Wachusett IPA

This is my last of the Boston beers Anabel brought me and I have to say, I enjoyed each one of them. If I had started my blog sooner they'd all be on here but I guess that just means I'll have to find a way to get my hands on them again. I had the Wachusett IPA at god's, I mean Travis', little get together party. It was a special occasion so I thought I would bring along a fine drink to enjoy along with the great company. Talk about going to Chico's later made me really look forward to it since I have really been craving it. Made me once again think about what beer would be a great pairing with Chico's. I'm thinking a pale ale or a brown ale to complement the tomato sauce and the hops would go well to wash down and soothe the spicy chili.

Anyway back to the beer: this beer smelled very sweet. A flowery, citrus aroma dominates the smell and I'm really looking forward to the first sip since IPA's are one of my favorite beer styles. Wow, sharp hops dominate this beer, much more bitter than I initially expected from the smell. Great brew, it finishes with a malt crispness that balances the overpowering hops nicely. This beer has a ton of flavor and I could taste the hops long after I was done with it. The beer sweetens softly as it warms bringing a well-balanced, hoppy example of the style. Would definitely have this brew again if I could get my hands on it. Any fan of IPA's should sample this one. This will be the first in a string of IPA reviews to follow because I just noticed I have a few in my fridge unintentionally.

Newcastle Brown Ale

Was out with work friends on a Friday night after our first softball game, which ended in a victory for us (via default!). As everyone pretty much knows, you can't really find great beer at your average bar and since they didn't have Sam Adams I decided to try a Newcastle Brown Ale which I hadn't had in a very long time. I normally wouldn't try a new beer at a bar because the smell doesn't always come through clearly and like I said before, they don't typically have a great selection. When I took a big sniff of this beer I was surprised that I got a very doughy, yeasty smell. The aroma was actually a pleasant surprise and made me think this beer might be on to something. The taste is nothing like the smell, there's a light malty flavor that settles right in the middle of the tongue, not very much hop flavor at all. There is not much depth here at all and being a big fan a brown ales, this is probably the worst I've had. No surprise since it is a mass market brown ale. This is definitely miles ahead of your typical carbonated water flavored, piss-looking macro lager but it is nowhere near what a good brown ale should be. I guess it's a decent choice when there's nothing better available but I would still take a Sam or Guinness ahead of this.

Anchor Steam

I know I said I'd update frequently but I got lazy. Great start huh. I've already got a backlog of 3 beers I tried so let's get right to it. Not all the beers I review here will be something I've never had before. It'll probably be a mix of both and Anchor Steam is a solid beer I hadn't had in awhile and decided to pickup a bottle last time I was at Buddy's. It was a Thursday night and I was watching the Olympics on TV and decided to grab myself a brew.

I poured it into a glass and it poured a reddish-copper color, looked tasty. I was kind of disappointed because there was no lacing on the glass and that's something I like to see in a beer. Might've been because it wasn't too fresh. I really need to stop sitting on my beers as long as I do but I like to take my time with them and not try too many new ones at a time. On the first sip, I got a sharp hop taste with a nice malty undertone and it continued until the glass warmed slightly. I know this sounds funny but I somehow get a steamy taste. As it warms, I started to get a fig/raisin flavor at the top of the tongue while the hops continued to dominate the sides of my tongue and the back of my throat. It finishes solid with a well-balanced, complex flavor throughout. This is a solid session beer, another one I recommend. This is something I would get a six-pack of and enjoy in an evening if I could.

It reminded me of the beer I had in Vegas last year. Tiny corner bar at the MGM actually sold bottles of Anchor and walking around the hotel with a great tasting beer in my hand and a god by my side was definitely one of the good experiences.

Ipswich Oatmeal Stout

This is my first official post about something so here goes. Rain started coming down pretty hard this afternoon so I decided to grab a lawn chair and enjoy the weather outside with a beer. I had been craving a stout for awhile and decided to grab the Ipswich Oatmeal Stout that Anabel brought me from Boston. It was just what I've been craving. It smelled very roasted and like a mix of coffee and dark chocolate although no one aroma prevailed over the others, very balanced. First sip gave me a pronounced roasted malt and barley flavor with an underlying hint of bitterness and slight coffee taste. Had a nice caramelized flavor to finish. Nice thick mouthfeel with not too much carbonation, which I like in a stout. Could tell this was not your typical stout and I think it's the first oatmeal stout I've had. As it warmed and I got towards the bottom of the bottle, began to feel a slight tickle on the tongue and the toasty flavor stood out more. I think the tongue thing was more because I hadn't eaten anything all day rather than a characteristic of the beer. A slight hop flavor also started to come through which was a pleasant surprise. Overall very balanced and a must try. It made me crave the steaks I had yesterday again and this would be a great compliment to a thick juicy steak. Beer got me craving Chico's now which begs the question: Which beer is the perfect pairing for Chico's?

Beginning

Well I guess I gave in, I've decided to start a blog. I've never wanted to reveal too much about myself to random people online but I thought about it and thought this would be a good way to chronicle some of the things in my life. I'll mostly be blogging about beers, sports, video games, movies, and random other things. I'll try to updated frequently and hope you enjoy!