Hmmm What Beer Should I Have With My Lunch?

Lunch?  A delicious iceberg wedge with real bacon, chunky blue cheese dressing, french fried onions, more creamy blue cheese crumbles, salt/pepper/balsamic vinegar-tossed tomatoes and cold buffalo shrimp.

The beer: Flying Dog Woody Creek White.  A Witbier.  And pretty darn good!

It's Tap Night at the Flying Saucer

I could see tonight's rare beer keg tapping coming from a mile away.  It was Avery's Samael's. Good God-A-Mitey.

Who the fuck is Samael?  Well, Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore.  (Are you with me now???)  He is a figure who is an accuser, seducer, and destroyer.  (Not to be confused with the Keymaster or the Gatekeeper.)  He has been regarded as both good and evil (I can totally see that).  He is considered in legend both a member of the heavenly host (with often grim and destructive duties) and a fallen angel, equal with Satan and the chief of the evil spirits. And he makes one hellova beer.

Samael's is part of an Avery Brewing Company triumvirate: The Beast, Mephistopheles' and Samael's.  All uber-high alcohol content, and I'm sure, all delicious. 

But at the Saucer tonight they were tapping just the Samael's.  But not until 5pm.  The Reverend, Joe and I met up for the tapping, but we were early.  So we had a warm-up beer.  At a few seconds before five, our awesome beergoddess, Maggie, brought us each a Samael's.  I was still working on my 512 ONE, but Joe and the Rev dove in. 

The funniest bit was when the Rev simply sucked off some of the foam and immediately gave the brew two OMFGs (apparently his new scale for measuring the enjoyability of a beer), then said, "fuck it," and went in two-fisted!

(Sorry if the pic is a little blurry.  I'd been drinking.)

Samael's is super caramel-y with plenty of vanilla and floral notes.  It's also got a raisin or some other sweet fruit in the background.  Not to mention a whopping 16.45% abv.  That's not a typo.  16.45%.  GodJesus.

It is an amazing beer.  Sweet.  Floral.  Creamy.  Decadent.  Would be good with some toffee.  Don't think you could drink more than two and not HAVE to take a nap.  Hell.  It's taken me about two hours to write this post.

Oh, my holy fucking god.  That is one fine beer.  I really want to taste the other two, now.  Perhaps we'll have to have a private tasting. 

This beer is evil...but in a really, really good way.

And Speaking of Crying

I just found out today that our favorite beer store, The Majestic, is closing!  Dammit!  Three stores in the metroplex are closing...their shelves are nearly bare.  It's heartbreaking.  I think the company is based in east Texas, and the owner has filed for bankruptcy.  Maybe they'll reorganize and reopen, but for now, we're going to have to search for a replacement.  Sniff.

Still no Allagash...but there's been a sighting at The Meddlesome Moth.  Hope springs eternal.

Never Cry Over Spilled Beer

We were at the Flying Saucer yesterday for lunch, and I ordered a Texas Flight - five Texas brews including, Real Ale Fireman's 4, Franconia Kristall, Live Oak Pils, St. Arnold's Texas Wheat and Franconia Dunkel. 

The flight comes in a round tin tray with a paper menu in the bottom.  My menu was off-center and, therefore, obscuring the right side of the it against the rim of the tray.  I tried to just pull the paper to center it, but in doing so, tipped the Fireman's just a bit, spilling a little onto the paper.

But no boo-hooing here...

This is how they should take care of the spill in the gulf.  And Hayward should suck it.  And stop looking at my boobs.  ;-)

Sharin' a Dead Guy

Joe and I are sharin' a Dead Guy this evening.  No.  Really.  ;-) 

Rogue's Dead Guy Ale is a misnomer.  Dead Guy isn't an ale at all.  It's actually a Maibock, a kind of bock beer, and bocks are actually lagers.  Go figure.  Maibocks tend to be lighter in color than traditional bocks and have a significant hop character and noticeable alcohol (between 6 and 8% abv)...that's what makes it sooo good.  Maibocks usually are served in the spring and are brewed in celebration of and alongside festivals in the month of May.  Thankfully Dead Guy is year round.

It pours a beautiful dark orange color with a little cloudiness.  Caramel is prominent with maybe a little raisin in the background.  Good carbonation but a velvety feel.  Heavens.  A totally enjoyable beer. 

I'm still on the prowl for Allagash.  It's the weekend and I've got a car and money.

Great Divide Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti

Tracy had this beer back in April. I was at the Flying Saucer, and after the Fire Sale of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I needed a second beer. Our server, who was only on her third day was throwing out beers, most of which I had already tried. When she mentioned the Great Divide Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti, I knew I had to have it today. It comes in a 24.75 ounce bottle. It pours like used motor oil ... and I mean this in the greatest possible way! It is black, with a brown head and thick. It only took one taste for the Espresso flavor to come through. You also get a nice chocolate flavor as well. I almost asked for a taster of some vanilla ice cream to add to this beer. It is that friggin' good. They are very proud of this beer at $14 per bottle. But, lets be real, there are only a handful of beers that taste this awesome.

You can read a better description and see a picture of the bottle at Tracy's other blog: SeeWhatWeDidToday - I Did A Yeti Today

What Do You Mean "Where Have I Been"?

I've been searching high and low for Allagash 4.  Sadly with no luck whatsoever.  I'm beginning to hear whispers that what we fear is true...it's being retired.  Heavens to Murgatroyd!  (Extra points if you can name that cartoon...the character and production company).

But I have not given up completely.  There are two large-ish package stores in the greater Dallas area which I haven't yet been to.  Their beer guys are knowledgeable, so I'm holding onto hope.

Stay tuned.

The Elusive Allagash Four

Hold the phone.  After a bit of research, turns out that there was an Oak Barrel Aged Allagash Four that's been retired, but the regular brew is still in production...  Let there be hope! 

More after the beer store opens tomorrow.

Sammy Needs a Beer

We love the TV show Burn Notice.  And one of the things we love the most is the character Sam Axe, played to perfection by Bruce Campbell.  And one of the many things we love about Sam is that Sam is never so busy playing wing man for Michael or keeping Fi from blowing up half of Miami that he can't stop for a cold one.  He once gave Michael a 5-pack for his birthday-is that friendship or what?  He even remembered the stick-on bow! 

Sammy had to have been an original Parrothead.  He was probably the prototype.

So on our beer-swilling, stuff-your-face vacation across Central and Coastal Bend Texas this last week, we've adopted a new slogan for ourselves: "Sammy Needs a Beer." Says it all--suitable for any occasion, any audience, any time.  Cause there are so many occasions when Sammy needs a beer, and we have pledged to each other that we will invoke the spirit of Sammy early and often.

So today, Sammy decided to take a field trip to Spec's to make a couple of purchases and find out what all the fuss is about with this Allagash Four. 

And you wanna know what Sammy found out?  Spec's guy told Sammy that Allagash Four is over, finito, done.  Allagash has left the building.  If you ain't already got it, you ain't gonna git it.  Those party-poopers up in Portland, ME aren't making any more.  What, they ran out of hops?  No Allagash Four for Sammy.

So we're at this very moment sampling an Allagash White.  Nice, but not inspiring us to poetry or purple prose or religious epiphanies.

Damn!  I was looking forward to a religious epiphany.  I know how the Reverend loves those.

Guess we'll nurse our wounds with a Young's Double Chocolate Stout float.  And maybe some more ribs at Salt Lick.

Allagash Four

Prose Schmoze.  The Reverend's right...omg...this is a really good beer.  I'm tasting sweet plum and almost strawberry, or something just as sweet.  It's nose is totally inviting.  Sweet.  Beckoning.  Rich.  And then you taste it.  Oh my god, this is one damn good beer.  It's called Allagash 4 becase there are four malts, four hops, four sugars and it's fermented four times.  Jeezy Crizzy.  This is close to the perfect beer.  It's fruity, malty, drinkable, delicious.  It's like drinking candy.  While it's not a session beer, you want to drink more...and more.  It's rich, sort of creamy, definitely smooth and totally drinkable.  You could get durnk on this.  Easily.  Ridiculously easy.  Go...find it...drink it.  Enjoy.  A lot.  Fucking a lot.

Allagash Four

So, I got a snifter of Alagash Four ... I took a sip ... OMFG! This is like the perfect beer. I can't even describe why, it just is. I will let Tracy shower you with prose and perfect description of the beer. Just know, it is SO WORTH trying!!

Chocolate Covered Cherry

OMG, y'all.  If you like these little bites of heaven (or cherry tootsie pops, if you can't handle the syrupy, sticky middle of the bon bon), here's a drink for you.  

I'm not exactly sure of the measurements; you can play with it until it suits your taste.  Start with Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

Pour about a three quarter serving into the glass (I was using frosted pints, but I think a snifter would have been better).  Add to the Young's about 2 - 3 oz of Lindeman's Kriek Lambic. 

The Kriek is flavored with black cherries, and, combined with the deliciousness that is Young's, made for a truly tasty dessert.  Would have been good over ice cream...maybe next time.

Rogue is Becoming One of My Favorites

The brewery from Newport, Oregon is fast becoming one of my favorite.  Hazelnut Brown Nectar is a prime example; Chocolate Stout, another.  But the hands-down, god-a-mitey current favorite is Shakespeare Stout.  A pure chocolate delight that pours like motor oil.  It has a beautiful saddle colored head and an aroma that you can smell clear across the room. 

Try it with a piece of dark chocolate.  Make sure you have more than one on hand.  You don't even have to speak the King's English.  Of course, after a couple, no one cares.

Southern Star - Buried Hatchet Stout

After a couple of days' respite from the demon brew (yeah...right), I celebrated my revived interest with a beer out of Conroe, TX. 

Conroe is down by Houston, and they're the same folks who brewed the Bombshell Blonde we had at the tasting Saturday night.  Both the Bombshell and the Buried Hatchet come in cans.

Tonight's beer was Buried Hatchet Stout.  A delicious coffee/chocolate, alcohol-laden (8.5), almost chewy, rich choice.  I didn't pour it (I'm just that lazy - but the brew didn't suffer from it); I drank it like a man: right out of the can.  I DID get a sense that it had a good caramel-y head, and, even without the benefit of an aerating pour, it was smooth and creamy in my mouth.  I popped a Dove Dark Chocolate w/Almonds chunk of chocolate with it.  It's a wonder I ever even leave the house.

I could easily be talked into having a second and...even a third.