Beer - #98 - Ballast Point - Big Eye IPA

Big Eye IPA is Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA)
and that all happens in San Diego, California USA.

If you have fallen for the IPA style like we have, Big Eye will be a welcome addition to your repertoire. You’ll revel in Big Eye’s bitter, hoppy flavor thanks to the American Columbus and Centennial hops that are used to flavor and dry hop our flagship IPA. We thank our hops every day that the English loved their bitters—or else the IPA style may not have been born to help the beer survive the journey from Cape Hope to India back in the 18th century.

I like the self confidence that they have in this. In the American way this is  a 6.5% ABV beer, in a giant 650ml bottle, which looks very old world in style, but not that i'd generally comment on the container. 650ml though is an awkward sized thing though, a glass and a half.

I'm expecting bitter and grassy from the hops, and I'm also expecting a warm malty finish. Is what I expect from this.

The aroma is instantly familiar bitter beer smell, it's fantastic deep rimu colour, and has a fair head on it. So far so good.

The hops are twangy and there is the undernote of the malts and caramel. It isn't overly grassy (hoppy) and has a decent length.  Yeah that's not half bad. I get also a floral taste, which is nicer than it sounds and is actually a bit pleasant.  I don't think I can rave about this being a leader or breaking new ground for a beer, but it's in the leading breakaway pack. But it is very competent, very very competent. and accomplished, and that's pretty much on the money for an beer, and this would be a beer for a session.

The sad thing is that as a session beer I find that I'm home alone enjoying this, Neville-no-mates, and  that's a pity because I wish there were others here and I could get all up in the face about how much of a party in my mouth this is. I started, as I always do with a new beer, enjoying and savouring each sip (gulp) and with this I just ended up enjoying it as a quaffing beer. It's sneakily a very good beer.

If you like IPA you could do a lot worse than getting your own party in a bottle, the Pdubyah-o-meter doesn't have an issue with making this an easy 8 random things from its  own random measure, resulting in  something I'd go out of my way to drink.

Not all the way to San Diego to drink, but if there is ever an opportunity, and after we've been to Sea World then Ballast Point would be getting a reservation for a big night in.

Related articles

• San Diego Beer Week is Worth the Drive (kcet.org)


• It's the water(front) for SD beer festival (utsandiego.com)


• S.D. breweries win in Belgium competition (utsandiego.com)


• Pope Crisco: Deep Ellum Brewing Co. IPA and Farmhouse Whit (tmrzoo.com)

Big Night In!

It's the festive season, when workplace parties begin to kick in, and tonight I find myself with the prospect of being home alone.  MrsPdubyah is off the "Foodstore" down on the viaduct,  for her party, which makes me a bit Jealous to be honest. But I'll man up and get over it.

Daughter will be here, but she's turned into a room dweller, and might even be going out, who knows with kids.

So I have a check-list of things to get or make sure I have;

1. Beer - Selection of


2. Ribs


3. Curley Fries


4. Camembert


5. Sundry other

No, it's complete, 5 things are all you need, which is why it's  a 5 point checklist. Salad might sneak in under "Sundry", but only if it's in the coleslaw style. Crackers should come under that as well.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="144"] Up to repeat #3 and it keeps sounding better. #xx #coexist #nofilterneeded #goosebumps #touchingmyself (Photo credit: P. Scott)[/caption]

Music isn't a consumable, except for the ears. Tonight

• The XX - Coexist - just how enjoyable is this album, if you've got Spotify give this a crack


• Heart Attack Alley - Living In Hell

and from the musty box in the Garage....

• David Bowie - Station to Station


• Elvis Costello and the Attractions  - Armed Forces


• Beatles - White Album #242090 in whatever number that was ended at.


• The Police  -Regatta de Blanc


• Simple Minds - New Gold Dreams

I could get used to this.

Related articles

• The XX return with new single Angels (elleuk.com)

Beer - #97 - Mike’s - Organic Vanilla Coffee Porter

Brewed by Mike’s Organic Brewery  in the style of an  Imperial/Strong Porter and that'd be from Taranaki, New Zealand

I laughed .... " Mike’s taken our robust Imperial Porter infused with single origin certified organic Peruvian coffee beans, the result is stunning. Is it beer? Is it coffee? You be the judge. Enjoy with good company, probably not for breakfast though... Then again, maybe?" 

Headphones c/o XFactor and my desire not to listen to ceecee cry or whatever that is that passes for music.

That's a dark thick beer of a good mocha coloured head,  not a lot of lacing though, an 8% ABV of a 650ml bottle, there is coffee for Afwica in this,,, and a bit ..  and the taste is like a blanket of coffee and  Vanilla and there is chocolate and just nice. A lot of nice. I stopped Laughing and I paid attention a lot of attention.

I'm not sure if I just being a wuss, but this is a special thing.  As a side note I was listening to "The XX - Coexist" at the time, it's a nice thing. Both of the thing. The all.

So separating those things the music and the beer, and glancing at the pdubyah-o-meter I see a cheeky 9, the heck! This is Dynamite. Make that a 9.4, this is a beer that I would give your money back if you brought it and failed to enjoy as a Coffee Porter, or a Vanilla Coffee Porter.  Get in!

Today, Thanksgiving day, not a Turkey shoot, and I'm almost weeping with a joy unbounded.  Not only because I've never met Mike and is Organicmatron, but because this is a mighty mighty glass of beer. Joy unbounded. For real.

 

Beer - #96 - Rogue - Dead Guy Ale

Dead Guy Ale, Brewed by Rogue Ales in the style of a  Heller Bock, and they do that in  Newport, Oregon USA.

The Heller Bock is primarily a malty beer from the German brewing tradition with little hop character - neither bitter nor aromatic - though the style typically has a little more hops than the standard Bock. The color is golden to light brown or amber. They should normally pour with a substantial white head. All examples are pale and clear.

This is 6.5% ABV 650ml bottle of beer, which I approach with great  anticipation.

It's all new to me !, so... a fantastic orange golden beer, decent head and a nicely sweet aroma. And it's the same sweet and a lovely hoppy beer. That's a bit good.

This is a beer I could be friends with, if you want to cut to a chase. The pdubyah-o-meter thinks this an 8.5 beer from it's wildly arbitrary scale of things, which makes this a beer to recommend.

Particularly at the end of a day of things this is still a beer where you can explore the hops and not get alarmed by what's being given back, it's a beer that offers instant comfort and companionship. There is a sourness that you'd kind of expect as the backwash from the hops, and this does finish on the palate, it might not appeal to everyone, but it's consistent and just, for me, adds to be whole thing, It's the pants.!

Dear Rogue, please make me your Ambassador for beers, I'd be really good and that, and happy, please. 

The one with the dodgy kidney

I've been living with IgA nephropathy for since 1990 ish

I saw a medical man today, (5th November) Professor Ian Simpson, about it. It's been since 1998 since I've seen anyone, since I was discharged from the out care unit at Auckland Hospital, in factt. And so I've been doing this worrying about my kidneys since, and making sure I keep a regular check on them, and all that.

How did this come about, the referral all of a sudden, well that's a tale of two things. The second thing first.

My regular doctor changed buildings recently and as part of they hoof all all paper records to the new place, and in reviewing them when I went to see him last it came as a bit of a surprise to him that I had a "condition". So off I went with a referral.

Such a nice man, Professor Simpson, a conversational doctor, who told me by and by many things, gave me a bag of advice and a few warnings. I came away uplifted,

The kidneys, well I thought they'd been damaged by a virus thing, an upper respiratory infection, and ear ache of Brobdingnagian proportions and an sore throat is what I remember, it was long time ago 1990.

But! my kidneys are fine and dandy, everything I've been doing to look after them has been spot on, including the 6 monthly blood tests, and the medication.

All I have to do is lose about a gazillion kilograms and get a bit active. And he says I'll be on the right side of the longevity thing, uplifting or what!

In an update today it appears that Auckland DHB have lost my medical records including the slides or whatever of the biopsy that I had, but not to worry the general thing still stands that I'm in fine fettle, and need to focus a bit on me.

The upshot really though is that I've been living with a monkey on my back for a long time, a background nagging, but it appears that although I've been doing the wrong thing that I might not have been doing enough of the good things. So I can relax a bit about the state of the things, and move on.