IPAs with INFEST: Beer #8-13 / Day 2

Day 2 of my Big Year In Beer was supposed to be the day when I would take it easy.  But then Matt Domino came into the picture.  I play in a band with Matt called INFEST.  Because of the holidays, our usual Tuesday night practice was moved to Thursday. Before practice, Matt, Joe Denunzio, and I always meet somewhere first. Tonight it was Tony's Darts Away.  "All Craft. All Draft. All California." is their motto.  I love Tony's, and any beer aficionado worth their salt loves Tony's.  I was trying to dry out a bit from New Year's Day, so it wasn't my idea.  But I also can't say "No", when someone suggests Tony's. And when Domino is involved, there is no such thing as "a quick one".
The room was packed, as usual.  The only free tables were outside. It was a perfect evening, but in LA everyone breaks out their heavy parkas and mittens whenever the temperature dips below 64 degrees, so we practically had the patio to ourselves.

Domino waxes philosophical.

I kicked off the night with the ST-FEUILIEN / GREEN FLASH COLLABORATION BELGIAN COAST IPA - Beer #8.  A hint of that Belgian floral thing going on, but still a solid IPA.  Sometimes these beers served in tulip glasses can go over the top with the whole dollar-store-perfume smell.  This one was a winner.
While Domino dished up his weekly dose of Life Lessons, I took a sip of his EAGLE ROCK BREWERY POPULIST IPA - Beer #9.  Sweet Jesus, what a great IPA.  The last few times I've had it, I didn't want anything else.  One of the best in LA.  Mildly skunky, definitely a brew for Real Men... like guys who work with machinery.  Men like Joe Denunzio, who then made his appearance. This silverback gorilla of a human always meets up with us, but usually doesn't drink before practice, but tonight was the exception.

Horrifying.

My second round was the NOBLE ALE WORKS BIG WHIG IPA - Beer #10, another well-done, SoCal IPA.  This Anaheim operation has really been stepping it up across the board lately.  I'd pick this any day, if I could find it more regularly.
I helped myself to a taste of Joe's GOLDEN ROAD BREWING GET UP OFFA THAT BROWN - Beer #11.  This is his go-to beer at Tony's. In general, I don't love brown ales, but this one has made me a believer in recent years.

North Hollywood: the center of sadness

As the time approached 9pm, clearly we needed to get to practice quickly before drummer Bob "Crazy Legs" Kasitz decided to lock the door and teach us a lesson for being late.  Somehow, we took the long way to Casa de Crazy Legs, and ended up stopping yet again.  The evening had degenerated from The Raddest Beer Pub On Earth to The Saddest Liquor Store On Earth.  Somewhere in North Hollywood, and exactly what you would expect from a random liquor store in North Hollywood.  Sad.  Lonely.  Depressing.  An outpost for the dregs of humanity... so, of course, we were there. But like most sad liquor stores nowadays, they actually carry a few decent beers. I opted for the bomber of FIRESTONE UNION JACK IPA - Beer #13.

World's Shittiest Beer.  Confirmed.

We finally arrived at our destination, and Bob was uncharacteristically not pissed off at us. We set up, and before I had a chance to crack the Union Jack, I had a taste of Matt's ANHEUSER-BUSCH BUD LIGHT & CLAMATO CHELADA - Beer #12, a blend of three things I would never willingly drink... Bud Light, clam juice, tomato juice. I didn't like it before, and my dislike has not subsided.  Honestly, I could never drink an entire can of this, especially a tall can.  Then again, I don't like bloody mary's, and this is the beer equivalent.  These guys love it.  Clearly there's no accounting for taste, or lack thereof.  Speaking of "no taste", it was finally time for practice....

CHEERS!

Beer # 591 & 592 (or "Extolling The Virtues Of Cheap Beer")

Your average American doesn't give two shits about "flavor profiles" or IBUs. There's no time for complexities or tasting notes.  Did someone just use the word "mouthfeel" to describe a beer?  What are they?  Commies?  Al Qaeda?  Fans of "Glee"?
As Americans, we want our beer cold, we want our beer easy to drink, and we want our beer now!
Am I right, or am I right?

My stepfather loves everyday, good ol' easy drinkin' beer.  I don't blame him.  He was a firefighter and worked his ass off dealing with untold horrible situations.  Now in retirement, all he wants is peace and quiet and easy living, and he has earned it.  He & my mother came down to visit last month, and left behind a few things in the fridge when they headed back home.

So now it's Sunday afternoon.  Game Day.  And I "went there":
ANHEUSER-BUSCH NATURAL LIGHT - Beer # 591 in my Big Year.

For as much as I love being a beer nerd / elitist, there's something strangely comforting about Natural Light.
This beer smells exactly like the first whiff of a tavern when you walk in the door.  The scent of being "home".  Now I understand how Cliff Clavin feels.
This beer says you're going to have a damn good time.
This beer says the work week is over.
This beer says it's time to get blasted and stare at the bartender's jugs.
This is the beer for sports and live music.
Natural Light does exactly what you want it to do:  Keep life uncomplicated.

Following a lazy afternoon of football, I headed out for the evening to see many friends, new and old, playing noisy hardcore punk at a rented hall in Baldwin Park.  There was a small bar in the corner of the room, run by a harried, mildly-confused 60 year old woman, who clearly wasn't prepared for the impatient throngs of thirsty punkers eager to get their buzz on.  I joined the throngs, which brings us to ANHEUSER-BUSCH BUD LIGHT - Beer # 592 in my Big Year.

Much like sports fans want to get hammered, hang out with friends, and yell at the TV, all of my hardcore music brethren want the same... get drunk, shove people around to loud music, and scream along with the songs. Different demographic, same goals.

It was an amazing, high-charged evening.  The local openers all killed it... Cave State, Fissure, and ACxDC.  Two bands from Japan dominated the evening:  Flagitious Idiosyncrasy In The Dilapidation (greatest band name of all time) and Slight Slappers.  Capitalist Casualties headlined the show and completely leveled the room.  Couldn't have been better, and the 400 kids in attendance agreed.

Oh, and the Bud Light?  It tastes exactly like Natural Light.  They probably fill all of the different cans with the same beer.  And would it really matter if they did?

The biggest drawback about cheap beers like this is I can't drink them forever.  Whenever I drink cheap beer all day, I feel like crap all night.  There's something about good quality beer that keeps me going.  Is it "healthier"?  Maybe an argument could be made that small batch beers contain ingredients of a higher purity, and thus, don't make me feel as lousy as cheap beer.  Or maybe I'm just making it up in order to justify my fancy beer addiction.

As for Natural Light and Bud Light, yes, they're watery, lifeless lagers, but I simply enjoyed them for what they are.  Anyone reading this blog regularly is already into beer snobbery, and I know we all share a collective smirk with a condescending chuckle whenever we see Bud.  But there's also value in taking that stick out of your ass every once in a while to just drink whatever is in arm's reach and have a good time with your friends.

SUGGESTED PAIRING:
ANYTHING ANHEUSER-BUSCH
and
CAPITALIST CASUALTIES
Straight forward beer.  Straight forward hardcore punk.  A match made in heaven.
Capitalist Casualties are old comrades of mine from Northern California who I've known since the '80s. I remember they used to exist solely on cheap cases of Schaefer beer.  They've always stayed true to their punishing, blazing fast, hardcore roots.  They deliver the goods fast and mean, and somehow manage to keep their machine gun delivery catchy and memorable as well.  Plenty of hooks and sing-alongs, and tons of pissed-off riffing that makes you grit your teeth, bang your head, and pound another brew.