Buttkiss' Ass Kisser

Ass Kisser Double IPA (9% ABV)
Ass Kisser Ales
San Jose, California

Bottling day Hoptologist

Today was bottling day for our first batch of homebrew.  What a giant pain in the ass.

Hoptologist Double IPA (9% ABV)
Knee Deep Brewing Company
Lincoln, California

Small town smart phone discovery

After driving 6.5 hours in the car with myself, I was getting thirsty.  Especially when I stopped for gas in Cortez, Colorado and noticed a text message from The Husband ... a picture of his breakfast beer at Carver Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado.  You see, I was nice enough to let The Husband go up to Colorado 4 days before me to hike Mt. Sneffels with two friends who then left The Husband and his beloved bike in Durango for two days until I could drive up there to meet him to kick off the 2012 Beercation.

As I stood next to my trusty Subaru watching the numbers go up, up, up at the pump, I checked my phone to see if by chance there was a brewery in Cortez.  What on earth would we do without smart phones?  I mean, seriously.  Main Street Brewery and Restaurant.  Two blocks away.  Perfect.

Sadly, it is only 11:30am and although I am thirsty, I would just like to get to my final destination 1.5 hours ahead of me.  Lucky for me I've planned ahead and have a cooler in the car for collecting beers.  So I walk in and purchase a few cheap bombers and get back on the road. 

Honey Raspberry Wheat (~5% ABV)
Main Street Brewery and Restaurant
Cortez, Colorado

Not normally a big fan of berry-flavored beers as they usually end up tasting like either Cherry 7-Up or the syrup that's left in the cone when you make it to the end of a snow cone.  But I figured what the hell....it's summertime in Colorado....maybe this will be good.

I was right.

The carbonation level of this beer, despite being driven all over the back roads of Colorado, Utah and Arizona, is perfect.  The berry-level is not overpowering but rather refreshingly tart.  The honey balances out the tart to give this beer a clean finish.  Even The Husband remarked at how surprisingly good it was...which is unusual for him with beers that aren't so hoppy you have to chew them.

Well done Cortez.  I'll be sure to stop by next time we're on our way through town and try some of your other brews, which, at this rate, will be twice a year.

Recommendations: I'm not sure what their distribution range is, but if you ever come across a beer from Main Street Brewery and Restaurant in Cortez, try it.  I'm curious to hear about their other varieties.

Score: 4.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system

Stowaway summer seasonal

After another outstanding Labor Day in Aspen, we found this bomber rolling around in my car.  It must have fallen out of the cooler at some point.  Stowaway!

Our first batch of home brew has been safely re-located in the fermenting bucket and the yeast has been pitched.  Now we must wait...two weeks.  So in honor of successfully completing Step 1 (and not getting divorced in the process), The Husband and I poured ourselves a celebratory beer.

Hefeweizen
Aspen Brewing Comapny
Aspen, Colorado

My mom told me repeatedly as a kid not to say anything if you can't say something nice. Good advice.  So rather than tell you about the beer in the glass above, I'll tell you that I like the brewery logo and their unique brew art (for more on this, visit http://aspenbrewingcompany.com/).  I like the Aspen Brewing Company tap room in Aspen and I think Aspen trees are beautiful.  I could go on and on about things that I like, but sadly, none of them would have anything to do with this beer.  So I'll stop here.

Recommendations: only drink if you like bananas in your beer - otherwise choose another Aspen brew

Score: 1.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system

Hard-working beer

Tonight I finally took the plunge into the world of homebrew.  I had been talking about doing it for quite a while but kept wimping out because I was scared I would screw it up.  The Husband finally advised me to either do it or stop talking about it.  Wise words.  Worst case scenario - the beer is terrible and I wasted 5 hours or so of my life and then we either dump it out or give it to the dog.  Best case scenario - the beer is awesome, we drink it and share it with all our friends.

Because the effort of bringing 3 gallons of water to a boil resulted in my kitchen being approximately 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit, I cracked a can of Mexican Logger to keep me refreshed (pure coincidence that the can matches the color of our electric kitchen backsplash).

Mexican Logger (4.2% ABV)
Ska Brewing Company
Durango, Colorado

This beer was clear and crisp but I found myself slightly disappointed.  The beer I was brewing smelled awesome but the beer in my hand smelled like a standard beer.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good brew and a nice variation from Pacifico, Dos and other summertime beers.  I will drink more of this in the future for sure.  However, I think it would've been better enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon in late July in our pool when it is 120 degrees outside with the constant threat of a haboob looming ready to ruin your lazy beer Sunday at any minute.

Recommendations: consume after yard work, a sweaty workout or at pool parties

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

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.