Cool glass, lame beer

We met a few friends at the Gordon Biersch Brewery nearby for a kid-friendly Happy Hour on Friday afternoon.  We each sampled the Gordon Biersch WinterBock Bavarian-Style Dark Double Bock Lager.  I'd like to see you say that 5 times fast after drinking 2 or 3 of these (7.5% ABV) beers.

According to their website, WinterBock is a strong, dark beer that was used by eleventh century Bavarian monks to help sustain themselves during winter fasts. These creamy bocks ensured that the monks would fast frequently.  I'm not so sure about this because I had a light dinner and was still starving when I woke up.

Anyway, there's nothing special about this beer, except maybe the glass they serve it in.

Foamy Wytchmaker

Tonight we sampled another beer in our beer exchange with our friends from Austin (who should be having a baby any day now), the Wytchmaker Rye IPA (7% ABV) from Jester King Craft Brewery in Austin, Texas.

As you can see, I over poured.  Not because I'm drunk or not paying attention but rather because this beer foams like crazy.  It's impossible to pour this beer without excessive head.  Is this a draft beer anywhere?!?  I don't normally like IPAs but this one is ok because I think it is a bit lighter in flavor than most beers.  Taste improves as it warms to room temperature. Scott proclaimed this to be "one tasty beer."

Good choice Pugas!

Motor oil ale

I'll admit, I pick beers like I pick books ... by the visual interest of the label.  Yeah, I'm that girl.  Either way, it often results in some interesting selections.  Tonight is one of them.  We cracked a bomber of the Labyrinth Black Ale (13.2% ABV) from Uinta Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This is probably the darkest and thickest beer I've ever seen in my life.  If you hold the glass up to the light, you don't see anything.  Nothing at all. Someone on beeradvocate.com said it just about perfectly, "pours like motor oil."

For the first time in my life, I heard my husband utter some crazy words "oh wow, I don't think I could have more than one of these."  Agreed.  This beer should be dubbed the milkshake of beers.

Tuesday night ale

Finishing up some work at home on a Tuesday night with a Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale from Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado. By far not my favorite pumpkin beer...mainly because it barely tastes like pumpkin at all.  Instead, it is kind of like Coors Light with spice.  Either way, it's helping me create mindless spreadsheets full of sampling data and finish my work on a chilly Tuesday night in the desert.

Cheers!

Fall in the Desert

A quick stop by the Four Peaks Brewery this weekend in Tempe resulted in a yummy growler of the Pumpkin Porter (5% ABV) sitting in our fridge.  A growler full of yummy easy-drinking fall beer on a chilly evening makes for a nice and relaxing Monday night on the couch with a blanket once the kids are in bed.