There’s a fun little quiz over at mental_floss that challenges you to match nine beers with their country of origin. It was harder than I expected, especially after the first seemed so easy. See how well you can do without cheating.
I am chagrined to report that I only got 8 out of 9 correct.
How did you do?
Beer-a-Day #194
Starr Hill Pale Ale is another award-winning, medium-bodied, year-round favorite. Creating a fresh spin on the English Pale Ale tradition, Master Brewer Mark Thompson uses liberal hopping and Munich malt to create a crisp, aromatic blend with a bit of bite. This brew has a higher alcohol content to balance its body and bitterness.
Medium amber with a finger’s worth of head. Nice aroma with fruit and flowers. Mmmm…that’s good.
Beer-a-Day #193
Esquire Magazine calls [Dogfish Head] 90 Minute IPA., “perhaps the best I.P.A. in America.” An Imperial I.P.A. brewed to be savored from a snifter. A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.
I talked about the 60 Minute IPA recently, so this is the same, only more so. Right? About one-and-a-half times more.
Pretty golden color, not unlike a bock. Big floral and spice hop aroma. Lotsa hops there, with a hint of oakiness. This wouldn’t be bad to cellar. Delicious. As I get further into it, the better it gets.
Halfway through the year and I never thought it would be so hard to get this far. Don’t get me wrong; it’s easy to drink a good beer every day. It’s just hard to make sure to do it every day and write about it. It’s also getting harder to get beers I haven’t had before. I have to go shopping with a list of things not to get.
Brewer’s Alley (Frederick, Maryland)
Presents
Barbeque Beer Dinner
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
1st Seating 5:30 pm, 2nd Seating 7:30 pm
Welcome Beer: Nut Brown Ale
Pete’s Pulled Pork on Corn Polenta
Smoked Pulled Pork and Hickory Barbeque Sauce on Polenta Cake
1634 ALE
Grilled Ratatouille Vegetable Salad
Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Eggplant, Red Pepper and Tomato
With Grilled Tomato Vinaigrette and Angel Hair Potatoes
KÖLSCH
Shrimp and Grits
Skewered Jumbo Shrimp with Corn and Cheese Grits, Chili-Barbeque Sauce
INDIA PALE ALE
Sweet and Spicy Pork tenderloin
Dorsey’s Grilled Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Chili-Apple Barbeque Sauce,
Cucumber Salad, Parsnip Puree and Balsamic Syrup
BOURBON BARREL AGED OATMEAL STOUT
Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs
Oatmeal Stout Braised Hereford Beef Short Ribs,
Brussel Sprouts and Oven Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
BELGIAN-STYLE WIT
Golden Raisin Bread Pudding
Call 301-51-0089 for Reservations
$45 per person plus tax and gratuity
Beer-a-Day #192
Well, what do you know? For all that I like Flying Dog and all that I like wheat beers (Hi Max!), I’ve never written this one up. And, since Cork 57 was doing a promotion for the Flying Dog tasting the other day, I picked up a six-pack.
She taunts and teases… In-Heat Wheat is our German-style Hefeweizen. She is a full flavor beer, perfect for the more adventurous craft beer drinker. The addition of malted white wheat gives this brew its smooth, full mouthfeel. A proprietary yeast creates intriguing flavors of bananas and cloves.
Yellowish-orange and hazy. Bananas and cloves as well as some apples in the aroma. Smooth with that fruitiness. Refreshing, to be sure.
Beer-a-Day #191
While it’s not yet on sale, JT shared with me some of this year’s Dogtoberfest. While I’ve written about it before (good and not-so-good-but-redeemed) this is too special a moment to let pass by.
Dogtoberfest is deep mahogany in color with an intriguing caramel finish and brewed with 100% imported German ingredients for a true German flavor.
That’s really good. Malty with just a bit of bitterness. I’m craving bratwurst and sauerkraut.
My wife likes it too.
Look for it at your favorite retailer in the next few weeks.
I noticed that Flying Dog was having a beer tasting local to my place of business, so I decided to pop in and check it out. When I got over to Cork 57 in Bethesda (nice place, by the way, with a fairly decent craft beer selection) who should be there but JT, who also worked the Red, White and Brew event in Brunswick.
He remembered my wife, Naomi, from the event, and me from my picture here. We chatted about beer and stuff and he offered samples of the Woody Creek White, In-Heat Wheat, Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, and Snake Dog IPA. Even 
better, JT scored a six-pack of the just-bottled-yesterday Dogtoberfest. I’ve enjoyed all of these before and did so again. The Dogtoberfest was a nice surprise, and as soon as I had my first sip I wanted to grill up some bratwurst. (It’s not yet for sale, though. Soon.)
JT also shared some details of a beer Flying Dog will be releasing at the end of the year to celebrate their 20th year in business.
It’s made from an augmented Snake Dog wort with an exclusive Belgian yeast strain (called Diablo) and dry-hopped with a load of Amarillo hops. It’ll be the first Flying Dog beer sold in 22 ounce “bombers”. It is 8% alcohol by volume and, according to Gwen Conley (Flying Dog “QC Goddess”), is “dangerously” drinkable.
The name (for now) is: Ragin’ Bitch.
I can’t wait to try it.
(Thanks JT!)
Beer-a-Day #190
…[A]s the name implies, [Mother's Milk] is a dark and creamy milk stout. Hints of oatmeal, chocolate and of course, milk make Mother’s Milk’s remarkably smooth and silky finish a classic example of the style.
This is another I scored in the aftermath of our recent get-together. I don’t see Keegan Ales down this way, so I may not get another for a while.
Of course, the name reminds me of “Mudder’s Milk” (“all the protein, vitamins and carbs of your grandma’s best turkey dinner, plus 15 percent alcohol”) from Firefly.
Deep chocolatey brown with a thick head. Chocolate and coffee in the aroma, maybe a bit of vanilla. Smooth, roasted, and rich. Not something I’d want regularly, but as a change of pace or even a dessert, this hits the spot.
Beer-a-Day #189
A dozen years ago I was in Hawaii on a company-sponsored trip. It was the beginning of my appreciation for good beer, so I made sure to stop at the Kona Brewing brewpub.
Fire Rock Pale Ale is a crisp, refreshing “Hawaiian-style” pale ale. Its signature copper color results from the unique blend of specialty roasted malts. The pronounced citrus-floral hop aroma comes from the liberal amounts of Galena, Cascade & Mt. Hood hops added to each brew.
Seeing this in the cooler at our Hop Talk Advisory Council birthday barbecue was like a trip back in time. Nevermind that the thing is contract brewed in New Hampshire.
Light orangey copper with a tiny bit of haze. Orange zest and floral aroma. More citrus in the flavor with a pronounced bite at the end. I like it.
Kona Brewing Fire Rock Pale Ale
