After a long day of spending way too much to keep my poor 10 year old car running and and mowing the dirt-patch I call my lawn, It's now time (at 8:30 PM mind you...)to sit down and relax.
My local Packey has a fairly wide selection of seasonal beers and in addition, they sell a lot of the micro-brews by the bottle. For someone like myself who likes to experiment with a variety of beverages, this place is spectacular. Tonight, I've picked out two beers, and for once, I grabbed them partly because their packaging made them stand out from their competition. I didn't buy these beers particularly for the taste or because I had heard anything about them in any of the beer press. Having been a marketing major in college, I do have a natural tendancy to take into account packaging so today, I'm running a little experiment. Does the beer live up to the extensive work that was put into making the beer even MORE appealing? In addition, I'll be doing a first for Brew n'Music, I'm going to give you an "As it happens" review: from Pop of the cap to the last schwag at the bottom of the glass, you'll get a play by play of my impressions as they happen.
The first beer, I'll actually not be reviewing this week... althought I've heard a LOT about it. "He-brew" is a beer that has gotten a lot of press and next weekend, I'll see if it lives up to the hype. Stay Tuned!
The beer I WILL be reviewing this week is the Arcadia Brewing Company's Hopmouth Double IPA. This is, based on the label made by the "Brew Crew" and is part of their Big Beer Series. We'll see... I'm to assume that the "Double IPA" is simply a result of a LOT of additional hops being added during the brewing process and perhaps dry hopped at a later date. Either way, this should prove to be an interesting challenge.
Packaging: Green label, Celtic Designs and a "hop monster" face adorn the label. Ooooooo! Spooooky! I can only assume this to be the "Hopmouth" monster that the villagers have been grumbling about. I will do my best to vanquish this beast... and perhaps it's brothers and sisters!
Initial Pour: The beer is well carbonated, small bubbles percolate to the surface, making a pleasant, white, however not overly thick head. The head opens in a way I found to be somewhat perculiar... It seemed to spread almost from the center out both up and down instead of growing from the water line up... weird. Color is a dark deep tan/amber and considering that it's an IPA, it seems fairly dark for this type of beer.
Smell: Hop notes are clearly evident, however not overpowering. There's a hint of caramel as well. Interested to see what the first sip brings.
First Taste: Oddly sweet at the first note and then bitterness hits the tongue with a crisp and hoppy freshness. The Hopmouth has a thick mouth-feel without being syrup-like in consistancy.
Second Sip: (no I won't be doing EVERY sip...) Whooo! Put some STANK on it, Ike! My tongue just took a quick whoopin' of hops. If you're a hop head, this is a beer for you. In general, despite its hoppiness, it does have a balance which again, the sweetness makes this a pleasure to drink.
I don't think I can tell you much more about this beer from here. It's a slightly heavy beer. Hoppy bitterness counterbalanced with a sweet grain flavor. Bottom line, it's a good beer. I would say that you should be EXTREMELY ready for the kick this thing's got.
Food Pairings: Hmmmm... Still trying to figure this one out... You could go one of two ways with this. Pair it with something sweet and subtle OR fight BACK with equally strong flavors. Lemon Rosemary Chicken for some reason keeps hitting me as appropriate. There's also a recipe for baked chicken with a brown sugar breading that could hold up well enough to a powerful beer like this. My wife experimented with this recipe the other day and it was top notch. This beer would also be well served against appetizers such as a strong sausage, salami or pepperoni, and a sharp maple cheddar. Long story short; a STRONG beer like this needs strong flavors to match up to it.
Overall impressions of this beer are good. The beer stands up to its packaging and certainly makes good on it's claims of A. Being a "Hop Monster", B. Being a BIG beer and C. CERTAINLY "Goes Big".
If you have a chance, check this one out, you'll not be sorry!
The Arcadia Brewing Company
Battle Creek, MI
www.arcadiabrewingcompany.com
Brew Well, Be well,
-Rob Anderson
Next week: He-brew!
Showing posts with label Brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brewing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
He Brewin'
Gang,
There's nothing quite so satisfying in life as passing on knowlege. It truly is the path to immortality. Not like in "Highlander" where decapitated souls pass on knowledge through lightening shows and pyrotechnics... I know that when my head leaves my shoulders, the conversation takes on an ackward silence that just seems to pervade the room... Did no one else find Christopher Lambert an odd choice as a scotsman? I mean, I could understand every word he was saying... that's not Scottish at all!!! But I digress...
Good Friday should have been called GREAT Friday thanks to our friend Matt. Matt is our friend who we've built into a full blown He'brewer. "Today I am a man!!" Happy "Bar"-Mitzvah Mattie! Can (I make any more jokes during passover? I schvitzing here... but seriously Matties a Mensch...) Friday was Bottling day!! We were joined by our friends Dan "the dog walker" and my neighbor and good friend and quasi-professional brewer Jason, currently training for the Iron Man Triathalon. This night might have gotten him a bit off track on his diet... sorry buddy, but my permission slip as well as Dan's were signed and I think we were all down for a party!
The night was just what I needed. Guy food, Guy beer, Guy talk. Matt's poor wife came down for a quick 15 minutes or so before she realized where the conversations were headed... but it's so warm and familiar here in the gutter!!! While I, like any good Irish Catholic, ignored Good Friday, Matt and his family celebrated Passover. This resulted in probably the funniest and frankly quickest version of the passover story ever replete with finger puppet plagues!! Oooh Lice!! You know it's going to be a good one when the story starts out "so this dude Pharoah..." Thankfully, after a few beers, my Parochial school training kicked in and I could fill in the blanks to compete the tale that frankly made the sweeping Charlton Heston epic look like community theater. Well played Matt. The academy should be calling ANY day now.
On to the beer!! Let my bottle caps gooooo!
Matt is brewing a SUPER hoppy IPA. We hopped it with fuggles hops and then dry hopped it with Kent Goldings (BITTER). I think that the IBU's are topping out at around 85 to 90. Based on the initial tastings, it's actually going to turn out to be a tasty beer. The malt is going to balance off the hops quite nicely, but there's definitely going to be a bitter back taste. It's got a light and somewhat hazy amber hue which should clear up after bottling and aging. My friends who are true brew-nuts are going to kill me for my next statement, but I need to be true to my tastes: Now, I like a good hoppy IPA but I've had a few that just go way too far. We're not shipping this stuff to the troops in India, people... Matt's on the other hand appears to be quite pleasant and although it's going to have some sharp nasal notes and a somewhat bitter aftertaste, I think it's going to be a good brew which should mellow with age.
No good brewing experience would be complete without MORE BEER! We had a few decent beers including an IPA that Jason brewed which I will affectionately term "the Wedding Beer". Jason is brewing a big batch of this for a friend's wedding. (See Jason's Blog, it's an excellent source of info and adds a level of science which I so clearly lack) While not a taste I usually equate to IPAs, Jason's brew had a slight and light mouth and a grapefruity aftertaste. Overall a great beer. Jason takes his time with his beers and is meticulous about his process. I wish I put as much care into my homebrew attempts!
In addition to the wedding beer, we were treated to a growler of the Opa IPA from the Opa Opa steakhouse and Brewery in Southhampton, MA. Opa generally puts out a good product and here they've made no exception. This is truly what a hoppy IPA needs to be. This one had some kick to it and the brew frankly is tasty and was appropriately paired with a Chicken Curry and Steamed rice which was prepared by yours truly... Simple recipe, Chicken, onions, two Italian HOT peppers and a bottle of Patak's brand Butter Chicken Curry Sauce. Top notch taste, easy and frankly HOT HOT HOT. I think to a person we built up a bead of sweat each. I've never been disappointed by it. Our spicy holy S*&T burn your face off journey continued with a local favorite: Wings from Buff's Pub in Newton. These are wings I'd wait in line for. Spicy, tangy, and slathered in a Honey Hot Sauce. It's a remarkable concoction and I ALWAYS enjoy having them. If you're in town, make the trip to Buff's. I think that the Opa IPA stood up well to strong food, however, I think it might be a bit too much on its own.
The night, all in all was a great success and Guys and gals, beer is no good unless it's shared with good friends. I'm glad I have friends like this to clink glasses with. Thanks a ton guys. I can't WAIT to do it again!!!
Brew well, be well.
Yours Truly
Rob Anderson
Mmmmmm. Pre Beer Ghaaawwaaaaaaa...
Who ordered Chinese? For the record... not a Buff's Wing.
The "Masters" at work... (insert sarcastic snarky comment of your choice here.)
Hey Man... that's not even mine... I'm holding it for a friend!
Yes Mattie, 80% of brewing is Janitorial work... Keep cleaning!
That's SCIENCE FOO! Recognize!
Professor Jason holding the class captivated
The Proud Papa and his beer...
Which label is better? White border or no border? Weigh in with your opinion
"Looks Like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue": Jason on labeling duty
New Uses for the Thigh master! Matt capping his new brew
Wait... you want us to put this where?
There's nothing quite so satisfying in life as passing on knowlege. It truly is the path to immortality. Not like in "Highlander" where decapitated souls pass on knowledge through lightening shows and pyrotechnics... I know that when my head leaves my shoulders, the conversation takes on an ackward silence that just seems to pervade the room... Did no one else find Christopher Lambert an odd choice as a scotsman? I mean, I could understand every word he was saying... that's not Scottish at all!!! But I digress...
Good Friday should have been called GREAT Friday thanks to our friend Matt. Matt is our friend who we've built into a full blown He'brewer. "Today I am a man!!" Happy "Bar"-Mitzvah Mattie! Can (I make any more jokes during passover? I schvitzing here... but seriously Matties a Mensch...) Friday was Bottling day!! We were joined by our friends Dan "the dog walker" and my neighbor and good friend and quasi-professional brewer Jason, currently training for the Iron Man Triathalon. This night might have gotten him a bit off track on his diet... sorry buddy, but my permission slip as well as Dan's were signed and I think we were all down for a party!
The night was just what I needed. Guy food, Guy beer, Guy talk. Matt's poor wife came down for a quick 15 minutes or so before she realized where the conversations were headed... but it's so warm and familiar here in the gutter!!! While I, like any good Irish Catholic, ignored Good Friday, Matt and his family celebrated Passover. This resulted in probably the funniest and frankly quickest version of the passover story ever replete with finger puppet plagues!! Oooh Lice!! You know it's going to be a good one when the story starts out "so this dude Pharoah..." Thankfully, after a few beers, my Parochial school training kicked in and I could fill in the blanks to compete the tale that frankly made the sweeping Charlton Heston epic look like community theater. Well played Matt. The academy should be calling ANY day now.
On to the beer!! Let my bottle caps gooooo!
Matt is brewing a SUPER hoppy IPA. We hopped it with fuggles hops and then dry hopped it with Kent Goldings (BITTER). I think that the IBU's are topping out at around 85 to 90. Based on the initial tastings, it's actually going to turn out to be a tasty beer. The malt is going to balance off the hops quite nicely, but there's definitely going to be a bitter back taste. It's got a light and somewhat hazy amber hue which should clear up after bottling and aging. My friends who are true brew-nuts are going to kill me for my next statement, but I need to be true to my tastes: Now, I like a good hoppy IPA but I've had a few that just go way too far. We're not shipping this stuff to the troops in India, people... Matt's on the other hand appears to be quite pleasant and although it's going to have some sharp nasal notes and a somewhat bitter aftertaste, I think it's going to be a good brew which should mellow with age.
No good brewing experience would be complete without MORE BEER! We had a few decent beers including an IPA that Jason brewed which I will affectionately term "the Wedding Beer". Jason is brewing a big batch of this for a friend's wedding. (See Jason's Blog, it's an excellent source of info and adds a level of science which I so clearly lack) While not a taste I usually equate to IPAs, Jason's brew had a slight and light mouth and a grapefruity aftertaste. Overall a great beer. Jason takes his time with his beers and is meticulous about his process. I wish I put as much care into my homebrew attempts!
In addition to the wedding beer, we were treated to a growler of the Opa IPA from the Opa Opa steakhouse and Brewery in Southhampton, MA. Opa generally puts out a good product and here they've made no exception. This is truly what a hoppy IPA needs to be. This one had some kick to it and the brew frankly is tasty and was appropriately paired with a Chicken Curry and Steamed rice which was prepared by yours truly... Simple recipe, Chicken, onions, two Italian HOT peppers and a bottle of Patak's brand Butter Chicken Curry Sauce. Top notch taste, easy and frankly HOT HOT HOT. I think to a person we built up a bead of sweat each. I've never been disappointed by it. Our spicy holy S*&T burn your face off journey continued with a local favorite: Wings from Buff's Pub in Newton. These are wings I'd wait in line for. Spicy, tangy, and slathered in a Honey Hot Sauce. It's a remarkable concoction and I ALWAYS enjoy having them. If you're in town, make the trip to Buff's. I think that the Opa IPA stood up well to strong food, however, I think it might be a bit too much on its own.
The night, all in all was a great success and Guys and gals, beer is no good unless it's shared with good friends. I'm glad I have friends like this to clink glasses with. Thanks a ton guys. I can't WAIT to do it again!!!
Brew well, be well.
Yours Truly
Rob Anderson
Mmmmmm. Pre Beer Ghaaawwaaaaaaa...
Who ordered Chinese? For the record... not a Buff's Wing.
The "Masters" at work... (insert sarcastic snarky comment of your choice here.)
Hey Man... that's not even mine... I'm holding it for a friend!
Yes Mattie, 80% of brewing is Janitorial work... Keep cleaning!
That's SCIENCE FOO! Recognize!
Professor Jason holding the class captivated
The Proud Papa and his beer...
Which label is better? White border or no border? Weigh in with your opinion
"Looks Like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue": Jason on labeling duty
New Uses for the Thigh master! Matt capping his new brew
Wait... you want us to put this where?
Monday, March 30, 2009
First Post
Every Journey Starts with Just one step: This is mine.
I've never in my life blogged and frankly, for the longest time, I thought it somewhat well... sad. I felt it relegated to the ranks of Comic book Guys (worst reference ever...) However, as of late, I've had a change of heart. I have a few friends who have done it and frankly, it's fairly interesting to read up on. Either I'm overly nosey or I'm the most tame voyeur of all time. Through this, I'm hoping that I can at least get my thoughts out on the page and use this as a forum to help you, the reader. HOWEVER, my end all, be all hope is that I can entertain you. If I've done that, I will have succeeded. "Victory shall be MINE!!!"
A little about me:
My name is Rob and I'm a life long "Mass-Hole" as we're so affectionately called throughout the Union and yes, I love the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and the Celtics. (the Sox, the B's the Pats and the C's). I drive like a total and unabashed jerk and, I use the word "wicked" on a regular basis. I'm predominantly Irish, although my last name is Scotch/English. Either way, PASTY is the best way to describe my skin pallor. Suffice it to say, the sun and I do NOT get along.! If they make an SPF 300 I'll be the first in line.
I have too many hobbies to list but I'll be blogging on a variety of them on a regular basis.
-Home Brewing: I LOVE a good beer and I'll be blogging on my recipies as well as my tour of my brewpubs of the world
-Music: I work for a record Label called "Brewhouse Records". Can you tell the ilk of people I hang out with?!?. Check us out! We have a brand new artist named Vanessa Kafka. She's GREAT!! Check her out as soon as you can! In addition, I've been writing a few things, mostly for myself but I'm going to be blogging on that as my projects progress. I play guitar, piano, banjo, Tin whistle, Harmonica and a HOST of other instruments
-Bagpiping: I'm in a group called the Sutherland Bagpipe Corps. I've JUST started in January but I have a history with music, so it's coming somewhat quickly. It is by FAR the most difficult instrument I've had to learn. They're a GREAT group of guys and I'm really looking forward to working with them further.
-Cooking: I fancy myself a home chef. I LOVE to cook and I have to say, my favorite thing to make is quickbread. My most recent success was with a Beer bread recipe I found. Could it be that I've combined two loves into one?!?! More on these later
-Fatherhood & Husbanding: Note that I didn't say Husbandry... If you've seen "dirty jobs" on Discovery Channel, you'll get the reference. EEwwww. Long story short, I LOVE being a Dad and I have a relationship with my wife and daughter that sometimes is just plain funny.
-Voiceovers: I'm getting into it! I've always had a knack for impersonations, accents and language. I figure of the 1001 ignorant things I can do, I might as well use this ordinarly useless talent to make some loot. Stay tuned!!
As you can see, I'll be blogging about nothing in particular. So friends and would be friends. I bid you good eve and I look forward to entertaining, informing you and hearing your feedback!!
-Rob
I've never in my life blogged and frankly, for the longest time, I thought it somewhat well... sad. I felt it relegated to the ranks of Comic book Guys (worst reference ever...) However, as of late, I've had a change of heart. I have a few friends who have done it and frankly, it's fairly interesting to read up on. Either I'm overly nosey or I'm the most tame voyeur of all time. Through this, I'm hoping that I can at least get my thoughts out on the page and use this as a forum to help you, the reader. HOWEVER, my end all, be all hope is that I can entertain you. If I've done that, I will have succeeded. "Victory shall be MINE!!!"
A little about me:
My name is Rob and I'm a life long "Mass-Hole" as we're so affectionately called throughout the Union and yes, I love the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and the Celtics. (the Sox, the B's the Pats and the C's). I drive like a total and unabashed jerk and, I use the word "wicked" on a regular basis. I'm predominantly Irish, although my last name is Scotch/English. Either way, PASTY is the best way to describe my skin pallor. Suffice it to say, the sun and I do NOT get along.! If they make an SPF 300 I'll be the first in line.
I have too many hobbies to list but I'll be blogging on a variety of them on a regular basis.
-Home Brewing: I LOVE a good beer and I'll be blogging on my recipies as well as my tour of my brewpubs of the world
-Music: I work for a record Label called "Brewhouse Records". Can you tell the ilk of people I hang out with?!?. Check us out! We have a brand new artist named Vanessa Kafka. She's GREAT!! Check her out as soon as you can! In addition, I've been writing a few things, mostly for myself but I'm going to be blogging on that as my projects progress. I play guitar, piano, banjo, Tin whistle, Harmonica and a HOST of other instruments
-Bagpiping: I'm in a group called the Sutherland Bagpipe Corps. I've JUST started in January but I have a history with music, so it's coming somewhat quickly. It is by FAR the most difficult instrument I've had to learn. They're a GREAT group of guys and I'm really looking forward to working with them further.
-Cooking: I fancy myself a home chef. I LOVE to cook and I have to say, my favorite thing to make is quickbread. My most recent success was with a Beer bread recipe I found. Could it be that I've combined two loves into one?!?! More on these later
-Fatherhood & Husbanding: Note that I didn't say Husbandry... If you've seen "dirty jobs" on Discovery Channel, you'll get the reference. EEwwww. Long story short, I LOVE being a Dad and I have a relationship with my wife and daughter that sometimes is just plain funny.
-Voiceovers: I'm getting into it! I've always had a knack for impersonations, accents and language. I figure of the 1001 ignorant things I can do, I might as well use this ordinarly useless talent to make some loot. Stay tuned!!
As you can see, I'll be blogging about nothing in particular. So friends and would be friends. I bid you good eve and I look forward to entertaining, informing you and hearing your feedback!!
-Rob
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