David D.
David Duffey
Web Page: http://flashmcduff.blogspot.com/
Registered Since: 2008-02-10 00:01:57
Profile: The more I worked with beer, the more I wanted a challenge from it. By challenge, I mean taste, and by working I mean working for a beer distributor during college and seeing every hole-in-the-wall bar in southwest Wisconsin. Yes, there are a few with dirt floors.
Reviews by David D.:
bad batch bureau
Week 19: Brau Brothers Scotch Ale (May 5–May 11) | Reviewed on May 12th, 2008
I like scotch ales.
I don’t like buying a six-pack of rancid scotch ale that tastes like someone barfed lemons into a Mr. Beer.
helicopters make me think of Rambo
Week 18: Flat Earth Black Helicopter (April 28–May 4) | Reviewed on May 2nd, 2008
Well, the meetup turned out to be a definite fail on my part. We were there but didn’t really interact due to our clandestine location. We walked in and snagged the only open table in the joint. You’d think that would be great…and it was. Not having to stand is nice. However, we did end up around the corner from any and all action happening aside from Big Buck Hunter 2006. *see diagram*
The plus side was far greater than the lonely table. This was the best smelling beer I’ve ever had. Black Helicopter smells like coffee - no surprise there - and good coffee at that. Not burnt coffee or like Sanka. It smells more like a cold press. The flavor is stout but doesn’t hang around long, making it pretty drinkable. Unfortunately coffee stouts seem to create some sort of negative reaction in my body. I enjoy both coffee and beer and I’m theorizing that the two of them battle for my beverage love and it leaves me unable to consume more than one in a sitting. The same phenomenon happened at last year’s Gnome Fest, I just found out after the fact…while I was biking. I digress. Kudos to Flat Earth for coming out with good new brews and thanks to the Ugly Mug for hosting - and giving me a super cheap happy hour.
don’t gotta remind me
Week 17: Lake Superior Sir Duluth Oatmeal Stout (April 21–27) | Reviewed on April 23rd, 2008
I can officially say it’s easily my favorite Lake Superior, and I haven’t even officially sampled this week’s supply. Awesome beer that makes me want to eat pancakes.
I haz a history wif dis wun
Week 16: Summit Maibock (April 14–20) | Reviewed on April 20th, 2008
Rite of spring,
Rising out of syrupy darkness,
Cleaner, sharper, crisper.
Recall, if you will, our first,
You - available and new,
Me - ambitious and naiive,
We shared more than one.
I couldn’t drive.
spelunk-a-drunk
Week 15: Brewer's Cave Golden Caramel Lager (April 7–13) | Reviewed on April 11th, 2008
This one cought me off guard. I had no expectations, and quite honestly I was just planning on slogging through a bottle for the sake of the review. I was, however, very happy with the product. Worth it if you don’t like hoppy beer, but like a full-bodied one.
I see that a Yarusso brother is the one who kept this recipe going. Yarusso’s is a nice old Italian place on Payne Ave that looks respectable (I’ve never been but know those who have). I have been to Morelli’s Liquor which is right next to Yarusso’s. Good prices and a nice wine selection and a top-notch deli. The place just oozes attitude: the old Italian food and wine shop…..that’s family run……since the 30’s…….that doesn’t take plastic (leaving no paper trail)…..
not sayin, just sayin.
oh Mai,
Week 14: Schell Maifest (March 31–April 6) | Reviewed on April 7th, 2008
Well that was nice. I just finished a Maifest and am happy it didn’t sneak up and whack me with a drunk-bat like other Maibocks I’ve had. This one was sweet, not hoppy but still interesting to drink. I expected a pretty tame version of this style of beer from Schell’s and was pleasantly surprised at the actual product.
barley champagne?
Week 13: Flat Earth Winter Warlock (March 24–30) | Reviewed on April 7th, 2008
I was suprised at how bubbly and light in color this was. I had expected something closer to…i don’t know…all the other barley wines I’ve had which have been dark in color and not flat but definitely not lighty and airy. The flavor was not hoppy in the least, but it was sweet and drinkable. I thought about doing a running timeline of how the 22 oz of 9% ABV affected my ability to play WarioWare: Smooth Moves on a Wii. Though I didn’t write it down, I can tell you my play was unaffected.
beer with a hint of…
Week 12: Finnegans Irish Amber (March 17–23) | Reviewed on March 21st, 2008
French fried per-taters.
Distraction
Week 11: Schell Pilsner (March 10–16) | Reviewed on March 14th, 2008
Right now it’s late at night and I’m watching a Fatboy Slim concert on a beach somewhere in England circa 2002. It’s just as, if not more, stimulating than the Schell’s Pilsner I happen to be drinking. This beer’s taste is a throwback to keg beer and plastic cups, only light years better for two reasons: #1- it is better. Better taste, better quality, and a better experience overall knowing it comes from a regional brewer. #2 - I’ve come to appreciate history and knowing where a beer came from - in other words, I know brewing a pilsner would require a level of maintenance than I’m not up for just yet. I respect that.
Still, the show and the camera shots switching in tune to the music is what is grabbing my attention now because the beer is good but not my style. Sadly, techno is not terribly refreshing and would not as effectively…oh, say…cool a sunburn after a summer day of canoeing. That’s where I see this beer fitting in well.
little brewery on the prairie
Week 9: Brau Brothers Frame Straightener (February 25–March 2) | Reviewed on March 5th, 2008
I’m apt to enjoy Brau beer simply because it’s may be the only beer available at the Morris, MN liquor store that doesn’t come in a 30-pack cube. The price is absurdly cheap to boot. Frame Straightener was a nice beer with some sweet flavor and the feel of a homebrew. Unlike some homebrews that leave you feeling like you just drank a whole meal, it did feel like I could have more than one.
baby bear’s stash
Week 10: Lake Superior Special Ale (March 3–9) | Reviewed on March 4th, 2008
Everything is just right. Subtle aroma, crisp taste and a clean finish. I like it. Now, allow me to geek out and refer to a part of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - just as Ford Prefect is about to hitch away with Arthur on the Vogon destroyer and he orders a few pints of bitters for the two of them because they’ll need salt in their system when they hitchhike. Well this is what I imagine that beer tasting like: i.e. something I could pound a few of in a matter of seconds because my life depended on it.
Safe at first through home.
Week 3: Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale (January 14-20) | Reviewed on February 25th, 2008
In his explanation for going with the 22oz bottles, Jeff from Flat Earth stated something to the effect of ”if you’re going to indulge in a beer, indulge.” Not an exact quote, but I agreed with what he said. The Belgian Pale Ale was just right in the big bottle. Not too pungent or syrupy to get sick of after a few sips. Refreshing with a sweet, hinting at fruity, tatse. A solid alternative to more hoppy beers - if that’s your taste. I, personally, am not terribly descriminate.
Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary
Week 8: Flat Earth Cygnus X-1 (February 18-24) | Reviewed on February 19th, 2008
If I were a storyteller:
I would tell about the time I tried Cygnus X-1 and in a flash of light was whisked away to the farthest reaches of space in a giant bass guitar-shaped spaceship with a picture of menacing white owl on it. Then I would tell everyone I knew about what I saw: galaxies and worlds beyond our own, populated by beings who communicate in a language we can only understand if we drink strong, but not lingering porters that are surprisingly refreshing and come in 22 ounce bottles (and sometimes brandy snifters) and, of course, if we fly by night.
But that’s if I could really tell a story. I don’t think I’m very good, so forget it. It’s not important.
Lots of it
Week 5: Summit Winter (January 28-February 3) | Reviewed on February 11th, 2008
This beer was the house beverage for our holiday ugly sweater party. Well, for me, at least. I bought a lot and everyone else brought their own. I still haven’t finished them. No worries, it’s a good, bold winter ale and it’s still unbelievably cold outside.
“this is..
Week 4: Surly Furious (January 21-27) | Reviewed on February 11th, 2008
..the hoppiest beer I’ve tasted to date.”
–Spoken by me after taking the first sip of one at Pizza Luce in St. Paul. I had one more. Enjoy.
EDIT 2-15-08: the hoppiest beer award now goes to Bells 3rd Coast which feels and tastes even more like a cleaning agent.
snow strom thurmond
Week 1: Schell Snowstorm (January 1-6) | Reviewed on February 11th, 2008
I’m not a changed man after drinking this. That said, I was pleased to have Snow Storm around when the alternative was a case of Miller Lite my relatives were lusting over. Drinkable, and pleasingly so, but definitely not the boldest of winter brews. Sweet, but not too much, with a clean finish. A pretty noncomittal, Minnesota Nice ale.