I got a gal in Kalamazoo

Ok, not really. But I do have a brewery.

I'm really starting to enjoy this blog because of the small piece of victory I get to have at the end of a rough day. There was one part of today where I wanted to just give up on everything. Now, I'm drinking a beer that might be one of the best I've had so far.

The Bell's Kalamazoo Stout.


If you recall, a mere 6 weeks ago I was honest about not being a fan of dark beers. Then I had the [Left Hand Milk Stout] and [Stoudt's Fat Dog] and began to sing to a different tune. Add this beer to that category. When I first popped the top and took a sip, I was caught off guard by how good it was. Smooth. Not overbearing in any way, yet bold with its flavor. Chocolatey, roasty, and (per the Bell's site) slight bit of licorice-y. To be see if how I thought this beer tasted actually stood up to others, I headed to the www.ratebeer.com site and found that the K-zoo Stout got a 100 for style and 100 for overall rating. In fact, they have it listed as the third best stout in the world.


But lets be frank (who is Frank, btw...), this one is the best stout I've ever had.

Another cool thing about Bell's comes from their brewhouse, the Eccentric Cafe. I've posted some pics from there before, but if you were ever wondering you can always see what [beers are on tap]. Personally I've only had 8 of the 17 beers listed.. I should probably get on that... How many have you had?

Bell's
Kalamazoo Stout
Stout
6.0% abv

Dedication

I'm a pretty dedicated fellow. I mean really. It'ts after 11pm, and I need to be up in a matter of hours for work, but I am drinking not one... but two beers. With purpose. The obvious one is the Bells Third Coast Beer to continue the Bells week on CDR. The not-so-obvious one is the homebrew IPA I have in the other glass. Why? Because I care about my football team.

I can't remember if I have mentioned the kegerator system my roommate/brewmate and I have on a previous post, but we have one. Dual tap. And it just so happens that we have a brew called the Tomahawk cHop Garnet Ale that is currently fermenting. If we empty one of the kegs this week then we will be able to have the TcGA ready for Gameday this Saturday. [In case you live under a rock, this week we are graced with the return of college football.] And being good Seminole fans, it is only right that we make (and have available to enjoy) a beer that serves as an Ode to our boys on the turf. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Now, back to the brew du jour. This Third Coast Beer is an American Pale Ale and is the lightest beer that Bells makes. It's kind of hazy, and I feel like it wants to be a wheat/hefe but isn't. Yesterday I mentioned that I don't like the phrase 'grassy' when it comes to describing beer... but I think this one has that same quality. I'll defer back to the grains they used.

Overall this is an 'alright' beer. Bells has so many others that are really bold in their flavors and not every one can be the best. Unfortunately I need to rank this one on the lower end of the scale, but that isn't to say it's not enjoyable. It's not too bitter, and is very crisp. Thinking this would be great during the Summer.

One thing that I did not know was what the 'Third Coast' was. Turns out that the it actually refers to the entire Great Lakes region. Being a former Michigander I come with great pride of the Great Lakes (and pretty much all things Michigan.) So I'd be lying if I said I didn't dig the homage to the homeland. Also, Fun Fact alert: the label on the TCB is actually 1 of 24 labels that map out all 3,288 miles of the Michigan coastline, which touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. [per Bell's website]

Bells
Third Coast Beer
American Pale Ale
4.8% abv
"...a truly quaffable beer."

Late Night Lager

Cutting it close on today's post! Literally just got back from an event for work and sat down with another Bells beer. Today I'm sippin' on the Bells Lager Beer.

It's a very crisp beer, and super clear. The closest comparison I can think of is a Bud Heavy, although I don't condone such beverages on this blog. Just trying to give a comparison on style. There is a flavor note in this one that I can't quite pinpoint, but I think it is coming from the malts that were used. It gives the beer a unique bitterness that I haven't had in most of the beers that I've featured so far. A little digging led me to find the descriptor of 'grassy', but I think that is gross and don't want to associate my beer with grass. But it is kind of close.

One reason I was excited to get this beer on the blog is because of it's style: its a lager. Most people out there can tell you that lagers are what the Big 3 make, and that Ales are pretty much everything else. For the most part they are right, but not for the correct reason. The difference between Ales and Lagers comes from one thing. Yeast.

Homebrewers can easily make ales with very little equipment because the yeast that is used likes to do its thing at temperatures close to room temp. You put the beer in a bucket, let it sit in a closet, and a couple weeks later you've got beer. Lager yeast, on the other hand, needs to work its magic at much colder temperatures (around 45* F) So to make this you have a couple of options: -Get big fancy equipment, -get a mini-fridge, -live up north and but the beer in your basement during the winter months. Seeings how I don't have the luxury of 2/3 of those choices, everything I've churned out has been in the ales category. [For now.]

And no, I'm not moving up north any time soon...

Bell's
Lager Beer
Lager
5.0% abv
"Lager of the lakes"

Bell's Day 2

Anyone else have those days that you just feel like you don't have your A-game? It has been an overall good day... but something has been missing. Creativity has gone out the window for me. So as I popped open the second installment of Bell's beers for the week, I took a visit to the [Bell's website], only to find that it was down! Apparently their creative side was having an off day too.

The beer for today is a year round brew called the Amber Ale. Would you be surprised if I told you it was an amber? For the most part this one is a very good, 'every-day' type of beer. The casual beer drinker could pick this one up and enjoy it on a regular basis. I would like to have seen it with a little bit deeper of a color (more amber, less golden) but the flavor profile is right where I'd expect it to be. Well balanced and no one thing is too overpowering.

I had originally planned on doing a little research on Bell's history for today's post. With the site being down (along with my creativity) I think it would be best to bring a better serving up for tomorrow's post. Nothing wrong with a simple beer review post, right?

Bell's
Amber Ale
Amber
5.8% abv

Another Theme Week!

A few days ago I got a package from my Dad that had what can only be described as a "cornucopia of beers". While on his trip to Michigan and the Bell's Brewery he was able to pick up an assortment of different Bell's brands and sent me a bottle of each. The only logical thing to do at this point is to have a Bell's week here on CDR!

The one I am starting off with is the 'freshest' of the bunch. It was brewed in the same place that my Dad picked it up, and this one was bottled on 8/12/2011 (aka 15 days ago). And I got it 5 days ago. And it was purchased 13 days ago. Basically it went from the fermenter, to the bottle, to my Dad's hand, into a box, and sent to my house... all in a matter of days. Beer is a perishable good so freshness is actually important. I'm sure you've seen the 'born on date' or the 'fresh by date' feature that most breweries are including on their bottles.

Just realized that I've gone this far and haven't told ya that I am drinking a Bell's Oracle. It is a DIPA that is seasonal only to the late summer. And it's downright delicious... possibly.

I'm very excited about the beers of this week. Bell's is right at the top of my list of favorite breweries and it was only a matter of time before I devoted a week's worth of beer drinking to them.

Stay tuned to learn a little bit more about them! I'm headed out the door to actually have a social life for once... I think I have earned that after the super long days I've had, right? [I'll assume you agree.]

Bell's
Oracle
Double IPA
10.0% abv

Gotta make today's post rather short, because I am both mobile and running out of time for the day. In honor of Hurricane Irene I decided to order up a Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night.

Super good. Haven't had a saison before but I've always wanted to try it because I know so little about them. Kind of tastes like a wheat, but it's super clear. It has a floral smell to it that is pretty delicious.

Not only that but at the place I am at has the best crab dip I have ever had in my life. It's so good that I needed to tell you.

Gotta end the post here because of the current situation; but dot worry... I'm doing just fine.

Heavy Seas
Red Sky at Night
Saison Ale
7.5% abv

Is it Friday yet?

It's official: I am exhausted. I'm about 15 minutes from calling it a night and taking a little coma until the morning.

Lucky for me I got to end it with a tasty beverage. And one that I haven't had before! The Dogfish Head India Brown Ale. To say it's an IPA and Brown Ale combo wouldn't do it justice, however that is an easy way to think of it. Although technically it is "A cross between a Scotch Ale, an I.P.A., and an American Pale."

This post is actually an 'I don't care post' because of how ready I am for today to end. I didn't even use a pint glass for this beer. And I didn't even try to take a great picture. And all you're going to get out of me today is that this one is downright delicious. Go get one.

[Ok, one more thing-- the 'commercial description' of this brew said it has hints of rasinettes. Which I love.]

Dogfish Head
India Brown Ale
Brown Ale
7.2% abv

Spelling Error?

It's another day closer to the Fall. Haven't decided if I am excited to see the season change, or if I am sad to see the Summer go. Had a bunch of great, refreshing beers over the past couple months, but I am looking forward to tasting something with some bolder flavors. Went for my go-to yesterday and today, but actually got two different things. Similar by name, but the Red Brick Oktobeerfest isn't quite the same as other Oktoberfest's.

This one is crystal clear and a little lighter than the amber color you'd normally see. The flavor is even a little off. But-- I actually like this beer. Just not for the style it wants to be. This one is drinkable and has a clean taste.

One of the interesting things that I discovered is that I couldn't find hardly any information about it on the interwebs. Red Brick's site, which I have noticed is not choc full of info, only has their mainstay brews and the new specialty series. Not only that but the profile for it on ratebeer.com is minimal at best. This actually disappointed me since I am trying to learn as much about the beers from Atlanta. I get the feeling that RB has some potential to make really awesome stuff but aren't living up the potential. Good beer, not great beer. This oktoberfest is a prime example. They went for one style, probably tried to do something 'different', and ended up missing the mark.

But like I said, I do like this one. Maybe they should just call it something other than Oktobeerfest?


Red Brick Brewing
Oktobeerfest
Oktoberfest/Marzen
5.2% abv
"Made in ATL"

Prost!

One of the top things on my Bucket List is to go to Oktoberfest. The real one. Tentatively I am planning to go next year, but we'll see if that ends up coming together or not. In the mean time I have to settle for the "imported" versions of what they serve over there. I've been waiting for that time of year to come around, so today, while we are grilling up some brats, I've started sipping on a Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen.

The cool thing about this brew is that it complies to the German Beer Purity Law of 1516, called the Reinheitsgebot. Essentially this law says that any beer brewed in Germany can only contain 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast. Fun fact about this is that originally it was just 3 ingredients because we had not discovered microorganisms yet... that came along in the 1800's. If a brewer was caught using anything other than those ingredients the beer could have been confiscated without any compensation. What a waste!

In general the oktoberfest/märzen style is one of my favorite types of beer. I love the caramel maltiness that you get from them. Very smooth, great flavor. Has that 'goldilocks' quality about the hoppiness and bitterness. The Paulaner Brewery has been making beer since 1634 so you know they know what they are doing. I think everyone should try this one. Drinking them in 1L sized mugs will get you bonus points.

Gotta cut the blog post short today because of the huge day of work I got tomorrow [notice that my Calendar is up on the laptop], but hopefully this was a somewhat of a decent post. I really enjoyed this beer and it gave me a second wind to finish out the long work day. I even got to drink it out of my Paulaner flute glass! Always a plus when I get to change things up.

Paulaner

Oktoberfest Märzen

Oktoberfest/Märzen

5.8% abv

I went out on a limb today to try a type of beer that might just be the most intriguing I've come across: a pumpkin ale. Now, I love pumpkin pie. I love roasted pumpkin seeds. As a matter of fact I even like squash. The logical assumption is that I would also like pumpkin in beer form, right? Yea not so much.

My general opinion about the Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale is that it would only be good if you were eating a holiday meal, were someplace cold and sitting by a fire, and you had only one glass of it. The spices were overwhelming in a bad way. You could really taste both the pumpkin/squash flavor and the cinnamon, nutmeg, etc spices with every sip. As the beer got warmer I actually started to like it less. So much so that I stopped drinking it half way through. Even though I was not a fan of this one I do want to try some of the pumpkin ales from other brewers. There has got to be at least one that I like.

I'm also rather critical about the Frog Hoppin' website.... it seems a little 'hokey.' It honestly looks like someone put it together with a knockoff version of some template designer, and they threw up some random beer and frog related pictures/icons on there. Too many random looking colors, terrible layout, and they have frogs for bullet points. Tacky. Do better Frog Hoppin'. Then again, they are from Ohio...

Not only do I want to comment on today's beer, but I do recall saying that I was going to do a double post with info from the one I had [yesterday]... the Left Hand Stranger.

This one was much better than the one I just drank half off. It actually reminded me very much of the homebrew IPA I have kegged right now. I think that we used the same hops, and possibly grains, as Left Hand did. We weren't trying to clone that brew, but it was just so strikingly similar I couldn't help to think about it. The biggest difference between the two was the level of intensity in the hops (the IPA homebrew being more intense), the bitterness (the Stranger was more bitter), and the mouthfeel (the IPA was more full bodied). You might read that and think "so, what you're saying is they were completely different?" Not the case.

I tried to come up with something comparable to describe it but what I wrote made no sense. I'm terrible at analogies. Anyways I liked the beer yesterday. It seemed like it would be a good 'all-day-drinking' type of beer because it had a very clean and dry finish with little aftertaste. The ratings I found online for it were rather low, but I'm willing and able to disagree. [For the record the Double Pumpkin Ale got ratings in the 90's (out of 100) and I thought it was terrible.]

All in all my takeaway from the past few days of beers is that it can be a crapshoot when it comes to brewing beer that people like. I've made beer in my kitchen that people said they would literally go out and buy, and yet there is beer on the market that people buy and actually tastes like shit. What is really important [I think] is getting off the ground and to the point where you can make enough beer that allows you to create a demand for it. Then when you get the brand going you can almost brew up anything, call it a 'seasonal' or a 'specialty' and then people will buy it.

Believe me when I say that I will be taking note of this for the future...

Hoppin' Frog
Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale
Spice/Vegetable Ale
8.4% abv

Going to do a re-post tomorrow.

Not going to lie, I'm quite distracted at the moment. Have a buddy of mine here and I'm trying to play Wii Golf, hold a conversation, drink this beer, and try to write something somewhat creative. And I am doing a terrible job at all of the above.

Anyways today's beer du jour is Left Hand Brewing's Stranger. This could have been a great beer to have a theme post but because of aforementioned distractions I am being decidedly un-creative this evening.

As a matter of fact, screw it. This is my blog and I want to do a double post for tomorrow on this beer. I've got a really good lineup of beers for the next few days and I think they all deserve some love. But for the record I definitely drank a beer today. The streak is still alive!

Left Hand Brewing
Stranger
American Pale Ale
5.0% abv

Gunga galunga

"Spalding, get dressed you're playing golf." 
"No I'm not grandpa I'm playing tennis."
"You're playing golf and you're going to like it."
"What about my asthma?"
"I'll give you asthma."


Decided to head out to the 'Country Club' today. With this weather, who wouldn't? Yea it is a little hot and humid... but that's why we have beer. Shot 18 holes, and for 17 of them I did rather well. And that 1, well, lets just say I should have brought my swim trunks. Lucky for me I had a Kashmir IPA from Highland Brewing to ease the pain. Thanks to the photographer who got a great shot of me teeing up to one of the holes while getting a pic of the brew in the foreground!


Today's IPA actually offers up a different flavor profile than most of the ones that find there way on here. The Kashmir has a piney taste from the hops they chose to use. Different but good. You can also get the full bodied biscuity aspect from the 'middle' part of the taste. I'm a big fan of biscuity. As a matter of fact we just got finished brewing up a batch of homebrew that is going to have the same feature.


After a long afternoon of multitasking between brewing and playing golf I didn't really have a lot of time to get this post through. However, I did get a chance to do a little digging into the background of Highland Brewing. They're located in Asheville, NC and distribute their beers to pretty much all of the Southeast US. Good thing I live in the Southeast US, because I like this beer. Had it a ways back and when I saw it on the shelf again today I had to pick it up.


This week is going to feature a few of my favorite brewers, with a 'special' beer later on in the week. Perhaps Friday. After a trip to the LHBS I was pleased with the selection I ended up with for the upcoming week. Be sure to check back! Better posts are sure to follow.


"Don't you people have homes?"


Highland Brewing Company
Kashmir IPA
India Pale Ale
5.6% abv
"Just a wee bit different."

Not what I was looking for

Another week has come to an end, and another beer has come and gone. I had looked to try something new so I reached out to a longstanding American brewery to see what they had to offer. This specific one was recommended to me, but at the end of the day I was left with bad taste in my mouth from the Anchor Humming Ale.

Anchor has been around since 1896. They're based in San Francisco, CA and have the flagship brew called 'Steam Beer'. I'll have to circle back around for that one because the one I have tonight I am rather disappointed with. For the most part the guys at my LHBS are spot on with their recommendations. This one? Not so much....


It is categorized as an american pale ale yet there are flavor profiles in this one that makes it hard to label as such. When I checked out the specs for it I was surprised to find that it was an APA. I think my roommate put it best by saying that it has a 'heineken'-like flavor and I agree. It is that almost sour, tart flavor that isn't well balanced from the hops or malt. This one is more bitter (in a bad way) than I would look for in a brew.


Maybe it is the long week that I had, or maybe it is just the beer I am still trying to finish, but I am coming up short with stuff to say today. Although on the other hand I don't see anything wrong with getting right to the point. From what I can tell, Anchor is a rather respected brewer on the scene... so if you see it I'd definitely consider picking up some. Just as long as its not this one. Unless you like Heineken.


Anchor
Humming Ale
American Pale Ale
5.9% abv

Man's Best Friend

Sometimes when I sit down to write the blog post o' the day I get quite distracted. I usually crack open the brew, take some pics, and check out their webpage. At that point one of two things happens: 1) I figure out what I think of beer and start writing, or 2) I wander on to 37 different other things on the internet. Today it was the latter situation. I've been sitting here for almost an hour and just got down to business.

As I mentioned yesterday I got the chance to drink a brand new beer today. Right now I'm sippin' on an Ellie's Brown Ale from Avery Brewing. If you know anything about me, you should know that I love dogs and have wanted to get a chocolate lab for the longest time. It just so happens that just such a dog is featured on the label of this beer. It also just so happens that I couldn't not get this one because of said dog. Turns out that this one is actually named after one of the founder's late chocolate lab, named Ellie.

When I asked my local craft beer guru about this one he had very good things to say about it. Something along the lines of, "That's a REALLY good beer." I obliged, and I agree. The thing that strikes me as the best quality of this one is it's drinkability. No -- not like that 'beer' with the commercials making the same claim. Ellie's is just really smooth, not too sweet, not too malty, but just right. Pretty sure I said one of my previous beer had a "goldilocks" thing going on. This one falls into that category.

You can taste some brown sugar and vanilla flavors in this beer. I can see myself drinking this with a good pulled pork sandwich. Or maybe afterwards to finish off the meal. I'm not going to say this is a full on dessert beer, but I think that it is mellow enough that it could be enjoyed by a wide variety of people.

Over the past few months I have seen Avery Brewing on the shelves from time to time but I really don't know much about them. Based on this brew I think they're going to have a solid line up. I've got some plans for the next couple of weeks but very soon I will circle back to these guys and try another one.

Avery Brewing
Ellie's Brown Ale
Brown Ale
5.5% abv
"Lab tested."

Had to go with a known-to-be-delicious beer today for the blog. If you have been reading you would know that I am in the thick of the busy time for work, so I wanted to make sure I had something overly enjoyable at the end of a 12 hour day on my feet. So today I'm going to tell you a little bit about Founder's Red's Rye P.A.


I was at the LHBS maybe 6-8 months back and saw this guy on the shelf. Decided to pick it up because it was brewed by a Michigan brewer. [note: I'm big on the state of Michigan] When I got this back home and had a chance to taste it I damn near drank the whole six-pack because of how good it was. As far as I know it was the first Rye Pale Ale that I had so it was kind of familiar yet kind of new. The malted rye that is used gives it a distinct flavor that you can pick out over a typical pale ale. I feel like saying that it tastes like that part of the beer tastes like rye bread... but it pretty much does. The beer doesn't overall taste like rye bread, but when you think about it and look past the hops flavor, the grapfrutiness, the mild spiciness... it's there.

I really like the 'mouthfeel' of this one too. In general I want to try and stay away from snobby beer taster words, because I don't claim to be an expert by a loonnng shot, yet that word seems to fit. You know you are drinking a beer because you can 'feel' the taste when you take a sip. It has all three parts of the taste: initially you get aroma in the smell and bitterness on your tounge, then you taste the body of it in the 'middle', and their is a citrusy and clean aftertaste.

Another thing I would like to point out about this beer, is the guy featured on the label. Anyone else think he looks familiar? I'll assume that is "Red", whoever that is, but I think he looks like two other chaps....

Gonna leave you with that last thought as I need to get back to real 'work' and gear up for tomorrow. Another long day awaits, but I get to try a brand new beer tomorrow night. Needless to say I am excited.

Founder's Brewing
Red's Rye P.A.
Rye Pale Ale
6.6% abv
"Brewed for us. Enjoyed by everyone."

In German it means a whale's...err, nevermind.

Sometimes you need a little vacay in the middle of a work week. Or a work day. I've been stressing out all day about making sure that I have everything together for the start of the crazy season for work (and to this point I still don't have it all 100% together) so when it came time for dinner I decided to go with some comfort food: a Domino's pizza and an IPA. Lucky for me I planned ahead and picked up one of the highest regarded beers around, the Stone India Pale Ale


I've been very eager to have a beer from Stone because they are from San Diego, CA. It just so happens that I too am from San Diego, CA. Because of this fact, and that these guys are known across the country for the beer they make, it was only a matter of time before one of them showed up on the blog here at CDR.

I do have to make this a shorter post based on the aforementioned time crunch (I need to be ready to lead a team of people all day long and leave my house by 630am at the very latest)....(it's 9pm right now), so I will get right into it. The word I would use to describe this IPA is bold. It has a ton of flavor. The bitterness is awesome, it has a combo of citrus and floral hops, and a medium molt profile. You know you are drinking a beer when you take a sip of this one. It doesn't just fade away like other beers tend to do.... this one stays for the party. Hell, it IS the party.

You can more than likely find this beer in whatever city you happen to be in right now. From the looks of it Stone distributes [across the country]. I would say the most notable brand they have is the Arrogant Bastard because of the name, but that one I will  have to evaluate at a later time. Today all I can say is that if you like IPAs then you will really like the one Stone brings to the table.

Stone Brewing
IPA
India Pale Ale
6.9% abv

"Make Mega Bucks."

Feels good to get back into the swing of things here on CDR after a few days of sub-par posts due to being exhausted. Yesterday started off what I believe is going to be a great beer week. On the homebrew front we've got one batch that was made this weekend, and another is brewing up in the kitchen at this very moment. "We" being my brew-mate. Ok that was an awful play on words... I apologize. Anyways we like to brew, and do so very often. In fact we were talking about how we should make another batch this weekend just so we don't run out of beer in the kegerator (even though we will have 6 cases of bottled homebrew). But enough of that, back to the post.

Today's beer was actually inspired by my Grandma, also known as Grams. She has been a big supporter of my homebrewing this year and clipped out an article from the newspaper and mailed it to me. (Aren't grandmas the sweetest?) The article was about New Belgium Brewing and their current expansion efforts. A little note was written at the top that says "Maybe this will be you someday. -Grams"  And about two months ago she texted me about my beer and told me to "Get it patented. Make mega bucks." Gotta love Grams. So today I am enjoying the flagship beer from New Belgium -- Fat Tire.


This amber ale has a distinctly different taste from typical American or English style ales. The founders of New Belgium actually came up with their name in reference to a bike trip they took through Belgium, tasting different beers along the way. They took that Belgian influence and incorporated it into their beer. This one tastes like a belgian wheat combined with a typical amber. I could be mistaken but I believe that it has everything to do with the type of yeast that they use for fermentation. Despite what would make sense, a lot of what creates the flavor profile of a beer comes from the yeast more so than the hops and grains. Fat Tire ours a very clear amber color and has fruity, spicy aspects to it that you don't find in other ambers.

When it comes to their expansion, I think it resonates the ever growing movement of consumers trying new beers. There really is so many options out there and people are slowly starting to realize that they can get more from the beer they drink than what the Big Three are offering up. Honestly that is one of the premises of this blog. So, with that said, I like to raise my glass to home brewers, craft beer lovers, and of course my Grams. Cheers!

New Belgium Brewing
Fat Tire
Amber Ale
5.2% abv
"To make our love and talent manifest."

For whom the Bells pours

I can't believe it has taken me this long to feature my favorite brewery on the blog. I've been planning on eventually doing a week long set of posts of Bell's Brewery beers, and still will, but today was a more than appropriate day to enjoy a Bell's Pale Ale.


Right at this moment (and for the past few hours) my Dad has actually been sitting at the [Eccentric Cafe], which is Bell's brewpub in Kalamazoo, MI. My phone has been constantly receiving pictures and updates about the different beers he has been drinking -- basically my Dad is cool. While he is up there, I am actually sitting at home and wearing my Bell's t-shirt and drinking a Bell's beer out of my Bell's pint glass.... and pretending I am at the Bell's brewpub. Dad and I actually both had our first Bell's brew at the same time, at the 2010 Jupiter Craft Beer Fest in South Florida. A friend of mine from high school was working the event and told me to check out this tent because they had a limited release beer they would be giving away at the top of the hour. So we went over and tasted what was being sampled and our whole group was very impressed.

As a matter of fact, that just might have been the spark of my real interest in the world of craft beer. After moving up to Atlanta I found a few places that had Bell's on the menu and was able to try quite a few of what they offer. I can honestly say I've never had a bad beer from them. Some are out there and most people might not like, like the Oarsman Ale and Cherry Stout, but I had them with an open mind and found that I could enjoy them for what they were. All the other ones were just flat out great. Which brings us to the beer du jour...

This Pale Ale poured a little hazy, but had a great golden color. It tasted like the definition of a pale ale. Medium bodied, slight hops flavor, and the bitterness was rather low. Basically this was a very very drinkable beer. Like a float-down-a-river-with-a-cooler-of-these type of beer. I am going to log this one in the 'I'd drink again' category because, well, I'd drink this beer again, and due to the fact that it does not push the envelope on taste like the other brands Bell's has. It is a solid beer, but far from the best. But don't let that fool you -- I enjoy this so much that I actually have a tap handle for it on my kegerator.

Bell's
Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
5.2% abv
"Inspired Brewing."







Here are some of the pictures my Dad sent to me from the Bell's brewery and Eccentric Cafe:

[redacted]

I can't tell you where I am. I've been sworn to secrecy.

What I can tell you is that I'm drinking a beer you will probably never get a chance to see.

Sorry for the mystery, but it's necessary. Here is a quotes description of my current beer:

“Reunion Ale ’11- A Beer for Hope is almost ready! This collaboration with Shmaltz Brewing Company is a Dark Ale brewed with cocoa nibs (from Olive and Sinclair), vanilla and chili peppers! Support the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research July 29 & 30th with two percentage nights featuring the release of the 2011 Reunion Ale! This will be the first chance to try this year’s brew and a chance to help us support a great cause! Our friends at The Beer Experience documented the brew day. Watch for these 22oz bottles soon.”

Appropriate brew for today

I'm going to start this off by saying that I'm flat out exhausted, and this is going to be a rather short post. The past two days have pretty much drained me of any potential energy. So, fittingly, I went for a brew that you might have heard of... Rogue's Dead Guy Ale.

This was actually the first beer that I had at one of the [Taco Mac's] here in Atlanta. I will for sure be having many of my daily brews here throughout the year, because they have hundreds of beers available at all of their locations.

Rogue is a very pertinent craft brewery on the shelves of beer stores across the country -- most of the time when I am checking a new place out they usually have 4 or 5 different Rogue brews. They are easily recognizable because of the creatively repetitive motif of a 'Mike Rowe lookalike' holding a beer one hand and doing a fist pump with the other. Each (mostly) of their brews have different variations of this guy, or some other person, doing the same pose. The graphics person in me really likes how they put that together.

I'll finish with this awfully short post with a fun fact: Dead Guy Ale was created to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead, which is November 1st. Also known as 'All Souls Day', in some other spanish speaking cultures it's called Dia de Muertos. I learned that in high school. And you just learned it here. At least there was something good that came from this post! (Rogue, you're getting a redo very soon. You deserve better than this one.)

Oh yea, I almost forgot. This one was really good. It's categorized as a 'German maibock' but basically its like an amber ale. It was malty and very well balanced, with not too much of a hop profile. Definitely one to try for those who aren't crazy about hops.

Rogue Ales
Dead Guy Ale
German Maibock
6.6% abv

Only one way to end a long day

Today has been a marathon of a day.

Been up since 3am, was at the gym by 6am, and put in 9 hours of work that was significantly more frustrating than the average day. Then throw in some unintended 'variables' to the mix -- needless to say I've got the headache from hell. Can you think of a better reason to have a beer? Me either.

I'm staying with the same style from yesterday and sipping on an imperial stout. This one is from Heavy Seas and  goes by the name of Peg Leg. If you know anything about me, you know how I feel about Pirates, and how awesome they are. As a matter of fact I have an economics book (my major in college) that is about the hidden economics of pirates. It's one of the most interesting books I've started-and-haven't-finished reading. OK OK I know I'm a nerd. Whatever.

So back to this Peg Leg. I like it. But I can't say that it is anything special. It tastes just like a strong stout should taste. It's dark and roasty, there are coffee flavors, chocolate flavors, and it has that 'stout aroma'. (I still haven't figured out a good way to describe that.)  However that's where the beer kind of stops. Don't get me wrong... I would order this beer. Especially if I were visiting the Family back in the Maryland/DC area, where I would assume that a few places would have this on the menu. Heavy Seas, which is actually brewed by Clipper City Brewing, Co., is based in Baltimore, MD and has been since the mid-'90s.

Maybe It is just the day that I've had, or maybe it's the beer, but this one is middle of the road for me. At this point I'm willing to bet that it was my day. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't stressed out about the crazy-busy season I am at the cusp of for work. Lucky for me, is that at the end of every day I get to look forward to a (hopefully) tasty beverage. Just like the Pirates. [Did you know they were usually given a ration of a gallon of beer per day??] It's true. I read it in a book.

Heavy Seas
Peg Leg
Imperial Stout
8% abv
Arrrgh.