As Mark Twain might say, quitting beer is easy! I’ve done it several times.
Beer has been good to me. It’s also been bad for me. I’m probably carrying an addition twenty pounds of girth around my midsection that is directly attributable to fermented yeast.
For me, affection for the stuff has its roots (naturally) in college, that magical time when brain cells are simultaneously nurtured and violated.
During our collegiate beer drinking lives, we usually favor quantity over quality. Sure, Milwaukee’s Best Light is technically “drinkable,” once you get past the gag reflex. You can also buy a keg with whatever spare change you happen to find hidden inside the couch.
In college, we discovered our local Piggly Wiggly grocery store would sell us DRAFT beer by the GALLON. I don’t even remember the brand; it was even cheaper than Milwaukee’s Best. But alas! There was one catch: the beer would go flat in a few hours, so the gallon had to be consumed quickly. Of course, we met this challenge with collegiate enthusiasm.
As I grew older and regularly carried more than $7 in my bank account, my beer-drinking tastes began to evolve. I began to favor quality over quantity, and so did the rest of America. There was undeniably a beer renaissance in the 1990s. Suddenly, we beer drinkers had choices aplenty beyond the usual big corporate breweries. A local brewpub or two became commonplace. The grocery store beer aisles were littered with exotic brews.
This explosion of beer choices happened at about the same time as the expansion of my midsection. Coincidence? I think not.
I’ve had several memorable beer drinking experiences. A few of them I actually remember.
I remember downing a pint in an old monastery in Salzburg, Austria.
This is Salzburg's oldest beer hall. They serve the beer in these opaque ceramic mugs, which is kind of nice for a change.
I remember having a tall stein of brew at Oktoberfest in Munich, while huge crowds of rowdy Germans sang “Country Roads” (yes, by John Denver) at the top of their lungs. For some reason, John Denver was providing the theme song for Germany’s beer festival. Who knew?
As I got older and more adventurous, I discovered beer brewed by Trappist monks, like Chimay – which is about 5000 times more expensive than Milwaukee’s Best. Comparing Chimay to the Beast is kind of like comparing a Rolls Royce Phantom to a Ford Pinto. They’ll both get you where you want to go, but they offer very different rides.
My favorite beer so far this year was that frosty pint of Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale in Bar Harbor, Maine. Is there anything better on a blustery day than a comforting beer in a cozy pub environment?
All of this is a rather long-winded introduction to our Bier du Jour: Single-Wide IPA by Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City, MO.
The quality label is an indicator of quality beer within. Single-Wide IPA is "bottle conditioned," meaning they add a little yeast directly to the bottle for secondary fermentation.
If you ever read beer reviews, you know that they can be incredibly detailed and descriptive, often invoking taste adjectives that are borderline outlandish. The company’s website states that this beer contains flavors of “fresh mown hay.”
Really? Fresh mown hay? How can we be sure sure it’s not more like hay that was chopped and stacked a couple of days ago? Has anyone actually tasted enough hay to develop an informed opinion? I know they are referencing the smells, but I have a hard time distinguishing flavors with such specificity.
No matter – on to the beer. I like pale ales, but this is an “India Pale Ale.” That translates to a more hoppy (bitter) experience. For some folks, this is just what the bartender ordered. For others, it’s too bitter to enjoy.
For my taste buds, Single-Wide is a little too bitter. YBMV (your buds may vary).
But the beer itself strikes me as top quality stuff. It’s “bottle conditioned,” meaning they add a small amount of yeast directly into the bottle for a secondary fermentation. This enhances the complexity of the beer.
The label is fabulous! It was worth buying just for the conversation piece alone.
I like finding obscure new beers to try. I’m sort of the inverse of Mikey from those old Life cereal commercials: I like everything!
Which brings me to this Campfire Question, which has got to be the easiest and least controversial question we could post:
What are you favorite beers? Got any recommendations that we should try?
So many good beers… so little time!
You might enjoy Magic Hat #9 from the Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont. It’s described on their web site as a “Not Quite Pale Ale.” Refreshing! A bit of an apricot after taste, http://www.magichat.net/
Magic Hat’s distribution is growing. It’s now available where I live in Minnesota. (You and Kristy need to point your Airstream in this direction!!)
Two IPAs out of Surly Brewing Company will wake up your taste buds. Surly Furious is a favorite. You can get a kick of caffein out of Surly Coffee Bender, infused with cold press coffee. Sounds terrible, but tastes great! Other brews include Cynic Ale and Surly Hell. With names like that, you’ve gotta give ’em a try. Distribution is very limited. You might have to wait until your Minnesota visit for samples. http://www.surlybrewing.com
Cheers!
For me a great seasonal beer esp for Halloween is The Shipyard Brewing company’s pumpkin head ale! A wheat yet crisp beer. If ya like the punkin’ pie ya gonna love this one! At 5% it’s a little hot.
it is a filling beer as all wheat beers are and should be consumed not ice cold but just chilly! Flavored beers and esp. wheat beers too cold and all the subtle flavors and sugars are too cold to taste. If ya can find it or order it in grab a dozen! Another beer or brewer I love is anything from Samuel Smith.
This is not for the tail gating crowd. Not let me explain………when you tailgate ya got a ton of buds with you and eat and drink everybody! At $18.00 a 6 pack it ain’t cheap! I have not at least to me have gotten a bad beer from them. Save the bud for the tailgate but camp with one of these!
I’ve been drinking Boulevard ever since they first opened. Kansas City is my home town, so it has never been particularly difficult to find on the shelves of local grocery stores. However, I will not tell you that my favorite beer is Boulevard’s basic “Pale Ale” because I’m afraid you would buy some and use it to test your fancy waterproof video camera housing. That, my friend, would be heresy.
Cut.. Cut.. Cut…
Will someone tell the actor to hold the beer bottle with the label so we can see it… too. please…
And then was that a smile or a smurk after you drank some… it reminded me of the health food processer that ground everything up and mashed it into a drink.. the young gal we had that was going to drink it… almost threw up when she got a whiff of it… us too… poooo don’t think that sold…
Matter of fact I think LUCY also was in a show where she was supposed to do the commerical and the same…
Beer… Beer… cold is better
Bridgeport IPA from Portland, Ore is an excellent beer. Some IPAs hit you over the head with hops and bitterness. Bridgeport has a nice balance and is perfect summer beer.
Craftsman IPA from Pasadena, CA is another more subtle IPA but the only problem is you can only find it at less than a handful of pubs in the LA area.
Bottles can be hard to store and deal with in the trailer so we really prefer cans on the road. Colorado seems to be the leader in canned microbrews and the best one we found was Dale’s Pale Ale although Fat Tire in can is a close second.
Cheers,
Scott
@MrRententive, thanks for the tips!
I will look for Magic Hat. #9 sounds right down my alley. I noticed it’s rated at 20 on the “bitterness” scale, while Single-Wide scores 59 IBU (bitterness units). I like pale ales. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a favorite of mine, and it scores 37 bitterness units. I guess anything above that level and it starts to become a little too bitter for me.
I will try the Surly beers too! Actually I think the Surly Coffee Bender is a pretty brilliant idea. There’s a chocolate beer out of England that I like (Young’s Chocolate Stout). Again, it’s one of those combinations that sounds weird, but it works.
I think we will head to Minnesota next year – it’s on our list. Cheers!
Thanks Matt,
I will check out the pumpkin head ale – I really like seasonal beers, especially the autumn/winter ones because they are usually spicy.
I tried the Samuel Smiths you recommended a while back and really enjoyed it.
I know what you mean about the tailgating beers, and I agree. One probably wouldn’t break out a cooler of these “high gravity” beers at a football game!
But here in my old age, I’d rather have a couple of really good beers than a six-pack of watery swill!
I’m remined of the old Monty Python joke, “How is American beer like making love in a canoe? They’re both *$%-ing close to water!” 😉
Harry, I’ve added a disclaimer to our video: NO BEERS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS FILM. 🙂
The way I set up that “BEER CAM” shot was to place the waterproof camera inside a glass carafe, and then pour the beer conmpletely over the camera. Afterwards, I salvaged and drank the beer! Sure, it tasted a little like a Japanese camera, but at least it didn’t go to waste! 🙂
LOL GMAs, with regard to the label, I was in a quandary…because the label has liberal amounts of green on it, and I was shooting in front of a green screen. I figured that the label would make it difficult to chromakey, so I just peeled it off the bottle. I’m sure I could’ve found a more artful way to handle it, but hey – this ain’t Hollywood!
Lucy had the Vitameatavegimin commercial! That was classic, and what I was trying to avoid. Tough to edit after downing one too many pale ales…
Scott, I will check out Bridgeport. I know I’ve seen that one, although I must say that my preferences run to the less bitter pale ales. I think the IPAs are a little much for me unless they are paired with the right food (a blue cheese burger would do nicely).
I know what you mean about bottles in the RV. Often I’ll pick up those four packs of Guinness draught cans. I know that a lot of people don’t care for Guinness, but I like it as a relatively low calorie beer that offers good flavor. (A Guinness clocks in at around 130 calories, while a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is 200 calories.) I went to Ireland a few years ago and quickly learned to appreciate “a pint of the black stuff!”
What no out takes… after Sean has a few… Now… how does the director get back at the artist unless he has him down at least 4 or 5 within the 5 or 6 min takes… it takes to shoot the thing. 😀
You could then put them at the end of the clip as outtakes… that were fun… after all .. hic.. it would be .. more like… what script… hic.. burp….LOLL
Strange how you can capture something that is bitter going down so well…
the Beer makers of the world are all at Berkley , CA. Their you can walk (on in some cases crawl) down the sidewalk going from one brewery to the next… sampling some of the best beer we have had… (and no its not on camera… but strange, I found the next morning, I had a X and a whopping tatoo… and was wondering where they both came from 😉 😉 Lucky the tat was washable and went away… the x is a different story… which doesn’t wash off or erase… OUCH Thats going to leave a mark) ) 😀
GMAs, I did toss one obligatory belch in at the end (after the close) – I fully expect to get a complaint about it! Err, maybe (hopefully) not.
We may do an additional test of the “beer cam” – I’m fascinated to now have a video recording device that can survive a beer bath. We are going to Jamaica next month and I’m planning to give it a good workout.
I’ve visited Berkeley once before, but was pressed for time and really didn’t manage a pub crawl. Next time we are in the San Francisco area we’ll check it out! 😀
No no…the belch needs to stay in. It’s to be expected. Anyone who downs any more than a mouthful of beer at once and doesn’t belch is woefully misinformed as to the proper etiquette of beer drinking. It’s not for snobs after all.
I can only think of a couple beers that I didn’t like, since there are fewer in that category than on the other side of things. Most any bottle that makes that distinctive sound when opened is, at that precise moment, my favourite.
If pressed for a favourite though, when in Canada, I do tend to gravitate towards Moosehead, while over here in NL, it tends to be Grolsch. They’ve got a lot of local stuff in Vienna, so we’ll see what comes up. Tried a local one in Ljubljana….don’t remember what it was called….but only drank the one, ’cause it wasn’t for me. (like Jeffe, it had a peculiar after taste) I drank the whole thing though, since I think that’s the thing. Even after one tries a new brew, and discovers it to not to be to one’s liking, there’s no way it should go to waste.
’cause to waste a drop of beer is well, just a crime against humanity.
Keep yer bulbs in the garden.
Bob.
Thanks Bob, the people have spoken…the belch stays! 😀
I have tried Moosehead before and enjoyed it. Actually, back in the 1980s when it seems that our stores only had domestic brew, Moosehead was somehow available. It was “import” before import was cool!
Your mentioning Europe reminds me of some of my favorite beers across the pond. I’ve spent a lot of time in Central Europe (taught English in Czechoslovakia). The Czechs and Slovaks brew wonderful beer, and it was also delightfully cheap.
Kristy and I visited the Pilsner Urquell factory in Plzen, Czech a few years ago. They have a huge beer hall that offers dining and traditional dance… We were the only Americans there at the time of our visit – it was great! But even better than Pilsner Urquell were the small, local Slovak breweries. At this point I don;t even recall the names but it doesn’t matter, because those beers are not exported anyway.
Another Central European fave of mine that is exported is Zywiec from Poland. I recall visiting Krakow during my teaching days and picking up beautiful draft pints of Zywiec for about 35 cents a piece. For a 20-something kid fresh out of college, it was beer drinking heaven.
I will do another “beer cam” shot soon. I want to demonstrate that it’s possible to pour a beer on a camera and then DRINK said beer. But first I must as I get past my current cold (I’m thinking that cold medicine and pale ale is not a wise combination!).
Cheers,
Sean
Beers, beers…
When in Ireland, I had the opportunity to try Guinness fresh from the brewery: it’s fantastic. Just about anywhere *in* Ireland is a great place to try *real* Guinness. Yum. (Also, if you’re there, try Smithwicks. Again, not as good here in the states.)
But for local beers, I have to go with Anchor Steam. Regular Anchor Steam is a staple at my house, but their Summer brew was really good this year. And if you’re up for the seasonal varieties, they come out with their “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year” ale every year; and every year it’s a bit different.
So when you’re feeling better, start hunting down a place where you can get Anchor Steam in your neck of the woods.
-Eron
You can’t go wrong with a nice Czechvar — if you like Pilsner Urquell, you’ll LOVE Czechvar. Try it on draft if you can find it, although that’s pretty rare.
Magic Hat #9 isn’t bad, but IMO it certainly isn’t great… I’d like to try a few more of Magic Hat’s beers to see if it’s just that one I don’t like, or the whole line.
As for camping beers — look for Oskar Blues brewery’s stuff — Gordon, Old Chub, Dale’s Pale Ale, Mama’s Little Yella Pils, and my personal favorite — Ten Fidy. The last two are the summer and winter seasonals, respectively. Ten Fidy will flat put you on your a$$ if you’re not careful. I can only drink one a day. You know how people describe Guinness as being “SOOOO THICK and DARK!”? Ten Fidy is literally like used motor oil. The thickest, darkest beer I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a LOT of beers).
Anyway, the best thing about Oskar Blues is that all of their beers are distributed in cans! No risk of breakage, and safe (as safe as beers this strong can be) for activities like tubing, etc.
Yes Eron, “pint of the black stuff!”
Believe it or not, I’ve done the Guinness brewery tour in Dublin. That was a good time! The best part was the free pint at the end of the tour – memorable indeed. (This has me thinking that maybe we should start an international “beer tour” website? At the very least, it would be fun to produce. :))
One nice upside of Guinness draught is that it’s only 125 calories for a 12-ounce serving. That’s less than a Budweiser or Coors.
Thanks, I will check out the Anchor Steam seasonal, as that sounds right up my alley.
Pete, good call on Czechvar — that’s one of those other beers from Czechoslovakia I was thinking of…
Interesting story about Czechvar: it’s actually the ORIGINAL “Budweiser” – in Czechoslovakia it’s called Budvar or Budweis! Sadly, Anheiser Busch beat ’em to the USA rights to the “Bud” name… for a long time, the beer was unavailable in the States, partially due to the brand dispute. And there were lawsuits in a lot of different countries. Ironically, it looks like they cut a deal in ’07 for Anheiser-Busch to handle Czechvar distribution in the States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Budvar_Brewery
I have never had Czechvar on tap here in the States – I will look for it!
LOL I will seek out Ten Fidy too, if for no other reason than the challenge it appears to present.
Everything that I’ve had in Portland (especially the one Rogue made for Morimoto). You can call me a girl for this, but from time to time I enjoy a hard cider and I’ve really enjoyed some of those made in the NW – I had a great bottle of Wandering Aengus with an amazing meal at Higgins in Portland.
Mike
toddvsroad.blogspot.com
Mike, I have no problem with cider and certainly don’t consider it a “girly man” drink. If anything, some of those hard ciders can be a little stronger than beer. They will sneak up on you if you’re not careful…
A few years ago I was in Frankfurt, Germany. I went to a local pub in search of some German beer, but my waiter informed me that (duh) the local drink of choice was actually cider. So that’s what I had with my pork-and-kraut dinner – hard cider! I still prefer beer, but cider’s fun from time to time.
Answer: FREE
LOL – yes, my two favorite types of beer are “American Pale Ale” and “free.” 😀