Beer Glasses (Not Beer Goggles)

I am sure I know what you are thinking... That Sarah, she sure is awesome. Thank you, you.

I have some more awesome stuff to share with you actually; it's an infographic on beer glasses. Trust me it is much more fun that that sounds.

I received an email from Red Envelope asking me if I would take a look at the infographic, and I liked it so much I thought I would share it with you.

If you are looking for gifts for anyone who likes wine, beer or bar stuff, check out Red Envelope's Beer and Wine store. There is some really cool stuff. I am thinking about ordering the vintage coasters.

My Take on Take The Black Stout

I have not hidden the fact that I am very much a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I even like the HBO version of it, now that I can say that I haven’t read (or reread as it were) the books in several years. I LOVE the books.

 It of course is natural that I would get all crazy when Ommegang announced the beer series they are making inspired by A Game of Thrones. I have now made my wonderful husband stand in line to purchase both the Iron Throne Ale and the Take the Black Stout  (did I mention how wonderful he is?). Of course, I am also a beer fanatic so I have been torn on whether or not to open the beer and drink it, or to cellar it and stare fondly at it imagining what it would taste like.

Eventually Blake had enough of my indecisiveness and grabbed a bottle of Take the Black Stout for us to crack open for International Stout Day, and to help celebrate some very positive news from my neurologist. I may have “over” documented the pouring of the beer, but like I said, it was a big deal to me.

The Take the Black Stout has an extremely rich coffee smell; Blake called it “Omigod good” smell (I think this should become a technical term). It was a gorgeous dark stout, which one would expect from a Take the Black Stout. The malt flavor is so strong, but there is also an even balance with the hops. This is not a weak beer in any flavor area.

 It was a wonderful dark stout, and I look forward to having our second bottle in the future.

Craft Beer Infographic (makes me thirsty)- Guest Post

I get a lot of emails for this blog. It surprises me every day, but I do. I get emails from talented and not-so-talented people. One of the recent emails I got was asking me to share an infographic on the growing business of craft beer. This is a subject that has recently been under discussion a great deal, both in my private life, and in my beer life. I thought that this was a nice contribution to share with you all, so I hope that you enjoy!

The rise of craft beer has been a noticeable trend throughout the last decade.  More and more people seem to moving away from the big 3 light beer companies in favor of locally brewed craft beer.  Those big 3 still have a strangle on the marketplace but the craft beer industry is on a steady rise. John Laloganes and Phil Mott, both Assistant professors at the Kendall College School of Hospitality along with the students at Kendall College helped to provide valuable insight into the craft beer industry as a whole which resulted in the infographic seen below:

Some key takeaways from the study and info graphic are as follows:

·         Craft brewers provide an estimated 103,585 jobs in this United States alone which includes serving staff in brewpubs.

·         Sales of craft beer nearly doubled from 5.7 billion in 2007 to 12 billion in 2012.  That number is expected to triple to over 36 billion in 2017. 

·         There are 2,403 breweries in 2012 which is the highest amount since the 1880s.

·         Irish Red’s pair well with burgers while Stouts pair well with deserts like Chocolate cake.

·         Nearly half of consumers would be interested in trying more craft beers if they knew more about the beers and where to find them.

·         Baby Boomers (32%) don’t enjoy craft beer as much as Millenials 43%

·         A total of 36% of consumers enjoy drinking craft beer.

The numbers don’t lie.  Get out and enjoy a craft beer with your fellow craft beer fans.  Cheers!

Mother's Day Wish List 2013

Holy cow! (I love that exclamation) It is almost Mother’s Day! Because I am a sucker for tradition, I thought it was time that I get off my butt and write you my Mother’s Day wish list (this is the still valid list from last year)

First on my list is beer (did I mention that I can drink again!)

I love shopping on Lets Pour because they have some hard to find beers, and some great deals… SO if you were to go to Lets Pour, here is what I would like:

Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu- I really love this beer

Cigar City White Oak Jai Lai

Okay who am I kidding? I will take any beer.

And take a look at this beautiful Homebrewing kit on Etsy!!

Of course, clothing is always a nice option

Especially if there are dinosaurs involved!

I will not say no to jewelry either

I hope that you have a great Mother’s Day, and wish you all the best. I look forward to spending my Mother’s Day putting in a new patio and drinking beer with my family.

Russian River Brewery-Pliny the Younger

As Hoppy Beer Girl mentioned in a recent post...we are here to bring you all things “West Coast”! Just to give you a little background on “Beatnik and McMatherson”, we are a husband and wife team residing in the Northern California region. We were taken with the story behind HBG, and what it means to experience the pure artistry in beer making, as well making memories together with your loved one. So while we may not be 100% girl, we are elated to bring you new and exciting beers as the "Team HBG West Coast"...Our locale is 1.5 hours from Tahoe, 1.5 hours from San Fran, right in the heart of food and wine region near Napa Valley. Our hopes: To introduce you to new beers not often received east of the Rockies, as well as show you the exciting journey getting to these places. So let us begin with the grand fashion!

Speaking of journeys! We've all heard many times that it's not the destination but the journey getting there. Well earlier this month we were treated to both a journey and destination when we set off to sample what is regarded by many in the beer drinking community as “the best beer in theworld.” I'm talking about the unveiling of the 2013 batch of "Pliny theYounger." Pliny the Younger is a unique and heralded Triple IPA (by the by...anything hoppy is revered out here) brewed once a year by the gang at Russian River brewers in Santa Rosa, California. Santa Rosa is about an hour north of San Francisco up "the 101" [side-note: Google "SNLCalifornians" for a skit highly accurate of how Californians talk about their highway system]. Rolling hills and marshy wetlands line the highway framed by mountains on both sides north of San Francisco making for a beautifully scenic view. We had run off on a Tuesday morning, just so that drive would be mellow. We didn't sight-see much on the way up due to anticipating a crowd at the brewery (yes even on a Tuesday morning). We did however get to drive through the winding Sonoma area on the way back, stopping for some Fro-yo in Napa (but that's another story). When you arrive in Santa Rosa, it has the classic old town feel. Russian River brewery holds a prime spot right in the middle of it all.

 

Approaching RR we could already see the line formed for the establishment. We arrived right at 11am when the Brew-Pub opened and waited roughly 30 minutes to get a chance to stand at the bar. The people were diverse ranging from Mohawk to Business suit, from newly minted drinker to wise sage of all things hops. 

The Pub itself is a comfy and lively venue, offering food, swag, and a plethora of intricate brewed creations. 

We were compelled to order, and received two 10oz glasses of the enshrined brew. You could smell the floral hops wafting from the glass, even held at a comfortable distance. Color PTY was a nice rich golden hue. As for flavor, complexity is an understatement. This is considered a Triple IPA, yet the hops are controlled, floral, milky, and smooth. Unquestionably this beer has mammoth flavor and a commands respect while drinking (imagine that part in any movie when the stud or babe walk into the room and all eyes are on them). We aren't usually one to jump on the hops train, but this is one fine beer...by far the best IPA we've ever had. As for being the best beer in the world? There is no doubt that it is great beer, deserving of all of it's accolades. And there is no doubt it reigns in the top 5 beers I've personally experienced. I personally feel fortunate, to have had the opportunity to be within a short drive to an amazing experience. If the rest of our tenure goes like this, it's going to be one great journey...with several wonderful destinations.

Trois Monts, Old Stock Ale, and Bam Biere

So today is my birthday. I am not one for grand gestures, but I am all about grand beer. As a birthday treat to myself, I wanted to share with you, all of the beer that we have had recently that was truly above and beyond our expectations. Happy birthday me, and enjoy reading about beer! 

Brasserie de Saint Sylvestre, Trois Monts 8.5% abv Bière de Garde, brewed in the Flanders region of France where such beers are traditionally termed Bière de Garde. The name of the beer refers to three hills in Flanders, Mont Noir in Belgium and Mont Cassel & Mont des Cats both on the French side of the border.

The flavor is amazing; it reminded me of apples on a warm fall evening. Nice hops taste, light, and refreshing. Buttery taste...  it was wonderful. I do love a good yeasty beer.

The color was almost gold. I think that this will be one I keep an eye out for in the future. The more of these Belgian style beers, the more I fall in love with them. Simple ingredients, making a complex beer.

 

North Coast Brewing, Old Stock Ale 2012

This beer had a darker more rich color than I was expecting. Old Stock Ale has an alcohol per volume of 11.7 %, so it is more of a sipper. This beer has won many awards over the years, and has been highly regarded as a sophisticated and fantastic beer. There isn't much that I can say that hasn't already been said... but I will try anyways.

The rich malty flavor is wonderfully balanced, not a bitter beer at all. All of those chocolate flavors from the malts don't over power the fruitiness you get from the hops.

I didn't know before I opened it, that this beer is one that you are supposed to age... I guess I was too excited. The next bottle I get, and I will be getting one, will be stored for a while. I can't believe I just said that! I almost sound like a connoisseur. This was just an all around beautiful beer.

Bam Biere, Artisan Ale from The Jolly Pumpkin

Farmhouse style ale, bottle conditioned and dry hopped. This beer won a  bronze medal for Session Beer in 2009 at the Great American beer Festival. It is easy to see why. It was light, and mildly spiced. The mouth feel was refreshing, it didn't linger at all. At only 4.5% alcohol per volume, this would be a beer that would be extremely easy to drink for hours.

The story on the bottle said the brewery made this beer in honor of a Jack Russell that got hit by a car, and got back up like nothing happened. This was a fantastic beer. If you are looking for a good session beer, this is a good bet.

Some Awesome Beer-How We Closed Out 2012

I have had quite a few fantastic beers over the last couple of weeks. It should have come as no surprise then, that Blake and I finished 2012 with some even more mindbogglingly tasty brews. We have been on a great beer streak lately, I am hoping that I didn't just jinx myself...

Southern Tier, Krampus Imperial Helles Lager

The Krampus bottle says, “Brewed with the spirit of Krampus, the fanged, goat-horned bully that is, as European tradition suggests, the evil sidekick of St. Nicholas and enforcer of the list. While St. Nicholas delivers presents to the good boys and girls, Krampus is there to punish the naughty children.”

Talk about a good story to read while enjoying a good beer! We opened this on Christmas evening, and the 9.0% alcohol per volume definitely helped make us merry and bright. This was a strongly hopped beer, as you would expect, but was so perfectly spiced that it was really easy to drink…my only problem was that the bottle ended. Another fine beer by Southern Tier.

Saison D’Erpe-Mere from Brewery De Glazen Toren

I purchased this beer because it was tagged, one of the top 25 beers of the year. Figured, How can I go wrong with that? Well let me tell you, this was one of those life changing beers. It only gets better as you drink it, it opens up as it warms up, but never becomes overwhelming. I was amazed that a saison could be both so simple, and so complex at the same time. This is definitely on my list of buy again beers, and best beers for 2012.  We cracked this one open and toasted the new year in with it. What a great way to finish 2012!

I hope that you all had a great end to 2012, I know that I am looking forward to all the adventures that 2013 will bring.