Big Ol’ Belgian Blue Balls-Dank Tank V
8% ABV
Sweetwater Brewing Co.
Atlanta, GA

Beautiful Golden-Amber color.
Smells kinda like cotton candy, in a barn.

There’s wheat, there’s barley, there’s rye, and there are blueberries, but it tastes like a smooth Belgian Tripel to me. Sweet nectar mixed with Farmhouse Belgian yeast flavor.  Very subtle blueberry flavor.  Good stuff, love me some Dank Tank!

Saaalut!!!

8.7 bananas

I just saw a guy walking down the street yelling at cars going by and arguing with himself, kinda’ looked like a Perkins.  He would point and yell at the cars, and then carry on the conversation with himself until the next car went by.

It makes me wonder…

-What’s he saying?

-How far am I from being that guy?

You know in an action movie, when there’s a car chase, and a car skids halfway off the edge of a cliff or a bridge, and just kinda hangs there?  And if the driver moves too quickly, or in the wrong direction, the car will slip the rest of the way and plummet down to the ground or water, surely leading to a horribly painful death?

I’m the driver.

Things I’m learning on vacation…

It is impossible to describe the look on your daughter’s face, as you take her out into the Ocean for the  very first time.  Sheer terror maybe?  Not really, but it was a wonderful experience to share with my daughter.

A boomerang that doesn’t come back is…
— Just a stick
— Really good exercise
— A great lesson in determination
— A fun show for beach dwellers, I’m sure.

Next time I’m moaning and groaning about things not going my way, I will remember that the giant Jellyfish I elbowed, (while chasing a faulty boomerang), did not sting me.

Colds are much worse on vacation. It’s one thing to tough it out through work while you’re sick, but when it interferes with your one week of the year to relax and recharge, that stinks!  I should be thinking, “8 iron or 9 iron?”  Not, “Musinex or Sudafed?”

There’s not much of a difference between applying sunscreen to my body and putting a rub on a hog for a barbecue.

Alaskan King Crab Legs aren’t any fresher in Destin, Florida, than they are in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Just because a golf course is beautiful and more expensive than where I normally play, it doesn’t mean I hit the ball any better.  I just get into more exotic types of trouble.

What’s bad in the real world, is still bad here…I just don’t care as much.

Just because Florida Beer Laws are better than Georgia Beer Laws, doesn’t mean that most restaurants down here have a good selection.

McGuire’s Irish Pub  is everything I thought it’d be and more!  How often do you see all these variables come together in one place…
–Great atmosphere-Dimly lit, multi-leveled, cavernous, proudly Irish pub and restaurant.  A perfect mix of a tourist attraction and a huge local hangout.
–Handmade delicious beer, open fermented on the premises.  A collection of Irish and American styles.  (I would have said English too, but it’s nothing to get shot about.)  Also great wine and mixed drinks, if you’re into those lesser beverages.
–Great food!  Huge appetizers, reasonable prices, great authentic Irish dishes, wonderful steaks, delicious Irish Black Honey Bread…You will not leave hungry! 

I’m going back, before I leave.  Make sure you bring a dollar bill and a sharpie, and don’t forget:  After all those delicious brews, you better stop by the restroom before you leave.

(Edit-I went back today to show my father-in-law how cool McGuire’s was.  The brewers, Gary and Tom, were hanging out at the bar.  I introduced myself and told them I was a homebrewer and they went off.  Next thing I knew, we were on an impromtu tour, and Tom was bringing out ‘special’ beers for us to sample.  He said he was going to get us something ‘really strange’ to taste, when I remembered my 2 year old daughter and my father-in-law were waiting patiently for me, so I regretfully made my exit.  If you go to Destin or Pensacola, Go to McGuire’s!”)

When there is no tropical storm banging into it, the Emerald Coast  is a wonderful place to be.  Destin does it right, but it seems like they are hurting.  I guess in tough times, vacations aren’t always feasible.  If you can break loose and get down here, it’s a great place to spend your money.

Juniper Pale Ale
Rogue Ales
Newport, OR

Beautiful dark golden color:  They call it saffron.
Lesson #1-Don’t store Rogue beer bottles on their side.  I did it with two and they both overflowed when I opened them.  I think I may have started another fermentation.  Looking at my perfectly sized glass I found, in our condo, I see yeast dancing around everywhere!  This beer smells like freshly picked hops, thrown into a boiling wort.
Man this is a good, clean, crisp tasting American Pale Ale.  Perfect malt profile contrasted with lots o’ hops, but not super bitter; great balance.  Finishes nice and bitter like any ‘hops forward’ brew should do.  You also find a touch of the juniper in the finish, but you have to pay attention.  As usual, Rogue doesn’t disappoint.  Delicious beer.

Saaalut!!!

9.4 bananas…easy.

Great lyrics, can you name the songs…Without Googling!

“Well they call you Prince Charming…Can’t speak a word, when you’re full of ludes.”

“Just because you’re paranoid, don’t mean they’re not after you.”

“You’re in a laundry room…Conclusion came to you!”

Man, that is spooky!  I just looked outside and noticed it was a half moon tonight.  Legend has it, that on the night of a half moon, the Half-assed Werewolves will show their ugly faces.  They probably won’t kill and eat you, but they may cause a really nasty scratch!  Keep the Neosporin handy.

Juxtaposition Black Pilsner
10% ABV
3-way collaboration between Stone Brewing Co., Brew Dog, (Scotland), and Cambridge Brewing Co., (Cambridge, MA).  The beer was brewed and bottled at Stone’s facility in Escondido, CA.

Color-Purrty black, with a dark tan head.
Aroma-Thick, sweet malt, intertwined with citrusy hops.

Strong, dark malty flavor with hops right there in your face the entire time. Dark and bitter, sweet and bitter, sweet citrus then bitter.  Then comes the lingering crisp bitter, smokey hop finish.  According to the extremely brief description on the back of the bottle, that Stone is famous for, these guys used hops at every possible step in the brewing process, from the very beginning, all the way to my glass, excluding a swat team crashing through my windows, spraying me and my beer with fresh hops. So it’s super malty, loaded with hops, hello Stone.  Any of you familiar with Brew Dog Hardcore IPA will recognize the strong citrus flavor that hits you right in the middle of the swallow.  I haven’t  had anything from Cambridge, but being that they were involved in this, I’d like to.
Overall, great beer experience.  I’m trying to think of an occasion special enough to have this beer again.  Hump day maybe?

Saaalut!!!

9.5 bananas!

How can 2 minds be so different?  My wife and I can argue for hours over a point that we completely agree on!  Women and men are just different.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for equality.  Hell, those on the outside of my marriage looking in would swear that I’m a proponent of affirmative action and reparations for women.  I fight everyday to achieve equality!    When I first heard of the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”, I didn’t really pay it much attention.  I was single then, and understood women even less than I do now.  Now, that statement makes a lot more sense.  We are definitely wired differently.  What can make perfect sense to a man can seem totally insane to a woman, and vice versa.  I’m not saying that one is better than the other.  I can only speak from one side of the fence.

For those of you that don’t know, I entered my first beer competition back in May and suprisingly finished 2nd  in my category, (out of like 19)!

(Scroll down to table 19, Specialty Beer)

http://www.brewmastersopen.com/2009Results.html 

One of the judges grabbed me on the way back from collecting my prize and asked me what I used and told me the beer was great.  Well, due to mine and my wife’s extreme surprise we celebrated a little too much that night, with friends and family,  and I lost my scoring sheet.  I contacted the hosts of the event the following Monday, to get a copy, and they informed me that the score sheet I received was the only copy!  Oh well, that’s the price you pay for really, really, loving beer…Well, one of the prices.  Anyway, one of the hosts emailed me back with the email addresses of the judges in my category.  I emailed both of them and one of them responded…

“Hey Brian,

Awesome beer. The only notes I can recall, speak to it’s amazing tangerine aroma and flavor, balanced perfectly with a nice malt backbone. Very nice copper color, too, IIRC. I gave it a 47.

But you should be able to get another copy of your sheet from Les, no? Either way, keep up the great work and send me that recipe!

Matt”

Obviously I was flattered.  Especially after checking out Matt’s website and learning that he was actually a professional in the beer industry.  I went back to his site recently and saw this…

http://www.thebeerexpert.com/beer-summit-choices.shtml

I’m even more excited and honored after seeing this.  With Nicolai’s assistance, I have made this beer again, with some modifications, and it is silently completing itself downstairs.  Should be ready in a few weeks, who wants one?