More Brown Than Black Collaboration IPA is the best of both worlds

There's a great story behind this collaboration from Stone, Ninkasi and Alchemist. The proceeds of the brew are going to help victims of Hurricane Irene, which is near the Alchemist brewery. Ninkasi and Stone are two of my favorite breweries so I'm excited to see how the brain trust pulls off what sounds like a unique style and brew.

This collaboration is so knew that it's not even in the Stone book which I received for Xmas. It's still somehow photo-bombed the collab. There's a lot of sediment with the pour and the aroma has more citrus zest from the hops than you might expect with such a dark roast malt. The flavor has the sweet brown sugar and biscuit-ness of a brown ale and only a tinge of roasted bitterness. There's a whole lot of hop going on but the malt body hangs in there to balance it out. The mouthful finishes dry and quick, which makes me want more. Nearly black in color, this brew has the heart of a brown ale and the bitterness of a Ronin Samurai. Sorry, I'm watching 13 Warriors on Netflix streaming now and its awesomeness is bleeding into the post. It's pretty gory and cool. Anywho, THE ROCK rating. Great beer by great breweries for a great cause, go getcha self some More Brown Than Black!

An education in classic styles at the legendary Anchor Brewery

After spending yesterday handcuffed to a chair for a job fair / speed dating event for professionals, I was in need of some exploration. Luckily a friend I know through school had planned a tour of local Anchor Brewing, maker of Anchor Steam. Their tours are booked weeks in advance so I felt very fortunate to join Kaitlyn and her group.

Put that in your beer bible

The brewery has an incredibly rich history. Anchor has the distinction of being the first craft brewery in the U.S. Their brewery began in the late 1800's and has survived despite a number of disastrous events; the untimely deaths of their founding brewers, German immigrants, one of whom was thrown off a trolley and then run over, I kid you not; their brewery burned down 3 times in the early 1900's; they're the only San Francisco brewery out of 30 who was able to continue operating after the Great Depression; and in the 1960's they nearly went under due to the abundance of commercial mass-produced beers and an anemic number of years where their beers became sour soon after distributing.

They were saved by Fritz Maytag, son of the industrial giant who produced Maytag dryers, etc, and he updated the antiquated the equipment and installed strict cleaning procedures to insure there was no contamination during the brewing process, something every homebrewer now knows is vital but back in the 60's, apparently wasn't. Anchor Steam beer was back in action and soon Fritz decided that he wanted more in the way of styles. This is where Anchor Brewing goes down in the history books as the first Craft Brewery. It's hard to imagine nowadays a craft brewery only making one style of beer selling the shit out of it. Every brewery now usually has several different styles, a pale ale, IPA, a stout and usually a seasonal, but back then this was out of the box thinking.

Taproom at the brewery. The Christmas Ales are above. They have a different tree label every year drawn by a local artist, who is now 93 year old. THAT is the spirit of Craft Brewing. Maytag = Pioneer

He was also one of the first people to begin bottling beers, which turned out to be a bit of marketing genius. For the first time, people could take Anchor Steam home with them and introduce their friends to their favorite local brewery. In the 70's Fritz traveled to England to study the classics and returned to make several different styles, including the Liberty Ale, an IPA that is classical in style and considerably different than the coma inducing hopiness pioneered by West Coast breweries. 

The Liberty Ale is easy to drink, like a lager, but it's only 50 IPA's, which makes it easier to drink than a hop heavy pale ale like Sierra Nevada. The first sip yields a sweet and biscuit infused malt. A citrusy bitterness follows and appears for a moment, like a whiff of a woman's perfume as you walk down the street, and then disappears. Michael Jackson, legendary beer guru not the pop singer, pronounced this brew as his Island Beer. When I'm asked what my favorite beer from the year is, I usually treat the question as 'what would I drink if I had only one beer to drink for the rest of my life?' The question is similar to 'what would you drink if stranded on a desert island?' The questions are similar, however, Michael dives into his requirements much more pragmatically. It makes me rethink my approach to the 'favorite beer' question. His requirements take into question not only quality and sustained drinkability, but the percentage of alcohol (you can't drink high alcohol all the time on an island, you'd be drunk consistently) and what beer would you be able to drink under a glaring tropical sun? It's a serious question for a serious beer drinker, and he chose out of the thousands of beers, including the acclaimed Belgians, Anchor Liberty Beer. It's an incredibly well rounded yet complex pale colored brew. The malt, smell, bitterness and finish are inspired. I'm intrigued by the beer, but I'm not sure I could withstand a hoppy beer day after day. However, one cannot deny it's inspirational qualities. It's a classic of the style, a pinup model or coup de ville. While being one of the bad boys for Michael Jackson, this is THE ROCK rating for me. It's definitely a brew that should be on every beer drinker's bucket list. My Island beer would probably be German, something a bit more malty and easy to drink that's low in alcohol; perhaps a Franziskaner Hefeweizen or a Schneider Weisse.

What I found very unique about the brewery was the building it occupied. It was a former coffee bean roasting factor that Fritz bought back in the late 70's. The imposing outer walls gives way to a brick and mortar interior. There's only three kettles, a lauter ton, sparge system, and boil kettle that makes every batch of Anchor beer. I was surprised to find that a craft brewery which distributes to all 50 states (1 of 3) only uses one set of kettles to brew. They also use open top fermentation, which really surprised me. The freshly boiled wort is pumped into large vats where yeast is added. There is no blow off tube, and they instead pump fresh air into the room to keep the beer sanitary. The picture below is of the barrel room, which again is surprisingly small. Fritz must run a tight ship, it looks like to me there's not a lot of room for mistakes with such a large production quota and seemingly smallish brewing process.

The beer I was most excited to try was the barleywine, Old Foghorn. My brother introduced me to the brew in New York last year and while I was several beers into the night, I thought it was one of the best beers I'd sampled. I had already counted my beer for the day then so this is the tasting that will go down in the MIFB log.

The Old Foghorn is around 8% and it's sweet, crisp and smooth. There's a bit of frutiness, maybe apple or grape. There's also a thin layer of caramel and chocolate. As far as barleywines, this is on the lighter side of a very aggressive style. Again, this is an example of classic English style barleywine vs. bold American style. Another throwback that I will bestow a TRANSFORMERS rating. It's quite delicious, but I remember it being more complex. 

The above two beers were originally conceived in the 70's. One of Anchor's latest beers, brewed to celebrate the sale of Anchor Brewing to a larger distribution company in 2010 (who also makes SKYY vodka, another San Francisco origination), is Brekle's Brown ale. This might just be my favorite brown ale of the year, a style I generally eschew because of the typically nutty flavors. This style isn't syrupy like an English style brown ale such as Newcastle, but sweet and crisp and most importantly, distinctly satisfying. I'm looking forward to trying this away from a tap and in a bottle to see if it's as smooth. THE ROCK rating. 

Afterward, we headed over to the City Beer Store to finish off the beer drinking day with....wait for it...more beer. I was feeling buzzed after the 10am tour yet, still found it within me to drink two glasses of Russian River beer. Today I can say that I have the heart of a Craft Brewer enthusiast but a liver who hates me. Right now he's throwing darts at my brain for deciding to do this right before I depart to New Orleans tomorrow for my brother's bachelor party. Detox begins next week, but soon after I'll be back posting with beers I purchased at the City Beer Store. Thank you Kaitlyn for inviting me to join in on the fun! This brewery was unlike any other I've visited, with a rich history and classic beers that haven't changed for decades. Every beer they make is a classic style with incredible quality. Drink one today!

Red Rock Secale is a lager first for me

We're at the the High West Brewery in Park City, Utah and while the food and whiskey/rye is fantastic, what's grabbing my attention is the beer at the end of the meal.

The whiskey distillers teamed with a local Utah brewer to age their Doppelbock Lager in Rye Whiskey Barrels for 6 months. I've never heard of a lager being aged in liquor barrels because they're usually big ales like a barleywine or imperial stout that can handle the addition of oak. I'm dying to try this.

The unique combination creates a fantastic beer. The Doppelbock is smooth with a strong toffee and a subtle caramel flavor. The whiskey barrel smooths out this brew and adds an extremely subtle oaky flavor. I had my doubts but wow, I've never had a lager with this level of complexity. Color me impressed. THE ROCK rating.

While I can't buy a bottle of the Secale home with me, I 'settle' for an 8 year bourbon. Life is good surrounded by friends like these.

Avery The Czar Imperial Russian Stout solves a mystery

It's two days after Christmas and my great aunt has shed mystery within the house. The man trapped within the painting in the living room turns out to be Uncle Jedediah. The parental units hung it up because the person was family, but they couldn't remember who it was. Apparently Aunt Sara told us that he was used when she was growing up up to scare the children into eating their vegetables. To me he looks like a distinguished Russian Tsar.

Avery's Czar is 55 IBU's throws down with 10.57% alcohol. There's a subtle and well balanced coffee and chocolate roastyness in the smell. The mouth is subtle as well, the chocolate and coffee and roast blending together for an up front sweetness and dry finish that results in a balanced complexity.  This isn't kingly, like an AleSmith Speedway Stout, but it still deserves royalty. The Prince? Well as it warms up the alcohol comes through with a sharpness. How about a Duke? Not The Duke, John Wayne, but maybe a Duke of Westchester. Duke of Greeley? This beer has changed slightly, like what I know of Greeley. One of David and I's close friends Dan is from Greeley Colorado, the state where Avery is also based. When I first met Dan he told me there wasn't much to the city, but I found out later from my cousins that Greely is actually known for its enormous amount of shit. It's the fertilazer capital of America. Nonetheless, this beer and my friend Dan, better known as Danimal, is way above that shit. THE ROCK rating.

For dessert, I'm watching a Band of Brothers episode, enjoying some a Christmas gift from my parent's wine tasting friends, from a Chocolate store in Napa. Chocolate and an imperial russian stout pair deliciously together. Chomp, gulp!

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Juniper Black Ale is a boozy dessert

On the heels of the Beer Camp Weizenboch comes an 8% Juniper Black ale that sounds very enticing. Both these beers are high in alcohol for their style and I'm convinced that these people at beer camp just want to get drunk on the good stuff. And I have to say...good for you!

This is delicious as hell (happy berfday Jesus, sorry). There is a smooth roast with only a small but tasty spicy bite to it thanks to the juniper. It's especially amazing with the ice cream and pairs like a like a liquid syrup. . I'd say it's THE ROCK rating. This is a beer I would like to gather more of and share with my friends.

Lost Abbey Carnevale is ready for a summer party

Big news in the Walker household today. And by household I mean me and my beer, because David is in NYC. I changed phone providers and am now the proud owner of an iPhone 4. I have a first generation iPhone in my desk somewhere and I'm excited to rejoin all them cool kids with their fancy phones. Keeping in with the celebration, I'm popping a Carvevale Ale from Lost Abbey! Here's to acquiring as many free applications as I can possibly stomach.

Carnevale is a 6.5% saison/farmhouse ale that pours an enormous head several fingers thick. It smells musty and earthy and once I sloth through the foam I'm tasting one spicy dish. Herb and pepper notes dance around the barn with citrus flavors. What stands out is how much is going on, yet, the beer stays light and refreshing. My palate personally enjoys saisons much more when they're not very tart or fruity, and this has several flavors familiar to a belgian blonde, which I enjoy. It's incredibly drinkable and although they say it's a winter beverage (Carnevale is in February), this would be more suitable for a Mid Summer Night's Dream performance in the park. THE ROCK rating.

Bruery Snicklefritz would impress James Franco

The Bruery's Snicklefritz is named after a minor but beloved line from PINEAPPLE EXPRESS by James Franco's character to Seth Rogan's.

He ain't getting any
of that Pineapple Express.(snidely)
  
Chris is getting Snicklefritz.

It's just a hilarious name, right? Say it out loud and languish over the words and if you don't giggle, then go enjoy a crossjoint and then repeat it. Will work every time. Here's my favorite scene from the movie, which is the opening. Bill Hader puts me in stitches every time, especially his musical interlude at :30.

The beer itself won second place in The Bruery's home brew Batch#50 contest several years ago (I recently had their last home brew winner, Batch 300, last week). It's a Belgian-Style Strong Pale ale spiced with cardamom, ginger, juniper berries and coriander, along with a long line of zests including lemon, orange and grapefruit. We tasted it at The Bruery last Saturday and I'm eager to give it a thorough once over. 

Three characteristics in particular jump out at me; the aroma, the fullness of body and its complexity. The beer pours a dark golden color with a finger of head. The aroma has robust spice notes including cinnamon, as well as a slight yeasty smell. I'm not used to full bodied beers from the Bruery and this is a welcome change. Accordingly, the Snicklefritz's complexity quickly captures my attention. The spices compliment a sweet, slightly caramel body and a mild apple flavor. This is a distinctly Belgian style brew ha ha, that adds in enough spice to embarrass any Winter Warmer. I'm dually impressed they were able to achieve this complexity without overwhelming your palate or ruin the delicious Belgian body. 

This is something to enjoy wrapped up in a blanket and sipped on while listening to good music, so you can spend time sifting through the library of spice and flavor. THE ROCK rating. 

Deschutes Black Butte Porter boosts my trivia score

At age 28, I'm finally attending my first Trivia Night at a bar. Weird right? How else could I possibly spend my Wednesday nights? Oh wait, I used to be in a bowling league. Ah, balls get in the way of everything.

Speaking of, Susie and I's team name for trivia at South is "Black Turtleneck HandJobs" in honor of Steve Jobs resigning and becoming 'unemployed.' Hand job is still a job, right? Sadly, the team title was runner up in the best name category for the night, right behind "Michael J Fox says 'What earthquake?'" That's just all sorts of wrong and hilarious.

"Black Turtleneck HandJobs"

South has a decent selection of beers but I've had most of them, except for this dark butted beauty. The Oregon based Deschutes brewery makes one incredible porter, and it goes by the name Black Butte.

There's a wonderful dark roast aroma and the mouth feel is silky smooth. Small amounts of chocolate, biscuit and coffee roll together for a well balanced profile. The roasted malts roll off the tongue and stick to the back of your mouth for just a moment before disappearing, leaving you wanting more. This is a sports bar OR a parlor porter, able to be consumed in large quantities or sipped casually and appreciated. Simply, the Deschutes Black Butte Porter is one of the better porters I've tasted this year. THE ROCK rating.

Trivia wise, with the first round of Paul Rudd/Anchorman trivia and the second round of Saxophone solo's, we did pretty well for two people who were competing against teams of 4 or more, but after the third round asked us to name the top 10 fantasy football picks listed on yahoo, we were goners. I'm coming back with reinforcements -- David and Karl will destroy you. Together they are equal to the IBM machine that beat those dorks in Jeopardy. Your up'ms will come South Trivia Night!

Bruery Batch 300 is a homebrewer's Independence Day

Batch 300 is the winner of The Bruery's homebrew competition last Spring and David has been singing its praises around the house. Style wise, it's an interesting beer; a Belgian style ale brewed with citra hops and aged in oak cubes, i.e. an Oak Aged hoppy Tripel. Lov'n it. I'm also loving the witty repartee onscreen between Big Willie and Jeff Goldblum in INDEPENDENCE DAY.

It's also my brother Warren's last day in town (and we're eating Papa Johns pizza for breakfast, because that's how New Yorkers roll), and he told us a hilarious college memory. A pledge in his fraternity knew the below speech by heart and would get up at parties during band breaks and recite the entire speech. That would be too much for me, I would probably piss my pants to see that happen in its entirety, but you tell me.

Also, who would you vote for as President - Bill Pullman or President Palmer/Dennis Haysbert from 24?

The Batch 300 clocks in at 8.2% and thanks to a very intense piney hop flavor, it's a very American take on a Belgian tripel. The oak imparts a very vinous flavor as well but also contributes to a very balanced and smooth flavor that is without an overwhelming sweetness. As I continue drinking and the beer warms up a little and that complexity from the oak and hops combination really burns through. This is definitely a gentlemanly sipper, but it's oh so good! A tip of the hat to any homebrewer who makes a beer this complex. THE ROCK rating.

Oskar Blues Old Chub treats me like scottish royalty, minus bagpipes

I'm at the Alibi Room Friday night introducing the original and by far the best Food Truck food, Kogi, to my brother. Having planned to take him here at some point, I also know what beer I'm getting...OLD CHUB

No, that that old chubby guy, this beautiful scotch ale is from Colorado brewery Oskar Blues, makers of my favorite imperial red ale, Gordon's Red Ale. Oskar Blues also holds the distinction of being one of the first craft breweries to embrace the use of aluminum cans to distribute their product but there's a metallic taste to my first sips of the Chub, so I'm doing the American thing and granting it freedom from its aluminum bonds. Plus I'm a certified beer snob now and must have any beer other than Bud Light poured into a glass.  Excuse me, sir, after passing the grey poupon, can you pass me something Belgian?. That's me, a Snobby Chub.

Kogi knocks my socks off

Did somebody order a scotch, style? The hops are minimal and a rich, malty chocolate flavor permeates the profile. It's full bodied and smooth as jazz. Wow, if there was a chorus of Old Chub drinkers with me, we would all raise up and sing it's praises. Chub is by far the best beer out of a can I've ever had, but I'm glad it's in a glass. If you haven't tried beer from Oskar Blues, don't let the metal fool you - they're worth their weight in gold. THE ROCK rating.

La Trappe Quadrupel combines the best of the trappes

David and I are only days away from wrapping up the year and we're about to do our last 12:01 next day beer of the year, but first, the final chapter from La Trappe, the 10% Quadrupel. God I love me some quadruples! COMPLEXITYYYYYY

Sweet, sweet caramel mixes it up with all sorts of characters in this fellow including breads, figs raisins and a very unique Belgian yeast flavor. It's as if the monks combined the characteristics of their dubbel and tripel into their opus. The various flavors smoothly mix together under some fantastic carbonation. This is a beer of kings, something to buy and sip on after a job well done. Pat yourself on the back, kick off your shoes and have a La Trappe Quadruple. THE ROCK rating.

La Trappe Tripel fails to curb my enthusiasm for blondes

So maybe you're unfortunately not a subscriber HBO, or maybe you receive HBO and are simply not an avid viewer of the 7th season of the acclaimed CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, which in case you're just plain silly. If you are the latter, do yourself a favor and watch this season through On Demand. It's probably the best season yet and I've laughed hard enough during the last two episodes to make my sides split like a tauntaun in Empire Strikes Back. Here's a clip from the funniest show I've seen in a long time, that garnered the highest ratings in the show's history. It may seem graphic, but settle down and curb that incredible feeling of awkwardness that rises up inside you and allow that laugh you don't feel coming to happen. And it will:

While catching up on the latest and greatest Larry, David and I pour out the 2nd La Trappe, an 8% tripel.

The beer pours a patchy Belgian lace, which is a bit surprising. The tripel still has a smooth taste and a medium body with mild bread and phenolic notes (pepper and herbal). There's a bit of grapefruit the flavor as well. The tripel is smooth as sailing. Nothing that stands out, but it's delicious to set back and relax with. THE ROCK rating. This tripel isn't the best, but provides a solid performance. It' one blonde that I wouldn't mind asking out on a date again.

Chimay Premiere greets me in LA with a TIE Fighter

We left Tahoe at 10am this morning after giving bachelor Matt a trick omelet filled with sardines (Spike being the evil genius behind that). However, Matt was so destroyed from the night before, he didn't even notice the smell or the taste emanating from the eggs. Mission accomplished.

9 hours later and reading many chapters of An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, I'm back in LA and exhausted. David had to work all weekend and so you know what that means!

That TIE Fighter is huge. If you follow the blog, you know that David builds these things from time to time to help de-stress. They're basically like giant puzzles for kids that nerdy grownups can take advantage of and they're pretty awesome.

Anywho, the Trappist Saga continues with the first of three Chimay beers. Chimay is by far the most well known Trappist brewery and it is many people's 'Gateway' beer (drinking a certain beer for the first time that makes one realize there's amazing beer out there - mine is Affligem Tripel and it happened senior year of college). I personally am not a fan of Chimay, probably because it's so hyped but also because it's not very complex. They're very well made, don't get me wrong, but they're not my favorite. We shall see though, because I quite frankly don't remember which ones I've had and which ones I didn't enjoy. But maybe this week will change my mind!What is the jury's verdict on this one?

The Premiere is a Belgian Dubbel that clocks in at 7%. It's very crisp thanks to the carbonation and there's a slight sweet caramel flavor. While there is not a whole lot of complexity, it is very drinkable and thus a welcome beer for the end of an exciting weekend. My opinion just changed about Chimay. THE ROCK rating.

Westmalle Dubbel initiates Matt's bachelor party

At 6:45am, six people pile into my car to drive up to Lake Tahoe for my fraternity brother and friend Matt's bachelor party. We're stopping along the way for breakfast and an inaugral bachelor party beer in Bakersfield, where Matt is a member of a brand new members-only bar run by his friend Patrick

Patrick runs a successful pharmaceutical company but has always wanted to own a bar. He and three other people decided to fund a bar and to get around the business zoning in downtown Bakersfield, made it a members-only bar (that and now he can keep out the riff-raff). It's a cool little bar with a Speakeasy vibe. I wasn't initially excited about stopping our road trip an hour into it, but that all changed once I stepped inside. 

Patrick in the middle and Matt the bachelor on the right

The bar has been open a week and has an amazing selection of beer. Patrick knows his stuff. I order a Deschutes Inversion IPA, a little something hoppy to go along with my spicy chorizo breakfast burrito. And it makes a great pairing.

Firestone Walker heard about the bar when it opened and the head brewer came down to congratulate the owners, I assume on being an awesome beer bar, and bring them bar signs, coasters, and a few special gifts, including Firestone Parabola, a very limited run barrel aged Imperial Stout that clocks in at 12%. Patrick generously opens a bottle and it's wild to have something so dank in the morning. What's interesting about the Parabola is how the alcohol hits at the same time as the other flavors. Usually with stouts, the flavors hit your first and the alcohol follows as the sip finishes, but here it's one big punch in the tongue. Pretty cool.

Back in the car, we spend the next 6 hours reminiscing about college, studying abroad, catching up and busting each others chops and my face hurts from laughing so hard.

We arrive in Tahoe to a 5 bedroom house that will hold 15 guys over the course of the weekend, and the view was relatively mediocre.

 

 Couple of the fellas doing what any bunch of hardcore fratties would do during a Friday sunset - drink and play Uno. We obviously learned a thing or two about partying at Pepperdine.

 
Our 1 of 11 beers we're having to close out our beer every day year - which I'm calling The Trappist Saga - is the Westmalle Dubbel.

This Belgian Dubbel can be bought most places and it's very drinkable and perfect out on the porch. It's smooth with a hint of dark fruit and terrific carbonation, as you can tell see by the huge head of foam.

Like the speakeasy, this is a Gentleman's dubbel. It is a Hall & Oates type of beer, smooth and easy. THE ROCK rating.


Here's to making some stories and helping Matt return to Los Angeles exhausted, hungover, and ready for to be married Labor Day weekend:

Lost Abbey Lost & Found is beer 350 but isn't the only big event of the night

Today is a milestone for our blog, but three particular noteworthy events happened tonight:

1. David and I enjoyed our 350th beer of the year
2. We hung out with our friend Cassie, who we haven't seen in at least 6 months
3. Someone was shot in our apartment complex

Whoa, whoa, what? Yeah...Let's start with the beer of the day.

The marked up calendar to the left will be our road map for the remaining 15 days. We've plotted out a few random brews, but for the most part we will be drinking 11 different trappist beers from 5 different breweries and some of the highest regarded beers in the world.

The Lost Abby Lost & Found was one of our favorite beers from our May San Diego trip. It is a Belgian Dubbel brewed with raisins and the label on the back serendipitously sums up why I, personally, started the blog - to give myself a renewed purpose and creative outlet - and in the process discovered a new community and passion for beer. On top of that, our friend Cassie is over sampling home brew and catching up on the last half year. It's getting all sorts of sentimental up in here, so let's drink to the Lost & Found.

Here is the label, which I'll type out below:

"A Life worth living is full of discovery and we are reminded everywhere there is opportunity. All it takes is desire to seek out and find those things, these moments and everything in between. We brewed Lost and Found Abbey Ale to pay homage to the great monastic breweries of Belgium. Like us, we hope you'll take the time to discover a beer that breathes aromas of figs, raisins and candied fruits. Please join us by raising your glass as we offer a toast to patience, perseverance, and all the things we have lost along the way and we somehow lucky enough to find once again."

The perfect beer to pour while reminiscing upon an incredible year with friends, right? This is an 8% dubbel. The raisins add a complexity to the dark fruit flavor not possible through using just grains and the result is a sublimely balanced beer between the dark fruit, sweetness and raisins. The carbonation creates a really crisp beer, nice Lost Abbey! This is a very unique beer and is something you should try. THE ROCK rating.

I could tell you I saved this beer for the 350th milestone months ago when it was purchased, or maybe that I planned this out on my chicken-scratch calendar pictured above a couple weeks ago, but then I'd be a big fat liar instead of a nerd and a gentleman

Truth is, this was all chance. I picked our beer tonight by looking into the refrigerator for a good 30 seconds and randomly selecting Lost Abbey. And fortuitously so, it was the perfect beer for the occasion. Like so many events this year, in particular the night before our halfway point, an experience that reminded me of our beereveryday mission in a unique way: Lips of Faith Erics Ale reunites me with old friends (the point I'm referring to is just under the beer picture).

My point is, you really don't know what's around the corner. We live in Marin del Rey, right on the water (as you can tell from many of our pictures). It's an extremely quiet community dominated by large complexes that are fairly disconnected from the energy of Venice. We also don't have any crime. Up until tonight I thought the Marina was Pleasantville. Right after we'd popped the bottle on the Lost Abbey, the three of us heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots (4-5 of them). The problem was, we couldn't tell you where they were coming from because everything echoes off the water. We go back to drinking, a little disturbed but unable to really do anything. Then we heard sirens.

I'm not gonna go into too much detail, but basically our complex sits above an open carport style garage and there's about 20 yards of asphalt in between the building and the sailboats for parking, specifically for boat owners. The woman was shot right by the car port on the other side of the complex, maybe 80 yards away. After the police and paramedics arrived, I went out on my balcony and if I peered through palm branches, could see her from the edge of my deck.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Woman-Shot-in-Robbery-Attempt-in-Marina-Del-Rey-126007118.html

Thankfully and luckily, she survived. What's really shocking about the experience, is how it happened. She gave the robber her purse and then was shot in the back while walking away. She did everything right and still got f**ked. Yikes. They still haven't caught the guy. Looking back I wish that I would've run out to the balcony and tried to glimpse the attempted murderer, but we had no idea where it was. There were people above us on the third floor who were asking us what was happening, and they had a better view of the street.

It's scary stuff and she was very fortunate the robber had horrendous aim and was only shot once. As you can see in the news photo, there were multiple bullet casings near the body. We the ambulance leave for the hospital and peering through its window, she didn't look good. Pretty soon we bid Cassie adieu, locked our doors sliding glass doors to the balcony and turned in.

Milestone 350: You never know what's around the corner, and if you lose something, maybe what you'll find will be something even greater.


That reminds me of...

“But that’s life. One minute you’re on top of the world, the next minute some secretary’s running you over with a lawn mower.”

                                                Season 3, Episode 3: “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency” 

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout Oak Aged edition is the Empire Strikes Back of Yeti's

There have been a few moments this year when David and I poured a beer and exclaimed at the same time, either "holy sh*t" or "what the hell?" This reaction is never a bad thing and is simply our way to say, "this looks ridiculous in the best of ways, what is going on? Wow!"

When we poured the Oak-aged Yeti, both phrases tumbled out of our mouths. There's an intense amount of caramel colored foam on top of a darker than night body.

Elvis/Sarah has left the building and returned to Chicago, so it's time to ketchup on TV, specifically Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David makes being insanely neurotic look cool.

The best way for me to describe the difference between the Oak Aged Yeti and original Yeti, is in their food pairings.

Original Yeti: grilled steaks, strong/salty blue cheese, chocolate.

Oak Aged Yeti: grilled NY strip, fudge brownies, strong/salty blue cheese.

The food pairing increased from rich, to even richer foods. It's the sequel to Richie Rich; bolder, richer and smoother. The oak, which neither David nor I can taste, has softened the flavors and the complexity is gone. But the oak has also created new flavors, such as vanilla and a increased chocolate presence. This one is so chewy and viscous, it is hard to drink.

And when I say it is hard to drink, it's a high class problem. This is intense and I'm loving it. The Oak Aged Yeti benefits from the utilization of oak, without any of the negative effects of oak (i.e., oak taste). It took the original and elevated it, hence the Star Wars reference. THE ROCK rating.

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout is the first of three Abominable Snowmen

I spent the final Carmageddon day playing with seals while kayaking and beaching it up before joining Nic, AJ and Tiffany to watch the long awaited premiere of the best show on television, Breaking Bad.

I am not kidding. That is not a hyperbole. It is the finest show on television right now. See how I did not use any contractions to further emphasize my point? Sh*t is getting real. Go watch it now.

Love me some Venice sunsets

We're into the home stretch here in our beer every day year and coming off the heels of a 7 day Rogue feast, I'm back home and amp'd for a three day flight of Imperial Stouts from Great Divide.

When I began the blog last year, I was really into IPA's. Midway through the year, I really got into Belgian style beers. As the year closes, I'm dialed in on darker beers such as Stouts, Barleywines and Old Ales. Great Divide has made three editions of their Yeti Imperial Stout - their regular series, one that is oak aged, and a chocolate oak aged series. Can you say, Dank Danker Dankest?! The next three days my tongue will be in the equivalent of Beer Hawaii, sipping on some crazy stouts.

Tonight we're having the original Yeti Imperial Stout. Yeti is the name given by Tibetans for a legendary Abominable Snowman, by the way. The North American counterpart is Bigfoot, which is why you don't see any Snowman in those beef jerky ads.

I am still in awe of big alcoholic stouts that are dark as night and smooth as ice. I plan on trying my hand at an Imperial Stout soon and if it's half as smooth as the Yeti, I'm partying like it's 1999. This beer is so righteous and rich. There is no sign of roasted bitterness. It is thick and viscous with chocolate, coffee and molasses flavors. Even at 75 IBU, the hops are barely noticeable with the embarrassment of riches that is going on in my glass. If the other Yeti's get better than this, I am in for a treat. THE ROCK rating.




Margaritaville happened earlier in the day. I'm pretty sure there's no better way to honor the dedication of the USA women during the World Cup than by imbibing Mexican food and drink, right?

Well, at least it wasn't sake and sushi --

ZING

Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout drinks in iambic pentameter

Oatmeal Stouts are quickly rising to the top of my favorite beer styles. The rolled oats produce a smooth, silky characteristic that smooths out the bitterness of the roasted malts. Will doth Bill Shakespeare have to say about it?

Is it me, or does Shakespeare look like Burt Reynolds?

I'm a Hemingway man myself, but this Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout has my attention. This brew has character to it. For 66 IBU's, this is surprisingly malty. The stout is smooth and subtly silky, with an interesting peck of roast and chocolate flavor as it finishes. This beer has it all, a quiet subtly with a touch of the bold. Check out this playwright soon. THE ROCK rating.

Mikkeller 10 IPA gets close to a perfect score

I'm still recovering from the 4th o' July weekend and I'm spending the down time making the only dish that would utilize all my left over ingredients from the bbq - meatloaf! 

Hamburger buns, chipotle bbq sauce and 2 lbs of ground beef are almost all I need to make this bad boy. That, combined with Sam Malone and an American style IPA complete the evening.

Clocks in at a 6.9% alcohol and has a fresh grass and piney hop bite that combines with a very light and citrusy body. Rather than the typical hop bombs that Americans love, Mikkeller's IPA's are proving to be subtle characters and rarely do I taste IPA's this light and refreshing. I could describe it as a summer IPA, perfect for a picnic. THE ROCK rating.

Mikkeller I Beat yoU sunsets a crazy and delicious 4th of July

Happy 4th o' Julie! This was one incredibly busy day that included dog sitting, bottling two home brews and entertaining people from 10am until 9pm. Only with the stamina gained through the spirit of Chuck Norris was I able to live through this day.

Nick G, Beth, AJ and Nic came over around 10am for some patriotic brunch. And by patriotic I mean coffee cake and Freedom Toast drowned in Vermont Maple Syrup. With Nic and Nick around I able to bottle both David and my home brews, which I've been dying to do because it's the highly experimental and unique, Sea Salt Caramel (Brewing Sea Salt Caramel). It was a wild brew day and I'm nervous about the taste, because I wasn't as OCD on keeping the temperature as constant as I have been in the past. Could this be my first bomb?

Hell no! This turned out perfect! My experience has made me aware that carbonating beer can lead to something completely different than what you taste during bottling, but this is pitch perfect. It has a heavy caramel flavor profile and the salt is at the right level. No weird ester or fruit flavors, which I was worried about because of the high percentage of Special B malt. The color is perfect, a dark brown reminiscent of caramel. This is one syrupy and dank dessert beer. I plan on cold conditioning three bottles in my refrigerator to experiment and the rest go in the beer closet to carbonate. David's Imperial IPA didn't fare as well however, it seems a little watered down. Hopefully carbonation will provide a fuller body. A big thank you to Nic and Nick for helping me clean and cap over 4 cases of beer in only 1.5 hours!

Tiffany and her crew brought over materials for bacon mac and cheese and jalapeno cornbread, as well as some phenomenal jello shots. Ridiculous right? Alyssa had some sort of jello shot contraption that allowed her to layer them. I may have had a handful...does that make me a super patriot?

 YUP

Meanwhile, I'm getting to work on my Blueberry Chipotle BBQ sauce burgers with fried onions. I don't cook very often, but with David out of town in Austria, it's time to represent the apartment. The recipe comes from an article in the LA Times food section last week, and it turned out delicious! Check this good looking son of a gun out:

I still have 3lbs of meat and a bowl of bbq sauce leftover, will I be eating burgers all week?

Many people came by throughout the day and I poured a bunch of home brew to treat everyone, including Heisenburg's Honey Wheat, David's Imperial Red, and my Summer's Blonde Intern. Thanks everyone for coming out!

While I didn't choose an American beer for the special beer of the day, I did drink a bunch of Bud Light and Jose Cuervo, which is strangely more American than you'd think. Right? Sure.

I bought 5 beers from legendary Danish brewer Mikkeller on Friday and I'll be damned if I don't get to drink them before David returns from Austria, which is when we start our 7 straight days of Rogue Brewing beer. With the spirit of Chuck Norris protecting me, I pour this hopefully delightful Danish Imperial IPA

Who wears seersucker shorts with a chuck norris shirt while drinking Danish beer? This guy!

I Beat yoU is an Imperial IPA that clocks in at 9.75% and smells incredibly well, the piney hops really come through. It is full bodied and has a toasted malt that balances nicely with the piney, herbal hops. Everything is so well balanced that you don't realize this is an Imperial IPA. The more I drink, the craftsmanship becomes more apparent. This is a smooth IPA. THE ROCK rating.


I hope everyone had a an awesome and fun 4th of July!