Every child is different

I'm not sure how many of you have kids or have children in your lives, but whether you do or not I am almost certain you can understand that all kids are different. I did not fully understand what this meant until my wife and I had our first two boys (we have three). Aiden, my oldest, was a very quite baby(most of the time). On the other hand we have our second child Mason. As a baby Mason was extremely active and would NEVER sit still.


Today Aiden is 6 and Mason is 5 and I have reason to believe they have switched personalities, Mason is now quite content to play alone while Aiden at times is rambunctious and boisterous.

The reason I bring up kids tonight is obviously because my beer is like my fourth kid! Seriously, though its because just like kids, every beer is different, even in the same family. One IPA is not the same as another IPA. At the same time one stout is not the same as any other. This continues down each family of beer.

I would also like to apologize to my faithful fans...all 3 of you! I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but it has been for good reason; family, school and work. So tonight I am bringing you two beers. They are completely different in style, taste and even from different continents!

My first beer tonight I want to give a big thanks to Downtown Wine and Gourmet in Harrisonburg, Va (also thanks to my brother Rob, who actually WENT and got the beer--a lot closer for him!). They were able to hook me up with a beer from a Virginia brewery that I cannot get up my way. It is called Striped Bass Pale Ale from Devils Backbone. Of note is that all proceeds go to the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay waters. This beer is so clean and light, it has one of the most refreshing taste. The floral hop flavor is light and cleanses your mouth of its own flavor, inviting you to drink up. This beer is one of the clearest brews I have seen in a long time, slight carbonation bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass giving it a classic beer look. It also has a subtle citrus smell/flavor which would make this the perfect summer session beer if it weren't for the fact I didn't have it then! If you can get this around you I highly suggest getting more than one, with its relatively low ABV you can drink it all afternoon!

So, on to the next! I have recently been on a stout kick trying to expand my experiences. On my weekly trip to Total Wine I found something I had only ever read about, the brewery Nøgne Ø out of Norway. The name of the brewery means naked island, which is symbolic for Norway. I went with their Imperial Stout, I am glad I did, not only does it fit into this posts premise, but it is also an amazing stout! This beer is so striking when out of the bottle, it is a smooth black pour that comes out of the bottle like chocolate syrup with an obsidian color and a fluffy brown head on top that slowly disperses. The mouth feel is amazing! It coats your tongue and mouth with a thick layer of soft alcohol. It has a slight coffee after taste coming from the burnt malts used during the brewing process. It is the perfect dessert beer (which is the reason I had to open it when I did, Mallory wanted to try it!). This is definitively on par with Dark Hollows from my previous post!

It is always cool to get something local and from not so local and compare the two. They may be complete opposites  but both breweries have brewed amazing beers and I cannot wait to try more!

I would also like to throw out, if there is any beer you want me to try and feature please feel free to email me or contact me in your preferred manor (andrewbutler85 on twitter, maamrb5@gmail.com or facebook.com/cheersdaddy)

Cheers and thanks for spreading the word!

East meets West

In a couple days an employee of mine will be heading out west for a wedding. Specifically she will be in San Diego. Being the craft beer enthusiast that I am I took advantage of the situation and asked her if she would be willing to make a trip to a local liquor store for me. She has agreed (really I'm her boss and she had no choice, just kidding!) Anyways I have already completed the necessary steps in an attempt to get her a list of a couple of 22oz. bombers of beers that I cannot get here in northern Virginia. The store I contacted was Dicks Liquor in La Jolla, which if you are ever out that way I definitely recommend visiting their location, great guys really seemed to know what he was talking about and even emailed a full list of their craft beer inventory, great guys very helpful and good selection of craft beer, can't go wrong!

After looking at the list I was provided which included, Lost Abbey, Russian River, Karl Strauss, Alesmith and a couple other breweries that we get here just not the same beer. With much consideration and research I settled on Lost Abbey Serpents stout, Russian River consecration, Alesmith IPA and Great Divides Expresso Yeti, aged in oak barrels. In my opinion a great haul as long as everything is still in stock and my transporter can still get everything! I am as giddy as a school girl in anticipation of these beers!

So on to the important aspect of tonight's post..THE BEER! Recently I have been sitting on some special beers (in addition to the beer mentioned above) Last week I picked up a bottle of Nogne O Imperial Stout from Norway, as well as a bottle of the Blue Mountain's Barrel House' Dark Hollow, from the same brewers of Blue Mountain out of Nelson County, Virginia. I decided for this review I would stay local and went with the Barrel House. I must admit that I expect big things from any craft brewery in Virginia, as there has only been one that I was underwhelmed with (not this one!) Barrel House combines two art forms, brewing and distillation to make one super drink! Dark Hollows is an Imperial Stout (above normal ABV...10% to be exact with this beer) aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels for 100 days, which allows it to take in the complexities associated with bourbon, but also the burnt dark flavors of the wood.

What you get is a super smooth stout with hints of chocolate and alcohol at first taste. The mouth feel is amazing with this beer, so smooth and thick, it will coat your mouth and tongue where you can really take in the bitterness that comes with the beers 70 IBU's (International Bittering Units). As you swallow sip after sip you can really taste the floral and fruitiness that Blue Mountain has so expertly brewed into the beer. Dark Hollow is a bottle refermented, meaning when bottled there is live beer included giving this beer a natural carbonation and its smooth mouth feel.

Out of the bottle it has a black color to it, however while resting in the glass you can see it is outlined by ruby red tones. I was able to pour at a nice slow pace allowing a 2 finger chocolaty head to form. The head lingers throughout the glass and maintains its light brown hue. This is definitely a beer I WILL get again to enjoy with friends at our next get together. It is a slow sipper meant to be enjoyed over time allowing the drinker to sit back and not worry about the next glass, but partake in the pleasure that is The Dark Hollow.

If you have not done so, I highly recommend checking out Virginia Craft Beer, I am extremely excited about what is happening in the world of craft beer and the role that Virginia will be playing!

Cheers!

Foaming over the sides

Foam, what is it good for...Absolutely nothing! Actually foam is good for something, at least the foam that sits on top of your favorite craft beer. The foam or more commonly and better known as the head on top of beer is a good thing, always in moderation of course. The head on beer is produced when you pour a beer into the glass which then releases all of the pent up carbonation which then obviously goes to the top of the liquid. Each beer will produce a different level of head on top, some have a denser froth and will linger, while others are more loosely formed and will not leave a lot of lacing (or the story of your drink as I call it, also a great clue as to your drinking style) on the side of the glass as you down your drink. The importance of the head is that it is releasing all of the aroma that your beer was brewed with and will give you an idea of the flavors that you are about to indulge yourself with.

I love a nicely formed head on my beer, but as I said before there is such a thing as too much head on your beer. The head of a beer in my opinion should never be more than an inch or inch and a half wide, or two fingers wide at most. What this tells you is that you had a clean glass, I mean CLEAN CLEAN, and that you or the bar keep poured the perfect pint. Something to remember, be cognizant of the glass you are choosing for your beer. When going with an IPA, which is full of aroma producing hops it is best to go with a tulip shaped glass which will hold the head and also allow for multiple repeat sniffs. While a strong Belgian of this sort is best consumed from a snifter or snifteresq glass. For more information on glassware head over to the Beer Advocate.  All in all remember that some beer head is good...a little bit more is better, but too much is just sad and takes away from your drink and you have to wait for it to die down before you can sip your brew. For more in depth analysis of beer head visit Wikipedia.

Now on to your regularly scheduled blog post. I knew that I wanted to review a local beer and I had two in my hand, one was from Legend Brewing and the other was from Heavy Seas. I decided to go with the brew from Heavy Seas Brewery (fyi that link may not work, has not worked for me in a couple days) in Baltimore, MD, but it is actually brewed by some local home brewers that won the annual Heavy Seas Letter of Marque contest. According to history a Letter of Marque was used to show that someone was now a professional pirate, hence why the contest from Heavy Seas is named the Letter of Marque contest, where local home brewers can take a shot at becoming a professional. This beer was brewed by Clay Wright and Nick Boylan, I was unable to find any information on these two gentlemen, so if you know anything please pass the information along to me. Much appreciated!

There was no official name given to the beer, but they do label it as a Tripel Wit style Malt brewed with Spices. What this means it is a strong Belgian styled beer so right off the bat you know that it will be more crisp that a Lager or ale. It will also have a good amount of fruit flavor and aroma.

The Tripel poured a nice golden blonde color, also a bit hazy in the glass. It finished with a light effervescent head on top. From first smell you get the orange zest that is used during the brewing process, which will almost remind you of Blue Moon, however this is MUCH better because it is it won a contest obviously!

When diving in for your first sip you get the typical mouth feel of a Belgian styled beer, it is lighter in feel, yet at the same time very flavorful. However, on the finish the brown sugar that is added really shines through and helps this beer end with a great malty taste with a bit of an alcohol feel as well. I must admit I am not the biggest Belgian fan, they just do not tickle my fancy, yet this one was good. Having tasted other home brewed Belgians thanks to the Stafford Brewing Club, this had the distinct taste, feel and smell of a home brew beer so if you want to get a good idea of what home brew is all about this is about as close as you will get without going to your local home brew club.

Cheers!

Fantasy Football and Stone Brewing

So I finished my second and final fantasy football draft this week...maybe not FINAL, but last live money league. Pretty confidant in both of my teams so we will see how the season turns out. I will say I am extremely excited for this season, I am a huge Washington Redskin's fan and cannot wait to see what RG3 does this year. Anywho, nothing goes better with fantasy football and the NFL than good ol' BEER!

Last week I picked up a special beer; so special I saved it for a special night. I picked up Stone Brewing Company's 16th Anniversary IPA. I have never had the pleasure of tasting any previous aniversary brews from Stone (they have celebrated with Stouts, Ales, Porters and IPA's), but I am confidant that they would have been amazing, I mean look at who we are dealing with here! This IPA is actually a Double IPA and boy is it tasty. When researching the beer the first place I went was to the Stone Brewing website where they describe the process behind the anniversary beer. They chose to brew with what they call a lemon persuasion. All I know is that this beer was great! It clocks in at 85 IBU's which is obviously a lot and an ABV of 10%, which will kick your butt! (Here is what Stone has to say about it)

I poured the beer into a standard tulip glass to capture the head and aroma after the pouring. It is a very clean looking beer sits in the glass with a bright reddish orange look with a pearl white head to top it off. At first smell you get the lemon, but it is not the only fruit smell to it. The aroma will give you a slight idea as to just how complex this beer is. After taking a few deep sniffs I can pick up lemon (obviously), but also peaches. It is amazing what our sense of smell does for us, just smelling this beer I wanted to be sitting around a table sipping away chatting with friends taking in every scent the beer can give off.

I dove into my sip with unabashed enthusiasm, because really, I was tired of looking at it longingly and wanted to finally taste the beer inside! The beer was wonderful! Stone has done a wonderful job of making a big hoppy beer have a mellow malty side to it. For such a strong brew it had a very clean mouth feel to it and welcomed you into more sips, I found the fruity nature very refreshing and really kept the extreme bitterness to a slight roar which is not easy to do with this many IBU's. At first taste you get a bit of the hops, but the fruit really shines through and then finishes with a nice malty flavor. Even the after taste is great leaving a bit of spice flavor in the back of your mouth...very inviting! This really is a great drink for humid summer night sitting around the table with a bunch of buddies. Ultimately this is probably one of the more complex beers I have ever, which makes me think I should try it again just make sure that what I say above is correct, lets call it research!

I do recommend rushing out to pick up a bottle or two (or more) of your own and cracking one open right away, storing one away for a year or maybe even two. I plan to pick a couple more up myself and start a Stone Anniversary collection, opening a new one each year.

Cheers

TThis is Rhys wanting to cheers with daddy and have a picture of his drink of choice taken as well

Crafty Snob

Fine, I'll admit it...I...am...a...sigh...a snob! Now wait I am not a snob just in everyday life, no I feel that I am a very easy person to get along with. It's just with beer and maybe some music, but for today's purpose we will only talk about the beer snob thing. On another note now that I have admitted my fault (yes the only one just don't ask my wife) can we please not remind me of it just call me a beer geek!

Have you ever liked a band or artist or anything really, before anyone else you know has heard of said item? Have you then spent countless minutes, hours, days or months researching everything about that item and immersing yourself in that information so much so that everything you do can then be traced back to that interest? If not, then really there is no hope for you! If yes, then you know how I feel about craft beer. As I mentioned in my post "My Journey", I have spent my free time of the last year or so immersed in all that is the awesome world of craft beer. I have spent time researching breweries, the beer they brew, how they brew it and what ingredients they use. I have read books, other blogs and sought out like minded people and home brewers. What I have learned is that I will never know all that there is to know and I think others in the industry feel the same way. Craft beer is ever evolving and changing and brewers will always push the limits of what they know is beer.

The issue that I seem to have is that while I love to talk, drink, read about and research craft beer; when I hear someone talking about craft beer and not being knowledgeable it really frustrates me. Frustrates me to the point of annoyance that someone is willing to accept a beer that does not taste good, so long as it gets you drunk...ugh, why would you want to get drunk while not enjoying your drink!?

So what if I am a beer snob, I do not see that as a bad thing. I obviously just enjoy the passion, heart and effort that goes into each one of the beers I drink. Am I a snob because I do not want to see this amazing industry watered down any further than what macro beer has done to it?

Does being a snob make me a hypocrite because I would rather see craft beer stay small than expand and lose it's origins, while at the same time I myself hope to turn my own passion into a career some how, be it with this blog or at a brewery thus expanding the reach of flavorful beverages.

I am also left with the thought, what happens when craft beer is no longer "craft beer". When it hits the mainstream like it almost has. Is Samuel Adams still on the same level as Dogfish Head? What about when Dogfish continues on its path and takes over the world of beer, will we as craft beer drinkers start to push away from these breweries just because they have been able to take their product and bring it to the masses? Will we call these companies sell outs? I hope not, there is enough beer to go around to everyone and there will always be people still in the dark or at least with a can of Bud in their hand.

Happy reading and cheers!

Welcome Home

Whew! This is my first week back from vacation and boy have I been busy! Not necessarily with beer related items or activities, but with life in general. Last week Mallory and I spent a few days in New York City with our boys and her parents...Yes, the in-laws (really not bad as most would think!) We drove to New Jersey on Wednesday morning, getting there in time to attend the Yankee/Ranger game that night. In preparation for the game my father-in-law and I went out in search of some good craft brews (a great thing about my father in law... he like himself a craft beer...or two) We arrived at a local liquor store in East Rutherford, NJ with hopes that they will have a decent selection with brews that I cannot usually get in Northern Virginia. You can understand how horrified I was when all I saw was horrible Budweiser and Bud Lite. Yet like a shinning light from God there was one shelf full of Samuel Adams Octoberfest!

You may be surprised when I tell you this, but it was my first time ever having this Samuel Adams beer. I have never really been into fall seasonal beers mainly because I have never liked anything with pumpkin in it, but this is not a pumpkin beer and I am a bit more open minded now. So with no pretense in mind I cracked a few bottles in the parking lot waiting to go into the game and I must say I was very pleased. The beer was very smooth, with a great blend of the malty flavor you would expect from a beer better suited for the fall season than the summer. However, the malt flavor was actually a great choice since it was a rainy evening and the game was rain delayed.

Once inside the stadium I figured that I would not find anything worth drinking, but again I was pleasantly surprised when I found Goose Island IPA on tap at each stand. Again this was a beer I had not had before and found myself enjoying it immensely. It did not pucker your mouth like some IPA's, which is not a bad thing some times, but this beer was sweet like IPA's yet not overly so. Very drinkable which will leave you the ability to drink more than a couple before being down and out for the night, which is always a plus.  I would not hesitate to get this IPA again and will be looking for it at my local Wegmans.

Thursday's plan was to venture into the city and do some exploring, this is where the kids got really excited, they thought when we said World Trade Center we meant World TRAIN Center, crazy boys! This was not a beer excursion so no major opportunities to search the city of its wonderful hidden gems of beer goodness, but I was able to get a good idea that I want to go back just Mallory and I and really spend time exploring the concrete jungle that is New York City. We did stop for lunch/drinks in Battery Park where we found a Beer Garden featuring Victory Brewing Company, here I had their lager and Festbier, both of which were as good as you would expect from Victory Brewing. I was a bit surprised that a Philadelphia brewery would be in Manhattan and not a New York brewer, but that's a story for a different time. For dinner we stopped at an alehouse in the Upper West Side called Amsterdam Alehouse. This was a great place with great beer, with my dinner I had a Dale's Pale Ale drawn from a cask. For those not in the know a cask is just like a keg however the carbonation is lighter than what is usually found in beer (yes I know this is not an in depth description, but that's not what I am here for tonight).

All in all this was a good trip, it was the kids first time to the Big Apple and they had a good time. It was a quick trip that seemed longer just because of all of the walking around the city. I highly suggest spending a weekend to tour the city of your choice be it for the beer or just for the city experience I am sure you will have a good time. Best of all I was able to spend some great quality time with Mallory and the kids away from work!

Cheers!

International IPA Day

Hoppy IPA Day everyone...get it, hoppy!? I make myself laugh sometimes (admittedly more often than other people really). If you have not already heard , which if you are reading this I doubt thats the case; today is the second official IPA Day(IPA Day history). IPA day was created by online personalities Ashley Routson of Bison Brewing in California (Bison Brewing) and Ryan Ross of Karl Strauss Brewing Company (Karl Strauss Brewing Company). They wanted something that would unite the whole craft beer world, from California to Maine to Europe and beyond. I think it worked. I saw some statistics today and there were 6.4 thousand tweets with hashtag #IPADay and 4.7 thousand blogs/posts. It is amazing to me that the craft beer world is still so small and that people have not caught on yet!

I must admit that I have been excited and anxious about writing this particular blog post for the past week or so. The IPA beer has become the staple of just about every American Craft Brewery, and no two brews are alike while some breweries like Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues have two different strong Pale Ales, so I knew I had to find a brew that was new (at least to me) and write a poignant and informative review. I have succeeded in finding a newer IPA I even went with a Double IPA and hopefully I will succeed in the latter.

Tonight was my last evening of manual labor with my dad for a little while, how long, I do not know. It is also the last night that I have to stay home alone and dress myself in the morning! The dressing myself is the scary part..trust me, I can however tie my own tie...YAY ME!

The beer that I am drinking tonight is from the Long Trail Brewmaster Series: Double IPA. It clocks in at 8.6% ABV with an 86 IBU rating. What this means to you is that this is a strong, bitter beer, at least in theory. Long Trail has brewed this IPA with the decidedly American Chinook and Cascade Hops. The Cascade hops give the beer a distinctive floral and "citrusy" taste while the Chinook hops give smokey and herbal flavors. This special bottle gives the drinker instructions on how to pour as well as what kind of glass to pour into. This being the big beer it is you will want to pour slowly so that the head does not get so big that you cannot drink right away. You will also want to serve this beer chilled at around 45-50 degrees, which in my opinion is to keep the alcohol flavor somewhat suppressed.

Upon tasting this DIPA your mouth is hit with the hops and all the floral and citrus flavors, but what Long Trail has done really well is bring out the malt flavor. If you let the brew sit on your tongue (its hard not to swallow good beer right away as I am sure you know this already) you can really feel the low carbonation of the beer and the alcohol softly hits the back of your nose. This beer gets better as you continue to sip and I will say my second glass was a lot better than my first, which is very impressive.

I am considering the purchase of another 1.6 pint bottle for ageing purposes, just to see how the character will change. Overall I enjoyed this beer, maybe not one I would get for an everyday drinking session, but one I would get for special occasions or special dinners, but make sure you are having a strong meat like beef brisket or grilled Lamb...at least that's what Long Trail says! Don't take my word for it, take theirs!

Happy reading and Cheers!