Fun from Holland

So I picked up a sampler of lagers from Holland, and this Grolsch was the first beer I have poured. Grolsch may have been one of the first interesting beers I tried and enjoyed back in the late 70s. Then it was the swing top bottle, bought as much for the swing top as anything else. Later when I did some homebrewing, those swing tops again became quite tempting. But on to the beer.

It pours with a light blonde color, and there is a nice, spicy aroma. The head was great, but did not last too long. The taste was like spicy Heineken. I mean that as a compliment. A bit more hops, while also having a bit more maltiness. If I was not working tomorrow, I would pour a taste test. Eschewing that, I recall why I enjoyed this lager, and there is a bit of nostalgia associated with it. While I am more of an ale drinker, this is a fine beer, one that I need to purchase again.

lucky me

Lucky me, I got in a shot at another tea party. Friday I was bored so I got in the car with my best friend Chris and drove 1400 miles round trip to misbehave in DC. This is the second Tea Party I have attended, and the second time I made the photos. That is me in the red hat under the photo of Speaker Pelosi.

popcorn

Not the annoying song, not the stuff from the microwave, real, honest to goodness popcorn. We have been on a popcorn tear. The old fashioned way where you put a bit of oil in a pot and cook the kernels. Mmmmmm, popcorn! Alton Brown, make that Dr. Alton Brown (I have conferred upon him an honorary doctorate) turned us on to cooking it ourselves, and once again, we thank you good doctor.

I have just started nerding out on popcorn. It started when the wife got some "butter salt" that was neither buttery nor salty. Then we noticed that the bag of black kernels we got were smaller and a bit different tasting than the Redenbocker kernels we got, and the Kroger ones, well, let us move along. So I used my hyperfocus abilities for good and hit the Internet. Last night we made the first (sadly small) batch from Amish red kernels cooked in honest to goodness coconut oil with real butter salt with FLAVOCAL. I have no idea what FLAVOCAL is, but it tasted like, you know, butter salt.

I am not sure how much difference the special salt or oil made, much more testing under clinical movie watching conditions is needed, but popcorn will be showing up on this blog in the future as I share the fruit of the family labors. Suffice it to say, that our youngest daughter who originally grew misty eyed and petulant when offered popcorn in place of a cookie asked for more when the medium bowl I made was done.

Mission accomplished.

And I know this is neither brew nor tunes related. Have your lawyer contact my lawyer. Especially after I start adding posts about cigars.

Another Abita

Oh my goodness I like this ale. Wow. What a find! As I wrote recently, the good folks at Abita have been growing more adventurous in the last few years, with overall good success. The beer pours dark and hazy, but not at all opaque. It really set up a nice head, which later disappeared. There was not too much lacing left, which was the only disappointment this beer gave me. The aroma is subtle, mostly grain. Tasted cold, there is grain and sweetness and kind of a chocolate flavor. It is difficult to describe, but not at all difficult to taste.

I like to approach beers for this little blog in a certain way. I pour, I look, I smell, I wait, and then I taste. I showed this one to the wife after I had poured, looked, and smelled, and she asked for a taste. She took two LARGE gulps and her eyes rolled back in her head. "This is a GOOD beer" she sighed. So much for my careful tasting regimen. But to be honest, it is so good I was gulping it too. Right now, my corn is roasting on one grill, the rain is putting out the coals that were to cook our steaks, and I could care less. I have this beer and a dry place in which to drink it. I was going to say sip, but God hates lies. I should say this is not exactly a dubblel, and it lacks certain characteristics from the yeast of most real Belgium dubbles I have tried, but I would be wasting your time and I will waste it no more.

Highly and enthusiastically recommended.

Hot, hazey ale is the brevity of Wit

Please allow me to introduce you to the Abita Brewery Satsuma Harvest Wit Ale. I have a soft place in my heart for this brewery as it is located 15 minutes from my cousin's house on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. I have been to that brewery my friends, and never been able to drive back. Those guys used to brew a small selection of fun beers, but they have really found their stride and now offer a more varied selection.

This one is all wit, with the nice hazy wheat base, the slightly acrid, yeasty aroma, the clean, smooth taste with a little yeast bight at the end. You can taste just a hint of the local Satsuma orange, just a kiss. Talk about your lawnmower beer, this may be the king of those in my estimation. No single aspect of the beer is outstanding, just the whole gestalt. Highly recommended.

More from the Dark Side

Yet another stout. I got a dark beer sampler from the package store that is on my way home from work. I really enjoy dark beers anyway, and this way I can post more often about different brews. Today's effort is Dark Star Stout from the Starr Hill brewery.

It pours with a nice head that quickly vanishes, but it leaves nice lace on the side of the glass. The aroma is a little chocolate and some roast malt. The flavor has a little smoke in it! Just a touch, it is a bit fizzy, and hits you with some roasted bitterness at the start of the flavor profile. The lingering taste is satisfying. It is a little thin in the mouth, but not as thin as a Guinness.

This is not a killer stout, but it is a good one. I like the way the flavor improves as the beer warms up. I bet it would be great with Mexican food! The best part to me is the smokey, roasted flavors. I would be happy to see this at a party, but not so happy I would cry.