Winter booze blues

OK — I am officially back in the world of the cold.

Yep, I moved back to Wisconsin and am currently shacking up with my 'rents while I await the opportunity for a real-world job.

Hopefully it comes knocking soon, but in the mean time, I know what I am going to be doing: drinking plenty of beer. I forgot how cold it really gets up here, but chizzling a deadly-thick layer of ice off my car today was quite the reminder.

Now, had I been drinking before I had to do that, I might have been a little more fun, you think? I think.

And at least this can be an excuse to start exploring the world of good ol' Winter Ales. The only one I've ever had is Sam Adams — anybody out there got a favorite to recommend? (If anyone feels like flying over seas for the cause, you could attend the National Winter Ales Festival in the UK. Sounds exciting!)

Until then, I might have to invest in some Kahlúa. It tastes great in a cup of hot chocolate.

Drinkability

Looks like Budweiser's invention of the term 'drinkability' wasn't quite enough for them, as they are also going to be re-doing their packaging early next year. Yes! That is exactly what will make me want to drink their beer. 

Hm. Or maybe they should re-do their recipe. Right ...

Honestly, I know back in the summer I said I'd take Bud light over Miller Lite (and I still would) but truth be told I haven't had a Bud light OR a Miller Lite probably since the day I said that. I am waaaaay too deep in the world of microbrew.

And sad, but true, I have a case of Bud Light that is three-quarters of the way full and has been since Nick's brother was down visiting and decided to buy it after having drank a few on his last night. Needless to say, he didn't have time to finish it and Nick and I don't want to ... (Alcohol abuse!)

On that note, what have I found time to finish?

What's Lyssa Been Drinking? I put my hands around a nice bottle of Flying Dog Snake Dog India Pale Ale. With 7.1% alcohol, this IPA packs a pretty good punch of hops but is still easy to drink. 

Should you drink it, too? (1 - Hell no. 10 - Don't pass this beer up!) 8. This is definitely one of the better finds I've gotten ahold of here in Florida. Now, its your turn. Take a sip, I dare you.

A beer phenomenon

I just had to share this little phenomenon I've been having as of late. 

Has anybody ever been on the drive home from a long shift at work and just thought, "I could really go for a beer right now"? Or, perhaps its a sunday afternoon and with nothing better to do you wish you just had a cold one in your hand.

Well, I'm sure this scenario is not too far off any one's trail (especially if you're a beer drinker and that's why you're reading this blog). 

But, what I must share with you is this: lately, I've been coming home and not only craving beer, but more over I've been craving one of my beers. That's right, our second batch has aged so deliciously that I want nothing else but it. Unfortunately, we've gotten down to only having one left. There will probably be a brawl in the kitchen for that one later. And, now comes the time to start thinking about exactly what our next brew will be ...

"Well, I don't like beer, but ... "

Say what?! That's right, some people are just that crazy. They don't like beer, they won't drink beer and they'll have nothing to do with it. (On the bright side of things, these leaves more beer for the rest of us.)

But, for those who would like to take a stab at turning these crooked people around, I have found the solution: cider beer.

More specifically Kelly's Irish Hard Cider beer. It tastes like juice. It's like drinking a mixed drink but with the bonus of being able to blend in with beer-drinkers alike.

I've had other cider beers, too, such as Woodchuck Draft Cider, but Woodchuck seems to still turn away people that don't like beer. If anyone has ever hard Leinenkugel's Apple Spice beer, I'd compare Woodchuck closer to that than to Kelly's. Kelly's Irish Hard Cider, therefore, is fool-proof. You'll have your none-beer drinking friends drinking beer in no time. 

This was a short little post, yes, but I have to go get ready to serve beer-after-beer to Coasters Pub's customers. Too bad it can't be the other way around.

Lost in a beery-beer world

My apologies, for it seems my beer drinking lately has made the world of blogging disappear from my mind. 

Or, and perhaps more likely, my excellent procrastination skills (which I am forever indebted to my college career for fine-tuning) have lended to over a month's worth of days passing without me writing a single note on this site.

Either way, I'm back now, so buckle up and get ready for one crazy joy-ride ... Yay!

Now, what is there to tell? Well, there is oh-so-much to say! But, just where will I start?

Well, let's go with the obvious (and easy), my favorite beer to drink: Blue Moon.

I've found a few Blue Moon twists recently that I would love to share with you. Hopefully you will soon learn to enjoy them just as much as I do.

First off is a Black and Blue. No, I'm not going to fight you, but I am going to give you a delicious drink! Think, Black and Tan (for the uneducated beer-drinker, Guinness and Harp, or something like that, etc.) but instead, add some blue. Putting it simply, its a drink with both Guinness and Blue Moon (Guinness likes it better on top — and trust me, it looks better up there anyway). MMM delicious. For those that wouldn't normally drink stouts (such as myself), this is a great way to lighten their taste and allow you to enjoy such a dark beer. 

Also, I recently invested in a six-pack of Blue Moon's Full Moon Winter Ale. It's a really nice beer, with a dark taste but the drinkability of something light, combined with the all-too-familiar, fruity feeling of a plain Blue Moon, and the perfect drink for all of you up in Wisconsin trying to stay warm. (Me on the other hand, I've got my Florida sun. I'll be sure to think of you next time I'm on the beach, so please think of me next time you're catching snow-flakes during a beautiful white blanket storm. At least you'll be able to have a Winter Ale in hand.)

The Full Moon brew was much more impresive than their Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, which I talked about drinking a few posts earlier. There was just nothing impressive about the pumpkin beer (not to mention nothing pumpkin-ey about this particular one). You'd be much better off with a plain ol' Blue Moon and orange slice, which I think still fits nicely with fall.

And orange slices bring me back to Florida and, well, back to sunshine again. Which is probably the root reason for my recent procrastination. So, again — my apologies — but have no fear because my beer drinking days are far from over. Cheers!

Beer Fest in Florida

OK - not an actual beer fest, but I went to a festival, and beer was consumed.

It was my first Florida festival experience. Let me tell ya, it was a little low-key — dontchya' know. (I threw that in there because I was recently picked on by a local for the midwesterner's use of this term.)

Anywho — this was nothing like a street festival in Wisconsin. First of all, most of Wisconsin's festivals that I have seen are swarming with people and the jam-packed streets form a wave-line of people moving through. (We cannot pass up an opportunity to drink beer in the street, can we?) But here, well — the people were a little scarce. And, from where Nick and I entered the fest, we had to walk a long way before we found the ONE beer stand in the street.

There was a plus side, though. The beer was only $3 a pop. Say what?!?! I remember paying at least $6 at the Wisconsin State Fair, Summerfest ... even at good ol' Octoberfest in Appleton, Wis.

I also tried Bud Light Lime for the first time. Sorry to admit this to anyone from Milwaukee who's still following my blog, but Bud once again wins my heart over Miller. Don't get me wrong, I really did like Miller Chill. But, now that I've tried Bud Light's copy cat, it actually is better — it's got more citrus to it.

What's Lyssa Been Drinking? My most recent beer investment was a six pack of Yuengling Black & Tan. I find that Yuengling is a pretty popular beer down here in Florida, and I'd never heard of it until arriving in the state (the first person to tell me about it was my grandma, believe it or not.) I've also never had a Black & Tan, so I thought I'd give it a try (OK - I know a bottled Black & Tan isn't quite the same because it's all blended up, but still ... I'm trying.) Yuengling's version is a blend of their Dark Brewed Porter and Premium beer, and its pretty delicious. Again, like the pumpkin beer, close to good enough that it can replace dessert.

Should you drink it, too? (1 - Hell no. 10 - Don't pass this beer up!) If you can find a way to get your hands on one of these, I'd rate its taste-testing worthiness as a 9. Drink up.

Trick or pumpkin beer

I don't like pumpkin pie, but when Coaster's Pub began sporting a new beer, Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale — I decided to give it a try. Because, well, why not?

What I tasted was extremely delectable. I love dessert, but I would say this could almost replace the need for pie with any good thanksgiving dinner (I repeat, almost. I love pie a little too much to totally dismiss it.) The pumpkin flavor was very mild, and the beer left a fresh feeling in my mouth after I'd finished drinking it.

It was so good that Nick and I took a trip to the grocery store looking for a six-pack of the brew so he could have a try (or two). Well, they don't sell six packs of the beer. They sell four packs. For $9.49 a piece. Being that that's a bit expensive, we decided to get a six pack of Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale (a brother to Blue Moon and produced by Coors) so at least I could compare.

While this version was good, it tastes nothing like pumpkin and is not nearly as to-die-for. So, I have once again learned my lesson of not making my decision based on price. (But, in this economy, I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to follow that motto.) 

Tomorrow night I will make an appearance at my very first Florida beer, wine, food, yada yada street festival. I'll have to let you know how they compare to the many festivals that sprawl the lands of Milwaukee. In the meantime, have a drink for me. Cheers.