Chicks Dig Beer

Beer prices

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:29:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Beer Festival countdown!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:40:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:45:00 +0000

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....

Bizarro Brew

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:27:00 +0000

The Ann Arbor Brewers Guild made their second Bizarro Brew, which premiered at the Corner last Wednesday. This beer was made up of stuff that people brought with them, the entire list of which can be found here.

I was anxiously waiting for this beer because it just looked so insane that I knew it was going to be really good or really bad. I mean, Peeps and jerk rub and spruce under the mash screen and rosemary and ginger??? ...the fuck??? But it worked! Oh people my people, it worked!

Cindy, Dede, Jeff and I posse'd up and headed out on Wednesday evening. The Bizarro beer looked like this:

As you can see, the head of the beer is oh so creamy. I dare say it's the creamiest head that I've ever had on a beer...I actually poked my finger in it and licked it off. I just thought of something--maybe the Peeps had something to do with this?

The nose was sprucey. The smell was gentle spruce tree...not like the little Christmas tree air fresheners that the freaky guy in Seven had hanging over his bed, but a real nice and easy smell.

The taste of the first beer that I had had hints of something spicy (maybe the jerk rub?), hops and orange. The second one that I had had less of a cinnamon taste and more of the orange taste. It was a very mild, easy drinking beer. Light on the tongue, smooth going on. I was surprised when I heard it was over 7% alcohol; it was lucky that I learned this information though, as I was the driver that night!

This is a fabulous beer born of creativity, collaboration and community. If there is any left, get yourself some!

I heart NOLA

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:31:00 +0000

I love New Orleans, that swampy, dirty, fun-loving, cocktail-swilling, fine eating town. And this article gives me yet another reason to visit again (in addition to hanging with my buddy Dale)! I'm a big Abita fan (TurboDog and Jockamo IPA in particular, and you gotta love Restoration Ale, though I can't get it in Ann Arbor), and love me some Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager, but have not visited their breweries. Maybe this is the year?? We'll see!

How cool is this?

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:07:00 +0000

http://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?subjectid=43&articleid=20090317_43_D3_Baseme252522

Perhaps an Ann Arbor chapter is in the cards??? Anyone interested?

(Thanks, Patti, for the heads up!)

What's red and white and yummy all over?

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Dogfish Head's Red & White, that's what! We scored a bottle when Bello Vino folded but just now got around to popping it open. We were a little apprehensive- I mean, the label lists coriander, orange peel and pinor noir juice, for pete's sake! But it sounded like a good match for dinner (Red Pepper & Pork Hash), so we gave it a shot. I'm so happy we did!

The "sediment" that was suspended in my glass was a little weird, but the color, oh the color... a gorgeous burnt orangey blend of a Wit and pinot. Lovely. And the flavor is like nothing I could have dreamed up... I'm drinking in small sips so I can savor it! Who'da thunk to put Wit beer and pinot together? They are like chocolate and peanut butter! Seriously!

If you get a chance to try this, by all means, DO. I'm sure it won't spark everyone's fancy, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

BTW... Michigan Winter Beer Festival was last weekend... any reports???

Strong Ale Tasting at Arbor Brewing Company

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I attended the monthly beer tasting at Arbor Brewing Company. Acknowledging that February in Michigan well, sucks ass, the folks at ABC kindly provided us with rooms full of strong, wonderful ale.

To recap, I am going off the notes that I took plus the notes given to me in the pamphlet that one picks up when one enters the tasting. If you have tried any of these, please share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale: One cold night, the Beer Chick, Mr. Beer Chick, Jeff and I were at Ashley's. A friend of the BCs ordered a scotch flight which, not being a scotch drinker myself, both terrified and delighted me. Somehow, someone also got this scotch ale and, for reasons unknown to me, I did not get to try it. Finally, I got my chance at the tasting! It was way lighter than I thought it would be...I guess I thought it would taste like real scotch and be kinda heavy? Maybe? Anyone? It was very smooth, with a hit of apple and cinnamon.

Bell's Third Coast Old Ale--I have yet to have a bad beer from Bell's. This barleywine style ale has a hoppy nose and hoppy taste, mixed with a nice fruit flavor. It earned a :) from me, which means I liked it.

Avery Salvation: Got another :) Apricot and peach aromas...yum....

Avery the Reverand Belgian Quad: Earned a "it's good" from Jeff (which, in Jeff-speak means it's dy-no-mite!). I am not a Belgian fan, so I only had a sip.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Imperial Amber: This beer is pronounced La-goo-nee-tas. I wrote that in the margin because I have trouble pronouncing certain words, and this happens to be one of them. Wonderful amber--full, sweet, milky caramelly buttery yummy-y.

Grain D'Orge Belzebub: I wrote "not as heavy as I thought it'd be". I can see how I might think that, given its 13% alcohol (lowered from 15%). Intense "alcohol" flavor, but as I said, not as heavy as I thought it'd be!!!!

De Dolle Brouwers Stille Nacht: I didn't try this one, but I found out that it translates to "silent night" so, in the margin I wrote "something Jeff never has". Ha ha ha ha ha! I crack me up.

Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard: Another :)!! Grapefruit and bitter hoppy taste, smooth and easy drinking.

Unibroue 17 & Trois Pistoles: The 17 got a :), because I liked the nose (spices, hops, flowers) and a nice, bubbly body. The Trois Pistoles got a :( because I found it "too Belgiany" and as I said above, I do not like Belgian beers.

Arcadia Cereal Killer Barleywine: What a beautiful color! Kind of a Rock'n'Rye color, IIRC. Nice caramel and cherry taste.

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine: Billed as a "hops lovers delight", and yes oh yes, it was! I am a hop head and this had a nice nose and excellent hoppy taste.

JW Lees Harvest Ale Aged in Calvados Casks: This beer said (well, okay, the beer wasn't talking to me, but it's label said) that it should be kept in the cellar for 5-10 years. This one was in the cellar for less time, and it showed. It was a little young and too sweet. Like many fine beers, I'm sure it will improve with age.

------------
So, that's the latest tasting. It did bring some joy into my otherwise dreary mid-February life and really, isn't that what it's all about???

Sad news!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Beer columnist Bill Brand dies at 70

San Jose Mercury News

William Brand, who wrote the beer column "What's On Tap" for the Mercury News, died last week of injuries sustained when he was hit by a train Feb. 8 in San Francisco.

Brand, 70, retired last year as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune. He continued his long-standing beer coverage, including the Mercury News column that started in 2007.

Brand was leaving a San Francisco Beer Week event, a food-and-beer pairing at the 21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant, when he was struck by a Muni train. The accident is under investigation.

He is survived by his wife, three children and two grandchildren. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, www.foodbankccs.org.

Anyone tried these?

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:48:00 +0000

I recently found Beer Chips at the grocery store. Has anyone else tried them? They are pretty good, though I'm not sure I would have identified the flavor as beer without them telling me. Their Chip Shots sound interesting, too!

Here's hoping I find some fun Florida beers this weekend!

Date Night- Let's go to Ashley's!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:21:00 +0000

I'm one of the few women I know who would actually ask their husband to go for beers on "date night". (There are probably a lot of women who would, I just don't know that many of them. Where are you?? Are you out there??) But last Friday night, after a tasty Indian feast, we wandered over to Ashley's, as we hadn't been in awhile. Well, wandered perhaps isn't the most accurate description, as M whined the whole way because it was a couple blocks farther than we thought and yeah, it was cold.

Nonetheless, we immediately scored 2 seats at the bar (jumping ahead of the students in line who demanded a table- ha!) and dove right in. We had a 'rotating tap sampler' of 4 beers, and, as per our usual routine, each rated our favorites. This time we each noted just our top 2 of the 4, and here are the results:

Founder's Double Trouble - neither of us liked it enough to rate it in our top 2, yet I kept finding myself drinking it.... No info about it on their website, though, which I find a bit odd...

Bell's Hop Slam - I thought this one lived up to its name- it smacked me upside the head, but in a good way! We both rated this our #2. The Bell's website says: A biting, bitter, tongue bruiser of an ale. With a name like Hopslam, what did you expect?

Brooklyn Brewing Savoir Faire - M loved it and rated it his #1. I, however, thought it tasted like cough medicine.

Short's Humalupalicious - My #1- yummy!

And this evening we're splitting a Lagunitas Maximus.... oh, how I love Lagunitas beer..... "IPA Maximus - At the height of the heat in the heart of the summer, we felt the only cure was a raging mouthful of fresh Hops and Malt. Caution: May remove enamel from teeth."

Uh oh.

Motor City Brewing Works

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:53:00 +0000

When we scored our outrageous booty o' beer at the demise of Bello Vino, one of our scores was a 12 bottle variety pack from Motor City Brewing Works. We finally cracked it open tonight, and are working our way through. The pack has 2 each of 6 different brews: Motor City Pale Ale, Motown Bohemian Lager, Ghettoblaster, Motor City Nut Brown, 90W-40 IBU Double IPA, and 120W-60 IBU IPA (say that fast after drinking a few- I wonder if they use that as a sobriety test??).

Thus far, Michael has tried the 90W-40 IBU Double IPA (he gave it 2 thumbs up), the Ghettoblaster English style Mild Ale (2 thumbs way down) and is now working on the Motor City Nut Brown Ale ( ). I'm drinking the 120W-60 IBU IPA, and have to say it is damn tasty. I tried the 90W-40, and while I liked it, it was just a bit much for me. I like the 120W-60 better. The Ghettoblaster was, well, TOO mild for our tastes. It just kinda sat there.

More to follow!

Too many beer festivals!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Wait, no, there can never be too many...

But I just read about one happening TODAY in Indianapolis! I'm hoping my friends there will go and write up a report!

The Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Festival is February 28, but it's over near Grand Rapids, a bit of a hike for us, especially if the weather is crappy. Oh well.

Any others of note?

The Oompa Loompa Beer

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:32:00 +0000

This past Saturday, Jeff & I ate dinner at Sidetracks in Depot Town (Ypsilanti). It's an awesome place, located (interestingly enough) along side of some railroad tracks. Get it?!?!! They have super food--I recommend the hamburgers, or anything, really--and a nice selection of local beer. They were having some sort of hoppy-ness specials on Saturday, so Jeff got a Bell's Hopslam and I tried something new, called Short's Huma-Lumpa-Licious IPA. It was DE-licious (see what I did there? Genius). It had a decidedly bitter taste of hops (as opposed to the Hopslam, which is more floral). The aroma is awesome--nice citrus smell and gentle hops, inviting you to drink up.

Naturally, I couldn't remember the name, so I have been calling it (to Jeff's chagrin) the Oompa Loompa beer. The website explains where the name comes from, but doesn't offer a pronouciation (Jeff says it's hume-a lupe-a, with a long U and long E sound, short a sounds on both). This all just makes me yearn for a trip Up North to visit Short's in person. I'm hoping the my "teaching math to the visually impaired" teacher training gets reschedule up in Traverse City, because I'd love a side trip after 2 days of the Nemeth Code.

Cheers!!

Cross Posted to Teacher in the Hood

SF Bay Area Beer WEEK

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:51:00 +0000

Of course this really kicks into high gear AFTER I leave the Bay Area. *sigh* Oh well, my peeps in NorCal can check it out and report in!

Details can be found at www.sfbeerweek.org. (Thanks to William Brand who listed this calendar in the Mercury News. His blog is: www.ibabuzz.com/beer.)

Friday, Feb. 6

Uncommon Brewer Beer Dinner, 6 p.m., Red Restaurant & Bar, 1003 Cedar St., Santa Cruz; about $70. Brewer Alec Stefansky will bring kegs of previously unreleased beers. (831) 621-6270.

Saturday, Feb. 7

Ninth annual Double India Pale Ale Fest, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Bistro, 1001 B. St., Hayward; $25, includes commemorative glass and five taste tickets. More than 60 beers on tap. One of California"s premier beer festivals, highlighting strong, highly hopped double IPAs.
Santa Cruz Ale Works Beer and Cheese Pairing, noon-6 p.m., Parish Publick House, 841 Almar St., Santa Cruz. (831) 421-0507.
Beer and Chocolate Tasting, noon-7 p.m., Seabright Brewery, 519 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz. (831) 426-2739.

Sunday, Feb. 8

Alembic Sunday Supper, 3-7 p.m., Alembic Bar, 1725 Haight St., San Francisco. With Sam Calagione, co-founder, Dogfish Head Brewing.

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Firehouse Grill & Brewery and Milk Pail Market beer and cheese pairing, 6:30 p.m., Firehouse, 111 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, (408) 773-9500.

Thursday, Feb. 12

Sour Beer and Chocolate Night, 5-9 p.m., City Beer Store, 1168 Folsom St., San Francisco.

Friday, Feb. 13

Beer Chef Bruce Paton"s Beer & Chocolate Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco; $80. This is a big deal, featuring some of America"s finest beers and great food. Reservations essential; it will sell out. (415) 674-3406, www.beer-chef.com.
Meet the brewer, with tasting, 6-9 p.m., Devil"s Canyon Brewing, 111 Industrial Way, #7, Belmont. (650) 592-2739.
Firehouse Chocolate Dinner with Pete"s Wicked Ale founder Pete Slosberg, Firehouse Grill & Brewery, 111 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, price to be determined. (408) 773-9500.

Saturday, Feb. 14

Sixth annual Barleywine Fest, doors open at 11 a.m., Toronado, 547 Haight St., San Francisco. People come from around the world; expect a crowd. (415) 863-2276.

SUNDAY, FEB. 15

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and India Joze Culinary Beer Journey, 1-6 p.m., Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, 402 Ingalls St., Suite 27, Santa Cruz; $20. (831) 425-4900.
Celebrator Best of the West Beer Celebration, 4-8 p.m., Oakland Convention Center, 1000 Broadway, Oakland. $35-$50. A really big festival with dozens of breweries.

Ooooh. La. La.

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:31:00 +0000

YUMMY. That is the only word I can use to describe Arbor Brewing's Larry Hoppe Imperial IPA. Brewed in honor of Mr. Hoppe, a huge fan of and seller of ABC's beer, this one hits it out of the park: FIVE different hops in the boil and THEN they dry hop with one pound per barrel. Heaven! This is the first beer that has moved us to bring home a growler- and at 9% ABV, we're taking bets as to whether we'll be able to ration it out so as not to waste it on drunken tastebuds. Get thee to ABC, as this is a limited edition!!

ABC Rye Porter

noreply@blogger.com (TeacherPatti) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Go and drink this beer. For real.

I just got back from the release party for Arbor Brewing's Rye Porter and I am happy to report that it is good. It is very, very good. The brewer probably summed it up best when he said that rye makes everything smoove. (Well, he said smooth but I thought I'd jazz it up a bit). The beer is like velvet, or maybe M'n'Ms (melts in the mouth....).
If you are familiar with porters, you will know that some of them have a "heavy" feeling to them. The rye in this porter helps make the mouth feel lighter and, as I said, smoove. The tastes all hit you at once...malty, portery, rye goodness. And then the taste is gone, leaving you wanting another. So you take another drink. And another. And another. As my friend Cindy would said, "It's very gulpable." As I would say, it makes you feel laid back, as you are sipping on Rye Porter. (But don't blame me if your mind is soon on your money, and your money on your mind.)

OG was about 10.68 and ABV is about 7%. You will not realize the alcohol content right away, so be careful. Nonetheless, I have to say that this is one of the best beers that I've had at the ABC. If you have had Dougie Style's Rye, you should like this beer. Hell, if you've only ever drank your own toenail juice, you should like this beer--it's really, really good.

Drink it before it's gone!! Cheers!

The dog ate my tasting notes!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:32:00 +0000

The pup is slowing me down in getting these posted- she keeps eating my notes! Well not really, but in the two minutes it took me to find my notes and write the first sentence, she managed to pull the lining off the bottom of a chair in the living room. *sigh*

Anyway, a couple of beers purchased at the Hop Shop, a newish store on the north side of Indy where we stopped en route to our friends' house (houseguests can't arrive empty handed!). I say newish because I have no idea how long they have been there, but the area where they are located was a quarry when I lived in Indy! We were pleasantly surprised by their beer selection, arranged by beer type rather than brewery. That made it a little tricky to navigate, but otherwise we like this store!

Anyway, we tried Barley Island's Dirty Helen Brown, a very nice surprise! I'm sometimes put off by browns that are too bitter or have too much coffee taste to them, but this was really smooth from start to finish. I'd order this by the pint and buy more if it was available around here. Barley Island is located in Noblesville, IN, so next time I'm driving from the 'rents down to Indy, I may have to stop in!

The other we tried that evening was Schlafly's Dry Hopped APA from St. Louis, which was most definitely hoppy and fruity with a touch of bitterness. I'd like to try their other beers, too.

Both these beers were winners! We bought a mixed sixer from Hop Shop, so another post is forthcoming... and hopefully I'll get it posted sooner than later!

A2's loss, BeerChick's gain

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Got the sad news over the weekend that Bello Vino, an outstanding purveyor of beer and wine in Ann Arbor, is closing on January 15. They are liquidating (pun intended) their inventory, so as soon as M and I returned to A2 from the Christmas holiday, we had to go pay our respects. And how. We managed to spend a completely ridiculous amount of money on beer, 6 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of champagne, some cheese, chorizo, chocolate, and yogurt. I definitely have enough beer for a month of posts!

Before we break into that stash however, I have a few beers to share!

First, my hometown has a drive thru convenience store. (welcome to Indiana) They recently expanded to include a small cafe and pub, and my friend Scott suggested we check it out as they claim to have 10 beers on tap (believe me- in a small town, that is a big deal). We stopped in for lunch and tried the Bell's Christmas Ale (sadly, I didn't see it listed on the Bell's website!), which the menu said was a "classic Scotch ale". While it was a crisp, easy drinking beer, it wasn't nearly "heavy" enough to meet that definition. The "Christmas baked goods" finish was nice, but I wish it would have had a longer finish.

Merry Christmas, have a beer!

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:13:00 +0000

As promised, we had two other brews we tasted on Christmas eve: Two Brothers Brewing's Cane and Ebel and Bosteels Brewery's Tripel Karmeliet.

The Cane and Ebel didn't really leave much of an impression on me; it was good, but not something I'd probably try again. The Tripel, though- very complex and interesting! I'm not sure I'd had a beer with three different grains like this, brewed from a 300+ year old recipe. Tasty! (unfortunately, after consuming so much sugar in the form of cookies, I couldn't drink much of it!)

Tis the season

noreply@blogger.com (Beer Chick) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Ah, tis the season for Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve, my favorite seasonal beer. What's NOT to love about a double hopped red? It warms the tummy and gives me that holiday glow. :-)

We visited the beer cave while we were here in Wabash today and picked up a couple other beers to try. I'll write about those tomorrow. In the meantime, ho! ho! ho!