CRICKET! oh and an Alpine Glacier Lager
May 2, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
So, I am a big cricket fan. Yes the game that most American’s think is a boring version of baseball. Spent the morning weeding and didn’t wear gloves, had to stop do to blister explosion. Hot, tired and nothing better to revive me than a chilled beer and watching India beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets with 31 balls remaining.
By the time Ireland and the West Indies came on I was drinking the Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier Lager. Tommyknocker Brewery located in Colorado is named after the elf’s who lived and worked in the mines. Serious. According to their website, “In the late 1800’s, miners immigrated to Colorado from Cornwall, England to work the Gold and Silver mines in Clear Creek County. They brought with them superstitions and tales of little elf-like beings who lived in the cracks and crevices of the mines. These little creatures, known as Tommyknockers, were rarely seen, but were often heard singing and working.”
Over the knock of the bat striking the ball I poured this straw coloured lager. The head was like whipped egg whites. The peaks stuck around for quite awhile. The flavour is mild with some grass notes from the hops and a nice heap of malty smoothness. Nice refreshing session lager for a summer day. Not exciting, just a solid beer.
I got a mixed 6-pack from Tommyknocker Brewery, so 5 more of theirs to come, stay tuned.
Singha
April 12, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Went to dinner with some friends and colleagues tonight. We went to Sushi Thai Garden in Williamstown and I had a Singha Lager (สิงห์, correctly pronounced sing or singh) with my pad thai and crab rangoon. This pan-Asian restaurant is very tasty and in such a small town it is a place I frequent quite a lot. Brewed by the Boon Rawd Brewery in Thailand
According to Boon Rawd Brewery, “Boon Rawd Brewery was the first of its kind in Thailand, and produces beer under the Singha brand name. The brewery was founded by Boonrawd Srethabutra, on whom HM King Prajadhipok Rama VII bestowed the aristocratic title of Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi. The brewery is still under the management of the Bhirom Bhakdi family (3rd and 4th generations). Boon Rawd bought two German breweries in Hartmannsdorf and Mittweida in Saxony in 1994, which until 2001 produced Singha Gold for the European market. However, Singha beer has always been brewed and bottled in Thailand. Today, all of the Singha brands are produced only in Thailand, to preserve the original taste for the export market.”
Granted, most people find this lager particularly tasty with spicy Thai food and here I pair it with the sweet stuff. I think either works and I doubt you will find me eating much spicy Thai curries outside of Thailand.
Singha is a sweet bready lager. It pours a beautiful light golden colour and has a sweet floral aroma. The flavour is full and crisp. There is a slight bitterness that balances the bready malts. A very nice beer indeed. I will have this again for sure.
Yuengling Traditional Lager
April 5, 2010 by justin · 2 Comments
So guest blogger, Kevin Easton, reviewed Yuengling Traditional Lager for us a few weeks ago and I was so jealous. I heard the beer wasn’t great, but it is the oldest in the US and I just wanted to get my hands on some. Then, I came home the other day to see the most beautiful sight… a six pack of Yuengling Traditional Lager on my doorstep. I had been house-sitting for a neighbour who paid me in the best currency ever, beer.
I was in the middle of the week of porters so, tonight I finally cracked one open.
German meaning ‘Young Man,’ and pronounced ‘Ying-Ling’, D. G. Yuengling & Son was founded in 1829 by David G. Yuengling. It is a family owned company, now spanning over 180 years of continuous operation. Through five generations they have remained unique among breweries, distinguished by its culture, heritage, traditions, and portfolio of brands. Now the sixth generation is actively learning the business from the ground floor up.
I
n parts of Pennsylvania you can just order “lager” and get a Yuengling. I understand the popularity. This is a very drinkable beer and a great alternative to major US lagers. However, it is lacking in some areas. The colour is beautiful, a nice amber hue, with a small head and minimal lacing. It is very dry but slightly sweet. The hops pop in and out of dominance as you drink it. There is an acidity that I’m not too fond of and it is a bit bready for my taste. There just isn’t anything truly great happening here. Unlike mass-produced lagers this beer has flavour.
Interesting tid-bit, “On Friday March 19th 2010, President Barack Obama sent a case of Yuengling, the Presidents favorite beer, to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper along with a case of Molson Canadian to cover a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2010 Winter Olympics hockey final”
Watch a tour here:
D.G. Yuengling and Son Yuengling Traditional Lager
This is Kevin Easton’s first post on Beer Geek, Dude. Please welcome him to Beer Geek, Dude.
My friend from Massachusetts visited this past weekend and commented about how one of the things he misses most from living in NY is Yuengling lager.
Yuengling (pronounced ying-ling) is brewed in Pottsville, PA and is produced by the oldest active brewery in the United States. Yuengling is only distributed in a handful of states, so most Americans likely never get to try this historical beer. The beer pours a nice bright copper color but the head is only a thin and watery lace that quickly fades to nothing. This beer does not have a very prominent aroma either. The main smell is simply water, with a little bit of a metallic tinge. This beer delivers on taste though. Bear in mind that this is a simple lager without any fancy dry-hopping or exotic ingredients thrown in, so some might describe this beer as being bland. The beer has a crisp and refreshing taste, with just enough carbonation and a wonderful malt character that makes you want another sip. This beer is what all of those other mass-marketed and over-carbonated lagers should try to be; refreshing and tasty without anything too fancy going on. Yuengling lager is not as prestigious as most other craft beers out there but it is an absolutely solid no-frills lager that is perfect to wash down that ham and cheese sandwich or bacon cheddar burger. It’s also only 4.4% ABV, which makes it the perfect session beer for a mild spring day. Recommended.
Brooklyn Lager
March 12, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Wow, I am cutting it close, 15 min to go and I’m drinking my beer for today. This is one of those days where my challenge is really hard. It has been a very busy day, I was so excited when the group I was with decided to go to Chopsticks Chinese restaurant for our very late dinner, as they have beers I have not had this year. However, I was with some of my students and by the time I got to the table it had been decided that we were not going to imbibe at dinner. Great idea, especially since one of our dinner mates is sober. However, that meant that my challenge was going to be tough, get home before midnight and crack open a cold one. I just walked in the door and the Brooklyn Brewery Lager had my name written all over it.
The Brooklyn Brewery Lager is their flagship beer. Is it as good as everyone says?
It pours a nice amber colour. The hop aroma is more than I usually expect out of a lager, but hey, I love the hops. All of these hop notes come from dry-hopping the beer. Beersmith says, “Real hopheads will tell you that in addition to boil and late hop additions, adding dry hops is a preferred technique for preserving a burst of delicate hop aroma for IPAs and other hoppy beers.” That is what is odd. Most lagers are not dry hopped. So, the hoppy aroma is a bit interesting, not that I’m complaining, this is one of the few “traditional lagers” I really like. The reason it is like this is that it is supposed to be a “pre-prohibition” style. Back when American lagers had flavour.
“In the late 1800s Brooklyn was one of the largest brewing centers in the country, home to more than 45 breweries. Lager beer in the “Vienna” style was one of the local favorites.” (97 Bottles)
The flavour is malty, not as hoppy as the aroma, with hints of butterscotch and yeast. A little to bright for my late night drink before dinner but not bad.
I guess I will have to drink a Tsingtao Beer some other time. Off to watch some Maddow then bed.
Howl Black Lager
February 20, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
So sorry to disappoint. I know, I was supposed to be talking about the Dogfish Head 120min IPA. However, tonight I went to a potluck at a friends house and I brought Howl Black Lager from Magic Hat with me and so I’ve been drinking that and honestly the 120 needs space of its own. Tomorrow, I promise.
The Howl Black Lager is only the second Magic Hat beer that I really like. Their beers are good, don’t get me wrong, but they are so fruity. When I first saw it I thought of Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl. I wondered if there was a connection. Maybe I am the only one finding literary connections with Magic Hat’s most recent brews. The other Magic Hat beer that I like is Wacko (hard to find right now as it is a summer seasonal). Wacko is coloured by beets and of course I immediately thought of one of my favorite books, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. The missing ingredient being found in this Magic Hat beer and Tom Robbins writing style being truly wacko. But, I don’t think that they were thinking of either of Ginsberg or Robbins when they were brewing.
This schwarzbier does pour black but not really “as night” like they say. The aroma is of toasted malts with hints of coco and hops. The lacing is be-a-u-ti-ful. The lager is light in body and crisp. The flavour is malty with hints of coffee and charcoal and a grassy bitter hop finish. Very drinkable, unlike most Magic Hat beers, in my opinion. Jinx, the beer Howl replaced, was one of my least favorite beers so I am just delighted.
So drink this beer and humour me, listen to Allen read his poem Howl while you are at it.
Kingfisher Premium Lager
February 7, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Went to Cosmic Cafe in Dallas and with my Indian melody of tastey goodness (Buddha’s Delight) I downed a Kingfisher, India’s best selling beer, brewed by United Breweries Group. Kingfisher is a sponsor of many of the Indian Primer League (IPL) cricket teams (find out more about Kingfisher’s IPL involvement).
The Kingfisher is a decent barley hops lager, to my knowledge there are no adjuncts. It was in a bottle so I can’t describe the colour or head.Why they put the damn thing in a green bottle is beyond me. From what I read it is better now that it is brewed in the USofA, so if you gave this one a go before, it might be time for another try. The aroma and flavour did have a bit of a juicyness (apple?) which is not good, but with spicy Indian food it just really wasn’t as bad as I anticipated.
Went later to a few places where my best bet was Budweiser so in the spirit of the Bud Bowl, I joined in. The Buds made me realize that the Kingfisher was a-ok, all things considered of course. Well one more day of Airport options, probably in Memphis, and then back to the good stuff!
Landshark Lager
In Dallas, this is gonna be hard posting about these beers as I just hang out. Tonight I had a Landshark Lager on tap at the hotel where I am staying. It was very light with little to no head. It was so American and so bland. Basically had a long day of traveling and then chilled with some friends with the bar. Here it is 2 am and Im blogging about a shitty beer! The beer was very light, reminded me of a nicer version of a Bud (which it IS! come to find out, our “friends” at AB brew this shit. Thanks!). To be honest, my friend was buying and I will have to find out tomorrow what I drank. It was perfect for the day and a definate session beer, couldn’t of been above 5%ABV I will try to be better at this tomorrow.
In fact, the hotel I am staying at has Shiner Bock so I think that is what you have to look forward to tomorrow. Texas is not know for its small breweries so this is gonna be a rough couple of days.
I did take a picture right after I got it, look ma no head!
Coney Island
February 3, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Tonight I’m in Brooklyn with my bro. Anyway he is running a bit late so I’m drinking at Franklin Park. Franklin Park is a great beer garden in Brooklyn on st John st near Franklin ave. It has 2 drinking/bar areas and a beautiful garden area in front, perfect for throwing back a pint in the summer. They have a decent craft beer selection on tap so I try to stop here whenever I’m in Brooklyn. The other nice thing is that it is not too overrun with hipsters. The downfall to the place is that they do not serve food so on a night like tonight, when I am hungry after a long day of work and travel there isn’t food right there with my beer. Of course you can always order delivery! We spent New Years eve celebrating here which was a fun neighbourly crowd.
So first I’m trying a coney island lager by Brooklyn brewery. When in Brooklyn? It is a light amber colour with not much of an aroma at all. Fairly hoppy smooth yet crisp mouthfeel. Leave it at the back of your tongue and feel it tingle. The name coney island is perfect as I can imagine eating a hot dog (if I ate hot dogs, which I don’t) and chillin’ with friends. The bitter bite of hop will probably turn some people away from drinking this in large quantities. I have it served here in a shaker pint glass it had very little head and is probably a bit too cold. Nice but not great beer.
The bartender is not the most knowledgeable about beer but the atmosphere and 12 tap beers make up for that. They also have 11 beers in bottles.
Well the flurries have started and it is gonna be a beautiful night I reckon in b-town.
Off to dinner Sinebrychoff porter with mac’n'cheese. At Abigails on Saint John street. Good smooth black dark solid beer. Perfect for the rich mac’n'cheese. Everything was great. The service was ok.
2 good beers in nice places with good friends. Great night and I’m off to bed and then off to Dallas in the morning. I hope it is not the beer dead zone that I remember