Chicken Killer!!!

So our friends Daniel and Victoria drove in from San Diego to
Halloween party with us, as is our tradition :)

They brought me a dozen Alpine Brewing bombers which I cannot WAIT to
break into...

When they arrived, I cracked open a Santa Fe Brewing "Chicken Killer"
Barleywine. It is absolutely delicious! It's not overwhelmingly "hot"
with alcohol on the tongue, tho it is 10% ABV. great flavors and
mouthfeel. I would definitely count it as one of my favorite beers of
the high-ABV type.

We also shared a couple cans of Trn-Fidy. It was their first time
drinking the beautiful thick blackness, but you've heard my feelings
on it in the past.

More beer adventures to come this weekend! :)

San Tan Excitement!

Seriously- Anthony makes great brews. He has pure talent. No doubt.

It seems like for a brewery, it's same thing all the time

I now have something to write about! Hooray!!!

In 3 days, I've encountered 2 new awesome beers- the SanTan Amber
(yesterday known as Awesome Amber) and... Get ready... Smoky Red!

Yes, a smoke beer!!! Holy carp! This is smoky, and yummy! On the nose,
smoke. On the "palate" (to use a wine-fuck term) smokey and sweet. I'd
say, in the words of a friend, BBQ smoke, not grill smoke.

Hooray Anthony for breaking out of the rut. I'm so happy and Go!!!!
San Tan!

Ok really

Christian Audigiererieriet has an Ed Hardy beer. This is absolute and
irrefutable PROOF that there is no god.

Ed

Hardy

Beer

GFY

So I worked tonight...

Obviously that means head to Papago.

Firestone OakToberFest is ok. I mean... Sure. Isn't Octoberfest
supposed to be low alcohol and not too "forward" so you can drink it
for 12 hours? That's about what this is

Green Flash Abbey Trippel is yum. It's not like... TOO Belgium'y. It
is srsly strong tho. It's got that nice mouthfeel that Belgiums
typically bring, but it doesn't linger. Know what I mean? It would be
called "satisfying" if that made sense.

Ahhhh good times. Got here at 10:50 and it's EMPTY. (it is Tuesday
tho...) Drink More Beer people!!!

Not my beer OR bewbz

Still- Yardhouse is quite impressive.

Chupacabra Pale Ale. I wouldn't kick
It out of bed. Actually pretty good, but not any "wow" to it.

Oh Travis!!! Hi! I see you!

Taste of...

Hear ye, hear ye...
The beer gods have once again shone their graces on the Tempe area
with the opening of A Taste of Tops! Despite a rather predictable and
unexciting name, the Taste offers to Tempe what Papago has given
Scottsdale...a place to enjoy those rare beers that elude many
connoisseurs and boggle the minds of the average Joe Schmoe.

My only word of advise is to be patient, like any great beer, a smooth
running bar from a new owner takes time to ferment into an established
mark on the map. I have no doubt that Taste will succeed in this. So,
deposit those paychecks, and go grab something that will knock your
pallet off!

Odell's Bourbon Barrel Stout

On the way home from a gig, stopped at Papago. Anyone notice a pattern?

I'm introducing so many people to Papago.... It is very rewarding :)

They have odell's bourbon barrel stout on draft.

Can Odell's make a bad beer? Seriously! Every. Single. One. Is
completely incredible. The BBS has a deep dark color, a nice head that
stays around, and tastes like a dream- that woody and bourbony taste
up front which gives way to the deliciousness of the brew.

I liked the Four Peaks bourbon barrel Kiltlifter (except the cliche
Kiltlifter moniker...) but it was like beer with a shot of Maker's in
it. It was tasty in a hit-and-run way.

This is just a lovely example of blending some yumminess with other
yumminess.

Wine- 3 ingredients. And technique. //yawnnnnnn

Beer- a variety of ingredients and techniques so wide that you haven't
even THOUGHT of all the possible combos. It's awesome

I have a serious happy :)

Ten Fidy

This beer is the thickest, blackest, most viscous beer in the world.
If I am wrong, PLEASE let me know because WOAH!

Is it wrong to drink a Ten Fidy at 2 when you are doing a new employee
orientation at 4? Naaaah- it's called "priming the pump" people...

Long sleeves = Stout drinks

With the much appreciated changing of the seasons here in the desert,
many trends reemerge, my most favorite of which is showing up to my
favorite watering holes a little chilled and warming up to a frothy
Stout. Tonight's is no exception to greatness, Four Peaks Oatmeal
Stout, with its very subtle hints of oatmeal, it washes over the
pallet like a warm fuzzy blanket and finishes very light and airy.

For those of you out there with first time quarries and misplace views
on Guinness, I'm here to assure you that dispite how heavy many Stouts
appear in the glass, the fact is that they are a very smooth varietal
of beer. As for the myth that this beer has a high alcohol content and
high calories, the truth is that most Stouts float around the 5% ABV
mark and Guinness has only 100ish calories per pint.

So the next time you get a chance, warm up with a frothy Stout and a
bowl of clam chowda to compliment.

Cheers!

Travis

Whole Foods

So a trip to Bev-Mo on monday was less than "all that". Overpriced beers. IMHO

I took a trip to Whole Foods on the way home today- got another 4 pack of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy and it was only $7.99!!! On the other hand, Left Hand mixed 12 pack was $20.99 WTF! Ska's mixed 12 was $17.99 What is this world coming to!?!?

I had to drown my sorrows at the Whole Foods Tapas bar with a glass of Old World Brewing's Irish Red. I thought that I had had it before, but now that I tried it again- No Way! I would have remembered it for SURE- It was quite sour!

Heather the beer chick also suggested that I try Left Hand's smoked beer- she says it's more of a Barbeque smoke flavor than a Grilled smoke flavor. I almost threw her down behind the bar right then and there, but I practiced a LOT of self control.

I also tasted the Breckenridge Octoberfest. It was really tasty, light as (I am learning) an Octoberfest should be. I mean, if you are drinking from 9 AM till well after sunset, you don't want a big heavy beer, right?

Thank you Whole Foods for taking my money, and thank you Heather for an enlightening experience!

(there is a reason my chef friend calls it "Whole Paycheck"...)

Post- "responsible alcohol service class" recovery

So today was the 6 hour alcohol awareness class. What a joy :(

The only thing that can tale away the sting of sitting and listening
to my wife lecture for 6 hours (hee hee! I joke) is beer!

Papago is on the way home. Well. Sorta. Kinda. Almost. Ermmm...
Anyways- today Jess suggested 471 Small Batch by Breckenridge and
Weihenstephan dunkel. Fantastic, both of them. I typically avoid the
hefes, but this is light and refreshing, beautiful white head, and
served in the cool-looking Weihenstephan glass :)

The wifey is enjoying her breckenridge however as it is served in the
small snifter, indicating it's over 8% abv, it will be consumed quickly.

Papago run!

First things first- it was Sierra Nevada night at Papago. Since I
tried the Harvest last week, I decided to go WetHop. Which is also
great.

Papago- it's the best BrewHouse ever. If you live in Phoenix, you
know. If you are visiting, you MUST get there. Scottsdale and
McDowell. Tell your driver. They serve 30 QUALITY drafts and have
hundreds of bottles. The bartenders are nice, fun, witty, and have
really great smiles. AND KNOWLEDGE!

I tried the Sam Adams white, but... Too sweet. Then the Gordon's
Pale... Really didn't want a pale.

I went with Jess' suggestion of Weistephaner Original- Hit. The. Spot.
I wanted something Belgiumy, but today my choices were Lost Abbey (go
fuck yourself) and the Sammy White. This has good floral Belgium
overtones (DB word) and is light enough to finish off. It's very very
nice.

Also had a caprese. Which was delicious, but not enough protien for
tonight. I need some freaking MEAT!