Beer Advent: Days 2-4

Day 2
Wookey Jack Black IPA - Firestone Walker 
ABV - 8.3%

Hacksaw
Day 2 brings Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker. Although I personally have not fallen in love with the Black IPA style this beer was very enjoyable. The sniff test revealed loads of citrusy hops and the taste seemed like a pot of coffee had been poured over a bowl of fruit. Except it managed to all blend fairly well and be balanced.

Homebrew Recipe: The Great Thanksgiving Porter

The Great Thanksgiving Porter

Thanksgiving at the Hacksaw Household. Expecting 17 people total with 10 of them likely to be consuming some beer I vowed to have 2 dedicated kegs for this grand event. It was the big unveiling of many of our projects and a time to show off my beer cave and home brewing expertise. Several family members had suggested a nice smooth porter and I tried to craft this recipe to fit that bill. As an indicator of this beer’s success – let me just share that the full 5 gallons were gone before the weekend was over. A keg kicking is sometimes sad, but other times it is satisfying to know people enjoyed the brew. This was the latter without a doubt.

Beer Advent: Day 1

Rude Elf's Reserve - Fegleys Brew Works
ABV - 10.5%
Beer Advent Day: 1

Down the Hall
Happy December, Hacksaw!  More importantly, Happy Beer Advent!  I'm glad your calendar showed up just in the nick of time to get started.  And Jiminy Christmas did it get started.

Beer Advent: An Introduction

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I can no longer fight the Christmas season.  The first week of December comprises the acceptance phase for me, and I'll eventually get excited about the coming holiday.  One thing helps though... Beer Advent.

Whether you've grown up punching out the days on the advent calendar and getting your chocolate fix or you've only seen the calendar on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, you're probably familiar with the concept.  In a traditional advent calendar, there's a little cover over each day, and behind that cover there's a piece of chocolate to eat that day.  The beer advent calendar is exactly the same thing, just a different beer every day of December leading up to Christmas.

Last year, a friend of mine told me about this idea that his brother had concocted.  As soon as I heard the details it was a no-brainer, I wanted in.  After last year's fantastic beer selection, I didn't even mind a price increase to get back on that wagon this year.  I even convinced Hacksaw to join in since field was expanded from 24 to 48 participants.  Formally styled "ADVENTures in Beer," the beer advent calendar is a great opportunity to try a variety of new beers and even discuss them among the other participants (also an excuse to have a beer every day of December).

One of my favorite parts last year was the surprise each day.  The case is wrapped such that with a tiny bit of self-control, you can avoid revealing which beer is up for the day until it's actually time to partake.  My wife actually played a big part in this, placing each brew in the refrigerator in the morning after I left for work.  Then when I got home, that sweet mystery brew would be sitting right in the front of my fridge waiting for me.  A beautiful thing.  This year the Christmas day entry is a bomber with construction paper strategically taped over the label.  It's basically a present under the tree!

This year, in addition to padding our Untapd stats, Ben and I will post our reactions and progress a couple of times per week so that you, dear reader, can come along on this journey with us.  Even though today is already the first of the month, it's not too late to set a goal to try one new beer every day in December!  I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to wrangle up 25 quality brews for your holiday enjoyment.

So happy December to everyone and check back in to see what craft brewed excellence we encounter along the road to Christmas Day.  I am already getting excited to try beer number one this evening.

Cheers,
Jacob

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!  I hope this Thanksgiving finds you hungry and with a delicious brew in hand.  I for one am starting my holiday off with a brew day.  I mean, if you're frying a turkey for later, you might as well just leave the burner out, right?  Anyway, we all ultimately have beer to thank for creating Thanksgiving as we know it.  The first "pilgrims" coming to America ran out of beer on the way over, so they stopped in the northeast rather than continuing on their intended course.  Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't?

So, whether you're unbuttoning that top button after a wonderful meal with family, or hiding in the bathroom to get a little peace and quiet, grab a craft brew, maybe indulge and spend way too much on a bottle to share.  Enjoy the people you love, even if they drive you crazy.  After all, those people are what makes drinking beer fun, right?

Cheers!
Jacob

Beer Tasting: Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder

8% ABV

Enjoyed 11.15.14

Background: The quest for Pliny the Elder is something many an East Coast dwelling beer nerd has taken on. I can't remember exactly when I first heard about Pliny, but it is often discussed as an almost mythical and legendary type of beer that only the rarest of heroes has the privilege of drinking. It is placed upon a high mighty pedestal for Imperial IPA's and frequently thrown in conversations as the best beer people have ever had. Years have gone by since I've been into homebrewing without so much as seeing a bottle of Pliny. I have read reviews and even based recipes on what people claim would be similar to Pliny - yet I had never even tasted it! Finally on 11.15.14 Down the Hall delivered a bottle that he picked up on his California Beerventure to be consumed during an NC State tailgate.

Japanese Adventure - The Beer Slant Rant

Japan. A country filled with efficient cars, beautiful mountains, exotic foods, trains that run on time - oh yeah - and the worst selection of beer known to man. I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 weeks in Japan, but it wasn't because of all the amazing beer I had. Of that much I can assure you.

I did my research before heading across the Pacific, and it seemed as though Japan was experiencing a craft beer revolution. New breweries and innovations were popping up all over the place. Blog articles have been written about the top Japanese beers to try while you're there. Let me bring you to reality. Unless you are actually visiting a brewery or are at a bar that specifically specializes in selling craft beer then you can just forget about getting anything other than a rice lager.

In the US you can go into just about any restaurant these days and get something that won't make you want you want to spew or be reminded of yellow fizz. Even at Applebee's you can usually find a Sam Adam's Seasonal or possibly a Blue Moon. I'm not saying those are the best beers out there - but when compared to American light lagers they are downright amazing. After going to Japan I will never again take this for granted. Ever.

A typical Japanese restaurant has 1 beer on tap. If they have a bottle selection it is a rarity. You know what that 1 beer is likely to be? After the first week I could guess with 95% certainty with only 3 tries. It would be Kirin, Asahi, or Sapporo. You've heard of at least 2 of those most likely. You may even have tried one of them while at a Japanese restaurant and felt you were being culturally festive.

Let me help you wake up to reality. These are cheaply made, mass produced rice lagers that taste awful. Pretending you can tell the difference between them and claim one is superior is a pointless game. Wait - you can tell the difference between Bud Light and Miller Light? Holy crap - let me give you an award - and a punch in the face. Those are both awful beers and you shouldn't be disgracing your taste buds with them (unless they are free).

I kind of gave up trying to find good beer midway through my first weekend. I had a brief moment at a restaurant when I found a brown bottle in a fridge that said "HOPPY". All the other characters were Japanese and I couldn't read them but I told the waiter I wanted one of those. He brought out the bottle as well as a glass full of what looked like water with ice in it. I was confused seeing as how you don't typically mix beer and ice water together. I proceeded to drink this "HOPPY" beer only to be very disturbed that it tasted like a very old and skunked amber or brown ale. I later found out when sipping the "ice water" that it was in fact some gin and tonic water. The "HOPPY" is supposed to mixed in to this as flavoring.

The one saving grace was that I received as a gift on my next to last day some beers from Kiuchi Brewery. They started out making Sake many years ago and about 20 years ago starting a beer brewery as well. Their flagship beer is the "Hitachino Nest Beer". It is flavored with orange juice and spice, but after 2 weeks of rice lagers this was like getting rain in the desert!

These 2 pictures below kind of sum up the readily accessible Japanese beer scene.

Selling Asahi beer in a vending machine. No ID required. Just put your Yen in and get your crap beer out.

Budweiser is available at the local Seven Eleven. Yes. It made it across the world tasting no better than it left the USA.

Never take the US beer scene for granted.

-- Ben