1001 Beers

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: 87
Page No: 582
Category: Blond

Woohoo, Day 9 of the World Cup.  A few interesting games today, but no downright good games.  It started with a tie between Ghana and Australia, a Japan loss to the Netherlands, and Denmark's comeback from 0-1 to beat Cameroon 2-1.  Tomorrow, for Father's Day, we have Slovakia vs. Paraguay (yawn), Italy vs. New Zealand (eh), and Brazil vs. Ivory Coast (Brazil dominates I will guess).  Tomorrow's beer will be coming from Italy, but today's comes from another losing team, making me 2-5-2, Japan.

The White Ale from Hitachino Nest is based on the popular Hoegaarden White, but the brewery also found that because it contains fruit and spices, it's also taxed at a lower rate than beer in Japan.  Finding the right formula was a pretty long experiment according to 1001 Beers.  But they finally settled on a wonderful mix of flaked barley, flaked wheat, and pilsner malt.  Then, for some added good measure, they toss in some coriander, nutmeg, orange peel, and a hint of orange juice.  It doesn't quite matter how it's made, this is a refreshing beer, but I thought it could use just a bit more carbonation.  Also, I thought the fruit flavors overwhelm the wheat and malts a bit.  Overall, an enjoyable beer though.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Hitachino Next White Ale by Kiuchi Brewery

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from 12oz. bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours hazy yellow with very slight head that dissipates to nothingness. Carbonation is slight, but lasts throughout. Aroma is citrus, flowers, lemon, and grapefruit. Taste is a very nice white with orange, lemon, spices, and floral tastes. Finishes sweet with citrus lingering. A nice white that could maybe use a bit more carbonation, but overall easily drinkable and refreshing.

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.