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    Rogue 21

    December 14, 2010
    / Beer Review /
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    Name – Rogue 21
    Country – United States
    Type – Old Ale

    I just want start by saying I am still shocked at the Phillies bringing back Cliff Lee and snubbing the Yankees.  This is a dream come true.  Okay back to beer shall we.

    It’s far from a little known secret that Rogue has been letting me down lately.  The XS series has not really lived up to the hype or the price tag.  So you may ask why I haven’t just given up on them.

    Rogue still makes some good beers.  Dead Guy is still one of my favorite session beers.  I really enjoy the Chocolate Stout and Shakespeare Stout.  And Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale is everything I want in a red ale.  So I hold out hope on them.  And with that hope I made a big decision to try the newest beer in one of the big ceramic bottles.

    Rogue 21 is dedicated to the 21st Anniversary of Rogue brewing beers for the Oregon Brewers Festival.  It is an old ale and said to be good now or to age.  I’ve decided to go with the now and see how it is.

    I poured it into my brand spanking new New Belgium glass and the liquid laid in the glass a murky deep red color.  It had a good sized sandy head but it didn’t really leave any lacing on the glass.

    The nose was big in dark fruit with some hints of brown sugar in there.  I also pick up a bit of an alcohol burn as well.

    The first think I notice about the taste is it’s very earthy flavor.  It is followed by more dark fruit flavors before it gets earthy again.  Some bitterness and some smokey qualities to it.

    The earthy and smokey notes throw me off a bit on this one.  I’m not use to tastes like those in an old ale.

    Okay so you are going to ask was the $16 worth it for this beer right?  I would say not right now.  But I believe this beer is better suited for aging.  At 8% ABV it isn’t a big old ale but I think 1-2 years on it would make a world of difference.  I can see those earthy characters going away and the dark fruit coming forward more.  So if you have the cash (or credit) to pick one up now and save for later I think it might work.

    Grade – B-

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    Christmas Gifts for Your Beer Geek

    December 13, 2010
    / Random /
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    It’s that time of year again.  The cold weather is really rolling in (even here in South Florida where it’s 49 degrees at I write this).  The days are feeling shorter.  The shopping malls and plaza are packed with loony tunes trying to get the best deals possible on gizmos and gadgets.  And probably the biggest result of the season, people are drinking.

    Whether they are doing it to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones or they are doing it to deal with loved ones we all are pretty much filling up glasses with adult beverages a little more in December.  And if you are a beer geek like me then there is plenty of great craft beer stocked up.

    But tis the season to give right?  And what do you get for that special beer geek in your life.  Well considering everyone is different and some might have weird taste in certain things I could not even begin to hit down gift ideas for everyone.  But I can give you some starting pointers of some great presents to put under the tree this year.

    Probably the single most important thing you need to enjoy great craft beer (after the beer itself of course) is glassware.  And not just any glassware but the right glassware.  And if you have a Total Wine and More near you they have started bringing in some nice glassware including glasses from Stone, Dogfish Head, Samuel Adams and Hofbrau.  But if you don’t have one of these super stores near by then I have found something just right.

    Kegworks is offering the Classic Beer Glass Connoisseur Collection.  It is set of four different glasses including an imperial nonic pint glass, a Belgian style tulip, a tall wheat glass and pilsner glass.  The set also comes with a little journal to where they can record their thoughts about 33 different beers.  Theses are really the main glassware types that you need for being a beer geek.  Sure you can break down and get a bunch of other snifters and goblets but the tulip serves that purpose just fine.  With this set your friend can enjoy any number of fine brews in their proper glassware accompaniment.  For more details and to order check out the product on Kegwork’s website.

    So you go some glasses but now you have to fill those up with some good suds for your beer geek.  What do you get them?  Well lucky for you Samuel Adams released something just in time for the holidays that every beer nerd will want.

    Infinium is a collaboration brew that Boston Beer did with Weihenstephan out of Germany.  The idea was to create a brand new beer style but only use the four base ingredients for making beer; water, malted barley, hops, yeast.  And with the use of a champagne style of yeast Infinium was created.  This is a great once in a life time type of beer that your beer geek will love.  It should also be fairly easy to find at any local beer store that has good craft beer.  And at a retail price of between $18-$20 it won’t break your bank like Utopias.

    Well maybe your beer geek in your life is a little more advanced in their love of great beer.  Maybe they even want to start brewing their own beer.  Well it’s pretty easy and cheap to get all the equipment you will need to start home brewing.

    Over at Northern Brewer they have a number of different starter kits but I recommend the Better Basic Starter Kit as it gives you everything you need with an actual carboy as opposed to just 2 buckets from the base kit.  The only other things you will need is kettle, burner and the ingredients.  A stove top and kettle work just fine and NB has a number of recipe kits available on the site as well.  Just pick what you want to make and they will box together all the ingredients and mail them your way.

    Speaking of mailing I bet you are thinking that’s a lot of equipment to send and it’s going to cost an arm and a leg to ship.  Well with Northern Brewer they have  a flat $7.99 shipping cost.  Yup you can get nearly anything from them (minus giant metal fermenters and such) shipped to your doorstep for just $7.99.

    So there you have it.  Some great ideas for some gifts to get your loved one if they love themselves some good craft beers.  Happy holidays!

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    Stone Week in South Florida

    December 9, 2010
    / Beer Events /
    3 Comments

    Stone is a brewery that is taking the craft beer world by storm.  Whether it be their collaborations with breweries like BrewDog, Nogne O or Jolly Pumpkin.  Or it be their great videos that they post about different events or goings ons at the brewery.  Or maybe it’s just the funny tongue in cheek humor you can find on the back of all their bottles.  But needless to say people seem to like Stone a lot.

    Well lucky for us here in South Florida we will get to celebrate Stone for the next few days with numerous events.

    Bethany Sherwin, the Southeastern US rep for Stone, will be making the trek down here and it I don’t see her having much time to enjoy the beaches.  One because we are going through an awesome cold spell that sees temperatures in the 50s and because she is going to be mad busy.

    So how about less jibber jabber and we get to the events?

    Friday December 10th
    Pint Night at Abraxas (407 Meridian Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139). Stop by for a pint of Stone’s Vertical Epic 10.10.10. on draft… plus specials on all other Stone bottled beer. Not to mention that you get to keep the glass when you buy your first pint, from 8pm until close.

    Saturday December 11th
    Everyone Must Get Stone(ed) at BX Beer Depot (2964 2nd ave N. Lake worth, FL 33461) from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. Join Bethany from Stone Brewing as she leads us in a class on the great Beers of Stone. Brewing process, ingredient selection, and many more interesting facts about the beers of Stone will be shared by this great brewery that caters to home brewers and beer lovers alike. Included in this event is a Commemorative Stone Brewing Snifter, and a tasting of the following beers:
    * Vertical Epic 10-10-10
    * Ruination IPA
    * Smoked Porter
    * Lucky Bastard Ale
    *Imperial Russian Stout
    * Depending on turnout, the Bx may break out a surprise beer!
    After the class, a 20% discount on all Stone Brewing Draft Pours will be available to guest as well. Guest will be welcome to stick around at our Beerhaven Tiki for music and great beer afterward! Cost is $25.00 in advance and $30.00 on the day of the event. Please call (561)965-9494 to make your reservation today!

    CANCELED
    Sunday December 12th
    Stone Brunch at Tryst (4 East Atlantic Avenue Delray Beach, FL 33444) from 9am – 12pm. Yes you read that right BEER BRUNCH. They will be featuring a Stone Ruination Bloody Mary plus some other goodies.  Not all the details are known right now but check out www.freshbeerinc.com for more details when they come in.

    Monday December 13th
    Bastard Night at World of Beer (4401 Lyons Road Coconut Creek, FL 33073) from 7-9pm. Stop by where Bethany will be handing out arrogance as they will have a keg of Lucky Bastard, Double Bastard, Oaked Bastard and Arrogant Bastard all on draft…plus some other stone beers available on draft and a bunch in the bottles.

    Tuesday December 14th
    Bethany from Stone Brewing will be stopping by Gratify Gastro Pub (125 Datura St West Palm Beach, FL 33401) to host a Stone beer dinner. Call 561 833-5300 to make reservations. A delicious lineup will include:
    Course 1: Roasted Beet Salad with Candied Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Pear Paired with Stone Pale Ale
    Course 2: Curry Mussels Paired with Stone IPA
    Course 3: BBQ Porter Braised Short Rib with Buttermilk Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Paired with Stone Smoked Porter
    Course 4: Pine nut Salmon with Spinach and a Warm Bacon Glaze Paired with Arrogant Bastard Ale
    Dessert Flourless Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Stout Whipped Cream Paired with Stone Imperial Russian Stout

    Wednesday December 15th
    Stone Pint Night at Coffee District (325 NE 2nd Ave. Delray Beach, FL 33444) They will have Sublimely Self-Righteous, Vertical Epic 10.10.10. and some other Stone brews on draft. Bethany will be in attendance to answer any questions you may have about this West Coast brewery. Buy your first pint of Stone and keep the pint glass as a memento. Rumor has it that United We Drink may be recording the next episode of their podcast this night as well. OOOOWWW!

    So there you have six events to go out and have some awesome Stone brews with someone that works for the brewery.  Are you planning on going out to any?

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