I had a great weekend visiting my buddy Carlos. He’s in the navy, and volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan. Needless to say, we had a lot of catching up to do, and that always involves beer.
I tried a Saison from 21st Amendment called Sneak Attack. It was interesting. My buddy Carlos didn’t like it.
He is, however, a fan of IPAs. We shared Lagunitas Hop Stoopid IPA and one from Coronado Brewing Co. Idiot IPA.
We also opened Boatswain Heavy Lift Vessel (HLV) Ale. It was 7% nutty brown ale that surprised Carlos. He usually steers away from dark beers. To be honest, I was a former Boatswains’ Mate {BM3(SW)} which is why I bought it. But I will be heading to Trader Joes to pick up other styles.
On our way home from Monterey, I drove past the Firestone Walker Brewery. Can you believe it! Talk about self control. But FW and the Monterey Brewing Co will have to wait until next trip. We took a side trip to Solvang, and we had lunch at the Solvang Brewing Co. and I ordered the Windmill Wheat Ale with a cheeseburger. The decor was classic brick and leather pub. I wish we had more of these places. I need a local place like this in Lakewood. Good food, good beer, less 20-something’s full of their own self importance.
So that was my weekend. How was yours?
WIth St. Patrick’s Day just up ahead, Fresh And Easy hosted a beer tasting. Because of the advancements in technology, this tasting wasn’t held at a brick and mortar location. People purchased beers from the store and then tweeted their reactions and photos while they imbibed (fancy word for drank alcohol) from their homes. The focus was the tasting of beer cocktails that could be made to fit the St. Patricks’ Day Theme from the selection offered at Fresh And Easy stores.
This was the first time I participated in the tasting. For the most part, the experience was positive. It was interesting to tweet with people from LA to San Diego about the beer. My only negative from the experience was the amount of time we spent on each beer. We spent roughly 20 minutes on each cocktail. Within that 20 minutes, we needed to pour, taste, and tweet. Of the three beer cocktails, the first two required “floating.” Black and Tans often mesmerize beer drinkers in the same way that cappuccino art does the coffee connoisseur, and everyone gave it a shot. That being said, that was the only thing to bitch about complain about.
The Black and White was an interesting mix.
I agree with my Beer Vigilante colleague. I’m not sure the wit beer east taste compliments the Guinness lager.
The Black Velvet was received with greater enthusiasm. The Spanish champagne sparkling white wine made for a sweeter drink.
I seemed to have a little more luck in floating the Guinness on top of the sparkling white wine when I used a champaign flute.
It reminded me of a Radler, a German beer cocktail consisting of lemon soda and Lager. Sweet and refreshing! Of course the hangover from the sparkling white wine was not Sunday Funday when I was at work the next day.
We we moved to the third beer cocktail, a Chocolate Guiness featuring Underworld’s Chocolate Stout, I caught a sip before mixing the beers together. I’ve seen this beer at the store often, but haven’t had the chance to get one. I’ve had a few chocolate stouts… And all I can say is how they add the chocolate really makes a difference. I’ve had home brews made with chocolate syrup, stouts made with cocoa nibs, but I can honestly say that using cocoa powder is at the bottom of my list. It was as if Underworld dumped a bucket full of Nestles Quick into the mash. When it comes to chocolate stouts/porters, I prefer Samuel Adams Vixen, Karl Strauss Wrecked Alley, Bootleggers Black Phoenix, or Hangar 24 chocolate porter. But I wouldn’t use any of those to mix beer cocktails with, either!
Speaking of which, I didn’t like the mix either. It felt like too much or too little of the stout threw off the taste. But there were plenty of people that did like it.
All in all, the Fresh and Easy taste and tweet was a really fun event. I got to try some beers I didn’t get a chance to. I will definitely go back for the Hopper wit beer. Three cheers for the staff at @FreshAndEasy for being so organized and helpful. They really made a difference in this event. And of course, thanks to my American @BeerVigilante brother from another mother @ChidoJerry for the back and forth.
I have 1 question: Is Fresh and Easy hosting a Cinco De Mayo taste and tweet event? I’ve been eyeballing some Mexican/Central American cervezas at the store. @chidoJerry makes a mean michelada, or so I’ve heard.
Man, its been a while since I posted. Things have been busy. I feel guilty for not writing the stories that should accompany these pics… But not that guilty.
Let me bask in the glory of these badges, and hope I have time to share more stories in future posts.
