Craft Beers

My Road to Discovering the Finest

Bittersweet
While I was on Mobile Bay this past weekend, I sampled a few of the craft beers I purchased at The Fresh Market. They have a fun option where you can build your own 6-pack. I went with a varied sampling of light, medium and dark ales of different brands and themes.
  
One that I tried this weekend was Atlanta's own SweetWater Brewing Company's India Pale Ale. I've tried a few SweetWaters before and liked SweetWater Blue, in particular. 
This IPA was not a hit, sadly.

SweetWater on the Water
First off, a little background on this unique brew. SweetWater does not pasteurize their beer. This enhances the natural flavor but also means these beers pass their peak after about 90 days. They are only sold in certain Southeastern cities (near the Atlanta-based brewery) because of this. 

This IPA is unfiltered which again contributes to the pure, sugary flavor. While this characteristic sweetness is what sets SweetWater apart from its competitors, personally, it was just too sweet for my taste. If I am going to have a beer with candied notes, I would rather it be one similar to the SweetWater Blue. This unusual IPA just didn't cut it for me.

To further suggest that I am a total beer novice and know nothing of what I speak (yet I hope I have fooled you at least a tad), I discovered that this beer was awarded the "Best IPA in the Country" title in 2009. Wow. Shows what I know. But hey, I deserve to have my own tastes, right??

Overall Score for SweetWater IPA: 4/10

~

Ethereal Effervescence

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 


Sorry for the graininess...my cam did the best it could

Ephemere Apple by Unibroue = the bee's knees. Mmm how I love this one. 

This beer is pure delight. Brewed in Quebec, the white ale has strong notes of Granny Smith apple flavor. Light and bubbly while sharp enough to leave an impression, Ephemere Apple is fitting for all seasons. The apple spiciness is reminiscent of a Fall harvest yet the light fizziness is fitting for a cool Spring evening.

I love the label of this craft:
photo courtesy of unibroue.com
I definitely recommend this one. Don't let the label fool you-- I would not call it a "feminine" beer. Venus and Mars alike will appreciate it, in my book.

Should you be curious about the legend behind this fairy-blessed beer, check out this lighthearted video.


Overall Score for Ephemere Apple: 9/10


Delirious

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 

Today I sampled one of my new favorite beers: Delirium Tremens. A quick disclaimer- I did not know the true definition of this phrase until I started researching it. I am only referring to the actual beer in this post!!

 It was a beautiful day in T-town and some friends and I had a cook-out to enjoy it. I picked up a beer to have with my burger at a local corner store, The Corner Store :)  A friend had told me about Delirium so I decided to try it. 
Delirium Tremens (and the remnants of my burger)
This is not your run-of-the-mill beer. It is packaged in a ceramic-esque bottle that adds to the mystery of what's inside... It is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale that was named the 1998 "Best Beer in the World" at the World Beer Championships. This beer's flavor comes from the three different yeasts used in its brewing process.

I found Delirium to have almost a blueberry flavor to it-- much like that of Sweet Water Blue. It had a yummy sweetness amidst the yeasty taste. I loved this beer. I loved the label. I loved the slightly suspicious concealing nature of the bottle. I loved the taste. A+++. Bravo.
Now I just need to try the other variety-- Delirium Nocturnum. Hmmm


Overall Score for Delirium Tremens: 11/10 (I make my own rules)


And All That Jazz

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 

Well I'll be darned. Guess what is featured on the cover of the Winter issue (I'm behind in my reading) of the ADA Times? An assortment of beers. That's right-- the American Dietetic Association is not pointing out the evils of this carb-y beverage but rather discussing the, can you believe it, "benefits." More on that article later-- I am too excited to share my latest craft beer tastings with you at the present moment. (How's that for a teaser?)

Last night I had a "Jazz night" in every sense of the word. My friend Kristen and I explored a lesser known side of Tuscaloosa and heard two very different jazz bands play at two very different locations. We began our evening at Chloe's Cup, a new coffee shop downtown, with hummus, black bean soup, and a New Orleans jazz band, the Voodoo Saints, right here in T-town. They were fabulous. We then headed to, where else, our trusty Alcove. 

At the Alcove we enjoyed the sounds of another jazz band. I didn't catch their name, but they had more of a laid back feel-- the kind that took you to an upscale bar somewhere circa 1920. Loved them. We shared our story of our great craft beer tasting journey with a few regulars and received advice regarding their top picks. I started with a Dixie Brewery Jazz Amber Light (surprisingly, it did not even occur to me that I was drinking this beer on JAZZ night- guess I had jazz on the brain.). I was pleasantly surprised reading just now about how low in calories this ale is-- 92.5 in a bottle. This beer was very sweet and a nice one to try for the night. I'm not sure I would get it again, but it was definitely a good call given its name and everything. Next on my list from the Dixie Brewery: the Dixie Crimson Voodoo (Roll Tide Roll).

Because I have been lagging in my efforts to try one new beer per week, I decided to splurge and go for another. I'm such a trooper, I know. This time I tried another amber-- the Abita Amber. You just can't go wrong with an Abita. This smooth beer calls for a repeat in the future. Abita claims that it is great with crawfish and other Cajun food-- I foresee some good dining ahead. 


Overall Score for Dixie Brewery Jazz Amber Light: 6/10
Overall Score for Abita Amber: 8/10


Stolen Ale

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 

I've been a slacker in the beer department lately. While in Mexico for Spring Break a couple of weeks ago, I drank the country's finest-- Modelo, Dos Equis, and Corona. I was particularly fond of Modelo-- it was my first time to try it. Though certainly no high-quality beer, Modelo will forever hold fond memories of soaking up rays in the Yucatan. Now it's back to American craft beers 

Drinking a Modelo in Progreso, Mexico
The other night I attended The Avett Brothers concert at the new Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. I tried a Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale to celebrate the evening. Good choice. Though it had been sitting around in my brother's refrigerator since the Fall, it was still delicious. 

This beer really did have detectable "pumpkin notes" that gave it a warm, off-but-tasty flavor. I can imagine it would be even better in the colder months- I envision myself twisting one open with my Thanksgiving turkey. I was happy to have tried it and grateful to my brother's roommate who is still unaware that it was taken from him. Thanks, Spiro!


Overall Score for Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale: 8/10





Amber is the Color of Her Energy

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 

A friend and I decided we needed a cold one last Thursday evening after a long and strenuous week of being 2nd semester seniors (yeah right). We journeyed down to the famed "Corner Store" that is conveniently located at the base of our neighborhood, Sorority Row. After hovering around the cooler for a solid ten minutes (we take our beer selection process very seriously), we walked out with a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

This was my first time to try the craft beer that hails from Chico, CA. With the first few sips I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it just needed to "settle" a little more. Giving my bottle its space, I returned to it later only to continue to be disappointed. My friend, who had the same reaction, and I decided to be experimental and added orange slices to our ales for a little boost of flavor. Though this definitely helped,  the beer still had an "off" taste. 

Women in the South often refer to an individual who was not blessed with the best of looks as "unfortunate." Well, this beer was unfortunate (tasting, at least). The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company claims the Pale Ale is their most popular beer. My personal dislike for it is clearly just an opinion and one that is obviously not shared by some. Nonetheless, at least I now know what not to order!


Overall score for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 3/10






Strawberry Fields Forever

With the help of local Tuscaloosa bar, The Alcove, I have taken a liking to trying craft beers. Because The Alcove alone offers an entire cooler filled with a variety numbering well over 100, I have decided to take the figure-friendly approach of trying one new beer per week. 

This past week I started throwing around the term "craft beer" as if I were some sort of expert in the field. After attempting to have a conversation with someone about "those IPA beers," it occurred to me I had no clue what I was talking about. I later did my homework and came across the Craftbeer.com website. I would attempt to summarize their definition of a craft beer, but I recommend viewing their own story, instead.

My venture began last weekend when The Alcove's handlebar mustached-bartender recommended an Abita Strawberry Harvest. He did me no wrong. The beer had a stronger strawberry flavor than I had anticipated. It was a refreshing break from dark wintry flavors, and I was ready for Spring Break upon finishing this berry beer. Abita, produced in Louisiana, has always been the beer of choice for my New Orleans relatives, so it was nice to drink from a familiar (and trusted!) label. I definitely recommend trying this one (especially if you are in to fruity beers).

Overall score for Abita Strawberry Harvest: 7/10

I pledge not to choose such a "girly" beer each week. Please post any suggestions you may have!




1 comment:

  1. Try La Fin Du Monde next! I hope it will not disappoint!

    ReplyDelete