Beer-athlon

The day after The 6 Bars of Christmas tour, husband completed a Beer-athlon in Ahwatukee.  The event was very similar to our bar crawl except it involved running between bars.  Yes, running.

It started at The Garage and migrated to Dos Gringos.  From there they hurried to Caffe Boa and then Macayo's (where they had shots of tequila) and then ended at The Garage.

I believe total run distance was between 3-4 miles.  No photos to post and no details of any beverages were provided.

6 Bars of Christmas

A friend of ours organized a holiday bar crawl at an outdoor mall in our neck of the woods, San Tan Village.  The crawl was dubbed "The 6 Bars of Christmas."   

The night kicked off at Brio Tuscan Grille with a Peroni in a frosty glass.  Our next stop was Cantina Laredo where we had a Dos Equis Amber. Our 3rd stop was Blue Wasabi Sushi Bar where I enjoyed a Pom Pom (pomegranate martini-ish) and husband had a Gin and Tonic.

At this point, we probably should have realized that the night was headed for a crash landing.

On to bar 4: The Keg.  I had a Blue Moon and husband had a Winter Blue Moon (I think).  We took some pictures with strangers and then headed on to Bar 5, Famous Dave's Barbeque.  I sampled their house brew, the Hog Brew.  I recall that it was OK but that I was more obsessed with trying to get some barbeque despite the restaurant doing their best to close.  I didn't finish it, but only because I was hungry for food and not beer.

Bar 6 was Kona Grill where I believe we all had Saki Bombers.  Bar 7, and our final destination was Gordon Biersch.  We all had their WinterBock, which I have already blogged about so I will not re-hash my feelings about this beer.

All in all, a very fun event.  Next time though, more food.

Just your average Scuttlebutt

Nothing much to report about the Scuttlebutt Amber Ale (5.1% ABV) from Scuttlebutt Brewing Company in Everett, Washington.  It was a very average amber ale.  Nothing unique about it.  If I lived in Washington, I'd drink this on tap often.  Not worth the trip to the fancy beer store for though.

Lumberyard flop

Tuesday night with the Lumberyard!!  We both had a few work items to finish at home, so we setup our computers at the kitchen table, grabbed a bowl of peanuts (non-salted and in the shell) and cracked open a bottle of the Red Ale (5.8% ABV) from Lumberyard Brewing Company in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I think we saved this one a little too long as it was flat when we opened it.  The flavor was good but without the bubbles, it was disappointing.  We will find another one and not wait so long to drink it.

King of Beers? Who knew.

Like most beers, I chose this one because of the name and label art. I saw it on the shelf and recalled that I have liked other beers from the Rogue Brewery in Newport, Oregon.  Then I thought to myself "oh, I like to ski" and I smiled because the person on the label was rocking a turtleneck. So it won a space in my cart at Total Wine.  Once again, my very strict and highly scientific selection criteria did not let me down.

According to the Brewery's website, the Mogul Madness Ale (6.6% ABV) is "the king of winter ales since 1991."  It was awarded the Silver in the 2011 World Beer Championship and the Gold in the 2010 World Beer Championship.

Like I said, I did not know this when I purchased it. 

During our tasting (paired with leftover pulled pork stuffed into a quesadilla), I heard husband say at least five times "now that is a good beer."  For once, I totally agreed.  It gets better as it warms to room temperature but in this case, by the time that happened, my glass was nearly empty and we were both left wanting another.

This beer gets high marks from both of us.  We will be sure to purchase again.

At least they admit it...

Lagunitas Brewing Company screwed up.  But at least they admit it.  They even named tonight's beer of choice in honor of their big mistake.  The Laugunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (7.85% ABV) from the Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California.

According to the brewery's website, "This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feard BrownShugga’ Ale. So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats… Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.6% abv, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor."


I was not a fan as it was just a bit too hoppy for my taste without any redeeming side tastes.  I poured all of mine into husband's glass and he gladly drank it all and seemed to enjoy it.  He even opened the second bottle and drank that too. 

But hey ... at least now we're both really curious to try the BrownShugga' Ale.  Hopefully next year they'll suck less and make it work.