Future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Potentials

I have often wondered about the state of rock and roll right now.  I grew up listening to, and loving, a lot of rock and roll artists.  I remember when my friend Lou and I started hunting down different vinyl releases back in high school.  We loved those classic artists who were well deserving of making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Over recent years, I’ve started to question a lot more if anyone is deserving of this honor anymore.  I certainly won’t start campaigning for Nickelback to find their way into what is supposed to be those hallowed halls.  Looking at this years nominees, I have to be honest that I am very unaware of what a lot of them have done.  The major ones that are being inducted are Gun N’ Roses, The Beastie Boys, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Although not a huge fan of any of these bands, I can see what these people did for the music scene over an extended period of time.  In today’s time period, I don’t know that any one band or artist has the same qualifications to be given a similar honor.  I have come up with my top three artists, or groups, I believe will one day find their way into the hall of fame.  I think next week I’ll do my ideal list of artists who probably won’t make it into the hall of fame.

1. Dave Grohl – If you’ve been a reader here for a while you know my love for the Foo Fighters.  I was going to say they should be in there, but I really think you could just throw Grohl in there by himself.  The Foo Fighters have been one of the few consistently strong bands for over the past 15 years.  His role in Nirvana can never be understated; even though I’m really not a huge fan of them.  And, he has done some great work for Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures.  Having recently seen Foo Fighters in concert, Grohl embodies what it means to be a rock star.  He loves to play music, and he tends to create pretty good music too.  Plus, he is really talented.

2. Radiohead – I have a feeling this is one that will need no convincing.  Even though they put out a couple of albums that had some listeners a little disinterested a few times, they came back and started self releasing albums that were top-notch material.  Plus, they were at the forefront of figuring out how to make the digital age work in their favor.  They went from creating really impressive rock and roll indie material, to then combining electronics in a way that didn’t make me want to throw their record out the window.  They are the pioneers of a genre that will forever be grateful to them for being so inventive.

3. Jack White – News of his new solo album is actually what prompted me to write this post.  I have thought about the current state of rock and roll for a while, and I think White is a musical genius.  He has been a part of some amazing bands over the past few years.  I wasn’t a huge fan of The White Stripes when they first came out, but they managed to win me over as new albums continued to come out.  The Raconteurs are a great band that produce music more in line with folk rock, and The Dead Weathers seem to be his punk rock outfit.  He can never be really defined by a style or genre of music.  He does a lot of them, and he does them really well.  I’m really interested to see his new solo stuff come out.  Hopeful it won’t be a career killer like some people’s solo efforts.

So what are some of your favorites to actually get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Next week I’ll give you my long shots.  I have a feeling more of you will be able to think of some of those.

January 31, 2012
Categories: Life, Lyrics . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: Leave a Comment

Victory Brewing Co – Storm King vs Dark Intrigue

I’ve talked about a few of the biggest trends in beer today with a few different topics.  I had a post that dealt with the growing trend of trying to create sessionable beers.  I’ve also talked more than a few times about the growing trend of canning beers.  There is, however, one trend that I haven’t talked too much about: bourbon barrels.  This isn’t exactly a new trend, but I do think it is one that is only continuing to grow.  It seems to me that a lot of companies are trying to find a way to have one special release that has been aged in bourbon or whiskey barrels.  Even DC Brau, who may have only been around for a year, have special released their porter in whiskey barrels.  It is something that is both popular and amazing.  I have tried a lot of these specialty brews, and I continue to buy them all the time, but I rarely get the opportunity to do a side by side comparison of the initial beer and its aged version.

I did a little post about black beer friday for the day after Thanksgiving where I initially set out to buy this bottle of Dark Intrigue.  We were heading over to Victory Brewing Co, and I wanted to pick up something dark for the occasion.  They, however, sold out of Dark Intrigue. My wife and I still dinned and had some dark beer, Storm King Stout, at the actual brewery.  I really liked Storm King, so when I saw a bottle of it in a create your own six pack situation, I grabbed it for a potential future review.  A few weeks later I found out that Dark Intrigue was at my local store.  I knew I needed a bottle for this precise review.

Friday I wasn’t able to go to my hockey game; therefore, I had my past contributor over to do this very tasting.  I knew I really didn’t want to drink both a 12oz stout and 750ml bourbon barrel stout in one sitting by myself.  Therefore, I waited quite a while to finally do this side by side tasting.  We poured both out at the same time to get a real comparison of both.  Here are our finding.

I really didn’t think the pour would be too affected by aging; however, it was somewhat apparent in a few different areas.  Of course they both pour out midnight black.  There really wasn’t anything to surprising about that.  I’ve had Storm King at the brewery before, and there is no way aging it lightened it up.  The other visible aspects weren’t all that surprising that they were slightly different.  Aging left Dark Intrigue with a darker brown head, and you could tell there is less carbonation.  This is based off of how little head developed, but also, there was less reactivity in the glass as well.  Intrigue resulted in sticky residue, and Storm had a lot more lacing to it.

The smell was completely different.  King has a much more obvious roasted smell to it.  You pull out the coffee, chocolate, and a little bit of hoppy scent.  It has an almost clean and refreshing scent when it comes to a stout.  Intrigue is a much different animal.  Gone are almost all of the heavy roasted notes.  I thought maybe a little bit of the nose would hang out over the aging; however, the bourbon steals the show.  The sweetness level gets really bumped up over the aging as well.  There is definitely more of a molasses sweetness about this one.  I really don’t pull out the initial coffee or chocolates I was getting in the King, and you certainly get none of the hops.  How would the taste be affected?

King has a lot of the same tastes that show up in the nose.  There are a lot of the coffee and chocolate flavors with a ton of roasted qualities.  There is a little bit more complexity to it as you get the light kick of the hops at the end.  It is just a light little touch.  The roasted flavors really carry you through the entire tasting.  Intrigue has a really heavy sweetness to it.  You almost get a brown sugar molasses taste.  There is a ton of booziness and bourbon in here as well.  You get a lot more burn.  The coffee and chocolate are still a little present more on the back half, but I would say it’s almost hard to notice them.  I was surprised that all of the heavy roasts really disappeared.  I thought that some of that would have existed after the aging. They seemed to have been replaced by a lot of bourbon.

The mouthfeels were obviously completely different here.  Storm had far more carbonation, it was cleaner, and crisper.  Intrigue was far more syrupy, heavier, and had more of a burn to it.  If you’ve had a few of these bottles that have been aged in bourbon barrels, then you know this is a pretty typical result.

I really wanted to do this tasting because I had never sat down and tasted both the base and the aged next to each other.  I find it really interesting to see how the initial recipe here really changed after aging.  Either way, they are both great beers.  I know I will be more than happy to have another Storm King again.  It is a great stout with a ton of flavor.  I would be more than happy to have a little glass of the Dark Intrigue again, but I doubt I’ll be buying a full bottle again.  It may be delicious, but I don’t really want to down a bottle by myself.  Check out which ever one interests you more, or get both and do what I did.  It was a lot of fun anyway!

Teacher Grades:

Storm King – A  

Dark Intrigue – B

January 30, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 2 Comments

Old Dominion Brewery – Millennium Barley-Wine

The battle between big beer and craft beer seems to be heating up lately.  Big beer probably has nothing to worry about, but some of their actions lately seem to suggest something a little different.  Although they aren’t going out and buying huge portions of smaller craft beer companies, they have begun to just put a toe in the ever growing craft beer pond.  Such is the case with Old Dominion Brewery.  In 2007, Fordham Brewing company put up a bid to buy Old Dominion.  This may not really sound like a huge deal in the beer war; however, some of the backing money for the purchase came from  Anheuser-Busch.  Anheuser-Busch doesn’t have a huge claim in either Fordham or Dominion, but they have enough to have a role in the distribution.  Maybe it isn’t very much, but many see it, and many other similar situations, as a sign of big beer encroaching on the craft beer industry.  As far as I understand, this was one of the last beers that was completely Old Dominion, that is, before they packed up and moved to Delaware.

Dominion really isn’t typically one of those breweries I run to the self for, and barleywine isn’t exactly a style of beer I crave.  But, I just couldn’t help myself.  I saw a bunch of people reaching for it, and I noticed that they had a single of it, so I just grabbed it.  Barleywine is a bit of a weird style.  If you’re not familiar with it at all, then you should probably check it out.  Be very aware, however, that it is a very strong style of beer.  Doing a little research on the style, it appears that its name is derived from its very high alcohol content.  It really isn’t a wine at all because it is brewed with barley instead of fruit.  I feel like someone should probably come up with a cooler name for it, but I think we may be stuck with it by now.

The appearance on the pour is much like a lot of the other barleywines I’ve enjoyed.  It pours a very auburn orangey hue.  Although this is a color that is pretty frequent with this style, they do tend to vary in colors.  There is never really a lot of head on these types of beer.  The alcohol is really high, so a very thin white head develops on top of the beer.  It does get slightly sudsy with the swirl, but it really isn’t all that much to speak of.  The swirl more displays the legs that are visible on the side of the glass.  A really sticky residue sits on the side of the glass.  The beer appears really hazy, and there is definitely a minimal amount of carbonation visible in the glass.

The smell really makes you snap your head back from the burn of the alcohol.  You almost forget you’re about to drink a beer when there is so much alcohol present on the nose.  There is definitely a certain sweetness to this beer as well.  The sticky sweetness seems to come from some dark rich fruits.  An interesting aroma that I don’t remember on most barleywines is a little spiciness.  I really like this aspect.  I doubt it’s because this one has been aged in oak barrels, but that part has me excited as well.  There are definitely ample malts here, and as expected, it is completely void of any hops.  I wouldn’t expect them from this style though.  I think before tasting the smell got me most interested.

The first sip really kicks you in the teeth with the ample amount of alcohol.  Perhaps I should have better prepared myself.  Either way, The beer has a very sweet and rich cherry or dark fruit flavor.  This is combined with some very sweet malts.  The sweetness leads you really quickly into the strong burn of the booze in the middle.  The burn of the alcohol really takes over and is combined with a little spice. It’s not till the finish that you start to taste a few of the other flavors.  There is once again some really sticky sweetness on the ending.  The sweetness has an interesting earthy oak flavoring that definitely comes from the barrels. This leads you into the sweet earthy boozy finish.

The mouthfeel is exactly what I was expecting.  This is really syrupy with just a little light carbonation to help mellow the thickness.  The boozy flavor is huge, but it isn’t all together unpleasant.  As I said, I’m not big into barleywines.  I like to have one or two around for when I want one heavy beer, but they aren’t everyday beers.  The oak flavoring on the end is really pleasant and welcoming.  Perhaps it’s what helps me enjoy this one more than some other barleywines.

With the Old Dominion being purchased by any part of a big beer company, I’m sure some people will immediately try to stay away from them.  It’s like when a band signs to a small record label you later find out is backed by Atlantic or some other major record label.  Did they sell out?  Whether you think they did or not, this is definitely a good beer.  It certainly isn’t for the faint at heart, but if you like a strong beer, give this one a try for sure.

Teacher Grade: B

January 27, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 2 Comments

Dubstep – Thoughts and Opinions

Music and beer are funny things to blog about.  Everyone has an opinion, so while some of us think one way, you are sure to have an

The Face of Dubstep

entire group of people who think the complete opposite of you.  I talk about craft beer and good music.  If my consumption of different products were the only thing that drove the economy, things would look very different in the world around us.  But, due to the differing tastes, I really have very little influence on what is popular or “trending” in society.  All I can do is give you my opinion on it, and let’s face it, that means very little in the grand scheme of things.

As my regular readers know, I’m a middle school teacher.  This job technically keeps me in touch with what is popular amongst our youth right now.  I of course teach a particular demographic, so it is more a cross-section of what is actually popular.  It is, however, a fair barometer for the climate of our youth.  A couple of months ago, some of my more musically interested students began to ask me my opinion on dubstep. I had no idea how to answer that question, since I had no idea what they were talking about.  Sure enough, I started to hear and see the term all over the place.  Right before we left for Christmas break, on movie day, some of my students treated me to a cellphone version of a few dubstep songs.  I can honestly say a cellphone speaker is the least complementary instrument through which to play dubstep, but it had me interested in why this was even becoming popular.  I thought this was called club music, electronica, or techno.  I needed to search deeper.

Doing a real quick search of the internet tells me Dubstep has been developing for the last 14 years.  Although it certainly has only gained popularity in the states in the past year or so.  Originating in the UK, it is classified as electronic dance music that has tight productions, heavy bass lines, and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.  I still don’t see a lot of difference between it and the electronic club music I typically dislike.  Either way, I have found a few different ways in which dubstep is handled.

Skrillex seems to be at the forefront of the American dubstep boom.  He is up for a Grammy for best new artist, and he is definitely the one my kids talk about the most.  His style seems to fit the description of dubstep to an essential T.  He has really heavy beats, he plays with the flow of it to make it seem slightly jarring at times, and he utilizes a lot of sampling.  Having listened to his music a little and also seen his videos, I feel like his music on the album is a little boring, repetitive, and predictable.  It seems to follow a loop and contains very little vocals.  It really focuses more on a heavy beat.  However, watching his music video to the song helps to make it slightly more interesting.  It’s like watching the action sequence in a Resident Evil movie.  Ultimately, I feel like this is a great example of what I don’t like about dubstep.  I can’t imagine sitting down and just putting this on for an extended period of time.

Another dubstep artist that essentially rubs me the wrong way is James Blake.  Don’t get me wrong, put on a Blake album and then put on a Skrillex album, and I promise you would have no idea they are even close to being in the same category.  Evidentially, based on some of my research, Blake considers artists like Skrillex to be frat-boy dubstep.  There is definitely something I love about that statement, but if Skrillex is frat-boy, I would love to know what you consider James Blake to be.  It has to involve something pretentious in some way.  James Blake seriously puts me to sleep.  I really try to not be judgmental when it comes to the music scene, but seriously, this guy is just plain boring to me.  Blake leaves out the heavy bass elements completely and instead lets his shaky voice do most of the work.  It’s definitely different from Skrillex, but I wouldn’t say it makes it any better.

Finally I come to the closest thing Pitchfork enjoys that is close to the current popular dubstep.  SBTRKT is yet a much different form of dubstep.  He seems to find some middle ground between the really bass driven sound of Skrillex and the pretentious sound of Blake.  This anonymous gentleman seems to be more capable of finding a sound that a lot more people can enjoy.  He definitely uses a lot more singing in his composition than Skrillex, but his music is more listenable than James Blake.  I can actually imagine putting it on in the car and thinking I don’t want to shoot myself or fall asleep.  I have to admit that it still really isn’t all that great to me, but I think that this particular artist could perhaps grow on me.

I know dubstep is far more than these three artists; however, I find it interesting that you can pick three rather prominent artists in the genre and find things that they do completely differently.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some reader, fan, came along and put me in my place when it comes to the history and everything of dubstep.  I’m not actually trying to smash it as a genre.  I like that music is still developing; however, I’m still not a fan of this genre.  To me, it isn’t far enough from the initial components that influenced it.  I may never understand dubstep really, but I guess there is a chance it’s here to stay.  Maybe it’ll be the next ska!

January 26, 2012
Categories: Lyrics . Tags: , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 5 Comments

A Bar By Any Other Name

I have recently, for various reasons, have been thinking about the Americanized version of the bar.  Everyone has their favorite watering hole.  For various reasons, it’s sort of your go to place.  There are definitely various reasons why some people tend to favor some bars over others, but in the end, something has to get you into that establishment.  When I first moved to DC, I didn’t really find a good place in particular that I wanted to go to.  I liked RFDs downtown.  They have a huge beer menu that allows you to try a lot of different brews from different places.  There is, however, very little character to the place.  I’ve heard many people refer to it as a cafeteria.  Then, later on, I started working at place called Marty’s on Barrack’s Row.  I liked it simply because I could drink as much as I wanted, and I paid very little.  I guess this is why it doesn’t exist anymore.  They didn’t have good beer, but it was a place to go, and it was cheap.  Now-a-days, I find myself relying solely on H St for my libations.  There are, however, a few bars that really stick out to me as bars I love and continue to go back to.  Here are a few of them.

The Cloverleaf Tavern: This may be my favorite bar of all time because it was the first bar I ever really found that was interesting.  This bar is actually not located in DC at all, but I think that helps it on the cool factor.  This bar is a little under a mile from my house at home.  They have a really good selection of beer, but what really puts them over the top for me is their beer club.  It isn’t really your typical beer club.  Anyone who wants to join gets a card to keep track of the beers they drink at the bar during every visit. The key to their club really is how your can progress through their club.  You move through the different levels like you do your higher education.  You earn your bachelors, masters, and doctorate.  With each completion you get to throw a graduation party at the restaurant and enjoy other perks as well.  All in all, it’s a great idea.

Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar: I have talked to a few other people who actually aren’t a huge fan of this place.  I however am not one of them.  There is one aspect of this bar that you have to look past to enjoy it: cash only.  But, if you bring some cash, this is a great place to visit.  It always has a really chill vibe, the atmosphere is very cool, and the beer selection is really good.  It doesn’t really need a gimmick, although some might consider the atmosphere a little bit of a gimmick.  For me, the most important part is the beer.  They always seem to have the limited edition stuff from Founders and Stone, as well as, some really good beer as well.  There is nothing on tap though.

The Pug: This bar is completely different from any other bar you’ll find on H Street.  I say that because it is basically a really good dive bar.  They don’t have anything fancy going on here.  They have probably 5-6 beers on tap, most of their stuff in cans, and really only a few in bottles.  They serve beers like Natty Boh, Molson, Schlitz, and PBR.  But they also have a lot of good beers mixed in there as well.  They really don’t try to please anyone too much, but they have a lot of fun as well.  There is a very loose boxing theme to this bar, but they don’t really hype it too much.  They serve a little bit of food, but they mostly serve cheese balls all night. It’s a great little bar where you can get an inexpensive beer.

These aren’t even close to the top beer bars if you google beer bars in DC right now.  Of course one is in NJ anyway. However, I really like these bars.  I feel at home there, and that really is what matters.  I’m asking my wife to take me out to one of the top beer bars in DC for my birthday next week.  I’ll keep you up to date if I like it as much as some of my typical watering holes.  Stay tuned!

What are some of your favorite bars in your area, and what about them makes them your favorite?

January 25, 2012
Categories: Life . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 4 Comments

Thoughts on Beer Blogging

I have been at this beer blogging thing for nearly a year now, and I have definitely developed some thoughts on the entire process.  Lately I’ve tried to have a blog ready to go everyday, so for today’s post I figured I would do a little post on my thoughts on beer blogging.  I haven’t quite reached one year of blogging as of yet, but I am about two months away from reaching that first year marker.   It has been a really interesting 10 months or so of doing this, and I am really looking forward to continuing.  Here are a few big things that really stand out to me when it comes to blogging about beer.

Beer = Money: This may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s even more true when you’re doing this with good beer. I try to get to the store once a week to pick up new things to review.  Do I really have to do it every week?  Probably not; however, I enjoy getting in there to pick up bottles I hear are rare or limited edition. Just look at the picture I took of the inside of my beer fridge.  I really don’t have room for a lot else right now.  Plus, I have bottles on a bookshelf that aren’t pictured as well.  It takes a lot of will power to not continuously add to the collection.  My place, Rick’s, sends out emails and Facebook messages keeping everyone up to date about the beers they have coming in.  All you have to do is call in and reserve it.  This however also means you have to pay for it.  Some weeks I manage to hang back and not spend too much money; however, it isn’t surprising to spend $50 or more a week on only a few bottles of beer.  Like I said, I enjoy it, but I do need to pace myself.

People View You Differently: I didn’t really think about having labeled myself as a beer snob or nerd until I went to my wife’s 10 year high school reunion.  I’m used to people I know talking about beer with me, or bringing up beer related topics with me.  But, when I went to her reunion, I had people I had never met before doing the same thing.  I had a few immediately state that I was the beer guy.  People want to know what you’re drinking because they think it will be something fancy, and they want you to recommend something for them to drink.  It’s a little strange, and yet, also a little empowering as well.  I suppose we do that with just about anyone we meet in life.  You ask doctors about this pain you’ve had for weeks; why not ask a beer guy for a good beer recommendation.

It’s a lot of fun: I would say it’s also only fun in moderation, since I’m trying to lose weight. I did my post a month or so ago about the thrill of the hunt, and I really do enjoy hunting down good beer, but it’s also just fun always having new stuff.  Every Friday and Wednesday I head to the fridge specifically to get something for reviewing.  Each time I literally have to sit down in front of the fridge to figure out what I want to review.  Sometimes I base it on what I am feeling, while other times I pick one based on what I know I can write the most about.  Either way, I know I’m going to have something interesting.

A year ago I started to throw around the idea of doing this blog, and I certainly didn’t know it would take off quite this much.  I am really enjoying what I’m doing here, and I definitely look forward to my one year anniversary.  I better start planning out what I want to review for that one.  I have something special in mind though.

January 24, 2012
Categories: Life . Tags: , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 8 Comments

Dogfish Head – Pearl Jam Faithful Ale

Dogfish Head is just one of those breweries that tends to be really polarizing.  As was the subject of a rather heated debate on Beer Advocate as of late, people tend to have a rather strong opinion of a brewery at the forefront of the craft beer industry.  A lot of people, including myself, love a lot of releases that come out of this brewery.  However, also like myself, some people get really frustrated by a lot of things that they put out as well.  I can understand the perspective of a brewery like this that enjoys taking chances.  They enjoy pushing boundaries and attempting to put things in beer no one had ever thought of.  Therefore, taking risks like this results in not just big highs, but some beers that are a little bit of lows as well.  With the good comes the bad.  However, you kind of have to respect a brewery that isn’t going to just make something that they know everyone is going to love.  Fact is, Dogfish respects beer.  They want to elevate it to the level of wine, and if you want to cause a revolution, you don’t always make everyone happy.

Faithful Ale was certainly an idea that was sure to cause a little minor uproar from the start.  Dogfish has done beers in “collaboration” with different music artists before.  Both of their previous efforts, Bitches Brew and Hellhound on my Ale, were pretty good and popular.  This one had a much different feel to it though.  It felt a little forced or something.  That of course didn’t stop people from buying it.  I actually have completely stayed away from reading reviews on it for just this reason.  While I have my doubts, I want to go into it with an open-mind.

In a little video I watched on the making of this beer, Sam Calagione stated that they asked Pearl Jam what they like to drink.  They responded that they like to drink really robust Pinot Noirs and Mexican lager.  Therefore, Dogfish took that and ran with it.  The result is a Belgian-style golden ale brewed with very low hops, 20 ibus, and currents added at 10 different increments over a one hour boil.  It doesn’t scream of something I would typically pick up to drink, but it does come from Dogfish.  Therefore, I am always will to give it a try.

This one poured a rather yellowish apple juice color.  I realize the little pictures I take are affected by the effect I put on my phone to take the picture.  Sorry about that.  I’ll have to make sure I get one pic that actually shows the color.  I tend to think about how I got a good picture of the head and not the actual color.  There is a nice white head that develops on top of the beer.  This helps to result in some good lacing that manages to last quite a while.  Interestingly, there is basically no carbonation visible in the beer.  I really thought I would see some carbonation based on the head, but there seems to be none of that.  Good clarity as there is no haze to the beer at all.  This actually has me slightly worried.

I really felt like this one was lacking in the smell department.  The nose of a beer tends to give me some good idea of what I’m about to taste, but I just don’t really pull out a whole lot in the nose department.  I do get some overall sweetness.  You definitely pull out some of the currants.  The berry and grape aroma is still really light but obvious.  There is a little hint of apple that comes out as well.  You can pull out a little spiciness from the hops and yeast as well.

The taste is overall extremely crisp and clean.  This beer intros with some sweet malts and currant flavoring.  The overall breadiness is pretty present right up front as well.  The sweetness of the currants carry you right through to the yeast and light hops that give you a nice little kick to the middle section of the beer.  This is really necessary to give it a little complexity.  As the yeast and hops begin to mellow, the sweetness from the currant flavoring and some apple flavoring comes in to finish it off.  The aftertaste is barely there.  It’s some very mellow sweetness with a little lingering yeast spice.

The mouthfeel really isn’t all that much to speak of.  I really wanted some more complexity on the mouth, but it’s just really crisp and sort of refreshing.  I know somebody out there is saying, “What’s wrong with that?”.  My answer is, nothing really, but I enjoy something that makes me think a little bit more.  Despite not being visible, there is a lot of ample carbonation.  The carbonation is only increased by the spicy yeast here.  This is definitely not syrupy at all, and it is simply lacking in much of an aftertaste.  It finishes really crisp and clean.

I really do respect Dogfish and everything they do for the craft beer industry, and I wanted to really love this one.  But, in the end, this is really just an okay beer for me.  If you enjoy a light refreshing beer, you’re going to love this one.  However, it just isn’t really interesting enough for me.  I don’t think they created a bad beer here, but I do think they created something that is just a little boring.  Either way it’s Dogfish head, so if you love the brewery and want to support them, check this one out.  You might like it more than I did.

Teacher Grade: C

January 23, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 6 Comments

21st Amendment – Bitter American

One of the biggest buzz words in the craft beer industry right now is “session”.  While I know some of you are really familiar with this word and its use, I’m sure others really have no clue why it’s a big deal.  There is a rather prominent movement right now to create more beers that one would call a session beer.  Not everyone is completely in love with the idea of a session beer.  I, on the other hand, am still trying to figure out where I stand on this issue.  I try to be as open-minded as possible when approaching a new beer style, but there is just some beer that doesn’t always find its way into my heart.  The entire principle behind this one has me wondering if I’ll like it, but I’m willing to give it a try.

The concept behind a session beer essentially relies on a few different ways of thinking about beer.  First of all, it should be something below 5% ABV.  This is for multiple reasons.  It doesn’t get you drunk as fast, which of course means you get to sit down and drink of a bunch of them in one sitting without getting hammered.  The other concept in this newish brewing style is to try to take that low ABV and still make it taste good.  You can have no problem at all finding beers that are low in alcohol.  The more difficult thing to do is to try to find one that has a lot of flavor.  Therefore, it would seem that craft brewers like this new challenge.  Lets do our best to pack good flavor into a beer that’s low in alcohol, which in return, people can drink more of in one sitting.  An interesting new addition to the beer industry.

I’m fairly certain this will be my first beer that is actually being called a sessionable beer.  Yes it does have multiple uses.  This is a beer out of one of my favorite breweries: 21st Amendment.  They are calling this one an extra bitter pale ale.  While it isn’t quite as bitter as an india pale ale, it does have a little more bitterness to it than your standard pale ale.  Interestingly, it was just announced that this one is moving from a special release beer to a standard release beer.   Hopefully it is pretty good  because I would love another excuse to buy some more beer from 21st.

This one pours out a very light yellow orangey color.  Having had so many dark beers lately, I feel like this color is slightly off-putting.  I have to remember that not all good beers are black.  There is an ample fluffy white head that develops on top of the beer.  I was slightly surprised by this, since I didn’t think it would be quite so prevalent.  There is a little light lacing, but it really isn’t too substantial.  A little sticky residue lingers on the side of the glass, and while the beer has really good clarity, I’m surprised I see no carbonation.

The smell is rather light overall.  I was thinking that a beer that prides itself in a low ABV wouldn’t really be too overpowering on the nose.  You do get a lot of nice piney hops, but they are rather muted for sure.  There is a little light floral quality, and you definitely pull out some light grapefruit smells as well.  You can also pull out a very light sweet malt quality as well.  The smell is really crisp overall with some light earthiness to it.

The taste was really surprising.  Like I said before, I’m fairly certain this is the first session beer I’ve had.  I thought I would be really blown away by how much flavor they packed into a beer with low in alcohol.  I, however, really didn’t find myself feeling this way right away.  The beer quickly starts you in with some light citrus flavors.  The subtle hops enter in but never overpower.  They sit back and linger on the palate throughout the tasting.  These hops have some very mellow piney flavor to them.  You also manage to pull the subtle grapefruit flavors as well.  There definitely are some very mellow sweet malts that run throughout.  Even though this beer didn’t blow me away right away, I felt I had to change my perspective as I consumed it, and I really started to like it more as I got further along.  It may just be the result of too many stouts and porters lately.

The mouthfeel is very similar to the taste: subtle.  The carbonation is really relaxed, but it doesn’t manage to become syrupy as a result. It’s all just really mellow.  The flavors are really clean and crisp while leaving a very light bitter aftertaste.

I’m still not really sold on session beer as a style; however, I do enjoy Bitter American.  I don’t really think winter is the best time of year to enjoy a beer of this nature, but I can imagine sitting out on a hot day and really enjoying one of these.  Definitely something to keep in mind.  If your interested in session beer, or if you just want to get a good easy drinking beer, then you should really check this one out.

Teacher Grade: B

January 20, 2012
Categories: Libations . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 10 Comments

What I’ve Been Listening To

A few weeks ago I did a post about the music I had on rotation at that moment.  Although a lot of those bands are still keeping my occupied, I am consistently attempting to add more and more music to my very long library.  Therefore, once again, I thought it was about time to update you on a few different bands I’ve been listening to as of late.  Like last time, I am definitely still catching up on a few different albums I never managed to pick up last year.  It’s amazing how I am still finding lists of different albums that were considered some of the best of last year.  I picked up the latest Spin Magazine which had a completely different band winning it all that didn’t even make it in a lot of list’s top ten.  These lists keep me real busy for weeks after they are released.

Deer Tick – Divine Providence – This is a band that I do actually have some of the older stuff from; however, I somehow let this one slip by me.  This isn’t really an album I put on everyday, but it is one that I definitely like a lot.  I really like how the songs tend to differ from one to the next.  I do get a little upset when I listen to an album that has a lot of songs that tend to sound the same.  These guys can go from a country folk sound, to an indie sound, to an all out bar song.  Their diversity keeps it interesting, and they are really good at what they do as well.

Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials – I stayed away from Florence for a while.  I saw her perform on a few award shows, and I had heard a few songs on the radio, but I was really surprised when I started to see this album pop up on some lists.  I try to not be too elitist when it comes to my music selection, but I don’t normally trust it when the mass media is hyping an artist.  I mean, they also hype Ke$ha!  I finally bit the bullet and went for it on this one.  This woman really can sing.  Most of the songs are quite catchy and impressive as well.  There are a few that I get a little tired of and skip, but I am definitely becoming a fan of both Florence and the Machine.  I may have to go back and see if I really like the last album as well.

Yuck- Yuck – Yet another album I really really slept on.  I basically grew up in the 90′s.  I mean those tend to be the major years I can remember, and it was when all my tastes were developing.  So a band that is trying to latch onto some of that former glory would have to be good.  At least I would hope so.  The low key nature of Yuck is great, while I really like the sound that the whole band creates.  I am definitely still listening to this one a lot and really developing my feelings on what I like about it.  It sounds like good old 90′s rock and roll.  There isn’t a lot of glam and wow to it, but it is just talented people who got together to put out good music.

tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l – This may be the album that I’m most upset I didn’t check out originally.  I’m basically only mad because I am certain that this one would have made it on my top 10 from last year.  This one definitely beats out a few of the albums I put up there.  I think I may have delayed because I saw something about it being heavy on electronics.  With the whole dubstep movement and everything right now, I tend to be doubtful when I see people hype a band as electronic.  This girl is crazy though.  There are times where the music slightly reminds me of Vampire Weekend, and there are other times where her sound reminds me of Bjork.  Ultimately, she has a sound all her own.  The thing that really put me over the top on her was seeing her performance on Jimmy Kimmel.  There are some artists that can do something new and fresh and make it amazing, and she is one of those people.  I of course attached the video below, so you need to see what I’m talking about if you don’t know.

I like to review individual albums and everything, but sometimes I just like to do a big post like this that gives you an overview of a few good albums to look into.  There is a lot of variety amongst these four albums, so there should be a little bit of something for everybody.  Open up your spotify and check a few of these out.  I guarantee you’ll find something you like.

January 19, 2012
Categories: Life, Lyrics . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 2 Comments

St. Bernardus – Christmas Ale

A little while ago I did a post on how much I enjoy “The Thrill of the Hunt”.  Even though I shouldn’t have had to hunt this one down, I did end up having to do just that.  I saw this one at my local store the week that it came out.  Unfortunately, I had a really full basket and talked myself out of picking it up.  Later I saw that this beer was the highest rated Christmas Ale one some people’s list.  The next week I got back to the store and found they had sold out of it.  I checked a few different stores to see if I could find another bottle of it, but ultimately I felt like I had missed out.  While at my parents’ house for Christmas, I decided to check out a highly rated store in their area.  Thankfully, sitting way in the back was the last bottle they had.  I quickly bought it up, as well as, the bottle of North Coast I reviewed a few weeks ago.  Even though Christmas has come and gone, I felt the need to pop this one open last Friday after a long week of work.

St. Bernardus is definitely one of the highest rated Belgian beer companies out there.  They are known for a number of different beers; however, this Christmas ale is one of the best for the season. Last week ended up being a week for Belgian beers for me.  Although this one isn’t called a Grand Cru, it is also considered a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.  Having really enjoyed The Beast a few days before, I was really excited to give this beer a try.  Of course, The Beast had a much higher ABV.  This bottle still comes in at a 10% ABV.  With a little less alcohol, I was interested to see how it compared to The Beast.

This one poured a really dark brown color with some hints of red and orange in it.  If you can’t tell from the first picture, I definitely made sure to take another picture of just how much head developed on top of this beer.  It’s like having a big white cloud floating over your beer.  For more of that winter aspect, it looks like you left the beer out in the snow.  Either way, you have to let this one sit for a little to let the head subside.  If the head is any indication, it’s no surprise that there is ample lacing on the side of the glass as well.  You really don’t see any visible carbonation in the glass because of the very hazy nature of its clarity.

The smell here was a mixture of some rich clove and dark fruits.  The plums, figs, and deep cherry scents manage to give the beer a very sweet smell, while the clove gives it a little spiciness.  I always find it interesting when the yeast is really present on the nose as well.  This is a little more of a sign of a Belgian beer, but you can’t always get it out of the nose of most beers.  Additionally, I pull out some peppery qualities, as well as, some hints of cinnamon.  Overall I would say you get a lot of malts with very few hops.  This really isn’t a very heavy smelling beer like The Beast, instead it seems to have a much more clean and crisp scent.

The first sip really does bombard your mouth with a mixture of flavor, yeast, and carbonation.  There is a lot going on here.  You have a really sweet malt intro that combines with some light citrus notes and rich dark fruits.  The spicy yeast quality quickly works its way in on your palate.  This combines with cloves and some light peppery flavors to give the beer a really hearty quality.  The beer continues to work in this slightly spicy concept until it reaches the finish.  The finish does have a slightly boozy feel with the continuation of the sweetness from the dark fruits mixed in as well.

The carbonation on the mouthfeel is huge.  Your first sip really coats your whole mouth with an incredible amount of fizz.  Even though this is really carbonated, I would not at all say that it’s over carbonated.  The carbonation and the yeast really work well together.  They both have a very fizzy quality to it that makes the beer feel lighter than it probably ought to.  The yeast also combines with some clove and pepper flavors to offer a really nice kick to this beer.  It helps provide some ample depth to the beer.  This beer somehow manages to warm like a winter beer without having an overly syrupy quality.  The aftertaste has a certain crispness to it even though there is some booze that lingers there too.

Overall I love this beer.  I may not have had it over the Christmas season, but I am still glad I got to experience it.  It’s fairly ironic that I unintentionally had two of the same style of beer in one week; however, I’ll admit that I would prefer to drink this one over The Beast if given a choice.  It’s got a little bit more drinkability to it, and I feel like it has more complexity to it.  The Beast relies on a lot of booze where this Christmas Ale has a lot more depth to it.  See if you can hunt one down for yourself.  You won’t be disappointed.

Teacher Grade: A

January 18, 2012
Categories: All Posts, Libations . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Lyrics, Libations, and Life . Comments: 7 Comments

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