Brew52 » Rett

Bender is like your best friend

Rett — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:16:01 +0000

For me, the bottom line is that I will always choose a Furious over a Bender. Not that the two are really even in direct competition, they’re different styles of beer. It’s just that I love the extreme bite of a Furious so much. So it’s hard to pass that by and opt for a Bender. Of course if I were going to be drinking one after the other, Bender would be a much better companion. But typically when I have Surly it’s that I’m splurging on a 4 pack, and I want to savor them, so I’m only gonna drink one at a time anyway.

Here’s a good analogy I just thought of (mornings happen to be my most creative time): Bender is like your best friend. You can go over to his house and play war, video games, go skateboarding, etc, all day long. He’s awesome. But he’s got an even awesome-er older brother. When the older brother is around he’s kind of a dick to your best friend, but he’s just so damn cool, that you’ll join in and be a dick to your best friend, just so that Furious, I mean the older brother, thinks you’re cool.

ready for some fries?

Rett — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:02:56 +0000

Let me be the first to say that the novelty of having a keg of beer at work never wears off. And not just any keg. It’s Summit EPA; it always has been and it always will be. It’s the only authorized Clockwork beer, and it’s become a standard by which my coworkers and I judge and compare most other beers. The only side effect is that I never order a Summit EPA on tap at the bar. It would be like if you always ate really good mashed potatoes for dinner at home. When you go out to a restaurant, you’ll probably order fries or baked potato or something. Is this analogy a stretch?

A big commitment

Rett — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:52:14 +0000

I’ll be honest, I preferred last year’s Snowstorm. I think it had to do with the surprise of what looked to be a darker winter ale actually being a fruity Belgian. But then it’s unfair to compare these two completely different styles. So for the rye that it is, I enjoy it quite a bit. Enough that I just picked up another 12 pack, and for me, the guy with a 9 months pregnant wife who’s cut way back on beer intake, that’s a big commitment.

how is this not in the Winter sampler?

Rett — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:03:59 +0000

I was over in the Midway yesterday, my old stomping grounds, so I went to Big Top to pick up the Summit Porter. I ended up getting a 12 pack only because it was a better value than the 6 pack ($10.99/12 vs. $7.99/6) and the Winter sampler pack only had Winter Ale, Extra Pale Ale, Extra Special Bitter, and India Pale Ale. Maybe it’s just me but I totally think the Porter should be in there instead of the EPA.

Well, not a big deal that I got a 12-pack since the Porter kicks ass. I’m on number 2 right now, and I’m really enjoying the chocolatey coffee flavors and the sweet finish. Seems like the perfect way to start off what’s gonna be a long winter.

There’s still some left!

Rett — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:21:51 +0000

If you haven’t had a chance to try Surly Darkness, it’s still on tap at a few bars. 8th Street Grill downtown Minneapolis and Blue Nile on Franklin to name a couple. Check the list on Surly’s site for more, but be sure to call ahead as many have run out.

The Bronze Medal

Rett — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:47:13 +0000

Alright, time for catch up. Schell Octoberfest definitely had a tough act to follow, coming after both Summit and Surly. If I had to rate the three, I’d probably put Schell’s in third, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. Definitely had the characteristic Marzen style taste, heavy on the malt, but pretty smooth. I think it was just a little less flavorful by comparison.

Perfect Saturday Afternoon

Rett — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:21:50 +0000

First, thank you to Colin at Barley John’s for coming out on a Saturday, hanging out and talking beer. It was awesome to try the 4 different beers on tap and even more awesome that it was warm enough to sit out on the patio.

I loved everything we tasted. The Little Barley Bitter was nice and light, Stockyard IPA was nice and hoppy (even though Colin says it’s a different combination of hops than usual) and the Old Eight Porter was smooth and rich. The Dark Night Returns, at 13.5% alcohol was definitely the most intense flavor. The bourbon came through in the right amount for me, and the slight buzz I got helped with the increasing cold wind.

By the time we finished we were all ready to go inside, warm up and grab some food. Keep an eye out for a real food review on Erin and Ben’s a, but I will say that my burger was awesome, and I’ve had some really good pizzas in the past.

So if you haven’t made it Barley John’s, do so. And again, thanks Colin for hanging out with the Brew52 crew!

I give it one big spiraly circle!

Rett — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:50:23 +0000

Much of my experience at the Autumn Brew Review is a blur, but fortunately I was smart enough to keep detailed notes in my program guide as to what beers I tasted and which ones I liked. And by detailed notes I mean a series of different pencil scribbles that I seemed to abandon about half way through. I hit up the Minnesota booths first so most of them are marked, and next to Schell’s Bavarian Forest Dampfbier is a big spiraly circle while many just have a check, or a dash, or in some cases a sad face. (Note to self: if Brew52 happens again in the future, replace star rating system with a series of pencil scribbles)

Anyway, I went to Mac’s Industrial Sports Bar on Thursday and had a pint of the Bavarian Forest just to make sure that the big circle in my program guide wasn’t a mistake (or the beginning of a sad yuck face). Good news, it was definitely a “this beer rocks!” circle. It’s got a really great crisp taste with some light fruity aroma (they say banana) which I love. I will hopefully be snagging another pint before they run out.

Bier for a stein!

Rett — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:16:54 +0000

I was a little worried I wouldn’t find any Surlyfest left on the shelf, but fortunately I was able to snag a four pack from the last case at Surdyks earlier this week. I’ve commented before on beer packaging and specifically how much I like Surly’s can designs. Surlyfest does not dissapoint, with it’s checkered blue background and character with a German hat. Probably my favorite detail is that the typical “Beer for a glass, from a can.” statement has changed to “Bier for a stein, from a can.”

Reading the description I was prepared for a hoppy beer, but wow is this hoppy. Nothing compared to Furious, but compared to a traditional Octoberfest it’s insane. In a good way, or at least in an interesting way. I’ll be curious to hear what other Octoberfestlovers say about this one.

Say no to pumpkin ales

Rett — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:58:54 +0000

Fall kicks ass. This year especially because it means I don’t have to water my new sod twice a day any more. And of course because of all the great seasonal beers. No not the Pumpkin ales, although I always buy a couple 6 packs, and I’m always a little dissapointed. I’m talking about Octoberfest.

I really enjoyed Summit’s Oktoberfest. I could definitely taste the higher alcohol content, but it went down smooth and toasty. We’ll see how Surlyfest which I’m about to taste here in a minute, and Schells Octoberfest taste in comparison.