(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
My opinion of Pilseners has improved over the course of this daily beer challenge. In my mind, Pilseners were the fizzy, mostly tasteless mass-market beers best served ice cold and drank quickly. Quite possibly because of this misconception, almost every Pilsener I’ve consumed this year has been a pleasant surprise.
Nonetheless, when a coworker gave me a bottle of this Czech Pilsener on Monday and described it as tasting like urine, I allowed my expectations to sink quite a bit.
I didn’t think I’d be drinking Golden Pheasant anytime soon, but I came home today to find my house filled with a grassy, summery smell. The farm next to my house had finally cut its hay, and that pleasant, earthy aroma wafting in through the open windows had me craving a light, malty beer.
Mikkeller It’s Alright!
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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If the team at Mikkeller says one of its creations is merely “alright”, then we’ll assume it’s just modesty talking. Then again, there is that exclamation point to consider.
“It’s Alright!” is billed as a Belgian wild ale, so I assumed I would be in for a funky saison — but this Belgian pale ale comes across as “sour lambic meets Duvel”; the combination of brettanomyces, pale malt, and smooth hops create a charming and refreshingly dry combination.
The nose gets you first. That funky brett isn’t too pungent, but clearly dominates the otherwise citrusy and lightly hoppy nose. A straw-like, pale body filled my tulip glass, topped by an eager and effervescent white head that quickly faded to almost nothing. Some agitation of the glass resurrected the head on command.
Fans of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s 90 Minute IPA may be scrambling to find one of the Delaware brewer’s latest limited releases. Squall IPA is a re-imagined version of 90 Minute IPA — 100% bottle conditioned, dry hopped with six different hop varieties, and only available in a few East Coast states.
The 750 ml bottle has an arresting logo, an inky black-on-white image of a clipper ship. If the funky design with throw-back text reminds you of a surf-shirt, that’s because Squall is a collaboration with Rogues Gallery, a surf-clothing shop in Portland, ME. Brewery founder Sam Calagione “fell in love” with Rogues Gallery and since the clothing company was “down with getting their chocolate in Dogfish Head’s peanut butter“, the two companies worked together to create a beer — Squall IPA — and a line of clothing “to wear while drinking beer at a sunset beach bonfire”.
When most Americans think of Japanese beer — if indeed they were so inclined to think about Japanese beer — they don’t think of the delicious varieties of Hitachino Nest Beer. Instead, if they can name a Japanese beer, it’s probably Kirin Ichiban or Sapporo.
I hold Sapporo to the same fine standard as Coors — surely it’s a decent beer for its style and production, but not something I’m inclined to enjoy or seek out. But to stick with the peculiar rules of my one-a-day-with-no-repeats beer challenge, beers such as Sapporo definitely have their role . . . when there’s nothing else to drink.
Saturday found me dining out with my wife in Boston. As her early birthday dinner, we enjoyed a five course meal overlooking the city from a 52 storey vantage point.
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout
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Since I’ve had three strong stouts this week, I decided to make it an even number with Victory Bewing Company’s Storm King Imperial Stout.
This yearlong challenge has introduced me to some great craft breweries, and Downingtown, PA’s Victory has emerged as one of my favorites. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their HopDevil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey, and Moonglow Weizenbock. And tonight, I’m adding Storm King to that list.
The 9.1% ABV beer demonstrated a near-oily pour as it splashed into my Duvel tulip glass. Storm King created a phenomenally huge head. The mocha-colored foam sat stubbornly atop the stout, slowly bubbling down, determined not to go quietly into the night.
