05 May 2023

1763. BrewDog Wit Space

I've been holding on this beer for a while now.
Not for any specific reason.  It was one of my only beers in my fridge (I still have some of that Deshitl coconut-not-coconut-at-all flavored crap, that I haven't brought myself to drink yet, in there also...)

Tonight, I'm having a mini-solo-celebration.
It's the weekend!
Yesterday was May the Fourth, and Jason and I released out fourth annual May the Fourth podcast episode.
Today is Cinco de Mayo, and I got some Qdoba for dinner.  (Would have preferred Luciana's, but I haven't been back there in the past year...)
AND, this week at work, I was told on the 17th, I will be moving into my office.  We have hired a new girl to do the front desk/phones, as I have continued to advance with the company, it's more to celebrate - and I'm still sadly doing it alone.

"Dateline" is back tonight with a new episode, and so I'm going to chill with this wit beer and watch the episode.

The beer is fine.  It's light, it's minorly dry, but still drinkable.  There's an odd flavor in the aftertaste.
Not bad.  Not great.  Drinkable.




24 April 2023

1762. Scarlet Lane Bruce's Groovy Brew

On the day that I went to Pax Verum with the Joe's Crew, it was decided that we were going to go see Bruce Campbell's Bruce-O-Rama when it came to town.  Bruce was coming to do a game show and screen "Army of Darkness".  A group of six of us decided to go...  And then I completely forgot about it until three days before, when Snow texted the group about our meeting time and place.

And as excited as I was for the event, I didn't know how much more excitement was in store, when we showed up and saw that Scarlet Lane did an "official" beer for the event.

So, there is a beer that's missing from this website - and it's one of my all-time favorite beers, and I don't know how it never got posted.  A few years ago, Horrorhound's annual event had a screening of "Scream" downtown at the IMAX, and I went solo and drank a beer from Scarlet Lane called Screamsicle.  IT WAS AMAZING.  It had the perfect blend of orange and lactose to make it orange-creamy, and tasted exactly like drinking a dreamsicle while it was melting.  It was amazing - and I don't know how or why it never got posted on here.  If I ever re-activate my Facebook, I need to find the photo from that night, because I know montaged a few pictures from that disappointing evening (the cast never showed up to the Q&A we were promised at the showing, because their lines were too long at Horrorhound...)

Anyways, Scarlet Lane was a favorite brewery when Caitlin and I were together.
I enjoyed their horror elements, and she was often happy with their stout options.
So, I'm a big fan of Scarlet Lane, and was so happy to see them make a beer for tonight.

The beer is fine.  I don't love it.  It's a little drier and most bitter than I enjoy, but not to a terrible level.
It was very drinkable, and the whole group enjoyed a number of them together.








22 April 2023

1761. Guggman Haus Biergarten Day Munich Dunkel

It was a Bayern Munich morning, so when there's a beer with Munich in the title, I know I need to try and enjoy one of them.

This beer was good, nothing exciting or special - but it tasted exactly like the Dunkel I wanted and expected.  Perfect flavors, enjoyable to drink to a chilly match day.




1322 REVISITED: Guggman Haus Guggenweizen

I was in the mood for something light and easy, and I was pretty sure I'd done the Hefe before, but it sounded good (sadly, a lot of their options when I was there - didn't really appeal to me...).

Side note, to that side note about things on the their menu.
I love being in the company of people who know people who work places.
It's happened many times in my life, and sometimes I just vibe with an employee that I get some special treatment.  Tonight, we were blessed to try a Bourbon Barrel Aged Milk Stout.  And it was amazing.  It wasn't on the menu, it was tapped, but they weren't really selling it - but eventually Ray was able to get a snifter of it.  I enjoyed my two samples I was given (first sample, then when Ray got his snifter, the couple next to him asked about it, and another round of samples was handed out).  That beer was DELICIOUS, and I don't like coffee at all.  But all three flavors went together so well.  I should probably avoid doing a snifter for the website, but...  it was yum-yum.

So, I'm drinking another Guggenweizen.
And this is something I'm learning with REVISITED.
The colors of beers change over time.  Obviously the recipe has seen some tweeks.
When I drank beer back a BEER #1322 it was A LOT dark and orange-colored.
Now, it's a much brighter yellow-orange color.

My review stays the same.  I like it.  It's exactly what I expect it to taste like.
Prost!




1760. Guggman Haus Sour: Blackberry Pomegranate

A couple of the Bayern Brothers and I ended up meeting up at Guggman Haus before the Indy 11 match tonight.  My buddy Ray has a friend who works here, and he was a really cool guy to chat with.  I also got the chance to talk with one of their brewers there - who is a big Chelsea fan.  So, it was tough to like him, but he was a good dude to talk football with.

So, it's been a few years since I've been to Guggman, I have not been since the expansion, and it's tough to think what it used to be like when I came to write on their patio, or when we had a dude's drinking day that started here, and we were the only seven people in the house on a Sunday afternoon.

The expansion was huge, and there was NOWHERE to sit.  It was slammed. And good for them!  We eventually got to sit at the small bar top they have.  I ate a pretzel that was pretty good.  Their beer cheese was solid, but their "spicy" cheese wasn't enjoyable.  I like stone ground mustard and horseradish, but there was something in there that I didn't care for.

Back to this beer, it was good and tasty.  I nice sour, but I'm not a fan of pomegranate, and that flavor is powerful in this beer.  It wasn't bad, I just didn't really care for it.






20 April 2023

1759. Big Lug Topanga

A beer named after the greatest fictional girlfriend of 90s television!

The citrus flavor upfront is really good.
It's nice and light, but it does sadly finish drier than I like.
The dry ending wasn't the worst, so the beer was still very drinkable, and as the beer warmed up, the harshness in the end faded away.

Overall, an enjoyable and tasty beverage that I would drink again.




18 April 2023

1758. New Belgium Dominga Mimosa Sour

This beer sucks.
Tuesday night is my Destiny Video Game Night with two of my good friends.
I'm drinking out of my Destiny pint glass tonight, because I don't normally drink on Tuesday nights, but I had kind of a rough meeting at work today, and even though I know I'm not "in trouble" at work, I just feel like I've been a let down.  Granted, in my venting to co-workers, they've attempted to spin it into a positive for me - I just...  I need a moment to have a beer and help calm my over-reacting-brain.

So, it's video games and beer tonight.

Did I mention this beer sucks?
It's not good at all.
It's not a good tart.
The orange flavor is off.
And whatever is supposed to taste like wine, just sucks.
I don't have anything else to say about this epic failure of a beer.
It mirrors my feelings of epic failure at work.
Sucky day at work.
Sucky beer at home.

Tomorrow is another day.




17 April 2023

1757. Short's Critterless

Truth be told, this label originally turned me off and I wasn't willing to buy the beer.
But, as I perused around Total Wine, there weren't many beers that looked good to me (it might be time to go to Kahn's next time...?).  And while I was walking around, I couldn't stop thinking about mangos and cherries.  So, when I got five beers, I forced myself to just get this one.

I hate the label. 
When I take a drink, I think bugs are crawling around in my mouth.
Not really, but I hate looking at the can.

The beer is tasty.
It's nice and tart, and I enjoy it.
The cherry flavor is powerful upfront, and then it mellows into a nice mango flavor, that leaves my mouth watering from its tart.

I enjoy it.
I would prefer drinking it on draft in the future, so I never have to see this can again.






15 April 2023

1756. BrewDog Bushwood Beer

Well, it's almost time for SNL, and I consider this beer to be SNL-adjacent.
BrewDog seems to be fixed on Chevy Chase movies these days, as back during the holidays they did a beer for "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (Beer #1714), and now they have a beer for "Caddyshack".

Bushwood Beer - named after the prestigious country club - is a "crisp" Pilsner...
Personally, I would not use "crisp" to describe this beer.
It's fine, it's drinkable. but it's a little drier than I enjoy.
It would be fine for outdoor drinking on a golf course, but it doesn't really quench my thirst.

I look forward to what comes next...
Funny Farm-house Ale
Spies Like Us Saison
Nothing But Bourbon Barrel Trouble
Extra Special Bitter European Vacation
Three Mexican Lager Amigos!






1755. Destihl Pink Raspberry Lemonade

This beer is better than I expected from Destihl.
Their Chocolate Peanut Butter Beer SUCKED.
Their coconut ale had ZERO coconut flavor.

At least this beer is sour and tart, and has a decent berry/lemon flavor to the beer.
The finish is a little more dry than I would prefer, but it doesn't ruin the beer, just adds an odd finish to what starts out so tasty.

Still drinkable, still fruity, still tart.
I guess I need to try more of their "Wild Sour Series".




1754. DuClaw Give a Crap

It's been a long time since I made a Saturday Morning trip to Total Wine, last few weekends have been busier than normal.
After the Wrexham match, and the Bayern match, I went out to build myself a six pack, to enjoy a few tonight while I watch some basketball and get ready for Ana de Armas on SNL.

When I saw this can on the shelf, I knew I was going to buy it - no matter what style the beer was.
I got very lucky that it turned out to be a sour ale, and some interesting fruits involved.

Also, reading online, I learn that $1 from every sale goes to help with colon cancer.

So, the beer is tasty.
The black currant is honestly probably the strongest flavor upfront, but the blueberry flavor does linger.
It's a mild tart, and tasty - I would gladly drink a few more, and throw more money towards colon cancer.






03 April 2023

REVISITED: 1729. Untitled Art Lemon Sherbet

This was originally the first beer I attempted to order when I arrived - not realizing that it was on the "tapping soon" list.  So, I had some NAs and some other beers I knew I liked, and Ben and I had actually cashed out when our waitress came over to me and let me know they had just tapped the Lemon Sherbet, and I told her that I obviously needed to stick around for one more.  So, I bought Ben another Two-Hearted in exchange for his company, and I got the beer that I originally wanted.

In typical Untitled Art fashion, it's a very good and drinkable beer, but something was just slightly "off".
I don't know if its milk sugars or lactose or something else - but whatever ingredient they used for the "sherbet" part of the flavor, was just different.  It wasn't sour, but I didn't need it to be.  It definitely has a lemon flavor to it, but it seems to be subdued by whatever other ingredient was used.  

Again, it's a very quality Untitled Art beer.

And, when I get home, I learn I've already drank this beer - and didn't remember.
And, I didn't drink it very long ago.   UGH.  Beer #1729 drank back in January.  Sounds like I enjoyed the canned version better than the draft - but still a similar reaction.

I'm leaving this post up, because I like the photo with Ben's smile.




1753. Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon

My buddy Ben texted me and asked if I would be interested in sitting outside, enjoying the weather, eating a pizza and drinking some beer - and I quickly replied with "Hell Yes!".  

So, we met up at Pies & Pints, literally one of the best pizza places I've ever enjoyed.
Their dough and sauce are just top-notch.

And they often have beers I've never tried.
Tonight, I started with a beer that was supposed to have a lemon-meringue-pie flavor.
Tart and bready.

And it kind of does, but the bread-like flavoring does work for me, and it's not a sour tart, it's a dry-tart.
It's not bad, but it's not very good either.

 


11 March 2023

1752. Founders Highball Drifter

It's been a long day of drinking, and now it's time for Jenna Ortega on SNL.
This beer was a gift from my buddy Garrett, when I was at his house last weekend.

It's a GOOD beer.
Sadly, I'm just exhausted from drinking all day and afternoon, that despite taking a nap before SNL, I'm just worn out.  I don't know if I'll finish the beer - because its STRONG.

The bourbon flavor is delicious.
The orange is present, and the cherry flavor lingers.
But it legit tastes like a old fashioned - I can definitely see why Garrett enjoys this beer.
They nailed the flavors, I just think it's a little too much for me tonight, we'll see how much I can finish during the show.




1751. Sun King The Flying Cupcake

John Peddie told me about this beer a long time ago, and I'm FINALLY getting around to trying it.
And it is DELICIOUS.  It's like sweet frosting in my mouth.
It goes down light and smooth, and easy, and then leaves a wonderful sweet note on my tongue.
I drank a couple of them, and even Jason Maier got one - so, you know it's worth your time!






1750. Pax Verum Ruins of Mutiny (Joe's Beer)

A while ago, I got to go to Pax Verum with the Joe's Guys, and their beer was just released a few days ago (and a few days earlier than originally expected).

The beer good.  It's not my normal jam, but it's very drinkable.
It's not super-dry, but a little mild-dry.
It does have some citrusy-light-like flavors in the back end, but they're not too powerful.
I'll drink some to support my friends, but it's not my favorite beer.








26 February 2023

1749. Taxman 1040EZ

Once upon a time, Taxman was my favorite Indiana brewery.
That has changed.  This beer sucks.  

I was over at the Miller house, watching Bayern and celebrating Mason's birthday (who shares his birthday with the founding day of FC Bayern Munich).  I found this beer in their fridge, and Garrett offered it to me.

And it sucks.  The flavor isn't good.  It's dry.
I'm not a fan.




22 February 2023

1748. Destihl Hawaii Five Ale

Hm.
I should have known.
Wait, first things first.
Tonight Jason Maier, Jason Richardson and myself are recording our March episode of Shane Talks.
I'm opening the episode discussing this beer.

Back to the beer.
After the terrible taste of the Peanut Butter Cup over the weekend, I was scared to buy this beer.
And for good reason.
But it said "coconut" and you KNOW those are my magic words to get me to buy a beer.  
Or a drink.
Or a deodorant.
Or a body spray.
Or a body wash.
Or a candle.
Or a lotion.
It's just a magical word!

Destihl is NOT becoming a favorite brewery of mine.
My first clue, when I poured the beer, it sounded like I was pouring a fizzy soda.
My first drink had ZERO flavor to it - like it had less flavor than a Miller High Life.
However, some favor does sneak into the back, but it's not a nice blending of th flavors, it's like drinking a suicide from the gas station.  They are all just there, and don't work well together.

Major disappointment.





18 February 2023

1747. Steven's Point PB Cup

DID I OPEN THE SAME BEER?
This crap tastes just as bad as the previous beer I threw out!
Ugh.  Tonight has turned into a huge disappointment.
One drink, and the taste was exactly like the previous crap beer.
So, I let this one sit for 30 minutes to warm up, and see if that chalky-taste would go away.
It did not.  It also got poured down the sink.

Years ago, I would refuse to pour beer down the sink.
Years ago, I would not "waste" beer the way I did tonight.
But now, I refuse to subject my mouth to beer that sucks.




1746. Destihl Peanut Butter Porter

Uh, this beer sucks.
This is not a good beer.
Their attempts at chocolate flavor obviously comes from cacao, because it's dry and chalky.
This beer lacks all peanut butter flavor, because all I can taste is dry powder.
Three drinks, and I poured out the rest of this beer.  
I wasn't willing to subject myself to any more of this terribleness.




Double Peanut Butter Cup Night

These two beers have been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks.
My original goal was to drink them on Valentine's Day, with some Reese's Hearts (my LEAST favorite Reese's holiday offering, as it has the worst PB:Chocolate ratio out of all of them), but I never got around to buying the hearts, and just didn't care about it enough on that day.

So, I was at the store and saw the Eggs, which are the BEST PB:Chocolate Ratio, and I figured I'd repurpose my purpose of buying those beers.

Now, here we are.  It's Saturday night, and I'm going to pair each beer with a Reese's Egg.
Delicious times.




17 February 2023

Founders Green Zebra Rankings

Showed up at Joe's Fishers tonight to hang out with my buddy Ben.
My friend Durant was bartending, and was very happy to show off the Green Zebra Variety Pack that he ordered for the bar.  I saw this a perfect opportunity to try some tasty new beers for the website.

And now, I'm going to give my final rankings.

#1. Mango.  There's just something great about this one.  The mango flavor is powerful and sour, and I think it's really tasty.
#2. Watermelon.  The original, it's still delicious, and it's so refreshing.  Perfect flavor.
#3. Pineapple.  Not sour, not tart, just a powerful pineapple flavor that would be perfect for sitting on the beach on a hot summer day.  Very refreshing.
#4.  Peach.  Blah.  Not a fan.  Very powerful peach flavor, that's not sour or tart at all.  If you like peach, you should like this - I do not.




1745. Founders Green Zebra Pineapple

Green Zebra #4 - Pineapple!
This one is good, it's not great.  It does have the pineapple flavor down perfect, but it also lacks any sour or tart-ness to the beer.  It's still tasty, and I think it would be perfect for a hot summer day on the beach.  The pineapple flavor is very refreshing.
Easily the third best Green Zebra tonight.




1744. Founders Green Zebra Peach

Green Zebra #3 - Peach.
Blah.  I'm not a big peach fan, and this has serious peach flavor.
It's also the least sour or tart of any Green Zebras so far.
I'm not a fan of this at all.  I'm putting it into last place - yes, fourth place, I can't imagine the next one can be worse than this.
If you like peach, you should like this.




1743. Founder Green Zebra Mango

Green Zebra #2 - MANGO!
The original Green Zebra is very good, but the Mango is a step up.
I really enjoy the citrus flavor, and this one tastes a little more sour than tart.
Mango has moved into the #1 spot on the Green Zebra Charts.




1140 REVISITED: Founders Green Zebra (Watermelon)

The date was July 15th, 2018.
France and Croatia were playing in the World Cup.
It was the first official time that my family hung out with Garrett's family, and of course Ryan Miller was late to the party.  We tried to go to Chatham Tap, but two hours before the match, they were full.
So, we ended up down the street getting pizza, and I had this beer (Beer #1140) for the first time.

It was delicious.
It is still delicious.
Wonderful Gose, not super sour, but a nice tart.
I am still a fan.





AND.  Tonight, I get to try three variant for the first time! 
So, here we go!

12 February 2023

1742. Metazoa Good Boy

Super Bowl Second Half!
Rihanna was a decent halftime show, I was disappointed that Eminem didn't show up to do either of their songs together.  But, her song selection was nice, and the dancing was interesting.  Kind of minimal, but nothing wrong with that.  Visually had some moments.

So, as the Chiefs kick off, I'm opening a beer from Metazoa, and it's fine.
It's a pilsner, and it tastes exactly how a pilsner should.
It's light and easy to drink, and the flavor is what I expect.
So, it's a fine beer, but there's nothing special or unique about it.




1741. Four Day Ray Mystic Ember

Super Bowl Beer #1!
My original plan was to find a Kansas City beer and a Philly Beer, and then drink whichever one of them won the Super Bowl.
Then I was thinking about getting those two beers and drinking one each half, based on whoever had the first possession in each half.
But then I would need one more from each city, so that I could drink to whoever the winner was.
And in typical Shane fashion, I completely talked myself out of even trying this, because I was giving myself so much anxiety over it.

Instead, I'm starting off the Super Bowl with the beer that was given to me by my buddy Ray.
A Four Day Ray from Ray.  That was cute.

It's  a good rauchbier.  I enjoy it, but I think I would honestly enjoy it more around the campfire.
I don't know exactly why, by the flavors of this beer, invoke the memories of a campfire, and I think this beer would be a good one for a chilly night, that's warmed up with a fire.  

The smokiness gives the beer a warm flavor, but it's also light enough that it's refreshing and doesn't leave my mouth dry.  So, I dig it.  But, also think I would only give it another go under the conditions I previously mentioned.




10 February 2023

1740. Voodoo Love Child

It's "Dateline" time!  And it's a Keith Morrison episode.
The skeleton on this can, represents the murder being showcased on "Dateline" tonight.

Belgians and Tripels used to my jam.  I really loved them.  Do I still love them?
This is my second tripel tonight.  Another 9.5% ABV-er.
It's fruited.
But it's not fruity.
Very similar taste to the previous beer tonight.
Once again, it's not bad.  It's just not something I really enjoy.
Bummer.




1739. Victory Berry Monkey

It's a Pacers Friday Night!
And I had an amazing week at work, so I'm in the mood to celebrate all the good and amazing things that are going on in my work life.  I'm probably going to have a couple of beers tonight, and the first one is another Monkey from Victory.

BEER 812 was the Golden Monkey.
BEER 1082 was the Sour Monkey.
And tonight, it's the Berry Monkey.

Berry Monkey is okay.  
It's not very sour or tart, like it is  little bit, but I think the 9.5% ABV hurts the flavor.
The beer isn't bad, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.
This beer is kind of putting a damper on my celebratory mood...
Victory at work, not in my pint glass.
Hopefully my next choice is superior to this.





04 February 2023

1738. Prairie Artisan Slush

It's another Saturday Night Live Beer!  This week I'm excited for both Pedro Pascal and Coldplay!
I'm a huge fan of Prairie Artisan, and I'm happy to find a new sour from them.
It is really tasty.  Mild tart, but it leaves a really nice lingering sour taste. 
Nice berry flavors mixed with citrus flavors.  I dig it.






03 February 2023

1737. Hidden Springs Full Moon Party

Another sour from Hidden Springs.
Not as good as the other one - but again, it was also out of a can.
I would try it again, if glassware was involved, but it was barely sour, and I didn't care of the flavor.  It wasn't bad, but just nothing good.




1736 Hidden Springs Riot Juice

Went to a showing of "The Room" at the Kan Kan Theatre, it was my first time there, and I was happy to see some sours that I have never had.  The first one I tried was Riot Juice, and it was pretty good.  Nice tart, but hard to really enjoy out of the can.  The beer smelled good, but I got none of that aroma when I was drinking it.  So, not a lot of flavors came through, but it was a nice tart, and mildly sour berry taste.  I enjoyed it, and would like to try it again with glassware.  (They do have a full bar, and I probably could have asked for a glass from them, I bought this beer at their concession stand, and didn't think about the bar until I was already seated.)




22 January 2023

1735. Pax Verum Indiana Pale Ale

Part TWO of today's Double Header.
The Bengal shocked the Bills (which I'm happy about, since Cincy is the sister city to Munich).
Now, I'm rooting for my friend, who is a huge Cowboys fan.

And for the second beer, the honest truth is that I've tried this before.
Back during the Pax Verum visit, this was one of the beer we taste-tested that day.
I liked my sample that day, so I wanted to make sure to get it on the website.

One thing I enjoy about this beer, is that all of the ingredients are from Indiana. (Hence the name)
I like this pale, because it's NOT bitter, and it's not hop heavy.
37 IBUs isn't bad, and it almost has a malty-ale flavor profile.
The aroma is appealing, and the beer doesn't let down.
Again, it's not a typical pale, and hop heads will be disappointed, but it's something I enjoy.




1734. Pax Verum Tidal Rift

It's a Pax Verum Double Header today!
First up, to go along with the Bills/Bengals match up, we have a Dry Hopped New Zealand Style Pilsner.

It's blah.
Not much flavor, and it is dry.
There is a little flavor, but not enough for me to know that I'm tasting, before my mouth is just dry and wants another drink.  Sadly, it's a vicious cycle, and I my tongue never feels refreshed.

I've had way worse than this, but it's nothing I will ever seek out.




21 January 2023

1733. Mad Anthony Ruby Raspberry Wheat Ale

This is only my second beer from Mad Anthony, and I was not impressed with their IPA back in 2013.
Ten years later, my law firm does a lot of business from Ft. Wayne, so I picked up this beer last weekend when I realized they were from Ft. Wayne.

I know I've been saying I was going to knock out my Pax Verum beers, and because I have two left - I'm going to drink one during each of the NFL games tomorrow.

Tonight, I am going fruity and celebrating the return of "SNL" and the gorgeous Aubrey Plaza hosting tonight.  

This beer is okay.
It's not bad in any way, but it also doesn't stand out as amazing.
The wheat beer aspect of the beer is tasty, it's exactly what it should taste like.
The raspberry flavor is there, but it is really subtle.  It creeps in slowly, but it's there, and it's good.
This would be a good summer, outdoors, refreshing drink.
4.2% ABV makes it able to be drank for long sessions, and 8 IBUs means it's light and goes down super easy.

Time to enjoy it, and have some laughs.




20 January 2023

1732. Big Lug Hans Grubeer

My original plan for this week, was to indulge in Pax Verum. 
I had three beers of theirs in my fridge, and planned Wed/Thu/Fri to be Pax beer nights.
Well, last night, I just wasn't feeling like a beer - but I did meet up with my buddy Peddie and we did a beer swap.  So, since I already broke my Pax-streak last night, I decided that tonight I would enjoy the beer Peddie gave me, and save the Pax beers for American football this weekend.

First, I wish I knew about this beer back in December.  I would have definitely paired this beer with a night of watching "Die Hard".

Second, like the villain of this beer's namesake, I don't like it.
Wait.  That doesn't really work.  I love Hans Gruber as a villain.  He's amazing, Rickman is amazing.
So, like, I do like Gruber as a villain, but he's a bad guy.  He's the antagonist.  So, Hans Grubeer is the antagonist of my taste buds - and they don't like Grubeer.

It's an IPA, I didn't expect to like it - but sometimes IPAs surprise me.
Like the recent Pax Verum IPAs - some were not bad, while others were.

The beer has a nice aroma, but from the first drink - it causes trauma in my mouth, that reverts my taste buds back to 2015's West Coast IPA surge.  It's not the driest beer I've ever drank, but it makes my mouth regret drinking it - with every sip I take.  If you're an IPA person, you should like this. 


I love the can.
I don't like the beer. 




18 January 2023

1731. Pax Verum Expand Your View

After last week's visit to Pax Verum, my weekend trip to Total Wine saw me seeking out some of their beers to add to the website.  I really enjoyed my chat with their owner and brewer, and wanted to make sure I showed them some love on the website.

First, I LOVE THIS CAN.  The eye.  The skull.  The alien.  I think it looks really cool.   The owner of Pax Verum talked a lot about his friend who draws their cans, and his work is dope.  I specifically enjoy this piece on this can.

The can reads: "Robust porter with bourbon barrel aged chocolate malt".
So, this might be the first time that I know of hearing about this version of brewing - aging the malts before brewing?  That's what I assume this statement means.  And since the beer comes in at only 6.8% ABV - I don't believe this aging is done after the beer is brewed, it sounds like the chocolate malts themselves are barrel aged.  I wish I would have known to ask about this when I was there.  I do plan to head out there again soon, and am excited to discuss this exact process.

So, the beer.  It's good.  I dig it.  The chocolate aroma is present, and the flavor is strong when drinking the beer.  There is a subtle hint of bourbon in the drinking, and it's really enjoyable.  It's just there enough to provide some good flavor, but does not overpower the flavor of the beer.  My lips are even a little sweet with a hint of the bourbon when I lick them.  There is a brief, dry flavor in the aftertaste, but it oddly doesn't stick around very long, which is cool.  

It's halftime of the Pacers game, and we aren't looking very good tonight.
Haliburton is obviously our MVP.  I still love this team this year, and have enjoyed watching them - even when we lose.  I didn't expect much this season, and these kids have surpassed all my wants for this season.  




17 January 2023

1730. Grand Junction My Dirty Dancer

This is my first beer from Grand Junction, I've been meaning to go check them out, but I don't know how quickly I'll be doing that now.

I bought the beer because I like the name/font.

This beer falls into my "Glorified Miller Lite" category, and there is nothing more to say it.
Drinkable.

I meant to drink this beer last night, as a celebration of not dying in my first ever indoor soccer match. I’ve never played competitive soccer in my life, and the last time I played any competitive sport was in 2006.  So, I was happy to be involved in a team sport again, and after the match, I planned to celebrate with this beer - until I was so sore that I couldn’t get off the couch, and decided the beer wasn’t that important. So, tonight, it’s my late celebration.