I'm Sorry...

Alright people,

Once again, I have to apologize for my recent inactivity. Classic case of thinking I'll have time to do things, and not....or, more realistically, just being too lazy to blog while in the process of moving. I can at least tell you that moving was accomplished, and I am now set up and living in my first post-college apartment. Now, let's talk beer.

Let's see, last time I talked about Apocalypse Cow, which means that since then, I've tried and reviewed 5 new beers. To keep up the theme of me letting you readers down, I took pictures of.....wow! three of them. Two more than I though I did. First, Sam Adams' Blackberry Witbier (review). What I remember of my impressions of this beer; very faint blackberry flavor, but a solid wheat beer. Scent was way better than the taste as far as blackberries go.

Then I had Brooklyn's Monster Ale (review). This beer is a barleywine, but a fairly common one...at least it was. The interesting part of this beer comes in its background story, which was also the main reason I bought it. Turns out that Monster was the brewery cat at Brooklyn Brewery, and this beer was named after him. Recently, Monster died, and Brooklyn decided to retire the beer in his honor. As far as the beer goes, this is a great option for a cheap, everyday barleywine. Nothing that will blow you away as far as a beer, but consistent with the style, scent, and feel. Here's both Monsters (first courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery).

The 3rd and 4th beers that I reviewed in my absence were Odell's St. Lupulin Pale Ale (review) and Three Floyds' Zombie Dust (review). The Lupulin was a solid seasonal pale from a brewery I'd like to try more beers from. The ZD is a cult classic and highly revered beer. I've had it on tap before at school, but never got a chance to review it. What can I say, this Zombie pretty much lives up to the hype.


Last, I was able to snag a 4-pack of Founders new summer seasonal that is replacing Cerise; Rubaeus (review). This beer has been hyped up a little, and Founders describes it as a less imperial Blushing Monk. At first sniff, this beer is delicious and juicy smelling. At first taste, this beer is slightly tart before turning very sweet. Just a slight bit of malt flavor is at the very end of the drink. This is a classic summer beer, and I almost think that it needs to be close to 100 degrees to enjoy completely. Anyway, it's a good change of pace from the usual wheat summer seasonals.

That's it as far as new beers are concerned. Last week I was able to make a visit and take a tour of 4 Hands Brewing Company, just south of downtown St. Louis. I'll try to give you guys a little write up of that experience. Until next time, go out and try some news beers people! Cheers!
-Chris

Some Hoosier Beers

Alright people,

It's Friday, and if you're like me, that means it's beer thirty. I'm going to have a beer then go golfing. But first, you all get to read about that beer.

We'll start with a new take on a beer that has a rich history in Indiana. Upland recently released Champagne Velvet; a pre-prohibition style pilsner that can draw it's origin story back to the Terre Haute Brewing Company. Apparently, this was a huge beer locally in Terre Haute, and Indiana, in the past, and Upland paid tribute to that on their 15th anniversary.

First off, yes, I know I don't have proper beer glassware, but that happens when you don't bring glasses to your girlfriend's place. All in all, this beer was pretty much what I expected it to be. In short, it is a light beer that almost has a malt liquor taste to it. The beer has a dull bitterness in the beginning, but moves toward more of a lightly sweet, grainy flavor. Basically, this is a craft brewery take on an easy drinking, light beer. Check out my full review here.

And  today we have a beer that I randomly stumbled upon, but has been on my watch list for a little while; Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow. This is an imperial IPA brewed with lactose milk sugar. This bee is a pretty complex IPA, starting fairly bitter and then moving into a sweeter, maltier brew. The lactose sugar really comes through at the end of the drink, leaving a sweet flavor on your lips. Being a Three Floyds beer, everyone knows this will be over-hopped, and this one doesn't disappoint. The beginning of this beer is as bitter as you would expect, but the move to sweetness towards the end makes this beer really complex and unique. Full review here. And last but not least, this beer has a really cool label. Also, you can buy an even better poster of this label...see below.

Well, for me, it's off to the golf course to work on my game. I'm hoping to get another post up this weekend, mainly about fruit beers. We have blackberry, blueberry, and a cucumber beer, and maybe even a La Folie on tap. Until next time, cheers!
-Chris

It's About Time...

Alright people,

It's about time for a couple of things on here. First, it's about time I make a post about food like I've been bragging about.

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I like to cook; and most of them know that I have a pretty healthy opinion about my own culinary abilities. For years I've been telling my mom that I am the best cook in the house, so get out of my kitchen. I know, I'm kind of a jerk. Oh well. She gets to eat the glorious dishes I prepare so she wins twice. She has also had to endure my taunting that I have an "advanced foods degree" even though that literally only means that I took a second semester of foods in high school. Anyway, let's get cooking. (corny pun is of course intended)

Tonight, I'm preparing what has become a signature dinner of mine over the past year; a chicken quesadilla. Shortly after experiencing Mexican food for the first few times (mainly encouraged/forced by the girlfriend), I realized that, "Hey, I can make this stuff." And that was it.

That's the final result. I know it's not really much to look at, but it tastes pretty good, and any moron can make it. First, you have to have some chicken. I prefer some form of boneless, skinless chicken breast prepared in a skillet. I call it dry frying, but it's basically just grilling without the grill. Just spray the pan with some non-stick spray, season with whatever you want (salt, pepper, red pepper, whatever), and cook it on medium heat. It'll get done in about 10 minutes, and is pretty delicious even by itself.

Then all you have to do is get some cheese and a tortilla. Let the skillet cool a bit, put a very light coat of non-stick spray in again, and throw in the tortilla. Fill half of it with cheese of your choice, I use whatever generic brand of "Mexican Blend" cheese I have, as well as the chicken. Stuff it as full (or not) as you want, fold that puppy and let it brown. You can barely warm it until the cheese melts or burn the hell out of it, whatever your taste. Do that to both sides, scoop it out of the pan, and eat that thing.

Now on to the other thing I've been meaning to do, review 3 Floyds Gumballhead beer. I've had it I don't know how many times, but never taken the time to review, so here ya go.

This beer has been hyped up, at least by local drinkers, for a long time. And after having tasted and reviewed it, I can see why. In my opinion, this beer has massive appeal because it's something that people don't get in a beer everyday. Being a wheat beer, Gumballhead attracts the less seasoned of the beer crowd, while still retaining veteran hop heads with a healthy dose hops bitterness. It starts with a fantastic pour; great head retention and lacing in a beautiful, deep golden beer.

The scent of this beer boasts a moderate, but still prominent, hop profile. Mix that flavor with the light, grainy flavors of the wheat, and the taste of this beer is extremely balanced. Between the smooth feel, the hops bitterness, and the appeal of the wheat flavors, this beer has something for nearly every beer drinker. I recommend pretty much anyone who likes beer go and try this one, that is if you can find it. Gumballhead seems to fly off the shelves in Indiana just about as fast as it comes in. (Full review here.)

Anyway, I think that clears my immediate slate of topics and beers that are well overdue to be blogged about. Right now, I'm currently in the process of drinking down my current beer stock. I've piled up a mini-cellar here at school, and need to get to reviewing all the new beers in it. Look for some of those to come. Until next time, cheers!

-Chris