Happy Thanksgiving friends!  Wish you were here...

It's no summer shandy, but what is?

Winding down the weekend with Vietnamese brew and mandu.  Dig it!

Again with the pancakes?

More pancakes.  Still delicious.  The key thing is the sauce... for dipping.  Trying different combinations of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, apple vinegar and wasabi.

Hopsecutioner My Ass

BarrytheBear ( Madison, Wisconsin ) D / 2.2 look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | drink: 2 rDev: -75% Another generous extra from jpmclaug. Thank you, Jason! I had this beer once in a blind tasting and I will attempt to review this with a fresh perspective. The previous results were, shall we say, unimpressive. Near amber pour with loads of fizzy carbonation. I can just sense a malt bomb coming. Ugh, here comes the caramel malt. What is more disconcerting is the unmistakable smell of vomit when swirled vigorously in the glass. Akin to riding past the trash dump while someone blows chunks onto your dashboard. Seriously, what the hell is going on here? Oh Hopsecutioner, if only there were an immediate and swift response by some necessary-at-times-like-these bureaucratic agency that came to your house, gave you a stern lecture, and permanently removed your moniker forever more. I want to be slayed by hops, not gently kissed by tangerine and manhandled by a filthy, groping malt monster. Why???? Argggghhh The mouthfeel is odd and strangely carbonated and this weird cloying sweetness and the feel of being sick pervades the experience. This is a fail for me.

Satyagraha, bitches

12 oz can into my Unibroue tulip. Pours a mega cloudy orange with a steady quarter inch inch that fizzes and pops at the center. When held to the fading daylight, evidence of yellow hues emerge. Legs go on forever and cling to the glass like a Chilean miner to his sanity. Too soon?

Massive tropical fruits on the nose along with unsalted crackers on the initial pass. A secondary swoop reveals something quite medicinal. It smells like a melding of cherry and menthol cough drops. Since the initial smell is quite enticing and the follow up is, um....less so, I'll split the difference.

Soapy pine, citrus, grass, and bitter with a mild though firm cracker backing. Firm cracker backing....sounds like the aspirations of a local politician in his bid for governor. But, I digress. Stupid barrage of campaign commercials! There's a mash of hops here that I wish profiled more of the tropical fruits and less of the soapy bitter grass. By no means unpleasant, but a bit of letdown after the initial olfactory salvo from the pop of the can. Seems somewhat haphazardly thrown together.

Medium bodied, bubbly and well carbonated, pops on the palate. Goes down quickly from the slick feel, but I'm not sure I'd feel compelled to work my way through another can at this time. No freshness date makes me wonder whether I got the true experience of this beer or not. The results are a mixed bag.

B+

Would he be as big a badass if he were Larry Fishburn? Discuss.....

Bomber shared with the wife - Larry pours foggy pale orange with a nice fluffy head. Just shy of what I find my IPA sweet spot for appearance.

Sweet and sour sauce coupled with orange. Slightly lacking in vibrance but not unpleasant.

Resiny and more sweet than bitter though a slight bitter nip pops at the finish. Citrus is fuzzy and present, though doesn't show in any major flavor. Orange would be the most dominant. Something about this profile doesn't fully grab me. Much like the smell, it's not unpleasant, it just tickle my inner IPA fan.

Mouthfeel is light in body and fizzy from the carbonation leaving a tingle on the tongue.

Drinkability is high though my desire to do so is not up to that level. B

What we'd have drank if we'd gone camping

Off to a howlingly unfunny de-b-u-u-u-u

Really wish more breweries released bourbon barrel aged beers in smaller bottles. This one fit the bill tonight. Nagging unpleasant thoughts began seeping into the frontal cortex as I was reminded of the qualms with this vintage. Sadly, we have confirmation.

Slightest hiss as the cork lamely puts up little resistance. Less than sludgy as the bottle proclaims. Quite flacid. Arise, damnit! Still watery look. Less than impressive.

Hot damn the nose is nice. Rich baker's chocolate, massive oak presence, and an inviting bourbon presence. Oozy vanilla and heat follow. So very woody.

Quite a little coquette here. With the appropriate carbonation this could be a real treat. Big league tannins from the oak and vanilla. The bourbon is large but not overwhelming. The heat is present but in check. Again, the wood from the barrel plays a huge role here.

The mouthfeel here is such an enormous letdown. The flavor profile would be well served by even a low, but appropriate, level of carbonation. But this is damn near flat. As a result the flavors just idle, waiting for the engine to drive them through.

Sadly, not very interested to finish this as it stands. What a waste of potential. The Tommie Harris of beers. B-

Breakfast at Northdowns

Backstage at the VMA's.........

22 oz bottle out of a box. Step one, you cut a hole in a box, two you put your junk in that box, three make her open that box, and that's the way you do it.

Crimson pour with a nearly no head and Vega showgirl legs. See I'm wise enough to know when a gift needs givin'

Sweet caramel, some vanilla, more rum than bourbon, and some plum fruitiness. And I got just the one. Somethin' to show you your second to none.

Bottom shelf bourbon here. Hot, hot, heat. The underlying winter warmer base is overwhelmed by the barrel presence and the best parts of the beer are left crushed under a blanket of hot booze. Near room temperature it was akin to taking shots. After a trip back to the fridge, she became more tolerable. However, the margin for error is razor thin. A prime candidate for some quality nap time.

Mouthfeel itself is nice, weighing in as medium bodied with low carbonation.

Drinkability suffers from the aforementioned symptoms. To all the fellas out there with ladies to impress, It's easy to do just follow these three steps.

My Nemesis (and no, I'm not talking about any of you .... or am I?)

Had an '010 Nemesis the other night. Not sure what to make of it. I'm bracing myself for an onslaught of "black _______(fill in the style)" beers in the next couple of years. Black barleywine looks suspiciously like regular barleywine but has a slight burnt toast-ness too it. I think this would have benefitted from a little aging, but wanted to try one while the hops were still hot.

In retrospect, I don't think I drank it at the right time... had it when I got home from being at work from 6am to 8pm and during the brief period before I passed out from exhaustion, thus didn't really so much get to savor it as drink it in a hazy fog. Unfortunately, I only was able to get 2 and kind of want to save the other one for an eventual Nemesis vertical, so the world may never know my true thoughts.

Grade: Incomplete.

Back to Basics

"I'm back."

HopArt

Pours quite hazy medium orange with a nice head and consistent bubbles throughout.

Slightly faint on the nose. Sawdust, bitter tangerine, and plenty of bready malt. Continual agitation reveals the bottom of a Del Monte tin and a fair share of alcohol fumes. Good, but not as vivid as I'd hoped for.

HopArt comes ready to fight. Rough and tumble bitterness and citric rind on a heavy wave of malt that shows itself as caramel and wafer crackers. Finish is slightly boozy, but appropriately so for the abv and never really detracts.

Sticky and slightly chewy body makes this near full bodied. Carbonation is well done and helps carry this pummeling fight through to the finish. A-

Knuckle Sandwich

Burgundy with a consistent quarter inch head and minimal bubbleage

Once opened and even prior to being poured, this beer can be detected from across the room. As odd as it may sound, predominant scents include fresh sliced pineapple and hot oven baked pie. Really it's quite appealing.

Tastes like it smells. Caramel sweet pie, pineapple, whipped cream, and crust. Drinks like a dessert. Minimal heat on the back end is very welcome considering the 10% tag. Certainly not a hop bomb, but all the elements of a solid DIPA are here. solid A

Smooth and viscous; an enjoyable treat.

And the wasabi wasn't bad either

막걸리

Last year's list of what I had at Great Taste

Just to get everyone in the mood...

Tea furious
Hopmouth
Bent river trappist
Diggers 20/20
Shoreline rye curse
Carlyle rauch
Town hall RIS
Desrihl barleywine
J pump roja
Red eye thorn RIS
Tyrenena imp choc st
Shoreline bourbon curse
Thirsty pagan spruce Willis
Kuhnhenn 4th dimensia
Central waters bourbon barleywine
Surly 3
Shoreline boubon barleywine
Distihl hoperation overload
Goose bourbon sherry
Kuhnhenn grand cry
Three floyds vanilla dark lord
Surly bourbon smoke
Flossmore collab evil
Floss anno unum
Blind pig smokey the beer

If only Kerry had won the election, this is the type of utopia we'd live in:

http://beeronomics.blogspot.com/2010/07/taxes-again.html

So we've all become teetotalers then?

Apostel Bräu

This is a lager, German style.  Erstmals gebraut 1713.  I wish it came in a can the size of the one pictured on the label.  It's humid here and I'm thirsty.

I'm totally out-posting you all.  And you're apparently hanging out without me this weekend?

Oh hell yes.

But what's inside those bottles....?

Think I might.

Darkness

Drinking an 09 darkness - good, but not as good as they were with hot hops. It's a little Too mellow now I think, but still tasty. Mental note: next year drink the full allotment on day one.

Barrel of Monkeys

Duane & I did the Mikkeller barrel horizontal on Sunday. Luckily these were 12oz bottles because it is a very diesel beer. It was pretty cool to see how different the exact same beer tasted out of different barrels. We ranked them:
Bourbon>Wine>Rum>Scotch

I thought the bourbon ones were great and highlighted the coffee. The wine was a little fruitlet and more mellow but kind of plain. Rum was too sweet and highlighted the honey too much in a weird way. Scotch was a drainpour - tasted like celery juice or like it had been in treated deck lumber barrels. Awful. Crazy how different bourbon and scotch could be though.

I also decided something with peppery hops would be good in tequila barrels.

Trpoical Fruit Bomb!?

So our efficiency was quite poor, but here's to good things a comin'. Preliminary tastings, I shit you not, this beer tastes like Guava. Make of that what you will.

Immort

REALLY sweet ; peppery hops ; campfire smoke - like a slightly better new holland smoked doppelboch

14 ... Like Pete Rose

Tiny?

budweiser = yuk

http://mobile.salon.com/tech/htww/2010/06/29/downfall_of_the_beer_lords/index.html  (Not sure I agree with the sentiment in the closing sentences in the second to final paragraph..)

Southern tier

Oak Aged Unearthly DIPA

I think I've reached the conclusion that oak barrels don't do much for IPAs. It ads some unneeded harshness and non complimentary flavors it seems like. Save the oak for the stouts and strings brewers!

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

Another Yeti winner. The big flavor here is the Cayenne pepper that really hits on the front of your tongue. I don't get a whole lot of chocolate or vanilla but there is a woody edge that works with the pepper nicely. Solid A beer.

Bear republic black mamba...

...is utterly gross. It tastes like black licorice coke. I did the restaurant equivalent of drain pouring and left a 75% full glass. Terrible.

Sent from my iPhone

Rack Em' Borth 2 Borth Redux

Now we patiently allow this hoppy beast to sit atop a sack of Citra and do her dirty, sinful business

Whoa layout changes!

Chicago.  Staying here.  Good call on Priceline Duane!!

I arrive around 7 PM and want to hit a final tap room and explore a little Sunday night before I leave Monday morning.  Thoughts?  Suggestions? Imperatives?  Y'all know Chicago better than I do.

My drive down to Cincy was kinda relaxing.  Drove a Prius.  Cincinnati is exhausting.  But my collection of homebrew is in tact and found a two year old Speedway Stout.  Unexpected!

Officially done with New Holland forever

Envious is quite possibly the worst thing I've ever tasted. It's like
a taste vacuum cleaner that completely clears any flavor from your
mouth initially, then leaves you with a horrible, bitter dead mouse
taste in your mouth. There's "not good", "drainpour", and "drano".
Envious is the latter. I'm envious of anyone who hasn't tried this.

Sent from my iPhone

Cherry Lambic.  We made it last July.  Matt and I are geeky enough to have opened two bottles on a skype enabled International Sposborth Tasting Event.  I have one more bottle.  Home brewed Lambic on a sunny afternoon.  Doesn't get much better than that.   Tasted better from the wine glass.  I detected leather and tea and lemon and cherry.

Official Countdown to Peter - It works on so many levels

Is now at 6

아눅, 사랑해요

It is utterly beautiful in 서울 today and so I'm sitting at my new favorite place for coffee, wireless, wine, and work avoidance.  On top of that they have Alaska Brewing Co. growlers on display.  I will spearhead the investigation.

I booked a flight to Minneapolis.  Arriving around 7 PM on June 11.  Should we stop at Surly on the way to the E(au)C?

Weekend Update

Verdicts: Gubna = not good

Dogfish Squall IPA = OK but I think I like regular 90min better

2010 chainsaw = awesome

Odell IPA = pretty good

Sent from my iPhone

Official 2010 Nothdowns Beerfest Discussion

So....I'm taking it upon myself to organize our bad selves. Here are some thoughts, questions, and wonderments regarding our annual drinkfest.

1. Kathleen is going to attend and hang out with Katie. Both have sworn not to encroach on our merriment :)
2. Duane, when are you available? What days do you plan on being up there?
3. I get out of school June 10. Pete comes in June 12. One option would be for me to come up with Kathleen the morning on the 11th. I would leave the key code for Pete and he could drive my car up when he came in town...either the night of the 12th, or morning of the 13th. Herein lies the rub....my timetable is wide open, but I'm not sure about you all. I was hoping we could golf and all that good stuff, but I'm not sure about your availabilities. Thoughts all?

Taking the Star Ferry into Hong Kong harbor. Then boarded another boat to Lamma Island.  I like lots of things about HK, one of which is that fact that ferries are a part of the public transit system.  Very tropical day.  Cloudy and balmy in Central, and then sunny and hot once we got to Lamma.  Had to cool off, PBR style.

Took 10 hours to get home today.  Whew.  The fact that I now know my way around Hong Kong is something I wouldn't have believed 1 year ago.

I'd like to travel off the/my beaten path this fall.  Wanderlust I suppose.

Lunch:  tastiful kimchi kimbab + cider = good times. 

Yes, those are ₩ 50,000 bills.  It's how I roll.

Cincinnati Columbus Cleveland Pittsburgh State College East Stroudsburg Philly Downingtown Altoona NY D.C. LA Durham Cary Chapel Hill Toledo Myrtle Beach Daytona Ft. Lauderdale Orlando Panama City Destin Red River Louisville Knoxville Boston Chicago Bloomington MADISON Milwaukee Minneapolis New Orleans Naperville Calumet City Sturgis Yellowstone Cody Jackson Hole Yosemite Ten Sleep I-90, somewhere west of La Crosse Berkeley San Francisco Baltimore Reston Titusville Reno Salt Lake City Park City Grand Canyon Phoenix Tuscon Lake Meade Vegas Abilene Austin Dallas E. Palestine Ozarks St. Louis Shawanagunk Cork Berlin Leipzig Karlsruhe Frankfurt Oberwolfach Hong Kong Beijing Narita 서울 양양 대전 대구 DMZ Montreal Toronto Evanston

I'm feeling all kinds of tired.  Beijing is fun, exhausting and really close to the desert.  It's dirty and chaotic; people seem distrustful of foreigners, can be kind; the embassy workers I met are jaded/arrogant/nice.  But happy that my friends haven't changed.

Brought back two bottles of the sour cherry ale that we made last July.  Just have to wait for a good occasion to drink one in a few weeks.  Tasted really good when we bottled it.  Also brought back a bottle of Gueze that is ready to drink.

Going to Hong Kong next weekend.

Clear skies over Beijing before I left due to a thunderstorm last night that we watched from the garage.

Skies over Incheon

Alighting the airport bus in my neck of the woods.  Happy to be home.

Holly Jolly Xmas

Cracked open this jolly pumpkin Xmas ale last night - very tasty.
Like a darker, spicier, less sour version of the rojas. I think I
like every jolly pumpkin I've ever tried.

Also, coffee grounds now has growlers of coffee bender and furious.
What a time to be alive.

Lalalalalalalala

Looked at tickets to Minneapolis (four connections), multiple destination tickets (pricey),  different airlines (no seats left), exhausting;  it would be nice to have iron man's suit at times.

The good news:

Depart: 4:55 p.m. Fri., Jun. 11, 2010 Tokyo, Japan (NRT - Narita)

Arrive: 2:21 p.m. Fri., Jun. 11, 2010 Chicago, IL (ORD - O'Hare)

Flight Time: 11 hr 26 mn Travel Time: 16 hr 11 mn

OnePass Miles/ Elite Qualification*: 6,274 /100% Total Miles:7,033

Flight: CO6022 Fare Class: Economy (V)

I'll figure out how to get to Madison and beyond!  This is exciting.  Let the beer festival chatter begin.

This is the view from the roof of my place.  You're looking at Korea University.  I ran up to where the small lights are shining in the center (look closely).  It's some sort of military facility complete with razor wire and so on.

Finally some warm weather today.  By length of winter, longest to shortest

Seoul > Madison > State College > Cincinnati

Pete, we miss you

Peter William,
You missed a drunken weekend of Dark Lord, Steepwater, and 36+ holes of golf. It isn't the same without you. Come home.

Should I stay or should I go... to a new apartment

So here we are with another weekend in the books.  Last night I went back to Itaewon with a friend from work and had some pretty solid beer.  I've now learned that Granat is some kind of sour cherry beer.  We downed a few and had a pretty great meal.

Went for a run in the forest research center next door to KIAS late this afternoon.  I could run there till the cows come home.  Barry when I get back in June I'll be ready to lace 'em up.  The paths cut through a pine forest dotted with scores of flowering cherry trees.   I love having access to this place (point for staying in my apartment).  On the other hand when I got home there was no hot water and all I wanted to do was get in the shower (point for moving to a new apartment).

Therefore grocery shopping followed by a cold brew at a local Quickie Mart.  It's threatening for a thunderstorm; I hope we get one.  I'd like to learn the Korean word for thunderstorm come to think of it.

A great weekend.  Hope you're having the same.

Oh, Hell Yes - A Visual Display of the Joys of Trading

So lazy and surly...

Drink a beer for these wonderful unionites across the pond:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36278625/ns/business-world_business/?GT1=43001

Job at Tyranena

Tyranena's Beer Ambassador is leaving and they will be accepting applications soon.  I am thinking about applying for the job, anyone think I would be good at convincing people to buy beer?  :)  It could potentially be a lot of travel (they are thinking of splitting the area covered by two people, so if they did so it wouldn't be as much travel).  It would also mean working for Rob, who is known as a sexist ass.

Any thoughts?

Walnut bomb

Barry and I are splitting a 1987 J.W. Lee's Harvest - it feels like getting hit over the head with a folding chair. 23 years worth of aging brings out some pretty potent potability. The aroma is like huffing something ... pretty sure you'd lose braincells if you smelled this too long.

The flavor and consistency is like Walnut-heavy maple syrup.

This is really a category unto itself ... I don't even feel like you can compare it to other beers, it's a different beverage entirely. I think about 1 oz is about as much as I can drink - I like it in theory, but it's just a little much.

Greetings from Germany

Wow this place is beautiful. If you want a postcard, then send me your address.

The eagle has landed !

Furious in growler form and a 75 deg afternoon - someones doing their
grading out on the patio today. The only question is whether there
will be any growler left when Katie gets home

The Sourest Ale in Asia?

Two pictures of Sposborth Sour Ale, eight months in the making.  We brewed it last July.  The recipe calls for four more months in the fermenter before bottling, then an additional six months in the bottle.  I'm making a trip to Beijing on the first weekend in May, so we might just have to bottle it then.  The waiting is the hardest part.

Pizza in Itaewon

Delicioso.

Bourbon County Shout Out

08' is drinkin like a mean little little bourbon laden chocolate cake

Even with over a year and half on this beer, the bourbon greets you front and center and socks you right in the chest with an immediate wave of heat. Hoo-rah.

Sundays in the Neighborhood with Beer

I'd been holed up at home for a couple of days with a cold until I finally ventured back out into the neighborhood this afternoon.  So first stop was a hidden place just aside the back gate called Bean Story.   I could read the menu without any trouble and managed to make my order in Korean which prompted a few curious questions.  I stumbled through it; I wish I could understand spoken Korean.

No bullshit, this deuce is numero uno!

El Toro Deuce Imperial IPA - this beer has enough hops in it to kill a bull and more so. Definitely no deuce dropped with this one.

Imperial Smoked Porter

Anyone else had the new Tyranena porter yet? Had some last night ... I had low expectations for some reason, but it is kick-ass. the Smokey-ness is just enough without getting to overpowering bacon-cheddar territory. Also, the Chipoltle pepper taste for just a tiny hint of kick is awesome. Reminds me of the pepper chocolates Kathleen got one night when I was staying at Casa Walsh. Could be my favorite of the Brewers gone wilds so far.

Sitting at Coffee Grounds right now grading exams with a big pile of Tyranena smacking me in the face and daring me to stock up on it. Wish they had the tap hooked up already. Will have to make due with coffee, Pete-style. Currently drinking a triple-shot Latte. Added about half a teaspoon of sugar. Solid.

Shin's Coffee House

Macchiato at Shin's Coffee House in Hoegi-ro. It is ridonkulously cold and windy today. The coffee at Shin's is rock solid, highly bitter and the milk was again, frothed to a T. A+ for the cool design with the milk. The bathroom door has a funny sign to boot.
Short enough for you Barry?

Double your Ass Kicking

Double Crooked Tree is basically Crooked Tree's recipe doubled. Here's what you get........

a really murky deep orange pour

scents ooze with sugared pineapple and sweet pine cone with some caramel

taste dead on with the beak with a lingering, though tempered boozy bite on the back with hops fighting a raging malt blanket

thick and chewy body reminiscent or another Barleywine in DIPA clothing - Dankenstein

alcohol is present and pushes at the edges, but this beer is quite accessible at nearly 14%, which is saying something

roasting | mokapresso & hand drip

An Italian friend of mine lives above roasting | mokapresso & hand drip. He doesn't drink coffee, but said it smells great while they are roasting the beans, which must be a pleasant enough way to wake up in the morning. When I ordered Syphon Coffee I was fairly certain some kind of advanced procedure would follow, but I didn't know it would happen at the table. Cool stuff. Anyway the first step in the syphon is to put the grounds in a cup up top and heat the water underneath.