Devil Dancer, Founders Brewing Co.

Devil Dancer, what is a triple IPA anyway? You know, I am not entirely sure. I think that a reasonable description is a double IPA with the hops jacked a little bit and the malt jacked a whole lot. So what you get is an Imperial IPA with a lot of maltiness to balance an insane amount of hops. This flows through the three that I’ve tried, Devil Dancer from Founders, Molotov Cocktail from Evil Twin and of course Dogfish Head’s 120 Minute IPA (although not named a triple IPA). Could it be a gimmick? Of course. Do I care? Of course not.

Lust, Bavarian Weiss Beer from St. Francis

Well it’s time for Wednesday Beerday! Up for today is Lust, a Bavarian style Weiss from St. Francis Brewing Co. I’m not normally a big wheat beer drinker, but I’ve been trying some different ones lately. I had Envy, the IPA from this brewery, and based on that, I’d try pretty much anything from them. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find Envy around to do a review.

Arrogant Bastard Ale, a review

Arrogant Bastard Ale

Well, I’m pretty sure I did this on my other site that I lost. A wonderful part of my being pretty depressed during a lot of the last couple years was that I let all my websites go. I haven’t been able to find any of my backups. Ahh, ce la vie, right? Anyways, since Stone finally decided to distribute to Wisconsin, [AMAZING!] I had to make sure I did this one again.

Keeping an open mind: Budweiser

Well, in an effort to expand and show that I am not a complete beer snob, I’m doing a review on a mass marketed domestic beer. We all know how much Anheuser-Busch owns of the beer industry, so that’s my biggest beef, getting the little guys to sell out. I have had the original Budweiser, Chzech-Var at Kurtz’s in Two Rivers, which is actually pretty tasty.

When I first started drinking beer, I never really wanted to drink many domestics. I guess I was biased from the start, and I don’t even know why.It was probably mostly from being completely turned off by the advertising. I mean, back in the day, the frogs made me laugh as much as anything, but the empty promises made by mass beer just really turned me off. Especially now with the whole light beer being manly thing going around. I’m not saying it isn’t manly, if that’s your poison, fine, but don’t tell me that only real men drink light beer, that’s a load of crap.

But anyways, off the soap box, that’s not why I’m here. I planned on giving the “King of Beers” a fair shake and I have.

First off, the label is a classic. It speaks of elegance and history and is really quite beautiful. The colors are striking, and it’s a well packaged product. But come on, of course it is (=

It pours a very clear yellow-ish gold (into my wonderful Homer glass, which I found quite fitting, all things considered) with a pleasant amount of head which dissipates in just a few seconds. Smell is simple, slight hops, barley, maybe a little rice comes out, but it pretty much has the typical pale lager aroma, not much complexity, but it isn’t bad either.

The mouthfeel is fairly watery, there’s no strong caramel smooth backing, but there’s nothing wrong with it, it just doesn’t have a lot of depth. The taste too is actually mostly pleasant. I wasn’t really disappointed at all. Again, there’s no real complexity, but to be fair that’s not what this beer is even trying for. It’s a decent pale lager, maybe a bit too fizzy, but well balanced overall. It’s a good flavor though, consistent and quite refreshing to be honest.

Overall, I probably won’t buy more very often, but that’s more a reflection on the mass production than the beer itself. In no way is it an awful beer. It does exactly what it sets out to do, refreshes and gives a widely accessible simplicity. And as much as I hate seeing breweries succumb to the AB-Inbev empire, if they get new people to start drinking beer who then move on to bigger and better things, I’m fine with it. So go ahead, crack one open with a few buds (= It’s sure affordable if nothing else.

Thanks for stopping by (= Let me know what you’re drinking!

New Glarus: You wish you lived in Wisconsin.

There are times that I don’t like living in Wisconsin. For instance, when you have nearly 6 months of below 20 degree weather and then go back to your hometown in the month of JUNE and it’s 50 degrees outside. Those times are not so cool.

But New Glarus is one of the great reasons to love Wisconsin. How many states have a well established brewery making astounding beer that caters only to residents and visitors of its own state? Possibly only one, I am not sure if there are others, so I cannot say with authority.

I’ve been drinking New Glarus only since I turned 21 back in 2006, but they’ve been brewing since 1993, and have just recently put out their 20th Anniversary American Strong Ale. This is a fun story (=

I’ve only recently begun to find out about the extreme limited editions that many breweries put out these days. Some of them garner thousands of fans lined up outside and the beer sells out literally in hours. I could go nuts over this, but there are still so many amazing beers for me to taste that I am able to temper my excitement and stay reasonably within my states restrictions. I would lvoe to find some Pliny the Elder or Dogfish Head 120 minutes, but hey, I have to remember what i have right here in good ‘Ole Wisconsin.

When I found out that New Glarus was putting out a limited release I knew I would have to have it. So today, on the weekend of my wife and my 5 year anniversary, we stopped at Ridgeview Liquor in Green Bay hoping to stumble upon some of this sought after beverage. As expected, they were sold out. Had been for ages in fact. I talked to the owner and he said that ******* might have some. Yeah, I’m not telling you where yet, because I may need to buy another one to store, and these are going fast. Message me if you really want to know! So Alicia and I journeyed to said purveyor of alcohol, and as soon as we walked in I spotted it in the first section from about 30 feet away. I ran up, grabbed a bottle and proceeded to do a funky little hop-jig-dance-like-thing in the middle of the aisle. My wife is used to this sort of embarrassment (=

Well, story time over, it’s time to talk about the beer. Oh yeah. First off, the label is great. It’s somewhat quaint, homey and spirited at the same time. I love the Carey’s ability to be a little quirky with some of their labels and just really do what they want, it’s a great thing.

This beer pours dark. In fact, I had a lighting area set-up, and the darkness of the beer actually caused me to have to reshoot (hence only one picture right now). I’ll get a few more up when I have the second bottle… not sure when that will be, it depends on whether or not I am able to procure another one to store for much later consumption. Anyway, it’s dark. It’s this beautiful rich dark amber color that has a murkiness to it. It also poured with a monster of a head. This amazing beast of a head. I actually attempted to float the bottle cap, but I flinched and it fell to the bottom of the glass. *awkward confession*. The head sticks around too, just looking at the lacing afterwards makes me almost giddy.

The aroma is wonderful as well. At first I didn’t even know what style this really was, as I’ve only had one strong ale before. Turns out it’s modeled after a Belgian Dubbel. I couldn’t quite identify a particular smell, but it turns out it’s plumb. You can tell too, but its’ not like a super fruitiness, just this delicate hint, and it really stands out. It also gives off a slightly stouty smell, more malty than hoppy, and definitely gives a sense of the reason it’s called a Strong ale. I should clarify here, that I haven’t had many of this style before, so if I do miss some things I apologize. I’m still rather an infant in the scheme of beer tasting (=

Upon first taste, I honestly was amazed. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it exceeded whatever expectations I may or may not have realized I had. It is a very “alive, robust and complex” beer, just like the bottle says. It’s powerful, almost like this slightly nutty, slightly fruity wave of beer strength that just carries you off into the ocean. Like I mentioned, the plumb taste is present but not with an overbearing fruitiness, but a perfect hint of sweet amidst a sea of power.

The mouthfeel is glorious, a caramel smoothness that massages the taste buds and soothes the soul. Just looking at the monster head (whenever I get photos up) gives you a sense of the thick smoothness that is present within.

I’ve had most of New Glarus’ selection, including some they don’t even make anymore, and this one is like nothing I’ve had from them. It’s on par with the Raspberry Tart for sure. It’s filled with wonderful complex flavors and is truly something to behold.  If I could buy up cases of this to share with everyone, I would. If you find it near you, DO NOT HESITATE, there is no decision to make here, just buy it. Buy three, or for, or seventeen. Drink a couple and save a couple. I plan to drink my second and go back for one or two more to store for a couple years and see what happens.

*Photo Edit* I managed to find a couple from the shoot that were usable, so I can save my 2nd bottle for a while (=

 

New Local Product, Check it out!

Hello everyone,
so one of the things I wish to do more this year is update my blogs. I am currently working on deciding how my content may be evolving, but in the meantime I wanted to take a moment to try and support the product of an acquaintance of mine.

Brian Davis is a racer here in Appleton, and friend to Mark Desjardin, of group ride fame (= These guys really gave me some great help this past summer when I started getting into cycling. They helped me on the group rides, gave me advice, and were some of the many people who welcomed me to the sport.

Brian is starting a kickstarted to promote his new product, Fix it Sticks, and I just wanted to show my support. This is a really cool tool, and if you bike at all, think about helping a local idea get off the ground!

Go check out the Kickstarter!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fixitsticks/fix-it-sticks-a-fantastically-unique-bicycle-multi 

Beer Review: New Belgium Ranger IPA

Ranger is probably an overdue beer for me to review, so here it is! New Belgium is one of the best selling craft breweries in the country, and I think they’ve earned it. I am really excited for the day when I get to head out to the beauty of Colorado, and take the tour. It goes without saying, that if your logo is a bicycle, you’ve already won my heart (=

For starters, I love the label of Ranger, it’s very simple. Green is also my favorite color so I’m a little biased, but hey. I also love seeing the fat tire bike anywhere and everywhere.

Ranger pours a very clear golden with nice visible carbonation. When I say clear, I mean it, this beer has no haze, it’s a color that feels crisp. I find that a lot of beers tend to be stronger than they smell, but Ranger is a bit of the opposite. The smell is good, but it doesn’t slam you with hops right away, it’s a bit of a more gentle introduction. You can smell hops for sure, with the light earthy and citrus aromas, but you don’t get a total hopslam. I get a little caramel as well.

The taste of this beer is great. It has a great flavor, hoppy with a bit of caramel, and not a ton of bitterness. It brings the hops, but not overpowering, it’s pretty pleasant. The mouthfeel is good as well, somewhat gentle, it seems to roll around in the mouth as if the feel is mimicking it’s crips golden color. I think the aftertaste could be a bit more bitter, but it fits with the rest of the beer very well.

All in all, Ranger is a great IPA. It’s not my favorite, and it’s not intense, but it’s very pleasant. I think it would be a good option for those who aren’t looking to get hop-slammed. It’s a great all-around beer though, really satisfying. Go buy some and drink it. For real.

New Bike Pump!

So I spent my gas money on a bike pump (=
Especially with how many flats I’ve gotten from not having my tires pumped at quite a high enough PSI I thought it was time. I’m commuting to work now, and yeah. It was necessary.

I guess I should clarify. My wife Alicia and I have just undergone a move to a new city! We are now in Appleton, Wisconsin. If you don’t know, it’s just a little bit from Green Bay. It’s a great place, real bike friendly, lots of great restaurants and coffee shops. I am actually working at Harmony Cafe now, which is a part of Goodwill in Wisconsin. Plus, our new place is only a 12 minute commute by bike. Awesome.

I know it’s a little silly to get super excited over a bike pump, but this thing is frikkin awesome! I actually have a pressure gauge now, and it goes up to 160 PSI. Sweet.

It’s a Fuji, I don’t know the model number, but it has a smart head, a.k.a. it does both presto and schrader valves. No adapters or anything. Slick.

ki