It's Sprummer!

It's March 23rd, and I am already sick of yard work.  The only redeeming quality of raking leaves and pulling weeds is that I feel like I've actually EARNED the beer I have consumed this week...

But enough whining...and onto the beer!  Despite my complaints about the Virginia heat (the joke around our house is that VA has two seasons...Summer, and NOT Summer), I will give props to Virginia's early spring evenings, and tonight was the first outdoor Friday Night Pint of 2012!!  Yeehaa!

The debut of the FNP official sign! 

I figured four consecutive days of 80 degree weather (in "spring" mind you...) justified putting up the official sign!  A beautiful evening for a beer on the patio, despite the fact that the yard isn't quite up to snuff! 

Always a fan of supporting local beer, this week's featured brew is from Devil's Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, VA (ok, it's like an hour and a half away, but I consider same state to be fairly local!) (http://www.dbbrewingcompany.com/default.aspx).  I have only had the pleasure of visiting this brewery once, but it is definitely my kind of place!  Rustic, in the middle of nowhere, and they brew good beer!  What's not to like?!  My local Whole Foods had the Eight Point IPA and Vienna Lager in 6 packs.  If you've read my blog before, you know which one I picked!

The best way to describe the Eight Point IPA is "gentle".  It is a nice, easy drinking IPA.  At 5.9% ABV and 60 IBUs, it is certainly more "sessionable" than others I have tried.  It's a three step IPA (I just totally made this up, but it works here)-you get some nice citrusy hops in the nose, a nice malt flavor, and a bitter finish that reminds you that the hops are there.  One follows the other, in that order, and you aren't overwhelmed by any one aspect of the beer.  The carbonation gives it a prickly mouthfeel and adds a little dryness to the beer (thanks to my pinter in crime for bringing this aspect to my attention).

This is a good, solid IPA that I would definitely drink again.  I need a full weekend to head back over in the direction of Devil's Backbone and the Brew Ridge Trail (this is I did NOT make up...http://brewridgetrail.com/).  I'm a firm believer that beer tastes better with a buddy, but beer with a buddy AND a killer location...unbeatable!  You may very well see the Vienna Lager featured soon!

I hope you are enjoying your Friday Night Pints with a buddy in a killer location!
Cheers!
Becky

Happy St. Practice Day!

Ok, ok.  I know what you're thinking.  I skipped a week.  Yup, I sure did.  It's happened before and I've been forgiven.  In fact, I'm pretty sure no one noticed...
I'm calling last week "Pints with Pals".  Instead of expanding my own beer portfolio, I spent Friday night introducing a few new beers to some good friends of mine who stopped on their way back from a week in Florida in their giant ass RV can you say run on sentence.  So I got to drink beer in the "GARV", which I am pretty sure is nicer than the house I live in.  If I were a better, smarter blogger, I would have pictures to share with you.  But I am not, and I don't, so you're gonna have to take my word for it!  I THINK they enjoyed what I brought them, but they're really too polite to tell me they think my beer choices suck. 

Anyhow, onward!  This week's FNP is #28 of the 52 new beers I have promised you...this is taking FOREVER (skipping weeks doesn't help, I know)!!!!!!!!!!  According to my math, we're not even quite halfway there (someone might wanna check that though...).  It's a good thing I'm persistent and I really care about your well beering, because a lesser person would have quit drinking beer by now. 

This week's FNP is Williamsburg Alewerks Wheat Ale.  It was a left behind by the "GARV" folks, so it was sort of free, which is a total bonus!  They took the rest of them home to share some Virginia craft beer love with the New England peeps.

I would give you more statistical information in the caption, but there isn't any on the bottle or the website.  That really irritates me.  There is no point to the growler other than it happens to be one of the more interesting ones I own.  Oh, and it's from Williamsburg Alewerks.



The pour surprised me because I was expecting a much bigger, fluffier head.  The picture was taken just seconds after the pour, so you can see what I got.  There is a pleasant, lemony aroma at first, but it doesn't last long.  After that, the aroma fades, and you don't get much until the beer warms up and a sweet malty aroma emerges.  It's really hazy (the website does tell us that it's unfiltered, so there you go), and despite the website's claim of a "medium yellow" color, I'm calling it gold.  Who the hell ever heard of "medium yellow"?  Show me THAT color in a box of Crayola!  There are no distinguishing flavors besides a bit of sweet maltiness as the beer warms.  It is super prickly on the tongue and fairly light bodied. 

Overall, not an especially impressive beer.  I wouldn't NOT drink it again, but I think I will look to try some other wheat beers as the weather warms.  I really need another warm weather go to beer besides pale ales and IPAs.  Don't get me wrong, there will always be room in the fridge for those, but a little beer diversity never hurts. 

I would feel badly about such a middle of the road review on a local brew, but 1) I really like their Drake Tail IPA (shocker) and purchase it frequently, and 2) despite have a position posted for the last several months, for which I consider myself qualified, I have received NO response from the two inquiries I have made about it.  ZERO.  Not a "we received your resume blah, blah, blah", or "thanks for your interest, but we've filled the position", or, "sorry, we don't hire chics".  Nothing.  Fine if you don't want to hire me, but at least acknowledge my efforts to contact you.  Poor business practice if you ask me.  I will continue to hold my grudge, because that's just as effective punishment as not buying their beer, right?

Enjoy your Friday Night Pints!!
Cheers!
Becky

Mother's Little Helper

Ok, so this week's FNP is Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils, and I just seriously considered writing a song about it to the tune of the Stones' song of a similar title.  Then I realized that if I were actually that creative and/or talented I would probably be doing more than writing this blog each week!  Why tax myself on a Friday?!

Oksar Blues Brewing
Mama's Little Yella Pils
(Bohemian Pilsner)
5.3% ABV
35 IBUs

Sometimes I just get something in my head (my mother calls it getting a bee in your bonnet, but since I wouldn't be caught dead in a freakin' bonnet, I tend not to use the phrase.  Plus, who wants to admit they sound like their mother?), and I just need to do it.  For whatever reason I had it in my head that I wanted to feature a pilsner.  It almost happened last week, but the Whole Foods beer guy (not Greg...) talked me out of the one I was looking at.  This week they had Mama's Little Yella Pils on draft, so I figured it was worth a shot.  Always better to try beer on draft. 

Since I am apparently not feeling so creative today, I'm taking the easy way out.  The following is the cheap and sleazy review.  Not that Mama doesn't deserve better...

Appearance: straw yellow, brilliantly clear, rocky white head 
Aroma: earthy, sulfur.  Smells like a lager.
Taste: pleasantly mild sweet, malt flavor.  Soft hop bitterness
Mouthfeel: medium bodied, medium to high carbonation
Overall:  Overall I think Mama deserves some consideration as you peruse your local beer aisle(s).  It's a drinkable beer with no exteme aromas or flavors, and I think it would be a refreshing choice as we head toward warmer weather here in Richmond!  I wouldn't hesitate to bring some to the first cookout of the season, but I would make sure I had some kick ass IPAs in the fridge as back up.

To my New England friends and family, I hope you were all safe and sound as the snow fell this week (read: I hope you had enough good beer on hand to enjoy it!)!

Wishing you all a relaxing, enjoyable weekend!
Cheers!
Becky