So I made it in from the wedding earlier than my fiance tonight. I decided that a warehouse with no air conditioning was not the place for me to sit with a long sleeve shirt and khakis. As well, I wanted as much time as possible to get home before the roads were rolled up and stored for the evening here in Tazewell, VA.
10:10 PM - I had some brews chilling during my absence and started out with a Great Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River Pale Ale. I have to say...it smells, feels and tastes wonderful. I won't even get into specifics because in the time it took me to open Windows Live Writer, partially answer a question for school and start typing, it is nearly gone. Perfect balance of the citrusy bitterness that good hops can give. Good carbonation and overall great flavor. Beer Advocate gives it an A-, I give it an A+. This one is up there for me with Sierra Nevada and Olde Hickory Tablerock. I am glad I got a 6-pack of this one! 1 to share with the first person to call dibs and 4 more for me.
10:40 PM - Next up is the Red Hook Sunrye Summer Ale. I am a fan of the Red Hook ESB, so this one held some promise. It pours a nice wheaty yellow color. There is no description on the bottle, so I am thinking its probably a rye wheat. Let's see. It has little head. It has good carbonation. Its clearly not a wheat beer. The taste is a little hoppy, maybe at the beginning, but fades when the malty and sweet taste overtakes it. It smells a little like bread, but not really...I know...good description. I would like to like it more because it feels good in my mouth and it could make a great session beer, however, it is a bit sweet and has not enough true taste beyond that to make it drinkable. Beer Advocate gives it a C+...I would go C.
11:10 - Those first 2 went down quick. Much better than last night's offerings. I am finding myself wishing I had 1 more of the first one on ice...alas, I do not. So now I go to the Saranac Adirondack Lager. It is made with water from the Adirondacks or something like that to balance the something or another. At this point I am drinking...not reading labels. :) The color is light brown almost Pal's tea coloring. If you are not from NE Tennessee, you will not understand that. The smell is a little sweet almost with a bite on the end. Not sure how else to explain it...but I guess the hops are doing that. The taste is clean and crisp, but nothing special. Not a lot of hop flavor to overcome the maltiness. Its okay at best. BA gives it a B-...I think its more middle of the road like a C or C+. I got this in a "trail pack", since their theme is the mountains...get it...trail pack? I think I have one more. I may update this one after that 2nd one.
11:32 PM - A note while I finish this beer...I was re-reading last night and thought that Thunderhump IPA would be a better name for a beer than Thunderhead. Just a thought...
11:44 PM - Last one for the night. I have a Wild Blue Blueberry Lager. It says nothing on the label but the beer is apparently made by Anheuser Busch, according to BA. The label says Blue Dawg Brewing, Somewhere KY. Who you gonna trust? I have had fruity beers. Purple Haze is probably my favorite from Abita. The beer pours deep purple with no real beer coloring at all. The smell is very fruity and sweet, as you might expect from a lambic style offering. The taste is not beery at all. It is very near to something like Welch's grape soda, but less carbonated. The aftertaste is not as comparable and leaves a bitterness I wish wasn't there. BA gives it a D. One BA'er actually stated that it smelled like crotch. I will not go that far, but I will give it a D as well. I am not sure I will finish this one, let alone ever purchase another. I tend to agree with another BA'er when he states "With high alcohol content, I think this one was brewed for the soul intention of shady college guys getting high school girls drunk."
It sucks when a session ends on a bad note. I may drink the last beer I have in the cooler or I may just drink some water and go onto bed hoping that this purple substance doesn't upset my natural rhythm of life. Good night to all.
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