tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29843580234138581582024-02-07T02:01:37.518-06:00The 441 Beer WallJohn Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-78101239838911784312013-06-07T20:30:00.000-05:002013-06-08T00:27:19.565-05:00The Session #76: CompulsionThis month's Session was hosted by Glenn Humphries at <a href="http://beerisyourfriend.org/" target="_blank">Beer Is Your Friend</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Here's the topic
I want you to write me a blog post on the subject of compulsion as it
relates to beer. The idea for this Session topic partially arose from
the Beer Audit session Adam at <a href="http://pintsandpubs.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/the-session-73-announcement-beer-audit/">Pints and Pubs </a>
hosted a few months ago. In my effort and those of a few other
bloggers, idea of buying more beer than we need was touched on. Writing
about buying heaps of beer got me thinking about just what it is that
compels me to keep buying beer.</blockquote>
<br />
This topic has come at a great time for me. After blowing way too much of my monthly budget on beer during a trip to Chicago, I assured myself I'd stop buying beer for the rest of the month. I should have known there was no chance I'd pull that off; I was 5 days short when I saw 4 bottles of a beer that's released in March and usually gone by the end of April on the shelf, and felt that I had no choice but to grab a bottle.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTIoLqZaCPCl2XFgV_a9C4IbZ8OLm8FO6f0VAZf3jSRsJpN1C-f035MkL9DdPbCRtQp5QWQdd6Yzb9xmn8ZrEoFzac6lmNMMWGIuh1mhkLilsQTCDQ9E3S5eeaT6iQ5qCTItgD9gs/s1600/TheSession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTIoLqZaCPCl2XFgV_a9C4IbZ8OLm8FO6f0VAZf3jSRsJpN1C-f035MkL9DdPbCRtQp5QWQdd6Yzb9xmn8ZrEoFzac6lmNMMWGIuh1mhkLilsQTCDQ9E3S5eeaT6iQ5qCTItgD9gs/s200/TheSession.jpg" width="164" /></a>On a positive note, I successfully managed to hold off on buying a bottle of New Glarus Anniversary Strong Ale, though that's partially because the display at a local grocery store has it tucked away in the back with a price tag for a bomber of Serendipity under the still fully stocked shelf of beer. <br />
<br />
Anyway, compulsion plays a huge role in my beer buying habits. I constantly talk about adding beers I really enjoy to my "rotation", only to end up buying a new limited release every time I stop at the liquor store. <br />
<br />
My experiences with compulsion are generally related to rarity. If I think I'll like a beer but I don't know how long it will be around, I'll jump at the opportunity to snatch up a couple bottles. I'm not one of the people who will grab an entire case of beer or stand in line for hours because of hype (though I'll admit I will probably eventually make it to Darkness or Dark Lord Days), but I generally have some idea what breweries I respect enough to try something a little off the wall.<br />
<br />
As I write this post, I'm finishing off a bottle of Shorts Huma Lupa Licious that I bought the weekend of the Great Taste of the Midwest--in August of 2012--as a part of an effort to get rid of the absurd collection of bottles and cans around my mini-fridge. I had Needless to say, 9 months was a little bit too long to sit on this one, but it was my last bottle!<br />
<br />
To this point, I haven't had much of an issue with hoarding my homebrew. I loved the idea of sharing something that I made with family and friends. Within a week of discovering that the liquid that had been sitting in the corner of the room for a month was actually drinkable, I had consumed or given away about half of my first batch. While I've been a little bit more careful since making that realization, it should be about spent by the time my second batch is ready to be popped open.John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-76425086671021974892013-06-04T19:07:00.001-05:002013-06-05T18:10:05.580-05:00Brewing a local favoriteSunday afternoon, I achieved my goal of being equally excited about my third batch of beer as I was about my first 2.<br />
<br />
All my girlfriend and I really did was brew according to the instructions in the kit, which was (supposed to be) less complicated than the spontaneous cocoa powder addition from Batch #2, but the excitement for this third batch had less to do with what we were doing while brewing and more to do with what we were brewing. Namely, a kit from my LHBS (<a href="http://www.wineandhop.com/" target="_blank">Wine & Hop Shop</a>) for <br />
Vintage Brewing Company's <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/vintage-scaredy-cat-stout/118290/" target="_blank">Scaredy Cat Stout</a>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon6UtoYhuiNAjprXGtrRnmytgpGOpx9Dl37sFhsdgvCA31jbcU85ICzGkbjGLXl0qXy9oBigGa-loYU5s-LS6Okk2NQ0EttPihFtjVq4Va6v4Oe9S8gqd4wUrQJVFBUpJblpioj-l/s1600/ScaredyCatStout.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon6UtoYhuiNAjprXGtrRnmytgpGOpx9Dl37sFhsdgvCA31jbcU85ICzGkbjGLXl0qXy9oBigGa-loYU5s-LS6Okk2NQ0EttPihFtjVq4Va6v4Oe9S8gqd4wUrQJVFBUpJblpioj-l/s320/ScaredyCatStout.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pardon the clip art, graphic design is a work in progress for me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://vintagebrewingcompany.com/" target="_blank">Vintage</a> is a local bar that decided to jump into the world of brewing after taking over a location on the West Side where there used to be a brewpub called J.T. Whitney's. Scaredy Cat is their hoppy Oatmeal (though I'd call it American) Stout.<br />
<br />
I work in the printing department that prints all of Vintage's beer menus and posters, so I've gotten the chance to meet many of the company's employees, including brewmaster Scott Manning. In my many visits to Vintage, Scaredy Cat has become a <strike>pretty</strike><i> edit: very</i> regular purchase of mine. When I saw the kit in Wine & Hop I knew that I needed to brew it.<br />
<br />
The description on the box says that it's a great beer to "keep you warm during cold winter nights", so it's probably not a lot of people's first choice to brew in early June, but my (wonderful) girlfriend got it for me as a birthday present and I'm always down to drink some Scaredy Cat.<br />
<br />
Adding to the excitement of brewing one of my favorite brews was the realization that with my first batch of homebrew that didn't come from <a href="http://midwestsupplies.com/" target="_blank">Midwest Supplies</a> came an entirely different set of supplies and instructions...and a little bit of frustration.<br />
<br />
While Wine & Hop has been a great source for information and has really helped me along the way in my brewing, their kit for Scaredy Cat seems to need a little more proofreading. While their process seems to have made a few tweaks to the one used by Midwest in the interest of making better beer (pouring water over the muslin bag after steeping to avoid tannins from squeezing out the bag), this particular kit told us to boil for 45 or 60 minutes, depending on the which paragraph you were reading, and to use various quantities of water that are inconsistent except that they all add up to a near certain boilover.<br />
<br />
But in the end, Brew Day #3 went reasonably well. I'm a bit worried that we kept the boil too low in our efforts to prevent a boilover, but I guess we'll find out in a couple weeks. Also, while lifting the pot off of the burner every time the bubbles started shooting too high gave me a nice workout, I think I'm going to stick to buying Wine & Hop's products but using Midwest's process for my brews for the time being.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Have you had the opportunity to brew your local favorite? Let's hear about it in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-49642584648803956472013-06-02T22:06:00.000-05:002013-06-04T00:16:27.154-05:00Brewday Beer Review<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.badhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/image-not-found.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.badhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/image-not-found.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, about that...I'll upload ASAP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, so much for brewing yesterday. Life (and bottling my chocolate oatmeal stout that I'm told "tastes like a cookie") got in the way and I had to hold off until tonight<br />
<br />
While I brew, I'm altering a common homebrewer mantra slightly in order to give my girlfriend a chance to try a brew that I got from a friend out east.<br />
<br />
I'm relaxing, I'm not worrying, and I'm having a [commercial] brew. Tonight, I'm starting off with a <b>Lancaster Milk Stout</b>.<br />
<br />
The pour yielded a thin, light brown head that dissipated pretty quickly, but left decent lacing on the glass. The color was dark, dark brown with just a thin layer of read along the bottom edge of the glass. The flavor comes through quite a bit more to me than the aroma, with a noticeable coffee flavor and a less distinct chocolate flavor that combine to create what I initially thought tasted like black licorice. I didn't notice any offputting flavors.<br />
<br />
One problem that I had with this beer was that for a Milk Stout, it was a bit light on the lactose. Coffee was definitely the prevailing flavor. While I'm not one of the people who downgrades a beer as if I'm grading in a competition, I prefer Milk Stouts to Coffee Stouts, so I was a bit disappointed by that.<br />
<br />
While my girlfriend thinks this brew tops Left Hand's non-Nitro Milk Stout, I think she's crazy. I do think it's a solid offering--I give it a <b>B</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lancaster-milk-stout/7598/" target="_blank">Ratebeer's take on Lancaster Milk Stout</a><br />
<a href="https://untappd.com/beer/3881" target="_blank">Lancaster Milk Stout on Untappd </a><br />
<a href="http://www.lancasterbrewing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=189" target="_blank">The beer according to its brewers</a><br />
<br />
<b>Have you had Lancaster Milk Stout? Do you agree with my take? Let me know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-31171036258020404692013-06-01T01:25:00.000-05:002013-06-01T01:26:41.424-05:00In Anticipation of Brewday Number ThreeToday is shaping up to be an awesome day. I'm going to be moving my second batch of homebrew into bottles, brewing my third batch, and all the while I'll be drinking what's left of my first batch.<br />
<br />
I never realized how true it was that homebrew tends to disappear in a way that the commercial stuff doesn't. Before I even had a chance to get my second batch into the fermenter, almost half of my first batch had either been consumed or given to friends. That's a big part of the reason that I'm going to be rushing into my third batch.<br />
<br />
Brewing my first batch, my mind was in a million places at once. I was anxiously pacing while trying to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything vital to the process. In the end, despite some minor hiccups (I remembered to take the little plastic rings off of the water jugs I boiled, but forgot to do the same for the liquid malt extract jug and spent a good 10 minutes trying to fish it out of the boiling hot dark brown liquid).<br />
<br />
My second batch turned into another exciting brew session. As I was getting ready to brew my Chocolate Stout from Midwest Supplies, I discovered that Midwest Supplies doesn't have a Chocolate Stout kit, but that I had instead purchased a kit for Oatmeal Stout. My girlfriend was crushed, as she has tended to like Chocolate Stout a lot more than Oatmeal.<br />
<br />
I consulted the internet about adding chocolate to beer, and decided that Cocoa Powder would be an adequate solution to the problem. With no description of how much beer they had been brewing, we had no idea if we were doubling the recommended amount of Cocoa Powder with 8 ounces, but it smelled more like beer than chocolate pudding, so I think we made the right call. Regardless, the spontaneous decision to throw the powder in made batch #2 another incredibly exciting one.<br />
<br />
Batch 3 is going to be a special brew for me for a completely unrelated reason. but I'll explain that one after I get a good night's rest.John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-92497031518814162011-12-17T01:53:00.003-06:002011-12-17T02:44:34.493-06:00'Tis the SeasonIt's December, you know what that means: time for Christmas music, Ugly Sweaters and <strike>rich, dark Porters and Stouts</strike> West Coast Amber Ales?<br />
<br />
I might be alone on this one, but while most in the craft beer community are shifting from Pumpkin beers and Oktoberfests into darker beers, colder temperatures have had me craving Hops far more than normal. It probably has something to do with a great brew out of California a couple weeks ago after randomly picking it up at my local Craft Beer go-to, but that story is for another night.<br />
<br />
Tonight I'm going to talk about a beer that comes from a little closer to home: Ambergeddon, brewed by Ale Asylum right here in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
I first had an Ambergeddon back in October of last year when I was just getting into craft beer, and it might've been a little more intense than I was ready for at the moment. The second time I had it was over the summer at Vintage Spirits & Grill. Vintage has the absolute best deal on beer in Madison: 1 dollar Wisconsin brews after 10 on Monday nights. In addition to a constant supply of Ambergeddon, they typically had at least one offering from Furthermore, another brewery in the Madison Area that has put out a lot of interesting brews.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Ale Asylum is a brewery that's really taking off in the Madison area. It's a mainstay at a number of downtown locations in the city, though it hasn't really managed to expand too far beyond city limits.<br />
<br />
This beer has really hit the spot for me lately. It's got the right amount of hops and alcohol that doesn't overwhelm. Right now, I'm definitely giving it a solid <b>A</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13837/31117">Beer Advocate's take</a> on Ambergeddon (it got a B in their new rating system? huh...SHOCKER)<br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/ale-asylum-ambergeddon/59933/">RateBeer's take</a> on Ambergeddon<br />
<br />
<b>Have you had Ambergeddon? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments! </b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-41969106019041853062011-06-19T17:04:00.013-05:002011-12-17T02:23:00.728-06:00Happy Fathers DayHappy Fathers Day to all the dads out there.<br />
<br />
My mom and I headed over to the liquor store earlier today to pick up some beers for quality father-son bonding.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVvE6lJ4aS-q3iC7sD7Ko3ibjrjvb7Za5sqPuCumFKYoxCNIwlyBCrOzKfxazfNdiYgvoHIsIsgaDY7MhERs7au_GSNdkGNAshhbd6Fqd4VttifM8xVkmuykM5fe-7Xfx5xZvnqFu/s1600/P1000725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVvE6lJ4aS-q3iC7sD7Ko3ibjrjvb7Za5sqPuCumFKYoxCNIwlyBCrOzKfxazfNdiYgvoHIsIsgaDY7MhERs7au_GSNdkGNAshhbd6Fqd4VttifM8xVkmuykM5fe-7Xfx5xZvnqFu/s320/P1000725.JPG" width="320" /></a>My dad is a self-described "locovore", so I decided to go with some beers that have more of a local flavor to them. Unfortunately, none of the great breweries in Madison sell beers that he doesn't get regularly, so I had to stretch it a little bit. I'd say that New Glarus is close enough to Madison to count that as local, so we got him a 4-pack of their Imperial Weizen, as well as a bottle of their Belgian Red. We finished it off with a beer that was local to me while I was living in Milwaukee, Lakefront's Bridge Burner--seriously, I lived a few blocks from the brewery. That was awesome!<br />
<br />
Dad and I split the Bridge Burner and each had an Imperial Weizen. He definitively told me that he preferred the Bridge Burner. Frankly, that surprised me a bit. He generally prefers beers that are more like the Weizen, though he isn't huge on higher alcohol stuff so I guess it makes some sense.<br />
<br />
I'm not really sure which one of them I thought was better. I love weizens and I definitely have no issues with higher alcohol, but the Bridge Burner was a very good beer. To be honest, I'm not actually a huge fan of a lot of the stuff at Lakefront (it's not bad beer, it's just generally not my style) but this was a very nice one. The Belgian Red is an entirely different experience, as it's a low alcohol cherry beer. I actually got it for him on his recommendation, and we split it. I'd agree with his initial take: it's absolutely phenomenal.<br />
<br />
<b>Did you give/receive any Father's Day brews this year? If so, what?</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-2420913527706987562011-06-17T20:07:00.000-05:002011-06-17T20:07:00.483-05:00Better late than neverWell, thanks to some computer issues, I wasn't able to post for The Session #52. This really sucked for me, as it was a topic that is very relevant to this blog.<br />
<blockquote style="color: blue;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YOymWHRKC3LhtmXBYxl3WxoxyhEF444oZ8LE2LWnAhDHV7GwCiHEwQmqgbdF_SiQktHxd2MBVEeipNXSdnVTx8pP_m5kF1f9HVNGaByAdwcz4WGLb9ifaTqQr9sTT-SM6sBgfDkdV1Nv/s1600/Session.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YOymWHRKC3LhtmXBYxl3WxoxyhEF444oZ8LE2LWnAhDHV7GwCiHEwQmqgbdF_SiQktHxd2MBVEeipNXSdnVTx8pP_m5kF1f9HVNGaByAdwcz4WGLb9ifaTqQr9sTT-SM6sBgfDkdV1Nv/s1600/Session.jpg" /></a><i>As host of Session #52, I’ve decided not to focus on the substance of beer, but the material that plays a supporting role. Bottles, coasters, cans, labels, ads, tap handles, church keys, hats, t-shirts, tip trays, glassware and signs have been collected by fanatics ever since beer has been sold.</i></blockquote> I can probably come up with about 50 posts for this topic, and since I'm way too late for the session this month and all I'm doing for the time being is working on job applications, cover letters, resumes, and a plot in a community garden I think I'll give it a shot.<br />
<br />
I guess that the natural place to start this topic for a blog about a beer bottle collection would probably be with the bottles.<br />
<br />
Back in the fall of 2010, my longtime friend Phin moved into an apartment owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The apartment that he moved into wasn't cleaned out particularly well, as there were a number of alcohol bottles left on display.<br />
<br />
The bottle that stood out to us was called Sigmund Snopek's, a beer that was apparently brewed by Lakefront Brewery, just a few blocks from our apartment. It gave us the idea to put more bottles on display. Since then, we've moved into a new apartment (where we at one point had 99 bottles of beer on the wall), and then moved out of it after graduating college. According to the Facebook Photo Album I made, we have at least 160 bottles in the collection (I think it's probably over 200, but I haven't uploaded a lot of the pictures yet.) <br />
<br />
We made a set of rules about putting bottles onto "The Wall", and have since come up with a number of unwritten rules. Unfortunately, now that we're no longer living in that apartment, The Wall is currently a set of bags tucked back in a corner in my parents' storage room.<br />
<br />
I have a tendency to rate beers a little differently than most, in that I break it down into rating the bottle and rating the beer itself. For instance, a review that I'm planning on doing sometime in the near future is for a beer called Polygamy Porter. It wasn't my favorite, but it wound up being put on display (translation: it was one of 34 beers to be on the front row of one of the two shelves) just because of the funny name and bottle art.<br />
<br />
Anyway, moving out of the apartment was pretty rough on the collection, as not only are the bottles no longer on display, but a handful had to be thrown out since there was no room for them. Fortunately though, most of those were watery macro lagers that we didn't really want anyway. Not to mention, the political drama unfolding in the state left a number of the bottles on the boycott list.<br />
<br />
Well, I'm rambling, so I think I'll end this post. I'll be back tomorrow (or later tonight) with another long-winded post about some of the other beer-related goods I'm collecting.John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-54380900340370985512011-06-06T15:40:00.003-05:002011-06-17T15:39:22.366-05:00My thoughts on the attack on Wisconsin craft beerIt's been a pretty crazy time for craft beer in the state of Wisconsin. Faced with a situation where craft beer sales are growing fairly rapidly and macro sales are dwindling, it seems that MillerCoors is now attempting to put a halt to that growth in the name of defending themselves from Anheuser-Busch.<br />
<br />
I will freely admit that I'm not a fan of Scott Walker, but I also feel that it's important to note that this is <b>not </b>a Republicans vs. Democrats issue.<br />
<br />
Glenn Grothman (the Republican who called the Capitol protestors "slobs") and Bob Jauch (a Democrat from the northern part of the state) voted against passing the motion. It has bipartisan support and bipartisan opposition. By painting this as an evil plot by the Republicans, people are seriously damning the chances that this will be taken out of the budget bill or changed in anyway, as Republicans stand by Governor Walker.<br />
<br />
My opinion is that removing this motion from the budget bill, then negotiating it to a point where it helps the state as a whole is something that all Wisconsin voters can agree is a good thing. Protecting small businesses in a growing industry is a good thing, no matter what political affiliation you have. Promoting products that are made in America by companies that are entirely based in America (unlike SAABMillerMolsonCoors or Anheuser-Busch Inbev) is also a good thing. <br />
<br />
If small brewers were truly made exempt by the motion? I'd be all for it. While I personally don't like MillerCoors products, the company still employs a good number of people in the state. Anheuser-Busch does not. As a result, I am perfectly fine with Miller protecting itself from A-B. There's just no reason to throw a group that collectively makes up 6 percent of the market under the bus in the process. <br />
<br />
If you're in the state of Wisconsin, please help prevent this motion from becoming a part of the budget bill. Contact your legislators and let them know you oppose this motion if Craft Brewers aren't protectedJohn Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-60328698753644581702011-05-15T00:01:00.002-05:002011-05-15T00:04:05.251-05:00And to think, I was embarrassed to even post its nameOn Tuesday, Phin saw single bottles of the Sam Adams Longshots series available in Whole Foods. By Wednesday, they were gone.<br />
<br />
Clearly, we needed to buy a six pack of these guys before we lost our chance.<br />
<br />
Wednesday night I had a chance to try a couple of them: the Blackened Hops and the Honey B's Lavender Ale.<br />
<br />
Blackened Hops:<br />
Yikes, this one is not my style at all. All I got was hops, hops and more hops. I wound up getting to the point where I just had to drink it as fast as I could. To someone who enjoys the American microbrewery style of hopping the shit out of everything, I can see how this would be a likable beer. Frankly, I disliked it to the point where I can't even rate it. It gets the first <b>I</b> that I've ever given.<br />
<br />
Honey B's Lavender Ale:<br />
I was nervous as hell when I opened this one. I thought I was about to drink Bed Bath & Beyond in a bottle. My nerves weren't really helped when I took a whiff of the beer and got...nothing. No lavender, no honey, no hops or malts. I truly couldn't smell anything.<br />
<br />
I've always been a believer that the "aroma" wasn't really all that important in a beer because it's almost always very similar to taste, but I now realize my mistake. If nothing else, the aroma lets you know what the hell you're about to get yourself into. I took a sip and found that I actually liked this one. It's got a pretty strong honey flavor, but that's a flavor that's always worked for me. Combined with the light hops and the lavender flavor, this was a surprisingly good beer. I give it a <b>B.</b><br />
<br />
Finally, tonight I drank the Friar Hop. I was saving it for last because I anticipated it being my favorite, but as it turns out I actually liked Honey B's Lavender Ale better. The beer is a Belgian Ale with an American twist--namely, the hops. While a lot of hop heads get bored with the different Belgian style ales, I think it's best to leave them as they are. The hops were interesting, but in my opinion they made things worse. I give it a <b>B-.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Have you had any beers from this or a prior Longshots series? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-87114389580241731292011-05-13T16:29:00.000-05:002011-05-14T16:30:43.532-05:00Breckenridge Vanilla PorterEven as much as I have gotten sick of the giants of the beer industry, I have to give them credit.<br />
<br />
They are very effective marketers (even when they run stupid campaigns like <a href="http://the441wall.blogspot.com/2011/04/marketing-major-in-me-just-has-to-speak.html" target="_blank">this</a>.)<br />
<br />
They make it a point to add gimmicks to their products, and they convince people that they make high quality beer. <br />
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Breckenridge Brewery in Denver is launching a hilarious new ad campaign that's poking fun at the major beer companies (well, mostly at MillerCoors).<br />
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You can check out the commercials <a href="http://beernews.org/2011/05/breckenridge-brewery-mocks-big-beer-marketing-in-new-tv-campaign/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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We've got a bottle of Avalanche Ale in the collection, but we drank the six pack of it months ago and I didn't get a review done, so Phin and I decided that we'd head over to the liquor store and grab something else by them. We went with the SummerBright Ale. I downed my half of the six pack last night and sprinted to the liquor store 15 minutes before it closed to grab a six pack of their Vanilla Porter. I had read some good things about it on Beerit, so I figured I'd give it a shot.<br />
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One of the things that I read about it was that it was a great dessert beer. That had me a little nervous, as I thought it'd wind up being a Summer Shandy-like. Fortunately, there are still qualities that I'd associate with beer in the brew, and in my opinion the combo of the sweet flavor in a porter really works. Maybe for people who are bigger fans of the style, this one doesn't work, but I like it. <br />
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I give it a <b>B+</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2137/27800/?sort=topr&start=20">Vanilla Porter on Beer Advocate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/breckenridge-vanilla-porter/21748/">Vanilla Porter on RateBeer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.breckbrew.com/beer/vanillaporter.html">Breckenridge's take on Vanilla Porter</a><br />
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<b>Have you ever had Breckenridge Vanilla Porter? Agree with my take on it? Let us know in the comments! </b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-13926979107592407442011-05-10T14:27:00.004-05:002011-05-10T16:21:01.329-05:00I should have known betterLast night I made a terrible decision.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqf_3yOjPxwAyzdj81Rs6BnsLXS7NB1IRi3XIRzdU-BP2qSm4jy7KZ7AGDrccl1zpyS5vSspBq_SosH24RUc78QY2JSasMZ9xSL4tTFke8-uiI1H3K-1wHRMTPA8l90sJUgMWjdmG/s1600/P1000651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqf_3yOjPxwAyzdj81Rs6BnsLXS7NB1IRi3XIRzdU-BP2qSm4jy7KZ7AGDrccl1zpyS5vSspBq_SosH24RUc78QY2JSasMZ9xSL4tTFke8-uiI1H3K-1wHRMTPA8l90sJUgMWjdmG/s320/P1000651.JPG" width="240" /></a>With the Oklahoma City Thunder beating the Memphis Grizzlies by 6 points in overtime, I told my roommate that I would "finish a beer by the end of every overtime". We had done something similar during the epic six overtime game between Connecticut and Syracuse a couple years earlier, when the two of us and a couple other friends finished a game of beer pong during every overtime.<br />
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Given how ridiculous this series has been, I should have known better. Thanks to a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhvUDuEI-Hg">last second three pointer</a> by Greivis Vasquez (who seemed to be throwing up a junk shot in hope of drawing a foul and getting 3 free throws), the Grizzlies were able to take the game into a second overtime period. Nobody took control of overtime number 2, but fortunately the Thunder were able to finish it off and save my liver in the third overtime. <br />
<br />
<br />
And on a side note, I absolutely called Vasquez taking that shot after Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo fouled out.<br />
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But anyway, my beer of choice last night was Bell's Oberon. I didn't really start getting into the craft scene until August of this year when my roommate turned 21, so I missed my shot at Oberon last year. But thanks to a well-placed ad (that will be the topic of a future article), I tried some at a local bar and loved it. I threw one into a mixed six pack while I was at Woodman's, and my dad decided to get me a couple of six packs of it for my birthday.<br />
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While a lot of "beer snobs" don't like it because...well...they're hipsters and love to hate what's popular I guess, I think it's great. (On that hipster comment: a lot of people I've talked to who don't like it cite "the fact that 'commoners' like it" as a main reason they're not big on it.) I've had other beers that tried to mix traditional wheat beers with hops, but in my opinion they tend to make it all about the hops. This one has a great balance of the two, and it's a good beer for almost any occasion. It's a "lawnmower beer" that tastes good enough to be consumed one or two at a time.<br />
<br />
In terms of overall quality, it's not as complex as a lot of others, but I don't really care. It's a versatile beer that I think tastes absolutely great. I give it an <b>A</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/1094">Oberon on Beer Advocate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-oberon-ale/3211/">Oberon on RateBeer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/index.php?cID=48">Oberon on bellsbeer.com</a> (it should be the first one that shows up)John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-43671920865008345932011-05-06T23:23:00.006-05:002011-05-10T16:41:04.358-05:00An exception to the rules of The WallFound the bottle in my apartment's trash room. Making an exception to the rules. <b>F</b>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvBK38sjw7jE8rtQXXZoqaBNes-RKFDcwpPqCUia0Hxggmyck-nYmaWbWpaBn6PWxnTw6MsTlioUOdARQ4o_QdNIlWCfw_ogvFl-ZBHWklEHMEW1kYSyyn7OMPUXTM8UU9Pa4tY4_/s1600/P1000672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvBK38sjw7jE8rtQXXZoqaBNes-RKFDcwpPqCUia0Hxggmyck-nYmaWbWpaBn6PWxnTw6MsTlioUOdARQ4o_QdNIlWCfw_ogvFl-ZBHWklEHMEW1kYSyyn7OMPUXTM8UU9Pa4tY4_/s320/P1000672.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, I can't do it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Moving on.John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-90695696352935010272011-05-05T16:59:00.028-05:002011-06-17T16:26:47.276-05:00Cinco de Mayo (Part 2)While the Whole Foods down the street has been pretty good to me in terms of my beer purchases, it also poses a major problem. Namely, you have to read the hell out of the labels if you don't want to sit in line at the register for a beer that winds up being much more expensive than you thought.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmGS8FfFecALeK8a5UigMWx4HI0Twy_CZ0zKNYikc0ThjD-IcyGC7OQs-Q08Ut__lNPJbrSVPN8gWlaUZDE1qKe2sVSC6b_p99r6y___mUZSawEAquj2QXMLS8dq1uyQB3WDdXdJ6/s1600/205176_10150148781916960_507161959_7209628_3541453_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmGS8FfFecALeK8a5UigMWx4HI0Twy_CZ0zKNYikc0ThjD-IcyGC7OQs-Q08Ut__lNPJbrSVPN8gWlaUZDE1qKe2sVSC6b_p99r6y___mUZSawEAquj2QXMLS8dq1uyQB3WDdXdJ6/s320/205176_10150148781916960_507161959_7209628_3541453_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't find my camera, this is not Bohemia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Back in November, Phin and I went to Whole Foods because he saw a 6-pack of Bohemia for 4.99. We had no idea what Bohemia was at the time, as we were really just starting to get into beer, but we hadn't heard of it being a notoriously bad beer, so we decided to give it a shot.<br />
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We grabbed it and went to the cash register, where the cashier told us we owed over 7 dollars. Turns out the 4.99 beer we thought we found was stocked where some mini-bottles of Corona were supposed to be. Sadly, it took me about a dozen more incidents like that before I made it a point to look closely at the labels. Yeah...I can be a slow learner sometimes.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a few weeks later I was at Woodmans and found the six pack for 5.99. It's still not as good as the price we originally thought we had found, but for basically a dollar a bottle, it worked for me. I brought 3 of the Bohemias back to Milwaukee and we had them with what I'd call homemade "street tacos".<br />
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Of all of the Mexican beers I've had, Bohemia is one of my two favorites (the other being Dos Equis Amber, which I'll review shortly). It goes down easy and tastes pretty good. While it doesn't have the flavor that a lot of beer reviewers look for, I find it to be pretty solid, with the flavor that it does have being good, unlike a lot of other cheap beers *cough* Tecate*cough cough*. Add to it the story about how we went about getting it and I'd give it a solid <b>B</b>.<br />
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<b>Have you had Bohemia? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-23330029932312989942011-05-05T13:50:00.002-05:002011-05-09T23:01:56.780-05:00Cinco de Mayo (Part 1)Cinco De Mayo!<br />
<br />
What better day than today to get a handful of the Mexican beers in our collection reviewed? September 27th you say? Shut up, know-it-all!<br />
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On my way back from a pretty brutal presentation in my Marketing Management class, I passed my old apartment. The apartment is located just a couple blocks from a corner store that I remembered having a pretty good selection, so I figured I'd head over and take a look at what was there.<br />
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I realize that by now you've probably figured out what beer I'm reviewing and you've come to the conclusion that the corner store didn't have as good of a selection as I remembered. You would be...incorrect. The store does have a nice selection of beers, mainly Wisconsin brews and European imports. However, I didn't have a lot of money on me since I wasn't really planning on buying anything that afternoon. Due to the date and my wallet, I settled on Tecate.<br />
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Tecate is...a cheap adjunct lager. I knew there was a reason I never bothered buying it before; even at 6.50 for a six pack it's not a particularly good deal, though I can't really complain. I'm pretty sure the guy gave me a dollar too much change, so I wound up getting them for under a buck apiece. <br />
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There's not much flavor to this beer, it's an unoffensive beer that'll give you a buzz after drinking them for awhile. There's definitely a time and place for a beer like it, but I'd rather have a few better tasting brews with more alcohol. I give it a <b>C</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/57/848">Tecate on Beer Advocate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tecate-light/227/">Tecate on RateBeer</a><br />
<a href="http://tecate.com/">Tecate.com</a>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-71581864547980185632011-05-03T17:02:00.005-05:002011-05-10T16:42:26.196-05:00"What were you drinking when...?"There are certain events that are so big that you remember forever exactly where you were when they happened.<br />
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I've only been 21 for a little over a year, and I already know that for a lot of these instances I'll remember exactly what I was drinking too.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_JfJ4HkbRTFt1wcqTVfpNx6KCthi8_e7eNDjBmG0SDwHoEhGHuDsxbPXQZtoDhI33alpodwyqH6XbgLCHb19BnLSSXvPxpD12cK1t-MNCKgze87gYjChSDFKWEm4Tp_eQnuDo6fk/s1600/P1000662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_JfJ4HkbRTFt1wcqTVfpNx6KCthi8_e7eNDjBmG0SDwHoEhGHuDsxbPXQZtoDhI33alpodwyqH6XbgLCHb19BnLSSXvPxpD12cK1t-MNCKgze87gYjChSDFKWEm4Tp_eQnuDo6fk/s320/P1000662.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgians know beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyi6AxArh1g_PMA0Oz3t9pLe-yc62zQiFVWwRtl45uF9eMNoPJrXkY7KysgSZ1zS2Jbf73UioErHSD3VIihxo1nKhLsQag17wz7MoDJ_7q39-u1LkP9FT7V4kXAavpTejhPPntTEI/s1600/P1000649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>On May 1, I was at Comet Cafe with my roommate when our waitress asked us if we'd like to go to the side of the restaurant that had a T.V. We had been there many times and this had never happened, so we were a little puzzled. While everyone else was reading that there was going to be a speech from President Obama about a "matter of national security", all we had heard was that the President was going to speak. Obama had several speeches scheduled on nights we went to eat at Comet and none of them had ever generated as much of a reaction, so we decided to go check out what all the excitement was about.<br />
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We walked over to the other side of the restaurant right as the cameras cut to a shot of the President walking up to the podium. Our jaws dropped as it was announced that the Navy Seals had killed bin Laden.<br />
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Anyway, on to the beer. That night I drank a Delerium Tremens. I'd had Nocturnum and loved it, so I figured I'd try another beer by the same brewery.<br />
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Tremens is a great Belgian Strong Pale Ale. It's very smooth and has a pretty intricate fruit flavoring. It's got a high alcohol content, but you'd never know that from the flavor of the beer. This is one that would definitely qualify as "dangerous". <br />
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After drinking Nocturnum, my expectations were high, and fortunately this beer was actually able to meet those expectations. I would give it an <b>A</b>. It's not going to get front shelf placement on The Wall because Nocturnum's already there and I like the label more, but it's a damn good beer.<br />
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<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/180/1385">Delerium Tremens on Beer Advocate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/delirium-tremens/1039/">Delerium Tremens on RateBeer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.delirium.be/bier/1/0/delirium_tremens.html">Delerium's take on Tremens</a><br />
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And for the record, no: I didn't ever think I'd tag a post with both Delerium Tremens and Osama bin Laden.<br />
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<b>Have you had Delerium Tremens? Agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-79378183793872660172011-04-03T13:37:00.001-05:002011-04-03T13:38:04.259-05:00The marketing major in me just HAS to speak outIt seems like last night's post got me revved up to trash Miller.<br />
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Am I the only one who thinks the latest campaign for Miller Lite is ridiculous?<br />
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This is what I'm talking about:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wq0ZPNWYrxM" title="YouTube video player" width="480">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;First&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
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First of all, if a bartender insulted me (no matter how strange my clothes were), she wouldn't get a tip, and she'd probably get a complaint against her.<br />
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Second, I can't actually figure out which beer they're saying Miller Lite has more taste than. Obviously, it'd seem they're aiming at Bud Light, but I don't think Miller actually has more taste than Bud. <br />
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Don't get me wrong, I think that the additional "taste" in Bud Light is awful and if I had to pick one of the two it'd be Miller. But Budweiser has more taste. The only beer I can think of with less taste than Miller is Keystone, and that's another MillerCoors product.<br />
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<b>Thoughts on this Miller campaign? Got another beer ad you can't stand? Let us know in the comments</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-50236627300010265432011-04-03T03:42:00.003-05:002011-04-03T12:31:42.524-05:00Best...Beer...EVER!I know I'm going to regret this, but what the hell.<br />
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Tonight I got back from working the Milwaukee Bucks game feeling pretty exhausted. It was already past eleven when I got back, and I had nothing in my stomach. This wasn't a night meant for drinking a ton. So I had a beer and hung out watching Dexter with the roommates.<br />
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Now it's time for another. I really thought about going for a St. Bernardus White: it was originally meant to celebrate a Milwaukee Panther Horizon League Championship before Butler f**ked that up, then it was meant for VCU winning a national title before Butler f**ked <i>that</i> up. I'm convinced that if I make it for a Butler national championship (hey, I'm pissed that they beat us, but you bet I'll be cheering for them over a cheat like Calhoun), the Bulldogs will f**k that up too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPjf2l0Q1hLxUi1M55SS2Iy30z0xMqLX0jTH20h3bePldrYoLDcPRv-DyYW1yiNgxzNK_gB935TJjO2zrsEyypHyLHagTji_tc3-cus1BjogtNNq0fYSMGLH159c0zziTWTqGblPB/s1600/206519_10150145222626960_507161959_7181176_4498458_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPjf2l0Q1hLxUi1M55SS2Iy30z0xMqLX0jTH20h3bePldrYoLDcPRv-DyYW1yiNgxzNK_gB935TJjO2zrsEyypHyLHagTji_tc3-cus1BjogtNNq0fYSMGLH159c0zziTWTqGblPB/s320/206519_10150145222626960_507161959_7181176_4498458_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>But eventually, I decided to go in a completely different direction. That same night that I was hoping to drink the St. Bernardus White, I bought a ridiculous amount of PBR for the potential celebration. I brought it over to a buddy's house before the game, and he insisted that we do a shotgun together. He didn't have any cans, so he offered a trade: one PBR for one Miller High Life.<br />
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I <i>hate</i> Miller High Life, but in the spirit of having a good time I made the trade anyway. So now I have a bottle of it in my fridge. What better way to dispose of it than to review it in a blog post?<br />
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I'm sorry, this has been basically my least favorite beer even before I started drinking the pricier stuff, so I'm not going to dignify it with a glass.<br />
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The aroma is...faint. The taste follows the smell, and a trail of carbonation heads down toward my gut. Wonderful.<br />
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Basically, my take on High Life is that it tries to be a "classy" beer and a "get drunk" beer at the same time. That's not a good idea. Basically, it's a more expensive, more carbonated version of Miller Lite. I wouldn't call it much of a step up, as adding carbonation without adding much (if any) flavor doesn't automatically make a beer good.<br />
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If you're going to "splurge" on something more than the cheap stuff, I definitely wouldn't bother with this. Fortunately it's not in my fridge anymore. If I were to grade it in a taste test it'd probably be higher, but when taking price into account it winds up being a more expensive, worse version of Miller Lite I give it an <b>F. </b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-72690197672610212812011-04-02T23:43:00.000-05:002011-04-02T23:43:00.924-05:00A story I wanted to shareMy buddy Spencer has been working his way to trying 1,000 different beers and documenting it on Facebook. Recently, he reached the halfway point and decided to mark the occasion with a beer that is pretty special to him. He was kind enough to let me share it with the blogosphere.<br />
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<i>On May 27th, 2011, I was at 499 different kinds of beer that I had rated over the course of two and a half years. About two weeks before, I had struck a deal with my dad, saying that when I reached 499, he would give me one of his bottles of Kingsbury. Elated, I sampled over 25 beers in nine days to reach that magical moment.</i><br />
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<i>Now, for those of you who do not know, Kingsbury was a beer that was discontinued by Strohs Brewery back on July 31, 1999. Originally located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, just 5 miles from my hometown of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxNut3zfwT259yStN4bazLfTINZkMrx-8HXNVzeN34ZDCry0NxQ_lraBJ3eft9GK5ZYRRbIenouh25Wser4EItyBCZzSbTrOGiADSOEY2e6uh6XmVF5dAdLhymTxXZcxmngD0Bo78/s320/191605_176282259085484_158363244210719_361722_6741662_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="fbPhotoTheaterCaption mbs" id="fbPhotoTheaterCaption" tabindex="0"><div class="clearfix fbPhotoInlineCaptionEditor editor"><div class="fbPhotoCaption">Newspaper from October 31, 1999 about Kingsbury closing up shop</div></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><i>Kingsbury Breweries Company was founded in 1847, originally going by the name of Kunz & Bleser Brewing Company. Then, In 1926, the firm was sold to the Manitowoc Products Company, which went by the name of the Gutsch Brewery. In 1933, they changed their name to Kingsbury Breweries Company. The Kingsbury name originated during the Depression as a near-beer, due to the ban on alcohol during Prohibition, later resuming brewing operations when Prohibition was repealed. In 1933, Kingsbury Pale and Kingsbury Ale began to be produced. Kingsbury's franchise brand was known as the "Aristocrat of Beer" and "Fit for a King." Kingsbury's main offices remained in Manitowoc until 1963, when it merged with G. Heileman Brewing Company, which brewed and distributed Kingsbury label products until 1974. The Stroh Brewery Company later, after it bought the G. Heileman Brewing Company, brewed and distributed some Kingsbury labels. Stroh's ceased operation on July 31, 1999, and the Miller Brewing Company bought the Kingsbury Near Beer label, which is still brewed and distributed by Miller.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When I was younger, I remember going to the liquor store with my dad to buy cases of Kingsbury, which were sold in deposit bottles, quite often. From what he can remember, it would cost him around $6 for a 24 pack of bottles when bringing in an empty case to exchange. This led to the only time I can remember trying a Kingsbury. Granted, I was only 7 or 8 years old, and it was just a sip, I hated it… mainly because I was young and didn’t like beer. Other than that, I have no other memories of trying Kingsbury.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When my dad found out that they were going to be retiring this beer, he saved a couple of bottles for when he became a grandfather, back in October of 2000. Then, by brother-in-law Gabe and my sister Heather found someone who had been storing bottles in the back of a cooler, wrapped up so that light didn’t damage the beer. They bought him 12 bottles for what I believe was Father’s day two years ago, and after trying one to make sure it hadn’t gone bad, he packed them away in the back of his fridge to be consumed on a special occasion. </i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Pir9SzvKMSHS-4enxQLlj1WWBsOfY_O6fWgqeNSFEYFmjoLUeE9-BtHpAXlF6zpdPOMjDxqLCw24LlX5FlZvXH93ctxV4FVYoA87qIJJqNUud91oOguWnyJ7cCZOtN31wu7doTk/s1600/209187_176281645752212_158363244210719_361715_5009941_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Pir9SzvKMSHS-4enxQLlj1WWBsOfY_O6fWgqeNSFEYFmjoLUeE9-BtHpAXlF6zpdPOMjDxqLCw24LlX5FlZvXH93ctxV4FVYoA87qIJJqNUud91oOguWnyJ7cCZOtN31wu7doTk/s320/209187_176281645752212_158363244210719_361715_5009941_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spencer and his dad enjoying Kingsbury</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i> </i><br />
<i>While this was not on his mind when he decided that, he had 7 bottles left when I approached number 500. With my sisters Heather and Kim, and both of my parents downstairs at my dad’s bar, me and him cracked open two bottles.</i><br />
<br />
<i>The review of this beer will not be in this note. Instead, it will be on the photo in a separate album (link provided below). I will say this though, the beer was not skunky or off-smelling at all, and my dad said that it still tasted the way that he remembered.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Photo Album: <a href="http://goo.gl/Zr4kV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/Zr4kV</a></i><br />
<br />
<i>Beer Review: <a href="http://goo.gl/fnQP1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/fnQP1</a></i><br />
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I love stories like these, as I can relate to them. The common interest that my dad and I share about the beer companies that are as much about making a quality product as they are about improving their bottom line has lead to a number of great times. Some of my best memories of the last *eh hem* we'll say "year" have involved sitting around a TV or a radio talking about sports, politics, and life while enjoying good beer.<br />
<br />
If you have a Facebook, I definitely recommend checking out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/nedsJOB">Spencer's Journey to 1000 Beers</a>. His collection is impressive.John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-27053210433002638062011-04-02T23:22:00.001-05:002011-04-03T01:25:27.245-05:00The Session #50: What makes you buy someone's beer?FINALLY!<br />
<br />
I've been dying to get in on "The Session" for months now, but always drew a blank when it came time to write something up.<br />
<br />
This time around, I'm ready for it.<br />
<br />
This month's question is pretty basic: <b><a href="http://beerblog.genx40.com/archive/2011/march/session50april">what makes you buy someone's beer?</a></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YOymWHRKC3LhtmXBYxl3WxoxyhEF444oZ8LE2LWnAhDHV7GwCiHEwQmqgbdF_SiQktHxd2MBVEeipNXSdnVTx8pP_m5kF1f9HVNGaByAdwcz4WGLb9ifaTqQr9sTT-SM6sBgfDkdV1Nv/s1600/Session.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YOymWHRKC3LhtmXBYxl3WxoxyhEF444oZ8LE2LWnAhDHV7GwCiHEwQmqgbdF_SiQktHxd2MBVEeipNXSdnVTx8pP_m5kF1f9HVNGaByAdwcz4WGLb9ifaTqQr9sTT-SM6sBgfDkdV1Nv/s1600/Session.jpg" /></a>Price is definitely a factor for me. I'm a college kid who is currently looking at post-grad jobs paying in the range of $12-20,000 a year. As much as I'd love to buy a 10 dollar bottle of beer, it's just not an option right now. With that said, I don't find myself buying totally cheap stuff all that often, I just make sure that I'm not dropping 2 bucks a bottle for a six pack (or 4 pack, if that's how the company does it).<br />
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After price, I take into account style. While I'm open to being a little adventurous, I know a few things about my palate. I'm generally not a huge fan of darker beers. Don't get me wrong--they're good--just typically a bit thicker and harder to drink. But if they're <a href="http://the441wall.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-bitches-brew-dogfish-head.html">done right</a>, I get over that fact pretty quickly. Additionally, American Style Pale Ales are not for me. Once again, I can appreciate them, but they put an end to my night of drinking pretty quickly.<br />
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Next would probably be how difficult it is to find. I just posted about <a href="http://the441wall.blogspot.com/2011/04/wasatch-white-label.html">a beer from Utah</a>; odd stuff like that really draws me in. A part of the mission of The Wall is to find every bottle we can, so buying a beer I've never seen before takes precedence over buying one that we have on the wish list but can find in a number of places. <br />
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<br />
Those beers that make up my wishlist? They're usually from companies that I'm familiar with. I tend to get a lot of beers from Wisconsin: Lakefront, Sprecher, New Glarus, Ale Asylum, and Capital (though I've pretty much maxed out on my hometown brew.) Next comes other companies that I tend to like a lot: Bell's, Three Floyds, and New Belgium. After that I'll head over to the higher end singles, where I'll often use Beer Advocate ratings and my personal tastes to find something for a special occasion. That's how I wound up with a bottle of Piraat a couple weeks ago. <br />
<br />
So there you have it, that's my selection process. So far, I haven't come away disappointed too often.<br />
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<b>Let us know about your beer buying decision process in the comments.</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-91706473901498661272011-04-02T04:57:00.003-05:002011-04-02T05:10:30.243-05:00Beer from Utah? Gotta have it!Back in January, my roommate and I were looking for new beers to try in Whole Foods (uh oh...maybe <a href="http://the441wall.blogspot.com/2011/04/ending-hiatus.html">I am a hipster after all</a>?) We came across a couple beers called "Wasatch [fill in the blank]". After doing a little bit of research, we realized that these were beers made in Utah.<br />
<br />
Utah.<br />
<br />
The state where beers can't be sold in liquor or grocery stores unless they've got some ridiculously low alcohol content (I read <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/335007968/Weakness-of-Utah-beer-greatly-exaggerated.html">3.2</a>, so that's the number I'll go with.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe_QWXskLpPa4_D8xprA75Gt-o4OUfZGjeGQ85kO0ZHrTSqm38JYYFzIX88G_nhYXMLfesco_7gAv1qw8Hhm2950CdzVvz83N9w3qmghqW2u_v7_D4qBx818nfef4i8Zmj5EJzoox/s1600/207670_10150146500101960_507161959_7188007_2142459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe_QWXskLpPa4_D8xprA75Gt-o4OUfZGjeGQ85kO0ZHrTSqm38JYYFzIX88G_nhYXMLfesco_7gAv1qw8Hhm2950CdzVvz83N9w3qmghqW2u_v7_D4qBx818nfef4i8Zmj5EJzoox/s320/207670_10150146500101960_507161959_7188007_2142459_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasatch White Label</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We automatically added a few of the different varieties they made to our wishlist. One of those was Wasatch White Label: a Belgian White style beer that was 6% ABV. Belgian whites are my favorite beers to drink while I'm sitting around the apartment watching TV or playing video games, and I definitely don't mind a beer with a little bit of a kick to it. A couple weeks ago, I decided to spring for some.<br />
<br />
The beer pours a pale yellow color with about a half a finger of head. It's aroma isn't the best I've ever smelled from a white ale, but it's not bad either. The flavor pretty much follows the smell: not as much of the orange/banana flavors as many of the witbiers that I've had, and a little bit of a spice flavoring to it. Nonetheless, it was a pretty tasty beer that I definitely don't regret buying.<br />
<br />
While it's not my favorite witbier, I definitely do like it. I like my white ales to be a little more about the fruit flavorings, but this is still a very easy one to drink. If you ask me, it's pretty shocking that the beer's alcohol content is 6%. I put down three of them pretty quickly and was feeling GREAT.<br />
<br />
In terms of taste I'd probably give it a B-, but as always I've got my biases. A beer from Utah that decides to push the boundaries gets at least a minor bump up in my eyes. As a result, I'll give it a <b>B</b>. I definitely plan on picking up a 6 of <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/136/40200">Devestator Doppelbock</a> when I get a chance.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you had Wasatch White Label? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/136/45913">Wasatch White Label on Beer Advocate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/wasatch-white-label/94925/">Wasatch White Label on RateBeer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wasatchbeers.com/whitelabel.html">Wasatch White Label according to its brewers</a>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-32818070808658228632011-04-02T03:56:00.000-05:002011-04-02T03:56:14.060-05:00Finally, you can actually see what this blog is aboutFinally got around to putting up a new background.<br />
<br />
The picture isn't centered the best, and there are a handful of updates we're going to be making (we've had a bag full of backstock develop since the Super Bowl) but this is finally--clearly--a beer blogJohn Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-59275993930510709242011-04-02T03:08:00.001-05:002011-04-02T05:03:27.926-05:00Ending the hiatusOnce again, I'm back.<br />
<br />
Starting with the Packers' Super Bowl win, everything went crazy in sports...and other things...in the state of Wisconsin. <br />
<br />
Hopefully I won't be quite as distracted going forward.<br />
<br />
I guess I'll jump back into the game by announcing this: I'm officially a hipster. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1QDYgSmjY1D2nUa2RsMQ4JgHzFVD6du9jj4DjczEudn7gLrB-w-Er-6wZc2-x2cpIxteHRSph5pNtLH16eMefq8T-5BO0u3DMQRXLc4cdq2hoStlbK4BDc2P0awtuPlM_y2EXdf6/s1600/207272_10150146500051960_507161959_7188006_916105_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1QDYgSmjY1D2nUa2RsMQ4JgHzFVD6du9jj4DjczEudn7gLrB-w-Er-6wZc2-x2cpIxteHRSph5pNtLH16eMefq8T-5BO0u3DMQRXLc4cdq2hoStlbK4BDc2P0awtuPlM_y2EXdf6/s320/207272_10150146500051960_507161959_7188006_916105_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new "get drunk" beer of the441</td></tr>
</tbody></table>...a hipster who is a member of a business fraternity, prefers fast food to organic, wears nothing but tee shirts, and is obsessed with sports.<br />
<br />
Haha, ok. So maybe I'm not a hipster, but since my last post, the441's official "cheap, get drunk beer" has switched from Miller Lite to PBR. MillerCoors' strong support of politics we don't like left the apartment in a flux. Budweiser isn't an option, and most of the other cheap stuff tastes like something died in it.<br />
<br />
We've been drinking PBR from time to time ever since we started going to the BBC on Wednesday nights for their $1 burgers, as $1 PBRs were also a part of the special. Definitely not my favorite stuff, but certain occasions (like my school clinching a share of the Horizon League title along with the now-in-the-Final-Four Butler Bulldogs) call for large amounts of cheap beer. From this point on, PBR is that beer for the guys in the441 <br />
<br />
Now I'm off to convince the roommates to start writing.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>In the mean time, feel free to let us know your favorite "get drunk" beer.</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-53661510184189599572011-02-10T15:48:00.005-06:002011-02-10T16:05:12.352-06:00"Blog? What blog? The Packers are in the Super Bowl!"After the NFC Championship game, Phin and I took a trip to Whole Foods Market to find him a beer to celebrate the victory. While we were there we looked around at the micro selection and found some stuff we're interested in.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/168931_499973901959_507161959_6844170_4783109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/168931_499973901959_507161959_6844170_4783109_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>On a later trip, I picked up a four-pack of Ale Asylum Tripel Nova, only to find out that the Whole Foods on North and Prospect sucks at correctly placing price tags by its beer (but I'll get to that in a later post). After finding that the beer cost four dollars more than it was listed at, I went back and found a four pack of Sprecher Abbey Triple. I had looked it up on Beer Advocate and wasn't blown away by it's B- rating, but I figured that I'd still like it as I'm a fan of the style and of Sprecher in general. <br />
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I understand why the people at Beer Advocate didn't like the beer very much, as it's missing a certain kick that most beer snobs probably expect when they're drinking the style. Nonetheless, I like it a lot. It's maybe a little too sweet, but I still think it tastes good and masks the alcohol pretty well.<br />
<br />
This is a beer I definitely plan on going back to when I'm looking for an easy to drink brew that gives a nice buzz at an affordable price. I give it a <b>B+</b>.<br />
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<b>Have you had Sprecher Abbey Triple? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/144/2851">Sprecher's take on Abbey Triple</a><b> </b><br />
<a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/144/2851">Abbey Triple on Beer Advocate</a><b></b><br />
<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sprecher-abbey-triple/11186/">Abbey Triple on Rate Beer</a><b><br />
</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-79541289429482953182011-01-27T15:30:00.001-06:002011-01-27T15:40:01.538-06:00The most resilient bottle in the collectionWith the second bottle review on The Wall, I've decided to go with one of the bottles most likely to be removed. Originally, Shock Top was grouped with Miller Chill, Point Special and all the other beers that never had a shot at making it into our Top 100. After all, it's just Anheuser-Busch's version of Blue Moon.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs765.ash1/165638_493151921959_507161959_6746954_4306933_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs765.ash1/165638_493151921959_507161959_6746954_4306933_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We started to reconsider the decision when a Bud Light ad came on. We have a rule in the441 that you can't drink after an Anheuser-Busch ad until you see an ad from any other beer company. What we wound up doing was unintentionally boosting the value of Anheuser-Busch products. I had a few bottles of Shock Top left from the six pack of it that I drank and we decided that since they're the same company, an ad from Anheuser-Busch can't be used as a reason not to drink Michelob. Plus, if it were made by a different company I probably wouldn't consider Shock Top to be all that bad.<br />
<br />
Someday, I intend to start homebrewing. One of the expenses that comes with homebrewing is purchasing bottles. While most products by MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch have twist-off tops, Shock Top has pry-offs. I threw the bottle of Shock Top into a sink full of hot water and peeled the label right off. Not only does the stuff allow us to maneuver around our drinking game rules, but it allows me to save money down the road! Way to go Shock Top! For that, we wound up cutting a beer that would probably be a lot higher on the list to keep it.<br />
<br />
While Shock Top the beer is nothing exceptional, it's surprisingly useful. I'd probably give the beer about a C, but factoring in everything it gets a <b>B-</b> from me.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you had Shock Top? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2984358023413858158.post-91473524095921209122011-01-25T15:23:00.000-06:002011-01-25T15:32:18.556-06:00Beer of (NFC) ChampionsMy first experience with Blonde Doppelbock occurred when The Wall was in its infant stages. I saw a couple in the fridge at my parents' house, and figured that I'd grab one and try it when I got to Milwaukee. My dad told me that "it was one of his favorites, but it would probably be too strong for me." He couldn't have been more wrong.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs027.snc6/165782_492136596959_507161959_6734584_3268231_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs027.snc6/165782_492136596959_507161959_6734584_3268231_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first beer I truly loved</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This past Halloween I went to State Street and made a stop at Opa, a little bar that's a favorite of a few friends of mine in Madison. After that visit, I have my own reasons for loving the place: Capital Blonde Doppelbock for four dollars. Up to that point, I hadn't really had beers that I felt tasted good enough that I would drink them even if they were non-alcoholic. Capital Blonde changed that. Getting it for 4 dollars (the same price that they sell Blue Moon for) was a ridiculous steal by bar pricing standards. When I've seen Blonde in other bars it's typically between 5 and 6 dollars.<br />
<br />
The bottle I got that night is the one on display on our wall (although according to some bartenders, taking the empty bottle might've been against the law because of open bottle laws? Oops)<br />
<br />
After that, I had my dad keep an eye out for it at Woodman's (where Capital is far cheaper than any other beer. He bought a six pack, along with what he thought was his house beer: Hacker Pschorr Weisse. Unfortunately, it turns out that it was actually Hacker Pschorr's Oktoberfest. He swapped four of the Blondes for Oktoberfests, thinking I wouldn't notice. If he weren't helping me get through college debt-free, that might have been an unforgivable offense.<br />
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My favorite memory with Blonde came Sunday shortly after the NFC Championship Game. Those two bottles that my dad was kind enough not to switch out for beer he thought sucked? I've been saving them since I got them in November. I wanted to keep them for a special occasion, and I can't think of many days coming up that would be better to drink one of the bottles than in the aftermath of the NFC Championship.<br />
<br />
All in all, Capital Blonde is my favorite beer. I give it an <b>A+</b> <br />
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Next up? The Super Bowl. Then (with a little luck) Bockfest 2011 <br />
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<b>Have you had Blonde Doppelbock? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!</b>John Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11954107538689051188noreply@blogger.com3