Wonder of wonders, I'm almost out of beer.

I ran out of the cheaper and lighter stuff (Mothership Wit, Unfiltered Wheat) last week, which put me in the awkward position of having to steal one of my brother's macros the other day to have with my lousy chili. I've grown accustomed to having a beer with dinner most nights, and I make no apologies for that.

Of what's left, the Chocolate Stout and Imperial Porters are strictly late night dessert beers, I won't touch the Barleywine until Fall at the earliest, and I'm not breaking open the Dunzelweizens until Ben's around to try them. Today, I go to the liquor store.

Not that I haven't been drinking out of season anyways. Last night I had my Plank Bavarian Dunkler Weizenbock; I can see drinking it at Octoberfest or somesuch, but prettymuch all I tasted was the alcohol. The whole point of buying that was to see where I stood on the Weizenbock style (after the Longshot) and it looks like I'm anti- rather than pro-.

At a family get-together on Sunday I had a Samuel Adam's Cream Stout (I like dark beer, but sometimes I wonder if my family thinks that's all I like to drink) and a Bacardi Mango Mojiti. I'd had the Cream Stout before — it's good if not pool-party-appropriate — but the Bacardi was pretty terrible. Sooo sugary, and if I can make real mojitos why would I drink something so vile?

(Jenna's mojito recipe so I don't forget: a shot Bacardi Limon, a heaping tablespoon brown sugar, three or four mint leaves (ripped), ice, and 7-up to fill. It always requires some tinkering.)

On the Fourth I had yet another unseasonable choice, the Flying Dog Imperial Porter. Not crazy-complicated, but very tasty.

Labels: Boston Beer Company, Brauerei Michael Plank, Flying Dog Brewery, Gonzo Imperial Porter, Milk Stout, Plank Bavarian Dunkler Weizenbock, Russian Imperial Stout, Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Weizenbock

I finished my last Longshot Grape Ale tonight. I'm still not a huge fan, but this time (perhaps because I did a proper pour, a fantastic pour, really) I could pick out the grape flavor. It was subtle, but it was there.

Labels: APA, Boston Beer Company, LongShot Grape Ale

Before Lost tonight I had another Grape Ale — it's drinkable, fine, but aside from the nose I don't really get the grape. C.f. Apple Jacks cereal.

(To which the brewers would no doubt reply, "We drink what we like!")

It was a two-hour season finale, so the Lost beers were a Lindemans Pêche
and an Old Rasputin.

Both beers were good, but dubious in sequence, and both suffered from comparison with similar beers I like more. In the case of the Pêche, I had a great Apricot lambic last time we watched Lost (that was somehow... "thicker" is the word I want to use?) and the peach flavor reminded me too much of all the bad peach schnapps I used to drink.

I know I like Old Rasputin, so this may just by my impression because I was following a lambic, but... Surly Darkness has a fullness I don't get here. This has a nice rich finish though, one that gets better as it warms.

Once it gets cold out again I think I'm going to visit the Imperial stouts; it's a bit weird drinking them in the summer.

Labels: APA, Boston Beer Company, Brouwerij Lindemans, Fruit Lambic, LongShot Grape Ale, Lost beers, North Coast Brewing, Old Rasputin, Peche, Russian Imperial Stout

Top Chef and a cookout at Jenna's. I had one of each of this year's Samuel Adams Longshot offerings, the Weizenbock and the Grape Ale. The Weizenbock was interesting; there was other stuff going on, but it reminded me most of a cream soda.

The Grape Ale... I think that was a pale ale? I didn't really taste much of anything, so that's my assumption, but in any case I'd like to do a better comparison, alongside a regular beer. This might be another beer that's too subtle for me to really appreciate right now.

I really liked last year's Longshot stuff, so these beers were a little disappointing.

Labels: APA, Boston Beer Company, LongShot Grape Ale, LongShot Weizenbock, Weizenbock