Thursday, December 27, 2012

Tasting: Bell de Loing

Bell de Loing


Got this baby on sale after christmas! And boy was that a mistake. 

A: flat root beer with week old cornflakes dancing around.

S: yeasty, wet malts

T: Tang and sugared cereals followed by a mild alcohol
The consume by date was valid although I didn't write it down,
it was the first thing I looked for. It wasn't out of date, just wasn't
happy.
M: The flighting pieces are too much. Make it stop

O: I couldn't finish mine. It says a lot when beer whore like myself doesn't force consume my alcohol, but it simply wasn't possible. This was a day after christmas day sale item I wish I could return. 

Tasting: Bell de Loing

Bell de Loing


Got this baby on sale after christmas! And boy was that a mistake. 

A: flat root beer with week old cornflakes dancing around.

S: yeasty, wet malts

T: Tang and sugared cereals followed by a mild alcohol
The consume by date was valid although I didn't write it down,
it was the first thing I looked for. It wasn't out of date, just wasn't
happy.
M: The flighting pieces are too much. Make it stop

O: I couldn't finish mine. It says a lot when beer whore like myself doesn't force consume my alcohol, but it simply wasn't possible. This was a day after christmas day sale item I wish I could return. 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Tasting: Rosita Original

Oooooh Ros ita, Rosi taaaaaa
There must be a spanish guitar in the background while you say that. 
Barcelona delivers this crisp, clean gem of a brew, made right here in the heart of it all: Catalonia, Spain. Best drank as an aperitif with its light body and well balanced bossom. She is more then enough relaxation after a long day of touristing.


Tasting: Rosita Original

Oooooh Ros ita, Rosi taaaaaa
There must be a spanish guitar in the background while you say that. 
Barcelona delivers this crisp, clean gem of a brew, made right here in the heart of it all: Catalonia, Spain. Best drank as an aperitif with its light body and well balanced bossom. She is more then enough relaxation after a long day of touristing.


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Tasting: Montseny Malta and IPA


Walking around Barcelona, passed a wine shop and figured I'd give it chance to impress me. I walked out with a puse filled with each beer they had, which was all of three. The bag was heavy and my shoulders hurt more then my feet when we got home. Although my friends made fun of me, it was worth it. I would have liked to see someone try and rob me with that haul. 
All around a fairly up standing set of brews. We accompanied them with some odd holiday candies the man we were renting our flat from gave us. Crumbly holiday cakes and beer in wine glasses- ahh the sweet mix of Spanish travel.


Montseny Brewing in Sant Miquel de Balenyà, Seva, Barcelona. I will be checking out the brewery tour at my next visit to the city!



Tasting: Montseny Malta and IPA


Walking around Barcelona, passed a wine shop and figured I'd give it chance to impress me. I walked out with a puse filled with each beer they had, which was all of three. The bag was heavy and my shoulders hurt more then my feet when we got home. Although my friends made fun of me, it was worth it. I would have liked to see someone try and rob me with that haul. 
All around a fairly up standing set of brews. We accompanied them with some odd holiday candies the man we were renting our flat from gave us. Crumbly holiday cakes and beer in wine glasses- ahh the sweet mix of Spanish travel.


Montseny Brewing in Sant Miquel de Balenyà, Seva, Barcelona. I will be checking out the brewery tour at my next visit to the city!



Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Dark Tower's Graf Beer

The guys at Brewing TV gave me a nerd'gasim when I punched in the video for episode 68. I like to pretend that youtube is a VHS player, sometimes I have to adjust the tracking with a little buffering.

Graf is being made.

The beer mentioned (on what page of which book?) in The Dark Tower series by Steven King. The inspiration for Devil Driver's "Forgiveness is a six gun" and the influence behind Nitch's main tattoo, The Gunslinger is a fictional character much like Jesus. His trials and tribulations, along with his apostles, has changed the lives of many. His quotes ring around the web and stem off into hundreds of different mediums. Destiny willing, some of the blessed followers have taken the tart, apple based brew from the pages of King's mind to the hands of the believers.



Graf is a strong hard cider or apple-based beer widely consumed in In-World. The specifics of the beverage are not mentioned (except to say that some varieties of graf are weak while others are eye-wateringly strong). 
Modern homebrew aficionados have created a huge variety of graf recipes (usually calling it "graff"), originally inspired by the Dark Tower series (as there is no known historical beverage called 'graf'). They share in common the idea that graf is a malted, slightly hopped cider however many recipes also add a number of spices and/or adjunct fruits. Some recipes have a relatively small malt contribution (being almost entirely cider) while others could be described more as apple beer (with large amounts of malt and only a small amount of apple). 
Graf is said to taste tart, light and refreshing with a deceptively high alcohol content.



Home-brewer's Gunslinger Graff
Nothing more beautiful then turning Science Fiction into fact!

The Home-brewing forums have packs of recipes currently in circulation and Reddit.com has whole forums of conversation regarding the brew from all angles:  is it a cider or a beer, will it work or wont it, what spices could be added, what yeast or grains, and the ultimate knowing of rather graf was plucked from the space between King's ears or existed in a distant past.

Nitch has listed Graf or Graff or simply "that strange amber apple pie brew" as one of her Home Brewing musts. You will be updated when it happens.

Long days and pleasant nights



The Dark Tower's Graf Beer

The guys at Brewing TV gave me a nerd'gasim when I punched in the video for episode 68. I like to pretend that youtube is a VHS player, sometimes I have to adjust the tracking with a little buffering.

Graf is being made.

The beer mentioned (on what page of which book?) in The Dark Tower series by Steven King. The inspiration for Devil Driver's "Forgiveness is a six gun" and the influence behind Nitch's main tattoo, The Gunslinger is a fictional character much like Jesus. His trials and tribulations, along with his apostles, has changed the lives of many. His quotes ring around the web and stem off into hundreds of different mediums. Destiny willing, some of the blessed followers have taken the tart, apple based brew from the pages of King's mind to the hands of the believers.



Graf is a strong hard cider or apple-based beer widely consumed in In-World. The specifics of the beverage are not mentioned (except to say that some varieties of graf are weak while others are eye-wateringly strong). 
Modern homebrew aficionados have created a huge variety of graf recipes (usually calling it "graff"), originally inspired by the Dark Tower series (as there is no known historical beverage called 'graf'). They share in common the idea that graf is a malted, slightly hopped cider however many recipes also add a number of spices and/or adjunct fruits. Some recipes have a relatively small malt contribution (being almost entirely cider) while others could be described more as apple beer (with large amounts of malt and only a small amount of apple). 
Graf is said to taste tart, light and refreshing with a deceptively high alcohol content.



Home-brewer's Gunslinger Graff
Nothing more beautiful then turning Science Fiction into fact!

The Home-brewing forums have packs of recipes currently in circulation and Reddit.com has whole forums of conversation regarding the brew from all angles:  is it a cider or a beer, will it work or wont it, what spices could be added, what yeast or grains, and the ultimate knowing of rather graf was plucked from the space between King's ears or existed in a distant past.

Nitch has listed Graf or Graff or simply "that strange amber apple pie brew" as one of her Home Brewing musts. You will be updated when it happens.

Long days and pleasant nights



Fancy Froths: Crafting a Nation

I'm starting up a new section called Fancy Froths
A run down of all the newest and best'est in the beautiful world of beer ogling. I needed a space to put things that inspire me (and likely you as well), so that they could be showed off and not just lusted after like the Thirsting For range. 

To kick off the group I've got a kickstarter.com that is worth a whole heap of foaming love:



If you haven't already put in your $10 (because $1 is really toy'ish) then hop over and give some winter love. Information is strength and they have their hands deep in the "beer for the world" cause. The revolution of fermenting is coming and it will be best that we all connect as much as possible.


Fancy Froths: Crafting a Nation

I'm starting up a new section called Fancy Froths
A run down of all the newest and best'est in the beautiful world of beer ogling. I needed a space to put things that inspire me (and likely you as well), so that they could be showed off and not just lusted after like the Thirsting For range. 

To kick off the group I've got a kickstarter.com that is worth a whole heap of foaming love:



If you haven't already put in your $10 (because $1 is really toy'ish) then hop over and give some winter love. Information is strength and they have their hands deep in the "beer for the world" cause. The revolution of fermenting is coming and it will be best that we all connect as much as possible.


Monday, December 10, 2012

Thirsting For: The BeerBug

My hours of trolling kickstarter have yet to pay off with me finding that radically cool thing being marketed before anyone else I know.

Thank you Reddit for bringing to my attention this christmas desire I didn't even know I was thirsting for!

A Digial Hydrometer!
(oddly enough, wiki credits Hypathia of Greece for the invention, which pulls to my mind a fantastic movie called Agora that is a dramatic, philosophical must see with no relation to beer)



The Nitch agrees with the boys slinging the product, "I feel a lot of pain and distress when I have to manually take a hydrometer measure." And sometimes it gets my hands dirty.

I can hear my great grand children now, "you had to take gravity readings like a Neanderthal did?!" Pretty much, yeah. Brewing processes haven't changed so greatly from our ancestorial times, aside from refrigeration. There are brewers who still do everything by eye, sound and smell!

The BeerBug allows you to pop your head into your brew! Like at the aquarium where you can crawl into the passing strangeness of the plastic and pee smelling hole to pop up under a glass bubble so your head is under water with the fishes: but for beer.

Yes, Nitch is craving a BeerBug, which is great because it was funded around November 21st and is selling for around $200 a pop. Ouch, I know, not the price we were all looking for, but a step down the ladder and they'll be chewed up with purchases. Give em time to devalue a bit, like those 3d printers and soon, we'll all be asking, "wait, you measure your gravity with a hydrometer?"

Thirsting For: The BeerBug

My hours of trolling kickstarter have yet to pay off with me finding that radically cool thing being marketed before anyone else I know.

Thank you Reddit for bringing to my attention this christmas desire I didn't even know I was thirsting for!

A Digial Hydrometer!
(oddly enough, wiki credits Hypathia of Greece for the invention, which pulls to my mind a fantastic movie called Agora that is a dramatic, philosophical must see with no relation to beer)



The Nitch agrees with the boys slinging the product, "I feel a lot of pain and distress when I have to manually take a hydrometer measure." And sometimes it gets my hands dirty.

I can hear my great grand children now, "you had to take gravity readings like a Neanderthal did?!" Pretty much, yeah. Brewing processes haven't changed so greatly from our ancestorial times, aside from refrigeration. There are brewers who still do everything by eye, sound and smell!

The BeerBug allows you to pop your head into your brew! Like at the aquarium where you can crawl into the passing strangeness of the plastic and pee smelling hole to pop up under a glass bubble so your head is under water with the fishes: but for beer.

Yes, Nitch is craving a BeerBug, which is great because it was funded around November 21st and is selling for around $200 a pop. Ouch, I know, not the price we were all looking for, but a step down the ladder and they'll be chewed up with purchases. Give em time to devalue a bit, like those 3d printers and soon, we'll all be asking, "wait, you measure your gravity with a hydrometer?"

Thirsting For: Brew Cave

Christmas is coming up so Nitch is getting together a list of all the wonderful things for christmas that Santa can't fit under the christmas tree and adding them all to her "Thirsting for" beer wants, gifts and awesome section.



A walk in brew cave is a must have for the savy, habitat nomad. Why build a storage area into your old basement washroom when you could conveniently plop this gem down on the garage floor and havve at it!

(Not shipped outside the U.S.A., because all good things come from where I'm not living at the moment)


This isn’t your typical beverage cooler; it’s more like a piece of heaven, if heaven were climate controlled and located in your basement. Seriously though, the BrewCave is the walk in cooler that has everything!
The modular, panel design of each unit is fully tested and each piece is shipped to you separately, so you can assemble it right where you want it to be. Every panel (and the optional floor) has four inches of insulation sandwiched between inner and outer metal skins, so you know the inside of the cooler will remain igloo-cold. Good thing too, because with shelving space for over 30 cases of beer and room for four kegs on top of that, frostiness is your friend.
Speaking of those kegs, this unit has the added bonus of doubling as quite possibly the world’s largest kegerator. Everything you need to make this the ultimate draft beer dispensing system is included with your shipment, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor from day one.
Easy assembly, exceptional utility, and extreme good looks…the BrewCave is pretty much a cross between a miracle and another miracle!
Features
  • Each panel consists of inner and outer metal skins, a 4” insulation core, and cam-action locking devices
  • Black stucco embossed galvanized finish covers the interior & exterior walls and ceilings
  • Stores over 30 cases of beer and 4 or more kegs
  • Perfect for restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, or home use
  • Each panel is engineered to provide quick and easy assembly
  • All walk-ins are pre-assembled at the manufacturing facility for quality control, but shipped in individual panels
  • Installation instructions and lay-out drawing are included
  • The locking devices are operable from inside the walk-in for safety
  • Construction is approved by the National Sanitation Foundation International
  • Wood-free tongue and groove panel assembly
  • Choose either no-floor or stainless steel 4” insulation floor
  • Vinyl NSF approved floor screeds are provided for all floor-less Brew Caves
  • Shelving fits the back and two side walls, 3 shelves for each wall
  • Pre-assembled outside remote refrigeration system is included
  • Complete beer dispensing kit included
  • Refrigeration system is designed to hold product at 32°F

    Includes




    • (1) Aluminum CO2 tank (empty)
    • (1) US Sankey Keg Beer Coupler – D System – Lever Handle
    • (1) Double gauge CO2 regulator
    • (1) Chrome faucet head
    • (1) Faucet knob
    • (1) 5” shank
    • (1) Beer line with connectors
    • (1) Air line with clamps
    • (1) Tap soother faucet cap
    • (1) 6” wall mount drip tray (stainless steel with drain)
    • (2) 18” x 48” x 74” black shelves
    • (1) 18” x 36” x 74” black shelf
    • (2) Packages of 8 chrome S hooks
    • (1) Hex-shaped wrench
    • Please Note: Branded tap handle seen in product pictures is not included

    Thirsting For: Brew Cave

    Christmas is coming up so Nitch is getting together a list of all the wonderful things for christmas that Santa can't fit under the christmas tree and adding them all to her "Thirsting for" beer wants, gifts and awesome section.



    A walk in brew cave is a must have for the savy, habitat nomad. Why build a storage area into your old basement washroom when you could conveniently plop this gem down on the garage floor and havve at it!

    (Not shipped outside the U.S.A., because all good things come from where I'm not living at the moment)


    This isn’t your typical beverage cooler; it’s more like a piece of heaven, if heaven were climate controlled and located in your basement. Seriously though, the BrewCave is the walk in cooler that has everything!
    The modular, panel design of each unit is fully tested and each piece is shipped to you separately, so you can assemble it right where you want it to be. Every panel (and the optional floor) has four inches of insulation sandwiched between inner and outer metal skins, so you know the inside of the cooler will remain igloo-cold. Good thing too, because with shelving space for over 30 cases of beer and room for four kegs on top of that, frostiness is your friend.
    Speaking of those kegs, this unit has the added bonus of doubling as quite possibly the world’s largest kegerator. Everything you need to make this the ultimate draft beer dispensing system is included with your shipment, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor from day one.
    Easy assembly, exceptional utility, and extreme good looks…the BrewCave is pretty much a cross between a miracle and another miracle!
    Features
    • Each panel consists of inner and outer metal skins, a 4” insulation core, and cam-action locking devices
    • Black stucco embossed galvanized finish covers the interior & exterior walls and ceilings
    • Stores over 30 cases of beer and 4 or more kegs
    • Perfect for restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, or home use
    • Each panel is engineered to provide quick and easy assembly
    • All walk-ins are pre-assembled at the manufacturing facility for quality control, but shipped in individual panels
    • Installation instructions and lay-out drawing are included
    • The locking devices are operable from inside the walk-in for safety
    • Construction is approved by the National Sanitation Foundation International
    • Wood-free tongue and groove panel assembly
    • Choose either no-floor or stainless steel 4” insulation floor
    • Vinyl NSF approved floor screeds are provided for all floor-less Brew Caves
    • Shelving fits the back and two side walls, 3 shelves for each wall
    • Pre-assembled outside remote refrigeration system is included
    • Complete beer dispensing kit included
    • Refrigeration system is designed to hold product at 32°F

      Includes




      • (1) Aluminum CO2 tank (empty)
      • (1) US Sankey Keg Beer Coupler – D System – Lever Handle
      • (1) Double gauge CO2 regulator
      • (1) Chrome faucet head
      • (1) Faucet knob
      • (1) 5” shank
      • (1) Beer line with connectors
      • (1) Air line with clamps
      • (1) Tap soother faucet cap
      • (1) 6” wall mount drip tray (stainless steel with drain)
      • (2) 18” x 48” x 74” black shelves
      • (1) 18” x 36” x 74” black shelf
      • (2) Packages of 8 chrome S hooks
      • (1) Hex-shaped wrench
      • Please Note: Branded tap handle seen in product pictures is not included

      "Women, don't be afraid of beer"

      Women aren't afraid of anything

      Or shouldn't be at least.


      Since we are masters of the universe, it is tragic that men forget to understand the potential for destruction we have. Difference between men and women is that men blow things up and women tell them to push the button, subliminally, years before they were even elected official button pusher.
      At times our amazingly sweet subtly is difficult to get across the internet and we have to take a less then cherry pie approach  A lovely lady in the Cincinnati-area on a fantastic "all things alcohol" community blog put a few men whirling with her straight and hard cocked facts (with a light dollop of opinion) on Women and Beer. 

      The Brew Professor may be picking pieces of love dust from his teeth, because that was a high and cheery blow to the cranium. Women are stereotyped in the beer world, which is fine, because men are still stereotyped in fashion world. It is an even trade for the moment.

      "Women, don't be afraid of beer"

      Women aren't afraid of anything

      Or shouldn't be at least.


      Since we are masters of the universe, it is tragic that men forget to understand the potential for destruction we have. Difference between men and women is that men blow things up and women tell them to push the button, subliminally, years before they were even elected official button pusher.
      At times our amazingly sweet subtly is difficult to get across the internet and we have to take a less then cherry pie approach  A lovely lady in the Cincinnati-area on a fantastic "all things alcohol" community blog put a few men whirling with her straight and hard cocked facts (with a light dollop of opinion) on Women and Beer. 

      The Brew Professor may be picking pieces of love dust from his teeth, because that was a high and cheery blow to the cranium. Women are stereotyped in the beer world, which is fine, because men are still stereotyped in fashion world. It is an even trade for the moment.

      National Lager Day!


      Tip a cheers M'Ladies and Gentle Beer Lovers to the love of Lagers! 

      December 10th 2012


      A special thanks to the City of Pilzen for creating a beer style that in a few short decades, took over the world. Thank you Germany and your immigrants to American, thank you Saccharomyces pastorianus for multiplying at the bottom of the barrel, thank you Louis Pasture for discovering yeast and thank you to everyone worldwide who keeps the true lager alive while commercial blandess parades around in mockery. 

      National Lager Day!


      Tip a cheers M'Ladies and Gentle Beer Lovers to the love of Lagers! 

      December 10th 2012


      A special thanks to the City of Pilzen for creating a beer style that in a few short decades, took over the world. Thank you Germany and your immigrants to American, thank you Saccharomyces pastorianus for multiplying at the bottom of the barrel, thank you Louis Pasture for discovering yeast and thank you to everyone worldwide who keeps the true lager alive while commercial blandess parades around in mockery. 

      Saturday, December 8, 2012

      Thirsting For: Beer of the Month Club

      Beer of the Month Club


      Nitch is wish listing this repetitive little nugget as she got it waved in her face by a friend in the U.S. who has been subscribed for almost a year already with great delight. As to be expected, they aren't an international establishment, but I've learned not to hold my breath for fear of constantly blue skin. 

      Reasons to go for it?

      #1. Great selection. They really seem to get some good stuff from local and over seas. What they currently have is inique and diverse from small local stuff and overseas. They get some great imports as I saw while sampling through my friend's international selection. There honestly were some beers I had never heard of from Germany and Belgium rolling around his refrigerator which were spaced between some things I had already noted.

      #2. Trusted tasting panel. Their tasting panel used to be headed by Michael Jackson, nuf said.

      Incase you want more then the nuf: 

      The tasting panel has over 100 years of combined experience, over about 6 people, looks like. Averaging about 17 years per person in experience although the picture only shows one lady who is rather youthful in appearance. I would love to see a few more lady palates in there, namely The Nitch. I need a job.

      Each year they rate over 500 brews which is a rather small number for a such a large group but in mathematical terms I guess that is about 1 new beer every other day for the team.

      Seems like they are friendly time with the breweries so they get some pretty good insight and special edition stuff.

      #3. Mixed bag. They offer a variety of packages which offer a fairly diverse selection of beer styles along with the ability to add on non beer clubs like cheese and chocolate. These are things I can get around the corner where I live, but you's all in America should sign right up and get the best of most creamy and sweet of most dark to combine powers with your beers.

      #4. Been around the block. They've been kickin this project around the States for over 18 years, having started er up in 1994.

      Most grand understanding of the connection between great thinkers is that BeerPulse posted today about this same company, stating that the Micro brewed selection is  big winner. They have a link for discounts!
      Discounts are good!





      Three (or six) ways to go with these guys:


      The U.S. Microbrewed Beer Club
      Members get twelve, 12-oz. beers from two different lightly distributed U.S. Microbreweries. Each shipment includes four different beer styles, three bottles of each style and our monthly newsletter detailing tasting notes, beer specifications, brewery profiles, suggested food pairings, and more. 
      $23.95 per month plus $15 S&H 
      The U.S. and International variety Beer Club
      The International Beer ClubOffering the greatest variety, our most popular club features beers from both U.S. craft breweries as well as imported selections from time-honored breweries in some of the world’s most respected brewing countries such as Germany, Belgium and England. Members get twelve, 12-oz. beers including four different beer styles from both US and imported breweries and our monthly newsletter. 
      $29.95 per month plus $15 S&H
       The International Beer Club
      For those most interested in exploring beers crafted abroad, members of our International Beer Club get twelve, 12-oz. beers from two different imported breweries. Each shipment includes two different beer styles, six bottles of each style and our monthly newsletter. 
      $33.95 per month plus $15 S&H

      AND then, three more options from the: 

      Which gives you exclusive, no yet distributed in the U.S. brews and things that could be cellared and aged. This set up also gives you the Personalized Shipment Program which allows you to get only the featured beers you want, because control is always a good thing. 
      If you are in the U.S.A. and have a beer budget or a buddy drinker, pick this gift up! You can always create it how you want and then tack on the wine selection for your finicky other. Heck, I'd get the whole lot and set up a monthly tasting with my friends while I squirreled the unique bottles down into my celler. (or back of my closet, as it were.)
      All pictures taken from the BeerMonthClub site.

      Thirsting For: Beer of the Month Club

      Beer of the Month Club


      Nitch is wish listing this repetitive little nugget as she got it waved in her face by a friend in the U.S. who has been subscribed for almost a year already with great delight. As to be expected, they aren't an international establishment, but I've learned not to hold my breath for fear of constantly blue skin. 

      Reasons to go for it?

      #1. Great selection. They really seem to get some good stuff from local and over seas. What they currently have is inique and diverse from small local stuff and overseas. They get some great imports as I saw while sampling through my friend's international selection. There honestly were some beers I had never heard of from Germany and Belgium rolling around his refrigerator which were spaced between some things I had already noted.

      #2. Trusted tasting panel. Their tasting panel used to be headed by Michael Jackson, nuf said.

      Incase you want more then the nuf: 

      The tasting panel has over 100 years of combined experience, over about 6 people, looks like. Averaging about 17 years per person in experience although the picture only shows one lady who is rather youthful in appearance. I would love to see a few more lady palates in there, namely The Nitch. I need a job.

      Each year they rate over 500 brews which is a rather small number for a such a large group but in mathematical terms I guess that is about 1 new beer every other day for the team.

      Seems like they are friendly time with the breweries so they get some pretty good insight and special edition stuff.

      #3. Mixed bag. They offer a variety of packages which offer a fairly diverse selection of beer styles along with the ability to add on non beer clubs like cheese and chocolate. These are things I can get around the corner where I live, but you's all in America should sign right up and get the best of most creamy and sweet of most dark to combine powers with your beers.

      #4. Been around the block. They've been kickin this project around the States for over 18 years, having started er up in 1994.

      Most grand understanding of the connection between great thinkers is that BeerPulse posted today about this same company, stating that the Micro brewed selection is  big winner. They have a link for discounts!
      Discounts are good!





      Three (or six) ways to go with these guys:


      The U.S. Microbrewed Beer Club
      Members get twelve, 12-oz. beers from two different lightly distributed U.S. Microbreweries. Each shipment includes four different beer styles, three bottles of each style and our monthly newsletter detailing tasting notes, beer specifications, brewery profiles, suggested food pairings, and more. 
      $23.95 per month plus $15 S&H 
      The U.S. and International variety Beer Club
      The International Beer ClubOffering the greatest variety, our most popular club features beers from both U.S. craft breweries as well as imported selections from time-honored breweries in some of the world’s most respected brewing countries such as Germany, Belgium and England. Members get twelve, 12-oz. beers including four different beer styles from both US and imported breweries and our monthly newsletter. 
      $29.95 per month plus $15 S&H
       The International Beer Club
      For those most interested in exploring beers crafted abroad, members of our International Beer Club get twelve, 12-oz. beers from two different imported breweries. Each shipment includes two different beer styles, six bottles of each style and our monthly newsletter. 
      $33.95 per month plus $15 S&H

      AND then, three more options from the: 

      Which gives you exclusive, no yet distributed in the U.S. brews and things that could be cellared and aged. This set up also gives you the Personalized Shipment Program which allows you to get only the featured beers you want, because control is always a good thing. 
      If you are in the U.S.A. and have a beer budget or a buddy drinker, pick this gift up! You can always create it how you want and then tack on the wine selection for your finicky other. Heck, I'd get the whole lot and set up a monthly tasting with my friends while I squirreled the unique bottles down into my celler. (or back of my closet, as it were.)
      All pictures taken from the BeerMonthClub site.

      Wednesday, December 5, 2012

      Brewery Buzz:

      Suds the Season!

      Tasting: Érable (Updated)


      My city had a food and wine festival, at which there were two beer stalls. Ones was for commericial "artisanal biere" while the other was a lovely local brasserie which I'll be visiting this Sunday. 


      And then there was the Canana stall. Adorned with a massive stuffed buffalo, vending all manner of maple syrup products, the classic moosehead lager and eccentric buffalo pate. All done in French of course, by a man who detested the idea of a west side of Canada and refused to understand a word of english. The interestingly perverted man behind the counter sold me a beer that may or may not be real since I can't seem to find it on the internet. I'm assuming that it is some novelty item made in mass for people like me who go, "Oah! Maple syrup beer!" Because my french is so horrible and my body so rock'in, the nice oogling French man (who just imported these things for the stalls and didn't have a shop nor did he know much about Canadian itself) gave me a free beer to go with it. Oh, the joys of being a smoke'in hot female.



      Maple syrup fields in Canada














      Érable

      Nitch rated  1.88/5
      Bière blonde au sirop d'érable
      4.5% abv 
      Fabriquée par Brasserie Ô Canada - St-Polycarpe JOP IXO Cananda 
      341ml 
      exp 11/2015

      A: Murky golden mustard with a huge fizzing head that leaves lots of sticky bits on the glass. At the finish of the bottle there comes out small brown floating pieces about the size of the bubbles, which dance around in the rushing upward currents of the fizz. 2.5



      Where I thought
      maple syrup came from
      S: Maple syrup and sweaty feet 1.5

      T: All sour and tangy then a slight maple syrup sweetness at the end that lingers but isn't more powerful then the punch on the face of warheads. There are citrus notes that float in and may account for all that tang. 1.5


      M: Dry with a medium body 2.0


      O: If there were hops in that bottle, as it states, then they were used primarily to keep the beer from going off. I can see how this would be lovely for a second, I enjoy a sour beer myself, but this is all tart. Once again, we find people talking about maple syrup and then covering it with another flavor for fear of over sugaring. I wouldn't intentionally drink this again nor would I gift it to anyone, as nothing short of a rancid lemon sucker would enjoy it. My French Man, The Ghost Brother, distinctly did a, "the beer has gone bad" face and refused to get his delicate nostrils above it prior to the second sample. 1.5 


      Another strange find and that is what makes the world go 'round!

      A note to everyone concerned about my lipstick getting in the way of the tasting because I know you all care. Please, think me not so silly a beautiful woman! The picture was taken after drinking and lipstick application, which had been absent during the sampling. 




      UPDATE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Thank you to MasterSki of BeerAdvocate.com for finding the correct place to post my negative cautioning. Apparently Ô Canada took this beer through a name change sometime around 2005, which lead MasterSki to worry that I had found a beer before then and tried to sample it. I highlighted the expiration date as I posted originally, knowing that the bottle was bunk and not wanting to confuse simple horrid creation with father time. The other reviews on the beer rating site are so mixed that I'm lead to believe that the brewery has a hard time keeping a straight recipe flowing. 
       "...it seems like I can even taste butter.. It's like I'm having a glass of pancakes."-spinrsx
      "...faint notes of maple syrup and way more cherry... it taste more like a fruit beer than anything else."-ZorPrime
      "They managed to take the concept of Beer and Maple Syrup and retain the essence of both without the end product tasting forced."-shamus  
      "The ABV is low enough and the taste is inoffensive enough for it to be enjoyable."-NightINgale 
      I would be happy to have a glass of butter and syrup! Give me a go at a sweet lambic cherry'd maple too! Contrary-wise I fear some people got magic bottles that work, while others are confused enough to shrug off a low alcohol and mildy tolerable beer as satisfactory. The Nitch has yet to get a maple beer across her sexy little lips that has been anything but a total disaster.   

      Tasting: Érable (Updated)


      My city had a food and wine festival, at which there were two beer stalls. Ones was for commericial "artisanal biere" while the other was a lovely local brasserie which I'll be visiting this Sunday. 


      And then there was the Canana stall. Adorned with a massive stuffed buffalo, vending all manner of maple syrup products, the classic moosehead lager and eccentric buffalo pate. All done in French of course, by a man who detested the idea of a west side of Canada and refused to understand a word of english. The interestingly perverted man behind the counter sold me a beer that may or may not be real since I can't seem to find it on the internet. I'm assuming that it is some novelty item made in mass for people like me who go, "Oah! Maple syrup beer!" Because my french is so horrible and my body so rock'in, the nice oogling French man (who just imported these things for the stalls and didn't have a shop nor did he know much about Canadian itself) gave me a free beer to go with it. Oh, the joys of being a smoke'in hot female.



      Maple syrup fields in Canada














      Érable

      Nitch rated  1.88/5
      Bière blonde au sirop d'érable
      4.5% abv 
      Fabriquée par Brasserie Ô Canada - St-Polycarpe JOP IXO Cananda 
      341ml 
      exp 11/2015

      A: Murky golden mustard with a huge fizzing head that leaves lots of sticky bits on the glass. At the finish of the bottle there comes out small brown floating pieces about the size of the bubbles, which dance around in the rushing upward currents of the fizz. 2.5



      Where I thought
      maple syrup came from
      S: Maple syrup and sweaty feet 1.5

      T: All sour and tangy then a slight maple syrup sweetness at the end that lingers but isn't more powerful then the punch on the face of warheads. There are citrus notes that float in and may account for all that tang. 1.5


      M: Dry with a medium body 2.0


      O: If there were hops in that bottle, as it states, then they were used primarily to keep the beer from going off. I can see how this would be lovely for a second, I enjoy a sour beer myself, but this is all tart. Once again, we find people talking about maple syrup and then covering it with another flavor for fear of over sugaring. I wouldn't intentionally drink this again nor would I gift it to anyone, as nothing short of a rancid lemon sucker would enjoy it. My French Man, The Ghost Brother, distinctly did a, "the beer has gone bad" face and refused to get his delicate nostrils above it prior to the second sample. 1.5 


      Another strange find and that is what makes the world go 'round!

      A note to everyone concerned about my lipstick getting in the way of the tasting because I know you all care. Please, think me not so silly a beautiful woman! The picture was taken after drinking and lipstick application, which had been absent during the sampling. 




      UPDATE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Thank you to MasterSki of BeerAdvocate.com for finding the correct place to post my negative cautioning. Apparently Ô Canada took this beer through a name change sometime around 2005, which lead MasterSki to worry that I had found a beer before then and tried to sample it. I highlighted the expiration date as I posted originally, knowing that the bottle was bunk and not wanting to confuse simple horrid creation with father time. The other reviews on the beer rating site are so mixed that I'm lead to believe that the brewery has a hard time keeping a straight recipe flowing. 
       "...it seems like I can even taste butter.. It's like I'm having a glass of pancakes."-spinrsx
      "...faint notes of maple syrup and way more cherry... it taste more like a fruit beer than anything else."-ZorPrime
      "They managed to take the concept of Beer and Maple Syrup and retain the essence of both without the end product tasting forced."-shamus  
      "The ABV is low enough and the taste is inoffensive enough for it to be enjoyable."-NightINgale 
      I would be happy to have a glass of butter and syrup! Give me a go at a sweet lambic cherry'd maple too! Contrary-wise I fear some people got magic bottles that work, while others are confused enough to shrug off a low alcohol and mildy tolerable beer as satisfactory. The Nitch has yet to get a maple beer across her sexy little lips that has been anything but a total disaster.   

      Tuesday, December 4, 2012

      Tasting: L'Eurélienne Blonde

      L'Eurélienne 
      Nitch rated  3.88/5
      Brassée a la ferme 

      Microbrasserie de Chandres

      Also stamped with a lovely Terres D'Eure & Loire representation

       

      Blonde 
      6.5% abv
      33cl

      A: Flaxen yellow, lazy small bubbles with an active white one finger thick head 3.0

      S: Sweet hop flowers and light caramel malt 4.0 

      T: Nice bitter hop tang in the front followed by a sweet toasted malt and earthy grass and grain bread finish. 3.5

      M: Dry to medium body 3.5

      O: A very nice, well hopped and balanced beer. I would put it under Pale Ale but with a distinct bread yeast strain. The bottom of the glass has heaps of goo yeast, um! 3.5