I would like to start by thanking Jake again for putting this together. This round was a lot of fun! The pairings were well choosen.
Harp vs. Bass
Bass: yeasty, finished with a light, low acidity hoppy taste (cascade hops?). Effervesance floats in your mouth. Hints of a barnyard hay or dry grass flavor. A good session beer.
Harp: Light, medium body lager flavour that is short lived, ending in a clean, but 'pasty' feeling in my mouth (or maybe its because I need to brush my teeth! Drinkable, grainy, with a lingering sweetness. Solid and true flavors.
Winner: Harp! I could drink a lot of Harp and thoroughly enjoy every one. It's flavor was cleaner and simpler (in a good way) than Bass. Plus, it's from Ireland and my 10 months living in Dublin has endured me to everything Irish. Oddly though, I don't think I ever had a Harp in Ireland; the Guiness was too good!
Blue vs. Molson: The Canuck bar fight!
Blue: Grainy, mild lager flavor with a clean finish. Fishing! Yep, fishing. I first hat Blue while fishing in the middle of Canada, and having a shore lunch of fish you caught an hour before on a beautiful shoreline with my family. Blue tastes of memory, and that is what makes it great for me.
Molson: Overcarbonated, beer. Think generic beer, think Darma BEER.
Winner: Fishing with family (i.e. Blue). Plus, I can imagine drinking a dozen Blues, but not a dozen Molsons!
Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
¡Hola amigos!
Thought I'd say howdy to you guys. I'm Nathan, and I live in Nashville. I pretty much have no idea who any of you are, but as you are beer lovers I am happy to participate nonetheless. I was invited by the one person I know in the group, Mary Kidd. Thanks for letting me play along.
As for my background and perhaps worthiness of being in such a group as yourselves... I do love beer. I'm not sure if you'd call me a beer snob per se ... I don't brew my own for example. My appreciation of it was exponentially enlightened and enlivened by living in London for ~3 years. Generally speaking, the darker the better as far as I'm concerned: I'm a stout guy by nature. But then again, there are two striking exceptions to that rule: (1) after mowing my lawn on a hot day, for some reason nothing goes down for me like an ice cold Mich Light; and (2) for an evening out at the honky-tonks on Lower Broad in Nashville, nothing other than PBR will do. It's just what is done.
So thanks again; I look forward to the imminent imbibing.
Nathan
ThisOneGoesToEleven
As for my background and perhaps worthiness of being in such a group as yourselves... I do love beer. I'm not sure if you'd call me a beer snob per se ... I don't brew my own for example. My appreciation of it was exponentially enlightened and enlivened by living in London for ~3 years. Generally speaking, the darker the better as far as I'm concerned: I'm a stout guy by nature. But then again, there are two striking exceptions to that rule: (1) after mowing my lawn on a hot day, for some reason nothing goes down for me like an ice cold Mich Light; and (2) for an evening out at the honky-tonks on Lower Broad in Nashville, nothing other than PBR will do. It's just what is done.
So thanks again; I look forward to the imminent imbibing.
Nathan
ThisOneGoesToEleven
Berkeley Brewers in Bethesda
Jeff - small world. My husband Harmon and I just moved back to Bethesda last June after two years in Berkeley. While there, we also started brewing our own beer, a hobby (addiction?) we have continued here (we just bottled a ginger beer last weekend). I was just thrilled when Jake sent the kickoff e-mail for the Summer Suds Spectacular - what a great idea! It was a welcome excuse to go and hunt down all sorts of brew. Needless to say, our trip to Calvert Woodley ended with a VERY full trunk (there were just too many beers we *couldn't* in good conscience leave on the shelf). I'll let group know if we find anything fabulous that's not in the bracket but worth picking up.
That said, nothing compares to the beer selection in Berkeley. While there, we lived just down the street from the Berkeley Bowl, which had a fabulous selection of West Coast microbrews. (Note: in true DC form, I would like to start a PAC that lobbies in Rockville (seat of the Montgomery County government) to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores. Donations welcome.) One of my favorites that I really miss is Moose Drool, which I think is actually from Jake's home state.
In any case, I'm at work and don't have my tasting notes from this last lineup, but will post later. The blog, BTW, was a great idea. This is my first ever blog post. How exciting!
That said, nothing compares to the beer selection in Berkeley. While there, we lived just down the street from the Berkeley Bowl, which had a fabulous selection of West Coast microbrews. (Note: in true DC form, I would like to start a PAC that lobbies in Rockville (seat of the Montgomery County government) to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores. Donations welcome.) One of my favorites that I really miss is Moose Drool, which I think is actually from Jake's home state.
In any case, I'm at work and don't have my tasting notes from this last lineup, but will post later. The blog, BTW, was a great idea. This is my first ever blog post. How exciting!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Jeff Round 1 - US vs. UK
Here are my impressions of the first four beers. Full disclosure: I am a beer snob. I love drinking beer. I brew my own beer. Living out in CA, I have access to lots of great microbrews and have enjoyed them thoroughly. Anyway, here are my thoughts...
Rolling Rock Extra Pale
Smooth, tasteless, nothingness at the end.
I am reminded why I don't drink Rolling Rock.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Flavorful, complex hoppy flavor (at least 2-3 different hops. One is distinctively dry-hopped.) balanced with a very mild maltiness. Wonderful example of what a Pale Ale should taste like.
Winner: Sierra, hands down. Really, there's no competition on this one. I love hearing stories about my parents drinking Rolling Rock in college because it was the cheapest beer they could get.
Newcastle Brown Ale
Rough start, overly carbonated, malty with a slight roated malt flavor, flavorful finish.
Overall, nice balance of gentle hops and maltiness.
There's a chance that the bottle I had was old because there was a slight 'off' flavor in the aftertaste.
Bodingtons
Smooth, creamy, true to the English ale style.
The taste of a quintessential British ale with the creaminess of a Guinness from the factory in Dublin.
Great presentation in the pour (with the settling from bottom to top, just like a good Guinness).
Even the foam tastes good!
Winner: Bodingtons. Better representation what I think a British ales should taste like. Plus, the creaminess is just yummy!
I'm already waiting for round 2!
Rolling Rock Extra Pale
Smooth, tasteless, nothingness at the end.
I am reminded why I don't drink Rolling Rock.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Flavorful, complex hoppy flavor (at least 2-3 different hops. One is distinctively dry-hopped.) balanced with a very mild maltiness. Wonderful example of what a Pale Ale should taste like.
Winner: Sierra, hands down. Really, there's no competition on this one. I love hearing stories about my parents drinking Rolling Rock in college because it was the cheapest beer they could get.
Newcastle Brown Ale
Rough start, overly carbonated, malty with a slight roated malt flavor, flavorful finish.
Overall, nice balance of gentle hops and maltiness.
There's a chance that the bottle I had was old because there was a slight 'off' flavor in the aftertaste.
Bodingtons
Smooth, creamy, true to the English ale style.
The taste of a quintessential British ale with the creaminess of a Guinness from the factory in Dublin.
Great presentation in the pour (with the settling from bottom to top, just like a good Guinness).
Even the foam tastes good!
Winner: Bodingtons. Better representation what I think a British ales should taste like. Plus, the creaminess is just yummy!
I'm already waiting for round 2!
Beer and Blogs - A great combination
Hello all!
For those who haven't had the privilege to meet me, my name is 'i have an annoying wife'. Yes, she is making fun of me right now by repeating 'Hello, my name is Jeffrey Rauenhorst' in a very silly voice. Any of you have a sassy wife like this??? Wow, she's a handful! Wow! (She's giggling away into the sunset as she reads this...)
Sort of more seriously, I'm a friend of Jake's from Notre Dame living out in Berkeley right now. As a techie who loves beer, I thought it would be fun to put a blog together to share all our thoughts about this years Summer Suds Spectacular. So I've set this up so that we can have a forum to discuss our opinions of each of the beers that we have tried. Since I don't know a lot of you, this could also be an opportunity to get to know each other.
Happy Drinking!
Jeff
For those who haven't had the privilege to meet me, my name is 'i have an annoying wife'. Yes, she is making fun of me right now by repeating 'Hello, my name is Jeffrey Rauenhorst' in a very silly voice. Any of you have a sassy wife like this??? Wow, she's a handful! Wow! (She's giggling away into the sunset as she reads this...)
Sort of more seriously, I'm a friend of Jake's from Notre Dame living out in Berkeley right now. As a techie who loves beer, I thought it would be fun to put a blog together to share all our thoughts about this years Summer Suds Spectacular. So I've set this up so that we can have a forum to discuss our opinions of each of the beers that we have tried. Since I don't know a lot of you, this could also be an opportunity to get to know each other.
Happy Drinking!
Jeff
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