Moment of silence, please

Will you observe a moment of silence with me, please?


Thank you. This moment of silence is due to a most unfortunate event. Imagine, Boulevard's Sixth Glass, freshly poured into the beautiful Smokestack series goblet. Take a sip. Turn around and hear a "Oh no!" and a crash. Only to find your once full goblet lying on the ground...and a once half full bottle of the Sixth Glass lying next to it. The only solace is that there were about six ounces left of the beer.


Back to the brewery to buy another glass. The beer has been replaced too.


Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer is playing right now.

The Great Guitar Solo

I love beer. But I love music more. And the name of this place is Music and Beer…so here’s something about music.

The great debate has been going since before Woodstock. Who’s the greatest guitarist? I’m not going to address this because everyone knows it’s….ME! Thank you, thank you. But seriously, what’s the greatest rock guitar solo?

Jimi is probably the best known by rock guitar fans and considered the innovator by most. Eddie would probably be considered second by the masses largely due to his early works like Eruption. But I don’t believe either of these have the greatest guitar solo. I would choose the work of one very misunderstood, Frank Zappa.

Frank was a phenomenal composer. He wrote everything that every person in his band played. And they had to play it as written. He was always sober and required his musicians to be sober for all rehearsals and performances. He put Steve Vai on the map of top rock guitarists. But I really don’t like most of his music. Not because it’s bad, it’s just not my taste. But there is one song.

A close friend, lover of beer, fine musician, once introduced me to homebrewing. He also introduced me to Watermelon in Easter Hay. This song is a straight forward almost nine minute guitar solo. It’s not filled with lightning fast licks (there are a couple), there is no finger tapping, the distortion is subtle and tasteful, and limited to about three minutes in the middle of the song. It’s just beautiful. It’s filled with emotion. As a musician, I also appreciate the technical aspect of the song. The measures alternate between 4/4 and 5/4 time…the entire song. This is the only guitar solo that has evoked emotion in me. And words cannot do it justice.

If you love music, and love the guitar, I highly recommend listening to this song. And if you do give up nine minutes of your life to listen to it, hopefully you have a quality homebrew handy to enjoy with it. If not, try a Hazed and Infused.

The Real Guinness

I'm back. I know you missed me. We recently moved to a new house and we're still getting things organized. But from the pressure of a good friend, I decided to review another beer.

I recently acquired a 250 ml bottle of Guinness (BRILLIANT!). From Ireland. The real deal. This is and Extra Stout, with 4.2% ABV. Not quite as much as we get here in the States.

Please forgive me for the glass. Most of my glassware is still packed and I've come to really like the Smokestack glass.

There wasn't much head, and the color looks like what I'm used to with the Extra Stout. The smell is strong of the roasted malts, like the US version. The taste is significantly different than the US version though. The first impression is that it's very carbonated, and there is a sharpness. Maybe due to hops, but it's not bitter like I would expect from hops. Maybe it's the roasted barley. I probably should have had a US version to compare it to but that wasn't possible tonight.

Overall, I like the Irish version, but not as much as the US version. It seems to be a weak, dare I say, watered down copy of the one we get here. It's still enjoyable and the bottle wasn't quite big enough for me to REALLY get a good taste.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street (Lillywhite version) is currently blasting from the speakers. It's one of my favorite songs from DMB.

Tap the Firken

Last night the missus and I were kid free and wanted to go out for dinner. On our way out to suburbia, I had the great thought of going to the 75th Street Brewery. She agreed and we were on our way.

The parking lot was jam packed as usual but we were able to find a decent spot for our environmentally friendly auto. Our server was especially friendly and knowledgable of the fine beverages served there and convinced me to try the Espresso Porter. My, what a beer. This beer was full of flavor. Words cannot discribe how I enjoyed this beer.

The great thing about the menu at 75th ST is that they pair the food with the beer. I found "bangers and mash" paired well with the espresso porter and ordered that. And yes, they did. Excellent food.

After the porter, I decided to go with the good old reliable Good Hope IPA. About this time, a bartender rolls an old fashioned keg around and places it on the bar. I find out this is the Firken and will be tapped in the old style by placing a tap right in the keg. No CO2...no cooling. Apparantly the bartender wanders the bar looking for a fortunate soul to tap this keg. I didn't know this and unsuspectingly asked about the funny looking tap he had in his hand. He explained the tapping process and offered to let me tap the keg. I was a little unsure about this until he proclaimed that the first beer from the keg goes to the tapper. I needed no further encouragement.

I followed my new best friend behind the bar hearing the calls from regulars like, "Who the F- is that?" and "That guy looks hot".

Shaking with anticipation, I was handed a rubber mallet. The bartender yelled to the bar "May I have your attention please! This faceless person with a 12 pack AKA Howling Lion is about to tap the keg!" With that, I hammered the tap into the keg with much fanfare from the bar. The tender poured two large pint glasses (everyone else got taster glasses...and had to pay for them) and we toasted to an exceptional beer. I returned to my table with the missus, a Firken, and an IPA. Needless to say it was my best night at the 75th Street Brewery.

Maudite by Unibroue

This was given to me by a friend and for some reason I’ve been avoiding drinking it. Mainly because it’s usually found in the same section as the French and Belgian beers. But I decided tonight was the night. I just picked up a Doublewide IPA and a Long Strange Tripel (again) and figured if it was bad, I had something decent to fall back on.

I’ve decided the best way to taste a new beer is to expect it to be below average. That way you are either pleasantly surprised or at worst, not let down. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised.

According to Unibroue’s website, Maudite is a strong red ale refermented in the bottle. 8% alcohol. This is brewed in the Great White North...Canada.

The first interesting thing was that it’s a twist off cap. Not good or bad, but I was expecting a pop off. I poured it like I would a pale ale and it produced a large head. It’s a reddish, brown color. It smells malty, and no hops are present.

The first taste was much better than I had hoped for. It’s malty with a slight spicy flavor in the back ground. I didn’t notice any real hop flavor. With a slightly higher alcohol content, 8%, it wasn’t noticeable. Overall, it’s decent beer that I would definitely drink again. It reminds me of a weak Belgian strong ale or a strong under hopped red ale. As I type this up, I’m halfway through the glass and the alcohol is starting to kick in. The difference between the Maudite and other stronger beers is that it’s not so rich that one is too much.

The only bad thing about the Maudite, is the price. This bottle had a $2.50 price tag for a 12 oz bottle. At that price, it’s not something I would buy frequently but I would buy it on occasion for a change of pace.

Overall, if you haven’t had the Unibroue Maudite, don’t avoid it like I have. It’s full of flavor and your mouth will thank you.

How fitting...The Barenaked Ladies - The Old Apartment just came up on Winamp. Canadian band for a Canadian beer.

Double Wide IPA

Another brew in the Boulevard Smokestack series, this time an India Pale Ale. The Boulevard website hints that this is a double IPA which could be due to the alcohol content (8.5%). However, this beer isn't quite as hoppy as most double IPAs, coming in at 55 IBU according to the site.

The beer pours a nice golden brown with a slight citrus hop aroma. It seems to be decently carbonated too. The first taste seems slightly spicy at first and then the malt kicks in with a caramel apple like flavor but it's not sweet. The hops come later but are definitely not in your face like many IPAs. My first impression is that this would lean towards an English IPA.

I had low expectations for this IPA for two reasons. A few years ago I had a super secret IPA from Boulevard and was hoping for a West Coast type. Unfortunately it wasn't, but it never was released either. I forget what the second reason was. Maybe it's time to refill my glass.

It might sound like I didn't enjoy this beer. Well, I did. It's an excellent beer. The quality is exceptional and the taste is very complex. Even though this IPA doesn't hit the bitterness level that I search for, it is bitter and also regifts the flavor. But this time, the regift isn't just with hops, there's also the caramel apple taste in there as well.

I always get my wife involved in the tasting because her ability to taste the subtleties is excellent. According to her, the carbonation fools you into thinking it is spicy. After the carbonation dissipates, the sweet caramel flavor attacks your tastebuds. At the end, the hoppy bitterness gets you. And that burp...(she's not a fan of the regift).

So once again, I'm impressed with the Boulevard Smokestack series. I have already replaced the two beers that I drank. I'm excited to get into the other two and hope they are as tasty as the ones I've had.

Long Strange Tripel

I am a hophead. West Coast IPAs are my favorite. I’ll take a Stone Ruination IPA any day of the week. Belgian ale? I’ll normally not even give them a thought unless there is a special occasion then I’ll usually pick up a Chimay Blue. But I still picked up all four of the Boulevard Smokestack series and the Long Strange Tripel was the first one opened.

Please excuse the glass, most of my glasses are packed because we’re moving in a couple of weeks.

This is the first Tripel I’ve had so I didn’t really know what to expect. It poured a cloudy golden color (the bottle says to store upright…I noticed that after I took it out of the fridge on its side) with a light head. It has a nice malty, citrusy smell…but not hoppy. The first taste reminded me of the Boulevard Zon but with more flavor. At almost 9%, I braced myself for some alcohol kick but I was pleasantly surprised…there wasn’t any.

Towards the end of the bottle, the alcohol snuck up on me. I took my time with this beer to really savor it since I only bought one bottle (I’ll be picking up at least four more of these). But even taking my time, I was pretty giddy by the time I was finished. And I wanted more but it was time for bed.

Over all this beer should appeal to many beer lovers. After all, if a hophead Belgian avoider like myself would recommend this beer, it must be pretty good.

The The - Infected is playing.

Sierra Nevada 2007 Celebration Ale

2007 Celebration Ale; Sierra Nevada's holiday offering. This is why the holidays are my favorite beer season. As far as I know, this beer like many other holiday offerings, is not made the same every year. But it is consistently excellent, and this year is no different.

I might be a little partial to this brew though. When I was actively home brewing, a cloned recipe of this was on my regular rotation.

This fine beverage is a nice amber color with little but lingering head. The scent is strong with hops and just a hint of malt. It weighs in at 6.8% alcohol by volume and the taste slightly hints this.
The Celebration Ale would classify as an IPA due to the alcohol content and bitterness.

If you don't like hops, please go ahead and buy this beer and send it to me. The first mouthful greets you with, SURPRISE, hops. I love hops. There is also a hint of the alcohol but is easily overlooked. The hops are citrusy, which is characteristic of Cascade and Centennial hops. The Celebration also gives the lucky consumer what I like to call the "regiving of flavor". This is caused by the carbonation reacting inside the consumer's stomach resulting in some of those gases being expelled back out the mouth. During this process, the blessed drinker is reminded of the wonderful flavor that is Celebration Ale. The regiving of flavor is made possible by dry hopping the beer during the final phase of fermentation. I personally believe every beer is made just a little bit better by dry hopping. Unfortunately not every brewer agrees with me.

You can't imagine my joy when I went into my local "candy" store and saw this on display. They had several closed cases and a few six packs sitting on top. I picked up two six packs and within two seconds decided to swap those for a case. I know I'll be going back soon to get more. Did I mention I like this beer?

Overall, I highly recommend you DON'T buy this beer. Why? So I can buy more.

By the way, the "candy" store I got mine from also had at least five cases of the most excellent Sierra Nevada Fresh Hop Ale. I'll be getting more of that next time I go back, too.

Merry Christmas

I'm not going to say too much but if you read an earlier post, this will make sense.

I think we're going to have a special Christmas this year.

Fresh Hop vs Fresh Hop

VS.

Last night I decided it would be a good idea to compare the Sierra Nevada Harvest Fresh Hop Ale and the Great Divide Fresh Hop Ale. In that order. The World Series was on and I figured it would be fun.

First the Sierra Nevada. The first noticable difference is the size of the bottle. You get a whole two more ounces with the Sierra Nevada. BONUS!!! The aroma is excellent. Hoppy and excellent. The taste does not disappoint either. Excellent hop flavor and what I call "after flavor". That's when you burp and get to re-taste the hops. I love that in a beer. No noticable alcohol taste in this one. Just hops with a little malt. I think this is a top notch beer.

Second, I opened the Great Divide. I've had this before and have always enjoyed it. A bit pricey at $6 per bottle but definately worth it as an occasional brew. Keep in mind that I had the SNHFH first. I wasn't able to spell hops like I usually can when I first poured this. Immediately I knew that I should have had this one first. The first taste was not what I had known of this beer. Again...should have had this one first. Fortunately it was a double duce (22 oz. bottle) and by the time I was half way through it was as I had known it before. Excellent hop aroma, excellent hop taste, and excellent hop after flavor. Also no noticable alcohol in this one. Another top notch beer. But if you ever decide to have both of these in one sitting, have this one first.

Overall both are fine examples of an American Pale Ale and I highly recommend both. The Great Divide is slightly less hoppy but no less enjoyable. Go get yourself one or 10 of each today, open one up, put on The White Stripes - Icky Thump, and enjoy.

Countdown

The space shuttle Discovery is going to launch today. It's a good time to listen to Countdown by Rush.

YASAIPR (Yet Another Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner Review)

Ok. It's all been done (Barenaked Ladies). Everyone has reviewed the Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner...but I'm still going to do it. Because you care.

Last night was a normal night...until I heard My Doorbell (White Stripes). My friend was at the door with two beautiful gifts. Two bottles of O'Dells Imperial Stout. This is the same friend that gave me the four pack of the SA Imperial Pilsner. James, You're My Best Friend (Queen). So I decided I'd try the Imperial Stout.

About the stout:
I poured it into one of my few pint glasses that aren't in storage. It has a nice dark color and smells great. The first taste exploded with flavor. Chocolate, coffee, coffee, chocolate. Initially it's like drinking a chocolate coffee, or coffee flavored chocolate. And then you get a slight taste of alcohol (it's just under 8%). There is also a faint hint of hops. This is an excellent stout.

But I'm not reviewing O'Dells Imperial Stout. I'm reviewing the Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner.

So after finishing the stout, I was feeling Imperial, so I poured the Imperial Pilsner. But I couldn't drink it because I had to go to the store for some supplies. But when I got back...

The Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner is a hazy beer. That's been the first thing I noticed both times I've had one. The next thing is the aroma. Nice hoppy aroma. When I first tasted it after getting back from the store, it was the perfect temperature. I don't know what it was because I didn't measure. The aroma is backed up by great hoppy taste. Like the stout, you also get a slight taste of alcohol (it's just over 8%) but it doesn't take away from the beer. This beer is worth the $2.50/bottle. If you haven't had this yet, go get one from your nearest store.


Thanks Muddy Mo for the SAIP picture.

Now playing: They Might Be Giants - The Spine

Sell that house!

We're trying to sell the house. It's only been a couple of months but it seems like forever. You never know when someone will want to look so you always have to have it like you don't really live there. That's difficult to do when you have two kids and a dog. We've stored a lot of stuff...like the fitness equipment...and my brewing stuff (but it's not like I have all the time in the world to make beer)...and my drums...to make it look like the house will hold everything a potential buyer would have. We have a showing as I'm posting this. Second showing in fact. I hope they buy it.

Nothing is playing on my playlist right now...I'm upgrading Winamp.

The fridge is stocked

So last night I picked up a 12 pack of Sam Adams Octoberfest, a 6 of Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale, a 6 of Hazed and Infused, and two 24 oz Sierra Nevada Fresh Hop Ale. I traded the Octoberfest for a 4 pack of Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner. This stuff is an excellent offering (probably my favorite) from Sam Adams. 'Cause I'm a hophead and this stuff delivers. Plus it's almost 9% alcohol so you really only need one. The Fresh Hop Ale was good too. The aroma and flavor was..well..fresh. Anyway, I'll get to have some tonight after the baseball game...little league.

Chrisy Moore - King Puck is playing right now.

I'm sure you want to read what I have to say

So I might post some stuff sometime. It will probably be about music...or beer. For instance, Van Halen is playing right now in my playlist of 234 hours worth of music. I'll be stopping at the candy store this afternoon to pick up some goodies. But what should I pick up? In the fridge I currently have:
Shiner Bock, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Corona, Chimay Bleu, Anchor Longhorn, Sam Adams Black Lager, Red Hook IPA, Paulaner Octoberfest Marzen, and some other IPA that I don't remember who brewed it, but it's not bad. So should I get some Mojo IPA or Hazed and Infused? Maybe the Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale. Titan IPA is always good.

Now Bob Marley is playing.