It's not where you're at it's where you're from.

Part of being where you are is knowing where you came from. I'm from a family that has a chequered history, not unusual. and the family tree is a journey, like everyone else's.



So it was with a bit of excitement that I really stumbled over this last night, in one of those weird moments where you indullge your self-googling, except this time I chose my Father's name.

And this popped up.

A public notice confirming his naturalisation \ Citizenship in July 1965, a magnificent addition to the family history tree.

Feeling a bit good about this to be honest, but not for any real reason, except I found it.

Beer - #228 - Renaissance Enlightenment Series - Fresh Hop Benelux Ale

So to the fridge he dashes, and grabs for the Renaissance Enlightenment Series Fresh Hop Benelux Ale.  Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a : Belgian Ale, and they do that in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Fresh Hop Benelux Ale. You see, it is not quite a Belgian style, but kind of in that region. We based this on a Blonde and brewed it with a mixture of yeasts and a large portion of freshly harvested Wakatu hops. The result, a bright straw coloured ale with a fruity nose and creamy palate. Notes of spice, earth, tropical fruit, and hop resin.

500ml bottle, of a 7% ABV beer, making it 2.8 standard drinks.

After a long drive home from the beach house I was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing with this. However it didn't happen.

Instead i waited, and Wednesday was big night in, and after a more then acceptable curry from my new favourite restaurant I got to hankering.

Intriguing fruit laden aroma, Rich brown poor, but not much of a head,  and that really interesting almost chocolate (this time) aroma, and then it settles to a familiar Belgium beer aroma. It's a thing.

An interesting mouthful that, sort of thin and lacking in depth, but also with a reasonable back of sweetness.  It's a thing.

This isn't so much muddled as confused. I like it. It doesn't have that sharp alcohol burn that you get with some Belgium beers, but it has the aroma and the colour.

It has a sourness, but it's fairly soft, and I may have mentioned seems a bit thin. The Pdubyah-o-meter thinks this is about an 8 - very good - on the arbitrary scale of things, and I probably would buy this again. Yes I would, despite it not making it higher on the scale of things.

Recapping then, Smells like Belgium, looks like Belgium, has a nice caramel things going on, lacks the alcohol note, is a bit thin, doesn't carry. Other than than, it's a bit good :-)

 

 

Beer at the beach house (Bach) - Behemoth Brewing Company - Hopportunity Cost IPA

All I can tell you is that this is a 7.2% ABV beer, It is an American IPA. and it's from a new brewer.

Of Sorts,  the brewer, Andrew Childs has been making beer under the "Tall Tale Ales" banner for a bit.

and some of his beers get rebranded. All a bit confusing.

Still it's the beach house, it's a cart beer, and I'm looking forward to it, and may update this later if I'm still able.

Update:  it is powerfully hoppy, pours a nice deep orange brown, and carries a decent head.  Has a full mouthfeel, but although it is resinous in its taste it's a bit sour and there appears to be no softer balance underneath to carry it. Which is odd because the aroma indicates that there should be a caramel in there.

For no reason I think that an IPA is the easiest of the beers to make, and this is for that reason I think a swing and a miss. I can see what he's aiming for though,I think.  I'm not going to write the whole thing off, I'll search out some other beers before I decide if this is the Emperors  new clothes. Or not, I have a fridge chockka full to get through first.

Related articles

• Beer at the beach house (Bach) Yeastie Boys + Firestone Walker + Panhead - Englebert Pumpernickel (pdubyah.com)

71 Fictional Beers You Wish You Could Drink

Made me smile and frown and wonder why no one has made these as beers.

The Gentleman’s Fishing Club - October 2013

The Seahorse Kontiki torpedo has been in the shop for maintenance.

Had new deeper rudder fitted, and had the wiring replaced as well as the batteries.

Does not seem to have done it much harm with this 5  fish haul from the sea. The small fish are all > 30cms long, the biggest one at the top 59cm in length, Who knows how much it weighs, we've misplaced the scales. We did put one back that was under-sized, and we lost one hook/trace.

The biggest fish smoked up a treat in the smoker on the BBQ, and made a nice lunch time, the sun shining, I made some bread and there was a cold beer, It couldn't have been a nicer hour.



[caption id="attachment_4063" align="aligncenter" width="300"] SeaHorse Kontiki[/caption]

For previous adventures see here:

The Gentleman’s Fishing Club Summer 2012

The Gentleman’s Fishing Club

Beer at the beach house (Bach) Yeastie Boys + Firestone Walker + Panhead - Englebert Pumpernickel

Yes indeed a collaboration between the nice people at Yeastie Boys + Firestone Walker + Panhead , to bring you the Englebert Pumpernickel.

A ridiculously pale beer with an immense hop nose and presence. Weighing in at 9.2% ABV I have e idea that in standard drink units that this is 'lots'

Pours with a decent head too. Crashing grassy hops with a really mellow tone, delivers a complete mouthfeel.

The in-laws are wittering on about nothing and all gossip that isn't worth the effort. It took me just over an hour from arrival to get drinking. Possibly a record.

I'm sitting here then hazing out the blether, with the sound of waves in the background.

There is fresh caught fish c/- of the Gentleman's Fishing Club for dinner, it has it moments.

So... how many of you have a whole street named after you ?

https://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&q=philip+walter+drive&ie=UTF-8&ei=Qt9lUqWlN4KRkwXkwIAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

 



 

 

 

 

 

I convinced my mother when she visited one time that it was normal in New Zealand to have a street named after you and that each new immigrant got one.

 

 

I have Beer for great night in....

My box of beer arrived, containing thus;

1 x Renaissance Enlightenment Benelux Ale Fresh Hop - (500ml Bottle)

1 x Liberty Darkest Days Oatmeal Stout - (500ml Bottle)

1 x AleSmith Speedway Stout - (750ml Bottle)

1 x Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout - (355ml Bottle)

1 x De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis (Hell & Damnation) - (330ml Bottle)

2 x Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPA - (650ml Bottle)

1 x Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon - (650ml Bottle)

1 x Deep Creek Dweller On The Threshold - (750ml Bottle)

1 x La Terrible - (750ml Bottle)

 

I now have to make time to enjoy them.

Wet Hopped ESB

I enjoy the learning I get from things I read abou beer.

Beer - #227 - Einstök - Icelandic Toasted Porter

Well if you're going to make a beer in Iceland why not a Toasted Porter. This is the third of three I have, of the four they make. I'll settle with 75% of their output.

Einstök Ölgerð Brewed at Viking Ölgerd, this on in the Style of a  Porter and in the somewhat romantically named Akureyri, Iceland

With clear notes of espresso, dark chocolate and a hint of authentic Icelandic coffee, this Porter is dark and rich, offering a medium body that is robust, yet smooth on the palate and easy to drink. There’s no need to be afraid of the dark anymore.

Same 330ml bottle, 6%ABV or 1.6 standard drinks.

Of the three I saved this to last, and hopefully it'll end on a high-note.

Ah yes, the dark chocolate aroma on opening portends well. thick and dark pour with loads of carbonation delivering a small mocha brown head with persistence. Fantastic chocolate coffee aroma in abundance. FTW!

Rich smokey taste, slightly bitter and a really long finish, missing the bit in the middle perhaps, but a nice profile of taste in this. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Head has disappeared (I might have drunk it) and there is no lacing in the glass. Neither of these matter as this is a glass of pleasure and joy,

The pdubyah-o-meter got all enthusiastic and leap with joy to an 8 - this is very good, and I'm glad I had this last, and not as a lead in to the others. I'd like it either to be sweeter or possibly more aggressive with the bitterness just a touch, but it's awfully good as it is.

Related articles

• Einstök Tasting Notes (alehut.wordpress.com)


• Beer - #225 - Einstök - Icelandic White Ale (pdubyah.com)


• Beer - #226 - Einstök - Icelandic Pale Ale (pdubyah.com)

Beer - #226 - Einstök - Icelandic Pale Ale

Outlandish that we can get Icelandic beer in New Zealand. This one Einstök Icelandic Pale Ale

Einstök Ölgerð Brewed at Viking Ölgerd in the style of an  American Pale Ale in the almost tropical sounding - Akureyri, Iceland

330 ml bottle, 5.6% ABV which is 1.45 standard drink units.

American and Bavarian craft come together with the finest Icelandic water to create the Viking version of the Pale Ale, where robust hoppiness meets smooth malty undertones. Cascade hops give it the American character, while Northern Brewer hops add just enough bitterness to make this Ale refreshingly Icelandic.

Hopefully better than than White beer that i started with. Which wasn't 'bad' it just wasn't 'good'.

Cascade Hops : Flavor Profile: Who doesn’t love a good grapefruit aroma and taste in their IPA? As one of the “three C hops,” the cascade hop is notorious for providing this character to both the flavor and aroma of a beer. Floral and spice accents are also seen with this variety which sees most of its usage in Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, and an occasional Lager.

Aroma is one of sweet more than hop. Orange brown on pouring with a minimalist head, but it's a stayer. Much more powerful caramel malt type aroma now.

Seems over carbonated, and that dashes the taste. Which is a strange thing. It's not like a pale ale taste I had before, it's sort of, kind of, spicy caramel thing. It's also very fleeting.

So whilst there is a bit of an upfront taste it's all upfront and no middle and a quick finish. But you can pick the hop profile if you pick and delve a bit.

Lack of head and lacing in this glass too. It's important.

Similar to the White beer I had prior to this it carries a lot of disappointment, and arbitrarily the pdubyah-o-meter gets to the same 6 on the scale of things that I made up, making it 'average'.

A pity really, there is a lot of thought and work in the marketing of this, but it's what's inside that matters. So to recap, though it might have been hoppier, it wasn't, thought it might have a malt carry, it didn't, but it drinks clean even if it's a bit thin and short.

Related articles

• Beer - #225 - Einstök - Icelandic White Ale (pdubyah.com)

Beer - #225 - Einstök - Icelandic White Ale

Iceland! Beer! New Zealand! No idea how you join those dots.

Einstök Ölgerð Brewed at Viking Ölgerd of course in the Style of a  Belgian White (Witbier) in the exotic sounding Akureyri, Iceland.

A 5.25 ABV beer, in a 300ml bottle, making it about 1.35 standard drink units.

Brewed in the centuries-old Belgian tradition, our White Ale features the complex flavors of the classic witbier, including orange peel and coriander – all brewed with pure Icelandic water that delivers a cool smoothness that is flavorful and refreshingly drinkable.

And I'm looking forward to to it, because Iceland, and because Iceland!

Certainly fruit orange aroma on opening. Pale golden yellow, slightly cloudy, decent head. Aroma moves to a muted yeasty note. Nicely carbonated too. On looks and pour it's a winner.

The flavour is muted too. Bit of orange perhaps, but little else. Visually though head still there, lacing present, it has all the makings of an enjoyable drink.

What isn't present is an indicator of alcohol, but it isn't carrying much.

Disappointing, this. I would have liked a stronger carry of flavour, or ideally flavours. The aroma is kind of yeasty, the drink is mostly bubbles in the mouth, there isn't front or middle note and there is no carry, so I'd describe this as thin,

It does compare to other White beers I've had but it's not a front runner, and it isn't something that I'd be keen to recommend, apart from, well, Iceland!

An inoffensive beer than, the pdubyah-o-meter randomly thinks it 6, or average, on the arbitrary scale of things, and you're not missing out if you avoid it.

Related articles

• Einstök Tasting Notes (alehut.wordpress.com)

Stunned into a mumbled mess.

I've been a "Manager" of people for a few years. On reflection a lot of people.



Some days it's like herding cats.  If you manage people you'll get what I mean.

Different people, different ages, different goals, different ambitions, different lifestyles.

Same work. Same outcome expectations. A high standard, high pressure to be 100% accurate, high knowledge base. All the time.

I've always  known what that they did and why, but I couldn't do it. I know what they need to know, I just couldn't do it or have the capacity to know it. But I knew what it was and they knew I knew.

Some days it was the worst of times, some days the best of times. Some days I came home exhausted. Some days I had to be encouraged into the car to go to work. Some days I did skipping lessons and we had ice-cream and marshmallow eating competitions. Some days.

Each and every one of the people I employed  or managed, I love as either a friend, colleague or in the way a parent sees a child, I've advised on things that you wouldn't believe, and I've saved more than one thing from going wrong, I hope.

I saw a lot of people either promoted up, or promoted out and into better external jobs,  and even when it went wrong,  good reasons why both parties understood why it wasn't ever going to work out.

But end of day i did it because I wanted to, I liked it and ultimately because I got paid a coin to do it.

I recently got assigned to a new business function that calls upon my skill set in a different way, and that meant leaving my office and reporting line in to a new office and new reports. 15 whole meters of distance.

It was for me both the best of times and worst of times. For I love each and everyone of my old team, as I mentioned  in many ways, but it released me from the "herding cats" inwards and "capacity" thinking into a more thinking and forward looking job.

It was and is a hard transition.

Today, Friday, about 7 weeks into the hand-over change, all of my earlier reports storm into my  office,  a mass show of force,  that caused a few comments, by all accounts among the other work-groups,  as they stomped from one end of the office to the other.

Wherin they gave me a "leaving card" and having had a collection a significant amount of money in beer tokens at an online beer store,

I cried. Proper tears cried.

To me they are people, friends, colleagues, family and my children. No one will ever take advantage of them if I have my say, and I hope they knew that they always, without reservation, had my backing, support, admiration,  and trust, to be the best they could be, with what they had in front of them, and that if it had could have been better they would have had it better.

Hey wait...... this is another of those "look at me" posts "how good am I" things  " you can do it" posts......

Not at all. I was paid to do a job, and I did it the way that sometimes worked out, sometimes went all a bit pear shaped. I passed through in an upward direction some very successful people in our organisation.  I moved along some people in to alternative careers :-) and I let a few people go.

I hope that each and everyone of them got a little something out of it, I know I did.

So to ( in no order) Corey, Mark, Jess, Linda, Medge, Natalia, and Rachel who today made an old man very happy,

And it would be remiss of me  not to mention  current people still in the organisation who I've in someway had a "management" thing with;  Jenny, Josh, Ritchie, Vanessa, Dave K, Dave H, Elena, Derek,  Charlene, Vasa, and Tepa, all of who have great futures and careers in front of them, and past participle people who've made a big thing in the "outside" world", particularly Joe (take me to Huntly), other Dave, Troy, Kirtsi, Laura and Troy  a really big thank you.

Without you it's a just a thing. With you it's an experience. It's been emotional.

And with that it's... to the beer store...

Paying it forward.

I  left work late tonight and on the way to the motorway I passed a car stopped by the roadside not where you would expect, and just before where I would normally get on the motorway home.

I pulled over. Just because.

So there was a Mitsi Wagon by the side of the road with a flat tyre. A young girl was jumping up and down and waving, her parents were less enthusiastic. It had caught my eye the enthusiasm of youth :-)

Turns out they'd borrowed the car to get to a church thing and it had ended up with a flat tyre, and a missing spare and also a missing jack and tools. Not a good thing.

They were dressed ensemble and were on their way to Glenn Innes for a church thing. A Trumpet in hand, trust me, it was a thing.

All dressed up, looking great. Broken Car.

I gave Mother- Wendy, Daughter Sarah and father, a 70 years old, not a word of spoken English, a drive to the church. Ways out of my way and the opposite of home a lift.

Why? Because, just because.

I went back and the father who still couldn't fix his tyre, he used my phone to call someone, hopefully to get him fixed up and to the church with his family. For me Granddad, mother and child were at the event to take part.

It bring me happiness to think of that at least most of them got to where they aimed for, the Church event with trumpets and dress up.

Is this either significant or important?

Not at all.

Why am I sharing?

Because we all have it in us to pay it forward a thing. For me, having stopped, it was important they got to their church thing, and that they had a chance to do their thing than it was for me to be home.

I share because you have it in you to pay it forward.

And you should.

Without reservation.

Because you can, and because they're people like you who you can help if you can. And because it's just the right thing to do.

Pat myself on the back, and +1 and all that and a thumbs up, not about that, just about the "right thing" and very few things I have to do are more important or more pressing than being, well, just nice.

He said.

 

* updated

And then I had the angst.

So great, I did a thing and now I'm telling you in a self centred way about just how great that was.

Yeah, Na,. It's about how I was driven home after my running breakdown and torn calf muscle, the person you lent a dollar to for parking, the seat you gave up on the bus. It about how your mum and dad would smile, the child you smiled at. the kind word to a stranger in a shop. All those things.

Embrace those. Pay it forward. Sometimes someone pays it to you.

 

 

 

Beer - #224 - Moa - Breakfast

Indeed, a beer called "Breakfast" which raised the hackles when it was first launched a while back. But continuing with the lighter frivolousness of a Sunday then I have in front of me  -  Moa Breakfast - Brewed by Moa Brewing Company as a  Fruit Beer from the warm and sunny Blenheim, New Zealand

Moa Breakfast is a blend of premium wheat malt, floral Nelson hops and cherries. A very refreshing and fruity lager specifically designed as a European-style breakfast beer but more commonly enjoyed as a mid-afternoon beverage in New Zealand.

Although not always. 

1.62 drinks of a 5.5%ABV beer in a fancy cork and cage 375ml custom made bottle .

Always something special to open a cork contained beer, the Moa people take some effort in marketing and packaging, although I've found their beers to be a bit hit and miss, still you can't win them all.

reconstituted cork gives a decent little pop on opening, and a really nice light fruit/flower aroma to follow. Pours straw yellow with a giant sized head, I've still got the touch. The aroma is still very appealing.  No sign of the giant white fluff abating either.

The taste however is somewhat disappointing and insipid. It almost chemical in it's delivery of whatever taste it's trying to deliver. The sherbet aroma does not mirror the delivery from the glass. I didn't get strong fruits, although you could argue for cherry perhaps, probably wouldn't

So up front a bit sour, and bubble gum, very short palate, and no length of carry. Thin as straw too. So there you have it not a complete success. The pdubyah-o-meter  at 5 thinks this is average.

The idea of a breakfast beer doesn't mean that you can forego taste or palate in a beer, and this appears to be missing both those. It looks great, upfront aroma is nice, pours great, and then, well the wheels fall off.

I leave you with the tasting notes:
Moa Breakfast is a wheat beer based lager with a subtle, sweet cherry aroma and taste. Hints of almond, banana and vanilla characters can also be detected. Low bitterness levels and an absence of strong malt characters emphasise these fruit flavours. Moa Breakfast can either be poured carefully off the lees or alternatively with the lees mixed in if a stronger yeast character is desired. Moa Breakfast is best served at approximately 4°C in a pilsner glass.

Related articles

• Stoush brews between Moa and winery (nzherald.co.nz)


• Cloudy Bay hits out at 'dirty tactics' accusation (thedrinksbusiness.com)


• New distribution model now being used by Moa (radionz.co.nz)

Beer - #223 - Lindemans - Pêche Lambic (Pêcheresse)

Yes. Yes I did. I brought a Lindemans Pêche Lambic (Pêcheresse).  Brewed by Brouwerij Lindemans in the Style of a  Lambic Style - Fruit and they are in the regal sounding St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium.

250ml bottle of a 2.5% ABV beer, making it .49 "(less than a half) of 1 standard drink unit. Lets go crazy!

A golden peach lambic with a sparkling appearance and fruity taste.

Also this beer is developed by Lindemans brewery, using straight juice-method. The result is a fresh fruity drink with the background of the rich bouquet of Lambic.


Taste: Golden in color; with a nose that fills the room with fresh peaches. Sparkling, crisp and refreshing balance of fruit and acid. Style—Peach Lambic. Color—Golden.

Ah

Really fruity aroma on opening, full peach, Pours a cloudy golden orange, with a decent white fluffy head. Absolutely sherbet peach aroma.

It's really really really sweet, and also a bit sour at the same time, a bit eye watering, but so so nice. Tastes very full in the mouth, but is so easy to drink that it's gone before you missed it.

This really did bring a smile to my dial, and easily gets the full 10 on the arbitrary pdubyah-o-meter as a fantastic thing. The peach aroma, the peach taste, it really is what is says it is on the label.

Ideal on a summer day as a low alcohol and equally as tasty alternative to cider this is sure to find its way into the summer beer fridge for me.

 

Related articles

• sour ales and where to find them (alcoholbyvolumeblog.wordpress.com)


• Lambic Experiment (midnightowlbrewing.wordpress.com)


• Lambic: the oldest existing beer style (americanbeermuseum.com)

The Only Football Statistic That Matters Is Goals

Beer - #222 - Firestone Walker - Double Jack IPA

The highly rated Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in this the Style of a : Imperial/Double IPA and they hail from Paso Robles , California.

Double Jack IPA is our first ever Imperial IPA. It features a big malty middle to cloak the high alcohol and mouth puckering hop bitterness. Huge tangerine, grapefruit and juicy fruit aroma blossom over the herbal blue basil and malt earthiness of this aggressive beer. Best enjoyed in moderation.

A small 355ml bottle of a monster 9.5% ABV beer,  which would be 2.66 standard drinks, a pocket rocket.  At 100 IBU this should have a power punch, being at the top end for the IIPA/DIPA style. Bring it on

A dangerously drinkable Double IPA.  Double Jack opens up with bright grapefruit and tangerine American hop aromas. Beautifully crafted undertones of stone fruit are revealed upon first sip, followed by the essence of blue basil and pine. A sturdy pale and crystal malt backbone brings balance to high hop intensity. Complex and aggressively hopped, and flawlessly balanced.

The bottle I have was bottled early June, and should be in the window of 120 days the brewer says you have to enjoy this in.

Huge hop note on opening, pours orange golden, with a small head, the huge hope aroma not lingering. settles more towards the malt.

'k there is a mouth full of what you could describe as sugary bitterness, I'm not sure I had a beer before that was by the reading something that would pucker and then delivery something that made me smack my lips in enjoyment. Hard to drink and smile.

As it sits the hop layer doesn't change, the malt gets warmer and together they party a little. The Alcohol makes itself known, reminding you that this isn't a quaffing beer, and I'm trying hard not to, because as usual I have the one bottle.

The pdubyah-o-meter thing of things says that this is an ok beer. Ok at 8 - which arbitrarily is very good on the scale of arbitrary.  I like it, but it's not go find MrsPdubyah and tell her to add it to my ever growing list of beer for christmas .

Is it good?  yes. Is it enjoyable?  very much yes. Is it a pack leader? I think that of late there are many new young turks aiming for this level of quality and craft, some of them are close and snapping on the heels.

If this was representative of the brewer then they have a ways to go, and I have many happy glasses of beer to look forward to.

Trees. They take up a lot of space.

We had 4 trees in front of our house, right on the boundary line, and two of them were close to a drain, and you know the horror stories about roots and drains and repairs.

So MrsPdubyah said they had to go. So they did.

 

Naturally you want to explore your options before taking on a project, and it came down to two Options:

Option (1)

1. I hire a chain saw


2. I cut the branches off


3. Cut the trunk


4. Cut myself


5. Pile up the cuttings


6. Cram cuttings into car


7. Have tantrum


8. Drive to tip


9. Pay some more money


10. Cut myself some more


11. Damage Car


12. Shrug shoulders and wonder how that happened


13. Wash Car


14. Take chainsaw back

Option (2)

1. Ring a man


2. Hire the man


3. Watch man work


4. Listen to Music


5. Pay man


6. Job done.

The stump remover\grinder chap will be here monday to take out the very bottom part of the trees, and a couple bags of soil and some new grass, and then I have enough for a cricket pitch. Just in time for summer. Or a water slide.

The saddest part is how little bulk there is in a tree.

 

[gallery type="thumbnails" ids="5258,5259,5260,5261,5262,5263,5264"]

 

 

 

Beer - #221 - Eugene City - Tracktown Triple Jump Pale Ale

Eugene City Brewery  - Tracktown Triple Jump Pale Ale. Brewed by Eugene City Brewery & Rogue Ales in the style of an American Pale Ale in, of course, Eugene, Oregon USA.

Triple Jump Pale Ale is a classic pale ale. Light copper in color this refreshing Ale focuses on hop flavor with a slight malt presence in the background. Triple Jump is brewed with 8 ingredients: Horizon, Amarillo and Crystal Hops and Pale, Munich and Crystal malts, Free Range Coastal Water and Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast. 13.5 degrees Plato, 55 IBU, 75 AA, 8 degrees Lovibond.

I Pint, 6Fl Oz, 5.4% ABV which would be  2.8 standard drinks. At 55 IBU this is on the high side for a pale ale, and the low side for an IPA.

Slightly vinegar on the opening, Of course it pours with no head, I'm a professional at that point of the game. The sour note still there, can't put a finger on what it is.

A pleasing deep burnt orange in colour, it's easy on the eye, but This is fairly lifeless and almost flat in the glass. The promise of high hops doesn't eventuate either.  It's not flat though as the carbonation plays on your tongue. The underlying caramel is a sort of on/off switch, now you see me - now you don't . It's not a good thing.

It is on the whole a fairly bland and average beer, no real taste that leads a charge, decent and tidy as it is I'm not sure I'd be happy to have another, but it wouldn't be a bad beer if you 'just had to' drink it in a session.

The pdubyah-o-meter winces to a 5, reluctantly, as this might be past it's best, and it should be better than it is.  I can't see a best before date on the bottle, so it's a guess.

It does not get better as it sits in the glass and almost becomes one of the few beers that I just couldn't finish.

But....... I’m prepared to concede that it might be past best, and it has promise.

The oldest and largest Eugene brewery was built in 1866 at Ninth and Olive by Lewis Burns. He ran his Eugene City Brewery for seven years, then sold it to August Werner and Henry Hagerman in 1873, who in turn sold to Michael and Joseph Vogl. The final owner of the original Lewis Burns brewery was Henry Weinhard, the Portland brew king, who purchased it in 1890. Not long after he bought the Ninth Avenue brewery, Henry shut down its beermaking operation. Thereafter the big barn with the twin smokestacks was known as Weinhard’s Beer and Ice Depot. In 1914 the old brewery building was sold and torn down.

Related articles

• New to Craft Beer? Have no fear, I am here! (impissedagain.com)

Beer - #220 - Ben Middlemiss - Nota Bene Abbey Ale

I had a grand evening with a friend Julian on his 41st birthday, MrsPdubyah enjoyed it a bit much. We came home. So to make up for that I'm going to have a Ben Middlemiss - Nota Bene Abbey Ale . Yes I am, judge me if you like. This is by the Ben Middlemiss Brewing Company
and is brewed Brewed at Harringtons Breweries (Christchurch) in the style of a  Belgian Strong Ale. That should then be in Christchurch, shaky city.

An awkwardly shaped bottle, of 500mls, containing an 8.7% ABV beer, making it 3.4 Standard drink units.

Nota Bene is the great ale from veteran craft brewer Ben Middlemiss. NB: it is also a latin phrase used to indicate that special attention should be paid to something. So, "note well", and you will be richly rewarded with a complexity of flavours and aromas. Brewer Ben says you may be forgiven for "...making a habit of drinking this Belgian-style Abbey ale." A beautifully crafted, complex-charactered ale, Nota Bene weighs in at 8.7% ABV and has an almost orange hue.  The flavours are warm and dry and driven by a spicy hop fruit character, laced with an unobtrusive warming alcohol effect.  When poured, a lovely rich head forms and contains delicious yeast characters only found normally in the style of beers produced by the monasteries of Belgium.  It was indeed these monks’ work which inspired Ben to develop this wonderfully enduring world class ale.

I like the Ben Middlemiss beers, and I've had this out and about on my travels, always enjoyed it, but usually you get it in a smaller bottle then the 500ml. Oh yeah the 330ml bottle.

This is the Non Vintage version of the beer, because there are two, of course, who knew?, and then may be\will be different from anything I may or may not have had previously.

Not obviously a Belgium style beer on opening, a muted nearly dusty aroma, but a lively carbonation making a noise. Really carbonated and a bit lively on the pour, with a giant head than soon fizzes itself to calmness, settling to a decent white head, on a beer that is much more dark brown than I thought it might be.  You then get to pick out the belgium beer style aromas, the malt sweetness.

It's quite tart straight up front, but carries to a much sweeter finish, the yeasty aroma present at all times. There isn't however a lot of 'warmth' from this, a very narrow sweetness against it piquant notes.  There is no sting of astringent alcohol either, it's a bit muted, which might be a bit clever.

It has warmed a bit, and the malt notes begin to kick in a bit, but this is a bit one dimensional. There is a tang up front, and a mild carry but not a lot of length.

Having said all that the pdubyah-o-meter easily says 8,  making it very good as beers go. There might be a gulf between this and a native Belgium beer of class, but it's pretty decent and not unpresentable.

t’s ok. It isn’t outstanding. It does not have the malt warmth, nor does it have the alcohol burn. There is tart start and a balance of sweet end, but not a lot of length. I liked that it stands up in it’s class and would hold it’s own in tasting. But it isn’t special or spectacular.

Related articles

• Ommegang's Abbey Ale (craftbeerhaven.wordpress.com)


• What is Brussels without a little beer? (falimehri17.wordpress.com)

So, as an aside to all that

I was looking for beer from Sacramento and ended buying beer from Iceland. "Could I drink all the beer" was the question. Clearly no, you could drink a beer of each style, or all the 'regular' beer from, say, New Zealand, or Oregon, or California, if you had the time. You couldn't drink the seasonal or the specials or one-offs and keep up. I think, unless you had a lot of cash and no job.

Anyway I have no idea how a beer from Iceland gets to New Zealand,  my 'source' for beer tells me there are 5 beers from Iceland, which I find hard to believe, all from the same brewery, and I have 3 of them.

This may not end well.   Wikipedia thinks there may be 5 or 6 Iceland breweries, I had to go back and count, and it was 7.

As an aside to all that, since I began thinking about beer a bit more, and keeping a diary at Ratebeer.com, I've drunk and rated 152 beers from 10 countries, which will move to 11 when I had the Icelandic things,

1 each from  - Scotland, Norway, Japan

2 each from - Germany, Australia, Netherlands,

9 from my homeland of birth England

10 from a country where I thought I drank heaps from -  Belgium - in reality I've drunk a lot of beers from here, just not at home where I write about them :-)

31 from the US of A (16 from California, 11 from Oregon,  3 from Delaware and 1 from NY)

and an incredible 94 from New Zealand

I drink a lot (relative) of IPA, which I still think is an easy go to beer for a brewer, but a fair sprinkle of APA, Porters, Amber Ales,  and then DoubleIPA's and so on.

According to the diary the best beer I ever had was  a

Eagle vs Dog Episode 2 Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster

then the Garage Project Cockswain’s Courage Blended Porter

then Liberty C!tra

5th place is the overseas beer the  Rogue Farms OREgasmic Ale which is still a beer I buy regularly, and the Liberty C!tra). That's impressive given that there are some nice beers to be had around here.

I should get out more :-) or I should drink from more countries, I'd think it amounted to the same thing.

 

 

Beer - #219 - Left Coast - Trestles IPA

Weirdly named Left Coast Trestles IPA,  which is Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company of all things in the style of an  India Pale Ale (IPA) and that'd be in Del Mar, California USA

Odd too that I'm having pizza for dinner. Just Saying.

Trestles IPA is light bodied, clean, and pleasantly hoppy. With every sip this tasty IPA will take you back to your escape, such as local surf spot Trestles. Its strong copper color and clean finish on the palate are created by brewing with a 2-row malt and light imported crystal malt. We use CTZ and chinook hops and follow it up with the addition of dry hops of chinook and centennial in the fermenter bringing out a citrus aroma. Find your escape.  2012 vintage: 6.8% abv

Which it is then, a 1 pint, 6fl oz bottle of a 6.8%ABV beer, in drinking units that's 3.5 of them. Also this is 92 IBU things, which is high for an IPA and mid range for a Double or Imperial IPA, but that's not a bad thing.

Lemony hoppy on opening, Rich golden brown, bit murky, decent well carbonated head, and that lovely fruity bitterry aroma that screams "drink me" not sure if that's the one that makes me smaller or larger, but my grin is getting bigger at the thought.

Well there is a full fluffy, soapy mouthfeel to this, and it's bitterness isn't overly noisesome. Lovely selection of bitterry fruits, like a grapefruit perhaps, lemon, and a touch of the grass,  The malt sweetness is also nice over the top of all that, and it's a gosh fine beer.

Overal this is fairly 'dry' to the finish. With that though my smile grows the beer diminishes. The pizza has yet to arrive.

The pdubyah-o-meter is onto a winner with this, and it would be an easy 9 is fine or great if you want more specific. A touch of something nice in the mid-week to get you over the humpday blues. I lost a few hours at work, you know that thing where you start a thing at 2pm and then it's 6pm, that thing...

You get a wonderful full experience with this, it's not just a bitter, it has a start, middle and end, which for me waxing lyrical, and only having just thought of it, might be and unusual way to think about a mouthful of beer, I should work on that as a project.

Said and Done, I was looking for a beer that I could be happy with and that would make me smile and forget my angst, I'd be happy to share one of these with you if you popped over, it might end up though as a 'course; beer, one that you had as an entrée, Main or a finish, I don't think you could go many before you got a bit overloaded with the overhead of the sweet notes. But fair crack I enjoyed this.

Still waiting on the pizza though......

From TheHopry.com I was trying to think if  (or even what) the fluffy mouthfeel, or the citrusness was, and had to look up the profile you could expect from  the Chinook, and I may or may not have been wrong :-)

CENTENNIAL

Flavor Profile: If your IPA has a citrus and/or floral character, it could have something to do with the Centennial variety of hops. Also known as one of the “three C hops,” its fairly high alpha acid percentage and a medium range aroma make for a great hop to use for both bittering and aromatic characters.

Beer Styles: Pale Ales; India Pale Ales; Black IPAs

CHINOOK

Flavor Profile: Chinook is the hop that smells and tastes the most like you would imagine – a dank piney forest. These hops are known to have a very spicy finish, too, and because of the very high alpha acid levels it makes for the perfect bittering component of a beer. Many brewers will tell you to watch out, because they can easily be overused.

Beer Styles: Pale Ales; India Pale Ales; Black IPAs; Barleywines

Related articles

• Anderson Valley: Heelch O'Hops Double IPA (tobysbeerreviews.com)


• Slumbrew Sittin on Hop of the World (hoppyboston.wordpress.com)


• Beer - #212 - Moor - Hoppiness (pdubyah.com)

Beer - #218 - Townshend - Toppa’s Hadd’n Full On Pale Ale

The strangely named : Toppa’s Hadd’n Full On Pale Ale - Brewed by the  Townshend Brewery in the style of an English Pale Ale and they hail from Upper Moutere, New Zealand. This is a collaboration with those magicians at the Brewaucracy 

Classic English Pale Ales are not pale but rather are golden to copper colored and display English variety hop character. Distinguishing characteristics are dryness and defined hop taste, but more malt balance than what youll typically find in an American Pale Ale. Great to drink with all sorts of meats including roast beef, lamb, burgers, duck, goose, etc. Note that the term pale ale is used in England to signify a bottled bitter, and in that way there is no such thing as English Pale Ale to the English. The style is a North American construct, borne of the multitude of pale ales that pay homage to these bottled bitters - Bass in particular - and therefore the majority of true examples of the style are found outside Britain.

It's a lesson in beer every time.

A 500ml (pint) of a 5.2% ABV beer, which is then two standard drink units.

Just the trick before the BBQ goes on for the Lamb, and a lead up to the F1 race from Korea.

Bittery hoppy nose on opening, very inviting, Pours a hazy orange yellow with a head that is  then suddenly isn't, reasonable carbonation. the really nice aroma on opening has gone missing too.

Shame that.

But then you get a wonderful mellow bitter taste, with a mix of sweeter fruits, and a reasonable length.

The pdubyah-o-meter likes this as a 8, arbitrarily making it "very good" on the arbitrary scale. A beer to be pleasantly surprised and rewarded by,

You're not going to give  virtual high-five to anyone after drinking this, nor are you going to regret buying it.

Related articles

• Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale (365brew.com)


• Tuckerman Pale Ale (365brew.com)


• Australian Pale Ale # 1- Review (wemakehomebrew.com)


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Blanc Evolution - Moa Brewing Company

They drink our beer there....

Beer - #217 - Garage Project - Sauvin Nouveau

Another beer from the dwindling back of fridge stocks, the Garage Project Sauvin Nouveau, baing saved for no reason. Brewed by Garage Project in the style of a Pilsener and they're in Wellington, New Zealand, and on the bucket list of things less than a day away :-)

Fresh sauvignon blanc juice fermented with pilsner wort brewed an extravagant late addition of Nelson Sauvin hops. Vin Nouveau meet Sauvin Nouveau in a vintage harvest pilsner of crisp and intense aromatic fruit complexity, where the flavours of beer and wine intertwine so closely it’s almost indecent. Surely it can’t be wrong if it feels this right? This beer was made possible by the generous assistance of the award winning Palliser Estate Wines of Martinborough.

Riiiiight.....

This is a 650ml of a 7.6% beer, or 3.9 standard drinks to me and you.

It could be  a  beer-wine or a wine-beer, but it seems like it could be awesome.

An interesting aroma on opening, like gooseberry ? Really pale pour,  good head too (that's 2 in a row), the intriguing aroma intrigues me.

For a not bitter beer this certainly has a bang of hops in it, no mistaking the grassy notes, but they're a little magical in the delivery, this is altogether a bit clever. It carries a long soft bitter note but has a wonderfully moorish over-riding sweetness.

It's just a bit good.  You might think you've had a good Pilsner type beer, this however is a head, shoulders and a step-ladder better in many many ways.  The Garage Project boys seems to nail their brief with alarming regularity, making it all a bit unfair on the competition.

It is possible to have too many favourite beers, but I'd put this on my list as one of them, very clever, no way you'd think that it was 7.6% ABV, and no way you'd leave the glass half full.  It's soft to drink and yet has a taste profile you can chase and enjoy if you're in the mood. I had the thought that this would be with me, in the sun, at the beach house, pre-BBQ and stress level zero. And it's not often a beer takes you on that journey.

I would so buy this for you as a gift, the pdubyah-o-meter says 10. Outstanding.

Beer - #216 - Liberty - Sauvignon Bomb

The Liberty Sauvignon Bomb has been in the fridge for a few weeks, and tonight is it's big night out. Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the style of an  India Pale Ale (IPA) , and they brew a kilometres away in Kumeu Auckland, New Zealand. To be accurate the Hallertau Brewery :-)

This has 7% ABV, and 70 IBU, which is an indicator of bitterness in this,  IPA usually being 60-80. It's delivered in a  500ml Bottle, and that makes it about 2.8 standard drink units.

"There is no doubt that this label contains imagery some people will possibly find objectionable. Those people might allude to the fact that it may be somewhat suggestive. To those people, I make no apologies: and I’ll tell you why. The only scantily clad woman in this bottle is the delicately sweet malt aroma, riding that savage Hop Bomb all the way through the long, stormy night sky until it hits your tongue... where you can expect the flavour to explode onto your palate.

Enjoy the taste of Nelson Sauvin responsibly, at refrigeration temperature with your friends or family."

Or on your own as in my case.

Nelson Sauvin hops should deliver a  softer edge to this, we'll see.

Bitter hoppy nose on opening. Pours a lovely pale golden, with a reasonable and lasting head (yay),  retains the lovely bitter aroma.

Very grassy to taste. There isn't much to note outside that, there is no apparent malt or sweet in this. But the grassy gives away to a really nice layer of fruit softness as a counterpoint. It's very good.

Almost too delicate to be honest, but then it's not supposed to be a kick-ass hop bomb.

I think that this is another of those beers that you get to appreciate and wouldn't be shy to buy again, it's easy drinking and sits in the "Session" beers category quite easily, the 7% alcohol aside, which would make it a short session.

The pdubyah-o-meter for it's worth says that this is an 8 -  making it in the arbitrary manner a very good  beer.  Worst thing about it, I only have the one.

Beer- #214 - Garage Project - Lord Cockswain’s Courage Blended Porter

The Weirdly named Garage Project Lord Cockswain’s Courage- Blended Porter, Brewed by Garage Project in the style of a  Porter  or Imperial/Strong Porter for the stronger one, and The Garage Project is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Garage Project have this labelled as a" Blended Porter".

"Tastes Like War". Slogging up and down the mounts of Venus really takes it out of a chap. After a long day at it, his Lordship needs a special something to steady the legs. Brewed to his own special requirements, Lord Cockswain’s Double Barrel Blend is a judicious blend of freshly brewed Courage, and our brewery ’stock’, aged for over 12 months in oak bourbon barrels. Combining the rich licorice, raisin and vanilla character of aged porter, with a lively sparkle and chocolate character of freshly brewed beer, the result is complex, powerful and deceptively drinkable. Just the way his lordship likes it. Bottled on 8th July 2013 Enjoy now or for several years to come

This is a 650ml bottle of a 10.5% ABV,  beer, making it about 5.4 standard drink units

Indeed why not.  Also seems this might be a "rare" find.

Unassuming bitter note on opening. Pours richly dark, with a really lively mocha head that dissipates in a sea of carbonation.  Settles to a musty chocolate fruit aroma.

Tastes like a wizards concoction.

Lots going on with high tones of fruits, and sweet things, with a really deep under-note of smoked. Very pleasant this is. It's bitterness is almost a sourness, but in some strange way this is very appealing.

The alcohol isn't abundantly apparent, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a strong beer without realising that it was a bit of a heavyweight of it's sort.

The pdubyah-o-meter makes this easily a 10, swing and a ding! A beer that is aggressive and accessible, not bitter, not overly sweet. Maybe erring too much to the barley wine with the fruit, but a thoroughly impressive concoction. Well done that man.

I’m so pleased I got this. It is let down by it seeming ’fizziness’ and then a lack of sustained head, but if you know me and beer it might be more a me thing than a beer thing. There is a wicked amount of sweet fruit and top notes against a booming pleasant carrying note of smoked or bourbon underneath. Very long palate, very decent mouthfeel. A wizards concoction. Hides it high ABV pretty well, and for some might have too much fruitiness to make it seem more barley wine than Porter. Substantial, and if you missed out don’t fret, the track record from GP is such that the next one will have the dial at 11.

 

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