It's been nearly a year since I updated this blog.
For Christmas my Pops got me in the holiday spirit by purchasing a significant gift card from Bevmo which was used almost immediately.He also gave me a rather large book called "Tasting Beer" by Randy Mosher. Which I've been flipping through from time to time. I call it my "beer drinking bible". If you really want to get into craft beer, buy this book. It's about 20.00 USD but seriously a great read.
I purchased Saison De Lente (which was organic), Kwak (recommended by a friend), Gulden Draak (itty bitty bottle but it packs some serious taste and alcohol content), and more recently a beer by the name of "Terrible".
Now unfortunately I took no tasting notes when drinking these, so I'm going off memory. As always I'll allow you, the reader to decide for yourself.
The Organic Saison I bought was limited edition at Bevmo. Not sure where else one could find it. For a saison it was sweet, for me a saison is perfect because it reminds me of Champange. At Tony's Darts Away they have 2 Saison's on tap. Red Barn, which embodied what a Saison should be. Light colored, sweet, spicy. Excellent. And High Five, which while not a particular favorite of mine, is worth a try. The Saison De Lente Organic reminded me very much of Red Barn. Sweet, with herbal and spice notes. I even had my roommate (a strict Jack Daniel's man) try it, he said "This is American Beer?"
Yes, in America we can actually make amazing beer.
Kwak was an excellent beer. Oh it's pricey at Bevmo, and comes in a rather large bottle with a cork. It's a meaty tasting beer. What I mean by "meaty" is that when you drink it, you immediately want a steak to go with it. It's not heavy like a stout but it does have a weight to it. It's a little salty but totally worth the buy.
Gulden Draak is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. True to it's name this beer was also a little Meaty in the mouth but I found after drinking it that I was getting a buzz! I don't recall the percentage but it was much higher than Kwak's 8 percent. It came in a tiny bottle but don't let that fool you. This beer is STRONG. Which isn't bad for it's taste, which was a rich and bold powerful that lasted more than a few moments on the tongue. Be sure you eat something before this beer. It's also VERY expensive for how itty bitty the bottle is. I got it for about 15 dollars. I saw a gift pack with 2 bottles and 2 glasses for 60.00. Oh. My. God.
Now Terrible was something I spotted last night. It's got a pretty plain brown bottle with silver writing. You can find this one at the La Crescenta Ralphs. It calls itself a "Dark Ale on Lees". I have no idea what On Lees means, but it's something good based off how this beer was. Brewed by Unibroue and out of Chambly, Quebec, Canada. It touts a 10.5% ABV. This isn't a heavy hitter like Gulden Draak but it is a thicker more robust beer. It's meaty, and I began to crave a steak (medium rare) to go with it. It's a little salty too, but it goes so well with all the flavor in this beer that you'll wonder why it's called "Terrible" when it should be labeled "Not Terrible". It's a stronger beer and I'm a Saison, Witbeer, and Rye IPA kind of girl--it's actuallly a lot like Chimay Red Label. For 10.99 (Ralphs discount = 8.99) this is one of those more "expensive" beers worth drinking. Eat a steak while you drink it, you'll feel like royalty.
Now, I've been frequenting craft beer bars (and even applying for jobs at them) and I have to say if you live in the L.A area or plan to visit...
Wurstkuche is a real "hipster" (trendy people who are only trendy because they liked a place, band, whatever first and now it's "overrated". They carry big cameras and photograph everything.) Location in the heart of Little Toyko. Now I applied and unfortunately didn't get the position, but hey, with great beer comes great responsibility. They have a variety of beer and sausages (and soda for you non drinkers). I enjoyed a Rattlesnake and Alligator sausage with roasted red peppers with a beer I can't recall. It's bench seating, huge. If you don't want to sit on benches, you can sit in a booth. It's beer selection is most of it's menu, and the menu is huge. It's cafeteria style, so you order at the counter and take a number. They will grab your drink order in line though, and it's ALWAYS packed. They have mostly European Beers, for you ladies they have a Raspberry Lambic. It's pricey but worth a visit.
Tony's Darts Away...I love this little bar. They have a patio in the front now and a brunch special. Vegan and non Vegan food. Did I mention they had ON TAP the legendary "Victory At Sea" by Ballast Point. I've been looking for that beer for 2 years. I've been in almost every night and the beer selection always rotates. The owner also opened Mohawk Bend in Echo Park (Which recently made a list of the Top 10 Beer Bars) and Golden Road Brewing in Atwater Village. Currently Tony's offers a Witbeer from Eagle Rock Brewing that is astounding. You can always taste test a beer you see as well, so you don't order something you don't like the taste of. They always have a large selection of beers. Now, some beers come in what my cousin called "true pints" and others in goblets, snifters, etc. They are not trying to cheat you by doing this. There are certain glasses for certain beers. Now a "true pint" of something like North Coast's Rasputin will be harder to enjoy because of 1. It's crazy alcohol content and 2.It's a Stout, it takes forever to pour. So don't feel like just because some beers come in Pints and others don't. Truth is, if you really love the beer, you can always go to it's brewery and buy a growler of it.
This Friday I'll be heading to 38 Degrees in Alhambra (they follow me on Twitter and it makes me happy inside) to check out the place. There will be a full review. Tasting notes and all!
If you live in California or elsewhere and you have a beer you want reviewed, leave a comment. You can also follow me on Twitter if you so desire for links to this blog and retweets from some local breweries. Or if you have a good local brew pub or whatever you would like a review on, leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter.
Yes, the blog is back, and I'll try to be good about posting every time I get a new beer or a review.
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@38rakia
Hoppy Hump Day
Beer
Showing posts with label Bevmo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bevmo. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Moose Drool & Stone Smoked Porter
Hey everyone, I must admit I didn't think this blog was going to be read by so many people (32 page views over the week) and I'm very appreciative of the interest it's taken.
Last week was hectic, what with surprise yard sales, planning my mother's 50th birthday party and some retard shooting off a high powered multi-round rifle at 9am in the neighborhood. However, as promised, I have procured the beer for this week as well as next week.
I didn't think Bevmo had a great selection, and frankly it's sort of like a starbucks-esque chain. There's tons of them close to the house. However, I went here here to their website and found myself very surprised at the amount of selection. There's another place in Los Angeles which boasts and even MORE impressive selection of both import and domestic beers, called Beverage Warehouse. Prices between the two are roughly the same, the only difference is the amount of selection as well as the huge quantities of other things; e.g hard alcohol and wine. I emailed them to ask about other lesser known beers, which they failed to carry and Bevmo failed to have stocked at the moment, they ended up messaging me back with a ridiculous amount of distributors that would have it. Of the two, if you want incredible selection; beverage warehouse is a good bet. If you want prompt fulfillment of an online order, Bevmo.
I ended up ordering 3 stone 22oz's, 4 Baltika's, a 6 pack of Moose Drool, and a 6 pack of Bigfoot Barley style for around 45 bucks on the internet. Within 10 minutes I received an email confirming my order for pick up, pretty fantastic. You can also order by shipment, which isn't nearly as quick, but it helps if you don't exactly have a plethora of Bevmo's in your area. Now, the Moose drool and Stone were almost exactly the same price at the Warehouse, however, you cannot order from their online dealio--but you can have it delivered!
Onto the beer however...
Moose Drool is by Big Sky Brewing, a company based in Montana. It honestly reminded me so much of Newcastle that for a moment I wondered if I had been duped into buying it rebottled and repackaged. Frankly, with the price of a 12 pack of Newcastle versus a 6 pack of Moose Drool, you're better off buying the Newcastle price wise. Taste wise, it's pretty much Newcastle (then again Moose is also a brown ale) with the picture of a moose that my friend Ara and I believe has taken sick. If your into Moose puke, by all means, buy the beer for the label. If your a broke college student, I don't recommend spending 8.99 on a 6 pack anywhere. I was actually kind of disappointed to be perfectly honest, it's a good substitute in areas where you can't get Newcastle, but frankly it's sort of a waste of money really. Don't get me wrong, if offered it, I would accept and drink it quite readily--but as a party staple or a personal choice--no.
Stone Smoked Porter is by Stone Brewing which is LOCAL! Well, sort of. It's in San Diego/Escondido, you may also know them for their Arrogant Bastard beers as well. For roughly 3.99 a 22oz bottle, this stuff is amazingly good. It's a dark brown color (it looks black in the photo but I assure you, I had one today and it's dark brown, so don't be afraid) tastes sort of stouty but it doesn't kick your ass like stout might. It's good a sort of bready taste to me, like sourdough maybe, it reminds me of the Old Rasputin--only minus the creepy pedo lookin Russki on the label and without the long lasting stouty flavor. The taste is strong at first but it's not crazy overpowering, it's definitely worth a try if you don't know whether or not you'll like or enjoy Stout. I'd repeatedly buy this, not only for the price but for the taste. I mean it really blew me away. Now, my stepdad seemed to think it tasted like Newcastle as well, but he usually enjoys a N/A Beck. If you're a broke college student and you can't afford Old Rasputin 4 packs, pick up some of these babies, I'm tellin you, it's a good buy at a good price. One of these days I'll have to visit their brewery and sample their assortment of beer, bottles of it are similar but nothing beats what the brewery tap's up. Yes, tap beer is similar but different to it's bottled siblings, which is good if you can afford a keg or an afternoon in Escondido, if not--stick with the bottle and save the extra money for a trip down there. Good buy, glad I got to review it and plan on sharing it with some friends tonight.
Speaking of friends, I have had an interesting idea to sort of promote a more homey down to earth feel for this blog. You see, everyone's tastes are different--while I may not be a raving fan of the Moose drool, someone else might love it to death. So a few of my friends and I have decided that every 2 weeks, there will be in addition to the regular blog, a vlog or "video blog" (in case you are not familiar with the term) with some of my friends. After all, beer should be shared with everyone and not just enjoyed alone after work. You'll get to hear different opinions on 4 different beers every two weeks from average joe's like myself and like you.
If you have any suggestions on beer choices, places to go to in Los Angeles, or a brewery in your state you think people would like, leave me a comment.
Next Week!
Big Foot Barleywine
&
Out of St. Petersburg Russia, the Baltika No.9 Extra Lager
(btw, you can find numbers 1-9 at Bevmo for very cheap
See you all next week!
Last week was hectic, what with surprise yard sales, planning my mother's 50th birthday party and some retard shooting off a high powered multi-round rifle at 9am in the neighborhood. However, as promised, I have procured the beer for this week as well as next week.
I didn't think Bevmo had a great selection, and frankly it's sort of like a starbucks-esque chain. There's tons of them close to the house. However, I went here here to their website and found myself very surprised at the amount of selection. There's another place in Los Angeles which boasts and even MORE impressive selection of both import and domestic beers, called Beverage Warehouse. Prices between the two are roughly the same, the only difference is the amount of selection as well as the huge quantities of other things; e.g hard alcohol and wine. I emailed them to ask about other lesser known beers, which they failed to carry and Bevmo failed to have stocked at the moment, they ended up messaging me back with a ridiculous amount of distributors that would have it. Of the two, if you want incredible selection; beverage warehouse is a good bet. If you want prompt fulfillment of an online order, Bevmo.
I ended up ordering 3 stone 22oz's, 4 Baltika's, a 6 pack of Moose Drool, and a 6 pack of Bigfoot Barley style for around 45 bucks on the internet. Within 10 minutes I received an email confirming my order for pick up, pretty fantastic. You can also order by shipment, which isn't nearly as quick, but it helps if you don't exactly have a plethora of Bevmo's in your area. Now, the Moose drool and Stone were almost exactly the same price at the Warehouse, however, you cannot order from their online dealio--but you can have it delivered!
Onto the beer however...
Moose Drool is by Big Sky Brewing, a company based in Montana. It honestly reminded me so much of Newcastle that for a moment I wondered if I had been duped into buying it rebottled and repackaged. Frankly, with the price of a 12 pack of Newcastle versus a 6 pack of Moose Drool, you're better off buying the Newcastle price wise. Taste wise, it's pretty much Newcastle (then again Moose is also a brown ale) with the picture of a moose that my friend Ara and I believe has taken sick. If your into Moose puke, by all means, buy the beer for the label. If your a broke college student, I don't recommend spending 8.99 on a 6 pack anywhere. I was actually kind of disappointed to be perfectly honest, it's a good substitute in areas where you can't get Newcastle, but frankly it's sort of a waste of money really. Don't get me wrong, if offered it, I would accept and drink it quite readily--but as a party staple or a personal choice--no.
Stone Smoked Porter is by Stone Brewing which is LOCAL! Well, sort of. It's in San Diego/Escondido, you may also know them for their Arrogant Bastard beers as well. For roughly 3.99 a 22oz bottle, this stuff is amazingly good. It's a dark brown color (it looks black in the photo but I assure you, I had one today and it's dark brown, so don't be afraid) tastes sort of stouty but it doesn't kick your ass like stout might. It's good a sort of bready taste to me, like sourdough maybe, it reminds me of the Old Rasputin--only minus the creepy pedo lookin Russki on the label and without the long lasting stouty flavor. The taste is strong at first but it's not crazy overpowering, it's definitely worth a try if you don't know whether or not you'll like or enjoy Stout. I'd repeatedly buy this, not only for the price but for the taste. I mean it really blew me away. Now, my stepdad seemed to think it tasted like Newcastle as well, but he usually enjoys a N/A Beck. If you're a broke college student and you can't afford Old Rasputin 4 packs, pick up some of these babies, I'm tellin you, it's a good buy at a good price. One of these days I'll have to visit their brewery and sample their assortment of beer, bottles of it are similar but nothing beats what the brewery tap's up. Yes, tap beer is similar but different to it's bottled siblings, which is good if you can afford a keg or an afternoon in Escondido, if not--stick with the bottle and save the extra money for a trip down there. Good buy, glad I got to review it and plan on sharing it with some friends tonight.
Speaking of friends, I have had an interesting idea to sort of promote a more homey down to earth feel for this blog. You see, everyone's tastes are different--while I may not be a raving fan of the Moose drool, someone else might love it to death. So a few of my friends and I have decided that every 2 weeks, there will be in addition to the regular blog, a vlog or "video blog" (in case you are not familiar with the term) with some of my friends. After all, beer should be shared with everyone and not just enjoyed alone after work. You'll get to hear different opinions on 4 different beers every two weeks from average joe's like myself and like you.
If you have any suggestions on beer choices, places to go to in Los Angeles, or a brewery in your state you think people would like, leave me a comment.
Next Week!
Big Foot Barleywine
&
Out of St. Petersburg Russia, the Baltika No.9 Extra Lager
(btw, you can find numbers 1-9 at Bevmo for very cheap
See you all next week!
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