Beer #740-775 / Day #128-135: Week or Weak? The Craftiness of ACBW

American Craft Beer Week.  We’re in the thick of it now.  I didn’t even know this was a real “thing” until I read a post about it last weekend.  Another excuse to drink good beer?  Well, twist my arm, but OK!

I launched into this brew-centric week properly by meeting up with my pal Ryan Harkins from Grill Em All, and Lee Bakofsky from Eagle Rock Brewing to talk about creating our own collaborative beer.  And by “collaborative”, I mean Lee is doing all the work. He’s the mastermind, and we’re brewing at his house, with his equipment, using his ingredients, based on his recipe.  Ryan and I have never brewed before, and Lee, being the expert, has generously agreed to show us the ropes.  I’ve been itching to delve into homebrew for many years.  I took a class several years ago at Culver City Home Brewing Supply, bought some (but not all) of the gear, but then I chickened out. 

What if I don’t sanitize everything correctly and my beer spoils? 

What if it doesn’t ferment properly since my garage is hot year-round in LA? 

What if my starter recipe is bland and pointless?

Eventually, I had “What if’d” myself out of giving it a try.  I decided to wait until someone experienced could give me a hand, or at least some guidance so I didn’t completely blow it.  I hit up a few homebrewing friends, and we talked about getting together “next time”.  But “next time” never arrived. Months became years, and I didn’t do a damn thing, except throw away my malt.

Fast forward 5-6 years, when I finally reached the point where I was sick to death of making excuses NOT to do it.  Ryan is a self-made man, who co-owns the coolest culinary outfit around, completely DIY and on his own terms.  I hit him up to be my brewing partner.  Like me, he’s unfamiliar with the process, but he’s tight with Lee, and Lee ended up being super cool & willing to school these two greenhorns on the “how-to’s”.

Our initial meeting was to review the process, understand what’s involved, discuss the recipe, commit to a time to brew, and best of all, hang out, socialize, and enjoy a few.  I supplied a Cismontane T.J. Slough barrel aged brew, and Lee cracked out a few Eagle Rock standbys, the Solidarity Black Mild and Manifesto Witbier.  This cat knows what he’s doing, so I’m very excited & honored to be working on our first beer.  D-Day (or maybe its B-Day) is next Monday, and I’ll be posting all the sordid details.

So, we’re still celebrating American Craft Beer Week, but what does it mean?  Nothing really.  The purpose is obviously to draw more attention to the beer world, raise interest, and increase revenue.  Do I really need a reminder to drink more beer?  Not exactly.  Do I need to drink more beer?  Always.

If anything, ACBW is an excuse to blow the moths out of my wallet, and go out more during the week, especially as this is a week for select tap takeovers, many of which feature rare selections, new releases, and oddball variations of familiar gems… Think: A boatload of barrel-aged brews.

The only real problem I have with this so-called event is the phrase “Craft Beer” itself.  It’s one of my grammatical pet peeves.  It’s a catch phrase that stirs up negative memories of the 1990’s when “Alternative” was used to describe everything, mainly as a marketing tool to move more units of anything from music to beer… Anyone remember those incessant Moosehead Lager radio ads?  “Moosehead is your Alternative Beer for your Alternative Lifestyle for your Alternative Summer!”  Blech. 

I think of “Craft” Anything in the same light.  Craft is the new Alternative.  And when the Alternative itself becomes mainstream, the phrase loses all meaning.  The word Craft implies something made by hand, lovingly created with care and attention.  So how else am I supposed to react to pallets of the Kirkland Signature Craft Beer Selection at Costco, comprised of some third party, mass produced swill?  The beer fests I attend inevitably have some sort of Shock Top, Blue Moon, or Widmer Brothers table.  When Everything becomes Craft, then NOTHING is Craft.  Will someone please start a campaign to bring back the term “Microbrewery”?

On a more positive note, even though ACBW is the equivalent of a Hallmark holiday, I’ve had some damn fine braus the past few days, most notably at the Drake’s tap takeover at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank.  The new 7 x 70 IPA was unveiled, their awesome, seasonal Alpha Session IPA was reintroduced, and they busted out a few barrel aged specialties:  the Brandy Barrel Aged Drakonic Stout and the Whiskey Barrel Aged Rakish Rye Wine Ale.  Superb!  After this quick tasting, I headed up to meet Matt Domino at Newhall Refinery, where we shared a ton of shit-talking, and more importantly, a ton of beer tasters. Newhall Refinery serves tumbler sized samplers of everything on tap, so I went for a taste of everything I haven’t already tried in my Big Year. Great service, great environment to chill, decent rotating tap list, not to mention it’s the only game in town when it comes to the greater Santa Clarita area.

American Craft Beer Week will officially wrap up in a couple days.  Am I bummed?  Hell no.  For me, every week is Beer Week.  And next week will be even better than this one.  Cheers!

The tally continues…..

5/8-10 – Hangin’ at home, and trying a few mediocre in-store samples:

740 - UINTA BREWING HOODOO KOLSCH STYLE ALE – Hoodoo you think is really into this beer?  Well, I really dig all Uinta beers. This one is on the bottom rung of the ladder though. 

741 - MENDOCINO BREWING TALON SMOKED DOUBLE PORTER – Perty good, not too smoky, standard roasted barley flavor.

742 - EPIC BREWING SOUR APPLE SAISON – Had a quick sample at BevMo in Burbank; spiced, tart, would be better around Xmas time, I’m glad this was just a sample, a full glass is not necessary.

743 - SIERRA NEVADA NORTHERN HEMISPHERE HARVEST WET HOP ALE (2013) – Subtle hop goodness, didn’t club me over the head like most West Coast beers with “hop” in the name.  I’m gonna try it again soon side-by-side with the Southern Hemisphere Harvest.

744 - SPOETZL BREWERY SHINER BOCK – Stumbled upon a tasting at Total Wine in Northridge, CA. Glad I got to taste it & claim it without drinking more than a thimble full.  This bock blows, but you all know that.

745 - FIREMAN'S BREW BLONDE – Tasted these Fireman’s brews at Total Wine as well.  S’OK… not great, OK.

746 - FIREMAN'S BREW REDHEAD ALE – Best of all three offerings, still only about average.

747 - FIREMAN'S BREW BRUNETTE GERMAN DOUBLEBOCK – Decent doppel, wouldn’t order it though.

748 - INDIAN WELLS BREWING COMPANY WHISKEY BARREL BREW BARREL AGED AMBER – Mild vanilla woodiness. Fair. Not as husky as most barrel-aged beers you’ll find on the market. Indian Wells isn’t known for awesome brews, so at least this is a step in the right direction.

749 - GREEN FLASH BREWING ROAD WARRIOR IMPERIAL RYE IPA – Goddamn, this is tasty. I would drink this daily. And I dig the different packaging, a nice departure from their usual boring font & one color labels. I’m ready to get a mohawk and cruise the wastelands with the Feral Kid. 

750 - MISSION BREWERY DARK SEAS RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – Best Mission brew by far. Awesome chocolate & licorice bomb.

5/11 – Mother’s Day

751 - MAD RIVER BREWING STEELHEAD DOUBLE IPA – Doesn’t taste like a double, but still a good ‘un. Creamy hops. Easy.

752 - HEINEKEN PREMIUM LIGHT – Horrifically bland.  I have a sense memory of trying beer at age 13, and it tasted like stale pee.  I think I need to see a therapist for this resurgence of suppressed memories.  Or maybe I can just sue Heineken for mental cruelty.

753 - STONE BREWING SMOKED PORTER WITH CHIPOTLE PEPPERS – Nice heat, not as complex as other recent chile beers I’ve enjoyed, but still worthwhile, especially when it’s closer to room temp.

754 - LOST COAST BREWERY 8 BALL STOUT – Decent stout, maybe closer to an English style, not super full bodied, but middle of the road, with good subtle maltiness.

5/12 – Monday, start of American Craft Beer Week

755 - COORS BANQUET BEER (1970 ORIGINAL RECIPE) – Turns out Coors was pretty shitty in 1970 as well.

756 - EAGLE ROCK BREWERY SOLIDARITY BLACK MILD – Classic, easy-drinking.  Power to the people!

757 - EAGLE ROCK BREWERY MANIFESTO WITBIER – Wow, somehow I haven’t tried this Eagle Rock brew til now.  Probably because so many Wits are underwhelming.  This is the exception… What a great beer!  Mildly citrusy, but full bodied.  Thanks Lee!

5/13 – Starting at Tony’s with Drake’s Tap Takeover; Finishing with numerous tasters at Newhall Refinery:

758 - DRAKE'S BREWING ALPHA SESSION IPA – The old favorite is back, from one of the few breweries to make a session IPA long before the 2014 surge. Mild, skunk hop bite.

759 - DRAKE'S BREWING 7 x 70 IPA – OK, so 7x70 = 490.  What’s that?  Couldn’t find it.  Then I looked up 7 x 70 on the internet and found it’s a Biblical reference. Something about Jesus saying peeps should be forgiven seventy times seven, which infers forgiving someone for eternity. Brand new IPA unveiled here… mild flavors, decent, admittedly it might be my least favorite Drake’s offering.  Must they now beg for eternal forgiveness?

760 - DRAKE'S BREWING BRANDY BARREL DRAKONIC RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – “Barrel” and “Stout” are like Peanut Butter and Jelly in my book… they belong together forever. 75% barrel aged for 2 years blended with fresh Drakonic. As complex and crazily delicious as it sounds. Fruity wine-like character paired with dark chocolate berries.

761 - DRAKE'S BREWING RAKISH RYE WINEALE BARREL AGED – Half of it was aged 4 months in whiskey barrels then blended with 50% fresh brew; Rich as any respectable barleywine should be, like a vanilla caramel taffy, I just need some high quality vanilla bean ice cream to pour this over.  Awe inspiring. 

762 - LADYFACE ALEHOUSE BLIND AMBITION BELGIAN STYLE STRONG ALE – Haven’t had this one since last summer, still solid output from these Agoura Hills mavericks.  This brewery gets better every year.

763 - STONE BREWING SPROCKETBIER BLACK RYE KOLSCH –  With a name like this, I can’t help but picture Dieter on “Sprokets”. Dammit, what a great beer.  I have a new favorite Stone offering.  Should we listen to Kraftwerk now?

764 - STONE BREWING DELICIOUS IPA – It is!

765 - LOST COAST BREWERY WATERMELON WHEAT – Quite possibly The Worst Beer I’ve Ever Tasted.  Rogue Voodoo Doughnut beer now has some serious competition.

766 - BAVIK PETRUS OUD BRUIN – Oh yeah, what a pleasant sour. Finishes clean. I could sip this baby for a while.

767 - NEW BELGIUM RAMPANT IMPERIAL IPA – I seem to be alone in this, but I’m not the biggest of New Belgium fans.  However, I like this one a lot. Maybe having it on tap makes a big difference.

768 - DOGFISH HEAD 90 MINUTE IPA – The standby.  You gotta dig it.

769 - DOGFISH HEAD APRIHOP IPA – Very good, mild apricot flavor, doesn’t overpower it & make it a fruit beer, just more of a well-rounded IPA.

770 - AYINGER ALTBAIRISCH DUNKEL – Not great, but not Scheisse.

771 - OSKAR BLUES TEN FIDY STOUT – The most wonderful of all motor oils. I see this everywhere, but I’ve forgotten what a truly great stout this is.

5/14-15 - Wed & Thurs at home:

772 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING RUMBLE OAK AGED IPA –  With a name like “Rumble” the label should depict a showdown between leather jacketed 1960’s hoodlums holding switchblades.  Good, but I’d like to try another one.  I have yet to try any aged IPA that I love.  But I do love most Great Divide releases, so I think it deserves another shot.

773 - INNIS & GUNN RUM AGED –  Cor Blimey!  Like a couple other recent beers, heavy vanilla and caramel, a rich dessert-like beer.

774 – CALDERA BREWING HOP HASH IPA – A tasty hop blend from the ever-reliable Caldera kettle.

775 – EEL RIVER BREWING ORGANIC PORTER – When it comes to wines, the word “organic” always scares me. Organic wines suck. Not so with beer. Organic beers have just as much of a chance as “normal” beers of being good.  Bold malts, underlying chocolate flavor, thumbs up.

Beer #44-46 / Day 9: Cooking With Beer a.k.a. Pretending To Be Healthy

Not like I've ever been slim & trim, but I definitely fell off the wagon diet-wise over the Holidays. Is it possible that drinking 46 beers over the course of 9 days may have anything to do with it?  Nahhhh....

I had surgery for cancer last October, and since then I've been eating much, much healthier overall.  The Wife & I have gone vegetarian or vegan over the course of several weeks at a time. We're trying to cut down on meat and dairy, and also consciously exercise more. When I'm not vegetarian, I try to eat a lot more fish.  I feel better, I'm less tired, and I poop more regularly (OK, too much information?!).  And yes, I KNOW drinking a shit-ton of beer is not conducive to weight loss, but I decided long ago that 2014 would be my Big Year In Beer, and damn it, come Hell or Artesian water, this IS my Big Year.  I'll just need to take extra precautions to eat healthier than ever, and exercise more than ever, in order to compensate for the accelerated beer consumption. Is this akin to having a burger but ordering a DIET Coke because you think it's more healthy and "balances" out your unhealthy meal?  Most likely.

When I started dating my Wife in 2006, my life experiences expanded greatly through art, music, and just enjoying every day things like cooking.  I never, ever cooked prior to this, and had no interest in it whatsoever.  Throughout these past years, I've learned a lot about cooking from my Wife, and while not every dish is a winner, in my completely biased opinion, I'm a damn good cook these days.  I don't always use beer in cooking, but for obvious reasons, I try to integrate it more.  Tonight I modified a vegan recipe by adding GREEN FLASH WEST COAST IPA - Beer #44 to the dish, instead of veggie stock or water.  It's an Asian dish, and as noted by our trip to Orochon Ramen last weekend, IPAs go great with spicy Asian food (who knew???).  In all honesty, this excellent beer is not prominent in the flavors of the dish, but I took great pride in integrating it into this awesome recipe.  I finished off the Green Flash while cooking, so I went for the garden variety STONE IPA - Beer #45 to drink during dinner.  Even though this is one of the more "common" Stone beers that one can find in any rinky-dink, corner liquor store nowadays, it's freakin' great, no doubt about it.  Hail Stone for knowing when they have something good and not futzing with it.  I capped off the evening with the DESCHUTES BREWING OBSIDIAN STOUT - Beer #46, a malty, inky, delicious everyday stout from these Oregonian stalwarts.

Not to get all "Foodie" on y'all, but for the hell of it, and just because it's damn tasty, here's a mildly spicy vegan recipe with beer (the best part is you drink most of the beer while cooking):

KINDA SPICY VEGAN SRIRACHA PEANUT IPA TOFU
- Serves 2
- Prep time + Cooking is about 30-40 min.  Put on some good tunes & just do it.

Ingredients:
1 block of firm or preferably extra firm tofu
2 Tbsp peanut oil
a few large cloves of garlic, sliced
a large piece of ginger root, sliced
4-6 green onions
6 Tbsp soy sauce
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp agave nectar or simple syrup
2 Tbsp Sriracha
4 Tbsp IPA
White, Jasmine, or Basmati rice for 2

Instructions:
*Drain the tofu. You need to get as much water out of it as possible.  Let it sit in a colander to drain for a while, then press it (not too hard) between paper towels to absorb additional moisture.
*While the tofu is resting between dry paper towels, start cooking enough rice for two, according to the instructions on the package.  Start it now, so it's ready by the time the tofu is done cooking!
*Cut tofu into long strips, about 1 inch wide.  But don't be all OCD about being exact.
*Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, agave nectar, Sriracha, and IPA in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
*Cut the garlic cloves and ginger root into slices. DO NOT worry about being too accurate or uniform with these slices because you will eventually discard them!
*Heat a large pan on High.  Once hot, add the peanut oil.  After the peanut oil heats for about a minute, add the sliced garlic & ginger.  Cook them in the oil for a minute or two.  Once everything smells awesome, then remove the garlic and ginger and discard. You have just flavored the oil, so keep it in the pan!
*Add the tofu strips to the pan and brown them on all sides in the oil.  This will take 8-12 minutes.
*While the tofu is browning, prep the green onions by cutting them into diagonal slices.  This will be your garnish when the tofu is done.
*Drink the rest of the IPA.
*While you're waiting for the tofu to brown, your rice should be ready by now, so plate it in two large bowls right before you start the next step.
*Once the tofu is sufficiently browned to your liking, turn the heat to low, add the sauce and coat the tofu well. Leave it on the burner for about a minute, but not too long or the sauce will become too thick.
*Pour the tofu and sauce in equal portions over the rice in two bowls (you did already put the rice in the bowls, didn't you?)
*Top with your fancy, sliced green onions.
*Have an awesome meal with your spouse / girlfriend / boyfriend / companion, and prepare for an evening of incredible sex because they'll be all over you after this tasty dish.

CHEERS!

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!

HOPPY HOLIDAYS (or "Carpe Beerum")

Well, that title is misleading… it was quite a beery Christmas, but not particularly hop-centric.  Unfortunately, “Hoppy Holidays” is one of the few beer puns that works this time of year.
With only one week until January 1^st, the beginning of my new Big Year In Beer, my biggest dilemma has been whether to enjoy new beers, or to “save myself” so I can ensure these new brews end up in my 2014 Big Year total.  My answer:  Live for today.  Or drink for today, more appropriately.  After all, once The Big Year starts, I’m starting from scratch so I can enjoy ALL of these beers again.  Why wait?  We now live in a world whose kegs have runneth over with a ridiculous number of quality beers.  I will have many problems in 2014, but unless I’m held hostage in an Applebee’s year-round, one of my problems will NOT be that there aren’t enough new beers to try over the course of 365 days.

I planned on an all-stout holiday, but family and friends had other plans for me.  Believe me, I'm not complaining.  A few nights ago, chilling with The Wife, we opened a few everyday stouts... "Everyday" meaning affordable and relatively easy to find.  At least in LA.   
CISMONTANE BLACK'S DAWN IMPERIAL STOUT has a new, updated label, but the brew is still the thick and viscous one I know and love, with a mild espresso shot for added character. One of my favorite, underrated SoCal breweries.  We followed with the MOTHER EARTH SIN TAX IMPERIAL STOUT, a new one for me (one I somehow missed when I hit the brewery in Vista, CA last Oct).  The Mrs pointed out the peanut butter taste immediately, which almost ruined the experience for me.  Yes, a thick stout with peanut butter and vanilla on the palate.  Talk about a dessert beer.  But somehow it didn't bother me, mainly because those parts of it were subtle, and it was still tasty overall. It wasn't over the top, cloying, and comical like a Rogue novelty beer.  It was nearly Christmas, it was late, I was relaxing, so I enjoyed it for what it was.  Would I buy it again?  I doubt it. Seriously, who wants a fuggin' peanut butter beer?

In spite of the fact that I'm working practically every day of this holiday season, my Xmas has been chock full of holiday cheer.  My Christmas Eve started out with my boss buying me lunch, a shot of Maker's Mark, and a GREEN FLASH WEST COAST IPA.  Proof that my work does in fact love me.  A few hours later, I was home with my Wife's family, who all somehow got the message that I like beer.  My presents included a mixed STONE 12-pack, as well as a few bottles of NEWCASTLE WEREWOLF, a beer I purposely avoided around Halloween, convinced it was a novelty.  But I was pleasantly surprised now that I've popped a couple caps.  I associate Newcastle with "average", but the Werewolf is a satisfying, dark red ESB.  So much tastier than I could have imagined.  After everyone left, I capped off the evening by popping the cork on a PORT BREWING OLDER VISCOSITY that I've been holding for the last 6 months or so.  I'm a fan of their thick, more readily available OLD VISCOSITY Stout.  The OLDER is a smaller batch cousin, aged in oak barrels.  If I tried them back to back, I'm sure I could tell the difference.  Tasting them months apart, I can't.  Don't get me wrong, the Older Viscosity is an outstanding beer.  I wouldn't kick it out of bed.  But at $16 for a 12 oz bottle, Older Viscosity is steep, considering I'm just as happy with the 22 oz Old Viscosity which is nearly twice the volume at half the price.  For that matter, the Cismontane stout only set me back $5!  You do the math...

  Alas, Christmas Day was finally here.  Our Son opened presents at the crack of dawn, we played XBOX for four hours straight, the wife & I shared an excellent BARRELHOUSE IPA, then it was time to get ready for our annual Xmas Day fondue party.  Yes, fondue... we're That 70's Couple.  Fewer people this year, but just as much food as ever (read:  "too much").  And whad'ya know?  Our friends somehow knew I was into beer.  Our pal Matty B. hooked me up with a mixed case of 12 different brews.  So awesome on its own, but so perfect for kicking off my next Big Year, so I'll sit on 'em for the next week, at least.  Not to mention, he's one of our few friends who has actually seen the film THE BIG YEAR, and watches it even more than The Wife and I do.  So, he gets it.  Then our friend Lily brought over five huge bottles, and she & I drank them all throughout the course of the day.  Matty and Gina B. brought some amazing wines, all of which I tasted, and all of which were consecutively more incredible than the last.  But these days wine just takes up valuable beer real estate in my stomach, and I had a drinking partner in Lily, so we were off to the races.  I left her in the driver's seat, and she did a commendable job of navigating.  

We started with the LA TRAPPE QUADRUPEL which was outstanding to say the least.  And that set the stage for an afternoon of the highest quality imbibement.  Every beer she brought was top notch, each one impressive in its own way:  OMMEGANG ABBEY ALE - a phenomenal Belgian style dubbel, the TELEGRAPH WHITE ALE - a witbier that is ridiculously more complex than any of its counterparts (but Santa Barbara's TELEGRAPH just can't do wrong, I say), the ALESMITH NUT BROWN ALE - I'm not the biggest fan of brown ales, but this one converted me... the best brown ale I've ever had, hands down.  And finally the TELEGRAPH STOCK PORTER.

The bottom line: CARPE BEERUM.  In English: SEIZE THE BEER!  But most important of all, good family and friends. Without having them around to share the awesome beer tasting experience, these braus are practically useless.

Much love and happiness to my family, my friends, and my extended family in the music and beer communities.  Here's to an amazing 2014!  Six days and counting... Get ready for the Biggest Year In Beer ever!

 CHEERS!!!