I went to NYC to visit David last weekend. Friday night we saw the Mets play the Diamondbacks at Shea, and then went to Spuyten Duyvil afterwards for a couple rounds. Saturday we drove out to Megan's family's place on Shelter Island and then biked out 10 miles on the North Fork and hit up the tasting rooms of several wineries.
The beer at the baseball game was overpriced and of poor quality, but that didn't stop us from drinking. We had three beers each. The one new beer that I had was the abysmal Budweiser Select.
674. Budweiser Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Aluminum Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I consumed this beer right out of the can. This is a pretty standard light lager. The aroma is fairly light, mostly cooked grain. The taste is lightly malty and sweet. There's an unpleasant graininess as the beer warms. Dry huskiness and watery in the mouthfeel. Not pleasant to drink.
After the game we went to Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, an excellent beer bar. I liked the bar a lot. The ceiling was pressed tin and the walls were decorated with educational charts circa 1950s. There were seats in the windows and a couch against one wall. The walls in the restrooms were covered with chalkboards and there was a bucket of chalk provided. The bar seemed popular with the Hipster crowd. The selection was really good. There were 6 beers on tap, none of which I'd had, and an impressive bottle list, including a Rare/Odd category. The food was reminiscent of the bar food we had at Boulevard in Belgium. There was a list of meats, cheeses and other items. We had a plate that included sweet dry sausage, Stilton, olives and bread. I firmly believe that all bars should offer this type of food. We had two rounds, but switched off halfway in each for a total of four new beers.
675. Ramstein Double Platinum
Beer Stats:
Brewery: High Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.5%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, very nice color. A half-finger white head fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, with caramel, sugar, light spice and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet banana fruitiness upfront as well as some caramel malts. It moves into a lightly spicy but still sweet finish. There's also a light grassy bitterness to balance things out.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty nice to drink, it's nicely malty but not overly sweet.
Overall (3.9)
676. Old Engine Oil
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark brown/black with a thin, one-finger, beige head that fades to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Very strong malty aromas. Caramel, toffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, with a roasty coffee aroma on swirling.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts: dates and caramel. Lightly spicy with a light balancing coffee bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation, thick, silky.
Drinkability (4.0): Smooth and balanced, strong flavors, but enjoyable.
Overall (4.4)
677. Jaipur IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Cask
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Lightly hazy, straw golden. Pours with a thick, overflowing, fluffy, white head. Leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Wonderfully citric, grapefruity hops, some grassy aromas as well. A little bit of toasty/sweet maltiness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, briefly sweet fruit in the center, before moving into a dominant, but not overpowering citric hoppy bitterness. A classic English IPA.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, lightly oily.
Drinkability (5.0): Almost the definition of a session beer.
Overall (4.15)
678. Slacker Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear reddish-brown with a thin beige head that fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Light overall. Sweet malts, caramel.
Taste (3.0): Sweet malts. Fruity throughout. Too sweet with little to balance it. Not unpleasant, just way too sweet.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (3.0): Way too sweet, needs something to balance.
Overall (3.15)
The beer at the baseball game was overpriced and of poor quality, but that didn't stop us from drinking. We had three beers each. The one new beer that I had was the abysmal Budweiser Select.
674. Budweiser Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Aluminum Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I consumed this beer right out of the can. This is a pretty standard light lager. The aroma is fairly light, mostly cooked grain. The taste is lightly malty and sweet. There's an unpleasant graininess as the beer warms. Dry huskiness and watery in the mouthfeel. Not pleasant to drink.
After the game we went to Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, an excellent beer bar. I liked the bar a lot. The ceiling was pressed tin and the walls were decorated with educational charts circa 1950s. There were seats in the windows and a couch against one wall. The walls in the restrooms were covered with chalkboards and there was a bucket of chalk provided. The bar seemed popular with the Hipster crowd. The selection was really good. There were 6 beers on tap, none of which I'd had, and an impressive bottle list, including a Rare/Odd category. The food was reminiscent of the bar food we had at Boulevard in Belgium. There was a list of meats, cheeses and other items. We had a plate that included sweet dry sausage, Stilton, olives and bread. I firmly believe that all bars should offer this type of food. We had two rounds, but switched off halfway in each for a total of four new beers.
675. Ramstein Double Platinum
Beer Stats:
Brewery: High Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.5%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, very nice color. A half-finger white head fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, with caramel, sugar, light spice and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet banana fruitiness upfront as well as some caramel malts. It moves into a lightly spicy but still sweet finish. There's also a light grassy bitterness to balance things out.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty nice to drink, it's nicely malty but not overly sweet.
Overall (3.9)
676. Old Engine Oil
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark brown/black with a thin, one-finger, beige head that fades to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Very strong malty aromas. Caramel, toffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, with a roasty coffee aroma on swirling.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts: dates and caramel. Lightly spicy with a light balancing coffee bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation, thick, silky.
Drinkability (4.0): Smooth and balanced, strong flavors, but enjoyable.
Overall (4.4)
677. Jaipur IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Cask
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Lightly hazy, straw golden. Pours with a thick, overflowing, fluffy, white head. Leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Wonderfully citric, grapefruity hops, some grassy aromas as well. A little bit of toasty/sweet maltiness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, briefly sweet fruit in the center, before moving into a dominant, but not overpowering citric hoppy bitterness. A classic English IPA.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, lightly oily.
Drinkability (5.0): Almost the definition of a session beer.
Overall (4.15)
678. Slacker Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear reddish-brown with a thin beige head that fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Light overall. Sweet malts, caramel.
Taste (3.0): Sweet malts. Fruity throughout. Too sweet with little to balance it. Not unpleasant, just way too sweet.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (3.0): Way too sweet, needs something to balance.
Overall (3.15)
Labels: Anheuser-Busch, Bock, English IPA, High Point Brewing Company, Light Lager, Old Ale, Sly Fox Brewing Company, Thornbridge Hall, Travel, Weizenbock
595. Viking Light Beer
Christian, my friend/labmate, had a layover in Iceland on his way to Germany and brought me back a can of Icelandic beer. This comes in a blue 500 mL can. I served it right out of the fridge in on of my Harpoon IPA glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Viking Brewery
Alcohol: 2.25%
Serving: Can, 500 mL
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a crystal clear, light golden with a two-finger, fluffy, white head that fades to a heterogeneous film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (2.0): Light sweet malts and a light graininess.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet upfront, almost flavorless in the center, with some grain and an almost imperceptible bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied and watery with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Decently drinkable until it starts to warm.
Overall (2.45): I said it for High Life Light and I'll say it for this, I've had better and I've had worse. I think this is a little better than high life light.
Christian, my friend/labmate, had a layover in Iceland on his way to Germany and brought me back a can of Icelandic beer. This comes in a blue 500 mL can. I served it right out of the fridge in on of my Harpoon IPA glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Viking Brewery
Alcohol: 2.25%
Serving: Can, 500 mL
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a crystal clear, light golden with a two-finger, fluffy, white head that fades to a heterogeneous film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (2.0): Light sweet malts and a light graininess.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet upfront, almost flavorless in the center, with some grain and an almost imperceptible bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied and watery with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Decently drinkable until it starts to warm.
Overall (2.45): I said it for High Life Light and I'll say it for this, I've had better and I've had worse. I think this is a little better than high life light.
Labels: Light Lager, Viking Brewery
On the morning of Thursday the 21st I rented a car and drove to my friend Scott's mom's house on the north side of San Antonio. Our friend Eric arrived shortly after I did and we packed up Scott's truck for our trip out to Scott's ranch near Junction, TX. We stopped by an HEB and bought some beer. Scott and Eric picked up two 18-packs of High Life Light, and two cans of Foster's. I picked up a six-pack of New Belgium 1554 and a 750 of Chimay Blue.
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
Labels: Light Lager, SABMiller, Travel
