Beer for the apocalypse [Beth, the dramatic one]

Let's pretend your city flooded, you were driving around in it, finally found a safe place to stash your car, carried your groceries across a few blocks through 2 feet of water, and then you/your spouse got into a car accident an hour later. What would you drink?

If you were Ben, you'd go to work and your wife wouldn't let you drive your car to work because a few of your lights were out and your bumper was living on a prayer.

If you were me, you'd have a good college friend and her girlfriend over and have some beers.

Earlier this week we had a small party for Ben's friends in honor of his new job in beer! That's right, he quit Starbucks and is now an assistant manager at the kickass fair-priced, super-cool-but-not-full-of-themselves beer bar, Cambridge Common. I'm always worried we won't have enough to drink, so now we have an entire beer shelf with about 36+ beers on it leftover. Oops!

My choices to forget worrying about Ben:

Ipswich IPA: fruity, grapefruity and piney, not-too-heavy, lovely for a hot day. B+
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale: I think this is my new favorite beer. Makes great brats, too. A Hoppy bite, but drinkable--even if the ABV's in my 6-7.5% ABV "trouble zone" (it doesn't TASTE as alcoholic as a higher ABV beer, but it's definitely more powerful than anything under 6%. I'm mostly likely to overindulge at beers in this range).
Smuttynose Star Island Single: Not my favorite Smuttynose beer, but still enjoyable. B/B+ A bit astringent--I prefer it with the right food.

I tried a sip of Wachusett Ryde, which I just wasn't in the mood for and I drain-poured. A friend brought a six pack and left five. I'll try again with food and re-examine. I wanted something lighter. It's still too hot in Boston.

And yes, I totally prefer beer with food. Dale's Pale is great with or without, though. Perhaps I need lists of beers I like by themselves. Smuttynose Brown Dog? Great on its own. I turned a few people onto that at our BBQ. And Southampton makes some great drinkin' beers. Yes, we got a lot of variety 12 packs!

What about you? What do you like to drink when you fear the four horsemen may be knocking in your neighborhood?

Fluffy Bunnies and Social Media by Beth

A few weeks ago I found out on Twitter that Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project were coming out with a new beer called Fluffy White Rabbits. I was intrigued, not because of the name, but because I'm a total Pretty Things Fan Girl at this point (PTFG?). I wanted to try it, but couldn't make it to the Green Street launch party for a number of reasons, plus those kinds of things stress out this introvert to some degree.

Anywho, our favorite local bar, the Independent, posted to Facebook and Twitter that they had a keg on Friday. Oh yeah, we were so there. We actually had told them earlier in the week that they should try to get it because we were excited about the beer, so now we felt REALLY COOL that they had it. Anyhow, we went, enjoyed it, had two each, and ate some cheese (love their cheese plates, which is becoming an expensive side habit to this already expensive beer habit).

The beer was very drinkable...I actually didn't know the ABV until today (the website hadn't listed it on Friday and it wasn't on the Indo's beer list)...it's stronger than it tastes, but I didn't feel all that much effect from it. I was well fed though. Anyway, it's very drinkable, with a real hop presence, but not in an assertive IPA/DIPA way, more in a tingly aromatic way. Great, drinkable, tripel flavor...a slight astringency, a touch of funk, lovely balance.

This beer definitely screamed SPRINGTIME, which was welcome on such a beautiful day as Friday was...especially after the Nor'easter that flooded the whole dang state earlier in the week. Really, the beer tasted like that first day when spring starts to emerge, the grass and dampness permeates, and it's time for some sun.

Loved it. Run, find it. Enjoy it. If you can't find it, drink whatever from Pretty Things you can.


Anyway, I also wanted to publicly point out how much I appreciate following my local businesses on twitter/facebook--they post their specials, what's on tap, events I'd be interested in going to...and I show up. It's just really great having the information sent to me. Okay, so my wallet and impending unemployment could do without the constant temptations, but a little beer is necessary during these tough times. So thanks to the Indo, and Emma's Pizza, for always tempting me and reminding me how much I love visiting your establishments.

Oh, hai #14-16

#14
Beer: Espresso Oak Ages Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: American Double/Imperial Stout
Date Drank: 3/13/09
Grade: A
Location purchased/drank: Common Ground in Allston
Served from a: tap

This beer was really amazing. Took forever to pour (I think I waited about 10 minutes for it). Gorgeously dark. Sweet, coffee-bitter, chocolately. Sensuous body--very smooth. This beer is well...sexy...and highly recommended.

#15
Beer: Left Hand Milk Stout
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: Milk/Sweet Stout
Date Drank: 3/15/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: The Miracle of Science in Cambridge
Served from a: tap

I loved this beer a few years ago, when I was really getting into craft. I remember that it won a gold medal at the GABF, which I thought was cool (but probably not the hardest thing in the world, either depending on category). It's got a great, creamy body/mouthfeel. The flavor, however, I find lacking, especially drinking this the day after the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti (damn, there are too many Yetis...but they're all so good!). This beer seems to me to be all about the mouth feel and not enough about the aroma, the flavor, the roastiness of a stout.

#16
Beer: Coffeehouse Porter
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company, Massachusetts
Category: American Porter
Date Drank: 3/16/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

This is one of my favorite beers. I get this quite often at the Indo, actually. Great heavy body, robust flavor, drinkable and just plain tasty. "Roasty" is a word used on beeradvocate and I have to agree. Yum! Not as refined in flavor as the Espresso Yeti, but still a great great beer.

#12, Beth

#12
Beer: Racer 5 IPA
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewery, California
Category: American IPA
Date Drank: 3/6/09
Grade: A
Location purchased/drank: Whole Foods/home
Served from a: Bottle

Honestly? I'm not a huge IPA fan. I taste them and I think "Okay, but I might as well be drinking grapefruit juice." Many double IPAs, the ones I like, usually have a hoppy balance to counteract the...grapefruitiness...of the beer, and I appreciate it. Single IPAs are generally not that complex in my experience. This beer? Is great. The flavor is a bit grapefruity (really, I think hops taste like grapefruit, and can't get over it), but there's a bit more balance. A floral quality. Maybe a hint of apples in the beer. It has a bit more body than most beers of its ilk...it lingers. Astringent on the tongue. Really drinkable. Great with Mexican food (which we've done twice, at least, with this six-pack. Forget what we drank with it last week)

#7, Ben

#7
Beer: Shakespeare Stout
Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery, Oregon
Category: American Stout
Date Drank: 2/24/09
Grade: A
Location purchased/drank: Wine and Cheese Cask
Served from a: 22 0z bottle

This is what I want to taste when I drink a stout. As we know, I am a hoppy person, not the stout person that Beth is, but I think that it is a fine style of beer. When drink a stout, I want a nice body, but not one that chokes you as you drink it. I want to think of chocolate and coffee, the two best flavors for a stout. And this is a mixture of the two. It was a stout that I didn't mind drinking at all and I wanted more. It was refreshing! You don't think that about stouts, since they are more a desserty beer. But this one was just so damned enjoyable.

#4, Beth

#4
Beer: Shakespeare Stout
Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery, Oregon
Category: American Stout
Date Drank: 2/24/09
Grade: A
Location purchased/drank: Wine and Cheese Cask/home
Served from a: 22 0z bottle (in a glass)

I've had my fair share of stouts, so I feel more comfortable with this review. The beer was dark, almost black...with a thick nutty brown, but not foamy head (again, like stale foam, not like Guinness). The body was medium, the flavor dry and cleaning but hearty and chocolately with a hint of coffee. Rogue is one of my favorite breweries and this beer doesn't disappoint; I actually think it's a wonderful, drinkable (only 6% abv!) example of stout. I love dark coffee-like stouts as a rule, though.

Note: We drank this with BLTs. Mmmm...bacon and beeer. Much better than bacon beer...