Deschutes Hop in the Dark C.D.A. keeps my company while I build

What was that? Whoa, what was that noise? Booooooooo. AH! It's Hop in the Dark!

Cheesy

Such a great beer name to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Dark roasted malts combine with light hops for a very distinct taste. Light coffee and chocolate undertones come out as it's consumed. Hop in the Dark is a bold seasonal blend, and I recommend it to beer lovers who know what a Dark Ale IPA could be but I don't think it's for everyone. That being said, this definitely grew on me more and more as the day went on. Maybe like whiskey or scotch, an unusual beer like this is an acquired taste. THE ROCK rating.

So 46 ft of wood, 26 brackets and over 100 screws later (that's what she said), I finished my five shelf 63.5 inch bookcase around 10pm Sunday night and celebrated properly with a Bruery Mischief. Here's what I have to show for my labor:

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire the Night Before Halloween

Bought a bunch of wood at Home Depot and sanded it today, prepping to stain and build a big bookcase tomorrow on Halloween. Sanding wood and staining it is really just an excuse to day drink. Party. Now it's night and I'm catching up on the Jon Stewart/Colbert rally before causing trouble at a Halloween house party up on Mt. Olympus.

Rally for Sanity!

Drinking Bam Noire is like a night out with Emril. BAM!

Sorta but not really. It is, however, dark and sweet. This is a true dark saison farmhouse ale that combines lots of fruit including apple, peach and a little citrus. It tastes good and is surprisingly light and fruity for a dark ale, but unfortunately the taste is all upfront. Not much of a body and it finishes dry. It's good. It's different. It's something to try but I won't buy another. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Wasatch Pumpkin Seasonal Ale

I don't have much to say tonight, I'm busy ripping up a dress shirt for my Charlie Sheen costume tonight and marking up my "That's What She Said" shirt for my Saturday night costume, so here's the Wasatch Pumpkin ale.

I LOVE Halloween. Creativity and Sluttiness at their best. The Irish boxers are for my Charlie Sheen drunk costume

It is pumpkin-y alright, but not very sweet and not very spicy. It's pretty blah. Who knew good pumpkin beers would be so hard to find? THE ISLAND rating.

Dogfish Head Punkin

Thank you, The Other Room, for saving Pumpkin Ale Week with this tap. You continue to piss excellence with your selection of sweet beer, here's to you:

One week, we will spend every night at The Other Room and drink every beer. But you know who the real winner is? America. Because beer lovers are patriots.

Rich and and full bodied, this a little column A and a little column B; some pumpkin and some ale, neither overpowering but both complimenting the other with high fives as they hit my tongue. Welcome to THE ROCK.

Indian Wells Spicy Pumpkin Ale Gets My Vote

Home from bowling and we crack open the spicy stuff:

Saddam Hussein is taken down! USA 1, Evil Dictator 0.

Finally! Sumpthin tasty. Love the aroma too. The spice and sweetness reminds me of pumpkin pie. Like Yao Ming, this guy is stands above the rest, yet he can only play for half the game. ARMAGEDDON rating. 

This is grades above the other two beers. I attempted to reserve two beers Wednesday morning from BevMo, Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin and Dogfish Head Punkin, but they were sold out. Like Halloween costume shopping, waiting till the week of the 31st isn't a super idea. Who woulda' thunk? Damn. The Shipyard is supposed to be the cat's meow. Well, missed our chance and we're going to soldier on with the best of what's around.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon gives Pumpkin Ale a Bad Name

Remember that pumpkin that turned into a carriage in Cinderella? Well afterwords it turned back into a pumpkin. After sitting on the road for a week, a brewer used that post-ripe pumpkin for some brew. TA-DA! Harvest Moon. 

Nice label, disgusting beer

Here's another example to sum up the taste for you. The flavor profile is this: Carve a pumpkin. Scrape out out its gooey insides and seeds. Separate gooey insides and seeds. Then instead of eating the seeds eat the nasty, slimy, gross gooey insides and throw the seeds away. Blahhhh. Barf. PEARL HARBOR rating.

PUMPKIN ALE WEEK! Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale

We are counting down the days to All Hallow's Eve with a week of Pumpkin Beers! Who will rise above the seasonal pack? America's Original from Buffalo Bill's Brewery? NOPE.

Yeah, not so much.

I guess the tag 'America's Original' must count for something when it comes to marketing, but with taste nothing is original about Mr. Bill's Pumpkin Ale. Being light on both spices and pumpkin doesn't help its mediocrity. If this was part of a blind taste test, there's the off-hand chance I'd confuse this with Sam Adams' crustier, vagabond brother. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating.

Crossing my fingers for better luck with tomorrow's selection. Being from Texas and now living in LA, the season known as "Fall" is a word I hear but never seen. My hope for the week is to discover a brew with the right amount of pumpkin and spice that will transport me to a place where the seasons actually change. Here's to swimming with bow-legged women.

Brooklyn Brewery Local 1 post 80's coverband Rubix Cube

So Saturday night in NYC was fan-freaking-tastic, we saw the sweet (& ridiculous) 80's coverband RUBIX CUBE at the Canal Club -

Keytar --> Rocked my face off.

Sunday morning greeted me with Patsy's Pizza and a trip to Sidebar for NFL games. With an hour before my flight, I picked up something local: Brooklyn Local 1.

Numero Uno is a Belgian style beer that tastes of light spice and banana. This is damn good and in the vein of Pranqster. I'm quite happy that my Milk Is For Babies has brought me to your golden goodness, I love this style of beer especially from American brewers.

Thank you Brooklyn Brewery and New York city for being good to me. Next time I will be in town more than 36 hours and will enjoy even more of your beer and crazy people. THE ROCK rating.

McSorley's Dark Ale in NYC

Continuing to piss excellence, little brother Warren knew exactly where to take me Saturday afternoon. McSorley's was established in 1854 and is officially NYC's oldest bar. They serve two types of beer; McSorley's light and dark. That's it. Walls crawl with history, pictures and newspapers from every era imaginable. With sawdust covering the ground, people from all walks of life mingle here and take advantage of the $2.50 beers. 

Only $10. Wow

The bar should be on your NYC bucket list. It'd be a really fun place to settle in at a table with 10 close friends and kill the afternoon. You might get real rowdy...

The light ale is like a marzen and heavy on the malts. Not a premium microbrew but a pretty good party brew. I'm going to count the dark ale as my beer. It's a solid stout, toasty with hints of chocolate and coffee. Like an enriched Guiness that's not as full bodied. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Hey New York, PROBST!

Karl Strauss Stargazer IPA

Rushing to the airport for my red-eye to NYC for the weekend, I stopped off at the brew pub for a Stargazer IPA and a meal from Tony Maroni's something or other.

Garcon, where's my dog food?

The night didn't get off to a great start after Jabar lied to me about the food. This 'really tasty' Maroni's chili bowl was crap. I've had Alpo better than this. As for the the Stargazer IPA, it's decent. There are solid hops upfront, but it lacks follow through. I grabbed a 2nd beer and struck up conversation with a fellow traveler, which caused me to almost miss my flight for the 5th time since graduating college. I need to get a watch that doesn't have "Beer O'clock" written on its face.

I've been gone 4 out of the last 5 weekends and loving it, I can't wait to see my lil bro, hit the town and drink some great beer! ARMAGEDDON rating.

LaLa and the Story of the Delicious Stone 10.10.10. Vertical Epic

We celebrated Lindsey's triumphant return to LA (for the weekend) at The Daily Pint, which also gave me the chance to ketchup with Nick G whom I haven't seen in 5 weeks and taste a really great limited quantity beer, the Stone Vertical Epic 10.10.10. Why so Vertically Epic you ask?

This is a legitimately awesome concept. Each year starting 01.01.2001 until 12.12.2012, the Stone Brewery makes a unique brew each with its own "twist & turn" in the plotline. Each batch is released one year, one month and one day from the previous year's edition. The bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012 to create an Epic 'Vertical' tasting of all the years at once, or it can be enjoyed singularly each year like we did Thursday on tap at the Pint. http://www.stonebrew.com/epic/





It's reel good. A Belgian style Strong Ale with lots of smooth milky malts and a tinge of sweetness. There was a mystery ingredient besides the malt and sweet Belgian yeast but we couldn't identify. My investigation lead me to discover that Stone added a juice blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Look at that. I just got grape'd and never saw it coming. Touche Stoney, touche.


Speaking of (film) reel, we also hung out for a bit with Dileep Rao and his friend from New Jersey. Dileep is the Middle Eastern fellow in Avatar and Inception. He was pretty amused at seeing his cartoon self in the South Park parody which aired the night before. The irony in this is that Nick and I who both work in the entertainment industry didn't recognize him, but David and another friend immediately ID'd him. Pfff, whatever. Nerds.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' WILD

David picked this up and coming back from bowling -- I BOWLED A 188 with 4 strikes in a row! GANGSTA (I'm quite pleased with myself in case you couldn't tell) -- David had this poured and waiting for me as I walked in the door at 11:56 pm. It's a Belgian Strong ale (same family as Duvel) and clocks in at 8.85% alcohol and 72 IBU's. It's different than I expected for some reason. Maybe its the label which set me up with different expectations. I dunno. Whatever the case, Little Sumpin' WILD proved my theory that 'assumption is the mother of all evils' true because I really liked this beer.

Two lovely ladies from a different decade

As referenced by the 72 IBU's, it's IPA hoppy but not as sweet as a many Belgians. There are some floral scents with some malted wheat thrown in for good measure. Eureka! Light Bulb. Suddenly this beer makes sense. Little Sumpin' WILD was just released in September...It's a Harvest Moon beer; marking the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall, mixing a Summer IPA with Fall flavors via the malted wheat. Hop Stoopid was the first Lagunitas beer I had and between the title and taste I felt pretty insulted, but with this fellow Color Me Impressed. Another bottle please. THE ROCK rating.

The Bruery Autumn Maple wasn't the nightcap I hoped for

Cleaned up the weekend's mess around the apartment and celebrated our 15 minutes of courage by drinking a highly anticipated brew and checking out highly anticipated pictures from the weekend (which I was ecstatic to view because I couldn't find my camera and thought I'd left it on an LA Metro bus. But cleaning out my room yielded the camera under my cookie monster shirt, score!)

There might have been some incriminating photos...

This is a very unique fall seasonal beer made with 17 lbs. of yams per barrel (crickies!) and brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses and maple syrup. It's not just seasonal; it's uber-seasonal and if your dentist knew you were drinking this beer he'd either have a heart attack or buy a boat.

Has a brown ale base. It tastes like a Belgian mixed with its advertised raw maple sweetness and punctuated by a sour finish. Wow. It's a mouthful, (that's what she said) and I felt overwhelmed. I had trouble finishing a full glass and secretly hoped I had a rare glass with a drinking problem, who would make the intense beer disappear. To provide some defense for Autumn Maple, Nick G really loves this beer and stands by it, but he's a wild man who makes Chuck Norris look like Johnny Appleseed. 

I love The Bruery but I feel like they're reaching with this Promethean concoction. For lacking a desire to finish the glass (but doing so because we have rules dammit), TRANSFORMERS 2 rating.

Downing Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale before Mumford & Sons

I'm flying in and out of the apartment to make the Mumford & Sons concert, which will undoubtedly be AMAZING. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this red ale.

David enjoyed his Ginger with Snails. It was that kind of night

Choo chooo. I like the label but not the beer. A standard red ale but it's bland. Not a very imaginative flavor. If I was using the PH Scale to gauge Tastiness, this beer's PH 0. THE ISLAND rating.

LA BEER FEST at Union Station, where it's Beer O'Clock...from 1-4pm on Sunday

David gathered a crew of Elder Statesman and Excellent Drunks (can't have one without the other) to conquest the 2010 LA Beer Fest at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, the culminating event in LA Beer Week. A $40 ticket gained you a 4 oz mug and limitless nectar from a fantastic list of breweries. The fest promised to be epic.

And the festival kept its promise...

Kenny F, Karl K, David and myself entered Union Station 15 minutes early. This allowed us to mill around and check out the 60 or so breweries we hoped to annihilate. However, we couldn't drink yet. The anticipation only made me even more giddy, and suddenly I felt like Charlie Bucket when he was poor child and had to look in through the store window. I was practically jumping up and down by the time they rang the bell (except I'm not poor and you should replace 'candy' with 'booze' and 'child' with 'gangbuster').

I had my beer for the day from Craftsman (which had a unique variety). I chose a Triple White Sage, and it was wicked awesome.
Imagine an Allagash White beer but then make it even more crisp and clean with a hint of sage at the end and you have this Craftsman. Damn good.

 Karl made a wise suggestion -- because this is a special occasion, I should honor my chosen beer with a unique Michael Bay rating. He suggested a music video Bay directed; "I Would Do Anything For Love" by Meat Loaf  (click for video) 

So Craftsman Triple White Sage clocking at 9% alcohol, you've I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE rating in excellence and deservedly so because you're a very unique beer. 

(*in an effort to remain contiguous within an already ridiculous rating system, on the official list this beer will have a BAD BOYS rating).

Before even making it out to the main square I had many awesome beers and here are the few that I remembered to notate about:

• Bootlegger had a full bodied Punkin ale that was pretty solid

• Angel City was out of their supposedly amazing Hefeweizen but their "Abbey" beer was an enjoyable Belgian

• The Tustin Bourbon Olde English is also amazing. basically tasted like a chocolate stout with a pinch of Bourbon. LOVED IT. 2nd favorite beer Sunday.Chocolate and Bourbon Whiskey? Say no more.
• Psych, I will. It's also12%, which magically turned my 4oz taster into the equivalent of a 12 oz beer with 4% alcohol. Didn't help my, um, equilibrium. 
• And if you're noting the time, this was my 8th taster (32 oz of various alcohol strength beers) within the first 1/2 hour. Only 3.5 hours to go.

Murderer's Row. These people don't stand a chance...of standing up straight later

By the time we were ready for Murderers Row outside - Affligem, Chimay, Weihenstephaner, North Coast, Unibroue, Franziskaner and Flying Dog breweries - it was only 1 hour in and I was slightly 'overserved' at that point...so, I NEEDED FOOD. I took a much needed respite and waited in line for the Smoke House food truck:

Brisket me much?

Another shot of murderers row from the Affligem table

At the Affligem table David and I reminisced about having Affligem Tripel in his college house, which was nicknamed Grandma's (because there was off limits living room which looked and more specifically, smelled, like Grandma's). Even though we had been to Europe the year before and I'd had my fair share of excellent German beer and especially fond memories of Paulaner in an underground bar every other Tuesday during an awesome Beatles cover band, Summer of '04 in David's kitchen I experienced what people call a 'Gateway Beer' with Affligem Tripel. Reflecting back at that moment at beerfest, I philosophized that moment as being "like discovering Mars and then realizing we're part of the milky way." Or maybe David said it. I don't quite remember. I was pretty housed but at least I wrote it down!
I don't really have much else to say on the day because my memory decided to Lemming itself off a cliff around 3pm but in summary, IT WAS AWESOME. The whole group and day was a blast. The beer lineup beat the crap out of EatDrinkPlay's lineup, and I learned of several California breweries that I will certainly be visiting in the next several months. I also enjoyed the shit out of the breweries I already knew about. Totes.

Epilogue:
The bus ride back was uneventful as far as I can remember, which is nothing. Some genius - I won't say who it was, but his name starts with a 'D' and ends with an 'avid' - lead us to the Townhouse for more drinks and at least one person had Absinthe, which of course lead to In-And-Out and further apartment drinking/shenanigans. One thing for certain, we will be re-watching the Mad Men season finale to help fill in the blanks. Aaaaand we discovered Monday morning that there may or may not be incriminating photos from Beer Fest. Of whom? Well, let's just say I never liked politics anyway...

A parting shot: One of my favorites, North Coast Pranqster.

Sam Adams Lattitude 48 IPA

It's gooooood! Beer and football game. The University of Texas stopped sucking ass and freaking pulled out a W against 5 ranked Nebraska, thanks to the Cornhuskers 8 dropped passes. We're very thankful for your butterfingers. Sara, Jess, Karl, Evan F (who is leaving this week on a 13,000 mile motorcycle ride to Argentina, follow him here: http://travel.evanfell.com/ ) and Aaron came over to watch me jump up and down and scream at the TV while waving my cowboy hat furiously. If you don't like football, it's okay, you will still be entertained. Aaron brought over this Sam Adams and we rounded out the afternoon with the Florida Gator game (who lost, single tear).

Texas fight Texas fight, OU sucks!

This beer has a solid hops punctuation and is well rounded. It's very drinkable. A weekend afternoon brew with your friends? Yep. Can you dig it? TRANSFORMERS rating.

I believe Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale is...

Good but not great, its rich enough to sustain my interest but doesn't furrow my brows with impressiveness. It's Manna.

This would be a great beer to pair with meat. A little hops with a fairly rounded red. TRANSFORMERS rating.

LA BEER WEEK! Pliny the Elder from Russian River

David built this up, but I knew relatively nothing about it. We arrived at The Daily Pint to experience it.

This is a hops combination I've never tasted. Robust as it enters, it explodes with a rare hops experience. It's spicy, fiery, alive. I feel like the three Wise Men visited and left three Magi gifts in my mouth when I drink this. Does that make my tongue baby Jesus? I'm not going to dignify myself with a response.

In case you're not familiar with the world of fashion, that hand belongs to the famous Karl K, featured prominently in the 2001 "Beautiful Watches" catalog from Tiffany's. He's still got it!

Did Russian River steal this hops combination from Willy Wonka? I think Mr. Slugworth is working for them. Having this beer on tap is a rarity and treat. Thank you Daily Pint and LA Beer Week for making the Magi rain excellence on my tongue. BAD BOYS rating.

Russian River's Pliny the Elder sings "Moon River"

I'll start out with the man this beer quite elegantly represents - Frank Sinatra. So smooth and pleasant, yet undeniably potent and commanding. This is a beer to drink with someone you have just met and want to impress.
Not much else needs to be said about this. I'm at the Daily Pint, again. Karl and Walker are here, we're all loving it and I'm going to recommend that anyone and everyone find this, drink it, and use it as one of the five beers or so that you use to rate all others. All IPAs (I think this is an Imperial Pale Ale) should aspire to this.
Amazing. Thanks Daily Pint. The picture is Karl.

Hey Dogfish Head Theobrama, nice cleavage

Back at the Library for a Theobrama. Broke the usual rule and looked it up before deciding to go for it. Because I looked it up, I tool one sip and waited to see if the pepper would kick in after a min or two, and it DID.

At first it's sweet and smooth, really nice. An earthy, subtle bitterness follows but it's not exactly malty. Then in the back of my throat I can feel the peppery heat. Really light, completely unoffensive. Awesome how original this is.

Salma Hayek, easy call. While it might be offensive to say this to her face, I don't think she's as "Latin" as her attitude and image lead on. She's smooth and sweet first and once those characteristics have a chance to win you over, the heat drops in, just barely. This is an attractive beer. Also, boobs.

LA Beer Week: Dogfish Head Theobroma

So I dragged David back to the Library Ale House hoping to find redemption, which tonight might be spelled THEOBROMA. Dogfish, don't fail me now! (you almost never do)

Hello gorgeous, you may look blonde but you taste like chocolate. I like you.

So this is one of their specialty beers and I don't believe is widely distributed, so it might be hard to find. This is the description from Dogfish, it's a little wild:

Theobroma, or "food of the gods," is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs from Askinosie Chocolate, honey, ancho chilies, and annatto. The recipe is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras, which scientists claim is the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink.

Fortunately Library is awesome and has it on keg this week. To me this is a very remarkable beer. It pours a golden hue like a belgian and is briefly sweet upfront, but then it follows with a subtle spice and ends with chocolate crashing the party. It's a golden beer that tastes like chocolate. I'm in Heaven. If Theobroma was the President, I'd be chanting "4 MORE YEARS." President Theobroma. Has a ring to it. Adding points to awesomeness, the meaning of Theobroma is similar to a frequented phrase I use, 'nectar of the gods.' I can tell, this beer and I will be lifelong friends. Hopefully I can find it soon!

Watcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when Theorboma comes for you. BAD BOYS rating.

LA Beer Week: Russian River Consecration Doesn't Inspire Conservation

Blahhhhhh. SOUR.  

Consecration is what's known as an American Wild Ale, which are a family of beers that are introduced to "wild" yeast or bacteria, This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitched into the beer, or gained from various "sour mash" techniques. This isn't a normal beer family, it's more like The Addams Family.

As part of LA Beer Week, this fellow debuted on tap tonight at the Library Alehouse. I'd never heard of it but it received glowing reviews so I dragged David here with high hopes, only to re-confirm how much I dislike sour beers. It's actually well rounded but malty and so sour. Not enjoyable. PEARL HARBOR rating.

*However, Sara P loves this beer and will drink it up like a milkshake, so to each their own. If the wasn't here I'd be really skeptical of the beer advocate A rating.

Russian River Consecration, oui? Non.

Met up with Barry from the MH for a beer at Library, Walker is headed over as well. Thought I'd go for the Consecration even though a couple at the bar warned me about it. I figured that if I could make it through the Grande Dame, I can make it through anything.
WHOA. It's basically trying to compete with Grande Dame. It washes your entire tongue with vinegar, citric acid and foul red wine. Its really hard to get this down. Barry says, "I wouldn't use anything as kind as vinegar. Stomach acid perhaps?"
Barry made the terrific suggestion to pair this this with Gérard Depardieu. "He's just a bit foul, isn't he?" Agreed.

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA hates sexting

Favre just got beat up by the Jets. What a retard. Pictures of your wiener?! You're an idiot.
Taking a turn for the positive, this beer is real good. It poured a little cloudy, but was surprisingly clean and easy going. Not too bitter, probably not hoppy enough to really be a double. Alcohol is high, about 9%. Malt is also pretty light, not too sweet or bold as other double IPAs can be. I would grab this again.
Jack McBrayer, lovable, a little cloudy, but sharp and to-the-point. I'd hang out with him or a whoooooole day. He talks to his shoe laces.

Moonday Night Brings Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA

Don't you love to discover that a creatively named beer also tastes excellent? What's that? No?? Well I do, so F U and your mom's fat.

Finally a beer that compliments those really normal paintings on the wall

This dinosaur comes on strong with the hops and a subtle dash of malts...Dare I taste some vanilla? Well played sir. Another positive element with this Cretaceous herbivore, is that unlike a lot of DIPA's, drinkability with him is not a problem. I could drink more of this. Love that cloudy sentiment too. I like you, you taste good. THE ROCK rating.

Hey, remember that time I said F U and your mom is fat? I take back the mom is fat part, she's probably a very nice lady. F U

Bière Trois Dames, Grande Dame. Embargo this.

Nick, you are a real treasure, but this is a terrible beer. Sour as a candy Warhead.
This beer sucks. Don't drink it. Ever.
Fidel Castro.
UPDATE: This beer was a gift from Nick G after I gave him my old iPhone. I don't want it to seem that I was unappreciative of this gift (he also gave me a couple excellent beers from The Bruery) it's just that it was so difficult to drink that it made me angry. The day after I drank it, I saw Nick and told him how much I disliked it, much to his surprise as he paid - get ready for it - $30 for the bottle. The reviews of this beer on other sites are generally good, though they all mention the sourness that I so clearly hated. All things considered, I'm very happy Nick got the beer, as it's relatively rare, and interesting to have this in the beereveryday.com list. But, wow - rough one to drink.

Napa Wedding Day 3 - Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Final day in Napa and I picked a nearby brewery, Russian River, who also makes the two highest rated IPA's in the world, Pliny the Elder & Pliny the Younger. The Blind Pig IPA isn't far behind them.

This little piggy went to town, this little piggy went to school and this blind little piggy decided to be really crisp, smooth and delicious. The hops are well rounded, almost buttery. Around the label they have a 'warning' that this beer should be drunk sooner rather than later or else the hops will go bad. "RESPECT THE HOPS!!!" it cries...Only an idiot wouldn't drink this beer immediately, it's superb. THE ROCK

I go wine tasting in Saint Ynez/Solvang a couple times a year, however, tasting in Napa is a completely different experience. Right before tasting the Blind Pig, me and Ma and Pa Davis went tasting at Paraduxx.  Instead of standing around a bar, we sat outside in oversized leather chairs and had the wine brought to us. Each wine came with a tasting card detailing everything from the different grape amounts to the duck type on the label. Really great wine and in a beautiful and relaxing environment. Good stuff.

Green Flash Double Stout could probably hit a Randy Johnson fastball

At the Daily Pint, again. This time with Nick G, waiting for Beth to meet us and head to a work party. Zachtoberfest? We will see.

Almost made the mistake of getting Le Freak, which they were out of, but realized that we already had that back in August. Will need to be more aware of the beer list going forward, close call.

The Double Stout is good, Nick also approves. Good toasty malt and the typical chocolate/coffee thing happening. Alcohol seems a bit higher than usual, there's a residual bite from the alcohol that sticks around after the dankness wears off. This can be Kirby Puckett. While this beer might not ever show up in a hall of fame, it's worthy of some sort of appreciation. Miss you Kirby Puckett, you were the man.

UPDATE: Zacktoberfest was cool.

Napa Valley Wedding Day 2 - Napa Smith Pilsner

Sunrise Napa Valley. Riddle me this, had I just woken up or was I just making it to sleep?

So I met with a gaggle of friends including Katie M, Billy D, Emily S, Katie B and Farbod, who needs no last initial (He's like Plato, Seal, McLovin or Sting. Especially like Sting) and forwent the expensive breakfast buffet for a rumored small cafe. Not only was the meal tasty and cheap but to my delight, I came across another Napa Smith brew, the Pilsner. Breakfast beer, yessssss.

Katie B's floating head. What a mug!

Whilst my Huevos Rancheros con extra salsa was just what the doctor ordered, the Pilsner was not. Pilsner is tough to make and I will Napa Smith credit, they made grape beer taste good. However, this fellow is a fairly ubiquitous pilsner and there's not much more to say, other than it lacked taste and goodness and it's hard to compete with the Germans in wine country. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating.

We went wine tasting in the afternoon and then onto the main event, Lauren and Chris's wedding!

Wedding on a golf course, b-e-a-utiful

Ballast Point Week: Day 5 (Bonus!) Big Eye IPA w/Ginger, cask conditioned

Almost didn't make it, rode bike to a party, tried to find a liquor store, decided to charge and rode all the way to Daily Pint. It's beer week! And they're featuring Ballast Point. What a coincidence.

I wanted Victory at Sea, amazing name for a beer. They were out so I went for the IPA with a Ginger twist. Ginger and hops go together remarkably well, wow. It's sweet and bitter, and since the carbonation isn't very high they both give you their honest, unmasked character. Wow, this is seriously good. Just when I'm about to think, this is too sweet, the bitter pops in and saves it.

This beer can be Tina Fey. A custom crafted, rare bit of excellence. I don't think this would have the mass appeal of Tina, but it's just as effective of a sweet and bitter balance. The same way Tina will self-mockingly discuss her flaws, this beer would probably tell you, "yeah, I know. Ginger is kinda weird," and I love it.

Napa Valley Wedding Day 1!! - Napa Smith Crush Beer

Coming off an epic Thursday night with James L and David, James and I could barely eat pizza at 7:30am in the Southwest Terminal let alone use free drink coupons for Hair of the Dog at 9am. By the time we met our parents at a private tasting, our hangover had become apocalyptic. Good thing Patz & Hall comes with cheese...Which bdubs was awesome.

Best. Cheese. Ever.

On the way back, I asked my dad to pull over at the liquor store and I ran in for a few local brews to last me the weekend. In the spirit of wine country, I present Napa Smith Crush beer, an amber lager brewed with grapes.

You surprise me sir

Given my disposition to fart in the general direction of Amber beers and combined with the idea to put grapes and malt together, I thought this was going to be nothing short of pure gasoline...And then I tried it I was really surprised. I asked James for a second opinion and he confirmed my suspicions. This isn't a bad beer.

It's interesting, there is a slight but not overpowering grape tint to the palate, and it dissipated the bitterness found in many ambers. This isn't a lambic, but it is a beer that's fortified with grape and the result is a surprisingly well rounded brew (I hope that makes sense). This isn't something I'd drink often, but it's certainly drinkable. Color me surprised and for that I'm granting you a TRANSFORMERS rating. Going to a Desert/Cocktail reception tonight and wine tasting and the wedding tomorrow, can't wait!

Ballast Point Week: Day 4, IPA Sculpin

Oh boy, this is a pretty complex IPA. Pretty earthy hop character that doesn't... I'm drunk, whatever. This is good.

James from Texas. I don't know you, but you're cool. I was sauced during my experience with both of you.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is scullicious

This was a couple bucks more than the other Ballast Point brews, and it was worth it.

I like Sculpin the beer but not Sculpin the fish

Good old fashioned grassy hops, well balanced, good stuff. I will definitely have this again. James and I have a 6:30am cab to the airport but plan on closing down a bar tonight with David's help. Hide yo kids, hide yo wife...THE ROCK rating. This is the last in beer in our Ballast Point beer week, and overall I dig their brews. The collection was fairly basic but had a solid outing. When you see Ballast Point, give it a drink.

Ballast Point Week: Day 3, Calico Amber

Grabbed a real good meal with Ned, Claude, Marc and Arne. Came home, skyped LaLa, and now I'm dropping in on this Calico Amber. I don't usually like Ambers, they're usually a step above browns and a step below IPAs. This is exactly the case with this beer. A little more bitter than an ordinary amber, and it doesn't exactly serve it well. Nothing about this is really that awesome. Meh.

This beer is Kevin Kline neither good or bad, but who really cares. Everyone knows they hired you for (insert whatever role) because they couldn't afford... whoever.

Ballast Point Calico Amber

I'm not a big fan of Ambers, so it wasn't a surprise that I wasn't a huge fan. Knowing nothing about the makeup of Ambers, I always feel like it's a Grimm Brothers tale, about the little amber who got lost in the HopsWood forest and so she tasted really funky when the Black Bears ATE HER. And then they were still thirsty because it finishes dry. Point is, I'm still waiting for that one Amber who's going to change my mind.

That was the before picture. The after picture had more thumbs down.

But guess what, my boy James L from Houston is in town! And he takes really, really dorky pictures. We're heading up to a wedding in Napa this weekend. But we're not leaving LA until we hit up The Other Room, Townhouse and Nikki's Beach tomorrow night. Stay tuned. THE ISLAND rating.

Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale and Quagmire

So I was going to poke fun (tee-hee) at their fish-themed beers but then I read their website. Turns out, these guys aren't as silly as I had believed. Damn you truthiness, you're ruining my fun. Check out this nugget from the their website:

"Naming the beers was easy—Yuseff loves fishing, and he and Jack both love beer. So they brought the two together and started naming their beers after fish. After all, regular guys doing what they love—that’s what this was all about.  Today, the beer labels still have fish on them as an homage to the brewery’s origins and as a reminder to always do what you love."

Dammit, how can I make fun of that? Good people doing good things making God's nectar (i.e. beer in case you're an idiot). If it wasn't for those meddling kids, you would've heard a bad joke by now. Introducing Yellowtail Pail from Ballast Point:

Giggity

Pale, super malty and wild. I'm going to steal David's shtick for moment and name Yellowtail Charlie Sheen, because he was Wild Thing in MAJOR LEAGUE and this fellow is all over the place. Serendipitously , Charlie and Quagmire there (featured glass) actually share similar tastes...in HOOKERS. Zing.

Not my cup of tea but within the style it's not a poor tasting beer; I award you an ARMAGEDDON rating.

Ballast Point Week: Day 2, Yellowtail Pale

Happy Birthday Danimal. Just returned from a birthday celebration. Avoided driving today because it was supposed to get real rainy and the Jeep isn't covered yet. Thanks for the ride AC.
This beer is ok. There's a weird sourness, not anywhere near the Mission Blonde, but still a little bothersome. That being said, the hops are light and add a delicious finishing character. If you can avoid the slight sourness, the malt is rich and interesting.
This beer is Ross Perot. A fairly rich blonde (he was blonde when he was younger, right?) but slightly sour and only popular with people who like pie charts. I like pie charts, I guess, but I don't think of Perot as being that cool of a dude. Also, this beer has big ears. I don't know what the ears or pie charts reference is about, just go with it.

Big Eye IPA kicks off BALLAST POINT BREWERY week

So we're continuing a week of drinking a single brewery and hoping for a rebound from last week's dismal sacrifice to the gods. I picked up the 4 beers available from BALLAST POINT brewery as well the last 2 from the Ninkasi brewery to finish off what's available from them at BevMo.(we had Panzer Pilsner recently). If the beers suck, as least the labels look good.

2nd Times a Charm for brewery week?

We began the week with Ballast Point's general IPA, the BIG EYE IPA.

WHOA! You eyeballing me son?

Like someone with bug eyes, this BIG EYE came on a little strong for me. It's pretty intense and not very well rounded, but I could find why a hophead might be delighted. Still, it didn't blow my pants off. TRANSFORMERS rating. But so far, a much better start to the week and I'm excited to see how these other bitches are going to pour!

Ballast Point Brewing Co. Week: Day 1, Big Eye IPA

I needed a beer today, and since Walker grabbed beer for this week, I suggested he try looking for a new series (since Mission sucked). I'm looking forward to getting one right.

This IPA is real strong, like bull. It's not too bitter, but it is hugely hoppy. I suppose there's just enough malt too keep the bitter at bay.

Tim Allen. I dont know much about him outside of tool time, crappy movies and Buzz Lightyear, but Buzz is a good corollary to this beer's bitterness. Bold, too bold to be taken really seriously. But well-intentioned and ultimately a success when paired with a mellow, softer-spoken buddy, Woody.

Woody.

Lips of Faith Belgo India Pale Ale

Arrived back at 10:30pm from an AMAZING whirlwind trip to Chicago to be poured this fellow. After a week of busts, I wasn't hopeful but...

Jambalaya me some more of that Belgo IPA

This surprised me in an excellent way, as did David with an bowl of jambalaya (which I lapped up like the dog I am). A belgian IPA, this handsome devil is in the same style as the Green Flash Le Freak but it's more subtle. The belgian body is upfront and light citrus follows. The beer finishes with a emphasized but not overwhelming hop.

Tired from traveling and sore from being slapped around by the bunch of nappy headed hoes we drank during the week, David and I were both happy to profess that we really dug the Belgo and would definitely drink it again. I really love this hybrid belgian/ipa style and for being excellent and flattering my palate, welcome to THE ROCK.