Oh god I just wrote an assay about my favorite beer and lost it while editing, can I kill myself? I'm just going to do short version. My sister works at Alltech, the company that makes Kentucky Ale. In 2008 they made a special version of the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, as a fund raiser for the "Old Friend's Equine." It was aged twice as much as the normal Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, witch is aged in barrels previously used to age Bourbon, so it can acquire some of the flavor. So my sister got me a bottle for the 2008 Christmas and it was amazing.
So I just ate here. This pub is absolutely amazing. They have a separate Belgian bar upstairs that is styled like an old tavern. Wooden beams and brick construction. The food is excellent and the beer menu is fairly exhaustive. If you like beer and you're within two hours of Atlanta, you should go. Thanks to Andrew and Lyddi for taking me out and showing me this awesome place!
Massanutten Ski Resort, Saturday, May 29th from 11 AM to 7 PM
Going to another Festival in Virginia (It's Beer AND Wine). Ahh, why did it take me so long to learn about http://www.beerfestivals.org/ Expect some more beer analysis over the weekend.
If I ever go to New York again, which'll probably happen, I should go during the weekend of a Beer Festival. Oh, the happy times...
The best time to visit Albany would be during the Capital Region Beer & Wing Festival. OMG! 25$ gets you all the wings and beer you can consume! It's so mind numbingly awesome. Words can not describe walking into an arena filled with over 100,000 wings and all of your favorite beers. /tears up...
It was held in September 25th last year, and I suspect it to be held around the same date this year.
The various beers I tried at the festival...Tons of IPAs. Shame, I'm not big into the bitter IPAs. ^^;
Great: Clipper City's Loose Cannon: I usually don't like hoppy beers, but this stuff was amazing. It was smooth and malty, but it was sweet compared to other beers like it and had tones of citrus and honey in the taste. It was perfect for my tastes, so I'm really gonna have to look out for it. Gulder Draak: I've seen this beer in the beer section of my super market, but it was seperated from the other beers and I never knew why. Then I tasted it, and it's an amazing Barleywine (Or Belgian Strong Dark Ale, not sure which fits better) It has that wonderful bitter-sweet flavor to it that just sinks in your mouth and sits in it with a wonderful taste. It reminded me of the Olde School Barleywine I had. Me and my brother got whole pints of it...I'm so going to have to get it again.
Good: Clipper City's Peg Leg: A standard stout, but filled with good chocolaty and coffee flavors. Not too bitter, very balanced. Weeping Radish Fest - A fine lager, but very different tasting compared to others. It was piney and sour, but I appreciate it for it's different and pungent amount of flavor. Weeping Radish OBX - A Kolsch beer, so it was very light and floral. TONS of carbination, but still great for a summer's day. Rogue's Shakespeare Stout- Pretty good, but very heavy and molasses-tasting than I expected though. But I'm a big fan of stout beers. Highland Gaelic Ale- Mostly malty ale, didn't have much flavor but great drinkability. Highland Oatmeal Porter- Lighter tasting than the normal stout, but filled with a good roasted coffee taste. I may have to look more into beers with an Oatmeal name in it. Magic Hat's Spring 10 Oddnotion: A simple ale with good citrusy undertones, and very smooth taste.
Meh:
People's Porter- This beer might of been a tad too rich for me. When you drink a beer and you think "DARKNESS" then that might be too much. It felt too syrupy to me so I didn't really enjoy it. Piraat Ale- It had a sweet smell, but I felt it tasted too much like alcohol for me to really taste anything from it. Wasn't all that big into it. Sierra Summerfest- It's crisp, but it had a very very light taste of nearly grasp. It was more of a pilsner than anything. Very disappointed in it. Pyramid Apricot- Something about this brewery isn't sitting with me. More yeasty flavored than any flavor of Apricot, didn't do anything for me.
Got some nice swag, some stein glasses, and me and my brother had a good time. Can't wait to have another nice beer outing.
Oh lord. Four month old Olde School Barleywine? Stellar. I don't mean that figuratively, either. It tasted of the stars. It was like quaffing ambrosia pilfered from Zeus's own cellar.
Great: Clipper City's Loose Cannon: I usually don't like hoppy beers, but this stuff was amazing. It was smooth and malty, but it was sweet compared to other beers like it and had tones of citrus and honey in the taste. It was perfect for my tastes, so I'm really gonna have to look out for it.
Good: Clipper City's Peg Leg: A standard stout, but filled with good chocolaty and coffee flavors. Not too bitter, very balanced.
I need to try to find more beers by Heavy Seas Brewery. I like Loose Cannon. It's a bit above my normal hop threshold, but it's rather drinkable with a surprisingly high alcohol content. Also, all the beers are pirate themed; and this makes me want to drink them.
FYI: They're brewery is in Baltimore for anyone looking to do a side quest during Otakon.
Great: Clipper City's Loose Cannon: I usually don't like hoppy beers, but this stuff was amazing. It was smooth and malty, but it was sweet compared to other beers like it and had tones of citrus and honey in the taste. It was perfect for my tastes, so I'm really gonna have to look out for it.
Good: Clipper City's Peg Leg: A standard stout, but filled with good chocolaty and coffee flavors. Not too bitter, very balanced.
I need to try to find more beers byHeavy Seas Brewery.I like Loose Cannon. It's a bit above my normal hop threshold, but it's rather drinkable with a surprisingly high alcohol content. Also, all the beers are pirate themed; and this makes me want to drink them.
FYI: They're brewery is in Baltimore for anyone looking to do a side quest during Otakon.
Man, that's a brilliant idea. I got an eyepatch from them with the swag, and I was thinking of wearing it during Otakon just for the hell of it, but now I really wanna bring it.
I have a question. I was reading an review on Beer Advocate, they categorize some beers as Fruit/Vegetable Beers. Now, the fruit part I get: Various berry lambics, #9, banana etc... It's easy to see how and why someone would make a beer out of those.
Now what I don't get is the Vegetable part. How do you make a beer out of veggies? Has some one made a carrot beer and I'm just totally out of the loop on this one?? Seriously. WTF!?!
@Pete: Dude you should totally make a carrot beer and have it taste like carrot cake. It would be a good winter brew.
I think part of the geeky attraction to such alcoholic beers is the science behind them. They're effectively culturing super yeast to brew beer that alcoholic. A beer that alcoholic is not going to be pleasant to drink. Much like sipping most hard liquors is not a pleasant experience.
Comments
Massanutten Ski Resort, Saturday, May 29th from 11 AM to 7 PM
Going to another Festival in Virginia (It's Beer AND Wine). Ahh, why did it take me so long to learn about http://www.beerfestivals.org/ Expect some more beer analysis over the weekend.
July 25h is the Capital Region Craft Brew Festival. Tickets are 25$, but they don't have a sponsor list yet.
It was held in September 25th last year, and I suspect it to be held around the same date this year.
WANT. WAAAANT.
Great:
Clipper City's Loose Cannon: I usually don't like hoppy beers, but this stuff was amazing. It was smooth and malty, but it was sweet compared to other beers like it and had tones of citrus and honey in the taste. It was perfect for my tastes, so I'm really gonna have to look out for it.
Gulder Draak: I've seen this beer in the beer section of my super market, but it was seperated from the other beers and I never knew why. Then I tasted it, and it's an amazing Barleywine (Or Belgian Strong Dark Ale, not sure which fits better) It has that wonderful bitter-sweet flavor to it that just sinks in your mouth and sits in it with a wonderful taste. It reminded me of the Olde School Barleywine I had. Me and my brother got whole pints of it...I'm so going to have to get it again.
Good:
Clipper City's Peg Leg: A standard stout, but filled with good chocolaty and coffee flavors. Not too bitter, very balanced.
Weeping Radish Fest - A fine lager, but very different tasting compared to others. It was piney and sour, but I appreciate it for it's different and pungent amount of flavor.
Weeping Radish OBX - A Kolsch beer, so it was very light and floral. TONS of carbination, but still great for a summer's day.
Rogue's Shakespeare Stout- Pretty good, but very heavy and molasses-tasting than I expected though. But I'm a big fan of stout beers.
Highland Gaelic Ale- Mostly malty ale, didn't have much flavor but great drinkability.
Highland Oatmeal Porter- Lighter tasting than the normal stout, but filled with a good roasted coffee taste. I may have to look more into beers with an Oatmeal name in it.
Magic Hat's Spring 10 Oddnotion: A simple ale with good citrusy undertones, and very smooth taste.
Meh:
People's Porter- This beer might of been a tad too rich for me. When you drink a beer and you think "DARKNESS" then that might be too much. It felt too syrupy to me so I didn't really enjoy it.
Piraat Ale- It had a sweet smell, but I felt it tasted too much like alcohol for me to really taste anything from it. Wasn't all that big into it.
Sierra Summerfest- It's crisp, but it had a very very light taste of nearly grasp. It was more of a pilsner than anything. Very disappointed in it.
Pyramid Apricot- Something about this brewery isn't sitting with me. More yeasty flavored than any flavor of Apricot, didn't do anything for me.
Got some nice swag, some stein glasses, and me and my brother had a good time. Can't wait to have another nice beer outing.
FYI: They're brewery is in Baltimore for anyone looking to do a side quest during Otakon.
EDIT: Nope, BA lists it as a BSDA.
Now what I don't get is the Vegetable part. How do you make a beer out of veggies? Has some one made a carrot beer and I'm just totally out of the loop on this one?? Seriously. WTF!?!
@Pete: Dude you should totally make a carrot beer and have it taste like carrot cake. It would be a good winter brew.
Shipyard Brewery defiantly makes one the the best pumpkin ales around.
So what about root veggies like beets, carrots, jicama, yams, etc? What about legumes like peanuts and beans? Could be fun.
Sweet potato beer with some cinnamon and maybe a little nutmeg/clove/allspice? It sounds like it would be delicious.
But seriously, Woah.