1001 Beers

Beer No: 94
Page No: 120
Category: Amber

World Cup Day 16...what is there to say?  Today's beer comes from the United States, and just like that, the United States is out.  A very disappointing game in which they give up an early goal AGAIN, manage to tie it, have chances to win it, push it to extra time, and give up another early goal, and can't recover.   A sad day, but I've still got Germany in it, so it's not all bad quite yet.  In the early game Uruguay handled South Korea pretty well.  They gave up a goal (the first of the tournament), but scored two pretty easily, advancing to the round of 8 where they now face the afternoon's winner, Ghana.

Of course, I picked the United States to win (the homer pick) and couldn't have been more wrong, but in the early game, I predicted a 2-1 Uruguay win, so nice call there (though 2-1 is pretty easy to guess and could be called for most games - as that was the final score of the Ghana / U.S. game as well).

For today's beer, we have a new American classic, New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale.  It's their flagship beer and, while a solid, consistent beer, it just isn't the best that New Belgium puts out and it's just a good, run-of-the-mill amber ale.  As noted in 1001 Beers though, in an interview with brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, he commented, "Luckily, we have Fat Tire, and that allows us to do all these other things."  So, I'm glad Fat Tire's around, because it allows them to produce amazing beers like La Folie, Love, and the amazing Lips of Faith Series (Eric's Ale, Dark Kriek, Transatlantique Kriek, Biere de Mars, and many others).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

New Belgium Fat Tire Ale by New Belgium Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 10/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from six-pack - 12 oz. bottle from BevMo. Pours amber in color, slight tan head. Aroma is malty with slight hop undertones. Taste is fairly weak for an amber, nicely balanced, but doesn’t show off any flavors well. Nice nutty flavors linger afterwords. A solid, consistent amber, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Beer No: 92
Page No: 43
Category: Amber

Day 14 of the World Cup - it really doesn't get much better than this.  Needing a win over Slovakia to advance, most thought Italy would be making it to the knock-out round (myself included), but instead, they come out, play with no intensity until the last 15 minutes and end up losing to Slovakia as Paraguay advances with the Slovaks.  Meanwhile, the Netherlands have had a strangle-hold on Group E from the start and they came out today and beat Cameroon to take the group with 9 points.  All Denmark needed to do was tie Japan, a feat most thought they could accomplish, but instead, like Italy, they come out with lazy play, allow Japan to score on two free kicks, and lose 3-1, allowing Japan to advance with the Netherlands.  A crazy day for sure.

We've got one more day of round-robin play to go as groups G & H need to be sorted out tomorrow and then on Saturday, the knock-out round begins.  The United States plays Ghana in the afternoon match while Uruguay and South Korea play in the early game.  I just can't wait for the weekend to get here...

As for my predictions, I predicted Netherlands & Denmark (by a hair) and Paraguay & Italy.  So just 2/4 today.  But after being 8/8 the previous two days, I'm still a nice 10/12.  For my World Cup Beer Challenge, I'm now 5-6-3 with the beers that correspond with the teams playing.  Two wins in a row now with England yesterday and Japan today.  Tomorrow we finish up the round-robin round with a beer from Spain as they play Chile.  And tomorrow I'll try and post my schedule for the next round.  Saturday will definitely be an American beer and then on Sunday I can go with a German or English beer.  Monday and Tuesday will be much harder though, so I have to see how the games turn out tomorrow to see if I even have any exotic beers remaining to choose from.

Unfortunately, while Japan had a great showing on the field today, I was not impressed with their beer.  The Angry Boy Brown from Baird Brewing showed some promise at the start with a nice frothy pour and a sweet aroma, but the taste just let me down.  Way too much in the way of alcohol flavors with an almost watered-down feeling to it.  This is my last brew in the book from Baird Brewing and I had hoped they'd put forth a better showing.  Their Rising Sun Pale is just ok, certainly nothing special, and I think if I have to pick a favorite brewer from Japan right now, it'd have to be Kiuchi (brewers of Hitachino).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Baird Angry Boy Brown Ale by Baird Brewing Co.

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours hazy amber brown with huge three finger head. Head dissipates slowly leaving behind slight lacing and bubbly film. Aroma is very malty with hints of nuts and alcohol. Taste is stronger alcohol than in aroma with mostly malts, caramel, and nuts rounding out the taste. Somewhat dry finish, just too much alcohol flavorings and a little bit watered down for me.

Beer No: 83
Page No: 841
Category: Dark

World Cup Day 5 (yeah, kind of screwed up my numbering in the last two posts).  Today I was very surprised by the North Koreans.  They played Brazil (where my beer of the day hails from) to a 0-0 halftime tie, but then Brazil struck twice and you would think South Korea would just try and keep it to just 2-0, but no, they go and score a goal late and end the game at 2-1.  A pretty respectable outing for a North Korea team that most people really don't know anything about.  As for the other two games, pretty boring.  Portugal and the Ivory Coast battled to a 0-0 tie, and just when you think that Slovakia would come out with a 1-0 win, New Zealand scores at the last minute of injury time.  So I guess that was interesting, but still, a boring game up until then.  I'm really hoping this second "round" of games will be better as teams realize they need points to survive and make it to the knock-out round.

As for the beer, a long time ago, back when I first started my beer drinking, Xingu was one of my favorites.  Fast-forward 7 years later and it has lost its appeal.  Xingu is much more watered-down than I remember it and it really lacks any real flavor.  It's got some subtle malts in there, but really, it's a black lager that is made for the masses.  So, this time around, I've got to pass.  It's still nice and drinkable if you're looking for a session beer that really won't interfere with any other flavors you've got going on at a meal, but other than that, I don't really see any reason to go search out Xingu any more.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Xingu by FEMSA Cerveja Brasil

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Hi Time Wine on June 15, 2010. Pours a dark brown/black with slight tan head. Aroma of toffee and malts. Taste is very watered-down and weak. A sweet flavor with nice malt flavors and seemingly no hops. Creamy, slight carbonation. Used to be one of my favorite black beers back in the day. These days, I know that there are much more flavorful black beers out there and this lager just doesn’t cut the mustard any more.

Had from bottle at Stuffed Sandwich on July 25th, 2003 - Day 25 of Blake’s Beer Month™
Only my second Scharzbier, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, the first one I had was a bit thin with no real substance - the Xingu raised my appreciation for this beer type. The aroma is faint, but more noticeable than the Kostriker with a slight waft of sweetness coming off the beer. It pours with a dark black appearance and a good sized brown head. The flavor of this Schwarzbier was much "fuller" than the Kostriker - a bit more carbonation than I expected, it could lose a bit here and be a bit better. This beer dances on the palate with carbonation and a smooth, easy drinkability. An interesting beer, and one I’d drink again - a nice change of pace in the beer-drinking world. Now - I just need to find some of the higher rated Schwarzbiers.

Original rating: 6/4/7/4/15 3.6

Beer No: 79
Page No: 93
Category: Amber

Well, despite a pretty boring second game with a 0-0 tie between France and Uruguay, the day went very well in South Africa.  Somehow, as the #83 ranked team in the world, South Africa was able to get a 1-1 tie with #17 ranked Mexico.  The game was actually very entertaining with Mexico dominating the first half, having a goal wiped away on an offsides (the correct call) and then coming out in the second half somewhat listless and allowing South Africa to score first on Tshabalala's goal - the first goal in a World Cup on African soil (trivia right there for y'all).  So with those four teams going, today's first World Cup beer came from Mexico - the Cucapa Barley Wine Ale.

Now, I'm not a fan of Barley Wines - I think I've made that clear in the past.  The alcohol just isn't hidden enough for me and I always prefer hops to malts.  So these strong, high ABV, malty beverages just don't sit well with me and I tend to avoid them when I have the choice.  However, this was the only Mexican beer left that I could find in stores, so, a barley wine it is.  1001 Beers doesn't really have much to say about this barley wine and instead goes into how the brewery was named, which is probably a good idea, as I didn't enjoy this barley wine at all.  I found it just way too sweet - full of malts, alcohol, and flavors of raisins and sugar.  Overall, not the best start to the World Cup drinking experience, but, I'll be sampling upwards of 32 stouts tomorrow, so I'm sure that will be a much better experience.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cucapa Barley Wine Ale (Centenario) by Cerveceria Cucapa

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 750 ml bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours ruby brown with no head and very slight carbonation. Lacing is good. Aromas of sugar, fruits, raisin, toffee, malts, and caramel. Taste is similar, very sweet, overpowering sugars and fruits. Heavy alcohol flavor with lots of malts and toffee. Finishes sweet. Not my favorite style, but I have had better barley wines. An ambitious beer from Mexico though.

Beer No: 74
Page No: 909
Category: Specialty

It's really a shame that this bottle, like the Duchesse I had yesterday just didn't hold up at some point in its journey from Belgium to my fridge.  I don't think it was an exceptionally old bottle, so it's confusing as to how two almost identical sour beers both ended up ruined in my fridge.  They hadn't been exposed to any extreme temperature changes and have been in the same box as many other beers I bought at BevMo for these tastings.  Yet both were drain pours.  It's odd, unexplainable, and just as crazy as Anheuser-Busch making a hot air balloon...

That bottle — a hot air balloon — was being inflated on the grounds at Cameron Balloons, which designs and constructs custom-made hot air balloons.

Their recent creation was commissioned by Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

Being called Flight 55, the balloon replica of a bottle of Select 55 beer will be used to promote the product at festivals around the country this summer, according to Anheuser-Busch. The tour will be "a summer long journey to find the most interesting festivals and foods in the country."

http://www.annarbor.com/news/giant-beer-bottle-spotted-in-dexter/

Yes, because what says great taste, complex flavors, and wonderful beer like a custom made hot air balloon?  I guess when the Wall Street Journal reports:

Light beer is in a slump. Advertising Age reported this week that U.S. sales of the biggest brands are in an alarming slide, with Bud Light down 5.3% this year and Miller Lite off 7.5%. Is this but a recessionary blip or are we finally witnessing a great consumer revolt against shamefully bad beer, shamelessly promoted?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575280522341919974.html#articleTabs=article

Lite beer has to do something outrageous and crazy, so why not a giant balloon?  I guess with so much of the market it doesn't really matter.  InBev competes with Molson-Coors and that's about it.  Leave the craft beer making to the craft breweries.  Keep making your fizzy, yellow crap, and we'll all be happy.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Bios Vlaamse Bourgogne by Brouwerij Van Steenberge

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Re-Rate June 6, 2010
Poured from 11.2 oz. bottle. Dark brown/red pour with tan head that leaves just a film behind. Aroma is sweet, fruity, with slight sourness and hints of vinegar. Taste is slightly off. Very sweet, sugar, sour apples, orange, vinegar, and just a bit of tartness. Finish is astringent, sticky, sour, and vinegar. Perhaps not a bottle representative of the beer, but I remember having another bottle after my initial rating and before this one that I was not impressed with at all, so it seems my initial rating was just off, or the quality has decline precipitously.

March 28, 2009 Rating:
A pleasant sour ale. Small bottle, pours a light reddish yellow with an adequate head and slight lacing. Aroma is fruity, cherries, sugar, a bit musty as well. I like the flavor of this ale, better than the Flemish Primitive I had before. Sweet with a cherry, earthy finish. Not too sweet or sour, just right for a Flemish in my opinion.

Original Rating (Mar. 28, 2009): 7/4/7/3/16/3.7

Beer No: 36/1001
Page No: 206
Category: Amber

After returning home from Haven Gastropub last night, I wanted to keep the beer flowing, so I broke out this bottle of Midnight Sun's Obliteration VI.  While Obliteration VI isn't in the book of 1001 Beers, Obliteration V is.  These experimental brews from Midnight Sun in Anchorage, Alaska are all brewed with heavy hops and different varieties of hops each time.  So I realize that the Obliteration VI isn't the same as the Obliteration V.  The "V" is brewed with Warrior and Nugget hops with Amarillo added in the dry-hopping stage while "VI" is brewed with Summit, Summit, and Summit hops.  But, I have no idea how I could ever get my hands on the Obliteration V, so VI will have to do for now.  Plus, at $14/bottle, I'm not too keen on trying to find an older bottle with an even bigger mark up (and, Google has no shopping results for "Obliteration V").

Back to the beer.  Weighing in at 95 IBUs, I figured this Double IPA would have a really hoppy nose, but surprisingly, it didn't.  The taste is also pretty toned down as the malts blend well with the summit hops.  But there's just something about this beer that didn't sit right.  It was oily and fizzy and the hops just didn't seem to play well with all the other ingredients.  While tasting it, and noting the single-hop blend, I flashed back to the Shipyard IPA I had a few weeks ago which was all Fuggle hops.  Whereas the Shipyard is a standard product in their lineup, this Obliteration is an experimental beer like most single-hop brews.  And while I found it interesting to get the full flavors of the summit hop, I just don't think it stands up well on its own.  A nice hop mixture could have made something special here, instead we're left with an oily, astringent, bitter DIPA.  At least it's experimental.  But I'll keep trying the series if I can ever find them.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Midnight Sun Obliteration VI from Midnight Sun Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 10/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from bottle from unknown shop. Pours dark orange with good sized head and nice retention. Not much lacing. Aroma of fruits, malts, and hops. Though not as many hops as I expected. Flavors of pine, citrus, sweets, and bread. Very oily texture, a bit fizzy, not what I was expecting. I’ve had many better DIPAs and those I shared it with were not impressed either.

Beer No: 28/1001
Page No: 66
Category: Amber

When I found this bottle over at Total Wine, it had a little tag affixed to the neck of the bottle describing the black wattle seed and how it was used in the brewing process.  I figured it was a gimmick to get people to buy the beer since it has a different type of seed roasted and then mashed in.  And while it is pretty gimmicky, it does seem to add to the beer - an almost chocolate-like finish to each sip of the beer - though you can usually get chocolate flavors by roasting just about any malt.

So in the end, I was pretty mixed on this particular beer.  I found it somewhat tasty at times, but at others, the alcohol just seemed to be a bit too much and linger in the aftertaste.  I understand why it's in the book - as I do think you should give this a shot some time in your beer drinking career - but in the end, I'd pass on this one.  I'm certainly not going to go back to find a six-pack when there are much better alternatives all around on the various shelves.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Barons Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale from Barons Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine and More. Pours a deep brownish-red with no head and slight lacing. Aromas of malt, sugar, and alcohol. Flavors seem a bit off - more malts, fruits, nuts, and sugar. As the beer warmed, oddly enough, I thought it got better. It seemed to really bring out the roasted flavors with a subtle finish with hints of chocolate and lingering alcohol. However, when all was said and done, the wattle seed seemed to be more of a gimmick than an acceptable flavor to put in beer.

Beer No: 21/1001
Page No: 585
Category: White

Well, I'm now officially over 2% of the way through the book, but I've got a long way to go (obviously).  For today's beer, we have another from my Total Wine six-pack I got yesterday, Flying Dog's In-Heat Wheat.  Truth be told, I wasn't that impressed with this wheat.  It was almost overly citrus flavored without the usual spice/clove undertone and no hops anywhere to be found.  But, the main reason I suspect it's in the book is because Eric Warner, who created Flying Dog's In-Heat Wheat literally wrote the book on wheat beers.  German Wheat Beer was published back in 1992 when the style was almost unknown in the States.  Luckily, wheat beer now has a strong foothold as there's really nothing better on a hot day than a nice, mellow wheat beer (well, unless you're a hophead like me who would prefer a Ruination).

On another note, yesterday I received my new copy of Food & Wine magazine.  They had a nice article on the "100 Best New Food & Drink Experiences."  Many of the restaurants are in Paris, New York, Las Vegas, etc. and most of them are too trendy for me to even think about going to, but near the end, #88 - #90, they have "Beer Innovators" which I'll print below:

• #88.  Baird Brewing Co., Tokyo - Baird makes its fabulous signature ales with Japanese fruit like mikans (a citrus); they are on draft at its new taproom in the Harajuku district. bairdbeer.com
• #89.  Brasserie 4:20, Rome - Alex Liberati's seafood restaurant has become a beer mecca.  The draw: vintage and extreme brews from the planet's most radical producers. brasserie420.com
• #90.  Moeder Lambic, Brussels - Discriminating craft-beer importer Daniel Shelton calls this bar "the spanking-new center of the Belgian Brewing universe." moederlambic.eu

I know I would absolutely love to visit all three of the above places - Moeder Lambic especially.  Belgians and sours are my favorite, so I feel like I'd be home in this "center of the Belgian Brewing universe."

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen from Flying Dog Brewery

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 10/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy golden yellow with slight head which dissipates quickly. Aroma of citrus, orange, and wheat. Taste is very citrusy - lots of orange, lemon, and sweetness. Missing any hops and spices. Acceptable, easy to drink, nothing special.