Thursday, October 31, 2013

La Fuckin Witch- A Craft Beer Halloween Video

It's Halloween! (give or take a few hours, depending your time zone)

And that means

Pumpkin Ales!


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Check out Back of the Ferry's 8 pumpkin beers you should try this year, because I've only had ONE type of pumpkin ale in the past recently years and have no idea what's good.

When in doubt, see what rate my pumpkins says about that pumpkin ale you've got in your hand- they're professionals.

Let us not discriminate with our boo'zing! Sample some of these other haunted hop monsters

Hop zombie from Epic Brewing

hop zombie

Or, if you are in New Zealand, Yakima Hop Monster (I'm guessing it has some Yakima hops in there somewhere. Just a guess.)

LibertyBrewingYakimaMonster

Three Floyds brewing Zombie Dust and mills that right up into a gushing pale ale of the highest quality. SPOOKY!

zombie dust

campbraggot

Why not sip on a  Cigar City and B.nektar meadery collaboration Ghost Stories while sitting around the campfire munching on home made chocolate stout s'mores from The BeeronessChocolate-stout-smores-bars21-1024x1024

or Kickstarter funded Beer Mallows

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MMMMmmmm... beer mallows....


While filming my Halloween Edition I had the pleasure of sipping on some French craft beers that likely have the best craft beer halloween name:

DSC_2024BRASSERIE LA PARADIS- La Fuckin Witch 5.5%abv American Pale Ale


A: Hocus pocus hazy hay with a bibitty bobbity white bubble head that retained pretty fucking well. Yeast settlements living on the bottom of the bottle happened to also creep into my glass in the form of floating nuggets. I'm not scared.

S: Haunted hops! Citrus hops, candied hops and some light wand waves of magic blond malt

T: Heaps of citrus and grassy sweet fruits, burning hop content and a bitchin bite.

M: Surprising light body and below average carbonation.

O: Very hop forward fuckin witch who might have skipped childhood and went straight onto insanity. The malt base is a bit lacking, to help balance out the citrus but overall, a fucking rockin roll pale that is full of magic.

And then I got sentimental (or just plain mental) and opened up the first pumpkin ale that I've had in over two years.

DSC_2025BROOKLYN BREWING- Post Road Pumpkin Ale 5.0%Abv Pumpkin Ale


A: Light orange, pumpkin, tawny like fall leaves

S: Smashed pumpkins

T: Mild to zero spice notes on a light body of pumpkin juice.

M: Very sticky and tacky

O: The carbonation helps battle the heavy syrupy feel but defiantly delivers on pumpkin-ness. I have nothing to compare it to!! It was great! I had a whole pack at my disposal thanks to Cave a Bulles and Brewberry.

Craft Beer Halloween


Check out Tasting Nitch on youtube where I ramble about beer geek costume ideas and my pumpkin ale addiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZUpQj-djDg

Word of warning- I use the fuck word liberally because I'm an adult and I'm drinking a beer called La Fuckin Witch

 

 

 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Session #81 Announcement- Scary Beer Feminists!

session  The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to (virtually) converge on a single beer related topic, each bringing their own unique perspective.

This month's November 1st Friday post is Nitch's turn! AND YOURS!

The chosen topic is close my breast- Beer feminists.

Now most of you are sipping your pumpkin ale and painting your kids faces with cat whiskers thinking, "ohhh spooky! Nothing more terrifying than a witch craft beer blog hosted by a scary beer feminist." Hold onto your broom sticks gentlemen because things are going to get puny!

MalinPont_6_22_12_WitchCauldron2


The Session Topic?


Women in craft beer culture!


Sessin #81 is not an argument, unlike some past session posts. I’m not here alienate the baguette bearers, I have my opinions and if you want to read my posts about women in beer, then you can. If not, then fine by me.

But let’s also avoid this being another “bah humbug, let people drink what they want," session.

As the saintly Mr. M. Jackson created ‘beer culture’ by focusing on the people behind brewing, let us too take one blog post to contemplate the cultural shift that gender is taking in the beer world.

Feel free to write about what you want as long as it is beer and woman related!


I would love to see some of our historian beer bloggers give a bit of  in depth back ground information on history of women in beer culture. Praise Ninkasi and what not, but were there male brewers before the fall of Rome?

Who did most the brewing in early colonized North America?

How is it that most current African brewers are still housewives while modern brewing is male dominated?

Do a feature on a woman in the beer industry!

Have you inspired your significant other to become beer culture involved? Call it, high five your beer loving wife day.

Are there any men out there who think that women in beer is a bad thing? For religious reasons, women aren't allowed to tour many Trappist breweries and there are still French chefs who believe that a women on her menstrual cycle cannot make whip cream. (Truth.)

Woman’s palate’s are changing the direction of beer! Are women to blame for the recent increase in fruit beers? ...

Are there any women out there who are crusading a flag of femininity while milling malt. Tell us your story!

How to participate?


-Write a blog post involving women in beer culture on Friday, Nov. 1st*

-Leave a comment or email me, letting me know you posted!

-Leave a comment here about women in beer

-Hug a beer feminist

-Tell others about the November long Session event: Scary Beer Feminists or a Healthy Growing Demographic?

-Most importantly: read other people's posts about the business of ladies in ales.

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Rather you view women in beer as a quant and charming equality movement, an awkward threat to the system, a refreshing beer culture development or if you yourself are a female in the beer world- Session #81 is a beer feminist forum!


XOXO



*Don't worry about posting late, I'll do a round up towards the middle of November.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Quickie, Geekie, Good at Express de Lyon

Express de Lyon is Paris's stop over craft beer location because it is located so conveniently, as I've talked about before. Just jump out of the Gare de Lyon and cross the street- Bam, instant beer geek surprises await you.

I like surprises and I happen to be at Gare de Lyon.

It goes a little sumthin like this...


What's that Mikkeller Stout ya got up there with the squiggly lines by the name? It says the abv is 17%- sounds like hell.

Wana try it?


Fuck yes, I do. (The 2 ounce pour gave me a buzz.)


I'll take it.


How about this nice Chimay Rouge we got just got in- c'est tres bon!


Yeah, yeah, I'll drink your free samples. (Pretend to be interested in beer)

Naw, naw, that's all malty red fruits and surprisingly good balance. I'm looking more for something that will immediately give me a fun loving beer goggle effect.

You seem to have a Mikkeller Barley Wine up there that says it is 18%, does it come in pints?

It's a 14cl pour but it's better then the Tokoyo Stout.


Sold- fill her up.

DSC02065I hate chardonnay. I don't know why I ordered this beer. Fucking attractive bar guy with his stupidly cute fohawk not getting my "I'm drinking alone and looking to get drunk, please talk to me" non verbal signals. Stop making me laugh and enjoy your free samples!

When will my Beer lovers dating website registration be confirmed? Damn rustic stone building, blocking my wifi signal.

Express de Lyon's MIKKELLER- Barely Wine from hell


A: Huge head, massive. Look at the picture, it's obscene. (And it takes up a lot of space in my little glass, I want a refill)

S: Just smells like a fucking chardonnay beer to me. Grapes that have been smushed on a barn floor covered with hay.

T: This is one of those sipping beers.

O: You sip and your mouth holds the liquid refusing to swallow. Act cool, you'll get it down. Your mind does a manual over ride and- down the hatch! A burning shiver starts at the back of your tongue and travels down to your forearm hairs.

If I didn't have another half glass of this stuff, I'd not do that again. Don't wince when your nose gets to it, someone might be looking!

Nitch signing off after one mini drink. I'm drunk and already have a hard time navigating the metro without all the haze and personal fits of laughter. Wish me luck!


XOXO

Monday, October 14, 2013

Hannibal Tv series features female craft beer lover

Hats off for the Hannibal Tv series for showcasing a craft beer loving female lead


Caroline Dhavernas's character Dr. Alana Bloom prefers to drink beer when socializing with the cannibal Dr. Hannibal in NBC's Tv series based on the novel Red Dragon.

beer over wineHaving never had the pleasure of reading the novel the Tv series is based on, I can't comment as to the original character's drinking preference but I will say that this was an intentional aspect of the Tv show's character writers.


Dr. Bloom's preference for beer sets her apart from, but on the same sophisticated level as, her fine dining colleagues. Demonstrating that, not only is craft beer no longer just for men, but it's also for drinkers with discerning palates.

i loveSign of a true beer geek? Sniff, sniff, sniff!


sniff sniff!Dr. Bloom airs a sense of specialized individualism that adds depth to her playful, down to earth character.


appointmentEven Dr. Hannibal starts to advocate the superiority of beer and food pairings when he servers a dish of south Indian curry made from sheep. Based in a coconut coriander chili sauce and served with a home brewed beer sporting hand written labels and swing top bottles. Wine doesn't pair well with curry- someone on the Hannibal set has been reading The Brewmaster's Table.


dinnerBeer geeks are constantly looking at what beers are being used in the entertainment they frequent, but this is more than Walt from Breaking Bad ordering a Fat Tire on tap or Sweetwater IPA in the season 4 trailer of Walking Dead, this is use of craft beer to define a character. A female character! One that is discerning, original and ... Geeky. Respect.




"I know more about beer than you"



CarolineDhavernas-official2


 

 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

French Kissing with La Goutte d'Or at La Fine Mousse

Paris's first micro brewery celebrates 1 year anniversary and releases a collaboration beer


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FRENCH KISS is a beer made with grapes and French hops, designed in collaboration with the brewery Outland and created for the Harvest Festival of Montmartre in 2013. A true blend of all things that make Paris 'The City of Love.'

La Fine MousseDSC02007


Located between the metro stops of Ménilmontant and St. Maur, Le Fine Mousse was a buzz with Goutte d'Or Birthday bash go-ers in a flood of great beer and converted wine lovers. The theme of the night was "I used to love wine, but now I French Kiss."


Tasting


LA GOUTTE D'OR- French Kiss


DSC02016A: Lush rosy pink color of lips, veiled with a soft haze.

S: Oh honey, honey, honey! Huge sweet honeycomb notes followed by a pomegranate, red fruits, and a slight rosé tang with a delicate hay touch on the base.

T: Sweet, sugar love'in mama! Not much more bitter then a gentle love bite and while the malt stands out unexpectedly, there is no missing the fact that there was grape juice AND fresh grapes used in this baby. Imagine honey and pink grapefruit on a bowl of cereal.

M: Slight mouth coating on a medium body.

O: This beer has all the potential of a blossoming virgin, but isn't quite ready for the plucking. There was a lack of bubbles and sourness to cut through the grape juice and caramel malt. Give it

[caption id="attachment_2032" align="alignleft" width="418"]French Kiss French Kiss[/caption]

Romain from Outland admitted that the two week fermentation of the beer wasn't as much time as they would have liked and that the pilot batch had more astringent characters. The bottled versions will make for great cellaring!

Home Brew from Guillaume Toussaint


DSC02039A: Murky apple juice

S: Say what, bacon? There is a smokey smell, like roasting chestnuts.

T: Figs, sugared dates, malty and smoked.

M: That slightly flat effect that home brew often gets, but a clean mouth feel.

O: Guillaume used a huge amount of dates in the post boil and thinks that having let them sit in the wort for such a long time roasted the date pits thus causing the smoked effect. All in all, a pretty cool idea. Bacon wrapped date beer. Test batch #1 get Nitch's nod of approval. Lets do another!


LA GOUTTE D'OR- Chateau Rouge


[caption id="attachment_2038" align="alignleft" width="487"]Chateau Rouge Chateau Rouge[/caption]

A: Head for days, what a slut. Dense and the color of a red wood

S: Yeast and again, that hard honey hit that the French Kiss had

T: Bitter, floral and hop forward with a smooth cherry touch and delicate spices.

O:. Very much like French Kiss but less grape juiced. Great balance. Each element has a place: malt, hops and sweet red fruits. Very smooth and crowd pleasing. I can see now why so many of the converted wine drinkers love this beer.

Below is Thierry, the brewer/founder/owner of La Goutte D'or with Quentin Blum (enjoying some home made chocolate cake). Mr. Blum is one of Paris's only craft beer import/export merchants and has converted his lovely girlfriend Leone (second from the right) from a wine drinker to a beer and food pairing apprentice. Clemence (on the far right) is Thierry's converted wine drinking neighbor.

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"Thierry is passionate about beer but not showy."



-Clemence



VirginityDSC02011


It was brought to my attention that Nitch, whore of many things, is a coffee virgin.

Tom and Paul from Café Lomi in the 18th were French Kissing and spreading their version of geekiness. Coffee Geeks? Who knew. They've promised to pop my craft coffee cherry- such gentlemen these Aussie expats.

Café Lomi/La Goutte d'Or fusions in the future? The magic 8 ball says, "the future looks bright."

If you speak a bit of French, check out the below video of Thierry and Romain talking about the story behind French Kiss, the collaboration and what it means to be craft beer in Paris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yj1g5BmbMk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Didn't get enough tongue action? Check back tomorrow for more coverage of the 2013 Montmartre Harvest Festival festival including: people who take pictures of things instead of experiencing them, snails as street food and 'Merica.


Thats right 'Merica.


XOXO

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Rouge, Rogue, Glass and Paris Craft Beer Tastings

Walking past the Moulin Rouge


En route to lip some Brutal Rogue.


"Le Glass is where?"


s'il vous plaît monsieur,


ou est la Rue Frochot?


He says to the right, it ain't fo sho.


giphydoAverage Parisian night out in the Pigalle district being mostly lost and mostly driving up a huge thirst. Paris's touristy sex arcade infested 9th district is all lights and English speakers. Which was perfect for my visiting friend, who is all male American man and comedy. Just in town from Oktoberfest, we needed to show him not only that Paris was more wet then Germany but that the baguettes are better. (Fun fact: the word baguette in French is often used as a slang term referring to the male genitalia.)

logo Will was at Le Glass doing a tasting of his newly imported bottles and we had to get us some.


As soon as we found the fucking place.


That American touristing friend of mine, who's job it is to rain on people'e picnics and predict the future, best weather forecaster the government can buy, just to happened to have a working phone. (Unlike yours truly.) Voila- Location acquired.

Le Glass


[caption id="attachment_2017" align="aligncenter" width="540"]1LeGlass This isn't Glass's logo but the shiny lights told me to use it.[/caption]


Soon to celebrate it's one year anniversery Le Glass is a snug, well heated space not much bigger than my drunk kitchen but with better lighting. Most everyone spoke English but not many people were speaking at all. In fact, when we walked in there was a hello from the barmen but everyone else seemed to have their mouth occupied. Organic hot dog, a home made pickle or someone else's face are top ticket menu items at Le Glass.

Felix to the rescue! For customers to wash down their seriously delicious dogs, or pickles or what ever else, he pumps out amazing house made specialty cocktails. Whipped up with flare and skill, Le Glass is not only sporting yummy yum foods but killer drinks to drown in. Le GlassMy Forecaster friend was right at home and ready to move.  Le Glass's ambiance had set the mood and we were staring a craft beer line up what would later have him determined to expat to Europe.
"St.Louis is great but I'd move here today if I wasn't contracted until 2017."

No luck for the Forecaster, more for me. But, for the moment we have some magic, space men and hoppiness ahead of us so let's leave the future to future and

Taste Beers!


Rogue_Brutal_IPASip #1: ROGUE- Brutal IPA


A: It's hard to see in such a sexily lit location but I think it's a tawny orange.

S: Pine with roasty caramel

T: No so brutal

O: This is one of America's original IPAs, made in a time before the "west coast IPA" had ravaged all beer geek's palates and caused a hop addiction epidemic. So, it's more like a nice pale ale that was understandably brutal back in the day. Love the bottle, great for sharing and food pairing.

brewfistSip #2: BREWFIST- Space Man IPA 7% 70 IBUs


A: So, so, so bright! Like a golden/copper tinted champagne. So clear and bright

S: Passion fruit, exotic fruits in huge amounts

T: Sweet, soft bitter finish, not aggressive, caramel grapefruit with heaps of citrus.

O: This is Will's favorite beer at the moment and I have to agree that if I was craving a super fresh hop bomb THIS would be the definition of what I would be craving. So fresh and so clean, clean.

Sip #3: MOOR- Hoppiness 6.7%hopp


A: Copper with a great lingering head

S: Cascade pine (at the date we were drinking this beer about 5 months, it may have lost some of it's aroma).

T: Barley wine malt bill balances with American hops. Not too hard on the finish, so drinkable.

M: Grainy more thick full body than is usual for this style.

O: MOOR Brewing is a great company, UK based but turned around by a California brewer and his wife with a massive passion. I recommend checking out the website and seeing the rouse they have about traditional beer vs natural beer. Fish bladder protests!

Sip #4: MOOR- Illusion 4.7%


A: Murky brown

S: Very faint, slight coffee and toasted malt.

T: Toffee sweet roasted malts, bittering hops are present in a grassy way and come out in the taste rather then the smell.

O: Hello session beer with a kick.

Sip #5: BREWFIST- 2 Late IPA 9.5%BREWFIST2LATEIPA112


S: American hops with heaps of citrus and pine but also a delicate floral sweetness like honey.

T: Grapefruit and a candied fruit, peaches maybe. Malt is in perfect balance with the freshness of the hops. No alcohol on the nose or in the taste with is a real surprise.

jjjSip #6: MOOR- JJJ IPA Triple IPA 9.5%


S: Malt sweet, sugar, caramel no hops- super slight earthy smell

T: Like fresh wort, sweet with a subtile hop middle, lingering bitter- like an english cask ale. American and UK hops. Sweet hop finish.

Sip #7:


MORE HOTDOGS PLEASE!

Magic Rock CannonballMAGIC ROCK- Double IPA Human CannonBall IIPA 9.2%


This. This is kind of a big deal. It is the last keg in ALL of France! When it's gone. It's effing gone people! Bet you wish we were with me. But you weren't, so I'll tell you all about it and let you have dreams about it later.

A: Golden peachy color with light haze and slim bubbles S: Citrus flowers and fresh cut grass

T: I'm hit with huge grapefruit and orange blossom hop blast but then... a meaty, smoked malt. Like smoking rain under a heap of floral hop and citrus peel.

O: Very interesting. So many things going on, such originality and intrigue that I'm slightly baffled. That big roasty thing that happened at the end kinda put me off a bit. I would for sure Cannon Ball again, but for tonight I'm taking my  beer like I take my men: thick, black and rich.

ON TO DIRTY DICKS!


giphyda


...I'll give you some Dirty Dick later, we've had enough sexual references and sipping for one post. Tease, tease, tease! Oh okay, if you really can't wait click Paris My Mouth to see what they do with the Dirty Dick.


XOXO


Friday, October 11, 2013

Defining Beer Geek with Boris Goudenov

Welcome to Tasing Nitch


the video edition


Today, we are going to define what a beer geek is.

And what will we be drinking?

desriptif_boris-e6738Brasserie Corrézienne's- Boris Goudenov a 10.5% abv imperial stout


A: Black as coffee with a brown lush head

S: Alcohol, coffee, chocolate and roasted malts abound

T: Strength! Il est fort! Huge chocolate and coffee notes with a nice dried red fruit under pinning the bitter chocolate bite.

O: Although the alcohol hides ya rather hard in the face, it is a fun SIPPING beer. It should be sipped. And enjoyed.

I had my first run in with the boozy effects of the stout a few days ago at the French love hotel and was so smitten by the brooding noir that I had to do it all over agin. Solo.

Second go around, I was boozing on my lonesome and talking about geek shirts, geek festivals, beer geeky comics and of course beards.

Thumbs up for beer geeky beer!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMKzPLBDtFQ

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Converting a French Wine drinker to the Church of Craft Beer

A Jedi beer tasting and


a French love hotel


Construction work always takes longer than estimated, Starbuck's employees always secretly want to tell customers to fuck off and love hotels are always better with craft beer.

Paris only has one love hotel- it recently opened.

Japan has many love hotels- which can be creepy.

You are now thinking, "what is the difference between a love hotel and a sex hotel?"

The answer today is good beer.

I'll start at the beginning.

The Beginning


I know this French artist that is, like all Parisian born adults, a wine expert. He walks like Hunter S. Thomason, chain smokes casually and wears a long black velvet coat. His pores ooze Parisian down to his shiny black shoes. Of course on days off from the office he wears denim on denim and sports his moped helmet like a handbag. He would never be seen our doors without a scarf, speaks perfect english and -luck for me- has a sense of drinking adventure.

TG2Since we don't like use names here at TastingNitch lets give him some characterizing descriptive words; he is a constant gentleman, at teasing jokester, he likes to say "dude" a lot and often sports a full mustache. Since The Dude is taken and mustaches scare me, lets go with the Teasing Gentleman.


The Teasing Gentleman is a musical artist who doesn't believe in wearing santa hats for the holidays and has lost entire weeks chasing the dragon in asian opium dens. In short, he's been around. EXCEPT been around a member of the beer culture cloister who is on a mission to impregnate the minds of all craft beer virgins.


Nothing excites a beer geek more than an eager and willing beer virgin. Lets go arm in arm toward the other side of alcoholic liquids.



Welcome to the IPA SIDE


[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignright" width="300"]ipa side BeerFreaks are beer geek masters class A[/caption]

Thus, the Teasing Gentleman will be my Padawan and I his (possibly too young to be a Jedi knight) teacher.
"There is a whole vocabulary about beer I didn't know existed." -TG

I made plans to meet the the Teasing Gentleman at the cave of the Obi-wan Kenobi of French Craft beer and got lost in the process of arrival. Or rather, I never lose myself but have trouble finding where my self had intended to future.

These are not the beers you're looking for...

I remembered that the location was close by a Starbucks so I hussled into a passing Starbucks to ask for information about their other locations. Complicated by the two or maybe three other Starbucks within walking range the server man wanted to speak his poor English while I wanted to get direct answers in French. I left with a half pen, half marker map on a recipe paper that left me with more confusion then before, and a sense of having been fucked with.

Extremely late I arrived at the meeting location, only to realize that I had been moved by the hand of Ninkasi. My absence had given the new comer a chance to explore the Jedi's cave alone with just the master and, his own intrigue.

He proudly presented me with his plastic bag of beer discovery and recounted how the Obi-wan of French beer's kind and friendly knowledge sharing had been so interesting and helpful. Including how the man had written on the bottles in what order the beers were to be drank in:

1. My Beer Company's Pale Ale Levallois

2. St.Rieul's Ambrée

3. Brasserie Correzienne's Imperial Stout Boris Goudenov

4. Abraxas's Lichtenhainer Weisse

Beer Church


We found a cathedral to sit at and practice our beer church ritual. The stone stairs are free seating and great people watching. Buzzing, drilling and scraping construction of the entire left side of the city quarter had become standard background noise after the march from metro to the cave to the monument so we weren't inclined to speak over a moderately confidential tone.

Time for the pouring.

Plastic cups cause more agitation on the incoming brew and thus will result in a larger head action, quel dommage, but not all beer tasting sessions can be gold gilded glasses and proper pour temperatures. Daily lessons.

[caption id="attachment_1968" align="alignright" width="224"]photo My Beer Company[/caption]

1. My Beer Company's Pale Ale- Levallois

Nitch: Aw yes, classic and well balanced pale ale with heavy handed hop use and French artistic flair.

TG: Aw yes, those hop things again. (We had tried a Brooklyn Brewery pale ale at one of our wine tastings, the door had been opened then.)

[caption id="attachment_1967" align="alignleft" width="224"]photo (2) St. Rieul[/caption]

and 2. St.Rieul's Ambrée

Nitch: Big bready/yeasty smells followed with that spiced belgian body and a light mouth coating.

TG: This is kinda normal, more what artisinal beer tastes like- Belgian.

We then decide to change location as the church itself had began to be assaulted by the back from lunch construction workers.

Love Hotel


Here enters the love hotel! Why not, eh- what better place to dip into stouts and smoked sours than a place where people go to be unseen and adventurous. The establishment allows you to bring in your own drinks unlike sex hotels where it is business only. In fact, the entire city of paris has less then one strip club so your nude view options are either at a touristy cancan dance in Pigelle or with a hooker on the clock. (More on Pigelle in a future post!)

WARNING: You have to walk through a sex shop to get to the Love Hotel. The shop sell's Eiffel tower dildos- I know what I'm getting all my friends for christmas.

After the tour we got back to business/pleasure/prayer.

[caption id="attachment_1966" align="alignright" width="224"]photo (1) Brasserie Correzienne[/caption]

3. Brasserie Correzienne's Imperial Stout- Boris Goudenov

Nitch: Oh how the alcohol burns the lips. Heavy chocolate and coffee notes on the noise with a boozy burn that cuts through the mildly creamy body. I'm going to do this one again- alone.

TG: No comment

photo (3)4. Abraxas's Lichtenhainer Weisse

Nitch: Sour but smokey and light in body. Wheat carries the palate through in a light way that is confusing with the brett yeast and smoked malts. A complete roller coaster ride of a beer. Me likie!

TG: Too strange and funky. Sour but smokey? Why would I drink this? I was warned that this might be too far out of my range and I concede- I've gone too far.

 The change has begun


As we walk out of the hotel, smoking a post experience cigarette TG comments that he has discovered that there is more to this beer thing then he had expected. I am pleased and proud to be his confessor, I too will have a cigarette.

He must go home and see what his equally wine fairing femme will make of it all and I have tasting notes to blog up.

My beer education work here is not done, but justly began.

We have an appointment next week, where TG will be shown the locations where other "beer geeks" as I refer to myself as, reside. I'm not the only beer Jedi and he wants know who what the rest of the clan is like. I tried to explain the importance of beards to him but he is a gentleman and gentleman doesn't dress like hobos.

May the froth be with you


XOXO

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Brew Dog Boys Balance Beer Yoga

Brew Dog TV en route to inner peace


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The two founders of Brew Dog James Watt and Martin Dickie are known for being obnoxiously young, cool and avant garde. They've taken the American idea of outlandish and shameless marketing to new levels with public campaigns to convert the drinking masses into craft beer lovers. And now they've taken over the television (in America anyway).

They do a lot of silly stuff ... a lot. Also a lot of really good stuff, that might be weird but sometimes works.

Can't we exploit that?


Brew Dogs TV is one of a kind television show where the Brew Dog Boys run around America doing ridicoulous things with famous brewers in beer infested cities.

Food pairing, beer virgin conversion and a lot of quippy one liners. LOTS of quippy-ness.

Episode #1 felt extremely staged- like each line was edited after reading from a script. Which might have been first time camera shyness or the fact that they were standing next to beer legend Greg Koch of Stone Brewing, a man known for his on camera charisma.

ILOVEHOPS

In true BrewDog fashion, they are gimmicky and outlandish, which could (understandably) be the reason why traditional beer lover types find them annoying.

I find them annoying. But also a bit endearing. It might help that they are both rather handsome young gents who have accents like Sir Sean Connery.sean connery jim beam

In episode #2 the guys lighten up slightly, the editing is less choppy and the viewer begins to get used to James and Martin’s wide eye’d impishness. The stupidly gimmicky things they are doing become acceptable- they aren't going to stop doing it, so might as well enjoy.

Aside from having an extensive library of beer related words used to describe beers, the Brew Dog boys don’t do much more then make comedic twitter sized statements and shove food items in their mouth and nose. Engineer David does technical work and has more then one scene where they boys say something and he just stars at them blankly.

Unbelievable how much money these two have and Engineer David is there to make all their punky child star toy dreams come true.

Thank you David for holding it together.

BrewDogsFace

Balancing Beer with Brewsanas


While they are #Mashtag'ing beers and annoying Americans, Adrienne Rinaldi aka BeerSnobChick is mashing together yoga and beer.

James and Martin need their chakras inlined. Episode #3 airs tonight and although I won't be able to watch it until the pirates send out their life raft- the facebook post of James doing a bit of beer drinking and balancing hints that the Scot lads will be getting their namaste on.
 “I love teaching in the brewery setting,” Rinaldi says. “It’s so unique, and attracts people who would never try yoga because they’re intimidated to go inside a studio where everyone is really bendy.”

Rather or not a bit of deep breathing and eagle pose will balance out the juvenile creativity of the Brew Dog Tv gents, we'll be entertained none the less.

While the show is unique and excessively innovative, I'd far more enjoy a sun salutation in a warm wort air infused brewery. But if you can't get outside for some fresh air or inside for some socializing and (yoga) beer then watch yourself some Brew Dog Tv.

Namaste Beer Punks


XOXO


beer yoga