Monday, March 24, 2014

Beer - #329 - Black Dog - Bite Hopped Pilsner

Black Dog beer, I've only had out on my travels in pubs from taps. So this is a new experience. Pilsner too, a style with which I have a love/hate thing with, at least in my head.

This is a  500ml bottle (16 fl oz) of a 5.5% ABV beer, which is 2.17 drinks, could be about 230 calories worth in the bottle, not a serve. I may have this all wrong.

Brewed by Black Dog Brewing Company This of course in the style of a  Pilsener and they are in Wellington, New Zealand, and I will get to visit them one day.

[caption id="attachment_7195" align="alignleft" width="300"]ah ha! the selfie ah ha! the selfie[/caption]

This is a hoppy Pilsner done in the Kiwi style. This is our representation of a style that New Zealand brewers are really crafting into something unique, a hoppy lager style beer that showcases our country’s hops. Bite features Motueka and Nelson Sauvin hops, both of which are making a big name for themselves around the world. Kiwi hop growers can’t produce enough of these varieties so you better get a glass of this one while you can!

All I got on opening was yeast, but that's normal, right ?

Black Dog - Bite Hopped PilsnerMint pour of a crisp yellow orange beer with a lovely foamy head and loadsa carbonation going all on in the glass. Nice.

Still only a yeast aroma, I'm not so bothered by this though. I am looking forward to the first sup.

This isn't as earthy as I lead myself to believe this might be, and it's actually somewhat muted.

It's also not that hopped in the way that you might think that hops = bitterness , or add flavours like grass or pine or cats urine, or whatever.

This is a pretty clean and crisp beer, it's nothing edgy or spectacular, or difficult or challenging, or something you drink to feel different, it's just a good beer done well.

There is nothing at all stand-out though, and this is where this, for me, becomes a good domestic beer, an everyman beer. Which isn't bad it's just a commercial beer, and being in the money is important for the side projects.

It's very quaffable and the pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a on the scale of things, which is only at the average level of beer, for me.  This however isn't the whole of it, because of the  the arbitrary 3 Question Quiz


  1. Am I enjoying it?  Yes, yes I am

  2. Would I have another?  Yes, yes I would

  3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think you could sit and have a share session with a few of these as it's low impact and high enjoyment.



So, I'd like another, yes I would, but if only we were having a Sunday afternoon half-back/quarterback session, but then you could insert commercial beer X in that slot and get a similar result.

If I was grading this for report it could be B- must try harder!

Musically we moved (I say we, MrsPdubyah insisted something more upbeat) to George Michael and his Symphonica  Album , who doesn't like swing!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pARujCvm4Wo&w=560&h=315]

As an aside on Untappd  I got another 'badge' Crisp as Day (Level 2) - Light and crisp, a Pilsner is all you need to make your day great. Though, perhaps another one would make it even better. That’s 10 different Pilsners. No one can claim I like all the same beers.

PILSENER



While the definition of "pilsner" is open to much debate in the beer community, it generally refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up.





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Beer - #328 - Croucher - Anzus

Croucher Anzus, for a lazy sunday -  I don't drink enough Croucher beer,  - Brewed by Croucher Brewing this one is in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Rotorua, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_7188" align="alignright" width="300"]Of course a Selfie Of course a Selfie[/caption]

A Tri-nation brew created for the Great Australian Beer SpecTapular as a low alcohol alternative to the 6-10% ABV ’hop bombs’ currently flooding the market. Croucher have hoped with ANZUS IPA to give these three nations another shot at working together in harmony - however rather than it being on a military basis, this time it would be on the craft beer frontier... specifically HOPS! Representing New Zealand was the newly released Kohatu, the Australian representative was our new favourite hop Galaxy, and the new US release Zythos.

A Bottle - 500ml  - of a 7% ABV beer, being 2.7 standard drink units,  210 calories a serve. Nicely cold.

Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA is our effort to repair relations between these three international Super-Powers. While a Nuclear Free ANZUS military alliance didn't work, the Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA with its heady blend of the best aroma hops from Australia, New Zealand and the USA sure does. After a glass of this it won’t be Uranium they’ll be smelling on your breath.


Grassy hop burst on the opening, light fizz, so not expecting a head.

Croucher - AnzusPours a cloudy golden orange, and a small and persistent head, a win! Nie hop aroma.

Sip and ..  a full mouthful of Bitter resinous grassy hops and a bang of malt sweetness.

I was expecting something less cloudy and perhaps less aggressive.

Then is suddenly settles down, and you get something like but not quite an orange zest note that carries the bitterness to a reasonable finish, which isn't dry not does it wreck your palate.

I'm a bit on the fence though about this, the flavours all appear at once, and the really present hop bitterness is very persistent. Although there is a decent carry and length I don't feel fulfilled, or as fulfilled as I think I could be.

The pdubyah-o-meter then has this at a 7 on it's scale of things, which is still good, but fails to break through the field and become a front runner, at least in my opinion, which may differ.

I'm not enjoying this as much as I think I could be, and I'm hoping that I finish it soon so I can move on to something else.

So the newish 3 question finale


  1. Am I enjoying it?  I think I am, but I could be enjoying this more.

  2. Would I have another? Actually no.

  3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I don't think that as it is, just the beer, It works as a discussion beer. I can't wait to finish it and more on to something else, and that can't be good for conversation.



As an aside  i'm also on Untappd and with this I earned the "We believe in IPA and you should too. You certainly have a taste for the hops! That's 40 different IPAs" badge. I feel like a lush, which is slang you may have to look up.

Musically I'm having a listen to the Who is William Onyeabor album

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoUY_0-w9hQ&w=560&h=315]

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA



India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.





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Sunday, March 23, 2014

Learning all the time about beer

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Beer - #327 - Celt Experience - Ogham ’Willow’

Recommended to me - Celt Experience Ogham ’Willow’

Brewed by Celt Experience this is in the style of a n Imperial/Double IPA and they are in, a first for me, Caerphilly, Wales. More than just cheese!

[caption id="attachment_7175" align="alignright" width="300"]Half Selfie Half Selfie[/caption]

Ogham Willow Magestic IPA – 8.8%
95 IBUs – American Yeast, Big World Hops and Euro malt
Willow is instrumental in spawning spiritual visions, engendering a clearer understanding of the world in which we live. A Big beer…. A Magic craft….. Magestic…… Yes Magestic, not just majestic Created with percolating, infusing and dry hopping with potent US hops, but allowing balance through deep bodied British malts and cultivating a smooth citrus backbone from Eastern European hops.

330ml bottle, 8.5% ABV, 95 IBU,  264 calories and 2.21 standard drink units .

Celt Experience - Ogham ’Willow’Lots of yeast and hop aroma on opening.  Dark Orange pour, and of course no head!, fruity aroma though.

Wow that's a whole mouthfeel of flavours, bittern some sweet notes, finishes bitter and a bit dry.

Come Citrus too, orange.

It's quite nice, it's a full on experience in the mouth, but it's a complicated beer, in my own opinion.

The pdubyah-o-meter thinks that this is ok, but it's in a big field of many good beers. This does have things going on and layers in it that others in this class don't have, the orange is quite pronounced.  Bitter and finishes dry. So a deserved 7 making this a good beer. I do have another, which his unusual for me, and so I reserve the right to review my review or on appeal. 

It's Friday, this friday there is no music, as yet.... but it is early and I do have ideas.....





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Friday, March 21, 2014

4:04 am and the clock goes tick-tick-tick Musings

I was watching some youtube things, and you know how that ends up, normally pictures of cats right. Well not in my case.

Hollow Earth Theory : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Earth

Hollow Earth. Hidden entrances at the North and South poles. Hitler sent expeditions! The claim was that the earth’s crust is only between 8 miles and 200 miles thick

Gravity? Well there is a micro start in the center providing gravity for those on the outside. Not sure how those on the inside get on, perhaps they’re squished to the ground flat, living in 24-7 sunlight

Oh this is where UFO’s come from too.

Which lead me to Expanding Earth Theory http://hollowearththeory.com/articles/expandingEarthAnimation.asp

But before that how NASA made up UFO’s so they could launch loads of satellites and space weapons, and how they use chemtrails to fly holographic aircraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory

http://www.disclose.tv/forum/chemtrails-and-holographic-planes-t37043.html

Which lead me to a video about how the human race is an Alien Experiment….

I’m not judging but the most plausible was the NASA one., well not the holographic chemtrail thing but.

I could expand on that by saying there are many possible scenarios of life on other planets


  1. There is life on other planets.

  2. Life on other planets is at a similar stage of development to that on Earth

  3. Life on other planets is more primitive than that on earth



Now because we don’t perceive or have an explanation for things that can travel Faster-than-light, or an understanding of worm-holes that may or may not get us from one place in the universe to another doesn’t mean they don’t exist or are not feasible.

But the question is that begs is how would you detect life on the 3rd rock from the sun  at the edge of a spiral arm we call  the Orion Arm, which is about two-thirds of the way from the center of our galaxy to the edge of the starlight?

It was a slow night