New Beer a Day, still going.

I had so much fun last week going through all the different beers I had in my beer fridge. So much fun, that I decided to keep it going. Instead of adding another keg to my kegerator as I originally planned to do, I am on a binge. I am finishing off all the beers I have been saving in my beer fridge. So hold on, this is going to be a fun ride.

I have had my mini fridge full of quality beer from some of the the most amazing breweries. There must be a beer from 20 different breweries in there, from all around the world. I don't know why, I but I have been saving them. Why? I don't know. I guess they are kind of like baseball cards to me. When I go to the beer store, I look for those rare cards, I mean beers, that I think are going to be special. When I find one, I buy it, and put it in my beer fridge. Every so often, I will open it up to look at my collection. It is rare that I will actually take a bottle and drink it.

But a couple weeks ago, I did it. I took a bottle out of my collection, and I drank it. O man, was it good! Then I thought to myself, what am I doing? There is always a new beer to try. I can always buy a another one. What have I been depriving myself of? Great Beer, that's what.

So, here is the list.

Dogfish Head - Chicory Stout
What can I say about Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head Brewery? Nothing but good! I love this brewery. Not to be confused with the equally amazing brewery, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head just gets it. When it comes to extreme beers, they are the leaders. This week, I tried a bottle of their new seasonal, Chicory Stout. I don't think this one qualifies as an extreme" beer, but it sure qualifies as "good". Yes, I liked it. Are you surprised? I'm not. It really was a good beer. With a rating of 5.2 abv, I think this could become a session beer for me. I liked the dark color and coffee aroma. It has a dark color and smooth finish. It does have a hint of woodsy tastes, giving it that right hint of robust taste. Overall, the smooth, chocolaty flavors make me a fan.

Grade: 4 Burps (yes, the grades are new. I think I needed to come up with something)

Witchwood Brewery - Hobgoblin Ale
I have had this before at Beerfests. But this was the first time I bought a bottle for home enjoyment. What was a dumb decision. I loved this beer. As I sipped it from my imperial pint glass I stole from a pub in London, I kept thinking, "This is so good". I should have bought this before". To be honest with you, the bottle is small. Only 11.2 Fl.Oz. (330ml). For a little more, I can buy a full pint of Fuller's. So that is what I usually do. My bad. I am huge fan of the English Ales. And Hobgoblin has deepened this love. It has that creamy, caramel, and malty taste I love so much. It is such a smooth example of an English Ale. It goes down so fast. It left me wanting another one.

Grade: 4 1/2 Burps

Bear Republic - Red Rocket Ale
Hmmm.....I like it? Yes, I like it. I do. But I don't know why I don't love it. But I do really like it. I think my bias towards the European style beers alters my opinions when it comes to the West Coast breweries. And the battle for West Coast supremacy is a vicious battle. Bear Republic is a good brewery, but not my favorite. But they do make some good beers, like Red Rocket. Great color, good head, and a nice taste. An equal share of malt and hops gives the beer a good balance. Well, the hops might linger a little. That is the only think that stops me from giving it a higher score. Overall, it is a good beer. It is a staple in my beer fridge.

Grade: 4 Burps

Grolsch - Premium Lager
I like the bottles. And I like the fact that I drink a few of them at a time. I would call this a typical European Lager. That isn't a bad thing. But it isn't one of the quality Lagers I come to expect. It is clean beer, but has a light flavor. It is still better than an American mega-brew. However, your money would be better spent on a German beer. But I like the bottle.

Grade: 3 Burps

Fullers - 1845 Ale
Are you ready for me to blatantly tout another one of Fuller's Ales. Well, I am going to do it anyway. I Love Fuller's. And I love their ESB. It says it right there on the label, it ale is "Extra Special". I have to agree. Yes, I am biased, but I think you would be too. It is just such a great ale. It has such a great taste and aroma. I know you will like it. So I strongly recommend that you find it, and try it.

Grade: 4 1/5 Burps

I have more to write about, but I gotta go. Tomorrow night maybe.

-Cheers!

A new Beer a day, keeps the bordom away

I have a hard time making a decision. I still need to replace the empty Flying Dog keg in my kegerator. But I just can't bring myself to make up my mind. I feel guilty for not replacing it with another keg from Flying Dog. So I am just going to take my time and try as many different beers as I can before I make the final decision. It will give me the chance to try some of the beers I keep finding.

Here is what I have gone through the past week.

1. Port Brewing - Old Viscosity Ale.
This is a hearty ale "aged in oak barrels". Man, is it good. It has a great malt and coffee taste. The oak barrel aging gives it a very smooth flavor. It as a hint of caramel, and a smooth aftertaste. I think I am going to be a big fan of barrel aging. I am drinking it right now as type. However, as much as I like it, I don't think I would enjoy it on a daily basis. My favorite beer depends on the day. And I don't think it would be a good idea to get an entire keg of this. Besides, I don't think it is even available.

2. Breckenridge Brewery -471 ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
I have a soft spot in my heart for ESB (Fuller's). Hard to believe, but this was my first beer from Breckenridge Brewery. And I really did enjoy it. There was a stronger taste of hops than I would have expected from a traditional ESB. But it balanced out well with the malt, to form a truly even taste. I did sense a bit of an alcohol, but nothing distracting. I did enjoy it enough to buy another two bottles. One to drink, and one to age. And I think I am going to buy a bottle of Breckenridge's other 471 series batches. The 471 IPA. How can it not be good?

3. Flying Dog - Snake Dog IPA
Is it possible for me to say anything but good about Flying Dog? No, it isn't. This is a great beer from a cool brewery. I LOVED it! And I will buy more. Hops is the new Black, and I am on board. A good IPA is something everyone tries to create. But to do it well, that takes a special brewery. And Flying Dog is the brewery who can do it. They just get it. I don't know how, but I think they should bottle it, and sell it. I know I would buy it!

4. New Belgium Brewery - Mighty Arrow Pale Ale
I first tried this at Beerfest. And I did like it. But I found it on tap at a sports bar last week, and I think I enjoyed it more the second time around. In fact, I veered from my traditional "around the world" routine, and had nothing but Mighty Arrow for the evening. I enjoyed it so much, that I went out and bought a six-pack of it for home. One of them is going to be traded to a friend of mine on the east coast. So that leaves me 5, I mean 3, for the next week.
New Belgium is a cool brewery. I mean, who wouldn't want a custom bicycle to ride to work? If I could, I would work for them. Aside from making great beer, they are a brewery on the cutting edge of Green. I love this brewery. I love their beer, and everything they stand for. And if there is anyone out there who knows how I can get one of those bicycles, please, let me know.

This about covers last week. I made a trip to the beer stores this weekend. I have a great sampling of beers to review this week. Don't get me wrong. A kegerator is a great thing. But nothing compares to a new beer every day.

-Prost!

BEERFEST. Part 1 - The Beer

That is another Beerfest in the books. What can I say, i loved it? I can't wait until the next one? I do that every time. So what was the best part of Beerfest?

The Beer.

There were hundreds of different beers to taste. The amount of quality beers available is almost overwhelming. I felt a little stressed when I first arrived. I thought quietly to myself,


- "How am I going to try all these beers in just six hours"?


- "How am I going to try them all with only 24 tickets in my pocket"?

The answer to that daunting question. "One at a time"



So lets get started.



My strategy was to get in and out as fast as possible. Just like a "whore in Church". (That seems to be a popular quote lately). I needed to hit the breweries that I knew would be the "E Ticket" lines. So I started with the ever popular breweries like Stone, Dogfish Head, Deschutes, Rogue, and New Belgium. Time, and beer, well spent. I might have actually hit a couple of them two or three times. But who is counting (Stone 3 times).

For the rest of the afternoon, I made my way in and out of most of the other breweries lines. I looked for beers that were the newest creations, or the ones which I have never tried. That was a hard task. But I did manage to try a few that I really enjoyed. And I did happen to try some that I think I will never try again.

So that is my story. Now, here is the beer list.

1. Stone Brewery - Oak Aged Ale: "This is a great beer. Very flavorful, and great mouth feel"

2. Deschutes - Green Lakes Organic Ale: "Hoppy and Nutty. Clean finish"

3. Reaper Ale - Morality Stout: "Malty flavor. Clean Finish. No aftertaste"

4. Sam Adams - Imperial Reserve: "Gooooood! I Like It"! "Buy some.

5. Bitch Creek - 20th Anniversary Double ESB Ale: "Very Good"

6. Sun Up Brewery - Armadillo Red Ale: "Hoppy aftertaste"

7. Oak Creek - King Crimson Red Ale: "11% alcohol. Kinda taste it. Enjoyable"

8. Dogfish Head - Raison D'Entre: "Yummy". (I remember asking where Sam was. The guy said "Who"?)

9. New Belgium - Seasonal: "?"

10. Oggies - Asylum something Triple something Ale: "O.K."

11. Speak Easy IPA - Big Daddy: "Dude is a dork" (I remember this. I asked for something else. The stupid "volunteer" didn't know what it was. He started asking the other volunteers. So I told him, give me that. Speak Easy was right behind him.)

12. Port Brewing - Hop 15: "I like this one"

13. Old World Brewery - Wit: "I don't like Wits. Bit this is good".

14. Deschutes Brewery - Inversion IPA: "Un legible" (Is this correct grammar? It must have been the beer talking)

15. Dogfish Head - 90 Minute IPA: "Thank you GOD for creating Sam. I love this Beer". (Something like this. That is what I meant to write)

16. Odell Brewing - IPA: "O.K."

17. Boulder Beer - Hazed & Confused: "?"

18. Sonoran Brewing - Inebriator: "No"

19. New Belgium - Mothership Wit: "+" (Whatever this means)

20. Coronado Brewing - Red Devil: "+" (Again? I don't know what I meant)

21. Old World Brewery - Stout: "Gooooood".

22. Lost Abbey - I don't know: But "I LOVE it"!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to try all the beers. My list ended somewhere around 28. But I can't figure out exactly what they were. I guess I was feeling pretty good by that time. And my handwriting is proof of it. And a side effect of this, is that my reviews became very archaic. You can see some had nothing more than a +, or No, or ?. I don't know what I was saying.

What is amazing is that when I got home, I had 38 sample tickets in my pocket. That's weird, because I started with 24. O well, at least I got to try twenty something great beers. I think next time, I might take a recorder. That should make for some great audio.

-Prost!

Empty

I'm sure everyone has been anticipating my first post about BEERFEST. In fact, I had planned on writing part one tonight. I even downloaded all my photos. But something big just happened. I finished off one of my kegs. The Flying Dog Amber Lager is all gone.

So let me think. I tapped the kegs when I finished my kegerator back in December. So in my special math, I guess it took exactly 3 months. Honestly, I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

The Bad:
I finished off an entire keg all by myself. And it only took me 3 months to drink that much beer. I am willing to bet, it would have been like 2 months if I didn't have the two other beers on tap to drink as well. In addition to the kegs, I went through several cases of bottled beer. I can't even tell you how many. Is this a problem? Should I be worried?

Now I have to go out and spend money on a new keg. And beer isn't getting any cheaper. How much is this one going to cost me? $50, $60, $80? Who knows? This economy is killing my beer habit.

The Good:
It only took me 3 months to finish off an entire keg all by myself. I would have done it in less time (like 6-8 weeks) if I didn't have the other two kegs to siphon from as well. Not to mention the cases of other beer I went through in the same time frame.

The best part of finishing off the keg is, I get to add a new one! I have an empty spot open and it is begging to get filled. I can hear it calling me from the other room right now. I can hardly stand it. I think the BevMo is still open. But then I am stuck choosing one of the old kegs someone never picked up. Or Miller Lite. I think I'm better off waiting. I want to order something real special.

Decision:
What to do? If course I am going to fill that spot, soon. I need to make a decision on which beer to add. I have some in mind. But I really want a special beer this time. Something that will make all my friends jealous. I think I will take a few days to decide. I am going to read through my list of beers from the past Beerfests. See which ones I liked, and which ones I loved. Then I can make my decision. I might even add a "Vote which Beer" app. over on the side there. Then you can all help me make my important decision.

I really loved this beer. And I love Flying Dog Brewery. I have yet to drink a beer they make, that I didn't like. They are an amazing brewery. In the crowded microbrew scene, they stand out like a whore in church. And that whore sure can brew some great beer!

-Prost!

Beerfest. I did it.

Another Beerfest in the books. I did it. And I did it well. I tried all kinds of beers. Some new, some old. But for the most part, I think I expanded my beer library. I would love to sit here, and type out a long and detailed post about all the beer I tried, and all the people I saw, and all the drunk idiots I had to pour beer for. But I am just to damn tired and intoxicated to do that right now. So you are going to have to wait until tomorrow for my first post. I will do my best to make it worth the wait.

Thanks for understanding. You guys rock!

-Prost!

Beerfest tomorrow

It's that time again. BEERFEST! God, I love that word. It just rolls off the tongue...BeeeeeeeeerrrrrrFesssssssssssssst. But the best thing about Beerfest is the beer. O, I love me some beer. And the only thing I love more than a beer, is trying hundreds of them in a single day, at one place. And that is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow.

I will be drinking beer, making notes, taking pictures, and pouring beer. It is going to be one beer filled day. I plan on loving every minute of it. And with any luck, I will attempt to write about it. Who am I kidding? Do you really think I will be able to write a post tomorrow after 8 hours of drinking beer? I know I'm good, but I'm not that good. In all honesty, it will take me a few days to write everything. At least I have the weekend. I think I will break it up into three posts again. That seemed to work well for the last Beerfest review.

So I better go. I need to get some sleep.

-Cheers!

Three Sheets is Saved

According to Zane Lamprey, his show Three Sheets has been saved. You can read all about it on his website, his Facebook site, and his My Space site. Where ever you decide to read it, the bottom line is that We Saved Three Sheets.

The first 3 seasons were aired on the MOJO network. Season 4 finished up shooting and Zane has been looking for someplace to air it. Where will this be? We don't know. The big announcement will be made at the upcoming ZANEFEST. This time it will be Zane Patrick's Day. The event will be held on Thursday, March 14th at the Knitting Factory in Tribeca New York. If I didn't live on the complete other side of the country, I would be there.

So you have a little time to catch up on the first 3 seasons of Three Sheets before season 4 makes it to your TV. Trust me, you are going to love it. You can buy them on Amazon.com, or download them on iTunes.

-Cheers!

I got a job, in a brewery

This is not entirely true. In order to qualify as a job, don't you have to be paid? Then again, if I am paid with education and a great time, isn't that a form of payment? If so, can this qualify as a job? I just confused myself. But what it really means is that I am going to be hanging out in an all new brewery.

What is this brewery I am speaking of? It is called Old World Brewery. By nothing more than happenstance, I found it. And a couple days ago, I had the pure enjoyment of hanging out, drinking some fine beer, and talking to one of the owners, Perry Parmely.

Located in the north part of Phoenix, Old World Brewery is looking to carve out it's own place in the Four Peaks dominated brewery scene. And from my observation, I think they are going to do just that.

Over the next week, I will be posting pictures of the brewery, evaluating the beers, conducting a full interview, and possibly even getting my hands dirty in an attempt to help brew some beer. The guys will be set up this weekend at the Great Arizona Brew Festival. Be sure to stop by and try their brews. I think you will like them.

-Cheers!

All Beer, All the Time

After some serious thought, and a few pints to help dull the pain, I have decided to make a change. The title above says it all...."All Beer, All the Time. That's right. From now on, Good Burp will be all about my adventures with beer.

When I started this blog, my plan was to write about beer and all the idiots I seem to run into on a daily basis. I have quite a talent in finding them in a crowd. While it has been fun and therapeutic to write about these people, I found it to get a little mundane.

I realized a little while ago that beer is what I really preferred to write about. And the followers of this blog seem to agree with me. Most of the people who stop by to read my thoughts are beer lovers from all around the world. And quite frankly, I really have enjoyed drinking, listing, rating, comparing, and writing about all the different beers I seem to run into on a daily basis.

In celebration of this momentous decision, I will make an important post tomorrow. I had a chance encounter today which helped solidify my decision. The topic is going to spill over into 3 or 4 posts. I think you are going to enjoy them.

-Cheers!

Note: For those who will miss the rants and raves about the idiots of the world, you might want to check around. I could decide to start a new blog somewhere else. Somewhere soon.