Top 5 list. Drinking Buddies.

Everyone has a list. No, not that list. The other one. The 5 people you would want to have dinner with. I'm not going to say Jesus, Nelson Mandella, Ghandi, the Dhali Llama, and Bono. That would be extremely boring. So screw dinner, I want to drink with these guys.

My Top 5 Drinking Buddy list.

5. Sam Calagione. The "Brewing Rock Star" himself of Dogfish Head Brewery. How can I not have my "man crush" on my list? The guy is an artist when it comes to brewing. He is a modern day beer guru. And a big bonus, he can bring the beer!

4. Babe Ruth. The "Sultan of Swat". What is a party without the Babe? This guy could drink everyone under the table. and still go 4 for 5 with 2 home runs the next day. Anyone who can drink like that deserves a seat at the bar in my book.

3. Leonardo DaVinci. "Artist, Inventor". This man was nothing short of a genius. Could you imagine what he could come up with as a beer? What about a brewing process. I'm sure he could scratch out the design for a more efficient brewing machine on a bar napkin. It would revolutionize brewing as we know it today.

2. Charles Barkley. "Sir Charles". We all know the Chuckster likes to drink and have a good time. I would never have to worry about the conversation because Charles always has something to say. And if we get lucky, he just might throw someone through a plate glass window.

1. Benjamin Franklin. "Patriot, Brew Master". Where would we be today without Ben? Without a sweet-ass quote. We beer people know it and live it. Sure, he was smart too. But the guy liked to party! Besides working insane hours inventing stuff and helping to form a new government, he loved to brew beer. Wouldn't it be cool to hear him talk about his brewing process as he bitched about Sam Adams and John Hancock.

Alternate: Someone is bound to call in sick. So I need 1 more, just in case.

Jim Koch. "Microbrew Pioneer". The legend. The founder of Boston Beer and Samuel Adams Boston Lager. (That sounds so good right now). On a personal level, it is a dream of mine to meet the man. Plus he knows his beer! We could talk and drink beer all night long. It would be so cool to get a look inside that man's head.

Like it or not, this is my list. Believe me, it was so hard to narrow it down to just the main 5. I thought of many others. But for the reasons given, I had to remove them from contention.

John Lennon. But he would bring Yoko with him. And we all know what happens next. She would make him leave early.

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Jimi Hendrix. He could play a mean guitar. But "under the influence", he is likes to start fires.

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Henry the 8th. A "Big" party guy. But a bit of a hothead! He might get drunk and try to send us to the Gallows if we disagree with him.

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Elvis Presley. The King. He would be awesome. But I would have to worry every time he got up to use the bathroom. If he didn't try to steal my prescriptions, he might die on my "throne".

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Adolph Hitler. A little bit of a psycho. We could try to get him to hook up with Yoko. If not, Charles could throw him through the window!

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- Cheers!

Ten Pin Porter. I hate bowling.

I have a plan. You might have noticed that I jump around a lot with my beer selection. I try to stay as diversified as possible. Keep things loose. That’s the way I roll.

(Get it? The bowling thing? Never mind.)

Anyways, this is my new plan. I am going to try to avoid talking about the same kind of beer in consecutive posts. This will keep my pallet fresh for the next tasty brew.

Are you ready? Here it goes.

SKA-Brewing Ten Pin Porter. From Durango Colorado. I have had a few of their other brews. I really wanted to like this one, but I don’t think I do. It is OK. It represents a porter well. Has a nice color, and a pleasant chocolate and coffee aroma. It has a nice malt and a caramel taste, with a slight bitter finish. But the overall flavor is weak. I wanted it to have a better mouth feel. I took my time drinking it with hopes that the increasing temperature would bring an increased taste. But it didn’t. It just doesn’t compete with a good porter.

So to sum it up. Did I like it? No. Was it good? Yes. Would I recommend it? That depends. If you are in the mood for something a little darker, but don’t want to jump into the deep end, this is the porter for you. However, if you are looking for a good porter, get something else.

By the way, I really hate bowling.

-Cheers.

Austria, another place for beer

This is getting bad. Three beer reviews in a row. I have no problem giving my opinion on anything, so I guess I will give you my opinion on my latest beer, Stiegl Pils.

To begin with, I am a HUGE fan of the Bavaria and Austrian breweries. I first had this beer in Salzburg last year. As with nearly all of the beer I drank, I loved it. With that said, I was a little disappointed with it here at home. I was really hopping for a more authentic representation of an Austrian Pislner.

To start, the taste was a little weak. It didn't have an aftertaste, but a little bit of a bitterness as it left the pallet. Overall, it just didn't taste like it should have. The light color was typical and expected, with a quickly dissolving head.

I don't know if I had set such a high bar for it, or I am comparing it to what I remember. Either way, it just didn't measure up. I am a little bummed out.

So to sum it up. Did I like it? Yes. Was it good? No. Would I recommend it? I don't think so.

There are so many other beers like it, so don't waste you money on this one. Trumer Pils comes to mind. Just buy the beer on either side of this one.

-Prost!

90 Minute IPA. Sam is the man!

I just accidentally opened a bottle I have been saving. It is 90 Minute Imperial IPA from, say it with me, Dogfish Head. Yes, I am in love with them these days. This brew has won countless awards, and now I know why.

I bought a 4 pack of this a while back. I had heard it was good. It won the "Best Strong Beer" at the 2007 Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival, Zymurgy, the Journal of the American Homebrewers Association, voted it the best commercial beer in America, and it was won the "Battle of the Beers" on Realbeer.com for 3 consecutive years. It scores an A on beeradvocate.com, and a score of 99 on ratebeer.com. I have to agree.

I will admit, I am not a huge fan of the overpowering hop flavored beers. But the beer is so good, and finishes so clean. You get that first hit of hops, which is so enjoyable. Then you miss it as is fades away. Only to love it once again with the next taste.

You are aware of my "man crush" on Sam Calgione by now. This beer is the reason all of you should feel the same way. To invent a beer like this is nothing short of amazing. This is what makes beer so enjoyable. To find a beer like this, so different that all the other mass produced beers today, makes my love of beer even stronger.

The only thing that sucks about drinking this beer, is that I am all out. So now I have to get some more. That means another $50 beer run to the BeMo. This is a hard thing to explain to the wife.

So to sum it up. Did I like it? Yes! Was it good? Yes! Would I recommend it? Hellz Yeah!

It looks like I just reviewed another beer. I fear this is going to be a regular thing. My blog is going to be so busy.

-Prost!

What I'm drinking today?

What am I drinking today? I usually post it over there on the right, for all the world to see. I figured a list would be a little easier to do. Not to mention a lot less time consuming. I really don't have the desire to critique every beer I drink, because I drink so many.

To keep up with my ongoing theme, "Man Crush on Sam Calagione", I am going to recommend his latest seasonal creation, Punkin Ale. What will he come up with next?

Did I like it? Yes. Is it good? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Yes.

I love to talk about beers and try to get my friends and family to try a real beer. The person who I try to persuade more than anyone else is my wife. Usually, all it takes is a sip and I know she hates it. But here reaction to Punkin Ale stumped me. It wasn't until she asked for a second try that I knew I had a winner.

I am not a fan of flavoring beers with stuff. I think the Germans got it right centuries ago with the Reinheitsgebot. However, Dogfish Head has made it an art. I have had some bad pumpkin beers in my time, but this is by far the best of them. You can smell, and taste the slight hint of pumpkin, without it overpowering your senses. There is a great balance between the malt, pumpkin, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Overall, it is a very drinkable beer.

There you have it. A beer critique.

- Cheers

Sam Calagione, a brewing rock star

I was recently labeled a "brewer groupie" by a fellow blogger after I talked

about the "man crush" I have for Sam Calagione and Jim Koch. So to dive a little deeper into the world of great brewers, I decided to read a book. What luck. Sam Calagione had indeed written a book about the trials and tribulations he went through while starting up his brewery, Dogfish Head, one of the fastest growing breweries in the country.

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As a beer fan, I found the book to be entertaining and enjoyable. Sam tells us his memorable stories and lessons learned while he tried to get his brewery up and running. From the failed publicity stunts and successful campaigns, to his loss of friends and customers. Like the time he spent in an airport back room being interrogated by the TSA, his stories are full of humor, and humility.

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As a fledgling home brewer with ideas of someday opening my own brewery, I found the book to be educational and extremely inspirational. I related to Sam's big dreams on a little budget. Starting a brewery with a 12 gallon home brew system is an amazing feat. However, by brewing such small batches, it allowed Sam to experiment with different ingredients. Thus, making Dogfish Head Brewery what it is today, "Off Centered Ales for Off Centered People".

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All bias aside, this is really a good book. It isn't just for the beer crowd, but for anyone who owns, or someday plans to own their own business. Sam shares with the reader how difficult, as well as rewarding it has been to be a business owner. I found myself on several occasions flip flopping back and forth with my dream of following in Sam's footsteps. Who knows what the future holds? Not even Sam was willing to say. All in all, Dogfish Head makes some amazing beer. It was almost as much fun reading his book, as it is dinking his beer.

Reason to Drink - Game 5

As if I needed another reason to drink beer. How do you blow a 7 run lead with only 9 outs to go? I don't know. I wish I knew.

I love baseball. I love it with a burning passion deep within my soul. It kills me when my team looses. It ruins my day, and can put me in the worst mood. So bad in fact, that a beer or 3 doesn't make me feel any better.

My teams are out of it this year, so I have to pick a surrogate team. Anyone who plays the Dodgers is usually my motto. But this post season, it is the Tampa Bay Rays. They beat one pair of Sox so I hope they can do it again.

I am siting here screaming obscenities at my TV. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I like to. I have seen some torrential meltdowns over the decades, but this is right up there. I don't necessarily hate the Boston Redsox, but dammit, I want the Rays to win.

I guess it isn't over yet. The series moves south for game 6 and 7. Hopefully it is a day game so all the blue hairs can get out and support the Rays before heading to Luby's by 4:30 for the senior citizens discount dinner.

8 runs in 2.2 innings. Amazing.

I need a beer.