Bridgeport Brewing, Birthday Parties, Kitten Pictures, and General Catch-up (NOT Catsup)

I know that i owe like 6 weeks of bloginess (yes that is a word)... But I have been pretty spastic about everything that is going on in my life these days. Have no fear though, I do have some beer words for you today.

About three weeks ago (wow really??) We had a nice evening in, movie, and beer. It would have been perfect had it not been for the movie... but since this is not a blog about reviewing movies, all I will say is, if you are portraying a Scandinavian god, shouldn't you have an accent? I don't mean a SoCal accent either...You know who you are (I am pointing at you Thor, you know that isn't the only historical inaccuracy).

So with that; on to the beer!

I finally was able to open Strumptown Tart Belgian style Ale from Bridgeport Brewing. This is a seasonal beer (so sorry peeps, you have to wait until next summer to find it) brewed with strawberries, raspberries, and another sort of berry I never heard of. This beer is a beautiful strawberry color, which wasn't surprising. There is A LOT of fizz when you first pour, but it disperses quickly, more like a malt beverage than a traditional beer. The smell is very fruity (as you would expect). This isn't a sweet beer like you may be expecting, and despite the name, the taste isn't overly tart. You get the flavor of the berries, but not a lingering taste. It is a very crisp beer, and balanced. The fruits and tartness do not compete with the hops for you attention, they are the star of the show here. I thought that this was a real nice fruit beer, and I am glad that I save a bottle of it.

This is where I wrote a note to myself saying, "Tell everyone to try Goldfish crackers to cleanse your palette". I won't lie... I had a few before I thought to start taking notes...

The next beer we had was Summer Squeeze, also from Bridgeport Brewing. This is also a seasonal beer. It is light, bubbly, and refreshing, or everything you want on a hot summer day. It smells just like lemonade, which made me think it would be a sweeter beer, or taste exactly like Summer Shandy. It wasn't. This was definitely less sweet, more tart than you would expect, and overall a pleasantly different summer ale.

The final beer we had on this fun evening was Sam Adams' New World. This beer is one that I have been holding onto for a while.New World smells divine. It has a nice spicy flavor with strong cardamon and orange flavors, but stays well balanced with the yeast flavor that keeps this a nice Belgian style beer. Light, crisp, and fruity, with a wonderful mouth feel, with a taste that goes on for a few minutes, changing to different flavor notes. This was a complex but delicious beer.

This is where my notes get a little confusing... there is a picture of a snow man and a brief paragraph about "frozen yogurt people" and Norse mythology. I think it is a good time to move on ...

On another night, a few weeks ago (man I am behind), Blake and I went to our local outdoor theater to see Dark Knight Rises. It was a fun date night, and the best part about our outdoor theater is, you can bring in beer (if you are over 21). I packed a six pack with a variety of beers for us to try, but I got attacked by mosquitoes and only had one beer. So, without further ado, Kingpin from Bridgeport Brewing. This is a double red ale that is brewed year-round. This beer has a very strong hops flavor, which competes with and almost overpowers the malt flavor. But this being a double red ale, the Rye reigns supreme. This beer really opens up as it warms up. While I had it with popcorn, I imagine that it would be the perfect accompaniment to a good hand-made burger. I think I will be exploring this theory...

Boy that seems like a lot of beer stuff... I also got a new kitten, named Atticus... he matches my couch as you can see.

 My wonderful grandfather turned 83 years old! We had such a great time hanging out for his birthday. I am really lucky to have such a cool grandfather... must be where my daughter gets it from

 And last, but certainly not least, my sweet, wonderful husband turned the big 3-0. Here is a picture of his birthday present... yes it's a mostly empty bottle of Maker's Mark. Story behind that at a later date, I promise.

I wish that I could promise lots of more concise or even frequent posts, but we are moving (AHHH) and school starts on Monday. This summer has really gone by too fast for me. Please think of me slaving away packing boxes and cleaning while you enjoy the last days of summer and a few cold ones...