99 Bottles of Beer ....

x Marks the Spot

Put an x next to the items that apply to you.

[ ] Short, 5'2 and under
[ ] 5'3 -5'6"
[ ] 5'7" - 6'0
[X] Tall 6'2 and up

Sarah and I have finally booked out flight to MI for Christmas. We won't get to spend a long as we wanted because Sarah doesn't have all of those days off (one of the perks of WPI). Anyway, we are flying out on Sunday (12/24). I know we are cutting it close but it should be ok. One thing that I am looking forward to (besides seeing all of Sarah's family) is to try some more of those hard to find MI beers. Last time I was out there, I got to try alot of very tasty Michigan beers. Hopefully this time I will be able to try to find a few more. There are lots of yummy beers being produced all over MI (actually, the midwest). There is one beer I would really like to try. Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock is supposedly going to be released for this year around Christmas. Its a really cool bottle and would be the first Eisbock I would ever have.




Some of the specific beers that I would also love to find:
1. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
2. Founders Breakfast Stout
3. Kuhnhenn Fourth Dementia
4. Bell's Expedition Stout
5. Bell's HopSlam
6. Bell's Two Hearted Ale
7. Founder's Imperial Stout
8. Founder's Red Rye

Really any of the beers of Founders, Bell's, Kuhnhenn, Jolly Pumpkin or any of the other MI brewers would be awesome. If I get a hold of some of these I may have to send a box home. Its too bad I can't get these in MA.

A few others that would be nice to find in MI since I can't find them here:
Goose Island Imperial IPA
Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Blackout Stout, Nosferatu
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA (others)
Deschutes (?)
Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Masala Mama IPA

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

Since I haven't been a little kid in years (yeah, yeah. I still act like one on occasion), I need some help with something. What is the facination that small kids have with those bottle crusher machines commonly found in grocery stores? Last night, Sarah and I are at the grocery store taking back bottles. This kid who is leaving the store with his mother and I believe little sister just stops and starts staring. He was intranced by it. It was like his own little vision quest and these machines were his totem. He didn't move for what seemed like a couple minutes. His mom even let him do it. Says he does it all the time. You might say that this is an isolated event (and I never mentioned this to Sarah) but this has happened to me to before. Different kid, same befuddeling amusement. Am I missing something? Would adults find them as facinating if we could see inside them. Would kids lose there facination if you could? Are these bottle crushers machines magically? Should we be worried about the bottle machine overloads stealing the minds of our children. Does anyone understand this?

Dogfish Head Brewery Raison D'Etre
8% ABV
36 IBU

A deep, mahogany ale brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian-style yeast. As complex as a fine, red wine. Voted "American Beer of the Year" in January 2000 by Malt Advocate Magazine
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Pour - Pours a deep ruby red/brown with little to no lacing. Zero head retention and carbonation seems very fake (pours like a soda).

Aroma - Malty, slightly burnt. Slightly fruity (raisins)

Taste - Good overall complexity. Hints of coffee, raisins, and dark fruit. Subtle sweetness that controls the burnt maltiness.

Mouthfeel - Highly carbonated, very alcoholic finish. Very smooth almost watery. I had hoped for a lot more body to this but I think with the additions of beet sugars, etc., its safe to assume that the body was going to be weaker.

Drinkability - Its tasty but I don't think I could have more than one in any one sitting. Its high ABV% and high carbonation made it difficult to really thoroughly enjoy. There is also a burnt coffee note that lingers a little too long on the palate

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (Good but not 6 pack worthy)

Westmalle (Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle) Tripel
ABV: 9.5%

Tripel van Westmalle is een helder, goudgeel trappistenbier dat gedurende drie weken nagist in de fles. Het is een complex bier met een fruitige geur en een mooie, genuanceerde hopneus. Het is zacht en romig in de mond, met een bittere toets gedragen door het fruitaroma. Een uitzonderlijk bier, met veel finesse en elegantie. En met een heerlijk lange afdronk.

De Westmalle Tripel wordt wel eens de "moeder van alle tripels" genoemd. Dit type bier werd in 1934 voor het eerst in de abdij van Westmalle gebrouwen naar aanleiding van de ingebruikname van de nieuwe brouwzaal. De huidige formule blijft al sinds 1956 - dus bijna 50 jaar - nagenoeg onveranderd.

Dit bier wordt meestal geschonken uit flesjes van 33 cl, precies de inhoud van het bijbehorende kelkglas. De flesjes worden per stuk, in handige mandjes van zes of in kratten van 24 flesjes te koop aangeboden. En uiteraard schenken ze dit bier ook in de betere horecazaken.

De Tripel kunt u ook krijgen in flessen van 75 cl. Opmerkelijk is dat het bier in deze grotere flessen op een andere manier rijpt. De fruitige geur is wat zachter en rijper, en het bier krijgt een lichte vanilletoets mee.

"De Westmalle Tripel is een heel groot bier dat in België (maar ook in het buitenland) zijn gelijke niet vindt. Het combineert een zeer aromatische fruitigheid (fruitige esters tot solventen) met een volle, romig zachte smaak en een aangenaam bitter. Bijzonder is dat het aantoonbaar evolueert. Na drie maanden is het fruit nog zeer overweldigend, na zes maanden zijn de fruitige esters al wat getemperd en komt het hopbitter naar voren. Na een jaar vindt het een perfect evenwicht tussen fruit en bitter. Nog later ebt met de hopbitterheid het evenwicht weg en gaat het bier te zoetig smaken. Wachten is de boodschap want het vindt dat evenwicht zeker terug: zo stelt men in een recept een sabayon met een vijf jaar oude Tripel voor."

Or in translated English (kindof):

Tripel van Westmalle are a clear, gold yolk staircase beerstaircase beer that during three weeks nagist in the bottle. It is a complex beer with a fruity fragrance and a beautiful, nuanced hop nose. It has been carried gently and creamy in the mouth, with a bitter test by the fruit aroma. An exceptional beer, with much finesse and knack. And with a deliciously long aftertaste the Westmalle Tripel the "mother of all sniffing awl" is sometimes called. This type of beer became in 1934, for the first time in the abbey of Westmalle gebrouwen as a result of the ingebruikname of the new brouwzaal. The present formula has remained already since 1956 - years therefore almost 50 - virtually unchanged this beer is generally given from flasks of 33 cl, exactly the contents of the associated kelkglas. The flasks by piece, in skilful baskets of six or in kratten of 24 flasks buy are offered. And of course also give them this beer in the better horecazaken. the Tripel can you also get in bottles of 75 cl. It is remarkable that the beer in these larger bottles matures in a different way. The fruity fragrance is what more gently and ripe, and the beer get light vanilletoets.


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Pour - Bright gold with a thick heavy white head. A lot of lacing on the glass. Also a noticible amount of sediment (yeast) in the glass. This gives it the combination of hazy unfiltered with the added benefit of allowing for proper cellaring. From the broken english description above, I think its safe to assume that it is bottled conditioned for over 3 months before it is sold.

Aroma - Very complex and ever changing. When I first opened the bottle, I was struck by the slight sulphidic/yeasty character. As the beer warmed slightly, I picked up more citrus (grapefruit/lemon) maybe even slight apricot. The yeast and malty aromas blending with the citrus makes for a pleasant aroma

Taste - 3 things stick out in my mind as far as taste. A very bready malty flavor that I found very pleasant. The sweetness was very forward and the bitterness as very late. The alcohol is very pronounced in the finish which makes me what to take the next sip before it develops completely. The taste is like a rollercoaster around my tongue (Sweet, Sour, Bitter). A little of everything and yet not too much of any. (thankfully no salty flavor)

Mouthfeel - Highly carbonated, very alcoholic finish. Bitterness is short but sweet without a horrible lingering.

Drinkability - This is tough. Its very good but I think the high alcohol @ 9.5 ABV%, it loses alot of the drinkable nature. Also the carbonation which is still very active is very filling. I found myself burping yeasty, sweet, hop bombs for a few hours after having it. Its very good and as many have stated "this is the mother of all tripels".

Rating: 8.0 out of 10. (Definitely worth trying/buying and even cellaring)

Ayinger (Brauerei Aying) Celebrator
Bottom-fermented, dark double bock bier
Alcohol content: 6.7 %
Original wort: 18.5 °

A beer that has a dominant malty taste. This beer’s origins in a monk's recipe are reflected in its heartiness. “Almost black with a very slight red tone, a sensational, festive foam and truly extraordinary fragrance that at first summons up visions of greaves lard. The first taste is of mild fullness with an accompanying coffee tone, which becomes more dominant with the aftertaste. There is very little of the sweetness that is frequently to be tasted with doppelbock beer.”

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Pour - very foamy light brown head that quickly dissipated in several minutes. Very little lacing. Color - deepest brown, black. Nearly opaque however a ruby red hue under intense light. Also very cool that their is a small plastic goat hanging on the neck of the bottle. Bock translates to goat. Very neat.

Aroma - bready malt, molasses with slight hints of toffee and coffee.

Taste - pretty much as promised by the aroma. Subtle breadlike sweetness and toffee malt. Rich maltiness with a coffee bittering. Hops are undetectable except for the bitterness.

Mouthfeel - very full (yet not syrupy), light carbonation, smooth, very fast finish with only a slight coffee bitter type linger.

Drinkability - I would have to say this was impressive. I could drink this for a "imported/mildly expensive) session beer. Alcohol is un-detectable however very present @ 6.7 ABV%

Rating: 8.5 out of 10. (Outstanding)

The Beast
Beer Style: Belgian Grand Cru
Hop Variety: Magnum, Galena, Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, Hersbrucker
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Belgian Special B, honey malt, aromatic, pale wheat, roasted wheat
OG: 1.148 Alcohol By Volume: 14.9% IBU's: 68
Color: Burgundy

The Beast is a seducer - accomodating, complicated, powerful, dark and created to last the ages. With a deep burgundy color and aromas of honey, nutmeg, mandarin orange and pineapple, this massive and challenging brew has flavors akin to a beautiful Carribean rum. Dates, plums, raisins and molasses are dominant in a rich vinous texture. Cellarable for 10+ years.

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Appearance: Dark Amber/copper in color, with a small, sticky, persistent off-white head, and thick, glass-coating lace. No carbonation was noted. Minimal head retention. Very syrupy in the glass

Aroma: Incredibly rich dark fruit (prune, raisin) aroma, similar to Sam Adams's Triple Bock. The aroma also has a fermented bean/soy note. Alcohol notes are over-present

Taste: Opens with prominent notes of prune and raisin, and a rather sweet vinous note, more than a little like Port wine. Soon after the start of the taste, a rich earthy molasses note appears, then a sweet, warming alcohol note. The finish is fairly dry. Considering the ABV of 14.9% ABV, the alcohol notes are quite gracefully presented. However, the sweet notes are way too pronounced to balance the high alcohol and I had a hard time finishing it. (I am a trooper) :)

Mouth feel: Rich, smooth, syrupy. Overall mouthcoating, Cloying.

Drinkability/notes: For $7.95 per bottle, I would say I am mildly disappointed. They tried to hard to hide the alcohol or they really had problems with the yeast not fully attenuating. My guess is the RDF was very low and that the intention was for this to ferment to approx. 16-18 ABV%. Although, it is an interesting style and beer, I wouldn't go out of my way to try this again. I am sure that this beer would be excellent if cellared properly for 4-6 years.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass long neck bottle with a pop-off crown. Crown is red foil wrapped.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Steve was thinking that it would be good to put some baseball predictions on paper. As the season progresses, we can see how close we come to our predications. I think for now I want to predict AL East @ the end of May, All Star Break, End of Season. Predict the Playoff Teams in all divisions (include Wild Cards). Also, does Bonds overtake Ruth, Aaron, etc?

Current AL Standings (as of 4/18/06):

EAST W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA STRK L10
Boston 9 4 .692 - 4-3 5-1 60 55 Won 2 7-3
Baltimore 8 6 .571 1.5 5-5 3-1 75 71 Won 1 6-4
Tampa Bay 7 6 .538 2 4-3 3-3 73 77 Won 3 6-4
NY Yankees 6 6 .500 2.5 3-0 3-6 80 52 Won 1 5-5
Toronto 6 6 .500 2.5 3-3 3-3 72 69 Lost 2 5-5

CENTRAL W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA STRK L10
Chicago Sox 8 5 .615 - 4-3 4-2 76 66 Won 3 7-3
Cleveland 8 5 .615 - 4-2 4-3 74 58 Won 1 6-4
Detroit 7 6 .538 1 2-5 5-1 67 57 Lost 1 4-6
Minnesota 6 6 .500 1.5 5-1 1-5 62 61 Lost 1 5-5
Kansas City 2 10 .167 5.5 2-3 0-7 45 91 Lost 8 2-8

WEST W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA STRK L10
LA Angels 6 7 .462 - 4-2 2-5 56 66 Lost 1 5-5
Oakland 6 7 .462 - 3-3 3-4 55 68 Lost 1 4-6
Seattle 6 8 .429 .5 3-4 3-4 67 68 Lost 2 3-7
Texas 5 8 .385 1 2-5 3-3 59 62 Won 1 4-6

Total number of games (End of May) W/L
Red Sox: 54 games
Blue Jays: 52 games
Yankees: 52 games
D-Rays: 53 games
Orioles: 54 games

This is too hard. I need to do some calcs. I will edit this later. Go Red Sox

So I have word from our folks that the specialty beers (mentioned in my previous posts) can be sampled at the Bell and Hand in Boston on Thursday from 6-8pm. All beers are the final recipes and very tasty. IPA is still my favorite. Tap handle for Devil's Hop Yard is awesome too. I don't want to sway the votes because you won't be disappointed with any of them.

I am now at liberty to talk about a new project I have been working on at work. Its a specialty regional beer program. They finally put up the website. Check it out @ http://www.originalbeers.com/ and let me know what you think. The winning beer will be made in Merrimack. Its something I am very proud of (since I had in all facets of these concept brands (from recipe/brewing parameters, naming, tap handle design, marketing).

It really is a home brewers dream come true. Use all of your abilities and all of Anheuser Busch's money, facilities, and other resources. I hope we are a success. The one thing I can tell you all is that all 3 of the concept brands are great. We have had to tweak them a little. For the brewers out there, the actually did some neat things like "mash hopping" in the Leaf Peeper and Devils Hop Yard. There is no adjuncts (all malt) in these beers. They are all very big beers (7-8% ABV) but are very drinkable. Anyway, I am so excited I am rambling. So just check out the site (use a New England zip code. 03054 is Merrimack, NH if you need one) and comment back to me. Just make sure you vote for the brand you want the most. Every vote will matter

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Fighter Ranger


Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn't to say that they aren't intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.


Secondary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Deity:
Tymora is the Chaotic Good goddess of luck and good fortune. She is also known as Lady Luck, and also Tyche's fair-tressed daughter. Followers of Tymora believe in the tenent that, 'Fortune Favors the Bold,' and will throw caution to the wind and trust to luck to work things out for the best. Tymora's symbol is an unmarked silver disk.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

Ok, maybe not really famous. However, a picture of me at a Master Brewers Association meeting (MBAA) appears in a national publication of Modern Brewery Age (http://www.breweryage.com/) Its kind-of neat to know that beer people all over the US will get to see me drinking a beer by the bar in our tour center. Luckily, I will only get teased for the next couple days.

Of course seeing this was probably the only highlight of my day.

Sarah and I decided to head into Boston yesterday to go to Extreme BeerFest. I had gotten tickets from a guy from work (Mitch). This was the first year that Anheuser Busch had been invited. I have to say it was pretty cool. Mitch and other AB folks handled the crowds well. I got to speak to a few people and felt really comfortable talking to people at the booth. It was a little disappointing that AB wasn't able to bring the beers hey hoped. I guess they had some legal issues so that they couldn't get the beer shipped from the RPB (research pilot brewery). I guess it worked out ok in the end although I was a little disappointed.

We stayed a long time. We had planned to just stay for Session 1 since thats all we had tickets for but Mitch invited us to dinner with the other guys (Patrick, Eric, and George) and he said he could get us back in for session 2. As the beer flowed into my stomach, I was alot more talkative and a lot more bold in talking with other brewers. Had a nice converation with the guys at Stone Coast and Cisco. I got to talk with the owner of Smuttynose and talk beer for a little while. Sarah seemed to like how excited I got but I could tell she was getting tired. So we headed out before things got out of hand (Sam Adams Utopias could have gotten things out of hand). I plan to thank Mitch tomorrow. I think that was very cool of him to let us hang out. All in All, a very fun time and definitely worthy of a post or two.

Beers that I got to try (in no particular order):
SB Brew Master's Private Reserve
AB Hurricane High Gravity
AB Michelob Celebrate
AB Wild Blue
Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine
Avery Salvation
BBC Samuel Adams Finnish Style Sahti
BBC Samuel Adams Utopias *
Cisco "Ten"
DFH Fort
Founders Devil Dancer
Founders Breakfast Stout
Harpoon Varius Strong Ale
Milly's Tavern 4th Anniversary Ale (cask)
Milly's Tavern Cherry Spice
Pizza Port Hop 15 2XIPA
Smuttynose Wheatwine Ale
Stone "megahopped" Ruination IPA
Stone Ruination IPA
Stone Coast Jackson's Winter Ale
Stone Coast Jalapeño Sunsplash Golden Ale (I ate the pepper)
The Shed Darkside (India Dark ale)
The Shed Spawn of Oliver 2xIPA
Victory Ten Years Alt

Is it just me or does this year just not feel the same as those in the past? I understand that I have been really busy with work. But even last weekend, the whole family (and sarah :) ) went into Boston to see the Holiday Pops and then go to dinner @ Grill 23. I enjoyed myself but usually it gets me in the mood (xmas carols and gluttony) and yet I am not. One thing that was neat. I had "truffled" tater tots. Yeah, I paid $8 for tater tots. Yeah, and I am talking about them like they were the best thing ever. They might have been close. I also had a Kobe beef steak. Just wish I could dine like that all the time. Oh well. Maybe someday.