Gauguin

One of my favorite art history class moments is linking up the Gauguin painting "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" with the Calvin and Hobbes strip quoting that very strip. I learned two things that day: that Calvin and Hobbes were much deeper than I had ever imagined, and that I needed to learn more about art history if I was going to appreciate the world around me.

Used entirely without permission.

The turning of the calendar always brings out my more contemplative and reflective side, and this is no exception. I've moved to New Jersey, and I've had to grapple with the real questions of what I want out of life, and whether I'm willing to pay out the nose in rent to get it. Answer to part (b): not really.

So it's in that spirit that I review three beers that represent where I'm coming from, what I am, and where I'm going.

Where do I come from?

Just north of the City of Oxford is a town called Bicester, which is home to Oxfordshire Ales. A little over 4 years ago, I left New Jersey to attend Oxford University, where I converted dollars into pounds, and further converted pounds into pints. It was glorious. Oxfordshire Ales' Pride of Oxford takes me back to those summer days sipping session beers in lieu of library reading. It's really nice and beery, with a certain sweetness that doesn't feel like it came from malt (maybe even some banana esters at the back of the sip). It pours a straw-gold, with a very thin head, so the hop aroma isn't as pronounced as it could be. It's light on the tongue, crisp without being sour, and bitter without being astringent. Rather, it's very refreshing, with an aftertaste that leaves you wanting more instead of coating the throat and punching you in the head. At 4.2% ABV, this is a nice beer for a lazy day.

What am I?

Boston's own Harpoon brewery is truly a hometown favorite. Their Chocolate Stout is a jet-black pour with a head that dissipates almost instantly. The nose is redolent of dark chocolate, and the beer is creamy and rich in the mouth, with wonderful dark chocolate flavor and hints of bitter black coffee. However, its weird metallic aftertaste is a little off. This beer feels much stronger than its 5.9% ABV would suggest, and the bitterness is borne of the alcohol and not of the hops. As such, there's a burn in the aftertaste that makes this beer pretty good with actual dark chocolate, but not with food.

Where am I going?

Finally, I started my new job today, and Flying Fish's Exit Series of beers seems like a great way to start my new employment in Newark, New Jersey. Specifically, I'm celebrating my new employment with their Exit 13 Chocolate Stout, which attempts to channel the Port of Newark. Fair enough, since they're actually one exit off for the downtown. But whatever.

Exit 13 is dark and forbidding, with an inky pour and a thick brown head. Immediately, one smells sweet toasted malts and caramel, which is very promising. Flavors of creamy milk chocolate win the day on this one, with only a hint of maybe lemon citrus on the very tail end. The finish is dry, but not aggressive, and both the carbonation and flavor are smooth and full. This, I have to say, is a good sign: I think I'm going to enjoy New Jersey.