Beer Diary - Mike

Before I start the diary, a list of five, as has become tradition.

Five favorite Hoosier Beer Geeks (in order)
1) Chris - doesn't mind if you throw up in his car, former guitarist for Alanis Morissette.
2) Jim - watches soccer, great dancer.
3) Kelly - apparently knows everyone, can perform emergency dental work.
4) Jason - helpful to strangers, quotes Shakespeare regularly.
5) Gina - stalks me, part robot.

On to the beer...

2 September 07 Location: Home

Two Brothers Brewing Co. Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale (bottle labeled "Best by 8/15/04") - A trip to PartiPak last night brought home a mixed 6 pack featuring 4 beers I've never had before. This is one of the four. Really nice bottle - golds and maroons, a classy presentation. If I had seen the "best by" marking, I probably wouldn't have made this purchase, but nevertheless... pours extremely fizzy in the glass, more like a 7 Up than a beer. Thick pillowy head on top of a cloudy, dark pumpkin-colored body. A while back I had a beer at Brugge called "the sour" - this is the closest thing I've had to that beer. But this isn't nearly as good. Sour dominates both the nose and taste, but not in a pleasant, sour candy sort of way... just sort of a sour apple taste - I drank half and gave Gina the rest.

11 September 07 Location: Home

Stone Pale Ale - I've decided to only drink beers I've heard Jeffery T talk about - thus, Stone Pale Ale. Dark golden color, with a thin lacing. Light, slightly hoppy nose. Smooth, surprising taste - dry, earthy popcorn, with just a tiny kick of a hop aftertaste. Taste kinda stays with you. Pretty mild. Not bad, but wouldn't be my first choice - though my pale ale experience is pretty limited.

15 September 07 Location: My childhood home, Trenton, IL

Bell's Octoberfest - Left over from our tasting at Big Car. 5.8% ABV, pours like a soda with a head that quickly settles - this beer looks quite active and bubbly, with a dark copper color. A sweet yeasty, bready nose that follows into the taste. Then the alcohol notes come out - this tastes like a stronger beer than it is. I don't think it's very good, but maybe I should have let it chill a bit longer.

20 September 07 Location: Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis

The Black - To be honest, every time I visit Brugge I worry that the beer won't be as good as I remember it. The Black is (obviously enough) black and opaque in color, with a tiny bubbly and pillowy head. At first taste, this isn't the beer I remember. Heavily alkaline - a penny-like taste that overpowers everything else. But the beer was served colder than in my previous experiences, so I gave it a minute to warm up. In earlier reviews of the black my fellow beer geeks noted chocolate, coffee, and nuts - but I don't get that at all. I think the beer has a sweet, slightly plum-like nose and taste - with none of the stout-like characteristics found in earlier reviews. The plum hints might make you think of other Belgian-style beers, but this isn't an overpowering fruit taste like some of those other beers - the beer is perfectly mild and endlessly drinkable. But it also packs more punch than any other beer I can think of - after just one glass the walk to the restroom becomes slightly more entertaining than it should be. I still don't know the ABV of this beer, but I suspect it's over 10.

Ratebeer.com says 7% - I don't buy that at all. Besides, ratebeer.com give the black a 69/100 score, which is a travesty.

I have to wonder if there's some inconsistency in the different batches of the beer - the alkaline taste that I got off the top wasn't something I remember from before, and this beer was really my introduction to good beer back before I was writing for Hoosier Beer Geek. I just can't imagine liking it so much back then with this much metallic taste.

Despite the inconsistency, drinking this beer is always a rewarding experience - I just wonder which version we're going to get once it's bottled. Despite my much larger beer background, the black is still a favorite.

Ommegang Hennepin - This is the first time I've had someone else's beer from the tap at Brugge - I'd imagine they're running a bit low on the home-grown stuff while they get things in line at the brewery in Terre Haute. Ommegang is a New York brewery brewing Belgian style beers, so the beer fits Brugge's concept pretty well. Hennepin has a cloudy lemon color, with a thin flat head. A sweet and mild fruit nose preceeds a full but not heavy mouthfeel. I wrote the word "mild" three times in my notes - it's just a refreshingly pleasant and agreeable beer; a perfect summertime drink. It's almost hefe-like in its drinkability and taste - fruity, but not overpoweringly so, and minus the banana hints of a typical hefeweizen. Hennepin calls this a "farmhouse saison" - and I don't have enough saison experience to compare this to anything else. But I do know it's pretty fantastic stuff.

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.