The weather is warming, the days are getting longer and beer festivals are occurring practically every weekend. So what is going on at Beerliving? Sore throats, stuffy noses, and coughs throughout the night. And the worse part? I can’t taste my beer! But luckily there are some health benefits of beer.
From the 1894 version of the Encyclopedia Britannica, consuming hops will cause: ”…A slight cerebral excitement is first produced, followed by a disposition to sleep..”
Zzzzzzzzz…….
This past weekend The Beer Goddess and I headed to Melbourne Florida for a Beer Festival. Not a beer festival with white tents, tasting booths, and small cups, but to a great beer pub which hosted their first (hopefully the first of many!) Belgian Beer Fest. For three days (February 26, 27, and 28) Coasters Pub disconnected their draught beer selections and replaced them with 35 different Belgian (or Belgian style) beers. And a mighty fine collection it was. Here are some of the beers they had available over the weekend:
Affligem Blonde Ale
Allagash Curieux
Alvinne Gaspar
Alvinne Melchior
Alvinne Podge
Avec les Bons Dupont
Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus
Chimay Triple
Cigar City Belgian Coaster Ale – made special for this event – A Belgian-style IPA
brewed with Trappist Ale yeast and infused with Guava.
Corsendonk Abbey Ale
Corsendonk Brown Ale
Corsendonk Christmas Ale 2008
Delirium Noel
Delirium Tremens
DeRanke XX Bitter
Duchesse De Bourgogne
Gouden Carolus Noel
Gulden Draak
Ichtegem’s Grand Cru
Kerkom Bink Blonde
Kwak
LaChouffe Golden Ale
Lindeman’s Framboise
Maredsous 8
Moinette Blonde
Noel des Geants
Nostradomus Brown Ale
Ommegang Hennepin
Piraat
Saison Dupont
Saxo Blonde Ale
Scaldis
Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap
Smisje Vuuve
St Bernardus Abt 12
St Bernardus Prior 8
St Bernardus Triple
St Bernardus Xmas Ale
Stella Artois
Teras Boulba
Terrapin Belgian Stout
Tripel Karmeliet
Tsmisje Speciale
Unibroue Ephemre
Unibroue Maudite
Unibroue La Terrible
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Wittekerke
Even though the place was crowded, we rarely had to wait more than a few minutes to order something else. A Big Beer Living Salute to the hard working and friendly staff!
We arrived Friday afternoon and were lucky enough to get a table right away. Soon the beers were flowing, the musician was playing (very good!) and all was good in Beer Living land. By early evening we stumbled headed back to our hotel room across the street. My notes from the day indicated: strong beers (9% and above), why are there no rollbars on bobsleds (can you tell we were watching the Olympics?), and that’s why they are called Killer Whales instead of Soft and Cuddly Whales.
The next day we were surprised by an impromptu visit by The Mark and The Linda as they decided to head over to the coast to join in some Belgian Beer Festivities. It was more crowded on Saturday and we ended up having to wait for about a half an hour for a table (which really wasn’t too bad). We noticed that they had already run out of some of the beers by then and had replaced them with new ones. They reprinted their Belgian list several times that day. Their Belgian beer list was printed with the names and a number (which corresponded to a number taped on the beer taps). So you ordered by number instead of the name. With some of the Belgian names that probably worked the best, although it was fun to hear a few people asking for Kwak or Tsmisje Speciale instead of the assigned number. We did receive one beer that we didn’t want as the waitress had written the correct number 28, but when she got to the bar she misread what she had written and asked for a 20. As soon as she put the #20 down on the table we knew it was way to light in color to be a #28 (especially since we already had another #28 on the table). But in the end she made everything good (and we noticed she wrote the numbers a bit larger and clearer on her notepad for the rest of the evening) Several hours and many beers later we called it an evening.
As I mentioned, this was the first Belgian Beer Fest at Coasters Pub, but I really hope they do it again.
This was the first time that we had been to Coasters Pub (it is 97 miles away from our door step so it is not exactly right around the corner) but we will be back. Their ‘normal’ beer selection looked really good, and their kitchen put out some tasty food. We really enjoyed the ‘feel’ of the place. Too bad it is so far away.
We stayed at the Radisson Oceanfront which was literally right across the street from Coasters. The hotel was very convenient and all rooms overlook the beach. We were on the top floor (the 16th) and the view was great. We commented that we would be back in warmer weather for a weekend beach getaway and definitely would be spending some time back at Coasters.
That is what the label reads on Shiner Bohemian Black Lager. I had been wanting to try this particular beer for quite awhile but my searches had always come up empty. But on a recent trip to a Total Wine & More store I spotted the elusive creature. Before it could hide behind its brewery mate, Shiner Bock, I corralled the dark prize and trapped it safely in my shopping cart.
Black Lager, also known as Schwarzbier, has always been one of my favorite beer styles. I blame it on Kostritzer, which has been brewed in Germany for 465 years. Years ago, one of our shopping malls had a Mr. Dunderbaks German deli which always had Kostritzer on draft. Needless to say mall afternoons weren’t too bad after several Kostritzers.
Shiner Bohemian Black Lager does not disappoint. It was so good we almost drank all 6 before getting the photo shoot done. I typically do the photo shoot with the first beer from the six pack, but this time I couldn’t wait. Before I new it, we were down to the last bottle for the shot I took above. (Oh the pressure of this blogging thing….)
Some people see the darkness of the beer and expect it to be a heavier beer like a porter or stout. But that is not the case. I find the taste to be more maltier than a regular lager, but without the heaviness of a porter or stout. Just a great everyday beer. If I could find it on a more regular basis the world would be so much better.
Shiner Bohemian Black Lager is brewed by the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas.
I haven’t provided much update on my year in beer challenge, but I am still on target. I am currently on day 166 so I’m less than half way through the 365 day period. And as of last night, I have consumed 181 different beers. So I have about a 15 beer cushion. Of course the more beer I drink the bigger my cushion becomes (hmmm..that doesn’t sound quite right)
Here are the 181 beers so far:
| Brasserie d’ Achouffe | McChuffe |
| A1A Brewworks Brewpub | Oktoberfest |
| Abbay de Leffe | Leffe Blonde |
| Abita | Abbey Ale |
| Abita | Purple Haze |
| Abita | Abita Amber |
| Abita | Andygator |
| Abita | Jocomo IPA |
| Abita | Christmas Ale |
| Affligem | Blonde |
| Affligem | Noel – Christmas Ale |
| Anchor Brewing | Christmas Ale 2009 |
| Anheuser Busch | Budweiser |
| Anheuser Busch | Bud Light Golden Wheat |
| Anheuser Busch | Jacks Pumpkin Spice |
| Anheuser Busch | Shocktop |
| Anheuser Busch | American Ale |
| Anheuser Busch | Winters Bourbon Cask Ale |
| Anheuser Busch | Amber Bock |
| Athenian Brewery | Marathon Lager |
| Becks | Octoberfest |
| Becks | Pilsner |
| Bells Brewery | Christmas Ale |
| Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven | Konings Hoeven Quad Trappist |
| Big River Brewery | Oktoberfest |
| Big River Brewery | Brown Ale |
| Birra Pironi | Peroni |
| Blue Dawg Brewery | Wild Blue |
| Blue Moon | Pumpkin Ale |
| Blue Moon | Winter Ale |
| Blue Moon | Belgian White |
| Blue Moon Brewing | Spring Ale |
| Blue Point Brewing | Toasty Lager |
| Boon Rawd Brewery | Singha |
| Brasserie d’ Achouffe | N’Ice Chouffe |
| Brasserie d’ Achouffe | Chouffe Bobbelen IPA Trippel |
| Brasserie des Rocs | Grand Cru – Belgian Special Brown Ale |
| Brasserie des Rocs | Belgian Brown Ale |
| Brasserie Dupont | Avec les Bons Voeux |
| Brasserie Heineken | Pelforth Brune |
| Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg | Samichlaus |
| Breweri Caracole | Nostradamus |
| Brewery Het Anker | Gouden Carolus |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Post Road Pumpkin Ale |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Lager |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Local 2 |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Brown Ale |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Oktoberfest |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Winter Ale |
| Brooklyn Brewery | Black Chocolate Stout |
| Brouwerij Bosteels | Kwak |
| Brouwerij St Bernardus | Christmas Ale |
| Brouwerij Van Steenberge | Guden Draak |
| Brouwerij Van Steenberge | Witches Brew |
| Brouweru Bosteels | Tripel Karmeliet |
| Buffalo Bill’s Brewery | Pumpkin Ale |
| Cigar City Brewing | Maduro Oatmeal Brown |
| Cigar City Brewing | Guava Grove |
| Cigar City Brewing | Batch 69 Double Cream Ale |
| Cigar City Brewing | Cubano Expresso Maduro |
| Coors Brewers UK | Bass Pale Ale |
| Corsendunk | Special Brown Ale |
| Corsendunk | Christmas Ale |
| Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery | Dos Equis Pale Lager |
| DeProef Brewery (Andelot) | Mystique ABT |
| Dogfish Head | 60 Min IPA |
| Erie Brewing Company | Railbender Ale |
| Erie Brewing Company | Drakes Crude Stout |
| Flensburger | Pilsner |
| Florida Beer Company | Key West Ale |
| Flying Dog | Road Dog Porter |
| Fosters | Premium Lager |
| Franziskaner | Hefeweizzen |
| Goose Island | IPA |
| Gordash Brewing | Holy Mackeral-Special Golden Ale 2009 |
| Gordash Brewing | Mack in Black |
| Gordon Biersch | Marzen |
| Gordon Biersch | Fest Beer |
| Gordon Biersch | Winter Bock |
| Gordon Biersh | Maibock |
| Grupo Modelo | Modelo Especial |
| Guinness | Guinness Stout |
| Hacker Pschoor | Oktoberfest |
| Harpoon | Oktoberfest |
| Heavy Seas | Mutiny Fleet Yule Tide |
| Heineken | Heineken |
| Het Anker | Gouden Carolus Noel |
| Highland Brewing | Tasgall Ale |
| Highland Brewing | Cold Mountain Winter Ale |
| Hook and Ladder | Golden Ale |
| InBev Belgium | Atlas 8.5 |
| Jolly Pumpkin Artesinal Ales | Bam Noir |
| Karibrew | Red Rocket Red Ale |
| Kirin | Ichiban |
| Kona Brewing | Pipeline Porter |
| Kona Brewing | Pale Ale |
| Kralovsky Pivovar | Krusovice Cerme Schwarz Bier |
| Kronenbourg | Kronnebourg |
| La Binchoise | Blonde |
| Lagunitas | Lucky 13 Mondo Red Ale |
| Lagunitas | Correction Ale 2009 |
| Lazy Magnolia Brewing | Southern Pecan |
| Left Hand | Oktoberfest |
| Lexington Brewing | Kentucky Ale |
| Lienenkugel | Oktoberfest |
| Lienenkugel | Amber |
| Lienenkugel | 1888 Bock |
| Lindemans | Kriek – Lambic |
| Lost Coast Brewery | Tangerine Wheat |
| Lost Coast Brewery | Downtown Brown |
| Lost Coast Brewery | Java Brown |
| Mad River Brewing | Steelhead Stout |
| Magic Hat Brewing Company | Number 9 |
| MillerCoors | Ice House |
| Moosehead Brewery | Moosehead Lager |
| Mythos Brewery | Mythos Hellenic Lager |
| Ommegang Bewery | Abbey Ale |
| Orlando Brewery | Blackwater Dry Porter |
| Oskar Blues | Dales Pale Ale |
| Oskar Blues | Old Chub |
| Paulaner | Octoberfest |
| Red Brick | Brown Ale |
| Red Brick | Double Chocolate Oatmeal Porter |
| Ridgeway Brewing | Pickled Santa |
| Ridgeway Brewing | Criminaly Bad Elf |
| Rogue Ales Brewery | Dead Guy Ale |
| Rogue Ales Brewery | Santas Private Reserve Ale |
| Rolling Rock | Rolling Rock |
| Sam Adams | Octoberfest |
| Sam Adams | White Ale |
| Sam Adams | Irish Red |
| Sam Adams | Black Lager |
| Sam Adams | Blackberry Witbeer |
| Sam Adams | Honey Porter |
| Sam Adams | Anniversary Festival Ale 14th |
| Sam Adams | Cherry Wheat |
| Sam Adams | Imperial Double Bock |
| Sam Adams | Cranberry Lambic |
| Sam Adams | Holiday Porter |
| Sam Adams | Coastal Wheat |
| Sam Adams | Noble Pils |
| Sam Adams | Old Fezzywig |
| Shiner | Commemorator |
| Shiner | Shiner Bock |
| Shiner | Black Lager |
| Shipyard | PumpkinHead |
| Shipyard | Prelude |
| Shmaltz Brewing Co | Coney Island Freaktoberfest |
| Shmaltz Brewing Co | Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah |
| Sierra Nevada | Anniversary Ale |
| Sierra Nevada | Pale Ale |
| Sierra Nevada | Celebration Ale |
| Sierra Nevada | Glissade |
| Sine Brychoff | Porter |
| Smuttynose | Pumpkin Ale |
| Smuttynose | Farmhouse Ale |
| Spaten | Oktoberfest |
| Spaten | Pilsner |
| St Bernardus | St Bernardus ABT 12 |
| St Somewhere Brewing | Lectio Divina |
| Starr Hill Brewing | Winter Ale |
| Starr Hill Brewing | Dark Starr Stout |
| Stone Brewing Co. | Arrogant Bastard Ale |
| Sweetwater | Georgia Brown |
| Sweetwater | 420 Pale Ale |
| Terrapin | Rye Pale Ale |
| The Breuery | Two Turtle Doves |
| The Breuery | Mischief |
| The Breuery | RugBrod |
| Tommyknocker | Imperial Nut Brown Ale |
| Unibroue | La Fin du Monde |
| Westmalle | Trappist Triple Ale |
| Westmalle | Trappist Dubbel |
| Weyerbacher | Imperial Pumpkin |
| Weyerbacher | Winter Ale |
| Widmer | Drifer Ale |
| Wychwood Brewing | Hobgoblin Dark English Ale |
| Youngs | Double Chocolate Stout |
| Yuengling | Porter |
| Yuengling | Lager |
| Yuengling | Black & Tan |
This Saturday, February 20, the First Brewz Crewz Craft Beer Festival will be taking place in Lakeland, Florida (between Orlando and Tampa). Should be a nice clear night under the stars with some good beers.
Some of the beers which should be available are:
Gorden Biersch – Maibock, Marzen, Blond Bock
Woodchuck – WoodChuck Amber, WoodChuck Pear
Magic Hat – # 9
Blue Point – Toasted Lager, Hoptical Illusion , Rastafarye
Florida Beer Co – Key west Sunset, Hurricane Reef , Kelly’s
Abita – Purple Haze, Amber, Jockamo IPA, Andy Gator
Bells – Amber, Two Hearted, Oberon
Sierra Nevada – Pale Ale, Kellerweiss, Torpedo, Seasonal
Harpoon Brewery – IPA, UFO, Seasonal
Yuengling – Lager, Black&Tan, Bock, Light
Brooklyn Brewing Co – Lager, Local 1
Sam Adams – Lager, Light, Noble Pils
Southampton – Double White , Altbier, Biere de Garde
Atlanta Brewing Co. – Redbrick Ale, Laughing Skull, Red Brick Winter Ale
Cigar City Brewing Co. – Jai Alai IPA, Maduro
Erie Brewing Co. – Railbender, Misery Bay IPA, Heritage Alt
Ft. Collins Brewing Co. – Rocky Mtn. IPA, Chocolate Stout , Retro Red
Shipyard Brewing Co. – Export, Brewer’s Choice, Longfellow
Sea Dog Brewing Co. – BluePaw
Lefthand Brewing Co. – Milk Stout, Sawtooth, Jackman’s
Highland Brewing Co. – Gaelic, St. Terese’s, Oatmeal Porter
Saint Somewhere Brewing Co – Saison Athene, Lectio Divina, Pays du Soleil
Shmaltz Brewing Co. – Hebrew Genesis Ale , Hebrew Messiah Bold, Coney Island Lager
You can visit the official website for all of the details.
On a recent trip to Total Wine & More, I was happy to see quite a few different beers from The Bruery. It has taken a while to find these in Florida, but I’m glad they are finally here. We ended up buying quite a bit, almost enough to fill the back of the hopsmobile. Blame the large beer purchase on the Batch #69 Double Cream Ale we had consumed a few minutes earlier at the Cigar City Tasting Room. They say you should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Well I’m here to tell you that you should never go to a beer superstore after drinking a couple of strong beers.
Last night The Beer Goddess and I cracked open a bottle of Mischief (8.5% ABV). From the label ”Belgian Style Hoppy Golden Ale. Not evil, yet not to be trusted, this Golden Ale is effervescent, dry, hoppy, and crisp – you’ll want to keep an eye out.”
Think Belgian ale with a hop kicker. Nothing like a little mischief on a Thursday evening.
The Beer Goddess and I made an impromptu visit to the Cigar City Brewing’s Tasting room (Tampa, FL) over the weekend. We had been wanting to try it for awhile, but since we live 100 miles away it was always difficult to work their hours into our schedule. Luckily they have expanded the hours that the tasting room is open (Thank You!) so we were finally able to get there this past Saturday.
Of the four beers they had available, we had the Batch #69 Double Cream Ale and the Cubano Espresso Brown Ale. Both of them were tasty, damn tasty. If I had to pick one over the other, I would pick the Batch #69 Double Cream Ale (and it has a nice little kick as well). The Beer Goddess also enjoyed the Batch #69 a bit better than the Cubano.
The tasting area (aka public drinking area) has 8 or 9 barrel tables with plenty of standing room around. A bit spartan, but I would rather they spend the money on the high quality beer than on the furnishings.
If you get the chance to visit them, do not hesitate to do so. It is well worth it. Great beers and a friendly helpful staff. Excellent Customer Service.
The Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room is currently open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 AM till 5 PM. And Friday and Saturday from 11 AM till 11 PM. Their beer selection will change based on what they have available. So no long term planning. Just go and enjoy!
Cigar City Brewing
3924 West Spruce Street Suite A
Tampa, FL 33607
In these trying economic times, its pretty amazing to see this story out of the UK. It seems that the government has seen enough beer related injuries. So they are trying to institute safer pint glasses. Supposedly there are 87,000 glass attacks (glassings) every year causing £2.7 billion of damages. Who knew.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said “Glassing causes horrific injuries and has a lasting and devastating impact on victims and their families. I hope these designs will help bring an end to such attacks.” and “’Tackling crime is not just about police action. Innovation and design also have a huge impact.”
One of the designs has a double wall of glass bonded with a resin layer (think auto windshield). Which results in a heavier pint glass.
I see two things that could happen if these new glasses are mandated. The first is that beer drinkers will build up some serious arm muscles. And the second is that the use of beer glasses as head thumpers (thumpings) will go through the roof.
Instead how about a sticker on the pint glass “In case of fight, do not use”.
In case you missed it, beer drinking is down in Germany almost 5 % from the previous year. In fact it is at a twenty year low.
Peter Hahn, from the German Brewers Federation, said he hoped the World Cup in South Africa this year, would once again spur Germans to enjoy a few cold ones.
“We hope that the weather this year will again play ball, that Germany does well at the World Cup and that plenty of people go to the pub or beer garden to watch the matches with a good beer,” Hahn said.
Instead of pinning your hopes on the sports team and the weather, I offer another suggestion. It just so happens that twenty years ago I went on a business trip to Germany. During this trip my eyes were opened (as well as my mouth and wallet) to the existence of good beer. Not that every beer in Germany was great, but the majority of them were. I did not know at the time of my visit that I would start a twenty year runup in German beer consumption. So I’m proposing that the German government offer a beer bailout program. The Beer Goddess and I would be more than happy to accept any beer stimulus handouts and make a trip to Germany to kick off the next twenty years of higher beer consumption. I’m sure our beer drinking friends, aka The Beer Living Drinking Team could be persuaded for a beer trip as well.
Contact me for more information on available travel dates. Oktoberfest would be nice, but all dates are open.
With the proper beer a man can do just about anything.
With too many of the proper beers, a man can accomplish nothing.
-Kimo
Holy Mackeral and Agave #2
The Beer Goddess and I moved into our current home about a year and a half ago. We loved everything about the landscape, except for two large Agave plants. They are about 5 feet tall and 6 feet across. They have sharp little teeth on the outer edges of the leaf (not sure its called a leaf, but what the heck, this is a beer website not a plant web site) and each leaf has a 2 inch long needle sharp point. On numerous occasions they have reached out and attacked me as I walked by (basta*ds!). I think I heard them laugh one time. So for months now I’ve had a plan that once cooler weather arrived, I would take them out.
My attack plans revolve around Agave #1. Foolproof I thought. I would perfect the techniques on Agave #1 and the Agave #2 would fall easily. Finally, on the day of the planned Agave attack, I grabbed a Yuengling out of the fridge and went to war. I donned my leather gloves and several pruning saws, a pruning nipper, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a sledgehammer, and a tree trimmer saw. As I approached Agave #1 I could swear I saw the leaves sway a bit in fear. I took a swig of beer and started attacking the plant. As I tried to work into a good pruning position, one of the sharp barbs got my arm. Son of a Bit*h! I backed away and survey the battlefield again. I took another swig of beer and decided I had to clear an area which would allow me to get to the other leaves. An Agave beachhead so to speak. So I grabbed the longer handle clippers and nipped off the sharp barbs of a handful of leaves. With a small area cleared of the dangerous points, I could now work in closer to the main trunk and begin to saw away the leaves where they met the main stalk. Now by now that you are asking yourself what the heck does this have to do with beer? Just keep reading my friends and you will see.
As each leaf was cut away, I would carry the dismembered leaf over to the wheel barrow. I had gloves on and as long as I stayed away from the barbs and points everything would be fine. Or so I thought. At first the agave sap running down my arms felt cool. Almost refreshing. A few minutes later the burning started. Hmm, my Agave war plans had not included anything about burning sap. Must just be some small scrapes or something. So the attack continued. In short enough time all of the leaves were removed and all that was left was a stump. I gulped down some more beer. Started digging around the stump with the shovel to loosen it up a bit. Finally I was ready to start prying the stump out with my landscape bar. I worked the bar under the plant and gave it a mighty push. Nothing. Not a budge. I retreated a bit for a swig of beer. I went in for another attempt and managed to move it less than a budge. Holy Sh*t I thought. This was one tough little sucker. As I finished my beer I knew I would need another before this ordeal was over.
Back in the kitchen I opened the fridge. My mind was still on the Agave, Holy Sh*t this is going to be tougher than I thought. Well I was fairly certain I didn’t have any Holy Sh*t beer, but then I saw the Holy Mackerel sitting on the shelf. Hmm Holy Sh*t …. Holy Mackerel. Pretty closely named. So I grabbed it and started drinking. The beer was Holy Mackerel’s Mack in Black, an Imperial Black Ale. Mighty good stuff. The Holy Mackerel gave me the strength and energy I needed and after 15 more minutes of prying and root chopping and name calling, the stump was out of the ground. Once again, beer comes to my rescue.
To The Victors go the Beer!
Aftermath:
Both Agave #1 and Agave #2 are now gone. So are all of my bottles of Holy Mackerel. But the saga continues. My wrists and arms are covered in red spots. It looks like a mosquito squadron attacked me. But these are not from the sharp edges or the pointed tips. They are from the sap that touched my skin Evidently the sap of the Agave is highly toxic. Some people report that the itching can last for up to a year. I think I’m going to need a lot more beer in the coming year.
Attack of the Agave Sap
Light Bulb Moment: Wouldn’t a beer called “Holy Sh*t” be a great name? Just imagine a commercial where a man takes a sip of a bottle with the “Holy Sh*t” label visible and exclaims…” Holy Sh*t (with a bleep sound), that’s good beer”