Five Golden Rings

Released in winter 2012, 5 Golden Rings is the 5th beer/verse in The Bruery’s ‘12 Days of Christmas’ series. The beer is a silent boozer (meaning you won’t see it coming) of a golden ale with cinnamon, allspice and ginger.  My mouth told me that there was another flavor in the beer, but I was unable to distinguish it until The Husband read the bottle and blurted out PINEAPPLE!  Yes, yes that’s it.  Now it was distinctly a pineapple flavor.  Sweet but somehow it finished with a nice tang at the end.

According to the brewer, this beer, and all the previous ones in the series, could have been cellared until 2019, when 12 Drummers Drumming will be released.  Next year, when 6 Geese-a-Laying is released, I may just have to buy 2: one for immediate consumption and one for 2019 when I can sit back and get sloshed drinking all of them in a row.

Five Golden Rings Golden Ale (11.5% ABV)

The Bruery
Placentia, California

Score: 4.75 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system.

Recommendations: keep your eyes peeled and get in on the series.  I recently saw a bottle of this and a bottle of 4 Calling Birds at the store.  Now that I know they can be stored carefully, I’ll probably try to find them all and stock up.

Guatemalan beer and a bounce house

If you're a kid, nothing beats a bounce house at a birthday party.  If you're a parent of one of those kids, nothing beats cold beer at a birthday party.  Especially beer you've never heard of.  But everyone loves surprises...

Furo Cerveza

Remarkably good.  After doing a little research, I learned that this is an inexpensive beer which is apparently available in Arizona at Fresh and Easy ($6.99 for 12-pack).  I say this is a great warm weather beer with a lime in it.  Even better because it is inexpensive and comes in a can ... which makes it pool-friendly.  Would be a nice addition to any pool party for sure.  Just don't forget the limes!

Voluptuous stout

According to vocabulary.com, "voluptuous describes a woman that's large — but in all the right places. Voluptuous is a curvy compliment."  I think that the word voluptuous applies to this beer, and not just because of the cartoon on the can.

Ska managed to pack in all the qualities of a good stout into this can and then had a little extra room to add the surprise wine-like flavor just to keep you on your toes.  Man, I love Ska Brewing.

Hibernal Vinifera Stout (8% ABV)
Ska Brewing Company
Durango, Colorado

Rating:  4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds rating system.

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.

Eraser IPA (7% ABV)
Rough Draft Brewing Company
San Diego, California

Basketball watching beer

Saison de Lente (6.5% ABV)
The Bruery
Placentia, California

Went to school to pickup my kid and her teacher stopped me at the door to tell me she had a hard time falling asleep and so she was still napping.  She asked me to come back in 30 minutes to pick her up.  

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!     

*****

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.

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.