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Hall of Beers

November 18, 2008
18:20
Sarge n’ Captain, Brigadier n’ Admiral brew for you*!
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Last weekend, friends, Brigadier Bock and Admiral Ale gathered around the Sarge and the Captain’s brew pots and we four whipped up two beautiful batches of brew! A spiced holiday ale for Sergeant Stout, a Scotch Ale for me. And, of course, we went apeshnit with the recipes, Sgt. Stout adding fresh cranberries, cinnamon sticks and all sorts of spices. I added honey, LOTS of hops and some secret spices of my own.

So stand by, friends! I shall report in when we rack to the secondary fermenter next weekend and then at the bottling and then… the drink!

*this is true assuming you are me, Sergeant Stout, Brigadier Bock or Admiral Ale. The rest of you can go home now.
November 12, 2008
18:41
REVIEW: Pacifico… in November!? It happens
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Yes, the calendar says late autumn but, except for 3, maybe 4 days last week, the thermometer says 80 degrees out. And the barometer says… says… oh my god, you ATE the barometer!? Jesus, man! What were you thinking!?Well, we’ll deal with that mess later. For now… yes… Pacifico–a summer beer’s near-vernal reprise. (more…)
November 06, 2008
11:06
Our Eagle Rock Brewery friends in the paper!
» ‎ Hall of Beers

That’s right, in an article about the growing beer culture in the Los Angeles, Eagle Rock Brewery got a shout-out. Why, you could read the article yourself! (And their link is over there down to the right… where the links are… there ya go.)

THE ARTICLE!
November 05, 2008
10:35
REVIEW: Budweiser American Ale (A Dutch Treat!)
» ‎ Hall of Beers

There has been a lot of hoopla about this Budweiser / ImBev business recently, huh? Yeah. Great. As this Captain has said before, I care little for who owns Bud. Or any huge brewery, really. Keep Sam Adams and Yuengling and certain others under the same ownership, I implore you, but for the mega fellahs? Meh. I do find it amusing though, that this new pseudo-craft offering arrogantly titled “American Ale” hit the shelves at about the same time as the ownership of the brewery jumped across the pond to Belgium (a country that knows its beer, at least). (more…)
November 03, 2008
12:40
REVIEW: Sam Adams Winter Lager
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Now for one of the Captain’s favorite activities… unabashed praise for a Samuel Adams beer.

I said it last year and I say it again this year: winter beers are my favorite. And as of the past few days, they’re here! Why, Mrs. Beer and I met up with Sergeant Stout over the weekend over several Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales and a few New Belgium 1554s. Both grand slams of beer. Nevermind that it was nearly 90 degrees last week—it rained a bit over the weekend, it was Halloween, temperatures dropped and winter beers flowed. Finally. I also had my first egg nog of the season. It was exquisite. (more…)
October 26, 2008
18:00
REVIEW: A visit to Dogfish Head Brewery
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Guys:A visit to Dogfish Head Brewery was truly a “pilgrimage” of sorts. While Sergeant Stout paid a visit, I convinced him that it was worth a 150-mile journey. This had indeed been his largest brewery visit, while I had seen large operations such as Boston Beer, Brooklyn Brewery, and Red Hook, all of which were conducted by knowledgeable, approachable people. Dogfish was still perhaps the most unique: the brewery was as unique as the beer was, which I will tell you in a photojournalistic way. (more…)
15:19
REVIEW: Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Well, one would think summer might have drawn to a close by now… I suppose it has, everywhere except Vegas that is, where it continues to hit 85 degrees nearly every ‘effing day. One would think one was in the desert or something. Actually, 85 degrees isn’t all that bad, and the evenings are extremely pleasant in the mid-70’s, but come on… it’s almost friggin Halloween! In any case, the pleasant afternoons afford ample opportunity to wring out the last of the summer brews. So here’s a quick take on an American knock-off to the German classic that, while not a total home run, comes, meh, pretty close. (more…)
October 22, 2008
15:15
REVIEW - Allagash Curieux- What Hath God Brewed?
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Sweet Jesus, those nuts in Maine have done it again.

Folks, the Sarge doesn’t just take on the run of the mill ales, stouts and lagers. No, sometimes he needs his face kicked in by something entirely new and original. But this isn’t always the most cost-effective route given the high cost of dentistry. So a more figurative approach is in the Sarge’s favor. Enter Allagash Curieux: a golden Abbey ale aged in bourbon barrels.

(more…)
October 17, 2008
12:13
REVIEW: Simpler Times Lager
» ‎ Hall of Beers

Friends! I’m in the mix. Back on track. Uh… reviewing… some… beers. OK so normally if you pick up a six pack of canned beers, you start of with your expectations low. There are certain breweries that have begun canning good beer (try an Archer Ale) but they’re limited and usually the brews cost more for a sixer than… $3.99. So I was skeptical but feeling cheap. Call it research.

My life has not been changed, but I was pleasantly surprised. (more…)
October 10, 2008
16:19
It’s not an excuse…
» ‎ Hall of Beers

…but I’ve been drinking a lot of homebrew recently so there have been fewer posts. Your Captain regrets this. He loves you all and hopes you can be briefly held over with this wonderful shot of the Cap’n and Lieutenant Lager doing what we do best*. I’ll be in the mountains this weekend and am sure to find some lovely new beers. —Captain Beer

*DAMMIT! It’s not uploading. I’ll deal with this from a differnt computer. Oh yes… I’ll deal with this…