BEEEEER and some stuff

New beer seems to be around every corner these days. I've already crushed April's record for new beers tried in a month with 65 and counting this May. I should point out that my birthday at Fitger's (pictured) was a big help for the count as with a sampler platter and a few 10 oz. drafts I tried everything they offered. Yum.

Now that I'm back in Minneapolis for the time being, I'll have another run of new beers as I try to review and enjoy as much as I can in good health. Friday I met up with friends at Town Hall and helped finish a couple pitchers of Black H20 and the legendary Masala Mama (ranked #9 overal at BeerAdvocate.com). Last night was more low-key with African-inspired music and a beer at the Blue Nile.

It's also been nice to get back on my favorite local mtn bike trails. I hit up Theo Wirth yesterday and broke my lap time record on the big loop by 2:30. That puts me at about 17:30 and means I suck a lot less now at biking. Today I did a hard 3-mile around Cedar Island Lake and finish in 20:00, averaging 6:40. That's an ok pace, but only 17 seconds faster per mile than I ran at the Mountain Goat 10 miler. I guess I know what to work on.


O'Fallon Unfiltered Wheat - A Blue Moon alternative, but really no better.

Bell's Java Stout - Like coffee and beer? Here's something special for you.

Black H2O Oatmeal Stout - Still my favorite oatmeal stout. Oh-so smooth and delicious with light roasted and chocolate flavors.

Masala Mama India Pale Ale - A great IPA, maybe not the 9th best beer in the world, but one of the best IPA's for sure. Very rich grapefruit and citrus flavors with a lopng-lingering bitterness for hop heads.

Bell's Expedition Stout - At nearly 12% abv, this one was a nice dessert beer, but would benefit from some aging. The dark flavors were too rough and underdeveloped.

Avery India Pale Ale - Big juicy hops flavors without overwhelming bitterness. A good first-IPA for curious folks.

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière - A great wild/sour ale from Michigan. A little spendy, but worth trying for the complex tart, pale barley and hops flavors.

Dry-Hopped St. Rogue Red - A great combination of pine and citrus hops with caramel malt.

New Weekend, New Beer

I didn't get too crazy this weekend, although I may have drank a little too enthusiastically at a friend's belated St. Patrick's Day. The picture has me, our friend Nate, and Christine on a couch. I ended the night funneling (the logic being after college it'll never be socially acceptable to funnel beer) Genessee Cream Ale - a beer I have long-touted as one of the best cheap beers available. It cost a dollar or two more that Keystone and Natty Ice, but taste infinitely better. Not only is it inoffensive like a good cheap beer, but it actually has some pleasant flavor.

Thanks to the single beers available at The Party Source on Erie Blvd, I averaging one new beer a day for the second month in a row. This may sound like a lot, but those seven beers a week account for the majority of beer drinking. I like drinking and TASTING beer a lot more than getting drunk, which usually ends unpleasantly anyways.

New Beers:

Sierra Nevada Stout - A great beer if you love the taste of roasted grains, way richer than Guinness (screw Guinness).

Middle Ages Tripel Crown - An alcoholic, but unimpressive hybrid of Belgian and English brewing.

Arcadia Scotch Ale - A decent Scotch Ale if you're into this sort of thing.

Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barleywine - Best beer of the weekend, tasty, about 14% abv and amazingly smooth.

Thomas Hooker Irish Red - A rich, tasty red ale, but a little heavier than I'd have liked.

Saranac Pomegranate Wheat - Brand new from Saranac, nice and not overly-sweet like so many fruit beers.

Bitburger Premium Pils - One of the best imported pilsners available, mostly because it comes in a brown bottle (green bottles, like with Pilsner Urquel or Spaten, allow skunking).

Perla Chmielowa - A decent Polish pilsner, a little more mellow than Bitburger.