Ringwood Double Thumper is twice the rainy day medicine

It's been POURING all and night, and there is nothing better after a long and glorious but rainy Sunday Funday than coming home to an 11.2% beer. It warms the body and nourishes the soul. Even better, we had this guy's little brother last week and it was delicious (Ringwood Old Thumper ESA). Double the trouble?! 

The best rainy day solution is a really strong boar...I mean beer

Stone essentially made their Double Bastard the bigger, meaner, bolder brother of the Arrogant Bastard. Shipyard follows suit with the Double Thumper and the result is a brew that becomes closer in style to an English Barleywine than an ESB. The caramel notes are more noticeable, with hints of toffee and for such strong alcohol, this beer is too easy to drink. The Double Thumper isn't as delicious as the original Thumper, but I loved it nonetheless for its boldness and ...medicinal properties...so I'm bestowing THE ROCK rating.

Also, saw BATTLE LA today and it was a trip to watch aliens invade the coastline I live on. The police station Aaron Eckhart's team has to rescue and the street of Lincoln that is the first major defense line, are all part of my daily life. And I hate to say it, but if aliens invade, I AM TOAST. David and I will probably have to make a great escape in his kayak; make a run through their blockade. Right...Well, at least we'll probably be drunk on good home brew. Party.

Rubicon ESB

Little background on the beer type: ESB's are in the family of Pale Ales ('Bitters' in England). ESB is the big brother of the IPA and ESB stands for Extra Strong Bitter. The 'Strong' does not refer to the degree of hops, but rather the alcohol strength, which is anything greater than 4.8%.

Complimented by a foam mustache, the first taste of the Sacramento based Rubicon ESB made an impression. It was crisp and distinctive, and the hops were subtle, sleuthing. The Rubicon's sharpness derives from its carbonation. Check out the foamy head in the picture, I find the next part interesting:

Foam Mustache Ride Anyone?

So I tasted just after opening but stepped away to play a video...read a book, and some time later I reached for my beer. The taste changed, becoming flat and bitter. It was bad but was simply different. See, opening the bottle allowed oxygenation to occur and as time passed, the carbonation dissipated and the hops were replaced by the real backbone of an ESB, a bitter. Like Kesier Soze, the greatest trick the hops ever pulled was convincing the tongue it did exist. And like that (poof), it was gone.

It's an interesting beer and I wouldn't mind drinking at least once before ARMAGEDDON.

p.s. I'm not a total geek, so I can only hope the science above is correct and if it's not, correct me in the comments, I'd love to learn.