2014 in review - computer says ........

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.



Here's an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 31,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 11 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Beer - the elusive post

I've been a bit slower in posting things about beer, but that's mostly bad timing and planning.

My compulsion to have things neat and orderly means that I want to post in drinking order, and couple of things got in the way.

(1) What was I supposed to to do to mark 500 beers?

(2) Wasn't timing everything?

[caption id="attachment_10050" align="alignright" width="224"] Spiegelau stout[/caption]

Couple of things happened. Christmas came a wandering up and so some of the the #500 was about having the right tools. And I'd peaked too early, I was way too soon to #500 and not being able to pair it to another  arbitrary significant day seems to have stopped me in a stupor.

So timing, I wanted to be some kind of pretentious self-important blogger that made it more significant than it was I guess, I don't like odd numbers and I like balance and in Pdubyah-world everyone is waiting on #500, yes they are.

Anyway. A significant part then became the wait and gap  in having the right tools, in this case the  Spiegelau stout  glasses. These are wider in the bowl and foot then the IPA glasses and having these was/is important to the timeline and planning.

I love the IPA glasses and really would recommend you get some because drinking out of fine glass is a bit of a thrill.

Let me tell you that I brought these in NZ as a pair for NZ$30. I've seen them singularly for $20 each, and I've seen them at as much as NZ$55.00 a pair.  Madness.

But I got my desire and christmas for NZ$30 seems like a bit of a score.

Secondly, it was important for me to me #500 and for it to be a bit of a thing, in and of itself, and I wanted to get there with a hiss and a roar and do something that was a bit off the wall, even for me.

[caption id="attachment_10051" align="alignleft" width="224"] One of these is not like the other[/caption]

At the risk of being a bit pratish and wanky I've chosen to do something that even for me is a bit naff. Group eye-roll and sigh.

I have two bottles, 750ml of a beer from Epic - their Epic Epicurean Coffee & Fig Oatmeal Stout, an  annual beer.

Annual beer.

I've had the 2013.

I have the 2014.

It's not a guessing game as to what the plan might be, a side by side tasting,

What could possibly go wrong, what might I have not factored in, what was I thinking, just what?

This is a lot of beer for one night in and so I might even have to plan the music accordingly.

Of course I could always phone a friend and make it big night in.

Stand by,

As a spoiler I can tell you that in the background if you've been following me in untappd you might have notice that I'm up to about beer #512, and I have beer from Tahiti to drink, I don't even know where Tahiti is!, and a Rogue and Moa Festive beer, so I've kept busy and am being busy.  But OCD me wants to do this in sequence and logical, and what you'll see next is the 12 (or more)  days of christmas beers, except it's not strictly chronologically correct, in sense, although numerically they are, it's just that I might have had them last week, but it'll all work out.

4:08 am and the clock goes tick-tick-tick Musings

Putting aside the question of mass then, bear with me it's important or not,

There was I thinking

"What if you could shrink yourself"

This lead me to thinking about falling through the gaps between the threads in the sheet of the bed and falling to the floor. Size is relevant here, that would be a terribly long drop.

So stand on the ground floor and do it then. Well and good,

You want to keep shrinking though, smaller and smaller.

You'd fall between the gaps of the molecules wouldn't you?, What if you keep striking so you could see individual atoms? What if you kept shrinking and could see the gaps? Down to Atom level?

Atoms are the smallest unit that defines the chemical elements and their isotopes. Every substance, be it solid, liquid, or gas is made up of atoms. Atoms are tiny. The size of atoms is measured in picometers (trillionths of a meter). A single strand of human hair is about one million carbon atoms wide.

Every atom is composed of a nucleus made of protons and neutrons (hydrogen-1 has no neutrons). The nucleus is surrounded by a cloud of electrons. The electrons in an atom are bound to the atom by the electromagnetic force.

What if you got to be so small you could see the gaps between the protons and neutrons? What would that look like?

What would happen if you could push one electron out of the cloud surrounding the nucleus? Like actually literally push it out?

Then of course I thought why not just build a microscope and be done with the question of retention of mass?

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4:07 am and the clock goes tick-tick-tick Musings on JFK

[caption id="attachment_9986" align="alignright" width="300"] famous image (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

For no reason at all I've found myself watching youtube clips of varying length, quality and content with regard to the well documented assassination of a John F. Kennedy, President.

Some of it I enjoyed, some shocked me, some surprised me, and some made me laugh.

Some of the things I learnt though;

• There were 4 shots.


• There were 5 shots.


• There were 6 shots.


• There were 7 shots.


• There were 8 shots.


• There were 10-13 shots


• There was a lone gunman.


• There was a second sniper at the other end of the  Texas School Book Depository.


• There were two snipers on the grassy knoll.


• There were three snipers on the grass knoll.


• There were four gunmen and thirteen shots. Six of the shots hit either Kennedy or Connally, and the remaining seven shots were designed "distraction" shots used to mislead the police and to panic bystanders.


• There were snipers everywhere


• The snipers have names like
  
  
  
  • Black Dog Man
  
  
  • Badge Man
  
  
  • Umbrella Man
  
  
  
  


• There was a back-up sniper by the underpass.


• The assassins include
  
  
  
  • Frenchmen.
  
  
  • Italians.
  
  
  • Americans, including one Charles Voyde Harrelson, father of Woody.
  
  
  
  


• There are 3 tramps.


• Lee Oswald had a doppleganger.


• George HW Bush was the mastermind.


• LBJ did it.


• Nixon too, he did it.


• The CIA did it.


• The Mafia did it.


• The KGB did it.


• Castro did it.


• Nazi Illuminati, of course, did it.


• International bankers did it.


• More then 74 people have been murdered to stop them blabbing


• The final shot(s) was from in-front and to the right, from the knoll.


• The final shot came from within the car!


• The final shot came from within a storm drain the curb!


• Shots hit the curb, the grass, bystanders, street signs and didn't I see a documentary recently where  one also hit some traffic lights.


• There are some very good quality video clips.


• The Zapruder film that you see today on the Internet is not the original film.


• There are vide clips that have gunshot sounds in them, which is kind of weird since that's all you hear and no other background noises.


• There are some shocking autopsy photographs, variously in black and white and in colour.


• There are some strange people on the internets


• There are some sensible people on the internets who've put together some good work

After watching some of the clips and listening to some of the theories it would be easy to buy into the shot from in-front and from the right (the knoll).

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="350" class="zemanta-img"] Photo of Dealey Plaza (annotated), from Warren Commission report. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

From many years ago  I remember reading a book "Mortal Error"  (1992) that claimed the final shot came from a secret service agent, George Hickey, in a car travelling behind, by accident as he turned in reaction to a shot from the TSBD building (Oswald), squeezed the trigger on his service rifle by mistake and well that ended badly.

I like that theory, it seemed poetic in a weird way.

It is clear that there was a lot of confusion at the time, and that just gets worse over time.

It's also clear that this is a fantastic playground for the conspiracy theorists, and it doesn't include aliens, ufo's, or area 51.

I'll get to them later.

In the meantime : I watched the documentary "Oswald's Ghost" which is very good at playing it straight up the middle. in summary though, Oswald was not a simple man, and had the drive and passion to do something grand, Ruby was opportunistic, and everything else is wishful thinking.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY93Y2ryqcc

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• JFK's Secret Killer?

Beer - #499 - Rogue - Double Chocolate Stout

A beer I've been looking forward to so much, it's been in the  fridge ages, this is  the Rogue - Double Chocolate Stout. Beer #499. So Great beer, Great Music, Great scores and Great Nights out.

Double Chocolate Stout is an evolution of Rogue Chocolate Stout. 

"Double the legend."

This is Brewed by Rogue Ales in the style that is an  Imperial Stout and they are Newport, Oregon  USA

The big red painted bottle could have beer that is  50, 68 or 72 IBU, depending where you read, I can affirm the bottle I have is 50*, and at the 750ml in size, the bottle, containing beer that is 9% ABV,  is 271 calories a serve, and 5.33 standard drink units. A big night in! *50 IBU things is high for a Stout, and it's less than a low IPA.

[caption id="attachment_9941" align="alignleft" width="300"] Big and Red and #499 !!![/caption]

Double Chocolate Stout is an evolution of Rogue Chocolate Stout, which is flavored with imported Dutch bittersweet chocolate.

The winner of three World Beer Championships Gold Medals.

In 2010, Double Chocolate Stour received a Gold Medal at the World Beer Championships. 

That was then, this is now, what could possibly go wrong!

A beer that appears to be liked by a wide range of people, it rates 100/99 on Ratebeer and has 4 stars on Untappd where people are harsher because it's easier to mark from 5 than to mark 5 categories for an overall score I think.

Bitter bitter chocolate on opening, and it sounded well carbonated, The aroma is like a bar of dark dark chocolate, if you like that sort of thing this is the thing!

That is a thick pour, and it develops a fantastic foamy and thick head that is chocolate tan colour. Followed by a party going on in my mouth!

Delightfully but not overly sweet, which is nice balance to the underlying bitterness with each mouthful, the chocolate aroma moves to more of those raisin type sugar things, and in turn they begin to show through as this warms in the glass.

I would like though for this to have more body, more punch in the middle, and I do think that it finishes towards a slight sourness that I found distracting.

Second pour was just as much fun as the first, it has a thickness of pour and delivered up the same decent head. I'm now getting a bit of palate fatigue though, the finish is moving from sour to dry, the chocolate aroma has also tailed off.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8.5 of its unknowable things from the thing. I wanted something thick, punchy, but soft, and full in the mouth, and with a sweetish finish. I got most of them. I could be being picky, as I wanted this to be the home-run the out-of-the-park experience. Be careful for what you wish.

This has been in my fridge for a while and I have been building towards my own exciting and self imposed 500 celebration that is just another number, and I'm glad this was the beer that gets me to the brink, as it were. Thanks the nice people at Liquorland Forrest Hill @LiquorlandFH and those clever people at @RogueAles.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? It's like I'm not but after I got over that let-down feeling I actually am enjoying it, although differently to what I wanted or expected to.


2. Would I have another? I might, I built up my hopes for this, and I might have made a rod for my own back.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes of course, this has some real experience and engagement going on, but it's also a beer that you can have and not be distracted by it that it becomes intrusive in your thinking.

I'm listening to what is a very good album of music that surprised me with the way that I engaged with with, the band Mono Town, this track "Peacemaker" from the Album "In the eye of the storm." Mono Town is an Icelandic musical band from Reykjavík  with alternative pop and ambient influences formed in 2012 by brothers Börkur and Daði Birgisson (earlier from the Icelandic funk band Jagúar) and singer/guitarist Bjarki Sigurdsson on lead vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxUjQRoE0aQ

They're on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes and all the usual places probably.

IMPERIAL STOUT

Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.

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Beer - #498 - Unibroue - La Fin du Monde

Canadian Beer, Canadian Music, Can I count and Can I share?

"The end of the world"  - Triple fermented ale, Mildly yeasty with a complex palate of malt, fruit and spice notes followed by a smooth, dry finish"

Unibroue La Fin du Monde, a beer I've been looking forward to, Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo) in the style that is  Abbey Tripel and they are in Chambly, Canada.

This is 9% ABV, and 19 IBU beer, it is in this bottle (12 fl oz) 355ml a 2.52 standard drink thing and there are around 270 calories.

[caption id="attachment_9911" align="alignleft" width="300"] It would make a good song title[/caption]

"The excellence of triple fermentation through a blend of special yeasts gives this malt beverage an exquisitely robust flavour of exceptional refinement"

To this date, La Fin du Monde has earned more medals and awards, including some of the world’s highest honors, than any other Canadian beer.

This is a Bottle conditioned beer, and having watched the video this is a beer that needs gentle rolling and bold pouring. Otherwise it could be the end of the world right ?

I've bee drinking other beer, in a break from buying the new and adventurous, I think I got into a bit of dilemma about getting to write about beer  #500 and therefore stopped drinking new beer, the OCD in me wants to post in numerical sequential order, and not as I drink them, because the order would then look a bit weird.  So I've made my mind up about the next two beers #499 and #500 and I've made a start on the next lot. This means that November was a beer lite month.

I digress though.

I like the presentation, the foil adds a certain lift, Aroma is that slightly sour sweet that you'd expect.

Lovely golden orange pour with a deep and rewarding looking head of foam.

Deep mouthfeel too, lots of sugars and sweetness in this, nice bold bitterness, this is smooth drinking  thing. Pretty much as you'd expect and this is delivered pretty well, nothing to harsh at the edges, the astringent alcohol note not present, the soft full mouthfeel counterbalances the bitterness, the sweetness a soft pillow in the mouth. Complaints? I have not many.

If anything this isn't bold enough with the flavours that you might think you like, banana, bubblegum,  or the citrus tangs. But it is a beer that is worth drinking and worth the contemplation, and has been worth the wait.

This has been an easy drinking full flavour profile sweet and sour beer of some merit. Despite the way it settles in the glass to look a bit average it manages to keep it all together. It looks a picture of colour, the head of great joy disappeared early which was disappointing, the nice carbonation at the first settles, and you get left with a still looking cloudy headless beer.

A beer that I enjoyed as a good beer, and they are precious.

Didn't need a foods to go with this, it was just a bit awesome all on it's own, and as usual when this happens I sit and pout not having had the foresight to buy two. Then again two would stop me having the next one, #499.....

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9.25 a of its things from the thing.  Looks are deceiving as this packs some decent flavours and reminds me how much I like the Belgium beer profiles (and of a beer in the fridge - Mikkeller – Mielcke & Hurtigkarl, which I have found to be most enjoyable (I even found a place that despite my protestations has it priced incorrectly by 50%, mad if I don't have one))

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes


2. Would I have another? Yes, this is a cracker of a beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes I would, this is delightful and isn't the thing you'd talk about, it's a really good beer, enjoyable for what it is, conversational but not demanding a conversation. Brilliant.

Musically is count have been Avril or Alanis, but I settled on "Cowboy Junkies" this is their standout track amongst many - Sweet Jane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHRFZFmEq9o

Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985.

ABBEY TRIPEL

Like other abbey ales, Tripels are strong, yeasty-malty beers. But they are also pale, and have a notable hop profile. Hop bitterness may be higher than a typical abbey ale, up to 35IBUs. But the finish is where the hops really shine, as tripels should finish fairly dry. Otherwise, maltiness is still essential to the style, and the assertive yeast note typical of all abbey ales will be more apparent in tripels, since they do not have the rich dark malts to distract the palate. Alcohol flavours feature more prominently in Tripels that in just about any other style.

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Beer - #497 - Renaissance / 8 Wired - Wirecutter

Collaborative beer, Collaborative music, Collaborative Maths and a Collaboration Celebration.

This is A hoppy Scotch Ale brewed in collaboration bewteen 8 Wired Brewing & Renaissance Brewing.

500ml in the bottle that is of an 8.2% ABV beer, being  3.27 standard drink units in NZ and 249 calories a serve (330ml)

Renaissance / 8 Wired Wirecutter is brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style that is of a  Scotch Ale and they are in Blenheim, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_9889" align="alignleft" width="300"] Saturday Cracker[/caption]

To celebrate our years together we have done one final collaboration which is a meld of our two famous flagship beers, Stonecutter and Hopwired.
Wirecutter is therefore a Scotch Ale with big malt, huge amounts of New Zealand hops and a nice hint of smokiness.
A fitting way to cut the cord!

I've had both the Hopwired (9) and the Stonecutter (7) so a mash up might result in an 8 on average?

You'd think that would be possible, it could end up being higher the sum of the parts and all that.

What could possibly go wrong?

Certainly a hop burst of aroma on opening, it's pleasant on it's own, but I doubt it'd make a good cologne.

500ml doesn't quite fill a pint glass and the small head doesn't fill the gap. It pours a lovely golden orange brown, the head darker and although tiny is persistent, I did try to get fuller but alas not. It would just have been bling.

Wow that is an explosion of tastes, lots of hops and resin and malt and sugars, a length of carry that stops just short of full and finishes somewhat sour sticky.  There is so much going on.

The hops and the associated grassiness are the dominant force though in this mismatch. I'm kind of struggling to grasp what is going on.

Lots of hops makes you go all IPA. Lots of Malt makes you go in a different direction like a Pale, I get the thinking that got them here, the best of what you did the best of what we did, I'm sure on paper great, in the glass though, not so much.

Not undrinkable though, far from it, both the hops and sweetness carry this to be quite the beer with an interesting mouthfeel, but it is a bit loud and shouty, a bit of a hooligan. I would doubt that this is on the 'keeper' list at the brewery, not only because of circumstance, if you put that aside this just does not work well as  a beer.

Summing up then you can tell I'm not a fan.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a middle of the road and average  7 a of its things from the thing.  They tell you what it is, and they tell you why it is, I'm not convinced they stood around and gave the high-fives when it emerged.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not so much.


2. Would I have another? Either of the parts perhaps, not the mash-up.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I'd find this difficult to keep a straight face about, it is either a malted up IPA or a Hopped up Scotch, and it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Musicness I was listening to more Shoegaze , this is  "Guilty of Everything" by Nothing. Guilty of Everything is the debut studio album released by the American band Nothing. You'd find them on Bandcamp, Spotify and possibly iTunes if you had to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVkqyDxros

I wasn't that engaged with this either, I prefer the softer end of shoe gaze rather the the soaring heavy bursts, but there are glimpses and pearls in this.

SCOTCH ALE

Scotch Ale was the name given to a strong pale ale from Edinburgh in the 19th century. This was typical of the strong pale ales brewed in Britain at that time - mainly pale barley malt and moderate hopping, and were not that stylistically different to English Strong Ales or Barley Wines. The name however became regionalised so that a strong pale ale from Scotland became known as a Scotch Ale or Wee Heavy. Beers using the designation Scotch Ale are popular in the USA where most examples are brewed locally. Examples of beers brewed in the USA under the name Wee Heavy tend to be 7% abv and higher, while Scottish brewed examples, such as Belhavens Wee Heavy, are typically between 5.5% and 6.5% abv.

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Beer - #496 - Wigram - Munchner Dunkel

Oddly named beer, odd music, odd numbers and the odd night out.

A Wigram Munchner Dunkel, recent winner in the New World inaugural beer awards and a beer that I hadn't had, so this closes that gap.

Wigram Munchner Dunkel is brewed by Wigram Brewing Company in the style that is Dunkel/Tmavý and thy are based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

It's of 5.2% ABV and comes in a 500ml bottle, so that would be 156 calories a serve, and bottle is 2.05 standard drink units in NZ.

[caption id="attachment_9881" align="alignright" width="300"] New haircut - new beer[/caption]

German style dark lager with toasted malt flavours and aroma.

Lightly hopped using classic varieties. This brown lager beer is refreshing with subtle bitterness and rich malt characters.

Brown Lager - expecting something more like Cola coloured -  what could possibly go wrong.

Wet biscuit aroma, slightly tart, possibly more like burnt chocolate.

I can tell it's well carbonated as a head has risen in the bottle whilst I've been having a good snort of the aroma.

The chocolate aroma is really strong when it's in the glass, really big! and it looks amazing in the glass, a really pretty beer, with a tan head of decent firmness and persistence.

The taste whilst at first is a bitter rush it really settles down and it's quite the refreshing thing.

My first Dunkel then, I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it, or that it would be a taste that was difficult to grasp, or understand, and aside from the really big aroma of the chocolate as mentioned this is making me smile.

I like the bitterness that finishes towards sweetness in particular. This also has a magnificent amount of carbonation, and at just the right level that I enjoy. It sits well in the glass to, some lacing and the head really is persistent.

Deserves its recent gold medal then.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8.5 a of its things from the thing. It's better, by a long way, than I thought it would be, and that is really something when that happens.

Not a 10 though, because in my own way and of my own taste this, despite being really great, isn't really a beer style that gets it that high, does not 'ring my bell', but that's me being me.

8.5 on the pdubyah-o-meter though  is there between Very good and Great (and nearer to Great).

I'd pick this if I was out an about and wanted a beer that would be both enjoyable and quirky different from the mainstream beer that might be available.

I don't know that this would be beer for the everyman, the aroma is strong, and that might be the bit that turns you off. Getting past that though I wish I had another, because if I was being honest this is a beer that could keep you engaged for a few and not become boring.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Surprisingly and pleasingly so.


2. Would I have another? Gosh yes I think this has more going for it than not.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, it might not be to everyone's nose, the chocolate aroma is high, but the beer itself is very refreshing and enjoyable, light and engaging. Get in!

Musically I was listening to Jakob, a 3-piece band from NZ, no words just impossible music and a really top video for this track called "Blind them with Science" from a very good album called "Sines"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ovUVNs4VY

You'll find them on Spotify, Bandcamp, Facebook and probably iTunes if you look.

DUNKEL

Copper to dark brown. Medium body. Nutty, toasted, chocolate like malty sweetness in aroma and flavor. Medium bitterness. Low "noble-type" hop flavor and aroma. No fruitiness or esters

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5 Beers to go to get to #500

I have a couple of beers in mind, and in the fridge that I should consider as the landmark #500 beer, of no real on other than it's #500.  500 individual beers that I've drunk at home, in bottles or cans, sometimes in a fill-your-own, but always at home. I should get out more.



500 is a big number, and it's here that I begin to realise that I've put a bit of effort into what essentially is a hobby blog. I've only brought beers that are available in shops, even if sometimes they might have been limited release and difficult to get, and occasionally to keep it real commercial non-craft beers that are popular or well known, I'm not a total beer snob, and definitely not an expert.

I've only ever had 3 beers given to me by either the brewer or importer in that number, and so this isn't a call for sponsorship, or consideration for sponsorship, although I will take free beer in return for writing about it in my own way.

I'm looking for help though in getting to that number and whilst I have two beers that I'm considering as the #500 I'm soliciting suggestions.

The beers I have as part of the final 5 (to get me to 500) are;

1. Epic Coffee and Fig Stout - 2014 version. Only that I've had this on tap a few times since it's launch and might be biased as it's very good, I also have a 2013 bottle, I could do a comparative?

1. Rogue Double Chocolate Stout. This has been in the fridge for a few weeks.

3. Unibroue La Fin du Monde. I have this in the fridge too.

But I really am looking for ideas on what I might do to get to the 500 mark, and am looking for some suggestions or recommends, bearing in mind that although we get a fair amount of the good beer here in New Zealand there are some things that just don't make it here, like Russian River Pliny the Elder, for instance, and I don't recall seeing any Cigar city beers either.

I'll take all suggestions and I'll make a best effort to obtain the beer suggested, and if it's not in the final 5 I'm sure it'll be in the next 5. Don't hold back, if nothing else it's a way of sharing your own favourites that I might get a chance to like to.

Beer - #495 - Epic - Pale Ale

Addressing a beer remiss, I go for the Epic Pale Ale, Epic Music, Epic numbers and an Epic night out, or in.

Supreme Champion Beer - New Zealand International Beer Awards.(2006)

This comes in both a 330ml 4-pack and a 500ml bottle, I have a little of each. I'm sure the insides is the same for both.  This is a 5.4%ABV brew and in the 330ml bottle that's 1.4 standard drink units. and about 162 calories.

Epic Pale Ale,  from Epic Brewing Company (NZ) is brewed at Steam Brewing Company in the style that is American Pale Ale and that happens in Auckland, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_9856" align="alignleft" width="300"] Epic![/caption]

You can only drink so many beers in a lifetime, so you better make each one count.

That's where we can help. Because at Epic we're obsessed with creating big hop-fuelled beers.

This takes a shed-load of skill. It also takes a shed-load of hops. In fact there are 23 crammed into this bottle.*

Many brewers would call that 'insane'.

We call it flavour

[caption id="attachment_9858" align="alignright" width="238"] The label says 15 or 23 - squint a bit you'll see it[/caption]

*Or there are 15 in the smaller bottle.

This would a bit like the 900 grapes in a bottle of wine thing, I'm guessing that each bottle requires 15/23 hops to make 

What you're led to believe; Impressive aroma of grapefruit and perfumy rose petals, flavour of luscious creamy malt sweetness and summerfruit and citrus, and a finish of lingering bitterness and residual, nearly oily fruity sweet flavour.

What could go wrong?

It has a very hoppy aroma on opening,  And pours the most amazing orange golden brown with a nice but fleeting head. Looks well carbonated in the glass.

Aroma don't really bloom in the glass.

This is slightly sharper than I was expecting but it is surprisingly pleasant and pleasing, and I can see why it has a lot of fans.  The aroma does come back and you get a nose of the hops before the sup, and then you get a  warm malty beer that has a reasonable bitterness and a finish that is more towards dry.

As a drink-alone beer this does come up a bit short in the body, and  therefore does need some food accompaniment to bring out its best points.

As a quaffable beer though, it's pretty easy drinking and there isn't a lot of negative points that make you reluctant to have another sup and I find myself with an empty glass and a wondering where it all went. No really I did.

Recapping though and all things considered I'm therefore not a huge fan of this, or perhaps it's the style that I'm not big on. Being foolish, as I am, I have a 4-pack of the smaller bottles to soldier through, but lucky for me there is some robust food on the way so that should balance up nicely.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. It's churlish to mark this other than a competent good not the unfathomable scale of things that are the thing. It's not horrible, it's not the worlds greatest beer, it's worlds better than some I've had the pleasure of drinking.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? Yes its amiable beer that has good character.


• Would I have another? Yes I'd be happy to drink more of this, I have plenty :-)


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would, it's a beer that isn't like a domestic 12 pack, it's just a little edgy and has flavour and character that would suit most beer drinkers, I'd certainly take it to a party.

Music wasn't really Epic, more the mellow, this is a band called "The Ocean Party" and this track "Head Down" from an album called "Soft Focus", the music was a lot warmer and calmer than the blustery chilly day out in the open. They're on Spotify, Bandcamp and Facebook if you want to look them up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEZ-HLiUk0U

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

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Beer - #494 - Left Coast - Asylum

Asylum, Notes you never wrote, A Sum and a Summing up.

Drinking great beer brings the world together. “Vrede op aarde”

Left Coast Asylum Belgian-Style Tripel Ale is brewed by Left Coast Brewing Co. in the style that is of an Abbey Tripel  and they are in the exotic sounding San Clemente, California  USA

This is a 650ml bottle (22fl oz) of beer that is 11% ABV, making it  5.63 standard drink units, and around 354 calories a serve, or about 600 for the bottle.

Asylum is in the style of a Belgian Tripel. It has a beautiful golden color. Its relatively light body is deceiving for a beer of its character.

[caption id="attachment_9848" align="alignright" width="300"] I have nothing to add[/caption]

It has a sweet and spicy, complex fruity aroma and flavor derived from our distinct Belgian yeast strain.

Asylum finishes with a subtle, warming character to help you relax on any night. Asylum is an exceptionally smooth Belgian-style brew.

Drinking great beer brings the world together. “Vrede op aarde” (Peace on earth).

I'm already in a good place, so this should nudge me towards the drunk texting and random acts of kindness... or not.

Fruits and sweetness on the opening.  Pours caramel orange, and without a head, big aroma of what I thought was chewing gum and pepper, bit of a confusion and melange in this.

Less sugary sweet than I would have liked, and this also tends towards sour more then I I would enjoy. But a bunch of warmness in the middle and real decent length that, to me, finishes towards a peppery.

The alcohol takes a high note too, intruding on what should be more balanced. For me then, and I am after all the one who counts, this is a tad lopsided and uneven.

As it warms up it gets harsher in the alcohol astringent, which doesn't really add to the enjoyment.  An uncomfortable beer then that doesn't really hit any particular mark or level and becomes a bit wobblier as it warms up.

By now perhaps you get an idea that this is "a swing and a miss"

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing, for all things this isn't a disaster, but it's not a roaring success. Of course the charitable would suggest it's a firm favourite at 11% which means you get to "Care factor low" pretty quickly, which isn't a good thing, as the alcohol astringent gets harsher, and the dryness in the finish rises.

I'll end by saying that I didn't enjoy it, wouldn't want you spend money on it, and despite its high alcohol level I've not finished in my happy place :-(

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? Naaa, not like I should be enjoying a beer, especially a Belgium style which I like to think I like a lot.


• Would I have another? Of course..... not, this is a shambles.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I don't even want to finish the rest of the bottle. /sadface

On the Music machine time marches on, but in reverse, and I settled on an oldie .. Wings - at the speed of sound, this is the song "The note you never wrote" from an album of some enjoyment and merit for what it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmsSkZaUUoc

At least I got to sing at my loudest and worst, and the cat sought asylum in another room.

ABBEY TRIPEL

Like other abbey ales, Tripels are strong, yeasty-malty beers. But they are also pale, and have a notable hop profile. Hop bitterness may be higher than a typical abbey ale, up to 35IBUs. But the finish is where the hops really shine, as tripels should finish fairly dry. Otherwise, maltiness is still essential to the style, and the assertive yeast note typical of all abbey ales will be more apparent in tripels, since they do not have the rich dark malts to distract the palate. Alcohol flavours feature more prominently in Tripels that in just about any other style.

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Beer - #493 - Tuatara - Act of God

Closing in on 500!  Here we have Act of God, Class acts, Actual numbers and Acting the fool

What’s particularly notable is that this microbial intercession was totally unplanned. An Act of God if you will. 

Act of God is a Sour Abby Ale - Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the style that is: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, and they do that  in Paraparaumu, New Zealand.

This is a 650 ml bottle, notable since it isn't the normal Tuatara bottle with all the lumps and bumps but it has the familiar cap top holding back  a beer of 7.6% Alcohol by volume and 3.84 standard drink units. The bottle would be 420 calories give or take.

Tuatara Act of God - Brewing is an organic and uncertain process in which brewers are not the only primitive life forms involved.

[caption id="attachment_9842" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hand of Phil...[/caption]

As well as the usual yeast in this rich, apricot-tinged biere de garde, a delicious creamy sour note has been struck by a bit of wild fermentation in the bottle.

What’s particularly notable is that this microbial intercession was totally unplanned. An Act of God if you will.

Like most things organised by the Almighty, this one is for keeps, so feel free to cellar it for as long as you can stand the suspense.

So, not being able to hold back I'm all in.

Sour aroma of course, cider-like, of course. Darker than I expected, decent head that is brownish white. It fades. It is terribly sour. Who is surprised?

But underneath there is and are signs of what this might have supposed to have been. Seems there is a decent maltiness, and that gives it some sweetness that wasn't unwelcome.

It clearly is a mixed bag. I get that candied sugary sense on the after-taste, toffee like.

I can guess that as a biere de garde it would have been quite interesting, and I can see how they suggest might cellaring could help it fill out and blossom.

As it is though It's a fairly sharp and not unpleasant drinking beer. I think that this should be best enjoyed in the mid afternoon, perhaps with some snack or accompanying food because this seems to be a beer for sitting around and chatting by, certainly not a quaffing beer in this format.

So a bit home-brew gone wrong if I was to have made this myself, and fair cop Tuatara called themselves on it and instead of trashing this they've rescued it and given us a chance at a once off.  Nothing hidden.

I've had beers in the past that have clearly been 'wrong' and have been given a new label, or name, not in keeping with the brewer tradition. You know "Brewers fancy" or even worse.

I didn't find anything undrinkable about this, and there might be some merit in setting this aside to develop more, as if I have the patience.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I'm impressed that this was as good as it was.


2. Would I have another? I would on a sunny day, or if someone has patience and wants to crack one out in a year? Any takers? 


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would so. This is a pleasant supping beer, pass the chips. 

Musically I was torn but ended up with something half decent. This is a band "Glass Owls" and a song called "Tired of the Internet" and as a bonus it features Wayne Anderson - the Singer of Songs!  So a New Zealand band with a New Zealand thing going on, Glass Owls, an alternative-pop foursome from Auckland.  Find them on Bandcamp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMg2Pu7uAsQ

As a Bonus here is Wayne Anderson, the 4th best singer in NZ. Knock yourself out and enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3JALgr3Yas

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used.

Inaugural New World Beer and Cider Awards

I got sent a press release, which of course means I've made it as a blogger right?

"I’m just getting in touch to share the results from the first ever New World Beer & Cider Awards, announced today, if you might be interested for your blog? The New World Wine Awards have been running for 12 years, but this is the first time New World have run a beer and cider awards."

Awards and recognition are good things, and the list includes some interesting choices that highlight the quality of the beer being produced locally.

New World are a supermarket chain and are reasonably well respected and the awards carry some kudos and gravitas, as well as opportunity for the winners.

The winners are listed as below  or click here  for the webpage directly, and I've linked to where I've drunk and written about them at some time, although I can say that the Ciders aside I've had all of them except the Epic Pale and Wigram Muncher Dunkel which I can remedy

• Apple & Pear Cider - Zeffer Cider Co. Red Apple Cider


• Fruit & Flavoured Cider - Old Mout Cider Feijoa & Cider


• Fruit, Flavoured & Speciality Beer - Garage Project VPA: Venusian Pale Ale


• International Lager - Singha Premium Lager


• IPA & APA - Liberty Brewing Co Yakima Monster


• Lower Strength Beer - Tuatara ITI APA


• NZ Lager - Steinlager Classic


• Pale Ale - Epic Pale Ale


• Pilsner - Galbraith’s Special Edition Pilsner Czech style


• Speciality Ale - Bach Brewing Duskrider Red IPA


• Speciality Lager - Wigram Brewing Co. Munchner Dunkel


• Stout & Porter - Three Boys Oyster Stout


• Strong Ale - Renaissance Brewing Company Stonecutter Scotch Ale


• Wheat - Mac’s Great White Cloudy Wheat Beer

The press release: Inaugural New World Beer & Cider Awards results announced

The results of the inaugural New World Beer & Cider Awards, which celebrate the diversity and high standard of beer and cider available from around New Zealand and overseas, have been announced today.

“As well as recognising the rapidly growing local beer and cider market, the New World Beer & Cider Awards were established this year to help make the decision process a little easier for consumers,” says Chair of Judges Neil Miller, who was recently named Beer Writer of the Year at the Brewers’ Guild of New Zealand Awards.

“Having that medal sticker on award-winning beer and cider in-store means people can try different styles with confidence that the brew is going to be a great example of its type.”

Recently, over two days in Wellington, a team of 12 industry leaders blind-tasted 351 beers and ciders from 56 breweries. Medals were awarded to the top scorers and resulted in 14 Best in Class, 32 Gold, 45 Silver and 77 Bronze winners.

“I was incredibly impressed by not only the number, but the standard of entries from both new entrants and established players from all parts of the country and overseas,” says Neil Miller.

Each beverage was assessed against the style guide using the 50-point scoring system by a panel of four judges. The experienced and well respected judges included Kelly Ryan, Kieran Haslett-Moore, Stephanie Coutts, Joseph Wood, Hadyn Green, Mike Neilson, Colin Mallon, Greig McGill, Matt Warner, Jono Galuszka, Stephen Plowman and Shane Morley, with Craig Bowen as competition advisor.

The New World Beer & Cider Awards’ key point of difference from other competitions is that each of the 14 Best in Class brews must have 3,600 litres available around the time of results announcement, in order to ensure there is enough stock for New World customers nationwide. Even with this benchmark in place, Neil Miller believes the winning brews will sell out fast.

“Many of the winners are smaller, independent breweries from off the beaten track, which means that people will have to get in quick if they want to try some for themselves.”

All Best in Class brews are distributed and promoted in New World’s 136 supermarkets nationwide from 10 November, with full competition results available at newworld.co.nz/beerandcider.

“We’re now seeing more and more New Zealanders appreciating a great quality beer or cider just as much as they do a glass of wine. It’s fantastic that we can provided a competition much like our long-running New World Wine Awards to recognise and reward this growing sector,” says Steve Anderson, Managing Director, New World.

ENDS

Beer - #492 - St. Erhard - Kellerbier

Authentic beer, Authentic Singing, Authentic numbers and Authentic enjoyment.

St. ERHARD® isn’t just beer - It’s beer culture!

Chosen mainly for the packaging which is amongst the simplest I've seen this is  St. Erhard Brewed at Brauerei Rittmayer Hallerndorf in the style that is  Zwickel/Keller/Landbier and they are in Bamberg, Germany

330ml bottle, 5% ABV, making it 150 calories and 1.3 standard drink units. this carried a 19 IBU rating.

St. Erhard is the flagship beer brand representing true beer excellence from the home of the beer.

[caption id="attachment_9821" align="alignright" width="300"] Simple. Beer.[/caption]

As a genuine Franconian "Kellerbier" St. Erhard is brewed and bottled in Bavaria according to the "Reinheitsgebot".

We are driven by the passion to serve the highest level of sophistication in brewing to a global audience. 

St. Erhard isn’t just beer - It’s beer culture!

There is a bunch of less than complimentary things about this beer to be found in comments, but then they might miss the point that this isn't a 'normal' beer to be compared to other beers they might have had. Who knows? I don't.

Wet biscuit type aroma, which would be par.

It looks really good in the bottle and in the glass, clear as a bell, and a rich chestnut colour,  it pours with a reasonable head, added to which it looks nicely carbonated.

Aroma is nothing to write home about.

Richer in taste than a lager, slightly sweeter and tang-ier.  It's not what you think it tastes like and I'm reaching for a beer similar to give you an idea, but failing.

Less hoppy than say a Pilsner and sweeter with more malts in it this seems to be an 'everyman' beer,

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Both yes and no, I think it might be too malty sweet though.


2. Would I have another? Yes probably, its a nice beer for sitting in the sun.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Of course, but not for any discourse that would take ages because you'd get bored of this I think.

I'm listening to "Depford Goth"  which as always is new and challenges me to drink new beer and listen to new musics.  This is a track "Feel Real" which actually isn't on the album I'm listening to, but if you're on Spotify the Album I am listening to  "Songs" is here http://t.co/wMtu2RMIku

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Dc8DtVxb0

It has that low key melodic lyric moodiness about it.

ZWICKEL/KELLER/LANDBIER

Three related, minor, lager styles most common in Franconia. Essentially, these are hoppier versions of a helles, served with natural carbonation and unfiltered - they are the lager worlds answer to real ale. Kellerbier will on average be hoppier than zwickelbier. There is also Landbier, which is more malt-accented, may be filtered, but is similarly lacking in carbonation. Gravity is standard, hop rates ranging from 22-40 IBUs, the colour from pale to reddish-amber and the palate should be balanced with a hop accent.

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Beer - #491 - Guinness - Special Export (Belgian version)

It's Good for you, good for your ears, good maths and good mates.

Special version of bottled Guinness for Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Brewed in Ireland for Anthony Martin.

I can't believe that I haven't written my thoughts on Guinness, so when the Guinness Special Export (Belgian version) became available I had to get one.

Brewed by St. James’s Gate (Diageo) in the classical style of a  Foreign Stout , Guinness of course are in  Dublin, Ireland.

330ml bottle, and 8% ABV this is 240 calories worth and 2.08 standard drinks

In 1944, John Martin, having boldly crossed the Channel, requested that a unique vintage of Guinness be brewed specially for Belgium : Guinness Special Export. This elixir, 8%

[caption id="attachment_9814" align="alignleft" width="300"] It's good for you ![/caption]

alcohol by volume is greeted by the drinker with the smile of an explorer who has discovered black gold. Just as dark but just as creamy too, this stout reveals a fierceness that lives up to the well-known saying, ‘Of all the peoples of Gaul, the Belgians are the bravest’. Unique !

Guinness is inseparably connected to Ireland by 250 years of history. The one exception is this version, also called GXS, which was originally brewed exclusively for John Martin while he developed his business on the European continent. Of course, the taste characteristics are similar to those of the traditional Irish one, but raised to a higher level : that goes especially for the alcohol content by volume of 8%, giving this beer an explosive taste of roasted malt and smoked wood and liquorice, ending in a very long aftertaste. 

It's been a while between 'new' beers for for me, and it's nice to sit down and jot some thoughts.

An interesting aroma on opening, as it did with a hiss, dark chocolate, malt.

Fantastic dark pour with a lovely thick and luxurious head that I underestimated but got away with. Aroma moves to a more damp biscuit thing.

Taste is really intense. There is lovely mouthfeel and there is a lovely lingering of the taste too.

Despite the heavy flavour profile this is a surprisingly light beer on the tongue, by which I mean that there doesn't appear to be anything on the palate that immediately is picked out, and the finish although decent isn't to dry, or sweet, it just seems to wash over.

But yes there is a lovely lingering coating that makes it very nice indeed to drink.

It is then pretty much as described on the label, a somewhat luxurious stout that keeps you entertained and engaged.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. I like the mouthfeel and I like the layers and intensity of the flavours, but this isn't quaffing beer, it's not like it lights up the taste buds and just draws you back in. It is like a good book with great characters that you can engage with.  Oh and the 8% ABV will catch you out if you don't keep an eye on it.

I remember from my youthful days the great pub finisher of Guinness and Barley Wine, I wonder if I research what that Barley wine was that I could recreate this. Doubtful, but this could finish you off on its own given a chance.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am, it is an easy drinking beer that has a lot of things right about it.


2. Would I have another? I would easily go another.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think so, in some weird way this seems like a decent session beer, but fails at that because I don't think there is enough of the "sippability' about this, it's 'supping' beer.

Completely non-irish the music that I have on is from "Dexy's Midnight runners" - this track is "This is what she's like" from the under-rated and under-played - "Don't Stand Me Down" which is the third studio album by Dexys Midnight Runners.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXh19wfJT3Q&w=420&h=315]

I was also listening to a new musics, from the group  "Afternoons" and the  album 'Say Yes' They're an indie band from LA in the USofA. It's light pop but has a striking album art cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMXxjYcd0M0

 

FOREIGN STOUT

Foreign Stout began with the beer that would become Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. This was a stronger, extra-hopped version of the basic Guinness Extra Stout, brewed to survive long journeys overseas. The classic FES still exists in a few different forms, but many of the original destination countries (Jamaica, Sri Lanka, etc.) now have their own, locally-produced versions. Foreign stout occupies a position between basic stout and imperial stout. It is sweeter than a basic stout, but not as robust as an imperial. It is less fruity and less hoppy as well. Foreign stouts are sometimes made with local grains and adjuncts sugar is not uncommon. Alcohol ranges from 6-8%

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