Hiatus #2

I read a book recently about a man who saw one film for every day of the year. The man: Kevin Murphy. The book: A Year at the Movies. The book made me realize how useless and uninteresting the Beer Year is. Murphy sought out the interesting: he saw one movie at the world's smallest theater, another at a hotel made entirely of ice, and one silent in a Scandinavian tent. During the latter, a storm reached its tumultuous zenith at the climax of the film, a scene in which a girl is killed.

Murphy's book is divided into weeks, and each week has a different theme. One deals with movies on planes, another with art films, and yet another with the author's experience as a lowly theater attendant. It is essentially a collection of 52 separate essays, joined together by the humorous and knowledgeable voice of the author and the advance that each makes toward the 365 movie goal.

This, I thought as I was reading, is what Beer Year should be. Instead of sitting in a small living room, typing tasting notes on a laptop while watching From Here to Eternity, I should be out experiencing the beer. This is only possible through travel. I am a college student, low on money and even lower on spare time; as rewarding an experience as Murphy's is beyond my current capabilities.

I want to be able to write about drinking an Orval in the courtyard of the monastery, about chatting with the brewer of Dark Lord (presumably one of the three Floyds), about finding a brewery in the dark corners of Nambia and drinking its product from a hollow log. I want to be able to relate accurately and truthfully the entire experience of beer, not just the appearance, aroma, and taste

And so the Beer Year, while still a great idea, must wait until I have the necessary time and resources to make it a truly valuable experience for both me and the reader. With luck, I'll be able to do this when I'm 55.

Until then, read my ratings on ratebeer.com under the username jmuhops.

March 24, 2006 - #207 of 365

Brewer: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Ohio, USA)
Beer: Burning River
Style: American Pale Ale
abv: 6%

Bottle from the store.

Pours amber with a two-finger off-white head. Excellent citrusy and piney hop aroma, with honey and sweet bread undertones. Interesting flavor. Well-balanced and deliciously hoppy, but there are some strange tastes of bubble gum and some slightly medicinal notes. Dry, bitter finish, with a metallic tinge.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

March 23, 2006 - #206 of 365

Brewer: Yards' Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale
Style: American Strong Ale
abv: 8%

Bottle from the store. A recreation of a recipe used by Mr. Jefferson for semi-yearly brewing at Monticello.

Pours hazy gold-amber with a one-finger white head. Think malty aroma--toffee, caramel, toast, and light diacetyl--with some earthy hops. Traces of alcohol and fruit. Sweet, very English flavor, with heavy toast, honey, and caramel. There's a surprisingly strong hop flavor which balances the malt nicely. A little bit of dry straw in the background. Some vinous notes as it warms. Leaves the mouth dry in the back corners and quenched at the tip of the tongue. Good, especially since I was expecting a straight English Ale.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

March 22, 2006 - #205 of 365

Brewer: North Coast Brewing Company
Beer: Acme California Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
abv: 5%

Bottle from the store.

Pours amber-gold with a one-finger white head. Dish soap and citrus aroma, with caramel malt and a metallic touch. Weak flavor with some caramel in the beginning, a quick burst of citrusy hops, and then nothing but a slightly soapy aftertaste. Some honey is in there, but not enough to add any depth.

Rating: 2.8 out of 5

March 21, 2006 - #204 of 365

Brewer: Shipyard Brewing Company (Maine, USA)
Beer: Seadog Riverdriver Porter
Style: Porter
abv: 5.6%

Bottle from the store. Brewed with hazelnuts.

Pours deep garnet with a small off-white head. Remarkably non-opaque. Excellent milk chocolate aroma, with the hazelnut coming in strong with the second sniff. Some toast and nuts. Very good Porter flavor somewhat ruined by a touch of hazelnut. The beginning is very roasty, with the hazelnut coming in not long after. The finish is nicely bitter, with lingering almond. Would be better without the extra flavoring, but still good.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

March 20, 2006 - #203 of 365

Brewer: Butte Creek Brewing Company (California, USA)
Beer: Organic Pilsner
Style: Bohemian Pilsener
abv: 4.1%

Bottle from the store.

Pours gold with a one-finger white head. Light aroma of bready malt and spicy Saaz hops. The flavor starts out bland, with only a hint of sweet malt, but ends with a surprisingly earthy and peppery hop bite. Interesting mouthfeel: creamier than expected. Still excellently drinkable.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

March 19, 2006 - #202 of 365

Brewer: Black Sheep Brewery (North Yorkshire, England)
Beer: Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale
Style: English Strong Ale
abv: 5.7%

Bottle from the store. The name refers to a sheep which has fallen on its back and can't get up.

Pours deep burnt orange-red with a large off-white head. Diacetyl and lactose are apparent in the first sniff. A good bit of fruitiness (banana, pear) comes in alongside some roasted, chocolaty notes on the second. The flavor starts with that banana fruitiness followed by a surprisingly strong earthy hoppiness. Finishes pleasantly bitter. I find it difficult, however, to get past the remarkably British banana and diacetyl beginning.

Rating: 3.3 out of 5

March 18, 2006 - #201 of 365

Brewer: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Ohio, USA)
Beer: Holy Moses White Ale
Style: Witbier
abv: 5.4%

Bottle from that sampler from my dad. Funny label, showing Moses Cleaveland parting Lake Erie. This Moses is uncannily following in the footsteps of the other, leading his people into a wholly different wasteland: Cleveland, Ohio.

Pours hazy gold with a dense, two-finger, white head. Coriander dominates the aroma, backed by yeast and light biscuity malt. A lot of spice in the flavor, alongside some lemon zest. Decent, but kind of boring.

Rating: 3 out of 5

March 17, 2006 - #200 of 365

Brewer: Brasserie Dupont (Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium)
Beer: Moinette Blonde
Style: Abbey Tripel
abv: 8.5%

Bottle from the store.

Opens with a pop and an explosion of aroma; must, yeast, and spice fills the room. Pours hazy gold with a huge head which leaves a lot of lacing. In the glass the aroma is fruitier: lemon zest, orange, and banana. There is a pronounced spiciness, with pepper and coriander dancing around that mustiness, now much more subtle. Bready flavor, turning spicy and fruity halfway through. A shot of hops comes in at the end. Dry finish, with a hint of plastic. Spritzy carbonation.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

March 16, 2006 - #199 of 365

Brewer: Stiegl Brewery (Salzburg, Austria)
Beer: Pils
Style: Classic German Pilsener
abv: 4.9%

Bottle from the store.

Pours very pale gold with a large white head. Thick, bready aroma, with a big dose of sweet, earthy hops. A bit vegetal. Flavor begins with a honeyish sweetness over fresh bread. The hop taste comes in slowly and asserts itself as a grassy bitterness. Dull hop finish. Extremely drinkable, but bland, even compared to other Pilseners.

Rating: 3 out of 5

March 15, 2006 - #198 of 365

Brewer: Brouwerij F. Boon (Lembeek, Belgium)
Beer: Kriek Boon
Style: Kriek Lambic
abv: 5%

Bottle from the store. Kriek is cherry, cherry is kriek.

Pours red with a huge pink head. Strong cherry aroma with some light vanilla coming through. Smells like one of those cherry cream candies. The flavor starts sweet and then turns tart and a little funky on the back of the tongue. Dry, tart cherry aftertaste, with some of the funk lingering. Between Lindeman's and Oud Beersel on the sweet to tart/funky scale.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5

March 14, 2006 - #197 of 365

Brewer: Liefmans (Oudenaarde, Belgium)
Beer: Kriekbier
Style: Flemish Sour Ale
abv: 5%

Paper-wrapped bottle from the store.

Pours red-amber with a large white head with a light pink tint. Very pronounced sour cherry aroma. Lightly acidic and vinegary. Strong tart cherry flavor with little else. That vinegar is lurking in the background, but not to the point of unpleasantness. The full, oily mouthfeel is the strongest point, adding some substance that the simple flavor lacked. Sweet enough to be an alternative to Lindeman's, but tart and acidic enough to be a good alternative.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5