Hanger 24 Altbier makes itself comfortable with a Father's Office burger

For our traditional Thursday night brew with Karl, we're at The Father's Office in Culver City with Karl, Laua, Nick G, Nic and AJ for some amazing burgers and brews. This burger never gets old!

We tried an "Altbier" at the brew store while picking up supplies for my last homebrew, the Heisenberg, and tonight I figure it could compliment the burger.

Here is the definition of an "Altbier" from beeradvocate.com

A Düsseldorf specialty, an Altbier is a German style brown ale, the “alt” literally translates to "old" in German, and traditionally Altbiers are conditioned for a longer than normal periods of time. Other sources note that "alt" is derived from the Latin word "altus," which means "high" and refers to the rising yeast. Take your pick, but the extended conditioning mellows out the ale's fruitiness and produces an exceptionally smooth and delicate brew.

Brown ale is the perfect pairing for meat! Deliciousness prevails. The beer has a clean and subtle lager-like profile. I'm tasting toffee and caramel and a bit of heavy roast/chocolate at the end. If I owned a restaurant, I would pimp this style of beer out (if I could find my hands on any - who else makes this style?). TRANSFORMERS rating.

Great to see everyone tonight! Goodbye March and hello April.

Alesmith My Bloody Valentine doesn't taste like sweets or blood, lonely fat people and vampries disappointed

Out for a late evening award winning Father's Office Cheeseburger with Jamie when I noticed this recently released Alesmith seasonal on tap, My Bloody Valentine. There are so many good beers on tap here, but how could I turn down a name like that?

It smells strangely like perfume and is an odd mix of dark caramel malt, floral notes and citrus hops. I'm put off by the odd mix initially but am warming up after draining it halfway.

When I begin the night with a Pliny the Elder (one of the highest ranked IPA's in the world), it's a tough act to follow. Especially when I could also marry the Father's Office burger and fries. Brown and Amber ales aren't my thing, but this one was an interesting drink. ARMAGEDDON rating