Left Hand Brewing Co.- You are pretty good. This beer is not. I don't know if the bottle I purchased is off, but this was a skunky, bland mess. I am sorry guys, but I won't get too descriptive. When I get descriptive and the beer is bad, brewmasters email me. But yeah, I am choking this down.
Friday, May 28, 2010
IPA Laundry Fest Part Two- Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey English Style IPA
Left Hand Brewing Co.- You are pretty good. This beer is not. I don't know if the bottle I purchased is off, but this was a skunky, bland mess. I am sorry guys, but I won't get too descriptive. When I get descriptive and the beer is bad, brewmasters email me. But yeah, I am choking this down.
IPA Laundry Fest Part One- Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree India Pale Ale
This beer looks like freshly pulped apple cider, so I expected a dense, flavorful experience as soon as I began pouring this bad boy. Sticky hops, malty to the extent that the word 'enzymic' popped into my head, and slightly woody. 13.6% alcohol content is masked by the flavors, to the point that I didn't realize the ABU was that high until I looked at the bottle halfway through. This is a thick one, and definitely for beer enthusiasts only, which is pretty standard for double IPAs. I like it, but I wish it was cheaper (I paid $4 in store for this 12 ounce bottle, and have seen similar prices in the Chicago area), but you certainly get a quality product with Crooked Tree.What you have here is a powerful, heady brew. Don't operate machinery.Side note: Not a fan of the label, does someones nephew do this shit on MS Paint?
Musical pairing: The Small Faces- Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
McCoys Public House
McCoy's is a quaint little pub in Kansas City, which my friend and fellow beer enthusiast Neal took me to during my trip to that fine city. McCoy's has a rotating selection of 10-12 beers that they make in house and a menu chock full of fatty pub food, so it was an easy sell to get me in there. Unfortunately they had some issues with their 'filtration system' the week before our arrival, so the beer menu had a lot of X'd out items. I ended up having a few IPA's and a Diesel. The pictures are dark and taken with an Iphone, which is going to be a theme from here on out.
Newcomb's IPA- 'Hops, hops, and more hops are what make an I.P.A. an I.P.A. Complex aroma balanced with smooth, rich malt. Winner of the Bronze Medal in English-style India Pale Ale Category at the 2002 and 2004 Great American Beer Festival. 6.9% ABV 70 IBU' -From the McCoys site.
Newcomb's has a nice clean bite to it, but I wouldn't say it screams 'hops hops and more hops'. The earthy finish (which reminded me of sunflower seeds somehow) is somewhat muted by what I felt was a slight excess of malts. Very clean beer that went well with my sissy black bean burger. definitely an IPA to be paired with food, and a good one at that. A steal at $4.
The Diesel- Half Root beer and Half Thompson's Dry Stout- 'Named after our brewmaster, this black ale has roasted flavor and smooth, rich texture; nitrogen-dispensed for frothy head. 3.8% ABV 45 IBU' -From the McCoys site.
This is something that Neal stated I 'had to try' so we ended up splitting one. This was interesting- very creamy with a warm, somewhat hoppy finish. I expected this to be a carbonated syrupy mess, but the the beer and soda actually blended together remarkably well. A step up in flavor from your standard 'stout float'. I could see myself indulging in or (or half of one again) every month or two.
Synopsis: I enjoyed the drinks and food at McCoys and will definitely hit them up when I am in KC again. I was a little disappointed that they had some technical difficulties that cut down on the selection, but what can you do?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hamm's Golden Draft
What, you guys didn't think I was going to get all sophisticated, did you?It is hard to find any information on Hamm's online, it seems to be MillerCoors' dirty little secret. There are fan pages, there are clubs, there is even a monument to the Hamm's Bear in St. Paul, but no official website. 2010.
You can go back a year or so and read my glowing praise of Hamm's regular if you like. I enjoy cheap beer (for the most part) and Hamm's is one of the cheapest and tastiest of the variety. In the extremely overpriced city of Chicago I was able to buy a sixer of HGD with a five dollar bill and still have change left over.
Hamm's Golden Draft is noticeably maltier than its non golden counterpart. Unfortunately, that is about the only difference between the two beers. I can't say that I enjoyed HGD over its regular cousin, but I would definitely recommend it over a similar trailer-chugger like Busch.
And now I leave you with a video-
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
'Nothing refreshes you more than this naturally cloudy wheat beer with its wonderful yeasty fragrance and taste. Goes well with dishes that do not have too intensive a flavour, especially that Bavarian speciality 'Weisswurst' or white sausage.' Ratebeer.com
Here I am, browsing Fox and Obel with my Groupon (I might be turning into a yuppie), and I stumble upon this delicious looking German wheat. The price wasn't outrageous, which is saying a lot since that entire store is a price gouge, so I pop it in my cart after a little hesitation. Why did I hesitate? Because the label brought up the 'purity law of 1516' which in my mind reads as 'boring'. I fully expect hate comments from German beer enthusiasts after that statement. Danke for showing up, dudes.
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is actually really great,
so
I felt kind of
silly having such apprehension when popping it
in
the cart with the
overpriced cheese and meat I was
purchasing
for half off. This wheat is
extremely malty, at least for my tastes
,
and has a pretty frothy
head. The