Slow News Day

Welcome to the slow news cycle... August has always been pretty lazy and boring, which is generally how I like things to be. Low on content, high on snark? Sign me up.

But when the Metro, that free and already content-thin newspaper that's distributed en route to the subway by 45-year-old vendors who have a look of pleading desperation in their eyes, decides to put a story about man-boobs, or moobs on its front page, I've had enough. Thankfully, September is here. Wha-wha-whaaaat? Where did my summer go? Oh right, it was eated by teh bar exam. Dear bar exam: get bent. I want my summer back. And not just more August - I want the good parts, like July.

We've both now discussed some canned beers: I've extolled the virtues of the Oskar Blues Old Chub, while Mr. West Coast just enjoyed the Anderson Valley Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema. Just as there's a movement toward the technological breakthrough of the screw-top wine bottle, there's a growing preference for the magic of canned beer. No more beer-skunking UV light penetration; ease of manufacture and shipping; durability - all of these things are great virtues for a beverage-containment-unit. Why don't more people use it? Maybe because we've come to associate the can with the noxious macro-brews that dominate the American market. Maybe the fresh-foods mantra has gotten to us, and we no longer trust anything that comes in a can (except for San Marzano tomatoes - those things are amazing). This demands more research.

In the meantime, more adventurous eaters (yes, I said eaters) can try deep fried beer. Via gawker.

Finally, if anyone's in the market for a kitchen redesign, may I suggest the BeerVault. Pretty...

Yes, I realize I'm re-posting instead of generating content. What can I say? It was August for far too much of last week. I'm off to the supermarket, to see what's left on the shelves after the swarm of hurricane-crazed shoppers went through after Gov. Patrick declared a state of emergency.

Farewell Beers

Recently a good friend of mine made the decision to go to leave San Francisco and attend law school in Minnesota. Being the good geeks that we are, he and I decided to play a last round of Settlers of Catan (German Game of the Year, 1996, check it out!), drink, and reminisce before he began the long drive to the frozen North. I picked up a couple beers to enjoy, the Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s “Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema” and “Piraat Ale,” a Belgian produced by Van Steenberge Brewery.



We first drank the Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema, 5.6% ABV. The beer is apparently called the Cerveza Crema because it “has become a favorite among many of our Hispanic friends, so it is named in their honor.” I am also a huge fan of the Cerveza Crema. It may have been the 80-something degree heat but this beer was damn refreshing. The taste is creamy and smooth, with notes of wheat, vanilla, and a mild alcohol bite. Clocking in at a whopping 4 IBU, you may be unsurprised to hear that there was no hop taste to speak of. My sister described it as reminding her of an Almond Joy. I’m not sure that’s really correct, but it gives a nice reference point for the creamy and sweet taste of the beer. Lest you be worrying, “I don’t like sweet beer,” I can assure you that unlike other sweet beers I’ve tasted, this was not in any way cloying. Bravo to Anderson Valley Brewing Company, I’ll be checking out your other options soon. As for the rest of you, get to their “beerfinder” and go get Crema.

Second, we popped open a bottle of the Piraat Ale, 10.5% ABV. The label declared it to be one of the “top 5 Belgian beers” or some other nonsense. It certainly has a pretty label, which I was unable to photograph properly, as you can see below:



The label states that the beer is a “Belgian IPA,” but it’s definitely not an IPA. Although it has a kick of alcohol (10.5% abv) it has none of the strong hoppy flavors associated with an IPA. Maybe this was just an error in printing, because the beer is a fine regular Belgian pale ale. The Piraat pours with a nice foam, but as you can tell from the picture that foam fades away fairly quickly. I found the beer to be quite sweet, with only a mild bit of alcohol heat and hops at the end. The beer had that Belgian malt and yeast taste that is typical of Belgian pale ale, as well as a bit of spicyness. I’m not sure I’d call it one of the top 5 Belgian beers that I’ve tasted, but it was a solid Belgian pale ale.