Beer Diary - Mike

Before I get to the beer, another list of five. In this case, five favorite all time footballers. I've lost your attention already.

Brian McBride - A St. Louis University grad. I spent many a high school evening over in St. Louis watching McBride and Mike Sorber play their college ball on an astroturf field on the campus of SLU. They both ended up on the US National Team, and McBride currently earns a living playing in London for Fulham, my favorite club team.
Marco Van Basten - A Dutch forward who I knew through the many Eurosport Soccer catalogs that made their way to my door as a teenager. I finally managed to watch him play in the 1990 World Cup. Van Basten is the reason I wore the number 9.
Wayne Rooney - A full-tilt, massively skillful caveman of a footballer. I enjoy watching him cuss at referees as much as I enjoy watching him barrel through defenders.
David Beckham - Earns massive respect from Jim and myself for his genuine effort to grow soccer in America. A real class act. A well paid class act, but still.
Medhi Ballouchy - Depending on who you ask, Ballouchy might be one of the worst midfielders in Major League Soccer. But he's my guy anyway. A slick possession midfielder who can't shoot to save his life.

I now return you to your regular scheduled beer diary.

23 August 2007 Location: Deano's Vino

Xingu Black Beer - A dark black beer that no light passes through. Sweet, licorice nose leads to a grapey licorice taste. Light, smooth, and tasty, but this is a one beer kind of beer.

24 August 2007 Location: Home

Hitachino Nest White Ale - Jamey and Liddie recommended Hitachino at our one-year anniversary, and they tried to make sure I chose the right variety from this Japanese brewery. Unfortunately my notes weren't clear enough, so I made a guess. The white ale had a sweet, floral and almost soapy nose - I think it reminded me of the bars of soap my Grandma had in her bathtub when I was a kid. The beer had orange juice like appearance, with a bit of lacing on the glass. An orangey front fades to a mild, smooth and watery taste. This one might call for an orange slice to open it up a bit. Not bad, but nothing there worth really noting for me. I probably need to try a different beer from the brewery; the white ale seemed to be the lesser-selling Hitachino at The Hop Shop.

26 August 2007 Location: Shallos

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale (2007) - A golden/orange color, clear with heavy lacing. A hoppy with sour note nose. A bitter, hoppy front gives was to a center of the tongue hoppy sting and then a watery fade. Not a very full flavor. Kind of one-note and forgettable.

Bells Octoberfest - A sour apple nose with malty notes, and a copper/golden transparent color with no lacing. This beer looks very flat in the glass, more so than I've ever noticed in a beer before. Malt and apple come through in the taste - which fades to a watery sort of blah. There's a commercial for Watson's on the TV here and I've just noticed how much the Watson's girl looks like David Lee Roth when you aren't paying too much attention. Just me? I wonder which one of them wears more makeup.

29 August 2007 Location: Home

Delirium Nocturnum - A last of the uncharted Delirium territory for me. A thick, pillowy head (I can't overstate that) with what appears to be tiny, chocolate-like shavings sits on top a chocolate colored beer with a ton of sediment in the glass. A sweet alcohol nose with an alkaline taste. The beer opens up and reminds me of tremens a bit, but I can't figure out why. Spicy and metallic - not a favorite. Reminds me a bit of Unibroue 16. As an added note, I wrote "Have you tried toasted ravioli?"

30 August 2007 Location: Home

Barrelhouse Boss Cox Double Dark IPA - Thin, bubbly head over a transparent red body. Mild, slightly hoppy nose, tempered with a malty back. A very mild hop taste - well balanced. Reminds me a bit of Dogfish 90 minute, but not quite as smooth. Pretty good anyway.

31 August 2007 Location: Badaboomz

Three Floyd's Alpha King - Orange color, little head. Hoppy, and sort of tart. Drank in tribute to Jeffery T. I dig it.

Goose Island Matilda - Drank in tribute to GBS's Vicki, who mentioned it on our visit. Really clear, served in a goblet. Thin lacing and a spicy sweet Belgian nose. My first thought was "I should enjoy this." But in drinking, not so sure. Smooth, but missing that Belgian punch in the back. This is sort of like Belgian Light.

Vintage Beer Sampler - This is one of the reasons Badaboomz is a great place on Fridays - you never really know what you're going to get from Mike's beer storage, but you're almost certain to get something great.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock (a 2003 vintage, I think) - A dark brown/reddish color, with the typical thick stout-like head. A sweet full on chocolate nose. Poured from a really nice, classic looking bottle. Wow. Really mild, smooth chocolate taste, almost like a chocolate milk, but without the milky creaminess and lacing. A+, awesome stuff.

EKU 28 - 11% ABV, and noticeable immediately. Redish color, no lacing. A tight, sharp nose... Woo - straight up alcohol punch. Salty, with a flavor that climbs right up the nostrils. I didn't finish the glass.

King and Barnes Christmas Ale (1999 vintage) - A sweet pleasant nose with a salty, middle of the tongue taste. There's a bit of candy cane in there. Tastes like Christmas. Leads to the comment "I've had Jesus, and he doesn't taste like this."

1 September 2007 Location: Home

Founder's Blushing Monk - In my previous beer diary I mentioned my fondess for Founder's Rubaeus; when I mentioned the same on the Good Beer Show I was asked if I had tried the Blushing Monk. They are very similar beers - so much that I wonder why they're making both. The Blushing Monk has the same great raspberry taste, but the alchol is a little more prevalent. Both are sort of creamy and smooth and really enjoyable. I think the Rubaeus may be a little more drinkable (the ABV number is quite a bit lower), and it's certainly more affordable. If you like one, you'll like the other. Worth drinking to make the comparison; I only wish I had both at the house currently.

KOTBR Review #20 - Trans Am's flat tire leaves Burt Reynolds red in the face

I always wondered how the folks in Atlanta reacted after getting their first sip of the beer that Bandit and Snowman worked so hard to sneak in. I mean, it's Coors. I imagine some Georgian had to have said, "You evaded Sheriff Buford T. Justice and risked time in prison for THIS?!?"

For our twentieth review, the Knights had some Fat Tire Ale (from the Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Company) hauled in. This cult favorite only recently started crossing the Mississippi and is still not shipped to Indiana.

Sitting around the Beer Round Table, along with myself, were Knights Chris, Jim, Kelly, and Mike. Gina and Matt were guests who also provided commentary. My lovely wife, The Lovely Wife, was also there, but since she doesn't like beer, she didn't drink beer. Look for her new blog soon: "Hoosier Girlie-Drinks-With-Little-Paper-Umbrellas Geek".

For the big 2-0, we decided to change things up. Before doing a review of the Fat Tire, we did a blind taste test of 5 Red/Amber Ales. Since I was playing host and knew which beer was which, I elected not to provide commentary.

Among the five, the favorite was a Fort Collins, Colorado beer, but not the one you are thinking. Retro Red from Fort Collins Brewing Company. This was a unanimous selection. Everybody enjoyed the sweetness of the flavor and the complexity of the aromas.

Second place was a toss up between Bell's Amber from Michigan and Barrel House RedLegg from Cincinnati, Ohio. Everyone agreed that they were both equally good. The RedLegg, by the way, can usually be found at Great American Ballpark, home of the Reds. Hence the name.

Fourth place went to Breckenridge Avalanche Ale. It wasn't that it was a bad beer. But this beer was lacking in flavor and mouthfeel compared to the previous three.

Fifth place went to Fat Tire. A dirty trick played by yours truly on the rest of the Knights. Even those who had Fat Tire in the past didn't recognize it during the blind taste test.

Does this mean that Fat Tire is a bad beer? Not by any means. There is always the possibility that, in traveling from Colorado to Chicago, the beer went Pepe Le Pew on us. It could be that, given their popularity, they are producing so much that a bad batch went out. It is difficult to say. Given the circumstances, we decided that it wouldn't be fair to rate Fat Tire right now. We'll try again in the near future, after Mike and Gina return from a trip to St. Louis with a new batch of brew.

But I think this little test illustrates that Fat Tire may not be the best red ale out there. Given the difficulties Hoosiers have in obtaining this frequently-praised beer, it should be comforting to know that there are at least four other red/amber ales that are worthy of attention and admiration, whether Fat Tire is available or not.