drink (or gulp, as the case may be), with a cleansing, citrusy punch at the end. Refined but very simple in flavor.

So, last night I went for a casual bite to eat with The Ladies (sister, cousin, auntie) and ordered one (see: impossibly adorable waiter, above) again. And again, delish. I am pleased to see that this particular establishment had a fairly competitive selection of brews to choose from. Now if only their kitchen staff could speed it up a bit, I'd be a regular.

Something fruity this way comes.

Well, I finally found a store that carries some interesting brews for me to peruse. Phew! AND they have a second location AND the owner said if I want something special he will get it for me. So a big fat thank you to Raynham Wine and Liquors on New State Highway (Rt 44) in Raynham. My fellow lushes should go there for the biggest selection of beers I have found, thus far.

If you read the first comment on the last post, you'll see that my friend Sunny has recommended (for the 3rd time) Seadog Raspberry Wheat Ale which I finally tried. It smelled fruity...surprisingly fruity. And I mean that in a nice way. Nothing like when I told my friend Dan in high school that he was surprisingly fruity.

The raspberry flavor was less intense than it's scent, although I still could discern a hearty fruit in there. It was a bit sweeter than I normally like and truthfully, the flavor didn't linger very long. What did linger, however, was the metallic aftertaste. Holy TinFoil, Batman! The first 7 or 8 sips were almost tough to recover from. I was afraid to take the next sip. I quickly got used to it and, just to sure, I had a second one.

(hic)

It was still metallic. It did not prevent me from drinking it, and I would, in fact, order it at a pub. The taste was smooth and sweet and refreshing. But the metallic aftertaste was undeniable, all the way through the bottles and it made me wonder if it was something to do with my taste buds or the batch I got. I'm going to give it another go to be sure because it was a lovely, smooth, fruity and light ale. It reminded me of Sam Adams Summer Seasonal which i really enjoy. I really would love to try the SeaDog Apricot Wheat Beer as well as their Blue Paw Wheat Ale, to tell the truth. But alas, I have not been able to secure any :(

In keeping with my mammalian theme, I also sampled this week Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA. The label was striking, with a dogfish (shark?) printed on a thick, papryus style label. It smells very "yeasty" which I assume is the barley (they claim a "ridiculous amount of English Two Row barley"). I couldn't stop sniffing it; it was a familiar and yet beckoning scent. Reminded me of a bakery.

The strong taste was instantly sharp and tangy on my tongue. I recoiled with an audible gasp, then dove in for more. Something about it makes my tongue lash back but yet I can't stop. Must be the same genes responsible for my fascination with John Travolta. I hear they have a Punkin Ale available in the fall and I am crossing my fingers that I'll be able to find it. Pumpkin and brown sugar in my beer? Oh my...sign me up!!

from a cloud of inebriation comes something bitter

I'm here! I'm back! I'm glad you refrained from sending the search party (rolling eyes).

I tried 2 new beers recently and have some well thought out reviews. But first I want to bitch*piss*whine*moan for a moment, if you please.

WHY can't I find a decent brewpub in my area that carries something more intriguing than the Undeserved Top Ten? If I'm really lucky they'll have Sam Adams Seasonal and one place carries the Wachussett's Blueberry Wheat but everywhere else is the same old boring, bitter, beer-flavored water that I hated from the first sip. I'm going to start picketing.

And, in other news, a big huge HOLLA to Stephanie at Flying Dog Ales who read my blog and is helping me out with my Journey to Alcoholism. Watch for my (probably sloppy) ramblings of their upcoming fall brew, Dogtoberfest!

Okay, onward and upward!

Magic Hat brewery makes a few cool brews. Their labels rival Flying Dog in the coolness department....eye catching and kinda trippy. I chose the #9 which is "not quite pale ale" according to the company. It smelled like the Mojo, which scared me immediately. The flavor was interestingly bitter but fruity. At first I thought I didn't like it so much but as I took a few more sips it really grew on me. The bitterness lingered in my mouth and was a surprisingly nice taste. The label said that Magic Hat #9 contains the "essence of apricot" but I dont know that I ever could discern that.

Up next was Weihenstephaner. What's that you say? Oh, yes. ANOTHER one no one can pronounce. Good luck ordering one. On second thought, don't bother. It was indiscernible from any of the UTT. It was watery, boring and kind of bland. They claim to be the "world's oldest brewery" which prompts me to think they need to do some re-evaluating. It was just not good beer. And I can't SAY it which does not encourage me to seek it out, anyway.

So, there ya go. I'm having a hell of a time finding places that carry new grog for me to sample so give me a shout if you know of a store or pub that carries something new worth trying.

hic.

Cherry of my....

I am running out of new brews to try in my local liquor stores. This distresses me. And since I have yet to get a straight answer to "how long can I store beer in the fridge?" I can't take a long drive and stock up.

Sooooo...I got another Sam Adams. This time, the Cherry Wheat. It definitely has a good, cherry flavor but the aftertaste is quite bitter and truthfully, it does not make me want another one. It's too bad, as Sam Adams Seasonal was excellent.

it's okay to laugh at me. i forgive you.

Well. First of all, I am still having trouble signing into Blogger. It's as if someone out there in BlogLand knows I'm a fraud and is trying to keep me out. Pfffft.

Secondly, people read this garbage. Who knew! I received a kind invitation via email by a brewpub in my city to come sample their beers. I have been asked not to reveal the pub until the visit is over....so stay tuned! Nice. Who knew imbibing would get me invitations? Life is good.

And thirdly, I have a review of another ale. I only have a few more ales to go and then I breaking out the Pilsners. WOO-HOOO!

So. After being forced to leave a restaurant thanks to an unruly toddler who shall remain nameless (but it rhymes with "Shady"), I stopped at a new likker store to calm my frazzled nerves. (yes, I spelled it wrong on purpose. But good job noticing!) I wandered about like a lost kitten for a few minutes until a kindly-yet-rednecky soul offered me some help.

Me: "Is this all the beer you carry?"
Him: "Well, what are you looking for?"
Me: "Something wacky and new. An ale."
Him: ........(that's the sound of his 4 second stare while deciding if I am unstable and whether or not he should call Jethro out from the back room).
clears throat
Him: "Well, we have some different ones over here, but they are warm."
Me: "I have a refrigerator".
Him: ........

Yeah. So, anyway, he gave me his opinion of the few "wacky" beers he carried. I settled on Flying Dog Ales' In-Heat Wheat. Yes, you may laugh at that. It has a great scratch of a black, maniacal dog on the front with her tongue all waggy, being oogled by a half dozen mangy looking scoundrels. OF COURSE I am taking this beer home! The art on the bottle is really, by itself, something to see. Even the label is "torn" at the edges and just...well...edgy.

The scent reminds me right off of my favorite food: beer bread. It's warm and sweet but slightly spiced in aroma. Very nice. I had my In-Heat Wheat Ale very cold but I'm going to say that even as it began to warm up it was still really good. It's very smooth in a way no other beer has been, thus far. It has an alcohol content of 4.7% APV which is not much, but it is so easy going down it's easy to drink it faster than you might intend. Turns out the horny doggie beer has won various awards which prompted me to think ahead: perhaps I will hold my own awards for all this beer I am guzzling between now and May 2008. My one year journal to alcoholism should not go without due props, right?

Back to the beer.

Flying Dog Ale's In-Heat Wheat Ale has just bumped Leinenkugel's for 1st place. This is good stuff and I am going to tell the manager at all my fave restaurants to carry it.

Amen.

Ho Beer!!

Yeah, I am going to need to take language lessons to continue my Journey Of Beer. Tonight I am drinking Hoegaarden's Withier-Biere Blanche. Which translates loosely to Belgian White Beer You Can't Pronounce.

I bought it on a whim because the pretty silver label with white and blue lettering caught my eye (Yes, I am that easy). My Ho-Beer is pretty conservative on the alcohol; a mere 4.9%. Which means I had to have TWO. This is a lot of work, people.

Anyway. It foamed up fast and thick upon opening and had a lovely, citrusy scent like my beloved Leinenkugel. The brew is cloudy and very pale, which is really pretty to look at, too. It's taste is light and sparkly, with a slight hint of something that reminds me of Christmas...nutmeg? Cinnamon? Coriander? All Spice? I can't quite catch it but I'll let you know after my third. hic! There is a mild orangey spice to it's aftertaste which I really like. It almost kind of bites your tongue a tiny bit.

I told the chick at the liquor store that I was discovering the world of brewski and she didn't even look at me. Which is fine because I think I am breaking up with that particular store, anyway. They just don't have much of a selection for me to choose from. Which brings me to my new question:

How long can I keep beer in my fridge and still preserve it's flavor? Can I go to a bigger store with a good selection and stock up on 4 or 5 new beers to try if they are going to sit untouched for 4-5 weeks?

Well. It aint the beer!

I have had a hell of a time logging into Blogger. I wondered if I had somehow been discovered as a fraud (because I think a beer blog is kinda cool but if you know me at all you'll know I am the opposite of cool) and was somehow booted off Planet Blog.

But now I'm here! It's okay, folks!

My friend Jackie is usually quite spot-on with her advice and I admit the similarities between us border on eerie sometimes. So when she advised me (repeatedly) to try Boulder Beer's Mojo IPA, of course I felt obligated to bump that right to the front of the list.
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Jackie is getting a fruitcake for Christmas. >:(

Mojo has a very unique scent...very heavy on the hops with a sharp, citrusy peak. I was excited to take that first sip. But that was quickly replaced with a strong gag reflex. It's very, very bitter in that "cranberry-juice-after-brushing-your-teeth" way. After the first few sips I realized I was holding my tongue against the roof of my mouth, like an involuntary protest. I dropped a bit of lemon in it, hoping to cut the bitterness with some acidity. Yeah, that was a waste of perfectly good lemon juice.

So, consider this an open invitation to come over and drink, Jackie. I have 5 Mojos for you!

Allrighty then. I have since tried a few different beers and I have mixed feelings about some of them.

First, I tried a Sam Adam's Seasonal on suggestion from a waitress. It was better than my previous beers, that's for sure. I liked the richness of it; the taste was full with what I can only describe as a "bread-like" aftertaste, which I really enjoyed. I'm sure this bready taste has something to do with the ingredients and the way it's created but I already warned you: Don't expect too much from me. I'm learning. This is Beer Kindergarten for me. And if you have some educational tidbit to pass along about it, lemme have it. I do have a fab link that breaks down the type of beers and how they differ but it's a lot like giving The Unabomber a Guide To Communal Living. I just don't get it.

Trial By Fire! That's why we're here, folks.

So, my second experimental libation was a Killian's Irish Red. Again, I appreciated it's robust flavor and the way it sort of lingered on my tongue. It was the 1st time I finished a beer and actually thought I might want another.

Who am I to argue with myelf?

The second one was less exciting, mostly because I was knee deep in a Very Serious Conversation about the logistics of Weird Al Yankovic's writing process. But I am putting Killian's on my YES list.

Tonight I was feeling sparky so I picked up two new beers:

Wachusett Blueberry is a fantasic little ale by a local brewery in Westminster, MA. It was surprisingly refreshing and unsweet. I expected something along the lines of BooBerry Crunch cereal but this was light and summery. The blueberry flavor tasted natural and it was only a hint of fruit. Not an overpowering taste. I would absolutely buy this again, and pair it with lemon cake or almond pound cake or some other fantastic and sweet dessert.

I waited about an hour and then opened a very cold Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat on the advice of TequilaHo (Kathy) who certainly knows her booze (Cheers!). I really didn't go into it with any expectations but it is, by far, the most interesting beer to pass my lips. The aroma of it is sort of perfumey, in a intoxicating way. It does not have that typical "beer" smell. And the 1st sip was startlingly full bodied. It has some tingly, almost citrusy flavor on the back of my tongue that lingers for a very long time and makes me wait between sips to analyze it.

I think I will have a second of those.

Greetings and salutations!

Would you believe I am 32 years old and I had my first beer last month? I am not a goody-two-shoes by any stretch, but apparantly my sinfulness does not stretch into ale related territory. I have always enjoyed my red wine and all it's encompassing culture has to offer, both intellectual and frivolous. I am not wealthy enough to *collect* wine, per se, but I can pick out a good red with no hesitation.

I have tried various mixed potables while out with the girls but most of them made me pucker and/or cringe at it's sweetness. I regularly stick to vodka and tonic although sometimes I'll go really crazy and get it with an orange slice instead of a lime wedge! Watch out!

People have pushed beer on me time and time again and my reaction has always been the same: "what IS this?? Something is missing".

Indeed. Something was missing. FLAVOR, is my vote. Flavor is noticeably absent from what I call the Undeserved Top Top (UTT). I am not one to name names.....

...who the hell am I kidding? Of COURSE I name names!

The UTT (and each one includes it's "light" and other fancy counterparts)
Budweiser
Coors
Amstel
Corona
Beck's
Busch
Heineken
Miller
Michelob
Bass

So, there you have it. I did not like any of these. Although I will admit that my 1st full beer (one month ago!) was a Bud Light and I choked it down without the usual difficulty, as my tastebuds were already marinaded in vodka.

Since then I have decided to go on a Journey Of Beer Discovery. A quest. A vagabondage of brewery for my palate.

Please, join me. Give me your suggestions. Cheer me on. Tell me I'm a moron. And certainly don't expect miracles from me. I'm only a human testing my limits of inebriation, afterall.