41 replies to this topic

[abarbarian]

Seeing as I am pretty usless at fiddling with linux'es I will not be attempting the 31 distros in 31 days mentioned elswhere.
However I am pretty good at drinking beer.So I think I will try 31 beers in 31 days as my summer challenge.

The first treat will be, discounted to £1 a bottle at Booths supermarket is,

http://www.einstokbeer.com/home.html



An I must say a very refreshing drink with just a hint of citrus in the background.

Score - 8 out of 10.

Edited by abarbarian, 01 August 2012 - 11:59 AM.

[crp]

An Iceland beer with citrus tones???

I have 2 criteria before buying a beer. No cans and under $2.25 - I drink enough that I need a price cap. Last night I had Grolsch Lager. Not the fancy caged fliptop , the regular top'ed
Green bottle? Yeah, they switched to green a few years ago. Anyway, it is not a strong flavor brew and went well with my lightly seasoned bean salad. It didn't smell all that good, but the taste was better than expected. Not a 'fresher upper' , a bit too bitter for that. No overtones, just beer and it didn't have a bitter aftertaste.

[abarbarian]

Grolsh has always been in green here in the UK as far as I can remember. Quite a decent clean beer and very little hangover if you have too many.Score - 7 out of 10.

[amenditman]

I favor a nice lager whenever possible.
One of the best I've had recently,

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold

5.5% alcohol

[crp]

next for me tonight was Shiner Ruby Redbird.   Oooh, did I like this. And it is healthy too!
Bear made with the addition of grapefruit. Smells good and a very easy drink. The bitterness of the ingredients meld together without canceling out and the grapefruit is noticeable without taking over. not so sure about the ginger addition though.
Was really quite excellent with my spicy tuna and Indian vegetables dinner. Ran out of beer before food.

Edited by crp, 03 August 2012 - 12:33 PM.

[abarbarian]

crp, on 02 August 2012 - 01:43 AM, said:

next for me tonight was Shiner Ruby Redbird.   Oooh, did I like this. And it is healthy too!
Bear made with the addition of grapefruit. Smells good and a very easy drink. The bitterness of the ingredients meld together without canceling out and the grapefruit is noticeable without taking over. not so sure about the ginger addition though.
Was really quite excellent with my spicy tuna and Indian vegetables dinner. Ran out of beer before food.

Very unusual offering. I'll have to keep an eye out for it over here.

[crp]

  Koko Brown from Kona Brewery. An ale. I didn't taste any coconut and it didn't make me think of Hawaii. Not bitter, I guess I would say it was kindof nutty. Taste was ok, definitely gave me a buzz. Not sure what it would go with well, it was ok with simple vegetables. I was not tempted to drink another one right away - or for the night. But would not turn it down if offered on a new day.

[abarbarian]

Day 2



http://www.luckydrinkco.com/#

Quote

Lucky Beer is a true Asian style lager with a great new taste. A fusion of rice flakes, malted barley and Czech Saaz hops, Lucky has a light aroma of hops with nuances of honey and malt; the precursor to a clean, silky, refreshing finish. Lucky is 100% natural with no additives or preservatives. 4.8% alc/vol.
Tasting Notes
Brewed and bottled at the Lake of a thousand islands in China fusing the finest quality malt, hops, rice and water from this pristine region delivering a Chinese lager that is truly an enlightened brew.

THE LUCKY BOTTLE
The Lucky bottle is a true original. The tactile green glass bottle features a seated, laughing Buddha holding a large, gold ingot above his head. There are four Chinese good luck symbols (good fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity) on the bottom of the bottle, and a lucky red horseshoe hugging the neck. Rub the Lucky Buddha’s tummy to ensure plentiful good times along the path of life.

This is a very nice lightweight beer. A little sweetness to it but a fresh clean brew. Got to love the bottle, I have one on my windowsill for single cut flowers .

Score - 7 out of 10




That Koko Brown looks like an interesting drink.

Edited by abarbarian, 03 August 2012 - 11:59 AM.

[abarbarian]

Day 3



http://www.guinness.com/en-gb/

Quote

Guinness beer is based upon the porter style that originated in London in the early 1700s. It is one of the most successful beer brands in the world, being exported worldwide. The distinctive feature in the flavour is the roasted barley which remains unfermented. For many years a portion of the beer was aged to give a sharp lactic flavour, but Guinness has refused to confirm if this still occurs. The thick creamy head is the result of a nitrogen mix being added during the serving process. It is extremely popular with the Irish and is the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland, where Guinness & Co. makes almost €2billion annually.

For me this is a once in a while drink. Has a very unique taste and is best enjoyed on a sunny afternoon but that is only an opinion. I once got very very drunk on Guinness whilst on holiday in Ireland (the Guinness there is a lot different than the export stuff,thicker creamier,luverly) and will never do it again.

Score - 9 out of 10

[crp]

abarbarian, on 03 August 2012 - 11:58 AM, said:

Nice emotioncon, I stole it But no fair playing the Guinness card! (actually I do have one that I think I'll be getting to next week)

[crp]

Firestone Velvet Martin - an outmeal stout
very dark in color , has a nice foam when poured. but this is not a dark bitter brew. The flavor is much lighter than one would guess from the color. Taste is toasty and oaty and some sort of cross of coffee and chocolate. Not something I would recommend to drink without food as it does have some bitterness , but it is a nice hearty beer.

[abarbarian]

crp, on 03 August 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Nice emotioncon, I stole it

so did I  

http://www.smiliegen...r_flag_eng.html

Firestone Velvet sounds scrumptious.

[mac]

Speaking of oatmeal stout, Samuel Smith makes a great one:

[crp]

Redbridge , gluten free , sorghum beer.
Very light in color and in taste. Actually , the taste is nondescript. Didn't smell like much either. Didn't feel like it had much fizz.
Did not go well with medium spiced guacamole , did do fine with potato chips.
Today was a rare hot day with no breeze and kind of muggy. The beer was not refreshing and now I have to go looking for a soda.
And now I know why I have a heavy feeling on my tongue - this beer has corn syrup in it!

Edited by crp, 06 August 2012 - 08:30 PM.

[abarbarian]

mac, on 04 August 2012 - 07:44 AM, said:

Speaking of oatmeal stout, Samuel Smith makes a great one:

Sam Smiths and John Smiths brewerys both on the main street in Tadcaster were only eleven miles away from where I grew up.I have fond memories of both and their excellent beers. Have not tried the Oatmeal Stout but it sounds worth a try.

[abarbarian]

crp that Redbridge sounds like a no no to me

Day 4 - 5 - 6

This three pack was a present from last Christmas and contained three beers

Yorkshire Terrier - A decent clean hoppy ale. Score - 6 out of 10

Centurians Ghost Ale -  A luverly dark ale, winters and blazing fires spring to mind as an ideal time to drink this. Score - 8 out of 10.


Here is a more expert view of it.

Quote

5.4 per cent, dark ruby and topped with a lacy, silky, white head. The aroma is packed full of bitter chocolate and roasted grain, this comes through on the palate and is accented by the faintest suggestion of floral hop. There’s something smoky going on and then a subtle bitterness to the finish. Beautifully crafted and absolutely delicious.

York Minster Ale - A Pale Ale that is pretty non descript, not bad but with nothing to recomend it either.Looks like the brewery has stopped produceing it. Score - 5 out of 10.

http://www.york-brew.../our_beers.php#

I grew up in York and to my mind it is the finest city in the whole of the world.Well I would think that wouldn't I.  

Edited by abarbarian, 07 August 2012 - 06:20 AM.

[abarbarian]

Day - 7

Stella Artois - A fine strong clean larger which slips down easily.I prefer it chilled and drunk on a sunny day.

Score 7 out of 10



They do some awesome adverts.  

[crp]

Guinness Black Lager , not the regular Guinness , still it was odd to drink a Guinness out of a bottle It was also disappointing when I tipped the bottle to finish off my veggie pattie and the bottle was already empty.
In short   not nearly as full flavored as the regular, but really good and balanced and flavorful. only thing lacking was a good aroma, which might have been due to drinking from bottle instead of glass (label says drink from bottle).

Edited by crp, 08 August 2012 - 08:23 PM.

[crp]

a light seasonal ale, as the name predicts, from Big Sky Brewing. An easy drink, somewhat nice. Brewed with honey and spices but I could not sense any honey taste or smell, nor could i tell you which spices were involved. Actually a bit underwhelming as I was expecting big taste from the brewery so I wouldn't suggest having it with hearty food.

[abarbarian]

Crp Guinness Black I have never tried. Still sounds like a half decent drink though.Typical Irish (label says drink from bottle) straight in to it. Shame the Summer Honey did not live up to it's name.

Day 8



Well's Bombadier - A dark ale reddishie brown you can just see through it. Kept a head on down to the last drop. Had a bitterry ish after taste which was quite pleasant. However a bit too fizzy for me but still a pleasant strong ale.

Score - 6 out of ten.

Edited by abarbarian, 10 August 2012 - 05:51 PM.

[amenditman]

abarbarian, on 10 August 2012 - 05:40 PM, said:

Crp Guinness Black I have never tried. Still sounds like a half decent drink though.Typical Irish (label says drink from bottle) straight in to it. Shame the Summer Honey did not live up to it's name.

Day 8



Well's Bombadier - A dark ale reddishie brown you can just see through it. Kept a head on down to the last drop. Had a bitterry ish after taste which was quite pleasant. However a bit too fizzy for me but still a pleasant strong ale.

Score - 6 out of ten.

That sounds nice and tasty!

[amenditman]

crp, on 08 August 2012 - 08:22 PM, said:

Guinness Black Lager , not the regular Guinness , still it was odd to drink a Guinness out of a bottle It was also disappointing when I tipped the bottle to finish off my veggie pattie and the bottle was already empty.
In short   not nearly as full flavored as the regular, but really good and balanced and flavorful. only thing lacking was a good aroma, which might have been due to drinking from bottle instead of glass (label says drink from bottle).

Had the opportunity to try this one. Pretty good. My beer of choice is a dark amber lager, but this is a nice change. Most of your other suggestions are turning out to be pretty scarce in my neck of the woods.

[crp]

amenditman, on 10 August 2012 - 07:15 PM, said:

Had the opportunity to try this one. Pretty good. My beer of choice is a dark amber lager, but this is a nice change. Most of your other suggestions are turning out to be pretty scarce in my neck of the woods.

Well they really aren't suggestions, just personal experience with my experimental beer drinking. Doesn't surprise me you can't find them, they are hard to find in my 'hood. I think my next beer purchasing will be in 2 weeks or so, only one I've found here is the Smith's Oat.

[crp]

New Belgium Brewing's Abbey Belgian Style Ale , supposedly a Belgian dubbel. I detected no fruitiness at all, and for something made with six malts it was incredibly bland - it was just about tasteless. Very dark, smell was good. Taste was bland and very bitter with no redeeming body or aftertaste. I could not finish the bottle, left about 2oz which i poured down the drain.

[amenditman]

You poured beer down the drain?
It must have been really bad.