Beer #444-462 / Day #77-80: Zen And The Art Of Beering

"Treat a disaster as you would a triumph."
That's a quote The Wife sent to me today.
Very zen.
I thought about it for a few seconds, and realized... hey, I already do that!
Whether it's a disaster or a triumph, my reaction is the same... I drink good beer!
I'm a good Buddhist after all!
Except I drink alcohol and they don't.
Whatever.
I never looked good in orange anyway....

Many praises to Jon Emery for the video link above.

The tally continues:

Tuesday 3/18 - INFEST practice night

• GRAND TETON BREWING PURSUIT OF HOPPINESS IMPERIAL RED - Beer #444, good one, next to barrel-aged, I'm a sucker for anything imperial
• GOOSE ISLAND 312 URBAN PALE ALE - Beer #445, not to be confused with the 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Which one was Obama's favorite beer?  I've had corn whisky, and it blows.  This tastes like corn beer.  I need to hang out with Obama and turn him on to some good shit. Well, I am going to DC in 4 weeks.
• GROLSCH PREMIUM PILSENER - Beer #446, run of the mill, but not bad for a beer you can find everywhere; it gets the job done, and it's not as watery and bland as most American mass consumption beers.
• SUDWERK BREWING DOPPELBOCK ULTIMATOR - Beer #447, I remember going to this Davis, CA based brewery waaaay back in the mid-90s, when I really wasn't a beer person. Chris W. was just talking about this place, and out of the blue, I found this 12 ozer.  Yum!  Looks like a trip to NorCal is in order after all.

Wednesday 3/19:

• PIKE BREWING TANDEM DOUBLE ALE - Beer #448, I absolutely fell into a serious man-crush with the Pike IPA and Extra Stout; this one... eh.... not so much. As Mr. Loaf says, two outta three ain't bad.
• ANGEL CITY SPECIAL WINTER VANILLA PORTER 2013 - Beer #449, Love this brewery and 98% of what they do; this fell into the 2%. Blech. Bottle didn't hold up well.  I've had this on tap and enjoyed it.  This 2013 bottle was past its prime and tasted like novelty soda.
• THE LOST ABBEY INFERNO ALE - Beer #450, they cork it, so you know they're serious.
• LEFT COAST HOP JUICE DOUBLE IPA - Beer #451, good, but I've had it even better on draught.
• UNCOMMON BREWERS BALTIC PORTER - Beer #452, Heavy on the anise, which works perfectly with this style; I need to find out more about this Santa Cruz based outfit.  Both Uncommon brews I've had so far have been top notch. Not to mention both were in cans

Big Swell + Tina Yothers = Swell Yothers

Thursday 3/20:

• BOULEVARD BREWING THE SIXTH GLASS QUADRUPEL ALE - Beer #453, Yum.
• BOULEVARD BREWING TANK 7 FARMHOUSE ALE - Beer #454, Way yummier.
• MAUI BREWING BIG SWELL IPA - Beer #455, decent IPA, nondescript, but if I was on a beach in Hawaii I wouldn't turn this down.
• SIX RIVERS BREWERY MOONSTONE PORTER - Beer #456, worst porter I've had since Pismo Beach Brewing. Doesn't taste like a porter.  Tastes like a bad batch that could be pawned off to hipsters as a sour.  I don't like to hate on breweries, but I strongly dislike this beer.
• BOULEVARD BREWING BOURBON BARREL QUAD - Beer #457, Bourbon?  I'm listening.  Barrel?  I'm listening more attentively.  Brewed with cherries? Doesn't sound like the best idea, but turns out it's the best idea.  I love it. The Wife says she would drink this everyday.  Thanks to Eric King for the hook up.

Friday 3/21:

• EVIL TWIN HOP FLOOD AMBER ALE - Beer #458, sounds like the billionth IPA, but it's actually a hop bomb amber. Killer.
• FLYING DOG OLD SCRATCH AMBER LAGER - Beer #459,Good one.
• GOOSE ISLAND THE ILLINOIS IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #460, my favorite Goose Island output by far, and the high price reflects the quality. 
• FLYING DOG DOGGIE STYLE PALE ALE - Beer #461, Another good Flying Dog, Steadman or no.
• THE LOST ABBEY SAINT'S DEVOTION - Beer #462, mildly sour & floral Belgian style blonde-wit-golden; friggin' perfect