h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah ok . Just a comment on the Brewsters Doppelbock though. The pint(s) I had today were much less fruity ...or at least the fruit component was muted. Also the colour was much less burgundy & more a dark mahogany brown. My first sampling was when it was still quite fresh, obviously it 'settles' somewhat after a week or so in the keg.

Well, if ABInBev merely broadens distributiion(rather than diluting or otherwise ing with this one too much)I might eventually like to try a Pepe Nero. As well as other Goose Island brews.

http://www.beergeeknation.com/?p=3905

That does look interesting!




I'm still trying to get my tasting mojo back after being . Now I've got this nasty sinus congestion that interferes somewhat and hurts quite a lot.

I think I need to just lie down and sleep for a few days. Not likely.

So, with our 13 degrees celsius & clear sunny skies I thought it was time to open an Equinox du Printemps/Spring equinox(9.1%abv). A Quebecois version of a Wee Heavy brewed using; water, malted barley, wheat, hops, yeast & Maple syrup

The pour-a rather aggressive one

Pours a lovely deep reddish copper with a healthy 3 finger soapy-larger bubbles-off white head that slowly settles. Moderate carbonation & nice though transitory lacing.

Aroma

Malt with a syrupy sweetness, but the maple quality is quite subdued ...a hint of roastiness.

Taste

Fairly malty, nice full body...some caramel & distinct hints of maple syrup. Some bitterness as well as a slightly warming mouthfeel - quite nice! Finishes somewhat dry with a touch of oaky/woody bitterness. May have to look for more of these.

Suddenly a couple Hoegaarden Fri. nights at The Pourhouse isn't looking all that good. Check the ABInBev story on beer reddit. (Or if I were to get in the habit, I think they'd leave a rather undesirable taste in my mouth.)

http://www.reddit.com/r/beer

Just back from Sherbrooke. Today's haul:


one bottle of the Single Star
one bottle of Alley Kat Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba! (chili pepper floating in the bottle)
one bottle Alley Kat Loaded Goat Maibock
one bottle of Dominus Vobiscum Hibernus (to celebrate or drown Monday night)
and
a six pack of 'The Great Canadian Fruit Salad: A Delightful Medley of Canadian Fruit Beers. 6 Different Breweries. 6 Great Beers!'

The six pack contains:

Yukon Brewing Deadman Creek Cranberry Wheat Ale
Big Rock Lime Light Lager
Wild Rose Brewery Wraspberry Ale
Pumphouse Blueberry Ale
Amber' Pepperberry Lager
Alley Kat Aprikat

Apparently these six `packs vary in their contents.

I guess I'll be busy.

Alley Kat Loaded Goat Maibock, 7.3%abv (650ml, their 'Big Bottle' series)

The pour

A beautiful orangey copper, moderate carbonation...nice white two finger head...only slight(rather transitory)lacing.

Aroma

Hmm, mainly malt and a bit of alcohol..faint hints of apple and pear.

Taste

Quite malty...not too much else coming though. A hint of apple...trying in vain to find more, the 7% abv evident with repeated sips. A decent but really quite lackluster beer imho. From the high of the Three Bears Oatmeal Stout, to a rather sobering low with the Maibock. Decent representation of the style, but not outstanding. That said, I think I'll have a brown .

Rogue Brewing(Oregon) Hazelnut Brown Nectar, 6%abv(also 650ml/22oz bottle-standard for Rogue it seems...Very nice handpainted-it would seem-label)

http://www.rogue.com/beers/hazelnut-brown.php

The pour

Lovely cola brown, with well integrated-both large and smaller bubbles-off white head. Minimal carbonation evident. Nice dense lacing.

Aroma

Some malt and distinct hints of hazelnut...just a hint of alcohol evident.

Taste

Initially malty, then hazelnut flavour rather gloriously breaks through, like the morning sun breaking through the clouds! And a pleasant blend of hazelnut and maltiness lingering a bit, into a nice drier finish. Another impressive Rogue beer...good things brewing in Oregon!

You're too fast for me.


I've added my notes on the Single Star to the entry. Sur`prisingly, I quite liked it. A lot.

I'm going to co`py your above notes and `paste them into a note`pad document. At some `point I'll GuideML them and make the addition to the entry. It may be tomorrow: I want to reread Book Six of the Aeneid before bed.


Seriously.

Rereading that review of the Rogue Hazelnut Brown, I've left it essentially headless! Actually a fairly aggressive & brief pour produced a big four finger head, that took awhile to settle.

Here's what I found with the Alley Kat Maibock:


Alley Kat Loaded Goat Maibock
7.3% 650 ml

The Pour

Darker than I expected for a maibock. A rich, red/amber colour, almost like a rose wine -- and with about as much head as a rose. Definitely effervesent, but virtually no head. It also seems a little on the watery side as far as body goes.

The Aroma

I'm having trouble detecting much aroma at all. Because of the colour, I'm ex`pecting ras`pberries.


The Taste


Very smooth. A bit of spice, cloves and cinnamon. Very lightly hopped.

I find it a very pleasant drink, but I'm not sure with the faint hopping, the absent head, and the dark colour that it is particularly representative of the type.






Strange that yours had a good head. I `poured mine into a tuli`p glass and it sim`ply didn't `produce a head at all.



I got side-tracked again today and haven't got any GuideMLing done yet. I tried the ~Pum`phouse Blueberry Ale tonight and I thought I'd `put the notes next to those from the Brewster's Blueberry thing.

When I get to it.

Loaded Goat Maibock revisited

I decided(rather on a whim)to open my second bottle with the cod fillet in Nando's http://www.nandoscanada.com Coconut Curry sauce I made today. Not a totally unharmonious pairing. I found that the Maibock complimented the spicing and highlighted the vegetal quality of the red bell pepper(as well as the earthiness of the mushrooms).

And the Loaded Goat also goes nicely-in a low-key way-with Toffypops from Burton's there in The U.K. - Moreton, Wirral Merseyside. Whether it's the wheat syrup, cocoa butter or 'who-knows-what' listed in the ingredients that pair well, it just sort of works.

Actually, still on the sweet note. Also a reasonably low-key pairing with this little(40gram)Macasure bar http://macasure.com . I say 'reasonably low-key' because the first well chewed piece of chocolate(when washed-over by the Loaded Goat)produced a distinct yet unexpected chili pepper-like warming. No such reaction in subsequent sampling, just that initial surge of fairly mild heat. .

I'm just trying to print the thing out. It's forty pages in Brunel! I've managed to get it down to 30 in goo, but still . . .



In Barlesque it is only three pages, but it won't let me print the whole thing.

is right! Fourty in Brunel & 30 in Goo. Hmm can't print it all in Barlesque?

I sent a note to Technical Feedback about that three page Barlesque issue. It may be just something like a default setting of printing the first frame or something. I'm hoping it isn't some sort of silly copyright thing. I've always made a point of printing out a hard copy of my entries when they hit the front page. That would seem a ridiculous function to lose.


Well, I've got my thirty pages in hand. Now I just have to find a red . . .

The site is not Only recognizing me, but there's no need to sign in(which it wouldn't let me do in any case).

Found this accurate Canadian review of that Kellerbier I had at The Pourhouse. Pretty sure I'd seen it(on occasion)at both Keg'n'Cork & at Sherbrooke.

http://definitionale.com/2010/07/02/tasting-les-trois-mousquetaires-kellerbier/

That does look good.

I think I've seen it in a store before as well. I may have to watch for it again.


I think my taste buds are finally coming back after that illness.

I've just added some second, more `positive thoughts about A`prikat.

I was just reminded of a fact that must have slipped my mind(as things inevitably do from time to time). I had been digging through Jeff Werstiuk's Sherbrooke Liquor blog and had stopped to reread his posting about the Glenn Sherbrooke. Somehow I had Totally forgotten that Alley Kat uses their Amber Brown as the base for that!

Oh & something I spotted on r/beer.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4934667/Heres-to-the-worlds-first-known-whisky-beer/

I'm `pretty sure I had a beer a few years ago that was made in Scotland by a distiller from the same malt they used for their whiskey.

It wasn't `peaty or smoky as I remember, but I think this claim of 'first' may be erroneous.