McCoy, er, Mesquite Smoked

Friday afternoon I came home from work and there was a present on our doorstep: a package from our friends in Texas.  Saturday morning rolls around and one of these delicious beers is chilling in the fridge when said friend began randomly talking smack about my college football team.  Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? 

After slinging a few insults (in jest) in his direction, I realized that we couldn't get the came on tv and would instead have to watch it on our computer which is nice, but is just not the same. Sitting in front of the TV on a chilly rainy winter day, drinking beer and wasting the day watching football away feels completely legit and perfectly awesome.  Sitting in front of a computer screen, drinking beer and wasting the very same day away watching football feels lonely, depressing and just plain wrong.  

So I decided to open one of the delicious beers from my smack talking friend, sit on the couch, kick up my feet and and enjoy watching Texas lose to Baylor.  The same Baylor who hasn't had a 9 win season since 1986...when I was in preschool.

Anyway, the beer of choice was the Mesquite Smoked Porter (6.4% ABV) from Ranger Creek Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. The smoke smell hits you a little hard at first but after your first sip, it calms down.  The beer is smooth and rich, but also delicate.  We both commented on the campfire feel of the beer - which is a compliment.  If we lived in Texas, we'd get this again for sure.

Cheers to Puga!  Keep up the smack talk, it makes your beer taste better.

Cold front = winter beer

We live in Arizona so "winter" is really something we look forward to. Today was the first day we turned on the heat in our house, so we thought it appropriate to crack into the winter beers, starting with....

....the 10 Below Ale (7.4% ABV), a Dunkelweizen style beer, from Scuttlebutt Brewing Company in Everett, Washington.  As you can tell from the photo, I got a 12 oz beer this time.  And it worked out well because poured the one of the left first and the one on the right got the bottom of the bottle.  So I opened the other 12 oz beer and poured it in the reverse order before serving.

This was a good beer.  Thick winter flavor without being too overpowering.  Will make sure to purchase again.

Wet Snout Milk Stout

One of my favorites is now on tap at our neighborhood bar: the Wet Snout Milk Stout (5.7% ABV) from the Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, Arizona.

And when I arrived home (still thirsty), this is the only wet snout I could find...

Buy local

I rummaged around in the fridge and found this can of SanTan Brewing Company's Hefeweizen (5.1% ABV) hiding in the back of the vegetable drawer.  Interesting.  Anyway, I think it had been in there a while because I seem to remember it being a bit more bubbly.  Oh well. A good local brew but better enjoyed when the beer is fresh and when the temperature of your pool water exceeds the temperature of your air conditioned house.

Customer satisfaction revisited

After our previous encounter with a beer from the Hermitage Brewing Company, I sent an e-mail to let the brew team know of the problem.  I received a response from the director of brewing within an hour.  He apologized and offered to send us a gift card to BevMo so we could give him another try.  I was surprised and thrilled.  This small incident somewhat restored my faith in humanity (somewhat) by showing me that not all people who own/run businesses are heartless and cold.  It was nice to discover that some people still care about producing a quality product and ensuring that their customers are satisfied.  A special thank you goes out to Ron Manabe at Hermitage/Tied House.

Anyway, I have not yet received the gift card but I did happen to have another bottle from this brewery in our coat closet (we live in Arizona - why wouldn't you turn your coat closet into a beer closet?!?!).  We opened the Wheatopia Double Hefe Beer (8% ABV) and waited.  No excess foam.  We sniffed the bottle. No dirty bar rag smell.  We concluded it was safe to proceed.  So we poured it up, photographed it and plopped down on the couch just in time for tip off of the New Mexico State vs. Arizona game.  Go Cats!

It should have been a few degrees colder but we still got the general vibe.  I expected a lot of wheat flavor but this was a pretty standard flavor for a "Double" Hefe.  Slightly unpleasant bitter aftertaste.

All in all, it was OK but we will not likely be repeating this particular beer.

I want to love you, PSP

PSP = Pretty Standard Porter.

After a recommendation from a brewer friend that we ditch the frosty glasses, I scoured the kitchen for our fine China (Ikea) shortie glasses. Fun glasses make beer sampling a little bit more fun. 

So while we both stayed up late at the kitchen table working, we enjoyed a Black Marlin Porter (6% ABV) from Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, California.

Pretty standard for a porter:  nothing remarkable but nothing to dislike.

Delicate beer

A delicate label for a delicate beer.  Tart and light with the tiny bubbles giving a soft but full feel to the 2010 Sofie Belgian Style Ale (6.5%) brewed by Goose Island Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois.  According to Goose Island this ale was aged in old wine barrels with orange peels.  Most prominent flavor was citrus, likely from the aging, with some esters backing the tartness although more subtle than other "Belgians".  A very good beer here that left us wishing we had a second bottle.  The brewer says you can age this up to ~5 years which I think would let out more of the pepper taste which is apparently hiding in there.  This would be great to find on tap somewhere in the summertime...