1001 Beers

Beer No: 16/1001
Page No: 477
Category: Blond

In anticipation of my weekly trip to the Bruery (and today's special Humulus Humanless release), I popped open a 375 ml bottle of Brasserie Dupont's Saison Dupont.  This hazy farmhouse ale pours with an awesome head and lacing and is just a perfect beer.  Easy to drink, complex in flavors and aromas, spicy, fruity, and sweet.  It was paired with a roast beef sub from Ralph's Deli, a deli I used to visit on a weekly basis that I had all but forgotten about.  Their bread is nothing special, but just does wonders to tie their sandwiches together, and though it wasn't quite as good as my home made pizza yesterday - built from scratch - my meal was quite acceptable today.

As for tonight, like I said, another trip to The Bruery.  I submitted an application yesterday to work there as I would love nothing more than to work with beer all day.  But if that doesn't pan out, it's still my favorite local brewery and I can't wait to try their new brew on tap today.  Last time they had a release like this was for Amulet: Tyler's Magical Unicorn which was unfortunately sold out by the time I arrived at 7pm on Friday (they open at 4pm).  So today I'm hoping to get there just as they open to try the Humulus Humanless:

"This pilot has been dubbed “Humulus Humanless” by our brewer Jay. It's made from the second runnings of Black Tuesday and then dry-hopped with Summit and Sterling. Delicious!"

After the Bruery, it's back to studying.  I'll be watching a webinar as training to become a Certified Cicerone and hopefully it will help me in my weak areas that I think I discussed yesterday (or maybe the day before).  Speaking of beer study, I just started my in-depth reading of Tasting Beer today.  The first 30 or so pages chronicle the history of beer through the ages and it really is quite impressive.  The book itself is really quite awesome as it covers so many different topics in-depth with great writing.

Back to the Saison Dupont though...I really did enjoy this beer today.  It's complex and refreshing with a nice texture and no hint of the 6.5% alcohol buried within.  Very highly recommended.  My first review of this beer was back in February, 2007 and I did not update it today.  Although I could add a little more detail to the review, I find the review still holds.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Saison Dupont Vieille Provision from Brasserie Dupont

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

Bottle conditioned, not pasteurized, I found this at the local Beverages and More and had to give it a try.

Citrus smell, bottle-conditioned yeast floats beautifully through a hazy, yet still clear body. Pours with a thick head and light, crisp consistency.

Quite good for a Saison, slight sour aftertaste, it is easy to drink with an almost oaky finish. Well above average!

Beer No: 15/1001
Page No: 566
Category: White

It's somewhat fitting that today's beer of choice is Blue Moon from Blue Moon Brewing Co.  A "Belgian-Style Wheat Ale," this beer is pretty far off of the mark of being a Belgian white.  It's a bit too dark, way too watery, and just devoid of any real flavors.  But boy is it refreshing on a hot day like today.  This beer is just easy to drink.  It's certainly nothing special, but if you're looking for a beer to chug down while watching your favorite game, or if you're one of "those" people that likes a fruit in their beer, have a Blue Moon with a slice of orange and drink it down...

As for me, I'll take a beer with flavor, with heft, with character.  So, I'll wait until tomorrow to have what I really crave as I've got a couple of amazing beers in the fridge for the weekend lineup.  But until then, watered down wheat.

On an unrelated note, studying to become a Certified Cicerone continues.  After passing the Certified Beer Server exam with a 93% (and I somehow skipped two questions), I'm fairly confident that with some more studying and time, becoming a Certified Cicerone should not be a huge problem.  My main weaknesses lie in knowing all about the draft beer system - the kegs, lines, proper cleaning, etc. - and in the food and beer pairings.  But with my new book, Tasting Beer, I hope to really learn about proper pairings and the intricacies of all the different types of beer.  I really was surprised by this book when it arrived yesterday - it's much more in-depth than I expected and it covers such a broad range of topics, it really is an essential book for any beer geek.  From glassware to cheese pairings and ancient beer history to modern brewing techniques, this book really does cover just about anything you need to know about beer.  It'll teach you how to identify off-flavors, differentiate between a German and Czech Pilsner, and what type of beer you should bring to a party when you don't know what will be served (Abbey Dubbels or Tripels work great with all foods).  Either way, I'm looking forward to digging into the book and really learning much more about beer.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Blue Moon Belgian White Ale from Coors Brewing Company (MillerCoors)

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 2/5
Flavor: 3/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 10/20

Rating: 2.2 / 5.0

Had from bottle. Pours a golden orange color with a slight white head which is quickly gone. Very small bit of head remains around edges of glass and there is no lacing to speak of. Aromas of wheat and very minuscule hints of orange and citrus. Tastes of orange and slight sweetness. Cloudy appearance deceives the watery texture and taste. It’s got drinkability though, and that’s all the masses seem to care about. As for taste, not so much.

Beer No: 13/1001
Page No: 240
Category: Amber

For two days without work, it certainly has been hectic for me.  Yesterday, I had to cut a hole in a wall, call a plumber out, and then call the water department regarding our pressure.  Today, I took a class on QuickBooks (yay...), became a Certified Beer Server, baked some bread, and then went to our monthly poker game - a game which had to move because someone had to call the state licensing board and complain that we were playing poker in a pizza parlor.  At said game, I was unfortunately treated to Michelob Amber Bock (their tap selection sucks) and then after we moved, they collected money for beer and I had to drink a Bud Light.  But luckily, I knew I had a good beer in the fridge waiting for me when I returned home.

That beer comes from Japan - Baird Brewing's Rising Sun Pale Ale.  Brewed similar to a west-coast American Pale Ale, there really isn't much that is surprising about this beer.  But it is a good pale ale.  Malty with a bit of hops, nice head, good finish, but again, just nothing special.  Founded by Ohio-native Bryan Baird (Go Blue!), 1001 Beers points out that he started with just an 8-gallon brewing system.  He finally moved up to a two-barrel system and now has a lineup of seven regularly brewed ales.  Not bad for a small brewery two hours south of Tokyo.  And not bad that he gets distribution stateside.

My second Japanese beer review in a row, I can guarantee you tomorrow will not be #3.  I put a couple of different beers in the fridge from my 1001 Beers selection boxes, so I'll just see what I'm in the mood for.  I don't believe I'm doing anything special tomorrow, so it might just be a day to veg out after two days that had more work in them than I expected - especially when I could have used a nice day off on Monday to sleep in and do nothing while it rained outside.  Speaking of that...it was in the high 70's on Sunday, rained Monday, and then was again in the mid to high 70's.  Crazy weather.  I guess it's going to hit the 80's tomorrow and Thursday, so that should be nice...though I prefer it just a bit cooler as I would like some more Spring weather and save the heat for Summer.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Baird Rising Sun Pale Ale from Baird Brewing Co.

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from bottle. Pours with large head which lasts until the end. Lacing is adequate and carbonation good. A standard pale color of gold and copper with a white head. Malty aroma with a slight hint of hops - definitely not an imperial. Flavor again mostly of malts with a slight sweetness to the finish. A good pale, but nothing too special. Easy to drink, good flavors, just your standard pale.