Beer Noob

It has been about six months since I’ve done a blog update...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:53:15 -0500

It has been about six months since I’ve done a blog update on the different brews that I’ve tasted. In order to kill multiple birds with one stone, here is a picture of some of the beers I had during my summer in LA. From June-August I lived in sunny Marina del Rey, about 3 miles from LAX airport, for a summer internship with w/a major nonprofit organization (keeping the orgs name out of this post just so I don’t get in trouble for some stupid bullshit). Either way, the internship was by far one of the best summer experiences I’ve had and so much fun even though it felt like we never truly had a day of rest. There were weeks when I would work 45+ hours and I was always exhausted by the end of my work days. So in my post-graduate logic the only way I thought to relax was to watch an episode of Alias (I rewatched the entire series this summer) and have a beer or two.

Starting from the left I’ll address each beer in its n00b appropriateness. One tasty beer of the summer was Stella Artois. The only real reason Stella was one of my favorites was because how I came to acquire the beer. Lets just say, you should never leave beer/alcohol in a “communal” fridge when staff members are the ones with the keys to unlocking the kitchenettes. Therefore one of the bosses decided to jump on his bike w/a large blue Ikea bag and raided the fridges, thus me getting a Stella for free. If you’ve never had Stella Artois before, I highly recommend it because 1) its a quality beer 2) its completely n00b friendly. As of right meow I can’t really give a full on description of the beer because its been over three months since I’ve had it but I do recommend it from knowing that I’ve liked it every time I’ve had one.

The next beer in the picture line-up is an Apricot Ale from Pyramid Brewery and to my surprise it was actually pretty damn tasty. Being from the Mitten, I’ve never heard of Pyramid Brewery which seems to be strictly a West Coast brew that has breweries from Seattle to Berkley. One day at the local grocery store I stumbled upon a variety pack from Pyramid and decided to give the beers a try. Needless to say I was not disappointed with this purchase. The Apricot Ale is kinda of a sweet beer, but it seemed to have just the right amount of sweetness. While I could never drink two of the Apricot Ales in a row due to too much sweet beer, I definitely recommend it if you ever get the chance to try it. I’m use to trying fruit beers and this one deserved an A in my book for its taste alone, 100% n00b friendly.

The next Pyramid brew is the Haywire Hefenweizer, which was amazing. I love hefenweizer beers so much and Pyramid’s hefe was definitely tasty. I can say that the Haywire was my favorite out of the entire case. Can’t think of anything more to say about this beer except you should have one…or five.

The last two Pyramids are kind of a blur to me, not because I got hammered but because I can’t remember being too particularly fond of them/they didn’t leave a lasting impression of me. However I can say overall I was happy with my purchase of the variety pack and suggest you try them if you’re ever on the West Coast or a place where they sell the beers.

Aaannnddd the last beer and clearly the most plentiful in the picture is Shock Top. Shock Top is along the same lines of Blue Moon and Bell’s Oberon. Its another orange type beer and pretty tasty. Not as great as Oberon but still a good beer and completely n00b friendly.

Happy drinking!

German Amber Beer-Palm

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 02:10:21 -0400

So this evening I decided to enjoy a night out with some friends from high school. I some how managed to get a night off work and was able to finally go out and drink at a decent hour (before 11:30pm). My drink of choice this evening was some German (perhaps Belgium) beer that was an Amber type of beer called Palms. It was completely n00b friendly and went great with the warm pretzels and cheese I had.

However my highlight of the night was not the beer, it was the company that enjoyed my drink with. A friend’s dad was entertaining a business associate from Japan in our downtown and Mr. H had the great idea of bring his business associate to hang out with a bunch of college age kids. Mr. Richie (as I’ll call him) was awesome! He bought us rounds of beer and food and he also had a favorite game called “Guess how old I am”. Anytime someone new would join our group, Mr. Richie would have that friend guess his age (which was 43 and we are all under the age of 23, ha). Mr. Richie shared with us stories from Japan w/his family and even showed us personal footage from the horrible earthquake that happened earlier this year. He hung out with us for a good two-hours and I hope he had as much fun as I know the rest of the group did.

The best part of the night had to be when Mr. Richie did a car bomb @ some “Irish pub” in Downtown Plymouth. While the two other individuals at the table were chugging the drink Mr. Richie shrugged, dropped in the Bailey’s and then proceeded to chug the bomb in its entirety before the other two. It was awesome to say the least. Mr. Richie acted like it was no big deal but then made faces throughout the rest of the night from the after taste of the bomb. Mr. Richie will go down as one of the best drinking companions I have ever had the pleasure of drinking with.

I know I got on a tangent from the beer blog because Mr. Richie is the star of this post. He out shone the Palm beer that I had this evening. I would highly recommend Palm beer for anyone who is a n00b to drinking beers. Its not my favorite beer by any means, but when its the beer of the month at Sean O’Callaghan’s for only $3 it will have to do. So I suggest trying out this beer if you want to get away from your usual Miller Light/PBR bullshit.

-Peace,Love,TheGap

Dear n00bs, Never leave your beer in a communal refrigerator. It will become emanate domain and...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:50:44 -0400

Dear n00bs,

Never leave your beer in a communal refrigerator. It will become emanate domain and staff will “confiscate” the said beer.

Also, thank you the individual(s) who left: Stella, Pacifico and some random microbrew, my Monday night just became awesome.

Sincerely,

Tear :'( Wish I was going to be in Michigan for this!

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:55:06 -0400

Tear :'( Wish I was going to be in Michigan for this!

Bell’s Two Hearted While I know this post is long over...

Sat, 28 May 2011 18:57:46 -0400

Bell’s Two Hearted

While I know this post is long over due and long past when I initially had the Two Hearted, I figured I could do a brief update for right now. This was my 1st celebratory beer after completing the first graduation ceremony. From what I can remember of the Two Hearted is that I had it within the same week of getting drunk off Bell’s Hopslam, so needless to say the Two Hearted was a walk in the park. This Bell’s is a rather hoppy beer for any beern00b and if I didn’t have the Hopslam under my belt, the Two Hearted probably would’ve knocked me on my ass.

This is definitely a beer that you will want to work your way up to because it is hoppy, but if you are use to a more potent beers then this is a good choice for you. As I said earlier, its been too long since I had this beer (about 4 weeks) and I can’t truly remember much about it except that I did enjoy it. Happy drinking!

To celebrate your new post...

Tue, 24 May 2011 23:38:00 -0400

I am going to play sink the biz against myself with Two Hearted while I spin some nerdy music…I hope I win

—Wait a minute @joeymuffins did you hack my account?!

So n00b...how do you feel about pinches gringos?

Tue, 24 May 2011 23:37:20 -0400

I cannot tell a lie, I love’em.

So it has been about two weeks since I last made a beer blog....

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:54:00 -0400

So it has been about two weeks since I last made a beer blog. My apologies, this isn’t due to a lack of drinking but more of a lack of remembering to blog about my brews. So here it is finally, a new beer n00b post.

On Monday April 25th I finished my last college paper as an undergraduate EVER. All I was looking forward to after the paper was finally being able to go out and party hard with all my fellow Wolverines but instead I ended up falling asleep (pretty nerdy, I know). However my brother and sister stopped by to pick up season 2 of The Wire (great show, highly recommend) and to have a quick drink.

In our basement fridge was the Holy Grail, two 6-packs of Bell’s Hopslam. If you are a Miller, PBR or any other cheap beer kind of drinker, I highly suggest you work your way up to this beer. A 6-pack alone cost about $16 bucks here in Michigan and can go for over $25 bucks in some states like NC. This beer is 10% ABV and is NOT beer n00b friendly whatsoever. This is a beer that can kick you on your ass easily, my second time having Hopslam took about 2 beers to get me drunk but more of that later.

When I took my first swig of Hopslam this was my reaction (fast forward to about 1:50). Needless to say, Hopslam packs one powerful punch. After I got over the initial bitterness and the taste of grass I started to enjoy the beer. Give yourself time to get use to how strong it is, probably have at this beer two or three times before you completely rule it out (but then again, that is probably what you should do with most beers).

As I mentioned earlier, when I drank this beer for the second time around…it knocked me on my ass quickly. I’ll admit that I am a pretty light drinker, typically 3 regular 5% ABV beers=me drunk. However with Hopslam it took about 1.5 beers to make me all loopy. Also I suggest that you do not pregame with this beer, WORST (or best?) decision ever. Tuesday night we went out to celebrate being done with college and I decided 2

Hopslam would be a good idea. I knew I was not going to be drinking liquor that night and was mainly going to stick to beer. After the two beers on my porch, I was already drunk and all my friends loved pointing it out. We went to Blue Lep and ordered a pitcher of Oberon (see previous post on this tasty recommendation).

As I was enjoying my beer my sister decided to surprise me with a Wisconsin Lunch Bucket (probably the BEST shot/bomb to ever take, sooo tasty). After this shot I wasn’t even able to finish my beer and apparently started giving massages at the bar. There are pictures of me asleep on my friends shoulders and attempting to photobomb their pics, it was not my finest hour.

Even though Hopslam was able to make me do things that I didn’t think possible w/out the consumption of a 64oz fishbowl from Charley’s, I definitely recommend it to someone who wants to expand their beer pallet. Again, this is a beer that you should drink your way up to. If you drink this as your first beer ever, you’ll swear off beer for the rest of your life (or until you discover shitty beer).

To work your way up to a Hopslam I’d suggest: Cheap beer [PBR, Labatt, etc]—>Blue Moon—>Oberon—>Bell’s Two Hearted—>Hopslam. These are beers that I’ve had prior to the Hopslam that I think helped to slowly get me prepared for the smackdown Hopslam would provide. Hopslam is no longer in season right now (last about two months starting mid-Janurary) so you have plenty of time to work your way up to the beer.

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:36:50 -0400

When we moved from California to Indiana. I still remember sitting on the train with everyone around me crying and not understanding what was happening. Thats the only part of the move I remember, nothing else.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:35:28 -0400

A book, wtf kind of questions are these?

In continuing with my hipster weekend w/The Decemberist concert...

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 01:06:00 -0400

In continuing with my hipster weekend w/The Decemberist concert last night, my brother and I decided to check out some local record stores in Ann Arbor in hopes of slowly transforming ourselves into hipsters (he won’t admit it, but he really does wish he was a hipster). Encore Recordings is located on E. Liberty near The Michigan Theater and filled with so much music, its overwhelming. The store has records, 8 tracks, cassettes and CDs. There was a plethora of random recordings (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who) but also some classic tunes (like some Aretha Franklin I got on vinyl today). Needless to say, the store was pretty amazing and a time trap because you don’t even notice that you’re searching through LP after LP for 1.5 hours.

After our pretentious music palate had been satisfied, it was time to get some grub and perhaps a beer. We headed over to Ashley’s for a lunch and a early day beer (5o’clock somewhere right?) If you’re ever looking to be adventurous with your beer selection but don’t want to splurge on the entire 6-pack right away, Ashely’s is a great place to go find your new favorite beer. They have imports from around the world and microbreweries around the country; and yes you can get your regular domestics like Miller and what not. But lets be honesty, if you order something like Budlight or PBR you may as well get the hell out because one of Ashley’s mottos is “Life is too short to drink cheap beer”. If you want a beer like that go to Bar Louie or else where, Ashley’s is where you go to try something new and where you get to be a pretentious beer drinker for the little bit of time that you spend there.

With beers constantly rotating on tap, it is hard to pick just the right beer, especially when you have no idea what some of the elaborate descriptions mean. (Honestly, if you go to Ashley’s, take the time to read the beer descriptions. Pretty sure they got some English Lit major to come write the most ridiculous explanation ever). Nevertheless, I decided to go with Bell’s Oberon (a wheat beer) for my lunch beer. I’ve had various Bell’s brews in the past and have never been disappointed and Oberon definitely did not disappoint. It is one of Bell’s many seasonal beers and just returned to bars/stores this past month. The beer is not too strong and very flavorful, it is garnished with an orange peel that I suggest you squeeze into the beer for added flavor. Oberon reminded me much of Blue Moon’s Belgium White (another great beer) with its hint of orange flavor. This one is most definitely beer n00b friendly and is always enjoyed by Bell’s fans everywhere. Ashley’s even had a special midnight tapping of Oberon when it was finally brought out of hibernation for the summer.

Last night I was finally able to experience The Decemberist live...

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:26:39 -0400

Last night I was finally able to experience The Decemberist live now that snowpacolypse is long gone and spring is here. While I didn’t take a pic of my beer(s) last night, it was def beer noob friendly and hipster approved (not as approved as PBR though).

Either way the Labatt Blue and Heineken were nice refreshing brews to accompany the endless amounts of plaid and beards. The only way the concert would’ve been better was if they had PBR on tap for all the hipsters to enjoy.

If you are looking to start off drinking beer you should start with any of the three listed above. They are easy and won’t make you swear off beer forever. Once you’ve completed potty training with these beers you can move on to something with a little more flavor. Stay tuned for the next step in your beerducation.

Its a holiday for a hanging. Happy Good Friday! #toosoon? 3...

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:31:10 -0400

Its a holiday for a hanging. Happy Good Friday! #toosoon?

3 hours away from a nice Michigan Brew…can you guess what it is going to be? I bet only @hannahsheridan can get the right answer.

The beginning of the end.

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:20:00 -0400

Today I take my last final exam of my undergraduate career. Its bitter sweet and also ful of last minute cramming. I cannot wait for it to be 3:30 so I can come home and have a victory beer.

Now to get back to cramming so I can blog about my beer later today as I fill out paperwork for a job. #lifeisgood