Scrimshaw Pilsner

Etch a nautical scene into the tooth of a whale, and you’re bound to get kicked out of Shamu’s tank at Sea World. But if you survive the experience, you can boast about having created a piece of artwork called scrimshaw.

Unfortunately — the beer named after the old whaling hobby failed to etch away my doubts about Pilsners.

Scrimshaw, by North Coast Brewing Company is a German style Pilsner beer. North Coast Brewing seems to have a great selection of beers, and I’m going to look for Red Seal Ale and Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. They also have a couple of Belgian style brews that really have me interested, such as Le Merle.

But I just can’t get very excited about pilsners, and Scrimshaw Pilsner is no exception.

It’s a crisp, dry beer. Very easy to drink, with a huge carbonation. There’s a sweet malt, with a slight yeasty bread taste. Hardly any hops that I can detect. I’m sure it’s a good German style pilsner, but I’m not jumping up and down about it.

If it were summertime and I were sitting on an ocean-side boardwalk eating fried fish, then Scrimshaw would certainly hit the spot.

But I wouldn’t be thinking much about the beer. . . I’d be wondering how many marine biologists have quit their jobs to become dentists.

Stone IPA

When some people drink too much, they see pink elephants.

Pastel pachyderms aren’t for me. The next time I over-imbibe, I hope to see Stone gargoyles.

I first discovered the Stone Brewing Company (San Diego, CA) when their “Arrogant Bastard Ale” beckoned me from an otherwise dull beer menu. Since then, I’ve been pleased by several of Stone’s standout selection of bold brews.

Each Monday, I’ll be featuring an IPA. The first official “IPA Monday” brew will be from Stone.

Stone India Pale Ale pours from the bottle soft and golden, with a fluffy, fragrant pillow of foam. There’s a slight, sweet citrus smell mingling with hop aroma.

The bottle text claims that the gargoyle on the label keeps all aspects of the beer pure. To ensure Stone contains only barley, hops, water and yeast, the gargoyle. . .

“. . .wards off modern day evil spirits such as chemical preservatives, additives & adjuncts. One taste, and you can tell he does his job very well.”

I don’t know about that, but just one sip is enough to recognize that someone is doing a heckuva job at Stone. The beer is extremely refreshing and easy to drink. There’s a light, bread-like malt that plays a supporting role, blending carefully with complex citrus and “green” tasting hops.

Most IPAs seem to have a strong aftertaste. That’s what originally kept me away from the style — the hoppiness would linger uncomfortably. Stone IPA stands that on its head. The beer has a light, distinctive, and extremely pleasant aftertaste. There’s a residue of warmth and a sweet oiliness at the back of the tongue, almost as if the beer has just melted in your mouth.

It’s official — I have a new favorite IPA. Since I can’t have another Stone IPA for the rest of the year, I’ll be working in as many of the other Stone brews as I can.

Heck, somebody needs to keep that Gargoyle company.

IPA Mondays

Before getting down to business, I want to let all of you know that I’m glad to be back home and tending to this site. It was a fun trip to NYC; but let me tell you, it’s far cheaper to be drinking at home again.

And I did find a great beer during my trip to New York. New posts for January 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th are on the way.

Now for our first order of business… I’m introducing a new Beer A Day feature: IPA Mondays!

India Pale Ales are multitudinous, and to my untrained eye, many of them look and sound exceptional. By drinking an IPA every Monday, I hope to make a small dent in my IPA wish-list.

Besides, can you think of a better way to start the workweek?

Bull and Bear Ale

Authors Note: This post was written on January 18th. The date has been adjusted so that the post content aligns with the date the beer was actually consumed.

This post came very close to being about Stella Artois.

On January 9th, I was holding out all day, looking for a special beer. Lunch at the Museum of Modern Art’s Terrace 5 was a treat, with several nice looking brews on the menu — including Blue Point’s Toasted Lager. And later, we stuck to wine during an excellent French diner at La Grenouille.

Before I knew it, the time was 11pm and we were at a terrible bar with a half-dead piano player butchering Elton John. I ordered a Stella, the most avant-garde item on the menu, and all hell broke loose at the table.

I like Stella Artois, but it can be had nearly anyplace. My companions for the evening would not allow me to drink a Stella, despite my protests that time had run out. So when the Stella arrived, my wife grabbed it from me — and she, cheered by the rest of the table, chugged it.

My wife, by the way, hates beer.

That’s how, with the clock ticking and the piano player balefully intoning that he thinks it’s gonna be a long long time, we got out of that dive and rushed to the Waldorf-Astoria, where their Bull & Bear Restaurant and Bar is reputed to have a special “Bull & Bear Ale” on tap.

The bar is beautiful, classic. It’s like walking into an old man’s smoking room, and kind of smells like it too. Wood panels, mahogany bar, and class. I would have enjoyed it more, but they were closing down and I had only a few minutes to get my beer and save the challenge.

According to the bartender, the Bull & Bear Ale is “like Sam Adams”.

I asked, “But you don’t brew it here, I’m assuming?”

“No.”

“Where is it brewed? Who brews it? Is it a private label from Sam Adams?”

“I don’t know,” he said, “but it’s like Sam Adams.”

I drank it quickly, with only about 10 minutes left until midnight. The beer tasted more like a Bass than a Sam. That’s about all I remember about the beer, other than the sheer relief that followed having found a beer and finishing it in time.

Hello From New York

Just a quick mobile post to let everyone know Beer A Day is still going strong in the Big Apple. I’ll write more about yesterday’s beer soon.

My mission for today is to find a unique beer. How hard could that be?

Last Consumed:

My wife and I usually select a Christmas Tree during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we were thrilled to discover the farm down the road from us is selling trees this year. She and I stopped by the farm while walking our Boston Terrier, Caesar, who helped us sniff out a good one. After my wife and I dithered over the best tree for several minutes, Caesar weighed in with his selection by lifting his leg on a plump Fraser Fir.

I hope that means he liked it.

The tree went up on my shoulder, I carried it home (drawing chuckles from several people driving by), and our Christmas season officially began. We’ve been listening to Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate, and generally sickening all humbugs spying through our windows.

So it should come as no surprise that I’ve selected the “Hoppy Christmas Ale” from Belgium’s Brewery De Ranke. The beer — Père Noël (imported by Shelton Brothers) — intimates the reason for Father Christmas’ jolly cheeks and rosy nose; the label depicts Santa embracing the frothy, 7% ABV Strong Pale Ale.

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