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Showing posts with label Beer Snob. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beer Snob. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2009

Beerfest Tomorrow

Again, going down to the line with my post. But don't worry, I made with 3 hours to spare. Good thing too, because I have to go to bed soon. I have a big day tomorrow.

What could be so important as to make me go to bed sober on a Friday night at 9:30?

BEERFEST!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow is the Southwest Brewfest! Yes, I am a little excited about it. I always get excited about a beerfest. I love beerfests. Beerfests are my friends.

This is the first Southwest Brewfest, so I really don't know what to expect. It has received a lot of press, and I am expecting a big crowd. But the crowd I am expecting is not the typical beerfan.

I think tomorrow is going to be a shitload of college students looking to get lit before the football game. It is being held at an outdoor mall, 1 mile from ASU, who is playing USC.

Not to mention that the largest brewery in attendance is going to be Anheuser Busch. That is disappointing. As much as I would love to tease, and laugh, and make fun of the people standing in line to get a "sample" of Budweiser, Bud Light, or the newest creation Bud Light Golden Wheat, I am all for it. It's simple actually, the won't be drinking any of the good beers. That means more for me and the beer snobs.

Again, I will be toting my camera and notepad. I will be taking plenty of pictures. Beer, Babes, and boobs.....and drunk people. I'm also going to do y best to keep a list and attempt to critique each and every beer I sample. I will be making notes of things overheard while standing in "the beer line".

This is going to be fun!

-Cheers!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Bud Light Golden Wheat?

Are you kidding me? First it was Bud Light Chelada. Then it was Bud Light Lime. Now it's Bud Light Golden Wheat? What the hell is this all about?

Bud light has become the CSI of beers. In their attempt to market yet another variation of their Bud Light series of beers, Anheuser Busch gives you Bud Light Golden Wheat. An unfiltered wheat beer brewed with "wheat malt, coriander, and citrus peels".

Could it be that InBev (Anheuser Busch) actually cares about making a nice tasting beer? No, it's just marketing. I'm sure it is nothing more than a direct attempt to gain market share from the Miller Coors Blue Moon drinkers? That seems to be the beer with the largest demand these days. A beer that most uneducated beer drinkers think is a craft brewed beer.

Don't expect a review of it here. It's not going to happen. That's not the kind of beer drinker I am. Plus, I don't think A/B ever intended for me to drink one. If they did, they are really stupid. Your average beer snobs will avoid this beer like the Swine Flu.

There are plenty of other "Wheat" style beers out there if you want one. Do yourself a favor, and try any of of them before you actually waste your hard earned money on a bottle of anything with a Bud Light label on it.

-Cheers!

Monday, June 29, 2009

How to teach an old dog a new beer


I love to teach people about beer. Normally, it is my friends. However, lately it has been my father in law. It was a little intimidating to teach the wine lover, the finer points of beer. But guess what, it's working.

I am lucky enough to have a cool father in law. Don't get me wrong, he used to scare me when I was a kid. When I explain to people what he is like, all I have to say is Red Forman. Yes, my father in law is Red Forman from That 70's Show. Looks like him, talks like him, drinks like him, and was probably in the same platoon with him.

For as long as I have know him, he has enjoyed a beer from time to time, but wine has been his drink of choice. We usually talk about sports, cars, and money. But we have been talking more and more about beer. The last few times he has come over, he has had a beer, or two with me. And you know I am not giving him cheap beer. He really liked the Flying Dog Old Scratch Lager. I think he had 2 pints during the game. Funny thing, he was done. I don't think he was prepared for the punch of a high alcohol beer.

Yesterday, we went to the baseball game. What better way to enjoy a baseball game, than with a beer. How cool is it that we have a Gordon Biersch beer stand at the stadium? So that is all I drink. So I asked him if he wanted a beer. He said sure, and told me to point the way. I asked him what kind of beer he wanted. "Whatever you are having has got to be good". So I ordered up two of my favorites, Marzens. It is my favorite style of beer, and Gordon Biersch makes a good one.

Cut to the chase, he liked it, a lot. He commented on it several times. By the 3rd inning, it was gone. Now I know the guy can drink, but I was impressed, and a little proud. That one beer was enough for him. I could have used a few more though. We played like the Bad News Bears. Honestly, it was the worst game I have every watched. I was so mad. We made a run late, but still lost.

When we got home, he told my mother in law about the beer he had at the game. He told her how much he liked it, and that he really enjoyed it. He then told her that she needs to quit drinking that piss, I mean Michelob Light. I told him if he wanted to try another beer, I had a great one upstairs in my kegerator he might like. He was all for it.

I poured him a half pint of the Avery Russian Imperial Stout. This is a big beer for most people. But he drank it like a man. He commented that it was a little thick for him, but he still enjoyed it. Next time, I am going to pour him a pint of the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. I doubt he will like it, but it just might grow on him.

I sent him home with my normal list of beers he should try. Stone, Rogue, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Gordon Biersch. He said he was going to pick some up and give them a try. I think he is going to enjoy them. Who wouldn't?

I think I represented the Beer Snob well. I have converted yet another to our team. Not to pat myself on the back, but when you convert a Red Forman, you did a great job.

-Cheers!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Is it ok to drink cheap beer, if it is free?

I have mass quantities of beer in my house. That is a normal thing. However, I seem to have amassed even more. After the party last weekend, I keep finding bottles of beer in my fridge, that I didn't buy. How do I know? Because it is beer I wouldn't buy, anymore.

As a "Beer Snob", my craving for new beer is never ending. There is always a new beer on the shelf to buy. A new beer in my fridge to drink. A different beer to write about. However, this is not the case.

My fridge is full of beer that a "newbie" beer drinker would buy in an attempt to move up the Beer Snob ladder. Beers that are to the right of all the Bud, Coors, and Miller dominated shelf space. Beers like Becks, Smithwick's, Guinness, Moose Drool, Samuel Adams, Pyramid, Alaskan, etc.

They knew better than to show up with anything other than something that would qualify as an import, or microbrew. For most of them, this wasn't their first time to one of my parties. For the others, lets just say that they were warned.

I need to clear off some shelf space for the new seasonals. But how can I do that? The only thing I can think of is, drink the beer. Is that wrong? Am I going against everything I believe in? AB owns a few of these breweries now, but I didn't buy it. But is it wrong to drink it? I don't know. I am torn. So far, I have downed the Moose Drool, Sam Adams, Smithwick's, and Alaskan. What do I do with the Becks, St. Paulie, Stella Artois, and Blue Moon. Do I dump them, save them for the next bash, or drink them?

There are a few Dogfish Head left from IV. But don't worry, I am going to enjoy those. In fact, I think I am going to crack one open right now. It might help me make up my mind. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

-Cheers!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Damn, I throw a good party!

Has it really been 10 days since my last post? Did I really drink that much? (Yes, I did). I have been shying away from most things beer since the big bash last weekend. I'll tell you a secret. I have had only 2 beers (yes TWO) since that fateful night. That is how good my party was.

This little get together for 40 of my closest friends. After the one we had last Christmas, everyone was excited for this one. It was the place to be. And I think all who remember being here will agree with me. It was a blast!

Since I carry the torch of "Beer Snob", it was vital that I had some great beer on tap. I had to take some time and really think about what the masses would enjoy. I had to consider taste, experience, and ABV. I needed to choose a variety of different styles of beer so people would have a choice, as well as the option to try a really good beer that they might never have chosen on their own. Besides, it give me the opportunity to educate the "Beer Rookies", and the girlyman who brought the Smirnoff Ice.

What did I choose as my means of education?
1. Sierra Nevada - Summer Lager. I wanted a beer that the women would drink. A beer that would be a little on the normal side. This was the first time for 8 or 10 of them, and I wanted to make sure there would be something they would enjoy.

2. Dogfish Head - 90 Minute IPA. Honestly, this one was for me. I was willing to share, but it is mine. I think there were a few pints pulled by some of the fellas. For the most part, they avoided it, and chose keg 1, or 3. What was keg number 3?

3. Avery - Russian Imperial Stout. Yes, that is right. How cool am I that I would hook up a keg of this beer, and let people drink from it for free? It can't be measured. But hey, that's how I roll. It is quite an amazing beer. It was the most popular beer of the night. Even the guy who tried to buy his way into my inner circle by bringing a 6er of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, spent the night "enjoying" (aka POUNDING) the Avery.

At first, the ABV of the beers was my little secret. However I realized that there was way too much alcohol in this house, and it was flowing like a river down my stairs. However, by the time I told the guys that the Stout was about 12% alcohol, it was too late. Most just kept on drinking it.

The party was a huge success. The cops didn't show up. But one did throw up in my front yard. At last count, there were 5 guys who were unable to hold on to their alcohol that night. 3 of them didn't even make it to the car. At least they did it in my yard and not my living room.

O ya, I almost forgot. Remember that guy who brought the Dogfish Head, and spent the night trying to become a real life Russian? He spent the night hooked up to an I.V. But all is well. He is fine.

That is the story, and I'm sticking to it.

-Cheers!

Friday, June 5, 2009

The Beer Dork

Ok. How can I say this without sounding pretentious, or like a flat out beer snob? I don't think I can.

Hey, beer dork. Shut up. You don't know what the hell you are talking about. You sound like an infomercial for Miller Lite. Are you seriously telling the people sitting with you that "triple hopping" was invented by Miller? Did you just describe the taste of Hops, as "Hoppy"? Yes you did, I heard you. I nearly shot my Stone Arrogant Bastard out of my nose.

What was that little gem you just spewed? Budweiser is the oldest beer in America? Are you serious Cliff Claven? Where are you getting this information? I think you are spending to much time watching the logos and commercials on Nascars. All that turning left must have made you dizzy. I need to ignore you now.

But I can't. All your bull shit is violating my ears. No, you can not tell the beer was made with rice because of the color. No, dark beer isn't made with brown rice. That's it. I am done.

You are just a dumbass. That's it. Nothing more. And it is idiots like you that make real "Beer Snobs" like us, look bad. So how about you actually put down your so-called "micro brew" (aka, Blue Moon) and try a real beer.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Beer snob?

I was talking to a blogger friend about being a "Beer Snob". For the most part, I agreed with everything he was saying. Yes, I would consider myself a "Beer Snob". And most people who read my blog are fellow "Beer Snobs". But is that a bad thing? Come to think of it, it might be construed as an insult.

Guys, take a minute and think back to high school. How cool was it to score a 6 pack of Bud light back then? But that isn't where I am going with this story. Every school had one. Every guy knew one. That girl. That super hot chick that every kid in school thought was "Hot".

You know who I am talking about. What was her name? Jennifer? Or was it Lisa? What about Heather? Or was it Bambi? Yes, Bambi. That was it wasn't it. Remember how she dated the Quarterback, or the rich kid, or the guy you just didn't like? And do you remember what you called her?

Snob!

But was she really? To be honest, you didn't know her that well. She might have been the nicest person in the world. Sure, she might have been a little self absorbed, but was she really a snob? Is it possible that she was just far more advanced than we were? (D's in High school? I would say yes!) Or was it that she just had a better idea of what she wanted than we did?

Fast forward to that last time you stood in the beer section, looking at all those different beers. To the left, we have the math club members (Bud, Miller, Coors, etc,). In the middle, we have those people we all knew and were friends with (Heineken, Becks, Stella, New Castle, Smithwicks, etc.) Those were the people who thought they were cooler than they really were. Just like these beers. For the most part, they are like the Big 3, but think they are better. But we all know they are owned by the Evil Empire.

Then there is the right. The special. They are where you spend most of your time, and where you wished you would have spent most of your time in high school. You have the Dogfish Head, Stone, New Belgium, Flying Dog, Sierra Nevada, Left Hand, Laguintas, Deschutes, and so on. That group that is special indeed. That group that is so different, that you have grown to love, and appreciate.

Why is that? Because they are "Snobby"? No, because it is just a better place to be. Does that make us "Beer Snobs"? I don't think so. It just means that we know what is good, and what isn't. At this time in our lives, we know what qualifies as good, quality beer instead of that watered down, flavorless, piss water that they call light beer.

It might have taken us a good 10 or 20 years to realize what Bambi knew all those years ago in High School. But it is our time to shine. We have arrived. And there is nothing wrong with being a so called "Beer Snob". Come to think about it. Snob was just the name that we gave to that "Hot" girl who wouldn't give us the time of day. And now, "Beer Snob" is the name that all those Bud, Miller, and Coors, drinkers give to us because we are on a higher level that they are.

So celebrate being a "Beer Snob". We are a special kind of people. And be willing to share, or point and laugh when some band geek buys a sixer of Bud Light. We have earned our stripes. We have done our time. And at that 20 year High School reunion, buy Bambi a real beer.

-Prost!