Things to Come - 2011

Dear Readers,

Beer Fusion has been in existence for a little over a month now (thank you for all the support!), and, with the New Year upon us, we will be updating and adding a couple new things. Such as...

Wednesdays in January will be Belgium beer Wednesday. Much like it sounds, I will be reviewing (without the help of the Gentlemen) a different Belgium beer each week, and those reviews will be posted on Wednesday. If this goes well, throughout 2011 each month will have a different geographical theme, and those beers reviewed will continue to be posted on Wednesday.

We will also be doing a weekly audio podcast with obvious beer themed shows, and, as of right now, we have a couple pub-crawls and craft brewery visits planned as well.

Lastly, we’ve been running into an issue with our current rating system for beers. We’ve found it doesn’t truly express are thoughts, criticism, and praises for the beers we are reviewing. This is why a new rating system will be introduced in 2011 with a 100pt scale, with the point allocation yet to be determined.

New Belgium’s Sahti will be the last beer review on the old rating system. To bring in the New Year and new rating system, the second weekend of January we will be having a massive review of four beers; each of the Gentlemen and myself will contribute one beer they want to have reviewed.

With all of that, I hope everyone has a great New Years filled with good friends and good beer.

Cheers,

Matthew

My First Arrogant Bastard and the Double

Today is the day after Christmas, and I hope everyone had a very relaxing and enjoyable day. Hopefully, no violent fights broke out between relatives, in laws, or the like. I, thankfully, felt pretty close to 100% yesterday, after battling a cold for much of the week. More on that later, because let’s talk about Stone’s Arrogant Bastard, which wasn’t the beer reviewed this week that was the 2010 release of Double Bastard. I want to talk about Arrogant Bastard first, not because I just like writing arrogant bastard (which I do, but that’s beside the point), but because one of my first draft experiences was with Stone and their Arrogant Bastard.

Before I get into the Bastard, I want to talk about Eugene, OR. For those of you who have been to Eugene, I don’t need to say much - the city says enough for itself. But, I’m going to assume most of you haven’t. Eugene is a very unique city. When I would come home to Eastern Washington I would always be asked, “what do you think of Eugene?”. My response was always, “it’s interesting. it’s unique.”, because Eugene has a rich history of being outside of the norm, and outside of reality. When I went there, reality had obviously weaseled itself into the culture, but its uniqueness as a city remained. Regardless of anyone's opinion on Eugene, the culture spurred creativity, and that creativity spread across all avenues - food, beer, art, people. All anyone has to do is pick up some Ninkasi, and taste the creativity of the town. I wanted to experience some of this foodivity if you will, and, being that I was newly 21, I began my exploration at no other than - the internet. I stumbled upon the yearly ( I believe yearly) “The Best Restaurants of Eugene” by Eugene Weekly. So, I perused the list of categories and restaurants, and began to salivate. At the time I was living with fellow Gentleman Stohn in the Duck’s Village. I remember yelling at him from my room, and asking if he was hungry. Many of our conversations began with yelling and involved food. Of course, Stohn yelled back, normally saying something like “yeah” or “yes”, and we went from there. We both agreed that day that we wanted a burger, and most of the time we either wanted a burger, gyro, or Mexican food. We looked at the top 3 of the Eugene Weekly list and one restaurant stood out - Cornucopia.

It was raining, and it was dark. Trying to find new places in Eugene that aren’t on the main streets is a nightmare. Whoever city planned Eugene must of been high with everyone else in 60s. After spending about 30 minutes trying to find a restaurant 2 miles away, we found it. Cornucopia is a small little gastropub that looks full capacity with 10 people in it. I would also like to mention at the time Stohn wasn’t 21, which will come up later. We waited about 20 minutes to get a small little table. It was a week day, and it was surprising how crowded the restaurant was; it seemed like a good sign regardless. After about 10 minutes of waiting for our waitress, she showed up, and asked if we wanted a drink. She asked me if I wanted a beer right away, and began rattling off the draft list. Immediately, one beer stood out - Arrogant Bastard. I remember replying, “excuse me, what was that.”, and her responding with attitude, “Arrogant Bastard”. Of course I had to try a beer named Arrogant Bastard, I ordered and I was ready to show my new badge declaring I can legally drink. But, she didn’t care, she didn’t ask, and moved on to Stohn. Stohn hesitated, and ordered a water or something, but for a good week he kicked himself for not ordering a beer. She brought me the Arrogant Bastard, and the dark, hoppy, malty, explosive taste was something I had never experienced. Granted, at the time, the amount of beer I’d experienced was minimal, but to this day the Bastard stands out. I didn’t want to experience this new found flavor by myself so, of course, I let Stohn have a sip. His reaction identical to mine. Our burgers arrived soon after, I remember ordering a bbq bacon burger with cheddar, and it was messy, and, to this day, one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

Long story long, Stone Brewing Company has been a favorite brewery of mine since I could buy beer - up there with Dogfishhead, Ninkasi,Deschutes, and Sierra Nevada. That brings us to the 2010 Release of Double Bastard. Stone advertises:

A huge malt bill and a belligerent hoppiness make this heavy ale one that will be appreciated by only a few, and that’s just fine with us. We didn’t brew this mordant dark amber monster to please anyone other than ourselves. If you think you are truly Worthy (and if you have to ask yourself this question, you most certainty are not), then crack open a bottle drink deeply, and bask in all its trenchant glory - but if you are befuddled by the polysyllabic lexicon of Bastard, if your complacency and contend acquiescence to the soulless mendacity of national marketing pap causes you the least bit hesitation, back away slowly and go buy something you saw advertised on TV.

First off, the writer for Stone is impressive. When I read something similar to this on the Double Bastard’s bottle, I was excited. I thought, “hell yeah, bring it on”. I’ve had some intense high alc. and high IBU beers, this will be great. In fact, some of my favorite beers land in that category. Unfortunately, the Double Bastard did just what the advertisement said, “We didn’t brew this mordant dark amber monster to please anyone other than ourselves”. 

If you check the link posted for the website, Stone has Double Bastard listed as a 10.5% alc./vol., but my bottle had it at 11.2%. The alcohol content for this beer is very important. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been fighting a cold most of the week, and I tried this beer at the early stages of it. Luckily, there is some good continuity between all three of us that tasted this beer. G came over and I opened the Double Bastard straight from the fridge. The color was a dark cloudy amber color, and had a small white head that dissipated quickly. G smelled mostly alcohol and a “hew” of barley. After blowing my nose a couple times, I could smell a strong alcohol presence and some kind of sweet fruit like smell. G’s first impression of the taste was, “Wow, it’s like being punched in the tongue with hops.” My impression was very similar, the beer tasted heavily of hops and alcohol with a bitter aftertaste. The IBUs for this beer are kept “confidential” by Stone, but it tasted in the 125+ range. After a few more sips, we thought the beer may be better at room temperature, so, we let it sit for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, nothing changed, the overall taste was hops and alcohol. Stohn had similar complaints. He felt the flavor was good, but the strong alcohol taste made the beer off putting.

Stone Brewing Company’s Double Bastard lacks complexity. If I compare it to the recent Sierra Nevada Brewer’s Reserve or the very high alcohol Dogfish Head 120min IPA, it just doesn’t compare in flavor. I like Stone beers, as I’ve made clear earlier in this post, but to make a beer with a flavor of just hops and alcohol is similar to making a pop with just water and sugar. Maybe this beer is meant to be aged, maybe this was a bad year with a different alc./vol., but either way Stone needs to go back to the drawing board and create a monster with a little more substance - or be happy with pleasing themselves. With a heavy heart:

Rating: C-/D+

 

Christmas Time and Beer Resolutions

Christmas time, Christmas time, Christmas time, are the complete lyrics of a Christmas song I recently heard while eating at Red Robin. But, all of that aside...

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year, winter solstice, and a full lunar eclipse. As Christmas nears this Saturday, and New Years following a week later - we are asked to reflect on 2010. Reflect on what we accomplished, and what we can improve. This is then quickly followed by either someone asking you what your New Years resolutions are, or, maybe, you even asking yourself. Well, I’m happy to say that here at Beer Fusion we won’t ask you to reflect on 2010, or even ask you what your New Years resolutions are. That also means that I will not have you sit, stand, lie, or be in whatever position you are when you read these posts, and read through a list of my New Years resolutions. Instead, I’ll have you read a list of Beer Resolution for 2011. Enjoy!

5 Beer Resolutions for 2011

1. Try beers outside of your Comfort zone - You normally drink IPAs, try some stouts or porters.   

2. Attempt and/or master home brewing - either way you will gain a greater respect for the craft, and, who knows, maybe you have a calling.

3. Go on a beer centered road trip - get some friends and explore the great beer unknown, or, at the least, get those much loved beers from the source.

4. Try beer styles you don’t like - now that you followed #1, push the boundaries of your palate, and actively seek out different takes on a style of beer you don’t like, because you just might find one you do.

5. Be a regular - beer is a great community builder, get friends together on a regular basis and drink beer. You shouldn’t need an excuse (football games or a party). Make beer the event.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! And, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, have a happy holidays!

Sunday, I will have a review of Stone’s Double Arrogant Bastard 2010 Release, and next Wednesday I will be writing about things to come on Beer Fusion for 2011. Lastly, comment and let me know what your favorite winter beer has been in 2010.

 

Boulder Beer’s Cold Hop, Cold in Substance

My good friend G, and fellow Gentlemen, introduced me to the Boulder Beer Company for the first time with a bottle of Hazed & Infused on a trip to Spokane, WA. I remember liking the beer, but not much about it left an imprint on my taste buds. Don’t get me wrong, Hazed & Infused is a solid craft beer, but it was nothing that stood out as an exceptional brew. Knowing that Boulder Beer Co. makes a solid flagship, or, at the least, a unique flagship, I was excited to try their limited-release Cold Hop. On their website they give this description:

A unique brew with a rich golden hue. Its pleasantly fruity. Floral hop aroma perfectly balance the mild sweetness of the English grains for a refreshing yet high-gravity British Style Ale.

Cold Hop is a moderately priced beer with an alc/vol of 6.5% and IBU’s at 46. This week was a small tasting group of myself and, appropriately, G. We gave Cold Hop a try while watching Brew Masters, which has been a reoccurring theme for our tasting nights. Cold Hop poured a light amber/honey color, with a cloudiness that resembled unfiltered beer. The head was lacking in body, and dissipated quickly. It had a strong citrus smell of mandarin oranges, and strong white grape notes. The fruit smell was something that left G and myself stumped for a bit, going back and forth between mandarin and tangerine, until we both decided it was mandarin oranges. With all that in mind the most important part, the taste, was something to be desired, which was disappointing.  Cold Hop is not lacking in carbonation, and is one of the most carbonated craft beers I’ve had in a while. Apart from the carbonation, It’s a light, smooth, citrus beer. The lightness that I tasted was the lack of body, similar to watered down beer. G found the taste to be light and smooth with floral notes. He described it as having a bitter buttery taste. He disagreed that it tasted watered down, but agreed it was lacking substance in the body. 

Boulder Beer Company’s Cold Hop left both of us wanting. We had high expectations, and we expected more from the brewery that brings us Hazed & Infused. Beer Fusion is giving Boulder Beer Company’s Cold Hop a C, because of its lack of body and average qualities. “Not the best from Boulder [Beer].” G.

Rating: C

A Leavenworth Snow Fall

Last weekend I was in Leavenworth, WA with family. For those unfamiliar with Leavenworth, it’s a small German style tourist town that is known for its Christmas charm. My reason for going was to spend time with some family, but to also get out of town for the weekend. And, I’d be lying if I didn’t mention the beer drinking. So, this was the plan – I’d spend Friday night experiencing the local restaurants and try some local beer. Saturday, I would work on the Sierra Nevada review that was posted on Sunday, and spend the rest of the day wandering through the many shops, and pub/restaurants trying some German food and drinking different craft brews. Murphy ’s Law and I have been good friends most my life, and, though the weekend was fun and things went well, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping, but all good adventures tend to start that way.

Friday, when I rolled into town there was a good amount of snow on the ground, but a good amount of slush too. My twin cousins and three year old cousin were already there, and I arrived to find out the T.V. was broken (no Christmas movies with the little one or other movies), and no WiFi (I had my iPhone at least). The first couple things that came to mind were – I guess I’m not doing any work, and where’d I put the growler? I brought up with me a growler of Ninkasi Believer, which was the perfect beer to sit back and relax. Since I arrived into town around dinner time, we ventured out through town to a restaurant called Gustav’s. It was Friday, so, fish and chips with clam chowder sounded great, and being that I ordered some pub grub – I ordered a 22oz glass of Leavenworth IPA by Fish Brewing Company. The beer was nothing exceptional, and by no means was it a stand out IPA. I’ve had the beer before out of the bottle, but I thought I would try it on draft (a reoccurring theme throughout the weekend). It was very light tasting with only a slight bite of hops, and with a 5.5 alc/vol it just didn’t have the normal complexity of other IPAs from the PNW. But, after being in a car for a couple hours it did what it needed to do – be refreshing. Friday ended rather prematurely, the three year old was tired, and everyone else followed suit.

Saturday we awoke to snow. Not just new snow on the ground, but large wet flakes of snow falling. I thought to myself, I’m in Leavenworth this is great, snow, I’ll eat my breakfast have some coffee and it should be done. After I did all that – the breakfast, coffee, shower, the snow was still falling. Not to be deterred from going back into town and enjoying ourselves, we all bundled up and trekked on up into town. Again, if you have never been to Leavenworth (by the way this was my first time in some 13 years) December through New Years is packed with people. Some bussed in from Seattle, others, much like my family and I, drove in ourselves. In order to have lunch we plowed through the many other tourists and found ourselves at a place called “Ducks and Drakes”. Here, I had my first Bockwurst, sauerkraut, and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and Deschutes Jubelale on draft.
 
Sierra Celebration Ale on draft tasted cleaner/smoother than in the bottle, but the characteristics were much of the same. The draft lacked any kind of smell, but that may have been due to the surrounding smells of the restaurant. The normal floral notes with the winter alcohol bite were still present.

Deschutes Jubelale on draft was somewhat lacking in taste compared to having it in the bottle. The alcohol bite in the bottle wasn’t there, which left the beer much smoother than normal. Unlike the Sierra Nevada Celebration, I could smell Jubelale’s familiar caramel malt. The aftertaste was similar to the smell - a chocolate caramel taste with hints of raspberry.

After lunch we wondered around for a little bit, and found ourselves back again at the house. My aunt and her husband arrived early evening, and we had a delicious prime rib dinner cooked by my two cousins before returning to see the main strip lit up. The Snow was still falling. My three-year-old cousin and her aunt/my cousin sat down in a small sled, and insisted I pull them to the strip. I, of course, accepted the challenge, and tied the sled rope around my waist and trudged up to the main strip. Some of the stores had already closed, but my baby cousin enjoyed the sledding. The snow was still falling. At that point, we all had no intention of beer hoping through the few bars open, and returned back to the house with the little one. By this point 2-3ft had fallen that day. After a little more fun in the snow, we all called it a night.

Sunday morning the snow stopped, and I returned home. The fun little adventure to Leavenworth wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be, but it was a blast. I didn’t get to try all the beer offerings of Leavenworth, but I did get to spend quality time with family who I don’t normally spend a lot of time with. The beer adventure was small and nothing too exciting, but the snow and my creative,fun,imaginative family made the trip well worth it.

Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary, An Early Christmas Present

Sierra Nevada and I have had a long relationship, one that is mostly one sided. She gives and gives, and I continue to drink and drink, with only giving what I pay. As I described in a previous post about my beer experience in college, I’ve had an obsession with craft beers ever since I could buy beer. One of the first seasonal beers I purchased was Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. My roommate and good friend (fellow Gentleman), Stohn and I tried it together, and we soon were introduced to the strong malty and hoppy tastes of winter warmers. Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale left a strong imprint in our taste buds of how a winter beer should taste, and, to this day, it’s still one of my favorite seasonal winter beers. As December ended, and Christmas neared, both Stohn and I returned home for Christmas. Once Christmas break ended, and we returned in January there was another beer that would soon catch my eye.

From what I can remember, one of the first things I did when coming back from Christmas break that year was go to the Market of Choice in Eugene, OR. The Market of Choice was my beer retailer of choice, and picking up a fresh new beer for the new quarter seemed important at the time. Luckily, or thankfully, this time I didn’t spend 20-30 minutes searching for beer, because the name alone of this beer was enough for me to want it. Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, and, being I was fresh off my Celebration experience, I had to get it. I returned back to my apartment and told Stohn he had to try it. Bigfoot was Stohn and I’s first experience with something as extreme as barley wine. Both of us had already tried strong IPAs, but nothing would prepare us for barley wine. It was mind blowing, or, at the least, taste exploding. The world of craft beer had right then expanded.

So, what does this nostalgic reminiscing have to do with Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary? Well, I’m glad you asked, because I thought you never would - the Brewer’s Reserve Oak Aged Ale is a marriage of not only Bigfoot and Celebration, but also one of their flagships: Pale Ale. This is why, when I was vacationing at the local Beer and Wine store and saw Sierra Nevada’s Brewer’s Reserve, I had to try it. Nostalgia might have originally been my driving force behind trying this beer, but once the Gentlemen and I sat down to try this ale there was no need for nostalgia.

Sierra Nevada on their website has this to say about their 30th Anniversary “Our Brewers Reserve Oak Aged Ale”:

Brewers Reserve is a special ale highlighting our pioneering history and the innovative spirit that has carried us through all these years. It is a marriage of our three most acclaimed ales: Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry-hopped. Come join us in celebrating thirty years with this most special brew. Drink it now, or save it for a future anniversary of your own.

Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary “Our Brewers Reserve Oak Aged Ale” comes in at an alc/vol of 9.2%, a price of $9.99 a bottle in Washington, and there wasn’t much saving for later with this beer. Two of the Gentlemen, Kevin and DJ, came over to taste this beer with me. We had two bottles of the Oak Aged Ale, one that I had purchased already and had been in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, and the other Kevin brought over at room temperature. The beer poured a strong amber color with a very frothy/creamy head. When smelling the beer both warm and cold, you could smell the alcohol and hops with notes of light caramel malt. The taste was exactly what I was hoping for, a true mix between Bigfoot and Celebration, which means that it had a nice easy carbonation, strong hop taste with herbal notes and a balanced alcohol and caramel malt finish. The characteristics of the beer were enhanced when the ale was at room temperature. DJ only tasted the beer cold, and he really noticed the strong hop taste and the bite from the alcohol, but the intensity for the beer decreased as he drank more.  Kevin mostly drank the beer at room temperature, and he really enjoyed the caramel “maltiness” and alcohol bite. Kevin had a couple drinks of the Oak Aged Ale cold, and found it stronger cold than at room temperature. All three of us really enjoyed this beer.

I later received and email from Stohn with his thoughts on the Oak Aged Ale, because he lives on the other side of the state. Stohn was nice enough to share this beer with his father-in-law, and they both simply describe the beer as “a bundle of flavour” (Stohn’s father-in-law is British). Stohn found the taste of the beer to be, as he put it, a “paradox”, because, though it has a 9.2% alc/vol, it drinks like a 6%, and even with its strong head it has a low carbonation. Stohn found the Oak Aged Ale to be incredibly balanced, and his father-in-law who doesn’t drink strong ales also enjoyed it and wasn’t overpowered. Stohn’s only complaint was not enough carbonation, because that would have given it “maximum pizzazz”.

The best and easiest description of this beer is a bundle of flavor and perfectly balanced. This beer was a joy to drink, and one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Sierra Nevada’s Oak Age Ale is a perfect example of how high alcohol beers have the ability to have greater complexity than their lower alcohol counterparts. Nostalgia for this beer wasn’t needed, because it was able to create its own. If you enjoy Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, Celebration, and Pale Ale this is a must try beer. If you like well balanced, strong, complex ales this is also a must try beer. I would like to wish Sierra Nevada a happy 30th Anniversary, and I'm privileged to give them Beer Fusion’s first A rating.

Rating: A

Beer is Great, but Not For All Things

Beer is great, and my passion for beer is the reason for starting this blog. Beer is great for enjoying sporting events, pairing with foods, relaxing after a long day of work, or relaxing in general, and a multitude of other uses. Unfortunately, beer isn’t great for all things. That is why I decided to put together a short list of things beer isn’t good for, and I encourage anyone to add to the list in the comments.


10 Things Beer isn’t good for*

1. Brushing Your Teeth... it may taste good, but having teeth is better.

2. Using as Baby Formula...no one likes a drunk baby.

3. A Child’s Recital... you don’t want to be that person heckling the kids.

4. On Your Cereal... not as good as you would think.

5. A sport that involves Water... one or two may be ok, but drowning is life changing.

6. During a Performance Review... most bosses don’t like it when you drink a beer while they evaluate you.

7. Teaching a class involving children... too obvious, smell the paper cement instead.

8. As a Babysitter... that’s what your T.V.’s for.

9. As Shampoo/body wash... smelling drunk while sober is never a good thing, smelling drunk normally isn’t a good thing.

10. As Oil for your vehicle... it just doesn’t work.

Honorably Mention: The Gallon Challenge... it may not be bad, but it isn’t good.


*Disclaimer: I do not support or condone anything bad for your health.

A Review and “History” of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch

Story has it that King Midas loved beer, but everyone just hears about Midas and gold. Ovid’s portrays King Midas with too much normalcy, because King Midas, in reality, was an “off-centered person”. I think Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales knew this when they created “Midas Touch”, and must have known about his “off-centeredness”. There are few people that know the “off-centered” myth about King Midas’ golden touch, and lucky for you - I do. So, grab a cold beer, sit next to a warm fire, and read closely.

King Midas had an affection for the celebrations of commoners, but this is not to say he did not hold celebrations in his palace. He did, and grand celebrations at that, but it was the simplicity and cheerfulness with which they celebrated that King Midas could not resist. On the night that the commoners would throw their festivities, King Midas would disguise himself as one of them, and, when he would go to drink and dance, no one would know it was him. One night, he put himself in disguise and drank and drank, and he woke up that morning in his rose garden next to a man. Ovid would have you believe that he found this man in a different manner, but - no - he was passed out next to him. This man was Silenus, the foster son of Bacchus a Roman god. He treated Silenus with much hospitality, and King Midas returned him to Bacchus. It was then Bacchus offered King Midas one wish. King Midas thought deeply of what he should wish for, when the image of a golden fermented honey drink appeared in his thoughts, and he hastily asked for the golden touch. Everything King Midas touched turned to gold, but his only desire was to create that golden honey elixir he imagined. Everyday tasks soon became impossible for King Midas, and he prayed for his powers to be removed, and Bacchus told him he only need to place his hands in a vessel of honey. King Midas did so, and not only was his curse lifted, but he had created the elixir of golden fermented honey that would never spoil or go empty.

Now that you know the mythology behind King Midas, I have been told by fictional sources that Dogfish Head have found King Midas’ magical vessel and have been bottling it under the name Midas Touch. Or, reading from their website,

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike.

I would first like to say that I don’t like white wine, and I don’t drink it. Those of you, who love it, like it, have it on occasion - I do not. Midas Touch is unique, and makes you reevaluate what you define beer to be. It comes in a 12oz bottle and has alc/vol of 9%, with the IBUs at 12. I think this is my first brew with 9% alc/vol and that low of IBUs. My friend G came over to watch Brew Masters and try Midas Touch, so I also have his thoughts on it.

The color of Midas Touch is golden, it is a strong honey colored beer. The smell of it right out of the refrigerator is a mild white wine smell with subtle honey notes, but when the beer is brought to room temperature the smells intensify. It is important to note that Dogfish Head recommends that Midas touch be drunk in a white wine glass, and G and I did just that. The first couple sips left me uncertain, I didn’t know what to think. G’s first thoughts were of desert wine. After a few more sips, the uniqueness of the brew subsided, and my taste buds brought me to the carbonation and bitter taste. I was expecting it to have more of a sweet taste, but I only could taste hints of honey and the alcohol aftertaste. Once I was about half way though the bottle, I began tasting how sweet it was, and I believe it had to do with the brew warming up. G didn’t notice much of an aftertaste, and we both stopped tasting the alcohol about half way through the bottle. We both had what could only be described as a “fuzzy tongue” similar to a high hopped beer, but the IBUs of Midas Touch are only 12 - we found this peculiar. We both found the brew unique, and best suited as a desert wine substitute.

A couple days ago I receive another friend of mine’s thoughts of Midas Touch, and Kevin had a slightly different experience. He tasted little to no carbonation, but he did smell the fruit and honey in the beer. He couldn’t taste the alcohol, but was able to get a nice honey aftertaste. He agreed that once the beer warmed up the smells and taste intensified for the better. He was the only person to pair the beer with food, specifically Asian food, which might have brought out more of the subtle flavors.

There is no doubt this beer is unique, and it is hard to compare it to any other brew. The history that comes through with drinking Midas Touch is just cool. All three of us enjoyed drinking it, but we all had different thoughts on having it again. We all agreed that it is a must try beer at least once. I initially was rather indifferent towards this brew, but enjoyed its uniqueness; after a little while however, the beer truly shined through as something special. Both Kevin and G seemed open to having it again, but would not go out of their way to get it. With all that being said, if you haven’t had it - go buy it, and if you have, try it again as a white desert wine substitute or with some Asian food. Just remember, the beer was at its best when drunk at room temperature.

Rating: B+

Beer and College

I’m a Duck, I’m just going to get that out of the way for those who are not a fan of the University of Oregon, but love or hate the ducks - Eugene is a wonderful place to be a beer drinker. I also, wouldn’t have what you would call a normal college beer experience. Much like the motto of this blog, “Exception Brews Experienced by Average Drinkers”, I wanted an experience, an experience not available from domestic brews. I wanted complexity, the unconventional, something that was representative of my delusional elitism, but, it was just that - delusional elitism. I didn’t know anything about craft brews, nor did I know what I liked. I had no business acting with snobbery. So, with the enthusiastic support of my roommate, I ventured into the great brew unknown. I started spending more time thinking about what was the next beer I was going to buy, then what food I was going to buy, eat next. I budgeted activities around being able to buy the  next 120 IBU IPA with 18% alc/vol from the smallest obscure brewery in Nebraska. I embellish slightly, but spending $9 on a 12oz bottle of beer wasn’t a second thought, but spending $9 on a movie was. At times, I would spend 20min in Market of Choice’s beer section picking out beer. I had to find a solution (though I still spent the same amount of time in beer sections), which was bringing friends into this strange artistic world of beer. Suddenly, many of us would spend much of our conversations, aside from religion, politics, and philosophy - talking about beer. Beer was communal, but not solely for the inebriating qualities. The uniqueness and individuality of each beer seemed to represent that time of our lives. Beer became an intricate part of the growth and creative experience of college - we expressed much of ourselves through the beer we drank.

Many people in college have that one professor that changed everything for them, that opened their eyes a new, and I had my share a great professors, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to place beer on a magical pedestal. What I am trying to do, however, is show how much like visual and literary art, like skillfully prepared food, craft beer is apart of that unique experience. Next time you have a new brew, take a moment, don’t rush through it, enjoy all it has to offer, and hopefully there’s enough for you and a couple of friends to let time pass and enjoy the moment. 

Cheers!

Matthew