Day 158 - Storm King Stout

So, a stout in summer you ask, is he going crazy? Well, there is a very good reason why that is the case, and as for the beer, I was hoping the name would bring some rain and thus relief form the heat...

A deep dark brown, the color of one of those old time rootbeer hard candies in the shape of a barrel. As one would expect, the flavor is dominated by the heavily roasted malt, but, it has a smooth finish after a bold taste, which is the mark of a good beer in my opinion. It should be like fireworks. You get the wow factor, then a pause, then another wow etc. The only diff is that typically with a beer, there is no grand finale, unless it is the stars you see when you fall down after drinking too many... ;>)

Specs:

Full Name: Storm King Stout
Brewed By: Victory Brewing Co
From: Downingtown PA
ABV: 9.1% (thumbs up!)


So, this is the 2nd or 3rd by this brewer, and I seem to recall that each has been pretty decent. This is maybe a couple of hours away, so perhaps a pilgrimage is in order.

Day 157 - Peak Organic

So, almost halfway through the year, and another first. An "organic" beer. Hum, since beer is made with water, hops, malt and yeast, not sure what can be more organic, but who am i to question the label... ;>)

A golden russet color, lightly roasted malt flavor and overall dry drink, puts this one on the acceptable list.

Specs:

Full Name: Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale
Brewed By: Peak Organic Brewing Company
From: Portland ME (go figure, more Maine beer...)
ABV: 4.7%


They have an IPA that comes in at 7.2% ABV, which I will need to track down. As my fraternity brother Chris Anderson will point out, this one should be drunk when you want to sober up. Of course, he has a rather unique perspective on beer consumption.. ;>)

Day 156 - Remarkable Vanilla Porter

Another beer from those provided by son Cullen, who gets credit for finding ones I haven't had yet. Thus endeth the pleasantries.

Who would have believed that 2 different breweries would have followed this path. It's like watching one of those Friday the 13th movies, when everyone surely can tell the person on the screen is just about to get axed... Admittedly, the porter genre is not my fav, and the last vanilla flavored beer left me gagging. At least the strong roasted malt prevents the vanilla taste for really digging into the taste buds, which is all the good I can say about this one.

Specs:

Full Name: Remarkable Vanilla Porter
Brewed By: Breckenridge Brewery
From: Denver Co
ABV: pfft, not on bottle, and well who cares.

You know, putting the words "remarkable" and "partakable" on the label is just wrong, as it lulls the beer drinker into a false sense that this might actually be good. Seriously, if by chance any brewers actually read this one day, DON'T PUT VANILLA IN YOUR BEER!

Favs remain untouched - Singha, Lion Lager, Hazed and Infused.

Day 155 Tusker

So, July 4th, and over at the Procs for an afternoon/evening on the lake with the extended Proc clan, and voila they produce a new beer for the blog (and gave it to me whilst I can still type and a laptop to type on... ;>) ). This one is somewhat special, as they had it last year on their trip to Africa, and a friend of theirs found some up in MA and gave them to them.

I'm beginning to think the Africans know how to make good lager. Pale yellow pour, and a very refreshing drink. It has a clean, very subtle malt flavor, and after an hour sitting on the dock and another pounding the water with a Rooster Tail for bass, it really hits the spot. Sadly, it is almost gone, way before the blog is over... ;>(

Specs:

Full Name: Tusker Finest Quality Lager
Brewed by: East African Breweries Ltd
From: Nairobi Kenya
ABV: 4.2%

Well, not going to break any records on the ABV, but hey, sometimes it isn't about that. Besides, you could easily drink enough of these to get to the desired level anyways. I need to find where these are sold in the US. Not sure if it beats out the Lion Lager, but it would be a good test to put them side by side.

Day 154 Red Rocket Ale

A return to the Big Bottle Beer, as I found I had one more in the pipeline thanks to Cullen (part of my Fathers Day present).

A second by this brewery, and to be honest, not that different than the first, at least after drinking a bit of it and rereading that blog. It has the same orange-brown color, same hops finish after a malty start. Perhaps there is a difference, but again I feel it is a bit over on the malt side, which makes it somewhat heavy.

Specs:

Full Name: Red Rocket Ale
Brewed By: Bear Republic Brewing Co
From: Cloverdale CA
ABV: 6.8%

Upon reflection, it could be that I am going about this incorrectly, as I could see this as a decent beer when it is cold outside. Perhaps I could try and focus my timing based on the season, and drink lighter ones over the summer and go heavier come next fall/winter. Of course, that would require planning, forethought and my foregoing spontaneous consumption. Yeah right, that's not going to happen... ;>)

Happy 4th weekend. May your bbq's turn out great, and your cooler be filled with good beer.

Day 153 Sapporo

So, out of big bottles, so went with the big can... ;>)

Of course, this one has the "Imported Premium Beer" on the front, which is the kiss of death for any taste in a beer, and while it also claims to be Japan's oldest beer, this one was actually brewed and canned in Canada. The world of beer is indeed crazy sometimes. Alas, this beer is not. It is the palest yellow, and has the palest taste. That said, since it drinks as easily as water, it probably goes with any food, and can be consumed quickly and easily. Such traits are found to be advantageous to some, especially the latter...


Specs:

Full name: Sapporo
Brewed By: Sapporo Brewing Company
From: Ottowa Canada
ABV: 4.9%


So, at least looking for the ABV on the website, I learned a new word - gustatory. I can be bothered to look up the true definition, so making one up was the next step, and given the root word "gust", I figured that it has to do with their brewers having a similiar gas expulsion rate and sound as when you first crack open the can....

It's friday, and a long weekend, so enjoy!

Day 152 - SOB

Yet another from the Big Bottle-Transplanted-From-Maine genre, purchased for its clever label and name.

This one is the color of imperial topaz, a deep tarnished gold. Actually a palie, it is very strong on the hops, but perhaps a tad on the bitter side, and could use some balance. I had a chocolate chip cookie on the side, and that worked well... ;>) Definitely a summer beer.

Specs:

Full name: SOB - Special Old Bitter

Brewed By: Atlantic Brewing Co

From: Bar Harbor ME

ABV: not listed, but would presume north of 6 or 7%

I may have one more left from my ME trip, but this was the last of the 22 ozers. All in all, the state of Maine does ok on the beer front, and I think a pilgrimage from Boston to Bar Harbor would yield some excellent suds. Perhaps a good addition to my bucket list... ;>)