According to the brewery, the Eraser IPA is, "a bold and tasty reminder to always forget the bad and savor the good things in life." I like the motto.
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| Eraser IPA (7% ABV) Rough Draft Brewing Company San Diego, California |
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Eraser IPA
Scored this new one out of a box on the floor next to the goat cheese at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. IPAs are not my favorites by any stretch but this one was drinkable by my standards. In my opinion (which obviously most of this blog is), this is a solid west coast IPA but not absurdly bitter and hellaciously hoppy like the traditional west coast IPA.
According to the brewery, the Eraser IPA is, "a bold and tasty reminder to always forget the bad and savor the good things in life." I like the motto.
According to the brewery, the Eraser IPA is, "a bold and tasty reminder to always forget the bad and savor the good things in life." I like the motto.
Basketball watching beer
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| Saison de Lente (6.5% ABV) The Bruery Placentia, California |
So naturally, I went over to Whole Foods to pick up some beers for the upcoming weekend of basketball watching. Got sidetracked by the TO-GO options at bar. After much debate, I picked up a mini-growler (which, now that I've done the math, I realize was a pretty terrible economic decision. Damn you silly unit costs!!!!) of the Saison de Lente from The Bruery, in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday.
Rating: 4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.
Recommendations: I really should stop making bracket selections by not picking teams who have screwed me in the past (i.e. Kansas, Georgetown, Michigan State) and also stop not picking teams who I hate (mainly just Duke and Kansas). I still have 2 teams in the running ...but I have no chance of winning anything in my pool.
*****
UPDATE: I originally wrote this just after the Sweet Sixteen concluded. A few weeks later, I finished last in a pool with over 200 entrants. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT WOOOOOT!
*****
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
805 in the 480
According to the brewer, this beer is only available in the 805 area code. But I bought it at Costco in Arizona. Does this make me special or am I just supposed to feel special? Not sure.
Regardless of how special I am or am not, I don't need to say much about this one. It is a solid session beer. And it can be summed up with the following words: Easy drinking. Clean. Refreshing.
Recommendations: serve cold. If you're not living in the 805 area code, find a friend with a Costco membership and get yourself a variety pack.
Rating: great session beer. 5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.
Regardless of how special I am or am not, I don't need to say much about this one. It is a solid session beer. And it can be summed up with the following words: Easy drinking. Clean. Refreshing.
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| 805 Blonde Ale (4.7% ABV) Firestone Walker Brewing Company Paso Robles, California |
Recommendations: serve cold. If you're not living in the 805 area code, find a friend with a Costco membership and get yourself a variety pack.
Rating: great session beer. 5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Cask of continually disappointed
SanTan Brewery has so much potential. But ever since the first time I went (shortly after they opened in 2007), I find that I am disappointed almost every time I leave. The first time I went was with our brand new next door neighbors and their toddler son. We were literally the only ones in there. Our neighbor's son was like any other toddler and only had so much attention span. He sat in a high chair at the end of the table with the 4 of us adults and at one point, the owner came by to ask us to keep him quiet because this "isn't a kid-friendly establishment." Ummmmm ok, but you do know that you are located in the suburbs, right? And people in the suburbs often have kids. So....I'm not sure how this will work out for you. Also, if you're not kid-friendly, why did you give us a highchair?
The location is great, the food is great and the crowd is great. Notice I didn't say anything about their beer...
But I keep trying because I really WANT to like them. It's one of the closest breweries to our house and they have french fries that are to die for. Anyway, last time I went to SanTan, I saw this sign at the front...
...and I got a little excited at the idea of trying a Thin Mint cask beer because at the time, I was planning something similar for my next batch of homebrew. I asked the waitress if they had any left and then asked for a sample. She brought me what I asked for. I tasted it. It was good but I didn't detect any mint. So I ordered one to see if maybe it just took more than a half sip for the full taste to appear.
The location is great, the food is great and the crowd is great. Notice I didn't say anything about their beer...
But I keep trying because I really WANT to like them. It's one of the closest breweries to our house and they have french fries that are to die for. Anyway, last time I went to SanTan, I saw this sign at the front...
...and I got a little excited at the idea of trying a Thin Mint cask beer because at the time, I was planning something similar for my next batch of homebrew. I asked the waitress if they had any left and then asked for a sample. She brought me what I asked for. I tasted it. It was good but I didn't detect any mint. So I ordered one to see if maybe it just took more than a half sip for the full taste to appear.
I should point out that I am attempting this endeavor with a squirmy toddler in tow while waiting on The Husband to arrive. On a side note: I ordered here a $5 kids meal of chicken tenders which came with 2 chicken tenders and a ramekin (thanks Avery) of applesauce with a soup spoon. After figuring out how to fit a soup spoon in a ramekin, she plowed through the applesauce. So I asked my waitress if I could have more applesauce. Sure. She brings out a slightly larger ramekin with applesauce. On my bill....there's a $3 charge for extra applesauce. What the hell? Are you people nuts? I'm drinking my beer and still searching for the mint. I'm convinced there is no mint. But I confirm with my waitress that she brought me a Thin Mint and I order another one just to be sure I wasn't crazy. Oh, and I might have had two coupons for $0.25 pints. She brings me the same beer with no hint of mint.
A month or so later, I search for a description of this beer on the interwebs. Straight from the SanTan website, I learn: "Thin Mint: We added some fresh mint leaves to Sex Panther, and the resulting chocolate/mint flavor is reminiscent of many people’s favorite annual cookie offering."
The Sex Panther is a double chocolate porter. Does the photo above look like a double chocolate porter? Nope. I now am able to confirm what I thought previously ... the waitress brought me the wrong beer, TWICE.
Come on SanTan. Get it together.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Funky boozer
This beer is a BOOZER. But it tastes so good you won't realize it is a boozer until you're already running your mouth about something you have no business running your mouth about. Hence the name.
Deceit won a gold medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival in the Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale category. I like it when beers win medals. Especially when they are beers that I can get my hands on and enjoy. But when I think of a beer winning a medal, I often imagine a cartoon version of a bomber of beer hopping up onto the stage to accept their medal, which is awkwardly draped around the neck of the bottle, and then the bottle stepping behind the microphone to give a speech, in which they inevitably thank the Brewmaster who made them, all the creative directors (by name, of course) and finally, their mother.
According to the brewer, this brew was made with a "high percentage of Pilsner malt and a unique Belgian yeast strain to present a sweet lemon character in the aroma." This citrus quality carries into the flavor and finishes with a slight tartness. The brewer instructs to serve at 50 degrees in a tulip glass...which we did.
Recommendations: be prepared for this sneaky boozer
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system
Deceit won a gold medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival in the Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale category. I like it when beers win medals. Especially when they are beers that I can get my hands on and enjoy. But when I think of a beer winning a medal, I often imagine a cartoon version of a bomber of beer hopping up onto the stage to accept their medal, which is awkwardly draped around the neck of the bottle, and then the bottle stepping behind the microphone to give a speech, in which they inevitably thank the Brewmaster who made them, all the creative directors (by name, of course) and finally, their mother.
According to the brewer, this brew was made with a "high percentage of Pilsner malt and a unique Belgian yeast strain to present a sweet lemon character in the aroma." This citrus quality carries into the flavor and finishes with a slight tartness. The brewer instructs to serve at 50 degrees in a tulip glass...which we did.
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| Deceit Belgian-Style Golden Ale (9.4% ABV) Funkwerks Fort Collins, Colorado |
Recommendations: be prepared for this sneaky boozer
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Homebrew 4: Experimental Porter (ExPo)
My goal was to have first porter ready to drink in time for St. Patrick's Day. I'm not Irish, but I celebrate and appreciate a good beer-based holiday just like everyone else.
I had been planning this one for a while. It started off with a crazy idea from my sister but then morphed into something slightly different, but equally as experimental. I started off with a slightly unusual porter that featured a chocolate grain and then added some French dark chocolate (85% cacao) and Reese's Peanut Butter chips. Interestingly enough, despite being submerged in 155 degree liquid, the peanut butter chips never fully dissolved. They melted a bit but still remained in chip shape. Now that I've seen that, it makes me a bit uncertain of what is really in them...but I'm sure that I will continue to eat them by the handful.
Three and a half weeks later...I'll admit, I was nervous to try it. The chocolate flavor is obvious, but not overpowering. The beer finishes clean and dry. The creamy peanut butter flavor is no where to be found, which was slightly disappointing, but I was also somewhat relieved because I wasn't sure what that would taste like...other than a milkshake. I think it came out quite nice and have overall, I have received positive feedback from my group of volunteer taste testers. Thank you loyal taste testers!!
Rating: 4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.
I had been planning this one for a while. It started off with a crazy idea from my sister but then morphed into something slightly different, but equally as experimental. I started off with a slightly unusual porter that featured a chocolate grain and then added some French dark chocolate (85% cacao) and Reese's Peanut Butter chips. Interestingly enough, despite being submerged in 155 degree liquid, the peanut butter chips never fully dissolved. They melted a bit but still remained in chip shape. Now that I've seen that, it makes me a bit uncertain of what is really in them...but I'm sure that I will continue to eat them by the handful.
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| It smelled so good that I thought twice before tossing my experimental ingredients in the pot. |
Three and a half weeks later...I'll admit, I was nervous to try it. The chocolate flavor is obvious, but not overpowering. The beer finishes clean and dry. The creamy peanut butter flavor is no where to be found, which was slightly disappointing, but I was also somewhat relieved because I wasn't sure what that would taste like...other than a milkshake. I think it came out quite nice and have overall, I have received positive feedback from my group of volunteer taste testers. Thank you loyal taste testers!!
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| Experimental Porter (5.1% ABV) Suburban Suds Brewery Chandler, Arizona |
Rating: 4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.
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