Posts Tagged ‘beer’

Worst (best?) drinking game ever.

A couplea years ago we decided to play a drinking game to an awesome movie, on St. Patricks day.  What could be better?  Two excuses to drink excessive amounts of beer (5 cases of Henry Weinhardts if memory serves… which it may not, given what happened).  Plus, the movie fit in perfectly with St. Paddy’s day, Boondock Saints.  Not the second one… although that was basically the first one with a hot chick instead of William Defoe.  Not that he isn’t hot… no.. no.. he really isn’t.

So, we had our veritable pyramid of beer, an awesome movie, great friends, and the perfect holiday to drink to.  Now all we needed were some rules.  Many drinking games require you to drink a certain number of shots / sips when specific things happen, for instance “2 shots whenever Dwight mentions animals” or “1 shot whenever the Minister mentions God”.

This, however, leads to massive confusion the more you drink.. one shot or two when Bambi’s mom bites the dust?  Do I down my drink when Barney in the Simpsons drinks?

So, we decided to simplify things.  Just one drink whenever one of the following happens, with ONE instance of downing everything…

Down your drink when the cat dies – A gun goes off – Someone dies – Someone swears

Simple, right?  Too simple actually… Those of you who’ve seen this movie know what we were in for… For those of you who haven’t seen Boondock Saints recently (or ever), here’s a short clip that will help you understand the insanity of our proposed drinking game.  (Note : violence and profanity warning). (for a longer and more painful drinking experience, check out this extended clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3Sl7P0IOA, which has MORE violence and profanity).

Just in that scene alone we counted something like 300 shots fired, a dozen or so deaths, and a flood of profanity.  We were counting on BOTH hands AND our toes (mind you, there was already a bunch of drinking before this scene…) and quickly ran out of digits.  Assuming each beer is good for… 20 sips… that’s still 10 beers a person.. 12 beers per case means we only had 60 or so beers.  It was bad.  Oh, and the rest of the movie, while not as saturated with lead, is still violent and profane.  Terrible idea.

Beer Reviews – El Jefe and “Rejewvenator”

Always looking to expand my hop horizons, I had the good fortune to sample several new beers this week.  The first of these I’ll review here is the impressive looking “El Jefe” from Hale’s Ales Ltd., in Seattle.  That’s “el jefe,” meaning “the boss” in Spanish, not “the ‘Hoff” – if there’s a beer named after the latter, I certainly haven’t heard of it, nor would I want to try it if I had.

I’ve seen the stoic-looking visage of El Jefe in my local beer aisle before, but this was my first opportunity to taste this Northwest original.  It was very heady, with a slightly fruity smell.  It was fairly flavorful and somewhat spicy, and reminded me of other wheat beers I’ve tried in the past – although this particular weizen was very slippery, almost slimy going down my throat, and seemed pretty insignificant, with very little body and no real finish to speak of.  I could see this beer being refreshing in the heat, but all in all it’s a little underwhelming.  To be honest, there’s just not much else to say about it.  3.5/5

The other beer I brought home to review this week is the very… different Rejewvenator ale from the He’Brew line (brought to you by the folks at Shmaltz Brewing Co., NY).  It’s “the chosen beer” – get it?  This is actually my first time trying a He’brew ale, although I’ve always chuckled when I’ve seen their various beers at the store in the past.  This particular variety is a seasonal “harvest to harvest ale,” a “limited release” for the “year of the date” (2009).  As such, it is a half dobbelbock, half Belgian-style dubbel “brewed with all natural date concentrate.”  And living up to the brewer’s name, this beer comes complete with a “KSA kosher certified – Rabbi approved” stamp on the label.  Actually, there’s a lot happening on this label, if you couldn’t tell by all the quotes above.  In teensy-tiny text on the side of the bottle there’s even this spiel describing the ale:

“The righteous shall flourish like the Date palm.” Psalm 92:12  Hark! The second coming of REJEWVENATOR, infused for 2009 with the sacred DATE.  Jewish tradition celebrates two New Years: The first in Spring after the barley harvest.  The High Holidays in Fall mark the creation of the world.  Harvest to harvest – the perfect bookends for deliciousness!  Dates were used to sweeten beer in Ancient Egypt as early as 3500 BCE.  Pliny the Elder, 1st c. Roman naturalist, lauded Judea’s Dates for their succulence and sweetness.  So important for food and shelter, the Date palm became a symbol of the Kingdom of Judea, stamped on the ancient and modern Israeli Shekel coins.  Shaking your Lulav on Sukkot and covering your kosher Sukkah demands Date palm leaves.  Palm Sunday reenacts the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem.  In Arabic, “Tamr” is the 4th stage of a Date’s ripening.  Mohammed: “Whoever eats seven fresh Tamr fruits at breakfast shall rise above magic and poison on that day.”  The Hebrew word for Date palm is “Tamar,” commonly describing the beauty and elegance of a woman.  Solomon’s sister was named Tamar.  ”The only difference between a date and a job interview is that not many job interviews have a chance that you’ll end up naked at the end of it.” – Jerry Seinfeld.  Like its Latin genus the Phoenix, rise and shine with our newest Double Date Shmoppelbock – and flourish!  L’Chaim!  - Jeremy Cowan, proprietor

What a mouthful!  Unfortunately, I think the history lesson on the label was the best part about this beer.  Thick, reddish-brown or caramel in color, this fruit beer looked more like Coca-Cola in my glass than what I’m used to.  The smell is somewhat fruity, but actually a little syrupy and off-putting.  Like other fruit beers I’ve tried in the past, the taste of this date ale was not nearly as strong as the smell, but the too-sweet syrupy essence remained.  I couldn’t necessarily identify the flavor as that of dates if I didn’t know ahead of time, but it is pretty sweet, malty, and somewhat date or prune-like.  This would (perhaps) be a good dessert beer, but I wouldn’t recommend drinking it with most meals – or as a refreshing treat in the Summer heat.  How unfortunate, since dried dates are one of my all-time favorite snack foods.  2 or 2.5/5

Beer Reviews – Acai Berry Wheat and St. Peter’s Cream Stout

Acai Berry Wheat – Eel River Brewing Company, CA

When Rob and I saw this in the beer aisle at our local Fred Meyer, we were both pretty skeptical. Fruit beers are pretty hit-or-miss in my experience, and the acai berry has a pretty potent taste. In case you’re not familiar with this particular fruit, go to your local grocer or drug store: Acai berry products are all over the place, usually marketed as a dietary supplement. Some people claim some pretty outrageous stuff about this little purple berry, but whether or not it’s a panacea superfood, it definitely has a unique taste (and they’re high in antioxidants, too!).

With all this in mind, I was concerned that an acai flavored wheat beer might be overpoweringly strong. Nevertheless, we decided to be adventuresome and picked up a couple bottles. My conclusion? This stuff is actually pretty damn good! It smells very fruity, more like juice than beer, which did nothing to allay my fears that the taste might be overwhelmingly foul, but it is actually much milder on the tongue than it is on the nose. It definitely tastes like a wheat beer, with only a very subtle flavoring of acai as well – less acai taste than I imagined. There is a lingering aftertaste that is somewhat bitter, but generally speaking the beer goes down quickly and smoothly, and was thoroughly enjoyable. I think this might be one of my new favorite fruit beers!

Andrew’s recommendation: Try it! 4.5/5 berries.

St. Peter’s Cream Stout – St. Peter’s Brewery, Suffolk, UK

The second beer we purchased was much less adventuresome than the first – a simple cream stout. I’ve seen the very attractive St. Peter’s bottles in stores before, but this was my first time ever tasting one. Although I had never tried an acai berry beer in the past, I have had plenty of cream stouts, so I had a particular set of expectations which I brought to the table here. In general, I think that Rob and I got what we expected with the St. Peter’s – not a bad beer by any means, but nothing very revolutionary.

The stout was very smooth, as most cream stouts are, with very little aftertaste. As a matter of fact, the beer went down so smoothly it was almost easy to forget you had drunk it upon swallowing. “Like a ninja in your mouth,” or “a hooker in the night” were the operative phrases we were throwing around – it went down quickly and all but disappeared once it left your tongue. There was a slight taste of toasted chocolate one might expect from any stout, but what grabbed our attention the most about this particular beer was the strong whiskey-like taste at the front. As the beer entered my mouth, I could almost swear I was taking a sip of rye whiskey, which, although it surprised me, was not an unwelcome experience. There are definitely some interesting things going on here, but all-in-all the beer was underwhelming.

Andrew’s review: 3.5/5

Robert’s review: 4/5

Beer Review : English Bay Pale Ale by Granville Island Brewery 2/5 Islands

Beer Review : Loose Cannon Hop(3) Ale 3/5 Cannons

 Just as with Small Craft Warning, I originally got this beer due to the humorous label.  This time the pirate is firing a cannon from the deck of his ship while the poor parrot goes flying overboard.  Poor birdie.  Oddly, the term loose cannon has nothing to do with a firing cannon, but with one that has broken free from it’s lines and is smashing around the deck bashing into people.  Bad news.  Unless, of course, you like weapons of war breaking all your stuff, including you.  But moving onto the beer.  

Luckily, unlike a loose cannon, this beer is not bad news.  For a hoppy beer (I do not like hoppy beer… too.. Hoppy.  Rather, too sour.  I‘ve never liked IPA‘s, but I‘ll give them a shot if they‘re new.  A bit backwards, like expecting not to get burned by a hot stove for the 17th time) it isn’t too bad.  It does have a hoppy flavor (not sure about 3 lbs. per barrel), but isn’t overpowering.  As with all my beer, I had it with food (cheese and crackers) after several sips with nothing else.  As far as IPA’s go, I would recommend it, at the very least to try it.

From the label : “This here pounder has a fine layer of yeast at her bottom.  It won’t send you to Davy Jones’ locker, but will protect your brew from the rigors of life at sea!” and “Our Loose Cannon Hop(3) Ale™ is a hop shot across the bow!  Hops, hops, AND MORE hops -over 3 lbs per barrel, at 3 different times in the process.  Herbal and aromatic: an amazingly delicious American IPA. 7.0% Alc./Vol.”

It originates from the Clipper City brewing Company, LP, Baltimore, MD.  www.clippercitybeer.com. 

Beer Review : Small Craft Warning Uber Pils 4/5 crafts

I have to be honest.  I chose this beer because of the nautical name and the funny picture of a peg-leg pirate with his parrot on a skimpy raft in a completely insane seas.  I got mine in Westport Connecticut, but I have no idea how far spread it’s distribution is.  That’s the problem with micro(ish) brews, if you travel and find one you like, you’re screwed.  But, here’s what I CAN say about Small Craft Warning.  It was nice, something I just as easily drank some solo as I did with food (cheese and crackers and BBQ Chicken pizza).  The flavor is nice, and they certainly got the pilsner part down.  It has the light color of a Pilsner,  and a bit heavier taste than other Pilsners I’ve had, but then again it is called an “Uber” Pils.  Were I able to get this back in Portland I would definitely keep it at hand though, not only for the humorous label, but for the delicious taste.

From the label “This here pounder has a fine layer of yeast at her bottom.  It won’t send you to Davy Jones’ locker, but will protect your brew from the rigors of life at sea!” and “Unofficially – the original American Uber Pils Small Craft Warning is a rich. Golden bock lager, with big malt flavor and bountiful hop character. 7.0% Alc/Vol.”

It originates from the Clipper City brewing Company, LP, Baltimore, MD.  www.clippercitybeer.com

Beer Review : Whales Tale Pale Ale : 4/5 Whales

 According to the label, this beer is “An English style pale ale, characterized by an abundance of fruity hops.  Best when served chilled”.  It think I would agree.  While not generally a Pale Ale fan, it definitely got my attention.  The hops are not overpowering, but they certainly lend a good bite to the flavor.  When paired with cheese and crackers, they balanced out quite nicely. 

My question is, how much whale is actually in here?  I certainly can’t taste it… Or, since it’s “tale” and not “tail” where is the story?  Did some poor, homeless whale inspire this brew?  Was it ancient cetacean secret passed down over the years that somehow landed on Nantucket?  Is there some pact between the people of Nantucket and the whales so they are no longer hunted, but instead brew beer?  That’s akin to slavery… write the brewers letters demanding they release our aquatic brothers from brewed bondage!

It is crafted by Cisco Brewers, on Nantucket Island (5 Bartlett Farm Road, Nantucket, MA 02554).  I assume this beer is only available in the North East.. sorry to everyone else who will be missing out on this delicious Pale Ale!