Day 121 - Wachusett IPA

So tonight it really isn't about the beer, as dad and I haven't stopped moving since we left Natick at 7:30am and hit Castine at 4pm (after a 2 hour lunch on the river making sure our fishing equipment was in working order, just in case we get to use it later...;>) ).

So had a couple different ones tonight, including a few drafts down at the local eatery with the Koos's, who have been such good friends of my parents up here in ME, and have done so much helping get stuff ready up here. One was a tasty palie and the other a decent ale. The bottled beer tonight was a palie local to my brother Rick, which survived the ride in the Sebring... (shudder)

Specs:

Full Name: Wachusett IPA
Brewed By; Wachusett Brewing Co
From: Westminster MA
ABV: 5.6%


So, pretty basic pale yellow color, and decent if not spectacular hops hit. A good drinkable beverage, and one could easily drink a few of these without effort. Not quite at the "Arrogant Bastard" level, but then we all can't be.

Cheers!

Day 120 - Arrogant Bastard

No pic tonight, as I'm at my brother's house in MA on my way back to ME with my dad to fix some issues at their house for a week. Golly, guess what, my brother had just bought a used 2000 gold Sebring convertible, and gasp he made me ride in it with him to the beer store (without a paper bag to cover my head no less....). The good news is, we picked up a few good ones for the blog, so the pain is somewhat nullified...

You gotta love a beer that has "you're not worthy" on the label, and then has the taste to back it up. As it's in a brown bottle, and I'm too lazy to get up to find a clear glass to see the color, I'm only guessing it is a nice dark gold (and actually, it is, as my dad poured some into a glass). Assumptions aside, it has a full, dominating hops flavor, a pretty cool label, and comes in a 22oz bottle. All good here.

Specs:

Full Name: Arrogant Bastard Ale
Brewed By: Stone Brewing Company
From: San Diego CA
ABV: 7.2%

Great beer. Find one and drink it if you like hoppy ales. They also have an obnoxious website if you want a good laugh.

Cheers

Day 119 Harvest

It's a saturday night, and I pulled out the big gun, at leat 24oz. This is a limited brew by a mid-major brewery, and overall quite tasty.

A deep reddish gold color, and strong hops puts this one on the thumbs up side.

Specs:

Full Name: Southern Hemisphere Harvest
Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
From: Chico CA
ABV: 6.7%

This one is made from hops brought in from New Zealand (thus the name). While pretty good, Cullen had nabbed one of the other palies from my pipeline before dinner and it was even better. Now I have to get another one to write about...

Go Hoos, beat Duke in Lax!

Day 118 - Zywiec

If beers take after their names, as last night's proved to be true, what does this one taste like then... One clue was that while the front label says "original beer", I did find in small gold print on the top strip the word "premium", so you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to get to the answer.

Actually, this one runs towards the sweet malt side rather than bitter, so at least is different than I expected. It still has the very light color though, and while it isn't bad per se, it doesn't wow either.

Specs:

Full Name: Zywiec
Brewed by: Grupa Zyweic
From: Poland
ABV: 5.6%


So, now the bottle is empty, and I can cross both Poland and a beer beginning with the letter Z off the list. Hoorah.

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!