Saturday 15 December 2012

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.....


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