Friday night dog fight

http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/art/2007/08/micheal-vicks-j.html

I heard on the radio recently that Michael Vick got a new puppy.  Whaaaaat?  Seriously??!?

He also funded the Bad Newz Kennels.  Who the hell thought that would be a GOOD name for a kennel?!?!  All the kennels I know of are happy sounding places - some go so far as to throw the word "spa" into the name so you get this image of Molly getting pampered for $35 a day while you are out of town trying to rationalize if you should drop another $15 for a beachside Pina Colada.  Yes, you should, BTW.

Anyway, in honor of Michael Vick's newest puppy, which better turn out to be the world's most spoiled dog ever, I present to you a very legal (as long as you're 21) and exceptionally delicious (as long as you like good beer) Friday night dog fight...

Punkin Ale (7.0% ABV)  vs. 90 Minute IPA (9% ABV)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Deleware

In the delicate tulip glass on the left, the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.  If you're new to beer, don't let the delicate tulip glass fool you -- this is not a foo-foo beer.  Brewed with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and a secret blend of spices (I would guess some combination of: nutmeg, cinnamon and possibly cloves), this beer made its debut at the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest in Deleware.  The Punkin Chunkin Contest began in 1986 when one of the founders of the event recalls sitting around with friends discussing throwing pumpkins.  In 2011, the annual event in drew more than 20,000 people (at $10/person) to a random farm field in Bridgeville, Deleware ... approximately 2 hours east of Washington DC.  Out of the bottle, this beer is light on pumpkin and slightly too sweet for me.  The spices are nice but the pumpkin flavor is thinner than I hoped but maybe I should have viewed it as a session beer.  A friend of ours brought over a growler with this liquid goodness in it and I remember thinking how delicious it was.  So maybe it's better on tap.  Or maybe by then I didn't want my beer to be straight pumpkin.  Bottom line is this: I should have bought more than one six-pack when I found it.


In the robust and very heavy glass on the right, the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  Esquire Magazine called the 90 Minute IPA "perhaps the best IPA in America."  Interesting because last time I checked, Esquire was predominately a fashion magazine.  Maybe they meant best dressed IPA in America.  The label is quite nice... 90 Minute IPA is continuously hopped, which according to the Brewer "allows for a pungent -- but not crushing -- hop flavor."  When I sampled this, I thought it was exceptionally hoppy, but my tolerance for hoppy beers is still low compared to most.  The flavor of this beer was very good but in my mouth, the hop overpowered the taste.  The Husband loves this beer and hides a few in the fridge so he can re-discover them when randomly hunting for something different.

So at the end of the fight our glasses are empty and there are no dogs standing ... who won?

My glass is empty ... so I did.