Malt....it's your friend

Another great IPA fest is currently underway at Quenchers saloon. This year things a running are little different and I think the new system is great. Here's how it works: The fest lasts six weeks with a new batch of 6 beers every week. There have been some notables thus far including; Rogue XS Imperial IPA, Founders Devil Dancer, Victory Cask Conditioned Hop Wallop, Dog Fish Head Burton Baton and a host of others.

Everyone has their very own beer palate and I've never been one to get in a long debate about it. I will however give my quick bit of personal insight on imperial and double IPA's that are so very popular in American brewing. Balance is the key ingredient. The IPA's that work the best for me are those that strike a balance of body with huge bitter pop that you get in these intensely flavored beers. This is almost always accomplished by packing a heavy dose of malt with the smashing strength of the hops. The Burton Baton does this and does it with out making the beer seem heavy (all while running %10 ABV and probably 90IBU's). Anyway this brings me to the topic of today's blog....Malt, your friend your neighbor your undoing if you aren't careful.

Although it happens to be hopfest my highlight has been a barley wine that I recently discovered is now being served in convenient 12oz. bottles, Arcadia's Cereal Killer. This is a strong beer, but one you just can't seem to put down. A complex array of flavor wrapped in a pocket of malty goodness. As I research it I also discover I am not the only person who really digs this stuff. They won the gold at the Great American Beer Festival last year in the barrel aged category. This what Arcadia has to say about it...

"Brewed in the traditional English style of Barleywines, Cereal Killer is an explosion of full-bodied, malty goodness. Huge syrupy flavors flow over caramel, toffee, molasses and toasty notes. All these rich malt flavors are balanced out nicely by just the right amount of citrus-like hoppy bitterness. A high alcohol content makes this a beer for the cellar. As this brew ages, it will continue to develop more sherry-like flavors and aromas similar to a cask-aged port."

My last bit of advice would be to explore the wonderful world of malt and have yourself an Arcadia on your next beer adventure.

Pizza

Delicous Meat

What you should know about facebook

In 1983 a militant faction of the girl scouts began a plan to rule the world and increase cookie sales through the use of government sponsored social networking system. The plan was called operation Facebook. Although the process was slow and methodical things began to pickup speed in March of 1987. At that time the little known revolt happened in the CIA with a girl scout backed regime taking hold of the power center. Operation Facebook was now given full priority and backing from the CIA, NATO, NESTLE, and the company that invented the bouncy castle. Within months a system of communication was devised based on a little used network known simply as the Interweb. The use of the term Web is emphasized as the MWGS (Militant Wing of the Girl Scouts) would often use the term black widow as their code name in communications outside of the CIA. By 1991 Facebook had successfully deconstructed the soviet union and was well on its path to total cookie detonation of the citizens of the United States and its parent company the company that invented the bouncy castle. In 1994 a specialist attempted to reveal the true nature of Operation Facebook, but in a misinterpretation labeled it Amazon. Soon Facebook had taken over most citizens with out any resistance. Much like kool aid people line up to take the cookies into their brain stems. Giving up their entire existence to the to the CIA, MWGS, NESTLE, and TCTITBC. As you read this, please realize that you have been downloaded into the darkside. Please feel free to visit a bouncy castle.

Laviathan

As always I have been drinking copious amounts of beer. The local watering hole ran an IPA fest for the month of June. There were some exceptional beers to be had, most of which were poured on draft. Some highlights included:
Harpoon Leviathan (we'll get to that in a second)

Rogue IP3A-Triple IPA=Unbelievable and very bitter

Dark Horse Double Crooked Creek-Rare to see and amazing to drink. Very smooth for a double IPA.

Surly 16 Grit-Another big beer from surly. Real heavy malt compliments the hop character of this beer. Almost refreshing, which is a dangerous situation.

Lets talk about Harpoon, and lets talk about their Leviathan line. They have been around since 1986 and brew great beers. There IPA is a staple of American brewing, and anything I have had from them has been great. They recently began brewing a series of beers referred to as Leviathan. These are bigger versions of their beers, that are brewed in relatively small batches (120 barrels). The Double IPA on draft was a thing of beauty. Complex malts mixed with a very heavy dose of hops. A complexity that really sits on the back of your mouth and carries a wonderful tea like character. They also do a Quad, which is a Belgian inspired Quadruple that goes down way to easy. From their website I see they also do a pilsner and a porter under this series as well. Here is an excerpt from Harpoon about the Double IPA.
" Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA will challenge your senses and your palate. As the vibrant aroma rushes out of your glass you will notice the blend of piney and tropical fruit notes. At first sip, this big beer starts with apowerful hop bitterness up front and an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout.

Leviathan Imperial IPA is brewed with tons of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt body to balance the hop intensity. We used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil to create a complex hop flavor and clean lingering bitter finish. We then fermented the beer with Harpoon’s own versatile proprietary yeast. Finally, we dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel to produce this beer’s massive aroma."

BEER SPECIFICATIONS
Style:	Imperial IPA
Original Gravity:	22
Alcohol by Volume:	10%
IBU’S:	122

I really like that they use their own proprietary yeast. This shows a true knowledge and dedication to the craft. Go Harpoon!!!!

Remington

I still love beer

Stout Feast. That is all I have to say about that. Now for some pictures of my 2 bestest buds.

I'm a jerk, a lazy jerk, but I still love beer

Maybe, just maybe I will get back into updating this thing a bit more frequently. Here is a quick snidbit. Is that word?

My life=Very good, staying in our house for at least another year, which is great. This neighborhood rocks, and the house is unbeatable, and I don't have a subprime mortgage. Got a new dog and he is awesome. Such a neglected little guy, and boy does he enjoy the love he gets here. Pretty much follows me everywhere and doesn't really exhibit any bad behavior. A real charmer like his brother. He is a pitbull of course, and I'm convinced I will be rescuing pit bulls for the rest of my life. They are such awesome, loyal, funny, and smart dogs. Don't like putbulls becasue you have read some article about how they are genetically predisposed to kill, then you are fox news media lover. Humans may have such predispositions, but these guys are lovers through and through. Their loyalty is their undoing, they will do anything for their pack, no matter how negative that pack may be.

Beer-hmmmmmm
Redhook ESB-Old fav, long forgoten, recently rediscovered as a great value and nice modest beer, very drinkable.
Victory Fest Beer- Fuck Yeah!!! They had this at the local watering hole for a couple weeks on draft. Delicious Oktoberfest, everything I like in a marzen style. Malty goodness.
Bells-It's back
New Holland Sun Dog (keg)-Great little amber. Not too much, not too little. Perfect for an afternoon or early evening while camping with friends. Not nearly as good in a bottle.

More later