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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

t'was the hiatus

This beer lover is on a hiatus, however, not a hiatus from sampling, sipping, and selecting tasty beers.

I will be back at the start of the new year, with many beers to share to you, my fellow beer lover.



I do hope you have a very merry holiday season, and ring in the new year right, with a pint in hand.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

72 pints

Got your attention, didn't I?

72 pints equals a firkin...
and in case you haven't heard of a firkin it's an old English unit of volume.

Blah Blah Blah right?

Well, what do you get when you have FOUR Firkins?

Answer?
(The Best Damn) Beer Store in Minnesota.
That's. What.

Once upon a time, about a month ago, my amazing mother sent me an email (knowing I would be in the land of 10,000 lakes soon) linking me to the Four Firkins. I was in. I knew I had to check it out.

Fast forward two weeks...



St. Louis Park, MN

Of course, the visit to the BEER STORE had to be the first day of our trip. It was a must to stock up on the tasty and the delicious. Not only that, beer warms the soul.. and Minnesota is ccccccold!

My favorite thing about this store is the plethora of shelves containing single beers, organized by brewery, asking to be made into a personal six pack.


So many wonderful craft brews from the midwest to choose from, laced with a few great breweries from the East and West Coasts. 



They also had a mecca to the hop heads (a place I would have fallen head over heals for, literally, 12 months ago).


I could have spent close to a week in this store, just checking out all the beers...


but priority took over. (:D)

Growlers from (mostly) local breweries. 
Not available for purchase, but beautiful anyways.

I was happy (almost hoppy) to see beers from a larger craft brewery that I am not able to find everywhere (or in most cases... ANYwhere!)

I sure loved seeing beers that I haven't heard of, and can't find on the West Coast. 

So, I'm raising my glass and saying "cheers" to the Four Firkins. A beer emporium GEM just west of Minneapolis... and while I'm cheering... one more to my mother who directed me.

CHEERS!


Check 'em out



Saturday, October 15, 2011

WTF?

"A Malty, Robust Jobless Recovery Ale"
That's what.

But I'm not asking WTF? Although, I did add the question mark, which probably made you think WTF (in texting terms...) so that is my fault.

In fact, I am talking about WTF. (notice the period this time!)
Wilco Tango Foxtrot. A limited release beer from Lagunitas Brewing.


I tried this beer on tap when it first released last year, and as I like to say, it was love at first sip.
WTF reports they are not quite in the Red or in the Black... does that mean we're in the brown?

I would say so.
A deep imperial brown ale with an ABV 7.8% with a delicious dark malty froth that takes your taste buds for a trip. A mild sensation of roasted molasses and chocolate.  A strong ale that I strongly recommend trying.
One of the better (if not best) beers to ever warm my belly.



Hubby and I actually bought WTF back in June and we FINALLY indulged! What better way then to pack up the cooler with ice and the jobless recovery ale and head to the beach?


WTF-FTW
(wilco tango foxtrot-for the win)




... if you are curious about how Lagunitas came up with the name for this brew, check out the link. 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Orange you glad...

Last Christmas (2010) my ma and stepfather came out to San Diego. As per usual, we made a stop at a  local brewery. The chosen one this trip was Coronado Brewing Company. CBC is located off Orange Ave, in Coronado, CA, and make a large selection of craft brews. This was a new stop for all of us.



My ma tried the beer flight, and within those 7 tasty tasters was Coronado Orange Ave Wit. It was love at first sip for ma!


So, on ma's most recent visit she picked up her favorite wit in a six pack. It had been a l o n g while since I tried this brew so ma and I said cheers wit* a little wit.

I was drinking from the bottle, but poured a bit into a glass so I could see the color.
A light clean gold color, wit a small amount of white head. So clean in fact, if I had enough I would fill a plastic kids pool wit it and take a swim! Darn right! I know you were thinking the same thing.


The taste was definitely refreshing, a mellow orange taste wit slight coriander notes. The beer was light, citrusy, not too sweet, and very drinkable, in fact almost too drinkable.  (is that a bad thing?) ... ma sure didn't think so. At 5.2% ABV, it''s ok to have another.


The fabulous thing about this beer is it's available year round. It's true to California, because we all know the BEST oranges come from California (just like those happy cows).


wit = with (and I don't care if I over used my intellectually inspired pun)

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Escape from Britain

I really wanted my first conversation with you about beer to be a local San Diego brew, but when hubby came walking through the front door with Newcastle Werewolf, curiosity aled me.

Newcastle Werewolf  English Brown Ale ABV 5% 
Caledonian Brewery Company Ltd
What better way to toast the fall than to have a bottle of this formidable, dual character brew. At first smooth with mellow overtones of sweet berry fruit, a bite of bitterness suddenly cuts through, long, deep and lingering. Brewed with Rye Malt, it is naturally 'blood red' in colour. Unlike the mythical wolf-like creature said to roam the bleak moorland surrounding Newcastle, this is real, so consider yourself warned!


Hubby and I were having another couple over for drinks and desserts, so while setting up the cookie tray I popped open a bottle.

First sip, I was a bit turned off by the metallic rush that took over my mouth. I decided to pour the remainder of the beer into a glass, seeing that's how I like to drink my beer.



It indeed had a better taste in the glass (better, not amazing) and this way I cold see the color that claimed "blood red ale".
The color was more of an amber brown, just a shade lighter than their brown ale.

The taste was smooth with a bit of malty tang that lingers on the tongue. Slightly bitter finish with a harvest of roasted dried fruit undertone. Drinkable, but not too likable in my opinion.

I am glad the hubby brought this beer home to try, however, I won't go seeking out the stores for this one.


Side note: drinking this beer and cutting it with the cookies we served wasn't too bad. We purchased 3 different flavored IKEA cookies: orange, ginger, and cappuccino. The spice of these cookie crisps surprisingly paired well with The Werewolf.





Monday, August 29, 2011

who what where why

Hi! I'm Meg and I love beer.

I think about beer quite often. I read about it. I dream about it. Most importantly, I drink it!

I wanted to start a blog to keep my beer thoughts in order, instead of scattered around in my head like a dizzying night drinking to many IPA's.
See, there are SO many beers out there that I have, will, and want to try that I need somewhere to organize them.

I also want to share my thoughts on the tasty and the terrible. Maybe even share a beer recipe or two.
The beer I choose to drink will be from wonderful craft breweries, and will range from Ales to Stouts, whilst not forgetting the hoppy bunch in between. Whether I belly up to my favorite brew pub or lift the lid at home, I'll be sure to try a variety of craft brews.

I'm here to share my beer love and experiences, tastes and samples, taps and bottles with you my fellow beer lover. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the blog.

Cheers!