Abita Purple Haze:
Bienvenue friends! Greetings from our friendly neighbors to the East and the land of air so thick with humidity you can see it. Today, we try one of those main staples in the Abita line, Purple Haze, a raspberry wheat beer that is actually a good beer for those nice hot Louisiana summer days. The beer is a basic wheat beer with raspberries added after filtration and then filtered again after a few days of flavor transfer. The beer was drunk out of a bottle so no clue on how it pours or how the head looks but the nose was a subtle berry smell and it’s a highly carbonated beer that tingles the tongue and mouth for the duration of the bottle’s life. The beer taste’s strongly of raspberries with a strong wheat aftertaste that seems to show up more on the back-end than anywhere else. It’s not highly uncommon to find bits of berry floating in the beer and it reportedly has a purple tint to the beer when poured in a glass. I can at least attest to the particulates in the beer since my the last few sips of beer were thick with debris of wrecked raspberries. A good summer beer, though this one beer seems to divide a lot of Abita drinkers since it is considered a beer for the fairer sex and thus has no place with other Abita beers. Of course most of these same opinionated beer drinkers drink up the Strawberry lager with no problem. Go figure.

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer:
Welcome welcome welcome all, especially any new comers out there (I’m sure there are a few). Today we explore misleading marketing, uniquely flavored beers and satisfaction in your choices in life. During my visit to Baton Rouge I encountered something that is pretty much mystical (in my beer world) to most beer coinsures: bacon. Yes bacon, that delicious addition that is both so bad for you yet so good. Can you think of a food that can make a center cut filet migon taste better? I can, wrap it in bacon! What can make donuts out of this world? Bacon pieces! What makes the best grits possible? Bacon drippings! See, bacon is great, even some might say magical and here, in a little regional bar in Baton Rouge, I encountered Bacon Beer…okay really it’s Original Schlenkerla Smoker Beer, the German name is on the label (best of luck with that one) from Bamberg. Yes, you read that right: Bacon. Beer. Boom. I was shocked, excited and awe struck upon reading that the beer upon the chalk board but went with another beer first to calm my nerves. Done with my first brew, I excitedly ordered the second one from the hippie bartender (don’t ask, you’d have to see him to understand) and he had to give me a lesson before ordering this beer. First: it’s a true Marzen beer which means this: By German law of 1539, it’s only brewed September 29th and April 23rd and stored in cellars through the following summer then to be distributed and drunk in the fall. Second: There is no bacon in it. None. Hell even the website doesn’t mention bacon, it’s a marketing ploy to get suckers like me to buy an $11 bottle of beer (note: I was told this before buying it but my curiosity was peaked and no way was I going to pass this one up) but is heavily smoked to give it bacon-ish flavor. So, long story short, I bought the bottle and per the bartender’s recommendation, a stem glass, which was the best way to enjoy this beer. The beer pours well and the nose of smoked beech-wood (yes that’s the same wood Budweiser uses to “age” their beer) literally jumps out during the pour, reminding us Texans of barbecue joints and summer time. The beer forms a nice head that is thin and doesn’t hinder the nose of the beer nor the drinking of the beer. The taste obviously starts very smoky but quickly moves to a clean, Guinness like taste through the middle and leaves a nice subtle malt flavor on the back end of the tongue and aftertaste is like a very watered down Liquid Smoke. A great beer, not for everyone though, Shiner tried a similar beer a couple of years ago and it met mixed reviews as a summer beer and was pushed aside for Ruby Redbird. Maybe someday it’ll come back.

Tin Roof Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale:

Greetings and salutations from the road dear hearts! Today, lets bring an exclusive of Southern Louisiana beer to the doorstep of the world. Back in March I tried Tin Roof’s Perfect Tin and it was…underwhelming, pretty bland in fact. But I’m not one to complain nor judge a brewery by one beer so, lets try a fun one, in particular Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale (how can you not try that??). Right now it’s only available on tap so I can’t comment on the pour but I did watch that the beer does form a light foamy head that slowly dissipates to a ring around the glass. The nose is one of caramel malts that actually smell equally floral and sour, my interest was peaked. The taste is very nice with the front end being one of caramel and thick (malts man, they do it every time) but that quickly vanishes to a more traditional pale ale flavor notes of bitterness and bite. The back end of the taste is surprising with notes of sweetness and a bit of skunk. A good beer and per the website, it’s bound for the can and I will be buying a sixer my next roll through our friendly neighbors to the East.

Red Hook Long Hammer IPA:
Hello all and welcome to the last day of “short beers” and while today’s beer isn’t exactly a short beer, this one is an odd duck in it’s bottle shape but not its taste. As stated before, Red Hook is one of my favorite breweries and while their Wit is a classic in my book, their Long Hammer IPA is the beer that got me hooked on them. This is an IPA that shouldn’t really be judged as other IPAs should, it’s what I would call a “clean” IPA. Pouring nicely the beer has a nice golden clear color that invokes a pilsner rather than an IPA but remember, clean is the name of the game. A nice head forms on the beer that gives the nose something to fight through and the nose is one of floral notes and citrus like most IPAs. The taste is very mellow, taking the normal bitterness of the of most mainstream IPAs and toning it down to inoffensive levels. Now where this beer grabs me is the finish and aftertaste which are both mellow and subtle, leaving a nice balance similar to the nose of citrus and floral notes and, above all, inoffensive. A really nice beer, this one is really good on tap (where I first had it) and is best enjoyed very cold. If you really want to amp up the taste profile, try this beer with a spicy food dish, the hops do wonders for the heat of a dish that I can’t explain but trust me, it’s worth it.

Full Sail Session Black:
Good day all, and welcome to the second to last day of short beer week.  Today, I think I’ve found the second shortest beer of this week, but it’s just as tasty none the less. This beer is another Beerfest find and I’ve been looking forward to sampling it ever since (it‘s got 7 gold medals!).   Full Sail’s Session Black Lager is one of those beers that gets over looked by those not-in-the-know of it’s awesomeness and delicious nature.  As far as I know, this beer only comes in twelve packs in small compact white cardboard boxes that just sport the Sessions logo.  The beer pours well, giving off a small thin head, nothing that can really register in a picture (especially by this novice) and it has a subtle nose of hops, floral things and chocolate all mix together to give a uniquely original nose that isn’t found around to often.   The taste is pretty uniform throughout tasting of equal parts a dry chocolate and malts and it produces a very neutral and mellow aftertaste.  This beer should be sampled by all for a two reasons,: 1) it’s delicious, light and refreshing, 2) it’s very reasonably priced.  Central Market has it for around $14 a twelve pack and I’m sure one of the HUNDREDS of Wine and Spirit stores in the area will have this as well for around the same price point.  This will definitely be another stable in the beer fridge…once there is room. 
 

Boulevard Brewery Irish Ale:
Evening all and welcome to another day of dwarf beers (we’ll do a week of Elf beers sometime this summer for all you Middle Earth equality people).  Today we venture back to Boulevard Brewery and try what is considered by some to be one of their best beers: Irish Ale.  This beauty is a new beer for me and really didn’t know it existed till I pulled it from the beer cooler (I just stock them, not read’em) and I was a impressed from the initial pour.  About half way through the pour the beer’s nose came out strongly, smelling of malts and strong tea.  The head on the beer foamed up more than I expected, most likely due to the frozen glass but it dissipated into a ring around the edges quickly and allowed the nose of the beer to fully bloom.  Revisiting the nose properly I found the tea and malts still there with undertone of flowers and a bit of citrus thanks to the hops.  The front end of the beer’s taste is sweet with a bit of malt and breads.  The back end of the beer is dry and hoppy but very clean and doesn’t offend.  A great beer if I must say so,  I will have to remember this one when I’m looking to have something with my shot of Irish whiskey.  Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go congratulate myself for stock, pulling this and drinking it.  Oh and Jace for providing it.   

Pyramid Curve Ball Blonde Ale:
Greetings for the road one and all and welcome to another day of height-challenged beers.  Today we are going to highlight a beer from the Pyramid line out of Seattle, a line I discovered at the Beerfest a month ago.  Best known for their Apricot ale, I decided to start with their seasonal blonde ale: Curveball.  Why?  I have no good answer other than it was at the front of the stack and I grabbed it on the way out the door this morning.  This beer is a cold conditioned lager that got me curious:  what is a cold conditioned lager?  Is it similar to the ice beers of last month?  Are my chances of going blind increasing as I add another ice beer to the resume?  Well never fear dear readers, for I have the answer and it’s actually quite informative.  A lager of any type (Pale, Dunkel, Bock, Pilsner, Marzen to name a few) are all fermented and conditioned at low temperatures and produce ABVs of anywhere between 4% and 14% and a variety of colors.  This particular lager pours well with minimal head that dissipated too quickly to get a picture of and was mildly carbonated.  The nose was strong of malts and a slight hint of banana and grain and brought back memories of some of the *ahem* less expensive beers from last month.  The taste was very run of the mill, tasting a little metallic with companion tastes of lemon peel and malts and the taste turns to more ethanol than anything else before turning into a sour aftertaste.  Not my cup of tea really, I was impressed back in April with their Heff and Apricot this one is definitely not worth my time again.  They have too many other beers to try to write off the brewery right now but a few more beers with similar results will cause that in my interest to quickly wane. 
 

Saint Arnold Spring Bock:
Hello all, and welcome to another “I’m not small, I’m just a ‘low rider’” beer day.  Today lets venture into a beer of our great state of Texas and see that not all our bottles are long, tall and normal.  Saint Arnold's is a good brewery that hails as our bold state’s oldest craft brewery and they make some decent normal beers and some awesome seasonal and single distribution beers.  Today we are going to venture into their seasonal brews and try the Spring Bock a great beer though it does seem outside of season.  The beer is a typical bock with the amber color, light head and caramel nose but the taste is totally different.  While most of us here in the Lone Star State are used to Shiner Bock or even Zeigenbock, this beer adds a sweet over tone to the flavor while adding a malt undertone.  A great find, I wish I discovered this a little sooner but alas, constraints of the review job take it’s toll on season beer offerings but luckily, World Market still had a six-pack and a little moving around, I grabbed two bottles gladly left with my find.  Next year, I’m stocking up on this one.  I see it more early spring than late (in Texas speak, that’s February rather than late March-early April) thanks to it’s weight but it’s still a beer I could drink anytime.  

Boulevard Brewing Unfiltered Wheat:
Evening all and welcome to another little beer day.  Today lets dip our toe into the rather large pool of Boulevard Brewing and one of their more accessible beers: Unfiltered Wheat.  I first tried this beer several years ago when I was first really discovering wheat beers and, honestly, I remember not being to impressed with it and upon revisiting it today, I’m still on the fence about it.  The beer pours well and doesn’t produce much of a head on it, mainly staying about a fingers worth in thickness and it quickly dissipates to a few tiny islands floating in an ocean of cloudy beer.  The nose is of a strong ripe banana and a touch of malts.  The front end of the beer tastes of citrus and wheat (surprise surprise) and through the mid and back-end of a sip, the taste really doesn’t change; toning down from the front end tastes thanks to an abundance of carbonation.  The fizz in the beer really reminds me of champagne but with a more…delicate fizz.  Not a bad beer but just not for me, but with this one out of the way, it allows me to move onto the greater catalog of Boulevard, especially their Smokestack brews, but first, another short beer.  Till tomorrow friends. 
 

Little Kings Cream Ale:
Well hello there, and welcome to the bar.  Today, hell, this WEEK we are going to explore short beers.  “Why” you ask?   Why not and it’s my review, that’s enough of a reason for me.  Today we start off with what is probably the shortest beer in the current arsenal of booze, Little Kings Cream Ale by Hudepohl Brewing.  Now before you go and blow off this review as another Belgium beer, think again grasshoppers, it’s based in Cincinnati (not much of an improvement but still surprising).  In reviewing this beer, I went from being disgusted to surprised to actually enjoying it though I have an unflattering name for it: Sofia.   (It’s something that came to me during the drinking process.  I can’t explain why this happens, it just did and why fight it?) First, Sofia’s nose  is very distracting on this beer.  It smells very sour and bitter, almost turning me off this whole little short beer week before it got started, yet I soldiered on knowing that I couldn’t drop off a theme week idea that took me all morning to think of.  The beer really doesn’t produce much of a head to it, mainly staying watered down and quickly disappearing  to the edges.  Now to where this beer almost lost it’s nickname (or earned it) is this: Sofia improved the more time I spent with it.  The taste started out very normal and sour, bringing back memories of April and very bad beers.  However, the beer quickly added a slightly sweet malt flavor that finishes with a creamy taste.  There really is no aftertaste to speak of so the beer doesn’t linger on the palette, and that is surprising given the odor this beer gives off.  Overall, a good beer that I wouldn’t mind revisiting again sometime. 
 

Monty Python's Holy "Ail":
(A follow-up  to the bridge scene from the movie)

EXTERIOR - DAY

CUT TO the bridge of death.  A thick fog swirls around the bridge and the pit it crosses. Rendering the other side of the bridge unseen.  A TV CAMERA CREW stands near the entrance to the bridge, preparing to film.  A sharply dressed man stands in front of the camera with another man.  This is NEIL BUTTONS, BBC TV reporter and his producer SAM.

NEIL BUTTONS
Sam, are you sure he is supposed to be here?  I see no one here and nothing much thanks to this damn fog and that….pit

SAM
Honestly I’m not surprised.  They said he was blind but didn’t want any help getting here.  If he doesn’t show, we’ll make do without him.

NEIL BUTTONS
Yeah sure, whatever.  The quicker we are out of here, the better.  Bloody fog is wreaking havoc on my hair.

As they wait, a CREWMAN places a small table next to NEIL BUTTONS and a bottle of beer is placed on it  The bottle is a BLACK SHEEP’S MONTY PYTHON’S HOLY GRAIL AIL.  NEIL BUTTONS picks up the bottle, looks at it, turns to the camera.

NEIL BUTTONS
Sam, while we wait for this man, lets do a dry run on this script.  I really don’t want to be here anymore than I have to be.

SAM
Sure thing Neil
(grabbing script)
Alright, whenever you’re ready.

NEIL BUTTONS
Today we stand here, next to the Bridge of Death suspended perilously above the Gorge of Eternal Peril to talk about today’s beer: Black Sheep’s Monty Python’s Holy Ail.  An English ale, this brew, pours well and has a nice foamy head that gives off a caramel nose.
(as he talks, the blind BRIDGEKEEPER approaches from off-screen right and stands next to NEIL BUTTONS)
And….how does it taste?  It’s not bad, think of a light bock in it’s flavor though not as heavy in the caramel flavor though it’s still there as well as dry and mild with a touch of sweetness.
(NEIL BUTTONS notices the BRIDGEKEEPER, and slowly becomes more uncomfortable and disgusted)
So, in this reporter opinion..

SAM
(looking wearily at the BRIDGEKEEPER)
Umm, Good.  Hi, are you the bridgekeeper?
(SAM tries to shake the BRIDGEKEEPERS hand, who turns away from SAM)
Well, okay, I’m Sam, the gentleman you’re standing next to is Neil.  We are here for the interview for the our story on the Monty Python Beer…

BRIDGEKEEPER
(interrupting SAM)
Stop!

SAM
Okay….

BRIDGEKEEPER
Who approaches the Bridge of Death
Must answer me
These questions three!
Ere the other side he see.

NEIL looks at SAM confused.  SAM gives a look of uncertainty back to NEIL.

NEIL
Look, Bridgekeeper, we are just hear to do a story and leave, if you don’t want to talk…

BRIDGEKEEPER
(Leaning into NEIL)
What is your name?

NEIL
(Grabbing his nose quickly)
Neil Buttons, God you smell!  What did you eat, a dead rat?

BRIDGEKEEPER
Yes, I did. Food is hard to come by here.
(Leans further into NEIL who further recoils.)
What is your opinion of the beer?

NEIL
(Still holding his nose)
It’s alright, a ****************

NEIL spins away from the BRIDGEKEEPER and moves to SAM’s side.  NEIL and SAM look at each other and then the CAMERA CREW.  NEIL is still holding is nose. 

SAM
Will you be willing to sign a release so we can interview you and use that footage?

BRIDGEKEEPER
(Suddenly acting very vain and self conscious like a Hollywood actress from the golden era)
Well… I don’t know…maybe…

He is immediately thrown upward by an unseen force and cast into the pit

BRIDGEKEEPER
Not againnnnnnnn!

The whole CREW moves to the ledge and look over into the foggy abyss.

NEIL BUTTONS
Bloody hell! Did you see that?! Did we get it on film?

SAM
No. Would’ve of been great for the lead if we did.

NEIL BUTTONS
Well we don’t.  Any other ideas there Mr. Producer?

SAM
I think I saw a white rabbit back the other way, by some cave entrance. 

NEIL BUTTONS
(disgusted)
Yeah, fine.  Send one of the guys into to see if he can catch it so I can hold it in a shot or two. 

SAM
Sounds good like a plan to me. 
  

Brooklyn Brown Ale:
Hello all, and welcome back to “Another Day, Another Beer”.  Today, we transport ourselves North to New York, specifically, Brooklyn and have a gander at Brooklyn Brewery’s Brown Ale.  Per the marketing for this bottle, it is supposed to be a combo of northern English ales (strong and dry) and southern English ales (sweet and mild) with a touch of American style (hops and roasted malts).  All three-flavor profiles are easily found in the beer while drinking it.  Sitting at 5.6% ABV, this is middle of the road for a dark ale and the alcohol content isn’t that noticeable so it’s easily consumed.  The beer pours thick with a large foamy head that, if not watched, can spill over on you while pouring.  The nose is strong with roasted malts and chocolate and a hint of coffee was noted as well.  The beer taste profile is complex: first, the initial taste is strong roasted malts with an undefined sweetness that moves to a dry hop on the back-end but mellows out to a finish and aftertaste much like a Guinness would.  Very surprising to me actually, I wasn’t expecting something so rich and complicated to greet me today.  Nice.  Not a summer beer though due to the heaviness on the palate. Though adding this to those infamous chocolate shakes would be nice.  Maybe there is a use for it here in Texas’ summer months after all. 

50 Back:
Greetings and salutations everyone and hope this finds y’all having a good Friday evening.  Today we drink to salute our troops and we do it with a beer that supports our vets and their families.  50 Back is an American Lager that donates 50% of its proceeds to the aforementioned group and does it through beer.  How cool is that?  So, how does it taste?  Well, it pours well, giving off a fruity/malty nose but an actual whiff of it is more akin to the nose of Fosters *shutter* or Bud Light.  The head last all of about 30 seconds before dissipating into that white bubbly ring around the glass that most draft beers develop half way through the drinking process.  After the nose, I was expecting a beer similar to a Bud or Bud Light but actually it was totally different, coming across like a lighter version of a hefeweizen with a citrus back.  The taste quickly turns into a sweet rice flavor that is found in Budweiser and stays light on the tongue.  Not a bad beer but not a good beer either, I would love to see this on tap some where or at least in bottle but, alas, none to my knowledge so far.  So hug and thank a vet, buy them a round if they want one and buy yourself a 50 Back, do something good with your drinking. 

Oskar Blues' Mama's Little Yella Pils:
Hello friends and neighbors and welcome to day 2 of my Rolling Stones venture in beer.  Yesterday we explored the a beer named after one of the most popular Stones’ tunes and today, we taste a little gem that I discovered a few weeks back and put two and two together on it’s name origin.  Mama’s Little Little Yella Pils is Oskar Blues answer to the traditional pilsner that has become a shadow of it’s former self thanks to the usual suspects.  The beer pours well, giving a small but stable head on a very yellow beer.  The nose is one of malts and bread and a bit of banana.  The taste is different, the use of malts is very noticeable when drinking this beer.  The initial taste is one of bread with a bit of hops that quickly disappear to a hop aurora that lingers throughout the mouth, leaving little room for a backend taste.  Not a bad beer, but not my cup of tea so to speak, I’ve never been a fan of pilsners in the first place (though Polestar is very good) and really, once is enough for me on this one.  Till tomorrow folks, adios.  What?  The Stones’ song it’s named after?  Oh right, forgot.  It’s “Mother’s Little Helper” off the “Through The Past, Darkly” album.  It’s mentioned once in the first part of the song, it’s worth YouTubeing (is that a word?).  A great song, very under appreciated.  There you go, new beer, new song.  A win-win for all. 

What a drag it is getting old
Kids are different today,
I hear every mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she’s not really ill
There’s a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

Karbach Brewing Co. Sympathy for the Lager:
Hello gentle snowflakes, and welcome to a short series of brews inspired by Rolling Stones songs. The first beer in my ode to one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 70s is probably one of their most popular songs, “Sympathy for the Devil“. Brewed in Houston, Texas, Karbach brewery has put together an attempt to reclaim the title lager from the ranks of the usual suspects. Sympathy for the Lager is a good brew that brings the lager back into the fold of full flavor. Brewed with a heavier hand of hops than most pale ales, this beer reminds me more of a good pale ale than anything else. It pours well with a decent head and a great nose of flowers and roasted malts. The taste is bitter on the front end of the tongue but quickly blossoms into a nice balance of earthy malts and citrus before taking on the requisite skunk that most pale ales have in their finish. Served cold, this bad boy is very enjoyable and I hope that wider distribution is gained for it and it‘s sister beers. Now, the brewery has embraced the whole Rolling Stones thing and even wrote their own version of “Sympathy for the Devil” and called it Lagerhythm on the can. I dare you not to read it and not have the original song playing in your head. Tomorrow, a beer inspired by not only a song title but a line in the song as well. Till then, sing along dear friends.

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a beer of damn fine taste
I've been around for a long, long time
Many brewers have ruined my name
I've watched now for several decades
As my character has been disgraced
But now the boys down on Karbach Street
Have gone and made me first rate
Full of fine malt and German hops
My taste is both clean and bold
And though my flavor always stands up
I'm best when enjoyed cold
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Show some sympathy
Enjoy my taste

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA:
Well hello all, and welcome to another day, another beer. Today we explore that exciting and deep roster that is Dogfish Head and it’s main line: the IPA minute series. Today I try what could be considered their entry IPA: the 60 minute IPA. In case you haven’t been paying attention, these brews get their names from how long they are continuously hopped during their brew time. The 60 minute is a good beer, and in any other line of beers, it’d be a great beer but in a line up that offers a 60, 75, 90, and 120, the 60 really has no chance of raising an eye brow, especially after a 120 (just ask Michael Weaver). The beer pours very well, easily forming a thick foamy head that gives off the aroma of flowers and bit of citrus. The nose of the beer itself is decidedly citrus with a subtle aroma of grass. The beer tastes like a watered down 90 minute with notes of citrus and flower being very subtle that grow into a skunk that lingers mightily at the back of the tongue. Now believe it or not, the 90 and 120 do not have a skunk to them, maybe it’s the time of hops in the tank, maybe it’s just me, but here in the 60 minute, it’s very noticeable. Like I said, this a good beer, but it can’t hold it’s own with the 90 and 120. I do wish I started out with this one a built up the chain but, alas, I can’t change the past so here you go. A good IPA in the Dogfish Head line up and if you’ve never had this one, do yourself a favor, get a bottle of this and 90 minute and compare for yourself, your taste may differ from mine. Till tomorrow friends.

Grolsch:
Greetings party people!  So today we head back to the land of tulips and their odd beers.  To be honest I bought this more for the bottle than actually wanting to try the beer.  Grolsch is the premium lager of the Grolsh brewery and to be honest, I had high expectations given the bottle and…well I’m not sure why else, but I did and they were dashed.  The beer pours well with a nice thick foam head that lingers for a while but the noses is bad, reeking of light hops that give it a skunk that I haven’t run across in a while.  The taste is slightly bitter at first but quickly moves to the skunk again and leaves a lingering back of the tongue flavor that can only be described as sour.  Best way to describe this bottle and it’s contents is this: this beer is Heineken’s older cousin and it’s not the jolly one.  I don’t recommended this beer, but this isn’t my scene, if it’s yours, more power to you, just don’t talk to me without having a water with you, your breath will be pretty atrocious with this one. 

Modelo Especial:
Ah hello there, and how are you?  Good? Glad to hear it.  Today I bring you blonde sister of my favorite Mexican beer: Negra Modelo.  Modelo Especial is a this sisters name and comparing it to other Mexican lagers is not even fair to those sad little beers (I’m looking at you Corona).  The beer pours well despite the short, squat bottle and gives off a nose of hops and malts and, if it was possible, crispiness.  There is a slight thin head on the beer that is more watery and for show than anything else.  The beer tastes slightly sweet on the front end but quickly dissipates into a light malt finish that doesn’t  linger too long on the tongue.  This is great find, another option for the Tex-Mex restaurant when ordering a beer  and since I’m doing my best to expand beyond Dos Equis, all the options I can muster, the better.    

Redstone Nectar of the Hops Mead:
Good den My Lords and Ladies!  Today we break from the beers for a more medieval fare.  Yes, today we touch the oldest libation in the world, mead.  I’ve let this bottle sit around long enough in the background of my pictures so now lets knock it out and see what we have.  Redstone Meadery, located in Boulder (what is it with Colorado and houses of libation creation??), the concoction comes in a very nice and reusable bottle that can be used to hold homemade brews, flowers, water, liquor, dirt, spiders…  Before we dive into today’s description, slight history lesson on mead.  Mead, or honey wine, is a fermented mixture of honey and water that can have flavorings added if need and can be carbonated.  Currently there are 37 known varieties of mead.  Earliest known record of mead is around 7000 B.C. in northern China, though we mainly think of mead for those scenes of medieval European kingdoms (thank you, Hollywood).  I’ve always pictured a fat King Henry VIII type, loaded with fat, jewelry and tights demanding that the wench bring him another goblet full before he cuts of his wife‘s head.  Well ,I’m no Henry and the only winches around here wag their tails and dig holes in the back yard, so lack of service keeps from that luxury.  So onto the mead, which is not carbonated and pours well, reminding me of a white wine in color.  The nose is a ethereal honey smell, with a slight alcoholic undertone that reminds me of cheap grain alcohol.  The taste not to far from the nose, tasting of watered down honey on the front of the tongue that seems to actually sweeten towards the back f the tongue and develop a flowery taste under the honey.  While the brew is thin and watery it coats the mouth with a film that keeps the honey taste around quite a while after finishing.  A good drink, though it’s not in my wheel house,  too sweet , too expensive and not enough people willing to try it.  If you can get a group to go all in on a bottle, do it and split it, it’s worth the experience, or if you run across it at a Renaissance festival, buy a glass.  Either way, make sure the girl you say “Wench, bring my goblet of mead!” is okay with it first.  I’m not responsible for her slapping you for that remark.   

Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer:
Welcome, welcome one and all to another day of beer reviews and another different beer that comes out of left field.  First off, this beer comes from a brewery that deserves my award for best brewery name: 21st Amendment Brewery. How awesome is that?  A brewery named after one of the measures to get us out of the depression (and to some, the 18th amendment helped us get into the depression, but that’s another topic for another time).  21st makes some very unique sounding beers with cleaver names like Back in Black, Allies Win The War, Bitter American, and Fireside Chat all are twisted takes on classic brews.  Today’s brew is their take on the wheat beer, Hell or High Watermelon.  The beer is brewed with real watermelons in the secondary fermentation phase (long explanation short: secondary fermentation is moving the brewed beer from the original vessel to another to let the still living yeast do their thing, again) giving it a unique and surprising flavor.  The beer itself pours well, giving a foggy gold color with a decent sized head that last for about half of the consumption.  The nose is wheat with a undertone of fresh watermelon and that leads us straight into the most important issue: taste.  The taste was wholly unexpected to me: this isn’t a sweet beer.  Not even close, tasting more like an over ripe watermelon washed down with a good double filtered wheat beer than anything else.   If you’ve every had watermelon juice, it’s much like that on the after taste, I noticed a watermelon flavor with every breath I exhaled during the glass emptying process.  A great beer, it’s a damn shame that it can’t be found here.  In fact, the closest place you can find this brewery’s beer is at DFW airport on Virgin Airlines.  On their flights, Virgin serves Brew Free of Die! IPA which includes the Richard Branson ice cubes on request.  The brewery is located in San Francisco and distributes to the Pacific coast , most of the Mid -Atlantic states and other states in the North but not us.  Hell, Alaska gets their beer but not us.  Sad.  Alas I have a few cans left over from my importing them from Delaware and they’ll be valued through the summer that’s for sure. 

Shiner Ruby Redbird:
Hello friends, and let me start off with a big thank you to my volunteer editors, knowing that at least some of y’all actually read these reviews makes me very happy.  Then again that  maybe that’s the beer talking.  Anyway, on to today’s brew and what a brew it is!  Spoetzl breweries’ Shiner beers are great beers and I believe they offer some of the best seasonal brews out there.  Today’s offering is their second attempt at a summer seasonal and this one seemed to hit at a triple by taking good ole Ruby Red Grapefruits from Texas and ginger and finding a great balance making Ruby Redbird a good Texas summer beer.  It’s a beer  that rolls together light, clean, and citrus flavors perfectly.  The beer pours very well, leaving a light colored head that sticks around for quite a while and gives off a ginger aroma.  The color is of a light amber and the nose is of a mixture of grapefruit and ginger.  The taste begins with the sweet/sour red grapefruit taste and moves to a light ginger finish that sticks around in the aftertaste.  The beer is a great summer beer and by actually using grapefruit and not just hops that smell like it, the flavor is so different that it can divide a room like Democrats and Republicans.  I have to admit that I’m on the fence over the beer and its pros and cons.  I do see the side that says that this beer is too unique in it’s flavor to enjoy with a meal but I also see the side that loves the unique flavor that makes this a great hot weather beer.  Either way, give it a try, it’s worth it.    

Left Hand Brewery Milk Stout:
Once again, hello all. Today we revisit the left side of I-25, literally.  Left Hand Brewery is one of the those odd ducks that hasn’t caught on with the hipster crowd yet (maybe not, only know from my little corner of the world) and remains probably one of the best all around breweries in America.  While their Polestar Pilsner is one of my favorite brews, I have to admit, today’s brew has me at a crossroads of sort.  The Milk Stout is a good beer with a sweet under current that gives it a distinctive taste when freshly poured of chocolate and vanilla in a porter beer.  However, once that beer becomes warmer than what ever temperature you originally had poured it at, it begins to lose those two wonderful tastes and takes on a very neutral semi-sweet flavor that really doesn’t sit well with me.  There isn’t really  good head formation to speak of, it only lasts for a minute or two and the nose is one of subtle malts, really leaving the tongue to do all the leg work on this one.  It’s not a bad brew, just not my cup of tea.  Much milder than a Guinness, this porter is an excellent way to get that special lady (or guy) friend into darker beers. 

Miller Lite:
‘Ello luvs! Welcome to another thrilling edition of Apocalyptic Beer Reviews.  Seeing how the world may or may not be ending in December I want to potentially go out with a good beer in my hand, hence my wanting to knock out the usual suspects as early as possible.  Today brings us to the conclusion of those 4 and none to soon.  For those wondering, it’s Bud(weiser), Bud Light, Coors Light and Miller Light.  Of those four, Coors Light and Miller Light seem to be in an arms race on who can make the cheesiest bottle and can possible.  Aluminum pints, cold activated labels, two stage cold activated labels, wide mouth  cans, taste protection lid (which my can has), spiral bottle necks, and the newest, a second air hole (saw it on a billboard today, promise).  Of the three light beers, this one is by far the most flavorful of the group, and probably deserves some credit for being the watchers of the bee in the jar while the better beers are showcased. Miller Light pours ok, being a little on the foamy side no matter how well you try to pour it and the nose is a mix of the pilsner malts and hops.  The taste is sharper than one would expect, bring a bite of hops at the front end and a subtle banana flavor to the back that is quickly followed by lots of fizz and a dry finish.  Now I know we have all tried this beer in the past, don’t be ashamed to admit it.  Before Bud Light Platinum came along, this would have been my light beer of choice and still is when it comes to the canned variety.   Until Platinum comes in a can (not very likely from what I’ve heard) this is my cheap “river beer’ of choice and I will stick to my guns on this one.  I’m just glad I don’t have to use my dorm room key to punch a hole in the bottom anymore.  All that work to just drink my beer faster is hard work.  Till tomorrow friends.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre:
Well hello y’all! Here today we venture back the off centered world of Dogfish Head Brewery and one of their year round ales, Raison D’Etre. Working in lockstep with most of the Dogfish brews this one combines an interesting mix of ingredients that results in a good, albeit heavy, beer. What are those ingredients you ask? Well beet sugar, raisins, and Belgian yeasts are used to create a complex flavor and nose. The beer pours well enough with a decent head, about a finger in width but it last all of a few minutes at best and dissipates while the beer’s carbonation is mild, mainly staying in the back ground. The nose is of lots of fruit though the raisins do cut through most and is the most memorable. The taste is very complex, starting off with a dried fruit flavor but quickly moves to a roasted malt flavor that still carries the dried fruit while the finish is heavy and malt like allowing the flavors to linger long enough to still be enjoyed. Another good beer from the boys from Rehoboth, not a favorite but worth having a go again if I ever run across it, though in the mean time, I have plenty more to go in their line-up before I have to worry about that. It’ll tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel!

Saint Arnold's Endeavour:
Evening ladies and germs, today we celebrate the end of an era. With today’s beer, we mark the end of the NASA space program as we know it and whom better to handle that commemoration than a Houston Brewery, specifically, Saint Arnold’s Brewery. Texas’ oldest craft beer brewer has given us a wonderful double IPA affectionately called Endeavor. This IPA was a risk I took in trying so soon after the other worldly 120 on May 1 but I decided that if this developed beer needed to hold it’s own against the standard bearer of the category ASAP (also Endeavor won a silver medal in the IPA section the world beer challenge this week so that’s saying something right there). The beer starts with a good pour into an oversized beer glass and develops a nice thick head almost immediately that sticks around for a long time, achieving two fingers in thickness before settling to about a third of an inch during consumption. The nose is of fruits, specifically of citrus. S.A. states that this nose transforms into peaches though I didn’t get that vibe, just a strong grape fruit smell that all really good IPA’s should have. The taste is a complex one, starting off very smooth and cream like but that quickly gives way to hops. Lots of hops but not enough to bring into the skunk category, just enough to add a serious bite. The aftertaste is a dry hoppy grain taste that dose linger a bit so unless your date likes the smell of hops on your breath, drink a glass of water. Per the website, S.A. recommends serving 45 degrees and up and while my accommodations prior to this drink out were set with keeping the beer at 45 degrees and cant b allowed to mature. I think I’ll grab a few more bottles and store them somewhere till the time is right, Time not only heals wounds, it makes for god theater. Till tomorrow.

Victoria and Tezon Resposedo Tequila:
Happy Cinco De Mayo people!  As we celebrate Mexican independence from Spain, let’s dive into two true Mexican items: a Mexican Beer and a Tequila.  First, of course is the beer, in particular, a relatively new beer to us stateside and as the good people at Crown Imports put it here in Texas (it was initially released in Chicago, to a “successful” debut there).  In a little research I found a good article about the release here in Texas on the Observer website that gave details of the beer before the release that had everything from hording, price fixing and hide n’ go seek.   Victoria is hailed as Mexico’s oldest beer, tracing itself all the way back to 1865 and is a “Vienna Style Lager” (that’s a new one) that is now brewed by Grupo Modelo, the largest brewer in Mexico.  The beer pours well leaving a medium sized head that disappears quickly in the process of setting up camera shots, pouring tequila and etc.  The nose is on of caramel notes with a undertone of malts and corn. The taste is underwhelming, slightly sweet with just hints of hops but mainly neutral in tone, flavor and carbonation.  I had high hopes for this beer, hoping that it would something to challenge Negro Modelo but alas, it wasn’t.  It wasn’t bad but nothing about it will bring me back to it, at least not on my dime.

Now lets talk tequila.  My personal favorite is one of these that is no longer distributing it here in the states.  Sad I know, and trust me I’m rationing the last third of my bottle.  Tezon is a tequila that I found at the same time of discovering the awesomeness of the tequila bar at Blue Mesa.  Not going to say much because, sadly, it’s no longer available, but know that in my humble opinion, a Resposado tequila, not a blanco or anjeo.  Resposados are aged old white oak bourbon barrels for 8-10 months.  Guess I know why I like this one.  Supposedly you can find this here and there in clearance bins at liquor stores, and if you find any of the three, I’d recommended picking up some. 

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale:
Hello all and, after two days of hitting the “main stream”, it’s back to craft brews. Today we revisit Lagunitas Brewery, makers of that great breakfast beer Cappacino Stout from earlier in the year on January 29 and now here we are again, visiting our friends from Petaluma. Today’s beer is a hybrid of sorts taking a wheat beer and combining it with a strong pale ale. Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is a wheat beer with a kick that makes this a good wheat beer for those of us beer drinkers trying to avoid being used by wheat beers (you know who you are). The beer pours really well leaving a small head which is dense and last most of the beer. The nose is of fruits and flowers due to the large variety of hops as well as the three different types of wheat. The taste is of strong hops on the front of the tongue that has the subtle mellow flavor of a wheat beer and has a rather surprisingly sour back end. A good beer though I think that the excessive hops will turn away a lot of people from trying this beer which is a shame but then again, there is no accounting for taste.

Ziegenbock:
Hello cats and kittens, and welcomes to another installment of beer.  Today we explore another Texas only beer, this one, brewed by Anheuser-Busch and is their answer to Shiner Bock, Ziegenbock. A beer brewed “for Texans by Texans” this beer is actually brewed here in Texas at the Anheuser-Busch in Houston and marketed by their ICS arm (Import-Craft-Specialty) which includes Goose Island, Rolling Rock and Red Hook among others.  The beer was drunk at Applebee’s which serves a normal pint at $1.80 which is almost as cheap as buying a single and taste better than a bottle.  Personally this was my beer of choice when I first got to college and enjoyed it till trying Shiner and putting myself in their camp from then on. The nose of the beer is one of caramel malts and grains and is light to medium on the carbonation.  The taste is subtle with the same caramel malt nose moving through the whole tasting.  The back end is very light and doesn’t linger too much and keeps just enough a hint to remind you of what you just had.  Not a bad beer, Ziegenboch is light on ABV (4%) like Shiner (4.4%) and just like Shiner Bock, doesn’t conform to the German BJCP laws for bocks, but who cares, it’s a good beer and it can be had relatively inexpensively.  Not a bad combo.

Lone Star Light:
So when in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Right?  Well I’ll assume all of y’all are nodding “yes” so I will move forward.  Today’s beer is brought to you by the Dixie Chicken in Aggie Land (that’s College Station for those of you outside of Texas) and is the light beer of “The Official Beer of Texas”  of “The National Beer of Texas” Lone Star.  Distributed here only in Texas, we are told we should feel special; award wining and brewed with chosen grain and hops, this beer is designed to make 49 other states jealous but I doubt that’s happening anytime soon.  Lone Star Light is brewed in several locations including my current home town Fort Worth by Pabst.  A quick side note, Pabst brewing was at Beer Fest a few weeks ago, pouring PBR, Lone Star and Lone Star Light.  I ran across them about an hour and a half into my time there and the reps stood by themselves, disheveled, lonely and all around bored.  I got a sample of Lone Star from them just to give them something to do and they didn’t even crack a smile, eye contact or even stamp my card for the pour.  Well, after tasting Lone Star Light, I can’t blame them.  A very “oh hum” beer that really fails to excite the palette, the nose or the imagination, it is a true light beer in the strictest sense.  While I haven’t gotten around to the regular Lone Star, I can only imagine that it’s got more flavor than this bottle of sparkling water.  I saw a Pearl Beer sign there as well but I didn’t want to chance two bad beers in a row so I opted to finishing my beer while watching a bunch of corps members dunk their rings in giant beer mugs and then guzzle it down so they could wear it with drunken pride.  Yeah, excitement thy name is not insurance road trips. 

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA:
Ahem.  Order, order in the court of beer.  Today, I bring before you what is possibly the single best bottle of beer in America.  This beer is highly sought after by hop heads and beer afficandos alike.  Though this beer is of the variety that sends many average beer drinkers running for the hills, those brave (or curious) enough to try it have been wowed by it’s nose, it’s flavor and it’s rich color.  My friends, I speak of the hard to find bigger brother of my favorite beer Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, and that brother is their 120 Minute IPA. To know the awesomeness of this beer, you need to understand what this beer is, which is hopped beyond hoppiness, hopped more than a rabbit going cross country. This beer is hopped for 2 full hours (hence the 120) while being boiled with high alpha American hops, dry-hopped every day while in fermentation for a month and then aged for a month on whole leaf hops.  Yeah, wow.  How does it taste?  Like a ripe grapefruit which has been puréed with a strong ale then mixed with something flowery.  That’s the best way I can describe it in a short and concise, the long description would basically have a new description with every sip and I don’t guzzle this, it’s at least 19% ABV, more like 20%.  The sad thing about this is it’s lack of availability here in Texas.  I’ve heard  several different reasons to this including the high alcohol content per bottle to the sheer small size of the batches.  This batch, vintage 2008 is a nice ripe age of 4 years and could age another 6 and be even more amazing.  How’d I come across this bottle you ask?  Well after planning a work trip to Delaware and Rehoboth Beach which is home to the brew pub for Dogfish I drank my first glass of this and quickly inquired in the was any to purchase, a 4 pack later (really a suitcase full of beer later) I was back in Texas and distributed two of my four pack to friends.  So there you go, what is possibly the greatest beer in America and I was lucky enough to have had it twice.  A great way to start May off, expect big things this month friends.