Stone IPA

Stone IPA - Escondido, CA

A true IPA if I have ever tasted one. This is a full blast of hops from beginning to end. If you aren't into bitter beer, then this is not the beer for you.

Stone IPA pours a nice deep golden amber/copper color. You can smell the hops from the very beginning a very light amount of malt helps smooth the beer out. There is a lot of hops smell and taste but somehow it isn't that overpowering. They have done a tremendous job in capturing what an IPA should taste like. Hop heads all around will enjoy this beer. It has a pretty high ABV (almost 7), so I wouldn't recommend having more than 2, unless you feel like getting pretty crazy.

Overall it was great to re-discover this IPA. I was worried because Stone is usually so over the top with there beers they are hard to enjoy (Arrogent Bastard comes to mind. This is probably one of the better IPA's out there. I will rank it highly in my list.

Who: Bill
Where: the deck
Price: $$$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55

Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55

Last Friday, Bill and I sat on the deck listening to the Reds lose to the Brewers and kicked back with a few beers. I went for the Brooklyn first, since I really enjoyed a few of their other brews.

American style Pale Ale that pours a typical amber/orange color. You could really smell the malt over the hops in this beer. A very sweet carmel flavor with a slight citrus bitterness at the end. It was a pretty smooth drink because the hops were very weak.

I would recommend the East India Pale Ale or the Brown Ale from Brooklyn over this brew. It's not necessarily a bad beer, just not what I enjoy so much. Especially copmared to the Stone IPA and the Hazed and Infuzed we ended up drinking alongside this one.

I wouldn't refuse one next time around, but you probably won't see me buying a 6 pack for myself anytime soon.

Who: Bill
Where: the deck
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Dos Equis - Amber

Another Mexican beer has made its way back into our refrigerator this week -- Dos Equis coming to us from Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery in Mexico. Mostly because it was on sale for Cinco De Mayo. Cathy and I thought we would give it another go. Previously I really enjoyed this Amber lager, not so much anymore.

I just don't find the taste that good. Even if you shove a lime into the beer it still doesn't help. The beer is a dark amber color and smells of sweet malts. It has a slight malty and carmel taste. I also think that there is another flavor in there, I just can't get my finger on. All in all it is a pretty average beer, which is probably why the 6 pack was only $5.99.

I would much rather have Pacifico or even a Corona over this beer again.

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $
Score: 2 / 5

Happy Drinking!

New Beers!

Had a good weekend and added a few beers to my list...Should have reviews this week!

Boulder Beer Company - Hazed and Infuzed
Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55
--
and Repeat offender

Stone IPA

Happy Drinking!

Pacifico

Pacifico

One of my favorite summer time beers. Best enjoyed with friends on the deck or lounging on the beach.

Mexican pilsner first brewed in the early 1900's and aptly named Beer of the Pacific because the brewery is based in Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Currently brewed by Mexican beer giant Grupo Modelo (mostly owned by Anheuser-Busch).

This beer is what it is, a Mexican Lager. It is in the same boat with Corona, Tecate, Sol. Except in my opinion has a much better flavor and taste. Goes down very easy and doesn't have that skunky after taste of a Corona. I think it outdoes even some of the American lagers like Coors and even Miller Lite (gasp!).

Recommended for anyone. Always better enjoyed with friends!

Who: Cathy
Where: the deck!
Price: $
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Guinness

Guinness Draught

Much better in a pub and actually from the tap instead of the bottle with their fancy nitrogen widget/rocket thing. One of my all time favorite beers, I've been known to kick back a handful of these in one sitting. A lot of my friends think it is very filling and can only have 1. I personally can drink these all night long.

Beautiful black color with an extreme amount of head. Very nice toasted and chocolate smells. Such a smooth drink, even Cathy enjoys them every once and awhile. I can still remember my first one. It was back at home and on my 21st birthday I had this as my "free" beer from the West End Tavern. Very good choice and I haven't stopped drinking them yet.

I would recommend this beer to anyone and strongly suggest having one in an Irish pub where the pour the beer correctly with a sliver spoon. I am waiting on that trip to Ireland someday to have the beer the way it was intended to be served.

Who: Many different people
Where: Many different pubs
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat - Circus Boy

Circus Boy - Hefeweizen

From the Magic Hat Pandora's Box.

I am normally not into Hefeweizen (or any wheat styled beer), but this one really wasn't all that bad. From what Cathy says, its very close to what you would get in Germany, so in my opinion it can't be all that bad. She did say it wasn't as good as those in Germany, but still not a bad American styled wheat beer.

Pours a nice hazy yellow/orange color without much head. You can very much taste the wheat and a small citrus flavor at the end. That citrus bitterness is probably why I liked this one a little more than other wheat beers I have tried. Still won't get a very high score from me, but
I would recommend trying this to anyone. Especially since you can get 3 of them in a Pandora's box, if you don't care for it, then you won't have to worry about getting rid of 5 more!

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat - Odd Notion (Spring)

Magic Hat - Odd Notion Spring 2008

The spring brew from Magic Hat. Available in Pandora's Box (4 types of beer 3 of each kind in the box). It was an Irish Ale styled beer (which makes sense with St. Patricks Day in the spring).

The beer pours a very nice amber red color with a very small or almost no head. It has a simple taste and not as bitter as the Great Lakes (Conway's Irish). You can very much smell the cinnamon, ginger and cardamon in the beer. Those flavors also leave a nice spicy feel to the mouth when you are drinking the beer.

It was easy to drink and I am not upset that I gave it a try. Definitely not my favorite beer but very drinkable.

Who: They Guys
Where: My House
Price: $$
Score: 3 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Ballpark Beer and Dog

The Ballpark Beer and Dog

My favorite time of year is here. Baseball always brings great things, Spring, optimism (every team has a chance) and draft beer with hotdogs, pretzels, or nachos.

It doesn't matter that the beer is Miller Lite, Bud Light or Budweiser. Or that it costs $6.50. We don't care. It's all about making the gameday experience more enjoyable. Partnered with a dog and peanuts, there is almost nothing as satisfying.

Cheers to another fantastic baseball season. And I hope all of your teams come out on top.

My MLB Predictions:

American League
East: Boston Red Sox
Central: Cleveland Indians
West: LA Angels
Wildcard: Detroit Tigers

MVP: Alex Rodriguez
Cy Young: Erik Bedard
Rookie: Jacoby Elsbury

National League
East: New York Mets
Central: Cincinnati Reds
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card: LA Dodgers

MVP: David Wright
Cy Young: Brandon Webb
Rookie: Johnny Cueto

Playoffs
ALDS 1: Cleveland over LA
ALDS 2: Detroit over Boston
ALCS: Cleveland over Detroit

NLDS 1: New York over LA
NLDS 2: Arizona over Cincinnati
NLCS: New York over Arizona

World Series: Cleveland over New York

Who: Everyone
Where: Ballparks everywhere
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Magic Hat #9

Magic Hat #9 - American Pale Ale

I think this beer is actually termed a fruit beer. It really doesn't have the hoppiness of regular pale ales and has a distinct apricot flavor. I first starting drinking this beer when I would visit Luke in Washington D.C. It always had a pretty fair price and is easy to down a few in a row. Magic Hat finally started showing up at my neighborhood grocery last summer and I have been able to grab a 6 pack every once and awhile.

Amber orange color with a sweet citrusy smell. This beer is very drinkable and is easy to introduce to any beer drinker. I would recommend this beer to anyone, especially those who tend not to stray away from the American lights...Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.

All in all I have always had pleasant experiences with #9. I still need to get up to Burlington for Magic Hat fest. I hear its a great time -- plus I could do some skiing while up there.

Who: Luke
Where: DC
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!