Oktoberfest!!!!

Seasonal beers. I love them. And this is the greatest time of year as brewers start to introduce us to their various Oktoberfest Ales, followed by the usual holiday offerings. Which brings me to another one of my top ten beers - I don't rank them 1 through 10, I just have a list of 10 beers that I universally love - Sam Adams Oktoberfest. I actually stockpile this beer when it comes out so I can enjoy it longer than just a few months. I don't like most of Sam Adams' other beers, but this one is perfect. Crisp, Autumny, Oktobery goodness. Pour this one into a glass. Orange, a hint of spice, possibly some cinnamon, and plenty of bubbles. I know that sounds weird, but it's like you can feel the "sparkliness" on your tongue. That good. Drink this one on a cool Fall day, as the leaves start to turn, and a hint of firewood smoke is in the air. Pick up a case of this today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and stockpile some more away. You will thank me.

Cheap Beer = Good Beer?

Rainier. Olympia. Keystone. Pabst. Cheap beer. But is it good beer? Truthfully, the last time I drank Rainier and Olympia, my friend Jeff and I were sneaking beer into the Senior Party on the Bluff when we graduated from University of Portland. It was absolutely terrible then, and I have no doubt it is absolutely terrible to me now. I doubt I will ever drink it again. The last time I drank a Keystone I was with my next door neighbor who insisted that is was just like Coors Light. Newsflash. It's not. So that brings me to Pabst. I enjoy Pabst. I don't drink it because it's the cool thing to drink at the moment (see picture above.) I buy it because I believe it is the one cheap beer that is pretty good. So here's where I get on my soapbox. The above opinions are just that - opinions. I don't judge anybody by the beer they drink. If you like it, buy it. I get crap all the time for buying Coors Light, but guess what, one hot summer day I got my father-in-law to drink a Coors Light. Do you know what he said? Mmmm. That's pretty good, especially on a hot day after mowing the lawn. Now who keeps some Coors Light in his fridge out in the garage? That's right. He does. Like I've said before, all beer has its place - cheap beer, microbrews, stouts. I personally may not like them all, but it's my blog isn't it, and I still feel that I'm a pretty good judge of what the average guy likes and doesn't like. So here's to Pabst. Buy a sixer and enjoy. By the way, I really only enjoy Coors Light in the can - weird huh?

Widmer Bros. Hefeweizen

1999. University of Portland. Garrett Mecca'a dorm room. Oh yes, I remember when I tossed back my first Widmer Hefeweizen. So golden. So tasty. Every now and then a beer comes along that is perhaps what I consider the perfect beer. This one is absolutely on that list. Needless to say when the sun finally broke through in Spokane, WA this last weekend with the high creeping past 90, I knew what beer I had to turn to - Widmer Bros. Hefeweizen. I grabbed my weizen glass, sliced a lemon, and poured myself a hefe. And then during the day and into the evening I enjoyed several more. I cannot speak any more highly of this golden gem. It is the beer that showed me there was a world beyond the typical domestic light beers (although I do enjoy my Pabst and Coors.) When you truly want to enjoy a great beer, look no further than this incredible beer.

This Guy Is Incredible

Check this out - www.theelectricbrewery.com. This guy has done what I can only dream to do in the future. When I finish my basement, I'm going to try and set up my homebrew section and wine cellar, but this guy takes it to a whole different level. If you are interested in homebrewing at all, this is a must read.

Samurai Ale. I'll be honest, the first thing that caught my eye was the name. "Samurai Ale." Awesome. When I bought it, all I could think was that I needed this beer to be good so I could fit it into my regular rotation and tell my friends that I now drink Samurai Ale, and look at me aren't I just so cool right now because I discovered Samurai Ale. I was hoping this beer was great. Well...it's good, but not great. Poor it into a glass. Tell me that doesn't look like a big glass of...well, you get the picture. It does. Maybe this has something to do with it being a rice ale, I don't know, but to me it looked less than appetizing, and perhaps I should have just left it in the bottle. And it kind of smelled like oatmeal with a little corn mixed in. But, damn if it wasn't a hot day and I threw that beer back with abandon. Mmmmm. Good, cold, tasty beer, although the aftertaste was slightly off putting. A nice hot summer day type brew. That's about it. Nothing too special, nothing terribly wrong (except for that color). Samurai Ale. I will purchase you again next summer and try you again. Next week - A Pacific Northwest favorite...

First Beer Preview 07/19/11!!!!

The First Beer Review - Samurai Ale.  My full account tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

And So It Begins...

Alright - First Posting!!! First off, let me tell you right away - I'm no beer afficianado that is going to bore you with a whole bunch of specialized terms. I always hated my college business professors who insisted on "synergizing" everything. I promise to stay rather surface level and just share my average joe opinion with regards to a particular beer. If a beer wows me, than yeah, I might spend a little bit more time oohing and ahhing over it, but if a beer just doesn't speak to me in any kind of special way, then I will let you know what I didn't care for about it. Full disclosure - I tend not to be a dark beer kind of guy - don't get scared off! - I fully believe all beers have their place, but my tastes usually don't go toward this area of beer but a few times a year. So chances are you won't see me mention too many dark beers, but that doesn't mean I dislike all dark beers. Lastly, I will talk about any and all beer that I drink - domestic, imports, cheap, pricey, drafts, you name it - and I will try my best to include a picture of what I drink. I've lived in the Pacific Northwest my whole life with access to many great beers, and I encourage any reader to share their history with any beer that I might offer my opinion on. Please remember - I'm not going to act like a critic on their soapbox. I'm going to share my humble opinion to all the other average joes out their just looking for a good beer. Chad out.