Bruery Run B.M.C. at the Eat Real craft beer festival

With LA supposedly in Carmageddon deadlock, I'm biking down to Culver City for the Eat Real festival. They have two beer gardens pouring all you can drink beers from Stone, Ballast Point, Hanger 24, Firestone, Eagle Rock and Bruery. They will also have a ton of food trucks, live music, and cooking demos. Ain't having no car gonna stop me from having a good time.

Sarah and I bike down and no one is there when we arrive at noon, but by 2pm the place is packed and getting rowdy. David is fortuitously going down to The Bruery with Karl today and I grab my beer of the day early, The Bruery's brand new Imperial Pilsner, Run B.M.C.

Beer in a mason jar! I'm good to go

The tenth one-time release from their Provisions line of beers, the Run B.M.C. is a 7% Imperial Pilsner and one of the few lagers the Bruery has made. It has also been quadruple hopped and cold fermented, which is really unusual for the style. This is the 3rd Imperial Pilsner tasted this year and my 9th Provisions beer ( 9 out of 10). The first two Imperial Pils resulted in very mixed feelings about this unconventional style, and I believe that if someone can make a deliciously unconventional beer, it would be the Bruery.

Run B.M.C. is an incredibly summery beer, with lots of citrus and pineapple flavors thanks to the hops and it's very sweet - probably too sweet. There is a hop bite towards the end but overall the hops are there to add to the flavor profile. I think it's great drinking it under the sun at a festival, but I'm not sure I'll purchase a bottle during my next Bruery run. Imperial Pilsners are odd creatures; lagering creates clean and crisp beers, and it's hard to create a beer with body enough to handle high alcohol and flavor. This was a noble effort though. 

Sarah gets her art walk on

Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale prepares for Carmageddon!!!

Hide yo kids, hide yo wife because CARMAGEDDON IS UPON US!

Stupid names like the above are apparently what happens after the city closes down the busiest section of freeway in America for an entire weekend to replace a bridge. Other cities be warned. However much I hate that name, it's surprisingly catchy and it's far easier to say than the 405 is being closed down and everyone is losing their minds.

I'm anticipating either an insane amount of traffic or nothing at all to happen. Regardless, I'm using the opportunity to replace my broken beach cruiser with a mountain bike that will tear up the streets and trails. My first test drive will be a 14 mile round trip ride tomorrow. I'm stoked!

Today's beer is brought to you by the good people of Rogue and it's the final beer in our 7 day septathlon of Rogue Brewery beers. That's a ton of their signature Pac-Man yeast! This entry is part of Rogue's signature line and Chef Morimoto - award winning chef, Iron Chef and all around badass - helped design it. It's made with Soba, which I thought was a type of noodle. Carmageddon may end Los Angeles, but on the bright side I'm still an idiot. Phew. This is Soba -

Soba (also known as buckwheat) is not a type of wheat but a member of the rhubarb family and has been a longtime staple of Japanese cuisine because of its nutritional value.

They say it isn't a wheat, but it certainly pours hazy like one. How will rhubarb's confused cousin taste?

Morimoto Soba has a very clean profile with a unique and subtle sweetness from the Soba but is otherwise a very simple beer. It's a beer that one might expect from Japan - interesting and professional. Quite polite as well. ARMAGEDDON rating

Rogue John John Hazenult Ale isn't double the fun

I'm home from dinner at Manchego, a BYOB tapas joint on Main Street, and full off of cheese and bacon wrapped dates. David is hard at work on another one of his projects and keeping in theme, we're pouring an experiment from Rogue. Rogue took their Hazelnut Brown Nectar and aged it in spiced rum barrels. How will this compare to the hazelnut ale we had last week?

I spy a Star Destroyer...

John John, thanks to the barrel aging, has really mellowed out hazel nut character and the rum makes the brew seem boozier than the abv says. The regular hazelnut was the first brown ale I have actually enjoyed this year, but the aging has taken a hazelnut ale and made it much similar to a brown ale. Boo. Give me that Original Gangster stuff! THE ISLAND rating

Rogue Chocolate Stout is a wholesome all american dessert beer

Rogue's Chocolate Stout was released Valentine's Day 2001, and I could probably guess why; why buy your darling chocolates when you can buy her chocolate desert that can get her drunk?

My favorite coffee table book has some competition from my new favorite sweetheart. 

This brew has 69 IBU's. All the Rogue beers have really high IBU counts, which is really interesting because none of their beers are hoppy. I think it's great they label their beers with an ingredients list, which informs me they use their special in house Pac-Man yeast on all their beers. Rogue also makes it available to home brewers, which is twice the cool. This is the first American yeast, that I've run into, that doesn't accept hops very well and produces a very neutral profile. It's really cool discovering its potential across a wide array of different styles.

Thanks to the addition of chocolate syrup, this flavor dominates the beer and overwhelms any bitter roasted flavors. It really does taste like Hershey's syrup, but what's unique, is there's also hints of vanilla in the flavor profile which this taste like ice cream with chocolate sauce. The flavor, you can tell is added and thus has a 'manufactured' or unnatural feeling to the beer, but I can't deny it's deliciousness. TRANSFORMERS rating. 

Rogue Chipotle Ale comes with a warning

David received a huge 55 inch TV that he ordered today and the box's sign feels appropriate for this beer.

What is interesting about the reviews online, is how mixed they are. People are either saying the chipotle is over used or under used (spicy or not spicy enough). David and I aren't on the same page as everyone else. In fact, we can't even get far enough into the beer to analyze it because we want to hurl it out the window.

We don't like this at all, in fact, it's downright inappropriate. Maybe we have a bad bottle, but the chipotle is bitter and akin to donkey piss. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating

Stone's Smoked Porter with Chipotle is worlds better, try that beer instead if you want something with a little kick.

Rogue Mom's Hefeweizen suggests mothers enjoy spice

One Christmas I received a holiday card from my parents, seen below. I got a good laugh out of it but thought it was weird because our family has never sent out cards. I failed to bring it up with them and the weeks went by.

I finally remembered it and asked them about it. Turns out, they didn't send out the card. My parents and their friends play pranks on each other, and their friends took a picture from a party years ago, got their friend's addresses and sent them out. This makes the card even more hilarious. Gotta love my mom's outfit in this.


This Rogue Hefeweizen is 30 IBU, pretty high for the style and made with ginger and coriander.

Because Rogue made this with their Pac Man yeast, this beer is more similar to an American Wheat than a Hefeweizen, a yeast style that produces banana, cloves and biscuit flavors.

Mom's Hefe is medium bodied and very drinkable, despite being heavily spiced. They tried to mimic the hefeweizen yeast by adding their own spices and they're fairly successful. It's very drinkable but I don't see myself purchasing another bottle sometime soon. ARMAGEDDON rating.

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.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is no ordinary brown ale

Nick G is in the house and loving the smell of this brew. Brown ale is my least favorite style of ale, but something tells me the Hazelnut Brown Nectar is different. Is it because Nutella is made out of hazelnut? Could it be the intense aroma? Perhaps it's the odd looking hippie on the front?

It tastes like it smells! Yayyy. Toasted malts up front and some great sweetness and subtle nuttiness.  The label conveys Rogue won some big awards for this beer and I can believe it. Hazelnut makes a brown ale taste great. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Mikkeller Chinook Single Hop is a tasty education

Thank goodness it's Friday. I can't actually say TGIF because it's not very becoming of a man my age and social stature...Basically it sounds like I'm in a teenage Facebook chatroom. Regardless, I'm excited to be over with this week, which was long and hard. That's what she....

Btw, I discovered today there are more single hop varieties than the Chinook and Simcoe, but those are the only ones available at Beverage Warehouse. FFS.

Jeez. BTDT. Well, I'll have to make do with what I have.  

The Simcoe single hop IPA really surprised me because I thought I knew the character of Simcoe. For the Chinook, I am more prepared for the elementary effect of a single hop IPA. After the first couple of sips, I'm admiring the subtlety of this IPA.

Accordingly to my Designing Great Beers book, if Chinook is employed later in the boil it imparts a herbal, almost smoky aroma. However, Mikkeller clearly used Chinook at the beginning of the boil because it has a rich and pronounced aroma with a citrus component.

For having a very high alpha acid count (one of the strongest hops), the IPA is surprisingly refreshing and citrusy. It's like finding the big silent bully has a heart of gold.

I'm enjoying this much more than the Simcoe, and would love to get my hands on the Amarillo, Centennial, Citra and Cascade single hop IPAs. TRANSFORMERS rating. GLWT Walker.


And finally,

MTFBWY


(May The Force Be With You)

Mikkeller Green Gold is made for the Spring

After work I stopped by the Surly Goat, where I was able to revisit Deschutes Lost Mirror Mirror Barleywine (post). I was lead to believe that I would never have it again, but apparently they had 'found' another keg of the stuff because it was on tap.

I walk in the door and Storm Tater is ready to mash me, but I deftly deflect his blows. He's getting better, and one day I may land a fatal stroke...if his arms don't fall off first. 

Mikkeller Green Gold IPA awaits!

StormTater's long awaited return to the blog

I love the name of this - hops are green gold. This brew is made with Simcoe, Cascade and Amarillo hops, all hops I've used in beers and I'm enjoy immensely.

If yesterday's Mikkeller 10 is a Summer IPA, this is an American Spring IPA. It has a strong citrus hop with a classic American body. I've noticed this week Mikkeller's beers have outstanding carbonation, which adds to the beer's crispness.

Every IPA from Mikkeller I would drink again. Few breweries create brews of such high standards - Stone, Dogfish Head - and I feel Mikkeller is in the same club. I'm beginning to understand why he's so revered. TRANSFORMERS 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 Simcoe single hop IPA isn't what I hop'd it to be

David is away in Austria and Florida all week (filming the Space Shuttle's last launch! He will have seen the last two shuttle launches EVER. Lucky bastard), but I'm not that jealous because it's Mikkeller time.

I would classify Mikkeller - from what I know - as a brewer's brewer. Mikkeller is Danish and is a 'gypsy' brewer, brewing and collaborating all over the world. The beer world loves him. I picked up five of his beers, which are only available in 11 ounce bottles for around $5 and they would be hard to split with David so I'm taking advantage of his absence to squeeze them in before the year ends.

I'm especially excited because two of the five are single hop IPA's, which will be a cool experiment. Beers almost always combine multiple hops to create complexity, but Mikkeller created a line of IPA's to highlight the contributions of several hops. Sam Adam did a single IPA box of beers and I heard they were not so tasty. I bet this is different.

I chose the Simcoe IPA to drink first because I have a nostalgic connection to the hop. The first IPA I made, a Double Belgian IPA called Double Dutch Rudder, was made with Simcoe and it has a very unique hop bite to it. I am of the understanding that Simcoe is a 'super hop,' and so the hop complexity owed itself primarily to Simcoe and not the two other hops I used as well.

Well after tasting this single hop, I am quite wrong. The IPA isn't as bitter as I hoped it to be and the body is surprisingly clean and malty. Simcoe, I'm learning, is a far more subtle and earthy hop than I supposed it to be. I like this IPA because it is refreshing and I learned a great deal from it. That being said, I'm not going to rate it highly because it is, after all, a single hop beer and it's not something I'd recommend everyone spending their money on unless they're a homebrewer. ARMAGEDDON 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!

AleSmith Speedway Stout would be at my Last Supper

The Speedway Stout is that lady in the red dress at black tie affair - you might never forget forget her.

We picked up a bottle from the brewery during our San Diego trip in May. It's in the top 20 for it's style and the first time I had it on draft at the daily pint, I saw stars. It's 12% alcohol and pours a deep black color and an inspiring tan colored 2 finger head. High carbonation in high alcohol beers are tough to achieve but not for AleSmith.  It is glorious.

The Speedway Stout has a rich and complex aroma of coffee and chocolate. The malts are terrifically roasted and the taste is so smooth. Nothing overpowers here and the flavors combine superbly. This is full bodied and as with any really dank stout, reminds me of motor oil. Delicious, nurturing motor oil. It may be $12 a bottle, but it is worth every penny. BAD BOYS rating.  

I recently filled out an interview for a blog, which will hopefully appear soon, and they asked me a question and my response was a Speedway Stout :

"You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?"

AleSmith Speedway Stout – it is so rich and complex that I would not only still be savoring it as I was walking up the gallows, but its dankness would still be with me as I greeted sweet, sweet death. Plus it is 12% so maybe I’d go out buzzed; isn’t that how we should all go?

Iron Fist Golden Age can't top Hall & Oates

Every once in a while, a bad apple comes along - a 'corked' wine bottle, a lemon car, the latest carnation of the Hawaii 5-0 televisions show. The beer world is not immune to failure and in pouring Iron Fist's Golden Age, David and I realized that at some point, this beer had crossed over from being a delicious and refreshing treat to something that needed to be poured out.

It's 9.5% alcohol but the only defining characteristic is an overwhelming yeasty flavor. David looked up other reviews and confirmed our suspicion that it was a bad bottle, because this brew had solid reviews and fail to mention yeast. Bad batches happen from time to time. This was especially hard to drink entirely because the yeast flavor Dominated. Yuck. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating. 

But I'm not letting a bad beer get in the way of a good time, because David, Karl and Laura are all going to The Hollywood Bowl to watch Hall & Oates belt out their smooth and easy sounds. Take me away Daryl!

If there is one thing Karl and Laura know how to do, it is picnic the Hollywood Bowl. They brought 5 different kinds of cheese, 4 different kinds of deli meat, baguettes and 2 types of crackers. Combined we had 4 bottles of wine, a bottle of Bruery Mischief and a bottle of port. We picnic'd the hell out of that place.

Here is Maneater, which was the best quality video I took. The saxophone player just kills it and women who loved saxophone players who look like Meatloaf with a pony tail were SWOONING:

Afterward, the Hollywood Orchestra, led by their hilarious conductor, closed the show down playing patriotic tunes with choreographed fireworks. Ahhhmazing. Probably one of the best nights of my year! Lovin it

Stone Imperial Russian Stout Belgo Anise licorces me up

This brew is part of Stone's “Odd Beers for Odd Years" program, where during n odd numbered years they release new variations on Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and Stone Imperial Russian Stout in place of the classic version. The Belgo Old Guardian Barleywine was interesting but very overwhelming.

The regular Russian Imperial Stout is one of my favorite stouts and I'm interested to taste what the anise will do. Anise, which is used in absinthe and black licorice, will probably add a unique fingerprint and make this either an incredible beer or a really bizarre beer. I wonder what it'll be...

We're dog sitting the incredible Kamari, who I had to include in the picture. The best dog ever.

The licorice is there from the start and adds a nice flavor and does make this a unique stout. That being said, as I continue drinking it becomes harder for me to finish the glass. The anise wore on me and overwhelmed my palate and drinking became a chore.

I really enjoy Stone making this series of beers and I love the idea of making proven recipes using odd ingredients. It's bold and creative. However, these Belgo beers are experiments that I won't be drinking again. They created a monster of a beer and it's just too much. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Port Brewing Old Viscosity is the finest motor oil I have ever drunk

The Older Viscosity was one of the better beers I've had this year. Rich and complex, it was aged in bourbon barrels for an extended time and the result was mind blowing. The younger brother of the Older Viscosity, simply goes by Old Viscosity and it's a 10% beer aged in oak barrels rather than bourbon. What will the difference be?

This smells like a dark, dank stout with lots of roasted barley. This isn't as syrupy and ridiculous as older viscosity, which is like drinking motor oil - motor oil made by Hershey's and Aunt Jemima's love child-- and I mean LOVE child. The roasted malts are pretty smooth and there's a hint of sweetness as you finish, which rounds out a very rich and dare I say...noble...flavor profile. It is pretty damn bold, I'm amazed they were able to make the Older Viscosity even more badass. This is delicious. BAD BOYS rating

Afterward, David and I met coworker Tiff out at Library Alehouse for a few more rounds....watch out for the BEER!!

Coronado Mermaid's Red Ale doesn't lure me in with her siren song

I have a drinks at Surly Goat, which I haven't been too in a while and I'm stoked! Looking at the menu, the irony hits me...I've had most of these beers. At almost 330 beers, it was bound to happen somewhere. There are so many beers on the menu I want to drink for pleasure and not for the blog, such as the Stone IRS, Bruery Bierbauch, Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine and especially the 12% Speedway Stout they have on freaking cask. Ain't something so hard to turn down when you know exactly what you're missing?! Just like turning away free chocolate chip cookies...

I'm gonna roll the dice with a San Diego brewery who's location and beer names I like, but who also has disappointed me fairly often with their output, although I do like myself a red ale. Tonight's choice is Coronado Brewing's 5.7% Mermaid's Red Ale.

This beer reminds me of...you know that old Dobie Gray song, "Drift Away?" What's that now? Walker, please play some of that soft and soulful rock...well if you insist:

I'm specificaly referring to the Dobie's chorus, drift away. The red ale is looking good, good as hell, but the flavor profile is off. The hops are in the forefront of the taste along with faint roasted flavors, but then everything fades to a bitter finish without giving me a beat to work with. It's an odd mix that overall, doesn't sit well with me. Yet, the Mermaid is drinkable because it's lacking robustness, so points for that I suppose. THE ISLAND rating

Iron Fist Gauntlet Imperial IPA throws down on my ailments

The back label propaganda says that they are 'throwing down the gauntlet" on this 9.5% brew. It's apparently not for the weak hearted and since I've been feeling awfully under the weather all day.
I've traveled two out of the last three weekends and that other weekend I was up till dawn both nights. My traveling has caught up to me and now it's time to ketchup on my sleep and I'm hoping this Imperial IPA will throw down on my the sleeping pill I just took as well as my sic.....zzzzz

Soup, Triscuits, Beer and Kangaroo Ball bottle opener, everything Walker needs to feel better. Fact

As you can see, it pours with a huge head and the carbonation actually plays a distinctive role in this brew. It's a big bodied beer with a subtle, yet sharp grassy bite that's very distinct. It reminds me of the line of Stone IPA's, landing in between their regular IPA and Stone Ruination. The carbonation adds a creaminess to the beer that you don't usually get with an IPA, adding to its uniqueness. They certainly threw down, Donkey Kong style -

I was just looking for a simple video of someone throwing barrels at Donkey Kong, but that was wayyy better. I love the Gauntlet's distinctive hop bite, big body and creaminess. For a company less than a year old with a brewer who's only 21 years old, they keep making rock stars. THE ROCK rating.

Anderson Valley Imperial IPA welcomes me back from Chicago

After being delayed for 4 hours in O'Hare last night, I arrived at LAX by 2:30am Monday morning and was in bed around 3:45, which was awesome. Party

Good thing Monday night we decided bring out this 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA from well known Anderson Valley based in Boonville, CA. Daddy needs his medicine.

This clocks in at 8.7% and could be the west coast stand in for Dogfish Head's 90 IPA. Like this Imperial, their beer was 9% alcohol and had a big, sweet malt. Anderson Valley also boast 20 separate editions of hops, which is very similar to the 'continuous hopping done by Dogfish. What differs, is Dogfish's distinctly British malt and their ability to blend their hops for a slightly more refined feel. David for some reason thinks this is too malty, but I and the beer advocate posters like the big malt. TRANSFORMERS rating

Goose Island Honkers kills time in Chicago O'Hare after a big Chicago parade

Final day in Chicago! It's been a hell of a weekend and we're wrapping up the weekend with a big event.  Gay Parade in Boystown is Andrea, Sarah and Whitney's favorite event of the year and they're promising, besides the appearance of Rham Emanuel and the first governor of Illinois to not be indictated, a 2 hours slew of wild and crazy people and floats. Sounds like a party and have the fater-aids and Goose Island 312 to prove it.

Yep

This one reminds me of David for some reason.

Afterward, the crush of people exiting the parade makes it impossible to find transportation home and we end up running drunk over most of Chicago hustling to find a taxi to a blue line. Only to discover upon reaching the airport, that my flight was delayed for 4 hours. Yup, very anti-climatic. So I made use of the airport Goose Island pub and treated myself to a 3 course meal with three different beers, including Goose Island's Honkers English Bitter.

It's crisp and dry with a citrus hop bite and the body has a toasted flavor that subdues any sweetness. The sip finishes with a bready, biscuit finish. It's an interesting pub beer but relatively unbalanced. ARMAGEDDON rating.


Even after a 2 hour meal and making friends with two couples around me, I'm still two hours away from my flight so I grab my bag and head to the boarding area. I ask a teenager to kick me when it's time to board and I pass out on my bag, full and content. A man to his word, he wakes me up two hours later and feeling like a champion. Thanks Chicago for a sweet time and see you soon!

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale ends a lakeshore Chicago Saturday

It's perfect weather today and we head to a pool party at the top of a 44 story apartment building, which I can't believe they have here. LA has nothing that size and it has amazing panoramas. I kill a Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA and help Sarah get rid of some Honey Wild Turkey, which is dangerously delicious.

Drinking out of cups, being a bitch

After a couple hours we go down to the beachy lakeshore (the peninsula pictured below) and layout beside the famous Castaways bar to meet up with friends, including Andrea who is bringing Floridians who are arriving fresh off the train.

After a late lunch in Old Town relax for a little bit and then head to the Crocodile Bar, which was an entertaining experience. The five of us owned the back bar and danced away the night while soft core porn bizarrely played on a TV behind us. Andrea's Florida friends were so prim and proper at lunch today, looking like they just left a country club, but apparently any knowledge of charm school goes out the window after a couple vodka sodas because those ladies are dancing like maniacs. Very entertaining. It was just one of those nights. To accompany my bourbon and ginger ale, I found another Chicago based Goose Island to try, the Green Line Pale Ale.

Like Eddie Murphay sings, "party all the time, party all the tiiiime"

Apparently I'm learning all the train lines that run through Chicago from Goose Island, because the only train I know in Chicago is the Blue Line that runs from O'Hare. I wonder if they have a Blue Line style yet. The Pale Ale pours with heavy carbonation and has a malty golden body with a hint of hops that provide for a pleasant bite. The beer's body is a little on the light side, and reminds me of a really great Budweiser, if that's possible. It's a fun, easy going drinkable beer that I'm happy to down. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Goose Island 312 Wheat Ale in Chicago's Lincoln Park

Ever since I was introduced to this beer during my October Chicago trip, I've loved it. Sarah knows how to treat visitors and she greats me with a bottle as I arrive at 7am.

It's the perfect drinking beer, sweet and floral and crisp. THE perfect summertime brew and now I have the privileged to taste it during Chicago's best time of the year. It's not the greatest wheat ale, but it's my favorite one to drink. I could literally drink a sixer of this one morning never leaving my couch and consider what I'd just accomplished a great success. THE ROCK rating.

Geese! I dunno how close Goose Island is from here, but this geese are running rampant

We head out to meet Andrea and then relocate to Lincoln Park and play Bocce Ball while tossing down a couple of 312's. It's Friday afternoon and we're simply, 'drinking out of cups, being a bitch.' It's a favorite line from a very bizarre and hilarious video of a guy who's trapped in a closet on drugs (mushrooms?) talking to himself. They animated his ramblings and I've never become tired listening to his cracked out mind.

"Look at Mr. Balloon Hands....Who's chair is that? Not my chair, not my problem.....Why didn't I get invited to the Seahorse Seahell. What is this? Get real. I'm in love with sea horses. I'm in love with them, they're so beautiful and cute, I'm in love with seahorses." 

Oh the hilarity:

Afterward, we head to a friend's rooftop to BBQ and soak in the sights.

And Sarah leads everyone in several rounds of shotgunning beers, which I haven't done in forever and obviously lead to a great night. Cheers Chicago!

The girls are owning it

Brouwerij West Belgian Blond 5 bids LA farewell for the weekend

After packing for my red eye flight to Chi-town to visit Sarah and Andrea, David invites me to join his coworkers for a beer at Library Ale House. He's preselected a belgian sounding brewery that actually hails from Paso Robles. They have a cool tap handle that's easy to remember:

The aroma is light and floral and it goes down easily. A very smooth blond that's full bodied and slightly sweet. This would go really well with food, especially fish or pasta. THE ROCK rating.

Tiffany soon arrives and she orders the Straffe Hendrik Quadruple, which we had last Saturday. Couldn't believe that a Belgian Quad is actually on tap! Now I'm off to catch a red-eye to Chicago, so excited!

Drake's Brewing Expedition Red Ale compliments a feast fit for a Rachel

Aaron B is throwing a festivus for the rest of us to say goodbye to Sarah P's, sister, Rachel, who has spent the last week here. To honor her send off, I pulled an 'expedition' ale out of the fridge. I'm incredibly excited to try this, as Drake's is one of my favorite breweries. I'm hoping this red ale, like Rachel, will be the younger sister of the hoppier and stronger Denoggonizer, which is one of my favorite 'pleasure beers.' David and I have to always ask the other when buying beers, if it's a day beer - for the blog - or a pleasure beer, which is something we've already drunk and won't count for that day. At 315+ beers, we rarely drink pleasure beers because we're already swimming in ale.

Between Aaron and David, I'm surrounded by excellent cooks and I'm eagerly looking forward to dinner. What awaits us is shrimp seviche in sliced cucumbers, scallop salad and flank stank with a balsamic vinaigrette reduction. Everything is delicious, and I had thirds of the flank steak. Yes please thank you much fat kids rule.

The Expedition Red Ale clocks in at 60 IBU's and 7% alcohol, compared to the Denoggonizer's 90 IBU and 9.75% but the Red holds it's own. It's not as intense as the Denog, but this is a good thing. The caramel flavor is medium rich and the sweetness doesn't last long, quickly replaced by a roasted flavor that isn't too bitter. The problem with red ales is they tend to be overtly sweet because in order to create that caramel flavoring, you have to use a high percentage of caramel malt. Drake's fixed this by adding a small amount of roasted malt to their grain bill. Some people just do what they do well, and Drake's has another winner. I plan on adding this to my small list of 'pleasure' beers. THE ROCK rating.

David finishes off the main meal with broiled sea bass. For dessert, Jessica grilled peaches and chopped walnuts while David delivered homemade whipped cream, whipped with awkward enthusiasm by David himself...That boy certainly loves a brisk churning. 

YUM

St. Frueillien Brune Abbey Ale is a watered down dubbel

Our second offering from the St. Frueillien in a row and it's a Belgian abbey ale that clocks in at 7.3%.

Different beer, same picture

The dubbel tastes fruity and has a mild sweetness. It's very easy to drink, which I don't usually consider a compliment with dubbels. It's really another way to say they're pretty watered down. This one isn't complex but it goes down easier than milk. This is nothing to write home about. ARMAGEDDON rating.

St. Feuillien Tripel is perfect for summer

St. Feuillien has been brewing this 8.5% Tripel since 1873 and it's undergone two fermentations. I'm sure they carry a certain level of respect around the globe but I tried saying their name three times fast and it simply came out "Saint Fraulein"...think I just called those belgian monks "little women" in the language of their WWII conquerors.

Lesson here is, even if you've been around for 150 years it only takes one stupid American to make a mockery of your heritage. On behalf of the Fox News audience, you're welcome.

The Tripel has a great carbonation, making for a crisp profile with a delicious lightness to he body. It's sweet with a bit of that clove-like Belgian Blonde bite as it finishes. This is a really tasty treat and would be perfect on a summer day or paired with food. THE ROCK rating.

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot makes us say, WTF haven't we heard of you before?

Before I focus on barley, water, hops and yeast concoction commonly referred to as "beer" or "suds" if you still live in 1950's middle america slang, I want to share with you the most amazing jumpsuit your (insert color here) eyes will ever feast upon:

 

She was pilfering through cigar boxes, CIGAR BOXES people. Right off of 3rd street on our way to brunch. What a gem, what a diamond in the rough.

To unwind from a phenomenal brunch, filled with limitless small plates and sake sangria (Zengo), we're decompressing with some suds at Jamie and Aaron's house. We also invited Zach Galifinakas and Robert Downey Jr into our living room for a performance of DUE DATE.

David and I both agree it's a cool label. It's the military call-sign for WTF. Pretty clever. This is very interesting, very unique. It pour a dark brown color and has a very sweet and malty flavor. It finishes a bit nutty, like a brown ale and the 7.8% alcohol rips through as you finish. This is a mix between a Scottish Ale and an American Brown. At first I believe that I couldn't drink a lot of this, and then I realize how big of an idiot I tend to be. I could drink a ton of this! THE ROCK rating

Straffe Hendrik Quadruple pre-parties Daman's 21st birthday

Because we're gearing up for a big night, David brings out one of the big dogs, albeit in a small bottle. Straffe Hendrick makes a fantastic Tripel, and the Quadruple below is his stronger and darker brother.

Balcony beeeer

I wasn't initially impressed with this fellow probably until I realized my expectations were exceptionally high, ruined by one of the worlds greatest and another quadruple, Rochefort 10 (Rochefort 10 is Transcendent). I came in expecting a certain complexity and richness, and it simply wasn't there. It is however, a sublimely subtle and sweet quadruple that despite its 10% alcohol, isn't full bodied or tastes alcoholic. It's smooth and surprisingly easy to drink. It's a very well crafted beer and deserves THE ROCK rating.

So tonight, David's intern Daman is turning 21, and their company decided to reward their hardest working unpaid intern with a party bus and a night on the town for 24 friends. Today we picked up enough handles of liquor to satiate 24 twenty-one year olds, which was enough to require us each three trips to unload from the car. I was expecting a pretty ridiculous night and the evening didn't let me down.

I'm 28 and I haven't partied with 21 year olds since I was in college. Anyone want to guess how much liquor them kids drank? We picked the birthday boy up at 10pm and he already had 11 notches on his forearm, one for every shot he'd taken. By 11:30 it was up to 17. Daman is apparently a cross between Frank the Tank and The Little Engine That Could because in a feat of superhuman strength, he didn't get sick and lasted the entire night.

So besides the overeager 21 year olds, a coworker's wife brought members of her rotary club to the bar (a business club). One guy was described to me over the phone as a Diamond Dealer with a Napolean complex and he was hell bent on buying the entire group group shots. There was a silver haired man who introduced himself to me with a 5 step handshake that I thought only a 16 year old stoner could design. They were stoked to be there and it was glorious. The whole experience was wild and surreal. There's this really weird mix of people my parents age doing shots with people my age who were mixing it up with kids who were born in the 90's and didn't grow up watching Saved By The Bell reruns. Such a trip. David and I ended up going to bed at dawn, which as I type this Monday, was probably several hours later than I should have. David's hilarious facebook status at 5:30am Sunday morning was, "Computer Blue." Shutdown

Well, go big or go home. Or go big and then go home, and keep going big. I think that's what the kids are saying these days...