Beer. Beer. And more beer.

[IggytheBorg]

Fish Tale Full Blast Blonde is a nice, light Helles style pilsner. Smooth, light and very drinkable with the whipcrack of bitterness a pilsner should have. Not quite as good as a true pilsner, because it lacks the biscuity malt component those are known for, which makes it lacking in depth, IMO. But a great hot weather beer.

Flying Fish Brewing Co. Farmhouse is a pretty decent saison style Belgian ale. Spicy, citrusy, and just a little savory. Can't wait to try this with some Humboldt fog in the fridge. And maybe a steak. Or pork chops. The fact it's made in my home state of Jersey is just icing on the cake.

Climax Brewery's Helles Hefeweizen is another Jersey made offering, and a bit of an anachronism. Helles and hefeweizen are two entirely different styles. Helles is a lager/pilsner variant, and hefeweizen is a wheat ale. It can't seem to make up its mind which it wants to be, and has elements of both. A short, sharp, quickly finishing bitterness, at a restrained level, with some of the banana and bubblegum notes of a wheat beer. I can't decide if that makes it interesting, or just confused. I enjoyed it, to be sure, but think I would've enjoyed a straight up hefeweizen or pilsner better, because while it had elements of both styles, they were way too muddled and didn't stand out front and center like they would have in a more singular example of either style.

[IggytheBorg]

DAB Dortmunder Draft Export. Meh. . . I'm not crazy over this. has kind of a metallic taste. The kind of thing that put me off German beers of all kinds for years. I liked Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold much, much better as an example of this style.

Anchor Liberty Ale, on the other hand, is great. Nice bitter, hoppy IPA type beer. Compares favorably to Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA, which is good company to be in, for sure. Citrusy, fruity notes on the aftertaste. . . just superb. Even better than the Steam beer they're most famous for.

[IggytheBorg]

Who's making a good Oktoberfest marzen this year? I snagged a six of Great Lakes Brewing Co's version, and I have high hopes for it given how good everythign else they make is.

[IggytheBorg]

Great Lakes Oktoberfest is pretty good. I think it could've been better had it been a little colder, so I'll reserve final judgment. But it started out nice and hoppy - probably hoppier than its German forebears intended - with a juicy, fruity center, followed by a short, dry, hop-forward aftertaste. But for the fruity middle, it reminded me of a pale ale. Good beer, but I'm not sure this is what a marzen is supposed to taste like.

[IggytheBorg]

I had 2 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot barley wines in the cellar since last year. Busted one out over the weekend and paired it with some Beaufort, farmhouse cheddar and Maytag Blue. The aging did wonders for this beer. It was exquisite; much of the harsh hop bitterness was gone, and the fruity malt center could take center stage, the way it oughta in a barley wine. I am seriously torn as to whether or not I should crack the other one now, or let it sit another year.

Also, Weyerbacher Oktoberfest is the real deal. Caramel, malty center with just enough bitterness to balance it out without overwhelming it. THIS is what Marzen is supposed to taste like.

I needed something in a can to make a beer can chicken, and settled on a 6 of momma's Little Yella Pils. Not bad, as it has some crisp bitterness and a bready, biscuity malt center in full effect. But it didn't taste (or look) quite as clean as one would expect a Pilsner to taste/look. It was a pale yellow, but cloudy like an ale rather than lager-clear. This won't be displacing Pilsner Urquell any time soon.

Last but not least, Yard's IPA. Nothing special about it either way. Certainly a competent take on the style, but nothing stands out about it. I think the market has finally reached the saturation point with IPA's for me. There's just so damned many of them out there that I really can't be bothered w/ trying them all.

[IggytheBorg]

Tried a big bottle of Ballantine IPA. They claim to be "America's First IPA", and credit themselves with being an inspiration for the current craft beer revolution. I don't know aboutt hat, but I know this was a good, full bodied, hoppy IPA. It used to be brewed in Newark, NJ way back when. Shame it's made in the Midwest now. I hope it makes a comeback. I used to think, because I saw the neon signs in bar windows along side Bud and Miller Lite signs, that Ballantine was a shit beer, along the lines of Schlitz or Piel's. But I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong.

[IggytheBorg]

Last night I had a bowl of my homemade beef stew paired with an Abita Turbodog brown ale. This wasn't my favorite pairing ever; the Turbodog has some chocolatey, roasted malt things going on. It's actually kind of sweet. My stew is pretty savory. The flavors didn't so much compliment each other as melt into each other. lots of times, there's a snappy, clear demarcation between the food and the beer in a pairing of the two. Or maybe complimentary flavors (like citrus and hops) blending into each other in harmony. This match didn't compliment so much as . . . blur the lines between the food and the beer. It was hard to determine where one ended and the other began. I don't know if I liked this combination enough to do it again, but it was interesting.

[BillyG]

Not a very big fan of Turbodog. And I am kind of shocked that they sell it in NJ.

Nothing but Buffalo Bayou Brewing Gingerbread Stout around here!

[IggytheBorg]

Yep. And Purple Haze too. I had a late afternoon dep in Hackensack today, at an office along Rt 4, one of the shittiest, most congested highways in NJ. I was parched, and saw a Wine Country liquor store across the highway. As luck would have it, there was a pedestrian footbridge right by the office I was leaving led right to it. So I sauntered on over to buy a Diet Coke.

An hour later, I ended up cobbling together a build-your-own 6 pack with Garrett Oliver recommendations. Most were imports, some oversized. Coupled with a Nat Sherman cigar variety I've never had before (and the Coke), I ended up spending $40.00. And there was lots of other stuff I wanted to get. I'll be back.

[BillyG]

I really like Purple Haze. Actually, might be the only beer of theirs I drink regularly.

[IggytheBorg]

Drank some Smuttynose Durty Mud Season Hoppy Brown Ale. It tastes just like you'd expect from the description. Like a good, roasty, full bodied brown ale, with a hoppy bitter aftertaste. Very enjoyable. I bet this would be good with roasted meat or a good stew. One drawback: I didn't take note of the ABV, and quaffed three in about two hours (the last very quickly, as I had finished my cigar), and got a bit queasy as all the alcohol hit me at once. These babies are potent. Partake. . . but beware.

[IggytheBorg]

Brooklyn Brewery's Soriachi Ace is frickin' awesome. A lemony, citrusy hop attack up front, it has a pilsner like snappy bitterness that follows that, and a fruity aftertaste. Lightly carbonated and cloudy with yeast, this was one unique beer. If you can get your hands on this, you simply must try it.

[Abraham Smashington]

drinking nothing but Surly Furious and Fulton Sweet Child of Vine lately

[Ingrid]

I do not like hoppy beers. Never have. And I make no apologies, because 'to each his own' and all that, but the joys of the Magic Hat line have generally been lost on me. Until tonight when I got to try a Single Chair. So tasty. I'll have to see where I can find this around here for more regular consumption.

[IggytheBorg]

Drank some Goose Island Honkers Ales the other night. These were a very tasty rendition of an English bitter, on par with any Fuller's product I've tried, which is saying something. A moderate bitterness up front, which dissolves into a dry fruity finish. It also, when properly poured, raised a better head than any Fuller's ale I've had so far, which adds to any beer's character. Highly recommended.