Beer prices

I know that the price of hops and various other factors have pushed beer prices up, and have even almost gotten used to seeing $12.99 sixpacks on occasion. But last night I got a rude awakening: at a party store (that's what they call liquor stores in MI, though I have no clue why) in Ypsilanti last night, I wanted to buy some Rogue Dead Guy Ale for Halloween. Imagine my shock when I saw the price tag: $16.99 for a six pack!?! I checked the other Rogue beers they had and none of the others were quite that much, though a couple were $14.99. Is this normal? Has anyone else noticed similar prices? Are we on our way to $20 sixers??

CaleeForNeeya

Just returned from a long weekend in the Bay Area, where in addition to seeing a lot of wonderful friends, I oh so joyously got to partake in FIVE different California beers. Yippee!!!

Upon arrival we had lunch at Max's near SFO, and were delighted to find Devil's Canyon Amber Ale on tap. I hadn't had any DC beer since we left for MI, so that was a treat!

Friday night's dinner at Miss Pearl's in Oakland featured Jamaica Red, brewed by Mad River Brewing. Sadly, I had one too many to take any legible notes!

On Saturday we headed up to Petaluma to meet some friends for dinner, and luckily, I'd recently had some Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra Ale, and knew they had opened a Tap Room. Of course, we HAD to stop in... M tried "Ruben & the Jets", the last of their Zappa tribute beers. At 13% ABV, we were pleasantly surprised to find it very drinkable! Brewed with brown sugar, he said there were touches of coffee and a flavor that touches the palate then "poof" gone, leaving a hint of sweetness and a rather syrupy mouthfeel. I had the Ferkin "Stupid Brown Maximus Ale", a brewer's choice "science experiment", served at room temperature. What a delightful blend of flavors! It was hoppy and citrusy with a long lovely finish.

Later that night, we found ourselves back in Oakland fairly early, so we wandered over to a most excellent little historic dive, Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon in Jack London Square. If you ever find yourself in Oakland, this is DEFINITELY a must-see attraction. It isn't every day that you get to drink in a bar dating to 1883, with a floor and bar sloping due to the 1906 earthquake. The bartenders and clientele were all personable and fun and we walked out feeling almost giddy, we had such a good time. It was here that I got to imbibe in both Anchor Steam (on tap) and Racer 5 (bottle).

Now THAT was a good trip!!!

Rock Art Brewery vs. Monster Energy Drink

Beer Festival countdown!

It's that time of year again... the Michigan Beer Festival is mere weeks away! Support MI beer- get over to Ypsi and try some. Try lots. (But make sure you have a safe way to get home afterward!)

The event is July 24-25 at Riverside Park, and tickets are on sale now. They are cheaper if purchased in advance, so what are you waiting for???

Do What You Want, But...Please Don't Crye

Who can guess what song hatched those lovely lyrics? And yeah, I know "crye" is misspelled. Oooh did I just misspell "misspelled"???

On Friday, Jeff and I went to dinner at Arbor Brewing Company, something that we often do on Fridays. I had dropped him off and then parked the car, so when I got there, he had already gotten us beers. Good, good man! I had a Sacred Cow IPA waiting for me. Jeff slid his drink to me and said, "Try some."

I took a sip and tasted a crisp, light beer with a nice hit of hops. "What is it?" asked I.

"C'rye Baby Rye," said he. "And you'll never guess what its ABV is."

I shrugged a little. "What, about 5, 5.5?"

He showed me the menu where the beer was listed as 7.75%. Dude! I never would have guessed. I could have quaffed down a few of those and only realized the high ABV after I was jumping up and down on the table, singing "Clang Clang Clang Goes the Trolley."

The beer is made with plae and caramel malts with 35% malted rye. It is made with Mt. Hood hops, which accounts for that "hit" of hops I mentioned.

I'm not sure how long this will be on the menu, so get down there and have some. Just don't drink so much that you start singing Judy Garland songs...unless you're into that sort of thing :)

The Wolf of the Farmer's Daughter

This past Tuesday, the Grizzly Peak had its monthly "brewers' night at the Den" and premiered its Saison, called Loup dans la Fille du Fermier. After Jeff and I mangled the name a few times, our waiter told us we could just call it the Farmer's Daughter, cuz that's what it stood for. Actually, I found out later that the name really means the WOLF of the farmer's daughter. WTF????

Anywho! The beer was good. It had a nice finish full of American Liberty Hops goodness...very smooth. I got a slight citrus hit from it after it sat in my mouth for a minute. It also had a "dry" mouth feel, which I sometimes find irritating but I could live with this.

After I finished the TWOTFD, I had an Amarillo Pale. It was perfect, as always...smooth, nice hops--just YUM!

Super Liquor IV

So we FINALLY made it to Super Liquor IV last Friday, en route to our first exposure to whirlyball. For the uninitiated (as we were), whirlyball is much like lacrosse or polo, but played indoors in BUMPER CARS. You play in teams of 5, with very few rules other than "keep your hands inside the cars at all times for fear of dismemberment", and each game lasts 12 minutes. At the end of 12 minutes, the teams adjourn to the waiting area to drink beer. Maybe it's just me, but this seems to be one of those 'athletic endeavors' where people really do play better after a few.

But I digress. Super Liquor IV is between points A and B, so we stopped in to fuel up. I can't begin to describe the squeal I emitted when I saw that they carry Speakeasy beers from San Francisco!!! AND a whole host of Abita beers!!! I didn't have time to check out the entire selection, only the cooler, but next time... oh yes.... time will be spent perusing the aisles. Who knows what I might find? If they carry Dixie or El Toro, M may have to carry me out on a stretcher....