USA 2012-2013: Something's fishy in Seattle (Part III)

Pike Place, Seattle

Pike Place Market, Seattle is renowned for fish throwing. No sooner had Dawn, Jenny and I arrived we saw a ten pound Salmon being heaved across the stalls from one fishmonger to another. It had a genuine energy and a vibe that made you feel welcome.

Although this market was very welcoming, a quick trip around and we were already hungry. These hunger pains were gradually getting the better of us so we decided to head towards The Crab Pot. It's a seafood restaurant made famous by its portions and choice of dishes.

The infamous Alaskan Seafeast is something that everyone must try. If you don't, you're a dead-set dimwit. King crab, Dungeness crab, Snow crab, Shrimp, steamed clams, mussels and lots of other mouth-watering goodies is enough to make you whimper with joy.

The combination of being at a famous restaurant and our bellies growling more than an angry grizzly bear, it was very apparent that we were all wide-eyed and excited to the max. To appease myself, and my stomach, I had to grab a beer. But what? Flicking through the beer menu I came across a beer that made me laugh.

Weapons of mass destruction

That beer was called Tricerahops. A play on words for a type of dinosaur, with a hop twist to it. Just brilliant. I had to order it. While we all ordered our drinks, we also ordered our meal. No prizes for guessing what we got. With that meal came the thought of what kind of "cutlery" we'd be using. Well, I say cutlery but it was more like weapons of mass destruction.

I felt I was being transported to the land of Vikings with mallets and pitchfork-like utensils. It was an ominous sign. But how ominous could it be? As we chatted the minutes away our moment of truth had arrived. We received the biggest bowl of seafood this side of Texas. It was simply enormous. I don't think any other word better described it.

Feast of champions

I once again had a Marty Feldman moment. My eyes popping out and bulging at the enormity of our task in eating this seafood extravaganza. Slowly, steadily we crawled our way through like an army personnel training camp cadet on his belly crawling through mud under barbed wire.

As our arduous, yet superlative, task of eating seafood had come to an end, our day had only just begun. We wandered around a bit more before deciding to head off to Ivar's Acres of Clams. Sadly, it wasn't for the clams on this occasion. It was merely a pit stop before we went on to bigger and better things.

Beer tasting ticket. Yay!

Actually, bigger and "better" probably isn't the right phrase. Nothing in Seattle is better than the previous thing you saw. Everything was fresh, new, exciting and simply sensational. But while we were at Ivar's, pure coincidence meant that they were having a beer tasting event the following Thursday. How could I not go to this? Both Jenny and Dawn agreed it'd be a cool thing to do,

Who was I to argue what is cool or not? So after booking three tickets we decided that another cool thing to do was to see the Great Wheel of Seattle. Strangely enough, I've already been on the London Eye back in 2005 so it was kind of cool to be on a similar wheel on the opposite side of the planet.

Great Wheel of Seattle

Be it the London Eye or the Great Wheel of Seattle, this was a ride that the three of us really enjoyed. The cabins, for lack of a better word, only seat about 5 people where as the London Eye cabins are both sitting and standing room that holds a lot more people. Still, with only us three in the cabin going around in circles it was an exciting experience.

To further our Seattle experience we then continued on back to Pike Place. Not the market, rather Pike Brewing located in the market.  I hadn't really expected all too much of this as the rumors that I had heard suggested that it was always packed to the rafters and the beer was mediocre. Nonetheless, I was still excited to get there as Jenny, Dawn and I were, at this stage, beginning to get thirsty. I guess what better way to deal with thirst is to have a beer?

Pike Brewing

I know, stupid question right? I tell you what, although we premeditated the journey to Pike Brewing it still gave me goosebumps being there. The rumors I heard weren't all what they were cracked up to be. In fact, they weren't true at all. Pike Brewing is a modern day art-deco. Glazed with ornaments, fittings, brewery gear, music and just plan awesomeness.

So awesome in fact that they even had a shop that sold their own gear. Totally cool. But as my mouth drooled at the experience, my mouth salivated on the task at hand to drink some beer. I was now wanting to get my lips around Pike's beer. It wasn't too long before that wish was granted.
 
In fact, my wish was granted quite a few times. Many a beer was drank, good times rolled and lots of laughter followed. Although, one special mention has to go to one particular beer; Pike Honeymoon Suite Honey Ale. At 7% abv this certainly was the cream of the crop on the night. It was a beer that Jenny tasted, but didn't like. She gave the rest of the taster to me. At first, it wasn't anything special but you have to take into consideration the other fifty beers I had earlier.

Honeymoon Suite

I tried it again, and again. Sipping the beer in such a way that I could obtain all its textures and flavours. It then caressed me like a busty, sexy woman, hypnotised me like a busty, sexy woman and touched my lips like a...well, you get the picture.

A dark mahogany beer, sweet as a nut with a touch of light, roasted malts made elusive like a frolicking filly in the wilderness only being spotted by the most adventurous man. Class, style, poise, sexiness. This beer had it all. Once it had hold of you, it didn't let go. She was a beauty of a beer.

I was so spellbound by Pike Brewing after this beer that I had to buy something. You know, buy something to take home with me back to Sydney. Our friendly bartender came up with a great solution. Why not buy a tap? Heck, that was a great idea! I'm a home brewer and wanted a fantastic reminder of the day I had here, so what better way to buy and tap handle along with a bottle opener.

Pike tap handle

What a great choice that turned out to be. I got lots of goodies with the tap handle; stickers, coasters and more stickers and coasters. The bartender we had was extraordinarily friendly. We couldn't believe our luck at his genuine kindness....or maybe that was because I had bought $150 worth of merchandise?

Jenny, Dann and Dawn

But forget about the merchandise. Our day was fantastic. The Crab Pot was awesome, the Great Wheel of Seattle had been fantastic, Ivar's was a great pit stop and landing here at Pike Brewing was a night that we enjoyed immensely. Seattle was becoming very welcoming, and to think that our trip here was just the beginning.

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: Brewery tours in Seattle (Part II)

Seattle, Washington has some of the best local and micro breweries in the US. So why not take a tour? Thanks to Evergreen Escapes I managed to do just that. Waiting outside my hotel I was picked up by Jeremy, our local tour guide who just loves talking about Seattle and its breweries.

Jeremy typified the customer service since my arrival in the US. Authentic, genuine and having a care for your clients. He explained to us that our tour would lead us to the following breweries: Pyramid Alehouse, Elliot Bay Brewing and Elysian  Brewing.

Our first stop was Pyramid Alehouse. It was founded in Kalama, Washington back in 1984 and was then known as Hart Brewing. About the same time there was another small start-up brewery over on Bainbridge Island called Thomas Kemper Brewing.

Both breweries were looking for investors, and it just so happened that both breweries got the same five investors. It was then decided by these five investors to merge both Hart Brewing and Thomas Kemper Brewing and name it Pyramid Brewing.  Why Pyramid? Tracing back the beer linage to the ancient Egyptians is said to have been the reason why they named it so, which is to pay homage to our ancestral beer makers.

On the menu at Pyramid

What a damn fine place Pyramid Alehouse turned out to be. It's certainly a place to stop, have a few beers and eat to your heart's content. The trip was made even more special as we were given a taste testing session with some of their beers. Available to the tour group were: Crystal Wheat 5.1%, Pyramid Hefeweizen 5.6% and Pyramid Hop Tap IPA 6.7% at 67 IBU's.

No sooner had we finished our beer tasters it was time for us to leave Pyramid Alehouse and see our next brewery, Elliot Bay Brewing. A nice, quaint and cozy place that made you feel very much at home. It had a range of craft beers on tap that made me drool with delight. Of course, I had to get my very own tasting paddle in order to sample some of the best beers Seattle had to offer.

Elliot Bay sample paddle

I wasn't disappointed. My favourite was the No Doubt Stout. A classy attempt with roasted flavours oozing out of its sides. The Luna Weizen was another great attempt at a style that US breweries like to recreate. This was a much lighter version than I had anticipated, but it was still a beer I enjoyed greatly.

In fact, all the beers I tried were great. The tour was so far a success, with Jeremy being an excellent guide. He actually made this a really fun day. However, as the samples were getting lower and time running out it was, again, time to move on to our next (and last) brewery, Elysian Brewing.

Elliot Bay samples

Elysian Brewing was enormous, yet the front door didn't indicate this as we were about to enter. At first, the huge premises intimidates but once you sit down and open the beer menu it becomes awe-inspiring. A tsunami of creative craft beers at your fingertips made me jump for joy.

But how can I choose only 5 samples in this wonderful array of craft beers listed on the menu? It was a damn tough choice. It was agony and ecstasy all at the same time, just like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your brand new BMW. 

Elysian samples

I had to decide, and decide quick. Thankfully my choice of beers was top-notch. They were:
Men's Room Black 9.3% 96 IBUs, Men's Room Original Red 5.6%, The Immortal: India Pale Ale 6.3% 54 IBUs, Perseus Porter 5.4% 25IBUs and Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout 6.5%.

OH. MY. GOD. I don't think there are any words in the dictionary that can describe the gorgeous samples I had in my possession. Sexy. Hot. Desirable. Vogue. It was at this point I recognised that Elysian Brewing was my favourite brewery. It had class, it had style. It was the "in thing" to do in Seattle. I tip my hat off to the head brewer. A master-stroke of great inventive beers that took my breath away.

Pumpkin Stout

It ended up that the Pumpkin Stout made my top-five beer list. A clinically creative beer that had all the aspects of a stout, but had the additional aromas and flavours of a pumpkin ale. Total genius. And with that final beer gone, so was our tour just about complete.

Jeremy drove each of us back to the hotel, talking all the while about our experiences and many other great things Seattle has to offer. I not only got to know Seattle, I got to know each of the breweries and got to know Jeremy, our tour guide. Thanks to him this tour was one of the best tours that I'll never forget.

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: the forgotten souls

Dann incognito

Writing a blog is always fun, but it becomes embarrassing when you have to be reminded to write about an event that you had totally forgotten about. This was the case recently when my friend, Jenny, kindly commented "Where is the blog about your best beer, the Cocoa Porter at Old Chicago?"

There was a pregnant pause. "Shouldn't it already be on my blog?," I had quizzically replied. "I can't see it," said Jenny in a worrying voice. So, to right the wrongs of my absent mindedness, and to please Jenny, this is blog is for the forgotten souls of Old Chicago, only hours prior to our departure to Seattle.

Old Chicago Winter Tour

Since we had an early departure time to Seattle, we thought it best to down these beers quickly. But it also became apparent that we had the opportunity to start the Old Chicago Winter mini tour. A delicious set of 10 craft beers that, when completed, earned you a limited edition Old Chicago Winter mini tour long sleeve T-shirt. So, what better way than to start from the top and continue down the list.

Of course, Old Chicago only officially recognise four beers per day. You can drink much more than that but when you are doing tours they are quite strict and limit your allocation to four per day. Regardless, Jenn and I started our Winter mini tour with gusto.

Vanilla Porter

So, up first was the Leinenkugel's Snowdrift Vanilla Porter. Oh. My. Goodness. What a delicious beer this was. A touch of vanilla around the mouth and you have yourself a great interpretation of this type of beer. So good, in fact, that it beats the Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter, hands down. 

Winter Ale

That was it, our Winter mini tour had started. It was now time to hit our second beer. That second beer was Samuel Adams Winter Ale. A high octane, high alcohol behemoth whose warmth and subtlety gave pleasure to anyone's lips that dared to drink it. I've had my fair share of winter ales so far on this trip to the US but this was extraordinarily nice. 

Cocoa Porter

Even more nice was our next beer; Old Chicago Black Diamond Cocoa Porter. Had I died and gone to heaven? If so, let there be an unlimited supply of this beer on tap! The rich, dark chocolate aroma and texture made this beer by far and away the best beer I had tasted. I was so in love with this beer that I decided to have another one. 

That second cocoa porter was just as good as the first. It was everything in the beer I had anticipated and more. Smooth, dark, hints of dark chocolate and cocoa on the nose, medium viscosity and a true winner. It is such a shame that this is a limited release beer. I guess I have to replicate this beer once I get back to Sydney? 

Winter Skal

But before I even think about going back home to Sydney there was one more beer to be had here at Old Chicago. The Capital Brewing Winter Skål is a more stronger, maltier beer than most others and it seemed right to finish off with this beer.

But as Jenn and I go back home my mind was still on that Cocoa Porter brewed in Colorado and made for Old Chicago. Is this to be the best beer I have tasted within the United States of America? Well, I can safely say that it is my favourite so far.

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: Sleepless in Seattle (Part I)

Seattle, Washington. Founded by the Denny Party in 1851, rebuilt after the 1889 fire and establishing influential bands like Nirvana. But while most tourists think of Seattle as having the Space Needle and the burial site of Bruce Lee, yours truly thinks about hops. Lots and lots of hops.

Yakima Valley is in the state of Washington and south of Seattle. It holds about 75% of the total hop acreage within the United States. So, if you're a home brewer from anywhere around the world chances are you've got a hop that grew here.

But while my thoughts were on hops, I was preparing to leave the cold of Minnesota while trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. My 06:40am departure meant that a wake-up call of 04:50am was required. Thankfully I had Jenny on hand to make sure I got up at that time. I don't know about you but getting up that early is tricky at the best of times, let alone during a Minnesotan winter.

Thankfully, Jenn got me safely to Minneapolis/St Paul airport where the warmth had given me time to relax and calm down, way out of reach of the cold outside. While waiting to board our plane an announcement came over the public address system: "Flight 347 to Chicago is ready to depart. Could passenger Roger Edwards please board this flight immediately. We don't want you to miss your flight. We love you, but we will leave you."

Sound Transit

That brought a few chuckles around the departure lounge, and is very typical of the casualness of airline staff across the US. No sooner had I stopped giggling, we were ready to board our flight for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Over three and a half hours, and a bumpy landing, later it was time to soak in my new scenery and get to the hotel.

To do that, I had to take the Sound Transit light rail from the airport. What a wonderful experience that was. A pleasant 25 minute journey to the International District where I would catch a cab to our hotel situated in downtown Seattle. I say "our" hotel as Dawn was already there, with Jenny soon to follow.

Thanks to Dawn, my hotel stay was free. How cool is that! Seeing that it was still early morning, and yours truly still feeling a tad tired, I rested until lunch. After having lunch with Dawn and her friend Darren it was time for me to go back to the hotel and rest even more until Dawn finished work. Yep, I was a wuss.

Buckley's on Queen Anne

But no longer would I be a wuss. Dawn came home from work, I got up after my rest and we both decided to have a few drinks. But where? We aimlessly walked up a street and by some miracle managed to stumble across Buckley's on Queen Anne. A really comfy bar with lots of flags hanging off the ceiling, mood lighting and lots of televisions.

Could you want more? I don't think so. This bar was a lifeline for us. Only a three minute walk from our hotel, so even if we did decide to "have a few" it wasn't all too far to get back.....even if we stumbled. So the next decision both of us had was which drinks to buy. For me, that was easy.

Widmer Hefeweizen

My first choice of beer was a Widmer Hefeweizen. Oh boy, what a good choice that was. Of course, this was an American-style hefeweizen and anybody who knows anything about the style knows that the only difference between a German-style hefeweizen and an American-style hefeweizen is the yeast. Generally speaking, the American hefeweizen uses a neutral yeast like US-05 that has no aroma while the German yeasts have a banana and/or clove aroma.

Winter warmer 8%

But enough about yeast, let's talk about my next beer!  The Maritime Pacific Jolly Roger Christmas Ale Winter warmer at 8% abv was certainly a good beer, and it certainly warmed me up. 

So warm, in fact, that the chances of both Dawn and I leaving Buckley's were very slim.....unlike my waistline. It was interesting to note the decor of Buckley's, too. Not so much what was around us, rather the decor that was at our table. Sometimes I am as blind as a bat, and this time was no exception. 

Sorry, no Penthouse :(

What I had failed to see, but Dawn managed to pick up, was an extremely cool shelf with reading material on it. Although I didn't bother to pick up and read any of it (as I didn't see any brewing books) it was nice to know that people can come and sit down, pick up a book and read. 

But I guess my reading skills don't go far past the Dr. Seuss books, so it was a little out of my league. But what was definitely within my realm of doability (yep, I just made that word up and auto correct hates it!) was my next unique beer.  

Imperial IPA 7.5%

 And what a beer this was. A Maritime Pacific Imperial IPA at 7.5% abv. This was good enough to knock your socks off. Maybe the MythBusters need to revisit this myth? It's not often I get the chance to try a great IPA, but an Imperial IPA? Wow. If this was a sign of things to come here in Seattle then I was in for a great time. 

Oatmeal Stout 5%

My next beer was actually getting me ready for a fantastic time. Apart from Guinness, this would be my first nitrogen beer. It turned out to be a cracker! The Deschutes Ochoco Oatmeal Stout at 5% abv had me on the floor. 

Its extraordinarily smooth texture, chocolate and roasted flavour was something to behold. It went down easy. It was extremely tempting for me to have more than just one, but my World Beer Tour had to progress. So with that comes a responsibility of trying to drink different beers, no matter what cost of previous great beers. 

Manny's APA 5%

So, up next was Manny's American Pale Ale at 5% abv. A classic style, a classic beer. Simple in it's aroma and taste. It's a beer I'd have during a session and be very comfortable in the fact that it'd be something others like, too. I guess that's what this trip proved to me; that there isn't any real "bad" craft beers here in the US. They're very good indeed and there is always going to be one that stands out. 

Pike IPA

Speaking of standing out, this IPA did just that; Pike IPA. A wonderful bitterness and aroma that made it stand up like a Meerkat looking out for trouble. Certainly a winner in my eyes that left me wanting more. But sadly, the time had come for both Dawn and I to move on back to the hotel and prepare for the next day. 

So, as we headed back my thoughts were on this lovely state of Washington, lots of hops and all the things we can see in this great city. We had another 8 more days to stumble across little gold mines of fun and explore lots more things, tell more stories. The journey continues.....

dannbrew@gmail.com

USA 2012-2013: the friendly ghost

Casper, the friendly ghost. The friendliest ghost you know. Uh, not quite. This is Casper's Cherokee in Eagan, Minnesota. It certainly is friendly, and it's something that grown-ups do not look at in fright. A warm and cozy bar with huge television screens makes eating and drinking here a treat, and the staff are really glad to meetcha.

Casper the friendly ghost

I, too, was glad to meet my mate Jon Bacon. A worldly bartender that had a day off from work to meet up with me. It was also intended just so we could drink and eat at his workplace; Casper's. A chance to catchup and discuss all things in general. Our main aim, though, was to sink a few beers, something I didn't mind doing at all.

Lagunitas 6.2%

So, first up was a Lagunitas IPA. Now, I've had this before but that was back in 2010 on my previous World Beer Tour. I thought it best to try this one again. Why? Well, I recalled this not being as good as everyone said it to be. I wanted to prove them right, and myself wrong.

I was indeed proven wrong. It was a wonderful IPA full of that hoppy goodness that every IPA fan loves. A bit of Cascade, a bit of Centennial has this beer high on my list of IPA's. The lacing on this beer was phenomenal as each sip taken left a ring similar to determining the age of a tree.

Sierra Nevada 6.7%

But enough of that sap, the next beer in my lineup was a Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale. For those uninitiated beer drinkers out there, wet hop essentially means the hops were used in the beer immediately after they had been picked. A quick turnaround means that the hops stay as fresh as possible.

Funny thing is that during my Western Sydney Brewer's catchup earlier this year I had the opportunity to try the Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. That means I can count myself as the very few who have tried both hemisphere beers. Both equally great, but my gut tells me the northern hemisphere brew won.

Lonely Blonde 4.8%

But the true winner was me. I had yet another beer to wash down my gullet. This time it was a  Fulton's Lonely Blonde. A fascinating beer that is very drinkable. Light in both body and aroma it is a delicious version of a blonde beer. I imagined myself drinking this on a hot summer's day back home in Sydney. I guess all I need was a lonely blonde (girl) in the physical form with big boobs to accompany me with the beer!

But with each beer I drank the more hungry I became. So, as midday passed the idea of ordering some food was definitely on the cards. But what to choose? So many things to choose from and only one stomach to fit the food in. Thankfully, I spotted a burger that gave me goosebumps all over.

South of the River burger $9

The "South of the River Burger" was made with homemade guacamole that included Pepper Jack and fresh jalapenos served with lettuce and tomato. As a side dish there was the most magnificent addition, at a $3 extra cost; Au Gratin. Baked potato in a dish with cheese topping that is to die for. All this for $12, which is simply fantastic.

Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale 7.9%

The next fantastic beer in my midst was the 21st Amendment Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale at 7.9% abv. What a beauty of a beer this was. Definitely a winter warmer! A delicious raisin-like spicy character beer that had malt similar to that of Special B. It brought tremendous value to this craft beer session.

Pumpkin Ale 5.2%

Even better value was my final beer. The New Holland Ichabod Ale Pumpkin Ale at 5.2% abv. From my perspective, a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and that pumpkin flavour in a smooth beer combined with a malty finish made this an exquisite finale to my experience at Casper's.....the friendliest staff I knew, that were glad meetme.

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: football, guns and beer

You're at a bar. You order an IPA. You watch the NFL highlights on the big screen. You hear a very detailed fifteen minute conversation about guns. You know when you're in Minnesota when you hear that. I guess it's very typical of the psyche of normal citizens here in the United States of America.

But it isn't normal to me. What is normal is craft beer, not that mega swill rubbish they sell in bucket loads here. Thanks to Jenny, it was with great anticipation that I continued my beer journey with Old Chicago's World Beer Tour.  It took me a few minutes to calm myself down and look at the menu.

Odell IPA 7%

What I eventually chose was an Odell IPA. At 7% abv this beer kicks butt. A thunderous beer at 60 IBU. Remember my "perceived bitterness" cautionary tale in my previous blog? Well, same goes for this beer. A great beer and an excellent way to start but I was sure I was going to have problems dissecting the hop profiles for each individual IPA. 

To a certain degree, I need not of worried about this next beer. It had a darker texture and a greater viscosity to it.  Fulton's Sweet Child of Vine has to rank as a favourite of mine. A much more maltier beer than most IPA beers out there, which had me in love. Indeed, it was an IPA I'd be happy to drink all night

Sweet Child of Vine 6.4%

In reality, the beers I had so far in the US were all very good. My main theme, apart from trying different beers, was to find that special beer, that outstanding, fresh brew that stood out like dogs balls. I wanted to find that uniquely sensational craft beer that would make you sell your gorgeous wife to a homeless person just for a sip of that amber goodness.

I knew this was going to be a challenge, and I knew at times there would moments of ambiguity in terms of referencing and trying to differentiate all these beers. By the same token, I knew by doing all this craft beer tasting I was going to hit the jackpot in beers. The trails and tribulations of a craft beer taster, right?

Surly Furious 6.5%

As the journey continues, the next beer in my list was was one I had already tried. However, it ranks as one of my favourite IPA's. The Surly Furious was a beer I tried for the first time back in 2010. Oh what a beer this is. A marvelous array of malts and hops that are so well balanced that it'd make a tightrope walker blush.

What made me blush was a beer I recall having in 2010 called; Odell's Original Gravity Black IPA. It was a limited edition release and I was lucky enough to have that as part of my World Beer Tour (WBT) at Old Chicago. Additionally, Pliny The Elder from Russian River Brewing made me blush as well. Another beer I'd love to try again.

Alaskan IPA 6.2%

But as beer journey's go I needed another unique beer. Well, I say unique in the sense that although I had the next beer back in 2010 it was fortuitous that it wasn't on my WBT card at the time. Luck was obviously on my side. The Alaskan IPA is a great beer. Fruity and citrus up front with a solid malt profile. Certainly a solid contribution in my continuation of my WBT. 

Indeed, my love affair for Old Chicago hasn't dwindled. In fact, it's gone to greater heights. The beers were great, the atmosphere was good and the service was first class. Now that is definitely the psyche of the United States of America I really like.

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: the experience

Loving craft beer, being an all grain brewer and me being an Australian holidaying in the US right now is just amazing. Part of the deal when I arrived in the US was to simply try as many craft beers (and non-craft beers) as possible. I had to, right? I'd do my beer brewing community a goddamn injustice if I hadn't.

So as Dawn and Jenny picked me up from Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport we head straight to the liquor store. Partly because we wanted to stock up, and partly so I could get my hands on a Surly Coffee Bender. How I love you Surly! It was also an opportunity for us to catch up and chat for a while. Of course, we headed off to our local haunt, Valley Lounge, first to visit our good friend Trish.

Over time, I've been accustomed to drinking Schell's Dark at the Valley. So it was to no great surprise that my first pint of this was gobbled down in a few seconds. I was certainly a thirsty boy!  Up next was a Schell's Snowstorm. That really did hit me like an out-of-control freight train. At 7.5% abv this jet-lagged puppy felt like a paralised Turkey heading straight for the oven. After a few beers, and less brain cells later, we say goodbye to Trish and head off home.

Who's drinking the tea?!

We hit home and start opening our liquor store bought beers. As I was on a mission, this was not a case of mission impossible. My aim was to drink as many different brews as possible during my 10 week US trip. Although I've already drank Surly's Coffee Bender before I just couldn't help myself drinking this first.

That smooth, rich coffee flavour permeates throughout this beer making it one of my favourites. It's so unique and so nice to have a beer with coffee in it....and here's me that doesn't like drinking coffee! Up next was a beer that caught me attention; Flying Dog Brewery's Snake Dog IPA.

It was my virgin IPA on this trip. It was nice, and at 60 IBU it went down smooth. My only concern was that since I am in the land of IPA's would I be able to tell the difference between a 60 IBU beer to that of a 90 IBU beer? That "perceived bitterness"? I say this as James Spencer from Basic Brewing had an IBU Ceiling Experiment that I listened to and it made me ponder. No, not Ponder from the Vikings. He throws bad!

Perceived bitterness aside, I had plenty of time to find out what was my best IPA here in the land of the USA. I knew that there would be plenty of opportunities. For example, I knew that at some point I'd be going to The Happy Gnome, Old Chicago, The Muddy Pig, Town Hall Brewery, Surly Brewing and others.

Next up was some sweat, Buffalo Sweat. Well, not actually sweat from a Buffalo but rather a beer named Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout from Tallgrass Brewing. Aren't I thankful there isn't a beer called Dog's Balls? Actually, I shouldn't jinx things like that so best that I keep on topic. 

This Buffalo Sweat was really nice. A very drinkable beer and I'd go as far as to say that you can have it as a session beer. It has enough character and flavour in it that it will interest you for a long time. But as beers go it was time for me to continue my beer tasting journey. 

The beer up next was from a brewing company close to my heart; Summit Brewing. Last time I was here in Minnesota I was lucky enough to do a brewery tour and try out their new Oatmeal Stout that was new at the time. It was a beauty of a beer. One of the better brews that I had the fortune in tasting. 

This time 'round I had the opportunity to try a Great Northern Porter. For me it was very typical of the style with coffee and chocolate notes. Again, a smooth beer that lent itself well to your average beer drinker who likes darker beers. It is certainly another session beer in my books.

Last on my books for the night was a beer I had tried back in 2010 at Old Chicago. The Vanilla Porter from Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. Goddamn I love this beer. A fellow brewer and friend of mine, Kyle, had brewed a similar beer...and I was keen to try this again.

So keen in fact that for some reason I wanted to try this more than the others. Why? Not sure. All I can say is that the last time I had tried this it was just a beautiful blend of that typical chocolate and roasted flavour but with the added bonus of a pinch of vanilla. Seriously, this beer is a noticeable change from a normal Porter beer.

And so my first beer "experience" here in Minnesota was complete. A great way to introduce myself to all things beer., visit great friends and find the next true gem of craft beer.Thank God I did it, as it would have been a complete injustice had I of not.


dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....

USA 2012-2013: snow is in the air

Leaving the warmth of Sydney in Spring for the cold Winter of Minnesota isn't necessarily on everyone's bucket list. But I guess knowing lots of friends and having an interest one day to live there is a requirement. Or maybe it is my weird sense of humor in wanting to freeze my nuts off?

V-Australia rival

Crown jewels aside, off I was via V-Australia flight VA1 to Los Angeles, then flying Delta to Minneapolis; the home of the Minnesota Vikings (football) and Minnesota Twins (baseball). Our captain flying this beautiful beast had invited us to enjoy our thirteen hours and four minutes flight where the weather in Los Angeles was akin to our departing city.

As we taxied onto the runway, the ever ready captain stated in a mature and calm voice "Cabin crew, please prepare for landing....err, takeoff". Giggles could be heard from the passengers like little kids being caught farting. With that minor "glitch" out of the way we gracefully elevated into the sky and began our US journey.

That's (V) entertainment!

Saying goodbye to Sydney was hard but saying hello to the US was an even better feeling. I will admit, however, that the in-flight entertainment wasn't as interesting as I had hoped for. Lots of popular music, family movies, teen entertainment and other "in things" relating to all things hip, but it just wasn't my thing.

Thankfully, the ability now to use an USB port and plug in your device of choice was a Godsend. I gleefully plugged in my iPhone and began listening to my favorite music, playing my favorite games and jotting down notes. I felt like a kid who had just got told he had free access to the candy store for a whole day.

Breakfast of Champions

Seeing I was in such a good mood I felt it appropriate that I celebrate. But how? As our dinner service approached I was offered an alcoholic beverage. I had the choice of a VB or Cascade Premium. I promptly chose the Cascade Premium. Surprisingly, this had been my first beer on a plane sine 1994.

It tasted good, rather good. Although I do not consider Cascade as one of those "mega swill" brews, I still was cautious about drinking it. But really, I need not of worried. Just like the Cascade the flight was smooth and palatable. As with most long haul flights the need to sleep increases as the (weary) hours progress.

But it wasn't only the hours that passed. I managed to pass a lot of gas. My farting was heroic. LIke a medal-laden State trooper I was farting with gusto (yes, two fart jokes in this blog!). That chicken dinner I had was the best....for farting. And as my childish humor continued on it made for an self entertaining flight that went quite quickly.

LAX weather

Arriving at LAX made me feel somewhat at home in terms of weather, but getting a connecting flight to Minneapolis was arduous. Like herding cattle to a slaughter house I stood in line until it was "my turn". Several security checks, and several hours, later my Delta flight was ready.

And so was I. Ready to begin my journey in Minnesota with friends and have a great time. Ready to see what Minnesota has to offer. Arriving at Minneapolis/St Paul International airport got me thinking: maybe I'm going to freeze my nuts off after all?   

dannbrew@gmail.com
The Journey continues.....