Clapton and Bonamassa
A blues guitar legend and another one who will be... Joe Bonamassa has been burning up the blues scene for quite a while now. I finally have all of his CDs and can't seem to get enough of any of them...
Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady Ale
Brewery: Stoudt's Brewing Co.
Where: Adamstown, Pennsylvania
Style: Extra Special Bitter
IBU: 32 IBU
ABV: 5.0%
Today's sampling is a first-time tasting of a Stoudt's Brewing Company beer for me. I picked up a bottle of Stoudt's Scarlet Lady Ale, which is an English style known as ESB or Extra Special Bitter. One of these days I need to look into the style to see if I can figure out where that name came from, but Extra Special Bitters are typically not bitter at all.
This beer poured with a rich bronze color and capped off with a nice head to match. The beer has a sweet and earthy aroma which comes from the Maris Otter and Caramel malts that went into the recipe coupled with the Willamette hopes used to finish for aroma. The beer tastes fine, but it finishes a little on the dry side for me for some reason. It doesn't quite carry the pleasant aftertaste that I get from some other beers in this style, but it's still worth a try if you like the ESB style. This particular bottle may be better served at 50° or so instead of the 37° where my refrigerator is set, but that's the case with a lot of beers. You will never know what you might be missing in a beer until you try it a little warmer than you might normally drink. On a scale of 1-10 in this style, I'd give the Scarlet Lady a 6...
Hoegaarden Original White Ale
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Where: Hoegaarden, Belgium
Style: Witbier
IBU: N/A
ABV: 4.9%
You won't often find a brewery that has been in business since 1445 A.D., but when you do, it's always a good idea to try what they have to offer. Even though Hoegaarden is now owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch/InBev, it seems that the beer production and techniques for this brewery have remained mostly true to the original ideas.
This beer poured with the typical pale golden color of the style with a nice foamy head that subsided rather quickly, but the carbonation level was high as dictated by this style. The beer has a light body with a crisp flavor and a fruity aroma. I can't really get a sense of the spices included in this brew, but they are slightly present in the flavor but don't create any significant impact. This is also a rather good beer to use in an introductory context for someone who is not used to drinking home brews or craft beers. It's on the sweet side with minimal or no hop presence in the flavor.
Beer Battered Onion Rings
We decided to make some onion rings tonight, so I obviously wanted to make a beer batter to go on them. Here's what went into the batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 cup of beer (room temperature)
2 to 3 large onions sliced and separated into rings
This batter was pretty good overall. I think it needs a little something else to give it some added kick. Maybe a little more black pepper or possibly even some cayenne pepper. I think this batter would also be really great with a half cup or so of grated asiago or even parmesan cheese...
Give it a whirl sometime and let me know if you come up with something really great :)
Double Bastard Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewing Company
Where: Escondido, California
Style: American Strong Ale
IBU: LOTS
ABV: 11.2%
It's been snowing all day. It's been cold. The temperature hasn't gotten above 27°F. I figured it was time for another real beer after a day of not doing a whole lot other than being lazy. I have been interested in trying Stone's Double Bastard Ale for quite some time, and I think today is the day!
I was quite impressed with Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. This Double Bastard is exactly that. It's about twice of everything that made the original Arrogant Bastard so great. This beer is a pure explosion of malt complexity that follows up with a nuclear reaction of hops. I'm not gonna review the beer any further than this. I will post what is printed on the back of this bottle for your enjoyment! From the bottle:
Warning: Double Bastard Ale is not to be wasted on the tentative or weak. Only the Worthy are invited, and then only at your own risk. If you have even a modicum of hesitation, DO NOT buy this bottle. Instead, leave it for a Worthy soul who has already matriculated to the sublime ecstasy of what those in the know refer to as "Liquid Arrogance."
The rest of the bottle comments are absolutely fantastic. I'm not going to post them here. Go get a 22oz bottle and read it for yourself! You won't be disappointed!
This beer goes into my top 5 of all time.
Sweaty Betty Blonde
Brewery: Boulder Brewing Company
Where: Boulder Colorado
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
IBU: N/A
ABV: 5.9%
Here we are today on the complete opposite end of the beer spectrum from an Imperial Stout. Today's sample is a blonde ale (technically an American Pale Wheat Ale) from Boulder Brewing called "Sweaty Betty Blonde." As you know, I'm also a fan of blonde ales, especially for summertime enjoyment. This beer poured with a beautiful pale golden color and a short foamy head that subsided rather quickly. Since this is a wheat beer, it definitely had that wheat characteristic in the flavor with a minimal hop presence to keep this drink just on the sweeter side of balance. I couldn't find any detail on this beer from the brewer because their website refused to load for me at the time of this writing. At any rate, I'm rather impressed with this beer. It's got quite a crisp and light flavor that would be fantastic in quantities on a hot summer day. From the bottle:
Irresistible. Flirtatious. Aromatic. Soft. Supple. Unavoidable . Smooth. Exuberant. Glistening. Wild. Firm. Rare. Succulent. Luscious. Ripe. Natural. Glowing. Curvaceous. Magical. Wheat... and the 5th release of our Looking Glass Series of beers.
Betty's golden appearance reflects her smooth, light and friendly character. Add subtle wheat flavors, a natural unfiltered glow, and you've got a perfectly balanced blonde wheat beer with a wild side.
Sweaty Betty Blonde, the only wheat bold enough to take a trip through the Looking Glass. Don't let her be the one that gets away.
Cute :) My note of 5.9% alcohol came from a reference at beeradvocate.com. If this beer has that level of alcohol then it's one to enjoy in slight moderation. At any rate, this one is a keeper...
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