30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack: Full Moon

(30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack is a recurring feature which reviews a beer from the point of view of a guy who knows nothing about beer except for that he loves it. And it loves him. So go quench your thirst my friends.)

Once upon a winter dreary,
I drank a beer, taste twas so cheery.
First sip filled my lips with a hint of orange,
an abbey ale, oh Belgium it was born.

Yes for this review, I rhyme for you,
a Blue Moon brew, winter ale, shall do.

Roasted malts, dark sugar and spices,
not the summer drink we enjoy with orange slices.
This ale claims right on the label to be full bodied,
for my taste buds it tis light, not too heavy nor shoddy.

Yes a true mix of malts and hearty carbonation,
the dark brown bottle hints of a classy persuasion.

When it gets warm, drinks a bit watery and old,
keep her in a glass, frosty and cold.
With instructions as these you'll notice true qualities,
medium hops, mild barley, makes for a drink quite caramely.

In summary I think this beer is rated just "OK",
but screw me, I'm a jerk, what does TSOFan0000 from Beer Advocate have to say?

Pours a clear, amber color with nice carbonation. I was expecting a slight haze from it, but this looks to be very well filtered.

Sweet malts dominate the nose. Almost bock-like. Some toastiness is also present, but mostly sweet malts and a hint of candi sugar.

Very light in the mouth. Some nuttiness to it, sweet malts once again dominate, but a very light beer. Not flawed in any way, just not memorable in any way either.

Overall, a very drinkable beer.

So for you, I wish Holiday cheer and drinkable beer,
great food with friends and gay times which don't end.

Till the new year I say have a good night,
I gotta go pack and catch my next flight.

30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack: Raspberry-Kahlua-Nog

(30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack is a recurring feature which reviews a beer from the point of view of a guy who knows nothing about beer except for that he loves it. And it loves him. So go quench your thirst my friends.)

So as my first two 30lbs. segments pointed out, it is the season of holiday parties and festive beers. Well, at a recent holiday party I played the white elephant game. I have no idea why the game is called that particular name, all I know it as is "you get to steal someone else's gift and it is fun". Well I got to go very first, and this meant I was walking away with whatever gift I wanted at the end. You Better believe I took the alcohol. A nice little Kahlua gift set it was. Cup, liter, and some samples. So this may not be a beer, but gosh darn it, I have a holiday drink and I might as well review it for you. Now how did I turn Kahlua into a holiday drink? Eggnog! Just so happens I know a pretty simple recipe for some holiday cheer...

1. 2 parts Kahlua.
2. 1 part vodka.
3. Mix with Eggnog.
4. Stir.

Now for this lil drink I chose Absolute Raspberry for my vodka. I am one of those guys who likes raspberry and chocolate, so this works for me, Or I at least think it will. So how does this contraption taste? Well first off I put way too much vodka in, think I'll pour a little more eggnog in after a few gulps. Obviously the type of vodka and eggnog you choose will affect this taste incredibly, but my raspberry-Kahlua-nog is pretty darn tasty. The first thing you gain note of is the crisp taste of the absolute, as flavored abso tends to do. As you begin to swallow the Kahlua really kicks in and then the aftertaste is all owned by the eggnog. This is truly a hearty, sit by the fire and watch the snow fall with loved ones beverage. It is a little hard for me to get into the mood as it is 50 and pouring rain in Baltimore right now, but I can sit back and close my eyes and imagine the slush of Michigan... oh yea... there it is.

So obviously Beer Advocate is not going to review my eggnog contraption, but that is beyond the point. I hope you at some time this holiday escape from the shopping, the crazy family and nutso chaos, and steal some moments for the good old hearty holiday drink. If you go for the ras-Kahlua-nog, smile and think of me.

Happy Holidays booze hounds.

30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack: Odd Notion '07

(30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack is a recurring feature which reviews a beer from the point of view of a guy who knows nothing about beer except for that he loves it. And it loves him. So go quench your thirst my friends.)

Time. Time is an enemy of many things. Life, clocks, homework. Beer. Time is most definitely against beer. Good beer lasts for awhile, but not forever. Certainly not a year correct? Well lets find out.

My beer this week is another winter specialty... from 2007. Ah yes, the winter of '07. I moved here to Baltimore and celebrated with a mix pack from Magic Hat. In it was this dandy lil beer I somehow never got around to drinking and let slide until tonight, when it shall meet its fate. Meet the Magic Hat "Odd Notion" of winter 2007.

This beer is my kind of beer, 7.5% alc/vol and dark. It is a very light and viscous beer. Almost no head, and that has nothing to do with the time here. Time has treated this beer well. I would have to say I would enjoy it more last year, things would not be floating in it as they are now. Beyond that however, this is a tasty winter classic. Carrying a tart first bite, she finishes with a bit of ginger, maybe caramel. Who the hell knows, I am drinking over a year old beer. Lets turn to Beer Advocate for some expert advice on this retro sud.

Dark and cloudy with a thin head and faintly spicy aroma. It's got a smooth taste that reminded me favorably of good fruitcake --roasted malts and flavors of spice, molasses, toffee and nuts. At 7.5% alcohol, it packs a bit of a punch, but it doesn't taste too strong.

That one comes from brentk56 in North Carolina. Thanks Brent, and thanks BA.

So the moral of the story is drink your beer. Do not let the beer sit there, it is a sin. If you do, someday you will have to face the skunky truth, even if it is still pretty darn tasty.

30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack: Season's Best

(30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack is a recurring feature which reviews a beer from the point of view of a guy who knows nothing about beer except for that he loves it. And it loves him. So go quench your thirst my friends.)

Ya know, I spoil you. Or you spoil me by reading this. Either way, let me reward you. Is there anything in life better than beer? Seriously? A significant other yells at you, sports hurt us, children cry. Beer loves you. Beer tastes good. In my constant search for blog relevance, I have added a second recurring feature this week, and it shall be known as 30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack. If you can't catch the metaphor there, you probably don't like beer. Yes, for you, I shall sacrifice. I shall endeavor to explore and search out new and tasty brews, even old familiar brews, and put my taste buds to keyboard for you. My review of such brew, shall flow fourth like the frothy head of... ok screw it, time to taste.

Today's beer is in the seasonal category. Winter truly is one of my favorite drinking times, and breweries never let you down. Saranac beers come from the Matt Brewing Company of Utica, NY. In the Saranac Holiday Sampler you will find this happy little beer; and that is what it is. A pleasant, easy to finish, fun to start, not too filling, not too weak beer. Described as a nut brown lager, Season's Best has a mild amber color and hint of caramel. It carries very little head and finishes just ever so slightly bitter, that good tinge of bitter finish you would get in a specialty Sam's. Real beer people would tell you that the finish comes from more hops or something, I will tell you that it is just plain good. This beer is 5.3% alcohol and Saranac recommends it with some good old pork or BBQ. I recommend it with more Season's Best, because you need be saving room for whats important... more beer.

Now because I love you, and I know I don't know jack about beer, I want to lend to you a real voice of authority. If you have never heard of Beer Advocate, thank me now, because I just made your world better. This website is a fantastic user generated review forum for beers, and for each review I shall throw in one from BA to give some actual knowledge to what I be saying. For Season's Best we tap into "wiseguy142" from Rochester, NY.

"Nut Brown Lager." Wtf. Ok I guess I'm excited, sounds pretty tasty and unusual. Just noticed the nice artwork on the label which I don't think I've been appreciating when it comes to the rest of Saranac's beers. Pours a nice amber brown.. maybe a little too similar to their ESB if they're trying to differentiate the two based on color. But good head and good lacing. Aroma is great, very perfume-y and piney, but it's either how it mixes with the rest of the malt or something else that makes it unique. Taste is a huge kick in the malt bone, if there was one. Astringency is very noticeable though, which seems to be a problem for Saranac's beers. The complex roasted malt flavors retain their integrity in the face of the lagering process, which was what I was worried about. I was worried it was going to be like the Indian Brown Ale and taste nothing like a brown anything, but it definitely pulls through. Unfortunately, the astringency is a huge flaw and affects my score significantly. Mouthfeel benefits form the overall malt character- medium to full body and really pleasant to drink. Probably a tie with the ESB for my favorite in the mix pack. Just fix that astringency, apply it to the other beers in the pack and I'd be really happy."

Thank you wiseguy142.

Ok, I have five more to drink and an airplane to catch tomorrow. Peace.