Day 117 = Queen Anne Kolsch

Sometimes, a beer lives up to it's name. Like this one for example, is definitely a queen's beer... ;>)

It's very light colored, very light flavored, and yet has a subtly dry tang that sets it above a number of others that I have had. That doesn't mean I'm moving to be close to the brewery, nor necessarily stocking the fridge with it, but if it was this or domestic, this one would win.

Specs:

Full Name: Queen Anne Kolsch
Brewed By: Fordham Brewing Co
From: Dover DE
ABV: 5%


Good friend Dave was sent home from the hospital yesterday without needing surgery (excellent news) and with orders to rest for while, specifically sitting outside on their dockboat and having a beer or two was ok (ah, liquid diets...)

Day 116 - Brawler

Seeing as how we (by which I mean me...) can draw a conclusion that no matter how cool the label looks, it doesn't de facto imply the beer inside the bottle is any good, this one is a pleasant surprise.

I can't say that we've had a "pugilist style ale" before either, but we might have to track down more for comparision. Hum, upon a quick look at the ole internet, it doesn't appear this this is really a style of beer at all, they just made it up...

Regardless, a russet brown color, and very strong malt over a creamy texture, leaves this one on the acceptable side of things.

Specs:

Full Name: Brawler
Brewed By: Yards Brewing Company
From: Philly, PA
ABV: 4.2%

Ok, this one is a tad towards the light side on the alcohol, but there are rare (and more rare for some that others...;>) ) occasions where keeping one's wits longer is a needful thing. This one is a really good change of pace from both bad beer and strong palies, so I would be inclined to keep a few sitting around.

Day 115 - Ed Hardy

Well, another beer with the word "premium" displayed in a prominent location on the label. So yes, another bust ....

Palest yellow, it has a flat taste with no oomph. Pair this with the cheapest of Mexican foods, and it might be drinkable, especially if there is the added incentive of having eaten a few raw jalapenos and your mouth is numb anyway.

Specs:

Full Name: Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier
Brewed by: Cerveceria Mexicana aka Tecate
From: Mexico
ABV: unknown, don't care

Ignoring this loser, the night wasn't a total waste as I actually had a decent beer with dinner. It shall remain unnamed for now, as I was reminded that it would be a good one for this one of these days.

Adios!

Day 114 - Hop Mountain

This one comes from a local micro-brewery, that generally produces good beer. This one doesn't disappoint, but doesn't wow either.

It has a nice burnished bronze color, and you get a hops hit right away, but it sort of fades quickly. The taste is almost gone before the beer hits the stomach.

Specs:

Full Name: Hop Mountain Pale Ale
Brewed by: Old Dominion Breweing Co
From: Ashburn Va
ABV: 5.6%


Actually, a good palie for when quantity is as important as quality, as it is easy to drink, without making you stop to think about it. To be honest, it has been a while since I had their beer or ale, but it seems to me they both have a better body behind them. I probably will have to put one of them in the pipeline soon, just to validate that thought.

One of these days, I'll find something that cracks my top 3, but no the now.

Day 113 - Sweaty Betty

In in the mood for a bit of whimsy, this one is definitely all about the name/label, though a wheatnik who likes their beer on the lighter side might really like this one.

An extremely pale yellow, you get the distinct wheat brew flavor but it doesn't overpower. Very similar to say a Blue Moon. No funky spice or fruit noticable, so in the end, while not my favorite genre, it is drinkable.

Specs:

Full Name: Sweaty Betty Blonde
Brewed By; Boulder Beer Company
From: Boulder CO
ABV: 5.9%

It's Sunday, and I actually don't have much more to say about this one, so until tomorrow.....

Day 112 - The Raven

Sadly, Ellie shared with me today that she really didn't enjoy going beer shopping with me, something about it taking too long... sniff, sniff. Ok, got over that quickly, and the thing I like about Total Wine is that they seem to rotate new beers into the singles section on a regular basis. I picked out a new 6 for this week, plus a six pack of a local palie (Cullen is coming home tomorrow, so the overall consumption rate will increase around here).

So, if I just spent a lot of time on fluff and not the beer, you can probably guess the reason. I picked this one for the location and label, and that turns out to be the best part. It is just a basic beer, no frills, no bold flavor, just a beer. Go ahead, fill up your cooler with this one, or your cups for a game of beer-pong, it won't distract you from whatever activity you are doing, and will provide the desired benefit in time.

Specs:

Full Name: The Raven Special Lager
Brewed By: Baltimore-Washington Beer Works
From: Baltimore MD
ABV: unknown, not on label or website, guessing 5% range


"Here I sit, tired and weary, sipping on todays blog beery,
Cheery tapping, taste buds napping, writing down my daily yapping,
rapping 'bout the beers I drink, deftly sharing thoughts I think,
Suddenly the bottle's drained, on my short parade it's rained.
Will this one pass lips some more,
Quoth the Raven nevermore...."

(actually, given this is so easy to drink, and I am an Edgar Allen Poe fan, I might be tempted to keep a 6 pack of this on hand)

Day 111 - To The 9s

So, this is the one brought back from CA by my older brother Rick a few months back when I first started this. Ignoring that it is a 2009 Holiday Ale, and so would seem past it's prime, it is actually very tasty.

A pure gold color, solid dose of malt followed by a quite lively hit of hops - delish. I almost feel like I should go put a suit on to drink this, but then, do I ever wear a suit, well, besides my birthday suit and we really don't want to go there... ;>)

Specs:

Full Name: To The 9s

Brewed By: Karl Strauss Brewing Company

From: San Diego CA

ABV: 9.9% (yeah baby, and in a 20+/- oz bottle!)

Dave is still stuck in the hospital, so I need to sneak in there and put some bourbon in his IV tonight. Seriously, get better Dave, the alcohol market is slumping... ;>)