The Year in Beer Challenge continues on. Beer number 308 for my Year in Beer was Monk’s Uncle, from The Pike Brewing Company (Seattle, WA).
Beers in the Belgian Tripel style happen to be some of my favorites. And this one does not disappoint. A golden body with a kick from the 9%. If you enjoy Belgian Tripels you should give this one a try.
Notes from the brewery:
Pike Monk’s Uncle Triple 9% alcohol by volume is brewed with organic malt and organic sugar. It is golden, full-bodied and complex with a yeasty nose, fruity esters and malty dryness. There are hints of honey, spice and exotic fruit that play with the senses.
Prior to 2009 this was a seasonal offering from The Pike Brewery. But due to the popularity of this beer, as well as a much needed brewery expansion, this beer is now available year round. I’ll be a monkeys uncle.
Purchase Details
This beer was purchased at Total Wine & More in Orlando, FL. The cost was $4.99 for a 22 ounce bottle. The beer was purchased on July 18, 2010.
One of the pleasures of beer living is finding new beers to enjoy. And if the new beer is from a local brewer it is even better.
This past Saturday The Beer Goddess and I headed out to Minneola, FL (about 25 miles west of Orlando) to visit a relatively new brewery, Lagniappe Brewery.
Lagniappe Brewing Company is the home for the Effinheimer line of beers. I had been wanting to pay them a visit for awhile but things seemed to keep coming up. Then I saw on their website that they were having a Christmas in July celebration in honor of a special batch of their Effinheimer Winter Ale they had just brewed. That was all that was needed.
We arrived to a crowded tasting room decorated with Christmas lights, garland, and holiday wreaths. Everyone was definitely in the holiday spirits. As we wandered through the crowd we were waved over to the bar/counter. It turns out the man who waved us over was one of the owners, Dane Richardson. He then proceeded to bring us samples of each of their beers they had on tap. We sampled the Effinheimer Hefeweizen, Effinheimer Lager, Effinheimer ALE, Effinheimer Porter, Effinheimer IPA , Effinheimer Summer Ale and finally the guest of honor for the day, the Effinheimer Winter Ale. (I may have just set a personal record for the number of times I wrote Effinheimer in a single sentence!). All of the beers were damn tasty with he Ale, Porter, and the Winter Ale being my personal favorites. I think I heard that the Winter Ale came in around 9% abv but it may have been the large number of samples I had was interfering with my beer comprehension.
We enjoyed talking with Dane who then waved over the brewer, Brad Banker. Brad graciously spent a few minutes with us answering some of our questions. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. If you get a chance to drop by the brewery’s tasting room, I’m sure you will be glad you did. Beers were priced at $3.50 in the tasting room and you could buy a six pack of the Effinheimer beers to go for $8.00.
The Effinheimer beers are getting wider and wider distribution in the Central Florida area so definitely keep an eye out for them. And when you find them, drink them!
Thanks to Dane and Brad for making us feel welcome. We will be back.
Often times I find myself wondering what the next great beer drinking invention will be. I had figured the Vortex bottle was probably going to be it. You know you are getting near the end of the beer drinking invention list when the Vortex bottle makes it debut. But then I read this story out of Japan.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has helped invent a method of dispensing draft beer during flights. ANA worked with ice machine and refrigeration specialist Hoshizaki Electric to develop a beer dispenser that uses carbon dioxide gas vaporized from dry ice to power the mini beer kegs. Draft beer typically uses using highly pressurized carbon dioxide gas for dispensing and couldn’t be served before because airlines are prohibited from bringing high-pressure gas cylinders onboard due to safety regulations. Which was why beer drinkers were limited to canned or bottled beer (although I can never remember seeing bottled beer either).
The beer doesn’t come cheap at $11.30 (USD) a glass. I know things typically cost more in Japan, but that’s a pretty steep price for a glass of beer. Of course I’m not sure if that price includes maybe 2 little bags of peanuts and a bag of pretzels.
They are planning on having enough beer for 20 glasses per flight. Except on the Tokyo– Okinawa flight where they will have 40 glasses. Either that’s a real nerve wracking flight, or there are lots of military personnel flying that leg.
Hey, two entries in a row! This is the Beer Goddess once again. While I was up in the GWN (Great White North), I ventured with friends and relatives in our Canadian Chapter of Beer Living to SHAK-O-LAC, a Café Resto Bistro. Located on the lake in beautiful Lac Ste Marie, Quebec this café has charm, warmth and a wonderful character. Owned and Operated by Ron and France, they make you immediately feel right at home. It does not matter where you sit, indoors or outdoor on the verandah, you will have a picturesque view of the lake. The beer selection (you know I will always mention the beer) is available in draft or bottles, and is always cold. My choice that day was Moose Piss, er Moosehead. We snacked on a delicious cheese and meat platter and drank away the afternoon on the verandah, with the enjoyable company of Ron and France. Unfortunately we were unable to stay for dinner and sample a selection of the delicious meals. So whether you are just passing through or staying in the area, plan a stop at the SHAK-O-LAC, you will be glad you did.
Hi, this is the Beer Goddess, after a few months I am finally entering my own postings. Recently I had a chance to travel back to the GWN (Great White North) where I stumbled on to a wonderful pub in Manotick, Ontario called the Black Dog Bistro. A quaint pub very tastefully decorated, indoor and outdoor seating, with a fine selection of craft beer and a delicious looking menu beyond the typical pub grub. It is located not too far from the Ottawa airport; I wished I had found this gem of a pub sooner. All the food that passed by looked absolutely delicious, I did not have time to eat, and unfortunately only time for one pint (darn it all!). My single choice was a craft beer from Beau’s Brewing Company, located in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. The beer I drank was Lug Tread Lagered Ale. The beer was served in a Beau’s glass which had their trademark tractor on the front as well as etched into the bottom of the glass. The beer tasted mighty fine, and I can tell you it pretty much took a tractor to pull me out of this place. Black Dog’s motto is “informal cheer, infinite simplicity, intimate relaxation, inspired cuisine”. The motto should have also included invitingly wonderful. I bet you can guess where I will go on my next trip back.
Last night I opened a bottle of Robust Porter by Smuttynose Brewing (Portsmouth, NH). This beer was number 298 for my Year in Beer challenge. And a mighty fine 298 it was. This porter leans toward the malt side as opposed to the hop side. With a twinge of smooth coffee and chocolate underlying the taste.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – Porter , 2001 Great American Beer Festival
JUDGED GRAND CHAMPION – Best Porter in the USA – 10th Annual US Beer Tasting Championship
This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.
ABV 5.7%
If I had a list of top 5 porters, this one would be on it. If your looking for a porter with a strong hop characteristic, this is not it. But both the Beer Goddess and I agree that everything we have had from Smuttynose has been a great tasting beer.
Purchase Details:
This was purchased at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Lake Mary, FL. The cost was $10.39 (plus tax) for a 6 pack of 12 ounce bottles. The beer was purchased on July 13, 2010.
For my Year in Beer challenge I have done very little writing about the actual beers that I have been drinking. Blame it on laziness. But in a recent bout of non laziness I have decided to change this up a bit now that I’m in the homestretch of the challenge.
Claymore Scotch Ale, from the Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO.) became the 297th different beer to fall victim to my Year in Beer challenge. The brewery writes this about the beer:
“Named for a medieval Scottish sword, Claymore Scotch Ale is our tribute to the legendary “Wee Heavy” beers of Scotland. This malty, deep-ruby beauty features lots of caramel sweetness, a reserved hop profile, and a subtle warming character. Unlike its namesake, this beer only requires one hand, but it’ll still make you feel like nobility. 7.7% ABV”
I have always enjoyed the maltiness of the Scotch Ale style and this one was no exception. The sweetness of the malt along with the hit of the alcohol is quite noticeable. I don’t think I would be grabbing one of these to gulp down after mowing the yard, but I will definitely be having it again. In fact I know I will be having it at least 5 more times (I think I can keep my stash safe from the Beer Goddess as this style is not her favorite)
Purchase Details
This was purchased at an ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store in Lake Mary, FL. The cost was $10.39 (plus tax) for a 6 pack of 12 ounce bottles. The beer was purchased on July 13, 2010.
The pressure. The pressure of a beer challenge. In this case The Year in Beer. With just under 60 days to go, I am officially 13 beers behind. I guess it is not really ‘officially’ as there is nothing official about the whole thing. But still.
Last night was an example of the changes in my beer buying behavior. I stopped by a local grocery store. Browsing their beer aisle I looked for beers that would allow me to gain ground on the beer challenge. In other words, bypass some of my favorites and instead go for something I have not had yet. They had some good beers, but those were already on my ‘had it’ list. In the end I got a 6 pack of beer from Holland. Lots of green on the can. No not that one. The other one. Bavaria. Yes, the same Bavaria beer that was behind the ambush marketing scheme during the World Cup. I never realized how I could be swayed by ambush marketing, but I was….
World Cup. Penalty kicks, offsides, and ambush marketing. Ambush…what???
Yesterday, during the Netherlands vs. Denmark match, some beer shenanigans broke out. Broke out the orange miniskirts that is.
36 women switched out of their outer clothes to reveal orange miniskirts underneath. Bavaria NV (a large Dutch Brewery) has been selling special eight-packs of beer including the skimpy orange “Dutchy Dress” since April. Bavaria’s name is on a small blue tag at the bottom of the dress.
The problem? Budweiser is the official FIFA World Cup Beer Sponsor and as such is the only beer allowed to be sold and advertised inside the World Cup stadiums.
FIFA, quick to protect Bud’s multimillion dollar sponsorship immediately rounded up the orange skirt girls, took them out of the stadium and questioned them for several hours.
“FIFA has filed charges against the organizers of the ambush marketing stunt pulled during the Netherlands-Denmark match,” FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot told a press conference.
FIFA said the women were “used by a large Dutch brewery as an instrument for an ambush marketing campaign”, although the dresses had only a small tag with the beer’s brand on them.
The brewer had a different take on it. “FIFA doesn’t have a monopoly on orange,” the home color of the Dutch national team’s shirts, said Peer Swinkels, marketing director at Bavaria. “There wasn’t even a Bavaria logo on the dresses.”
Tampa Bay Brewing Company (Tampa, FL) has announced that they will be serving up a specially brewed beer on Friday June 11, 2010 to help with the oil cleanup effort of marine life along the gulf coast.
The beer, named New Horizon will be a blonde style of beer with a twist of being black in color. Of course the oil rig that started all of this mess was named Deepwater Horizon. And the black color of the beer represents the color of the gulf after the leak. Not sure how the blonde works into the disaster but I’m sure we can find one to blame somewhere.
The beer will sell for $6 a pint with $2 from each pint going to the Florida Aquarium to provide money for wildlife rescue of animals injured by the oil leak.
The beer will be available at 5 pm on Friday June 11, 2010. Contact the Tampa Bay Brewing Company for more information.
I was at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company this past Memorial Day and found it to be a great place. Friendly staff and great beer and food. I highly recommend the Cuban sandwich. And the beer of course. Can’t forget the beer.
