B

Beers that have been rated B-, B, or B+

Double Feature: Holiday Ales, Part 1

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No filmic double feature this week, but I started off the seasonal beer tastings for the year on Friday as I watched the Flyers in a disappointing shoot-out-loss, courtesy of a total bullshit penalty call on Chris Pronger, without which we would have won in the initial overtime period (and the article was wrong, it wasn’t a split-second before the goal, more like 3-5 seconds… not that I’m bitter). Anywho, the night’s beer selections were more enjoyable than the game…

Anchor Christmas Ale

Anchor Special Christmas Ale – Anchor is one of the pioneers of independent brewing in the US, and since 1975, they’ve put out a special Christmas brew as the holiday approaches. The recipe is different every year, as is the tree on the label (which is quite nicely designed and very classy). It’s apparently quite a popular tradition in the beer nerd community, and so I’ve been looking forward to this. Pours a nice dark brown color (almost black), with a big tan head that leaves lots of lacing as I drink. Smell is spicy (spruce?) with some roasted, earthy character as well. Taste features some of that spice (Spruce? Cinnamon? Nutmeg?), ample sweetness (maybe some raisins in there), and some light roastiness. Maybe a little chocolately bitterness as well, and it lingers a bit (but not in a bad way). Mouthfeel is smooth and crisp, with a medium body. It’s not a particularly big beer, but it’s quite delicious and I can see why everyone looks forward to this every year. A bit too rich to drink several of these in a row, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I normally don’t spring for a full six-pack, but in this case, I’m glad I did (not sure if I’ll be able to keep one for comparison purposes next year, but maybe I’ll try). B+

Beer Nerd Details: 5.5% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank from a goblet.

Rogue Santas Private Reserve

Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale – Perhaps not as storied as the Anchor, this one seems to be a popular seasonal choice. Pours a deep brown color (lighter than the Anchor ale), with a thin head and a little lacing. Smell has some spiciness in it, maybe clove, but it’s mostly a hoppy aroma. Taste has more of a nutty malt flavor, with a little spiciness and a bitter finish. It actually reminds me of Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale, but a little darker with some more spiciness. A solid beer, but not as good as the Anchor and not something I see myself visiting very often. B

Beer Nerd Details: 6% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank from a goblet.

So there we have it. Still stocking up on winter/holiday brews, so there will most definitely be more of those coming soon…

Best Worst Double Feature

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Well, I’m cheating here. Two nights, two beers, and three movies. Not quite a double feature, but close enough! Or maybe not. The point of the beer double feature is to compare two beers of similar style, and the two beers below couldn’t be more different. On the filmic side of things, it’s a weekend of Trolls. One of the documentaries released this year that I’ve been really interested in seeing was Best Worst Movie. It’s about the movie Troll 2, once crowned as the worst movie of all time, but which has somewhat recently undergone a resurgence as a cult classic (a “so bad it’s good” kinda thing). Best Worst Movie was recently released on DVD, so in addition to adding it to my Netflix queue, I wanted to check out the movie itself… and Troll 2 is only available on a double feature disc of its own (with the original Troll). Intriguing, as those two movies have nothing to do with each other. Well, let’s just say that the movies are all just about what you might expect .

The original Troll is actually a pretty interesting movie. Terrible, of course, but very watcheable. Plus, it’s got midgets, a troll-filled musical number, and, I shit you not, a boy named Harry Potter who learns magic in order to defeat the trolls (seriously, Harry fucking Potter!?). Troll 2 is… hard to explain. I don’t really think it deserves the title of worst movie ever, but it’s certainly in the running. There are so many nonsensical components to the movie that I don’t really know where to start. There are no trolls in the movie, only goblins (perhaps a pedantic distinction, but the lack of trolls is part of the movie’s charm), and they all live in a town called Nilbog (that’s goblin spelled backwards!). They lure people to their town, turn them into trees and plants, then eat them (you see, the goblins are vegetarians! Yes, the movie is an attack on vegetarians.) But it’s so earnest and completely ridiculous that it’s almost endearing (and most certainly funny), and so the cult that’s grown around the movie makes some sort of sense. Best Worst Movie chronicles that cult and it’s rise throughout the naughts. The documentary is made by Michael Stephenson, who played the little boy in Troll 2. There are some interesting parallels between the film’s popularity and the way the actors view the film – they are as aware as anyone of the inadequacies of the film, but even they come around as the cult grows. The film gets a bit repetitive as it goes on, but that’s also part of the point. Even the actors start to get sick of the screenings and repeating the lines over and over again (“You don’t piss on hospitality!”) and attending weird horror conventions and the like. It’s an interesting bit of filmic nostalgia and I greatly enjoyed it, along with some beers!

Saison Dupont

Saison Dupont – The saison style of beer has apparently been somewhat endangered, but in recent years it’s had a bit of a resurgence, led by the likes of Ommegang’s excellent Hennepin, and also Saison Dupont, which was named by Men’s Journal as “the Best Beer in the World” a few years ago. Pours a slightly hazy golden color, nice fluffy head with some lacing as I drink. Smells great. Perhaps a bit of fruit in the nose, lots of spices (coriander? clove?), but nothing overpowering. Taste is sweet, citrusy and a little tart, with a full body, lots of carbonation and a bit of a harsh mouthfeel (as I’ve already established, that sort of harshness isn’t necessarily a bad thing). There’s a bitterness, but it’s not hoppy. Is it the best beer in the world? I have a terrible time choosing favorites and picking bests, but I could certainly entertain the notion, which says a lot. A

Beer Nerd Details: 6.5% ABV bottled (750 ml, caged and corked bottle). Drank from a goblet (get it, goblin? goblet? Ha!).

Southern Tier Creme Brulee

Southern Tier Creme Brulee (Imperial Milk Stout) – Recommended to me by Kaedrin regular Sovawanea, I have to admit that part of the reason I wanted to try this was that it’s got such an evocative name. It just sounds like a perfect match. Pours a deep black color with a very thin, beige head. Smells very sweet, lots of vanilla and caramel. Usually the nose tapers off as I drink a beer, but not in this case – aromatic to the very end (even the empty glass gave off a strong scent). I didn’t notice it, but the bottle says to drink it chilled out of a snifter, and that makes sense given the great aroma this stuff gives off. That vanilla and caramel shows up pretty strongly in the taste as well, but it’s tempered by the roasty malt sweetness in a decidedly, well, creme brulee fashion. It’s not as roasty as other stouts I’ve had recently (either that, or the sweetness is overpowering the roasted flavors). I found myself drinking quite slowly (it lasted longer than the documentary), but that’s probably a good thing given the 10% ABV! Even so, it’s perhaps a bit too sweet for one person to drink an entire 22 oz bottle of this stuff. It gets a bit cloying towards the end… (apparently I’m not the only one who recently tried this and felt that way) Nevertheless, it’s an excellent and unique beer. It would make a nice after-dinner dessert to share with someone, and it’s also something that showcases the amazing variety of flavors that beer can have (it could be a decent gateway beer in the right scenario). B+

Beer Nerd Details: 10% ABV bottled (22 oz bomber). Drank out of a pint glass (apparently shoulda been a snifter though)

So two pretty different beers, but both are pretty great.

Double Feature: Ales of the Revolution

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Despite a recent disappointment from Yards, I went ahead and picked up a pair of their Ales of the Revolution. As I mentioned before, I’m kinda a sucker for local beers and this series, based on recipes of our founding fathers, is particularly intriguing. I drank them whilst watching the second half of last weekend’s double feature (sadly, movie theaters around here generally frown upon the drinking of alcohol during the show – perhaps someday, we’ll get an Alamo Drafthouse or something similar). Winter’s Bone is a very good movie, but not exactly fun drinking material. Nevertheless, I found myself enjoying both of these brews:

Yards Poor Richards Tavern Spruce

Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce Ale – As legend has it, when Ben Franklin learned that barley and hops were not very plentiful, he attempted to bypass the shortages by leveraging spruce and molasses (I have no idea bout the proportions here, but whatever). It pours a dark amber color, mostly (but not entirely) clear, with a thin head. Smell is a little spicy and malty, though not super strong. Taste is a bit spicy (apparently that’s the spruce), but otherwise it tastes like a pretty standard amber ale. Would have perhaps liked a bit more maltiness in the taste, but it’s got an excellent, very drinkable mouthfeel. It reminds me a little of Yuengling Lager, but with a little more spiciness (which is a good thing, in my book). I could drink these all night, and at 5%, that would work really well. It’s not blowing me away, but it’s better than most of the offerings I’ve had from Yards and would make a fantastic session beer. B+

Beer Nerd Details: 5% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank from a pint glass.

Yards Thomas Jeffersons Tavern Ale

Thomas Jefferson’s Tavern Ale – Pours a lighter amber color, mostly (but not entirely) clear, with a solid head. Smell is a bit muted here, not much going on in the nose. Taste is sweet, boozy and spicy, an interesting mix. Carbonation isn’t as strong here, perhaps because of the high alcohol content, which seems to be the dominant characteristic of this. It’s not really appropriate to call it oily, but that word does come to mind (perhaps that lack of carbonation contributed to an oily mouthfeel). Neverthless, I like it. It’s probably not something I want to drink a lot of, but there’s something unique about the beer. Flawed, perhaps, but still an interesting experiment. There are rumors of a Bourbon Barrel Aged version of this beer, and given the high alcohol content, I think the addition of rich flavors imparted by such a process would suit this beer well. B

Beer Nerd Details: 8% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank from a pint glass.

So a good showing for Yards this week. Now I just need to find me a bottle of George Washington’s Tavern Porter and Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Ale (this one seems a bit rarer than the others, though it appears to be in the variety pack). And of course, if I come across the Bourbon Barrel Aged versions, I’ll have to try those too.

Victory Storm King and Dark Devil

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I’ve never really been a big fan of Stouts, but I’ve recently started trying a few, just to get a better handle on the style and have found them mostly enjoyable, though still not exactly my favorite style. Victory brewing is right around the corner from me, so it’s only natural for me to check out their year-round stout:

Victory Storm King

Victory Storm King Stout: Well, this is unlike any other stout I’ve ever tried, mostly due to it’s hoppy, bitter character. Pours a black color with a brown head. The taste starts with a roasty malt bitterness that eventually gives way to a more hoppy bitterness, making for an unusual stout (for me, at least). It’s much more hoppy than I’m used to for stouts, and while there’s a pretty good balance of flavor here, the bitterness remains its real defining characteristic. It’s almost like a dark version of an IPA (adding roasted flavors to the traditional crisp, bitter IPA style) rather than a straightforward stout. Relatively easy drinkability, which is a surprise given the high alcohol content. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I’m going to go out of my way for. B

Beer Nerd Details: 9.10% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank from a pint glass.

My beer club met earlier this week at a local pizza place that happens to have a fantastic beer selection, and one of our discoveries was the Victory Dark Devil. The Dark Devil is basically a combination of the Storm King Stout with Victory’s famous Hop Devil, and boy is it a fantastic match. It looks almost exactly like a normal Storm King, but the taste is more complex and flavorful. The Storm King itself already felt like a Hop Devil with more roasted malts, but when you add Hop Devil, you get something a little less biting and a little more flavorful. The Hop Devil has a more floral character, and that mixes really well with the Storm King. Apparently there’s a style of beer emerging lately that’s referred to as Black IPA, India Black Ale, or Cascadian Dark Ale, which is basically the combination of the IPA with the dark, roasted flavors of a stout. If the original Storm King doesn’t count, then this combination surely would… If it’s something you can find, try it out (haven’t tried making this from the bottle, but I imagine it would work well there too).

Dogfish Head Saison du Buff

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All Dogfish Head beers have a story at their core, and this one is no exception. It apparently started back in 2003, when Sam Caligone (of Dogfish Head), Bill Covaleski (of Victory Brewing) and Greg Koch (of Stone Brewing) got together and formed something called BUFF, which stands for Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor. As near as I can tell, there wasn’t much of a point to BUFF until earlier this year, when the three brewers collaborated on a recipe for a saison style beer. The most notable thing about the recipe is that it prominently features parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (presumably a tribute to the album, but also to the craft brewery tradition of using lots of ingredients). Each brewer took the recipe back to their respective brewery and made a batch. Earlier this summer I had a couple of Victory’s batch and while I enjoyed them, I came a way a little disappointed. Anyway, I recently spotted a bottle of the Dogfish Head version and thought I’d give it a shot:

Dogfish Head Saisondubuff

Dogfish Head Saison du Buff: Pours a slightly cloudy light yellow color with a big head. Lots of lacing as I drank. More aromatic than the Victory version, smelling mostly of spice and some floral hops. Taste is bigger and spicier than expected, with some yeasty notes and that floral hoppiness at the end (not very bitter though). Very carbonated and a little harsh (I guess that sounds bad, but I kinda like that characteristic), but it seems to mellow out (in a good way) as it warms up. I’m getting more earthy, hoppy notes as I get towards the end, making it one of those beers that improves as you drink. Overall, pretty damn good. I wouldn’t put it at the top of my favorite saisons, but it’s close and I’m enjoying it more than the Victory version. B+

Beer Nerd Details: 6.8% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank out of a pint glass.

Now this makes me want to find all three and try them all, one after the other. At this point, that’s pretty unlikely though, so I’ll have to settle for trying to find a Stone version…

The Session: Wheat Beers

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On the first Friday of every month, there’s a beer blog roundup called The Sessions. Started by Stan Hieronymus and hosted by a rotating group of bloggers, each Session has a chosen topic, and this month’s is being hosted by BeerTasters.ca and covers the general topic of Wheat Beers:

Feel free to take this topic in any direction you like, specific reviews, historical information, or any other twist you’d like to use. Wheat beers are a pretty wide topic and actually cover German style Weizen, Heffe Weizen, etc. along with Belgian style Witbier and even Flavoured Wheat beers.

There are very few guidelines here, just have some fun drinking Wheat Beers in the fall instead of the summer.

So there. I’m no expert on the style, but I’ve had plenty of wheat beers over the years. One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was so that I’d gain a better understanding of beer, and while I’ve had a few great wheat beers lately (notably, Unibroue’s Blanche De Chambly, a great beer I didn’t even realize was a wheat beer, and Dogfish Head’s Namaste, which is also pretty good, in a more traditional wheat beery way), I’ve found that having to write about beer makes me think differently about beer. While I’ve been drinking lots of craft beer over the past couple of years, I’ve only been blogging about it for a few weeks, so I’m not sure if I can trust my memory on the beers I just mentioned. So tonight I tried out a semi-local Hefeweizen:

Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat

Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat – I’ve had several Flying Dog beers, while they’re eminently drinkable, they’re rarely exceptional (the one exception might be the Raging Bitch IPA, which was pretty great). This shouldn’t really matter, but Flying Dog also has amazing labels on their bottles. Apparently the owner of Flying Dog was good friends with Hunter S. Thompson, and through that connection came artist Ralph Steadman. He’s got a distinctive art style, and the labels on all of Flying Dog’s beers are awesome. Anyway, I found myself in a beer distributer the other day, and the Flying Dog variety case seemed like a pretty good idea, and among the variety was this Hefeweizen. It pours a light orange/yellow color. There’s a bit of a haze too it, but I could still see my hand through it pretty easily. Smells a little yeasty with some citrus thrown in. Sweet, light, crisp wheaty/yeasty taste with a finish that’s a little more tart than bitter. A little bit of citrus flavor, but the character of this beer isn’t especially strong. It’s light and refreshing, but it’s not lighting the world on fire either. Like most of Flying Fish’s offerings, it’s quite drinkable and would make a nice summer session beer, but it’s not exactly the best wheat beer I’ve had or anything. I’ll give it a solid B-. Not something I’d seek out regularly, but it’s still pretty good.

Beer Nerd Details: 4.7% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank out of a pint glass.

Later in the night, I had a few IPAs, which I must admit, put this one to shame. Part of that might be that wheat beers aren’t often meant to be huge flavor bombs, but I do like the wheat beer style, and there are many that I’m looking forward to trying. So here’s a list of other Wheat beers I’d like to try (that I’ve never had before):

  • Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (duh)
  • St. Bernardus Witbier
  • Victory Whirlwind Witbier (pretty sure I’ve had several of these one night, but it’s been a while)
  • Victory Sunrise Weissbier

Any other recommendations?

Boxcar Original Ale

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Earlier this week, I lamented the beers of Yards, a local brewery that I’ve never really connected with. Last night, whilst on a drunken quest for pizza, I spied a sixer of Boxcar Brewing’s Original Ale. I’d just recently heard about this online, as the brewery is apparently located in West Chester, PA, which is where I live, so this is probably as local as it gets (distribution is limited to Southeast PA at this point). As we’ve already established, I’m a total homer, so I immediately picked up the six pack and anxiously awaited the pizza and beer meal I was about to consume.

boxcar original ale

Boxcar Original Ale: Pours a light, hazy yellowish color, with a small head. The head did retain itself and there was lots of “lacing” as the beer nerds call it as I drank. The smell was lightly sweet, with some citrus thrown in for good measure. Taste was also a bit mild, with some malts and hops coming through, and a hint of that citrus flavor as well (it’s a bit lemony, which is a nice touch). BA calls it an American Pale Ale, but it feels more German in style, maybe even something with wheat in it. It strikes me as a nice summer ale, light and crisp. Unfortunately, when you put all this together, you don’t really get anything that stands out too much. I don’t really detect anything wrong with it, but at the same time, there’s nothing particularly amazing about it either. It’s light and mild, which is fine, I guess, but not something I’m going to immediately run out and shove into people’s hands telling them that they need to try it. This is apparently the only beer that Boxcar makes right now (having just launched earlier this year), and it shows a lot of promise. With some tweaking, I think this beer would come out better, but as of right now, there’s not much to differentiate this from the throngs of other startups. I’m sure part of this is my homer instincts talking, but I’ll give it a provisional B- (I suspect some might rate it lower).

Beer Nerd Details: 5.0% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank out of a pint glass.

I don’t really understand why new breweries start with this kind of mild beer. I suppose it’s inoffensive, but at the same time, it’s not particularly memorable either. I look forward to new and hopefully more ambitious efforts from this brewery. Even if I don’t see myself falling back on the Original Ale too often, I think it does show a lot of potential from this tiny upstart. In any case, Victory remains the champion home team for now.

Jackass and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

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There’s something commendable about the cast of Jackass and their willingness to endure pain and suffering for the sake of comedy. Sure, people farting or getting hit in the genitals with a ball isn’t exactly highfalutin, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t laughing. A few years ago, one of the more pretentious movie critics I actually enjoyed listening to, on the podcast formerly known as Cinecast (#32, if you want to listen in), made a surprisingly vigorous defense of the first Jackass movie. His argument is that our society is, in some ways, constructed to avoid pain, and that the Jackass guys are laudable because they intentionally attempt to do things that no one else would ever think of doing. Yeah, that’s a pretty nerdy take on a movie prominently featuring poo, but it is an interesting perspective. Why do we avoid pain, and is that limiting our lives?

I just got out of Jackass 3D, and things have changed slightly. This time around, I’d say that the movie makes me wonder why society is constructed to avoid bodily waste products like vomit, urine, and feces. Oh no, wait, it didn’t. But it did remind me of that defense of the original Jackass, and I wish I had some sort of crazy disgusting beer to drink right now so that I could describe the experience for you, but alas, I have no Bud Light Chelada or Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer handy. Before taking in the cinematic wonder that is Jackass 3D, I did spend some time at another crappy sports bar… naturally, the selection was limited, but there were actually a few interesting beers on tap, so I tried out a stout, a style I’ve been meaning to get more acquainted with and which could potentially have provided me with a solid base for the vomit induced by the film:

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout: Pours a nice dark black color with a full, thick and creamy head that was retained for a surprisingly long time. I couldn’t really pick up much in the way of smells, but the taste was a solid chocolately flavor. It was a nitro pour, so it was very smooth and creamy (it had very little carbonation) It was chocolately sweet, but it had a bitter character as well – it wasn’t exactly the familiar hoppy bite of an IPA or anything, but I guess that’s why they call it a chocolate stout. It has a full body, but not quite as heavy as I expected. I’ve never really been a big fan of Stouts and while this is certainly something I can drink, it’s not something that’s really converted me to a Stout fan (as winter approaches, I plan on trying out more in the style though, so I guess we’ll see). It’s a solid beer, probably even better than I was expecting, but it’s not lighting the world on fire either. I’ll give it a B

I suppose drinking a heavy, full bodied stout on a full stomach before watching the latest vomit-inducing Jackass film is somewhat daring, but unfortunately, I didn’t actually throw up. I would really have enjoyed describing for you, in detail, the tastes and mouthfeel of the beer coming back up, but alas, it wasn’t to be. I’m sure some of you are taking that as a good thing, but I’m thinking of myself as a failure tonight. Thanks a lot Jackass!

Beer Nerd Details: 5.2% ABV on Nitro Tap. Drank from a pint glass.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

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In Pennsylvania, if you want a Yuengling, all you need to do is ask for a “lager”. This seems to amuse outsiders quite a bit, but for us, it’s just normal. Yuengling is pretty much my default beer. It’s available everywhere, it’s dirt cheap, and it actually tastes good (a thousand times better than macro beers like Bud, Miller, etc…). I’ve drank so many of these that I don’t know that I can really write a review, as its taste is pretty much hardwired into me. I take a sip, the muscle memory kicks in, and I grin. Does it knock my socks off like something out of a Trappist brewery? Well, no. But I can drink 6 of these without having to take out another mortgage. And I can actually find them in a bar. (I’ll give it a B.)

Yuengling Poster

Once you leave PA, it doesn’t seem anywhere near as ubiquitous, though everyone seems to enjoy it. Friends at school would often load up their cars on the way home, not just so they had their own secret stash, but because their pops wanted some too. (Of course, when the default beer at college is Natural Light, Yuengling actually does seem like some sort of Trappist rarity, but I digress.) There’s something about the Yuengling brand that’s just endearing. Perhaps it’s the storied history – it is America’s oldest continuously running brewery, after all. Or maybe it’s just local pride. Whatever the case, it seems to strike a chord with people around here. Would it continue to do so if the brewery expanded their distribution?

A few years ago, Yuengling expanded their operation to Florida, effectively covering the entire east coast. I remember seeing it on tap in Florida once and being shocked (alas, they didn’t quite have the “lager” lingo down, earning me a confused look from the bartender). I assume west coasters have never even heard of it. Well that will probably be changing soon:

Now, the fifth-generation brewing scion and sole owner is poised to make his riskiest move yet to expand the nation’s oldest beer maker. Yuengling (pronounced ying-ling) announced last week that it signed a letter of intent to buy a former Coors brewery in Memphis, Tenn. The facility would be the Pennsylvania brewer’s largest and could more than double the company’s overall capacity and allow it to expand distribution into multiple states beyond its 13-state footprint in the Eastern U.S.

Will it make it all the way to the west coast? I wouldn’t be surprised either way. The company is apparently quite conservative when it comes to expanding (which makes sense, considering their longstanding history), so maybe this will just be a mid-west thing. I’d be curious to see how west coasters like this beer though. The storied reputation in this area and limited distribution elsewhere could end up being its downfall if expectations get too high. In any case, if you’ve never heard of it and you start seeing it popping up, give it a shot. It’s not liquid crack or a transcendent experience or anything, but it is a great session beer. (thanks to Jay for the link)

Update: Funnily enough, the beer nerds at BeerAdvocate call this an “American Amber / Red Lager”. I just labeled it as a “lager” without even thinking. Heh. I was also expecting the judgement of the beer nerds to be a bit harsher, but a “B-” is probably about as good as I could ever hope for here.

Triple Play

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The Phillies are in the playoffs, which basically means lots of beer drinking (hopefully continuing throughout October). Tonight, a solid win to take the series to 1-1 and three craft beers:

Yards Extra Special Ale (ESA) – Drank straight from the bottle, so I don’t know the color, but it seems like a dark beer. Not quite a Porter or a Bock, but along those lines. BA has it as an “Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)” and that seems appropriate. It’s got a lightly bitter, chocolatey finish that actually works reasonably well. This isn’t exactly my preferred style of beer, but it was very drinkable and I’ll probably have another one later this week (game 4?) B-

Beer Nerd Details: 6.3% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank straight from the bottle (like a man!)

After this, I cleansed my palate with a helping of Doritos and grabbed another brew:

Dundee Oktoberfest – Holy crap, it’s a stealth macro! If you count Genessee as a macro, I guess. I don’t especially care about that sort of thing, but I was a bit surprised. Anyway, I saw this one and thought I should give it a shot given my recent Shoktoberfest Adventures. It smells of an Oktoberfest, but the taste is a little different. Not bad – a little spicier than your typical Oktoberfest, but otherwise pretty similar. Probably somewhere near the bottom of recent tastings, but still a lot better than typical macro beers. B-

Beer Nerd Details: 5.5% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank straight from the bottle (like a man!)

Some more Doritoes and pretzels, and now the coup de grâce:

Fire Island Lighthouse Ale – Wow, is this bad. Maybe I just got a stale bottle, but it was very bland and not at all interesting. About the only thing it had going for it was a medium drinkability and good carbonation. Taste was stale and bland. I’m surprised I managed to finish it. D

Beer Nerd Details: 5.2% ABV bottled (12 oz). Drank straight from the bottle (like a man!)

Go Phillies.