Beer # 116-129 / Day 20-23: The Yoosh

After such a crazed weekend, I was expecting to take it easy this week.  Wrong.  "Slow and steady wins the race" is the old adage.  I've been doing exactly that.  Randy Carncross is already about 80 beers ahead of me from what I can tell, but no matter.  I'm enjoying the journey.  And as the Big Year progresses, I'm convinced it will become increasingly more difficult to rack up such huge numbers in one fell swoop.

Enjoying hops with my link.

Nothing too exciting this week. Just making my way through a collection of 12oz singles.  I've been sticking with mostly run-of-the-mill beers during the week.  I tend to keep "special" beers for special occasions.  The problem is my beer fridge, which is a regular sized fridge, is at full capacity with beers I'm saving.  I need to come up with a special occasion very quickly in order to make room for more.  Aside from the crazy bottle selection at home, I also visited Link N Hops in Atwater Village earlier this week, adjacent to the nice beer & wine bottle shop 55 Degree.  Link N Hops has been a favorite for the Wife & I since they opened, and they offer some great exotic meat sausages, as well as the full gamut of taps. I went for an excellent wild boar link, and some unique selections: The BALLAST POINT HABANERO SCULPIN - Beer #116, spicy, delicious, with a slight burn that doesn't linger, and it's not overpowering at all; The NEW BELGIUM / CIGAR CITY COLLABORATION CHILE BEER - Beer #117, not awesome in spite of the fact that Cigar City is one of my favorite brewers in the country; And lastly, the FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN 3rd ANNIVERSARY IMPERIAL OATMEAL STOUT - Beer #118, tasty but not mind-blowing.  That evening at home, I went for some standbys:  STONE LEVITATION ALE - Beer #119 and JOSEPH JAMES RED FOX RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #120, the latter of which really excites me... it's the first beer I can recall enjoying from Nevada, just outside of Vegas, in Henderson.  Only recently have I been hearing great things about this brewery, and this stout lives up to the word on the street.  Oily, dark, inky, delicious, and crazy affordable at $8 for a four-pack.  Can't wait to try the other Joseph James brews.

I also have the usual Tuesday evening INFEST practice, which as of late means a visit to The Snug, which means even more beer. Although I'm about 2 weeks away from exhausting all of my options at this sleepy Burbank hangout which hasn't rotated its taps since I started going there.  I went for their best selection this week with the CHIMAY ROUGE - Beer #121, followed by some of their lesser taps, the BASS PALE ALE - Beer #122 and the STELLA ARTOIS - Beer #123, both of which are palatable at best.

I rounded out the week with several everyday-but-tasty singles at home:
SHIPYARD MONKEY FIST IPA - Beer #124: I've avoided this one because it seemed like a novelty beer. Not incredibly memorable, but decent, and worth drinking if it's the best option available.
GOOSE ISLAND MATILDA - Beer #125: These days their distribution is ridiculous, thanks to new parent company Anheuser Busch.  Thankfully they haven't compromised the quality of their product.
NEWCASTLE WEREWOLF - Beer #126:  A seasonal red ale I've hoarded since my Wife's uncle brought it over during the holidays.  So much better than the standard Newcastle brown ale.
FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN HURRICANE DECK DIPA - Beer #127:  A gift from my pal Matty B., by far the best brew in the Fig Mtn roster.
SIERRA NEVADA BEER CAMP #95 IMPERIAL RED ALE - Beer #128:  Another one I've been hoarding since last year, just so I can enjoy it this year.  One of the better offerings from the largest indie brewer, and somewhat limited.
SIERRA NEVADA NARWHAL IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #129:  A seasonal release, and so glad I grabbed a 2013 before they disappear.  My favorite Sierra Nevada brew, hands down.  A superior imperial stout, but not sold at beer nerd prices.

Now my kid can enjoy "beer" with me.  Stay classy, America.

In spite of the sleepy week, there have been a few oddball beer-related items brought to my attention.
#1: My friend Lily Thai forwarded me info on a new Jelly Belly flavor called Draft Beer.  Wow.  When there's a jellybean that tastes like beer, you know craft beer has "jumped the shark".  Let's all hang it up now, shall we?
#2: My buddy Steve Enders told me about his trip to Portland. Of course, this is already a major beer hub, but nowadays you can fill a growler at the gas station!  This is a state which doesn't allow you to pump your own gas, and yet you can fill up a 64oz jug of beer while they're filling your tank?
I say "WTF" only because I'm jealous.

Incredible action shot of beer sitting on my kitchen counter!

Beer #31-37 / Days 5&6: Keep It Real!

Sorry. No wacky misadventures. Just a lot of time at home & work, but still making my way through a deep collection of 12 oz. singles to stay on my game.
Slangin' the bottles, and pimpin' the digits.
Keepin' in real, yo...

*GREAT DIVIDE BREWING TITAN IPA - Beer #31: You know it, you love it. A good 'un.
*BALLAST POINT BIG EYE IPA - Beer #32: Old reliable. Better fresh on tap though.
*CLOWN SHOES TRAMP STAMP BELGIAN STYLE IPA - Beer #33: Within a year Clown Shoes is freakin' everywhere in SoCal. Props to their distributor for doing an amazing job of accelerating this brewery's profile from Zero to 60.

Here's an exciting pic of beer bottles.   Wow.

*BRASSERIE DES LEGENDES NOEL DES GEANTS - Beer #34: Belgian strong ale that isn't much to write home about when its cold, but really opens up at room temp.
*MAUI BREWING BELGIAN STOUT - Beer #35: There's a reason Maui isn't known for stouts.
*STONE BREWING RUINATION IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #36: Yet another one for the Old Reliable category. Nothing fancy. You can find it everywhere. But hell, after all these years, it a fuggin' awesome beer.
*CALEDONIAN BREWING NEWCASTLE CABBIE BLACK ALE - Beer #37:  Another one much better at room temp.  When it's cold, it lacks any personality or taste.

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!!!