Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Danke


Be thankful for things in life.
For example:
1. Beer
2. Others
3. Food
4. My lack of writing
5. My current post
6. Pulling out of the stock market before it died
7. Obama
8. Those "You Can Vote However You Like" kids
9. Clothes, on sale
10. Yourself

This blog is god awful.
My apologies.

4 November 08
Beer: Southampton Pumpkin Ale
Location: Whole Foods Union Sq, NYC
Price: $5.99/650mL
Grade: 6.8

Nice but not amazing. Spices and such galore. Better than some, not as good as others. An average pumpkin ale.

4 November 08
Beer: Sierra Nevada Unfiltered Wheat
Location: Ben’s Deli Ave B, NYC
Price: $11/6pk
Grade: 6.5

Was expecting something unique but came up short. Pissy yellow and not as cloudy or “unfiltered” as expected. Grassy, crisp, dry and bitter at times. But not too much flavor overall.

5 November 08
Beer: Four + Brewing Co., Punk’n Ale
Location: Ben’s Deli Ave B, NYC
Price: $12/6pk
Grade: 6.7

Fresh pumpkin taste with lots of sweetness. Toasty, light malt, honey and the usual pumpkin spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice. It’s a nice beer to have, maybe one or two, but couldn’t spend a while night drinking these. Almost could be a dessert beer if you care to enjoy beer with that slice of pie. Just another pumpkin beer in the pumpkin season – cute and seasonal but not much else beyond that. Rich amber-orange color with medium mouthfeel, apparent but not powerful carbonation and a half-inch of frothy head. A little but of creaminess to it also with little bitterness. Quite mild and sweet.

6 November 08
Beer: Spaten Oktoberfest
Location: Ben’s Deli Ave B, NYC
Price: Gratis, via M & Chang Joint Ventures Inc.
Grade: 6.4

So-so Marzen beer. Grassy, kind of sticky, kind of bitter but mushy sour. Not the best. There surely are better out there.

11 November 08
Beer: Fischer, Tradition Amber
Location: Key Foods, Ave A, NYC
Price: $3.69/22oz.
Grade: 6.4

I knew this wasn’t going to be amazing when I bought it, but I’ve always believed in trying something at least once. (Well, at least most…. "somethings”). Basically a golden amber with light, ivory head of airy foam. Good amount of lacing which was nice. Not the most flavorful beer but has its mix of skunky yeast, sour touches and minimal malts. Not really much else besides a sweetened, grassy taste. Very faint hints of apple – like a golden delicious or granny apple type. Lil sweet, lil spicy but nothing too overpowering – at all. A subtle beer with subtle intentions. It basically knows its spot in life – not good enough for Belgium and not good enough for Germany. But it gets as close as it can, by landing in Alsace. A good try France – give yourself a pat on the back.

13 November 08
Beer: Anchor Special Christmas & New Year Ale, 2008
Location: Whole Foods Bowery, NYC
Price: $10/6pk
Grade: 7.9

Great, great beer. Really enjoyable. Hints of dark, syrupy fruits with a good dosage of malt to make a truly hearty brew. Perfect for cold winter nights and savory meals. “A wooly sweater” of beers, hand-knit by your grandmother and used when in need of comfort. (In this case, drinking = comfort? Thanks Grandma.) Traces of cinnamon, orange, nutmeg and all spice. Sort of like a candied spice taste yet not too sweet. The dark ruby-mahogany color truly is beautiful, as well as the 1.5” head of frothy goodness. The fruits are bits of prune, dark red grapes and even plum mixed with spruce. However as much as this is a delectable beer, the body and full-flavor is lacking. It has a nice rush initially but ends with a quick spritz on the tongue. The smell is great, but the beer feels a bit thin for a winter ale. If you care to share with the kids (great Christmas present), tell them it’s like a malty root beer mixed with some alcohol. That way, they get Christmas ginger snaps (the beer kind of tastes like them) and a lovely beverage to wash it all down. I mean, who does milk and cookies anymore? Doesn’t Santa really want a nice cold beer when he comes down that damn chimney? Nice thinking Anchor, well done.

14 November 08
Beer: Otter Creek Oktoberfest
Location: Gracefully, Ave A
Price: Gratis, via SLM Worldwide Ltd.
Grade: 6.8

A sub-par American attempt at an Oktoberfest brew. An amber ale that has some tingle but not enough to pull through.

14 November 08
Beer: Wolaver’s Pumpkin
Location: Whole Foods Chelsea, NYC
Price: $10/6pk
Grade: 6.7

Pathetic pumpkin. Oh well.

15 November 08
Beer: Old Jubilation Ale, Avery Brewing Co.
Location: Whole Foods Bowery, NYC
Price: $12/6pk
Grade: 7.2

Dark spices and warmth, medium body, some sweetness to it. Even a bit of maple to it, but after awhile it gets a somewhat odd aftertaste.

15 November 08
Beer: Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen
Location: Whole Foods Bowery, NYC
Price: $4/475mL
Grade: 7.6

Smoky and dark. Like “tasting the campfire.”

15 November 08
Beer: Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Location: Whole Foods Bowery, NYC
Price: $4/475ml
Grade: 7.5

Smokey and light, but not necessarily my favorite rauchbier.

19 November 08
Beer: Fort Collins Chocolate Stout
Location: Whole Foods Bowery, NYC
Price: $11/6pk
Grade: 7.1

Chocolate-y, little darkness but not the stout of the century.

23 November 08
Beer: Harpoon Winter Warmer
Location: Whole Foods Chelsea, NYC
Price: Gratis, via Polska-Indian Trading Co.
Grade: 7.2

Works what it preaches. Warming, kinda dark, kinda spicy, but mellow enough that you can chug a few. Excuse me, savor and sip a few. Good for basting your turkey also?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

youre a fuckin hotbeast
everyone would bite it

Anonymous said...

i like how beer comes before others.