Nate's Beer #43

Last night I enjoyed a Kokanee with my co-workers Matt Jones (of Jackmove fame) and Willie Nelson (I swear to got that's his real name). It's always nice to have some beer and bullshit with your co-workers. Good times, good times. And the beer was good too!

41-44

So as Michelle mentioned, we were working late last, and when i say working, we were serving beer and wine to a bunch of people that were visiting our office. So bviously we instituted the one for you, two for me rule.

#41 - Hale's Pale Ale

#42 - Fish Tale Organic IPA

#43 - Fish Tale Organic Amber

#44 - Bison Chocolate Stout

Did I mention that the two organic beers are grown at eco friendly farms. Oh yes folks, instead of pesticides, they use sniffer dogs to track the pheromones released by the female Mealy bug which can decimate the crop. Likewise, birds and bats are used to hunt down other crop detroying bugs. They use owls and hawks to hunt rodent, but they still have to trap the ground hogs. Once trapped though, they freeze the carcus and grind it up to feed the baby owls and hawks. MMMMMmmmm! So what does this all mean, well about $1 more to a six pack and about a dollar short on taste.

Nate's Beer #42

Last night I shared the Growler of BJ's Iverson IPA with Gus. This was after a 22 of Pilsner Urquell while playing a little pre-season Wiffleball. League play starts Sunday and I'm so excited that it's a little sad actually. It's gonna be a very fun CCWA season with three members of 365beers on the squad. Wish Dr. Bert, Gus and I luck this year, we're bringing home the title!

Hand me a Red Stripe mon - it's Friday!

Ahhh Friday during the Springtime! Sun is shining, birds chirping, temperature mild at 60 and Emily's drinking a Red Stripe (32) at a local bar with some friends. Perfection! This has been what my afternoon has looked like today. Sounds peachy doesn't it? And on top of that, I finally found a place in town when you can purchase mixed sixers. You wouldn't believe how difficult that's been. I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for Hooters! They're the only place in town that lets you mix and match beers. Now I have a 12 pack of all sorts of different brews calling my name this weekend. Tomorrow I'm having some friends over to my place to watch the games and I'll have brew to accompany me.

By the way, anyone know the best way to ship a six-pack cross country without breaking anything or shaking up the bottles...or costing me a gazillion dollars? I'm gonna have to do that for whoever wins the tourney.

My head hurts

So splitting a growler of BJ's Seasonal IPA with Nate on a work night means that someone has to drink most of it since Nate has to wake so early. Which means I have a tiny headache right above my right eye. That and the beer I helped Abby finish, and the Firehouse 5 Steam Pumper IPA to keep up with my 2-a-days. Shit, back to work. Headaches suck, plus I keep coughing every once in awhile and hope I am not getting sick right before a busy weekend and a few days off. No one likes being sick on their days off.

Beers At Work - Glam

I'm sitting here at my desk with an almost drained bottle of Fish Tale Organic Amber Ale. As we all know Organic is not synonymous with Delicious, or even palletable. But it's a free beer. And at work no less. I also had a Hale's Pale Ale - which was delicious - and a Fish Tale IPA which I am not counting because I did not finish it.

Like the men in my life (not you guys, of course), I've been kind of striking out in the satisfaction department when it comes to beer. So last night I had two Modelo Negras. I've already counted that particular beer but I wanted to drink something I KNEW I'd like.

The day before I had a Piast. My friend Marek gifted be with a bottle brewed in his own home town. It's his favorite. It's not mine, but I enjoyed it because it was such a heartfelt gift.

Speaking of gifts of beer, big shout out to Trout for sharing with Dicko and I one of his favorite beers, Abita Amber. I can't wait to take it home and have my way with it.

Bowling is hot

Another trip to the bowling alley, another 32 oz beer. This time the giant tap handle of the Rainier caught my eye. And it was just as refreshing as I remember. I was trying to save this bad boy for Rainier days in July, but sometimes the cool tap handles just beg for your money. Now I am trying to enjoy a Henry Weinhard's Organic Amber, but I can't becuase I went through a phase of buying Henry's Amber Light last year, and now just can't get back into the taste. I think I might actually be killing my appreciation for amber. Shit.

And that article that Emily found below is great, check it out if you haven't yet.

And I am taking a new job mid to late April, and going to be making more money for beer, so I got that going for me, which is nice. And I am making plans for Newport next week, which means Rogue Brewery, here I come. I am so stoked.

RRR 31 - Leinenkugel

Tonight, before I hit the gym, I wen out to dinner with my friend Becca and I found the beer selection lacking (surprise, surprise) at our local Applebees. Other than shitty American brews, which I'm saving for a hot summer day of pure laziness there was only one beer I hadn't tried yet. It's called Sunset Wheat and it's brewed by the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. For a wheat-type beer, I thought it tasted funny and much sweeter than most wheats. Beer advocate gave it an 80% positive rating though, so someone must like it.

Nate's Beer #41

Tonight I had a Michelob Ultra with my friend Michelle. It was alright, a little watery for my taste though... I mean it would be good to drink if you were trying to drink 20+ beers in an evening, but not too high on the taste scale.

Bring Back a Beer Culture

Hey guys! Did you get to check out the article in the NY Times today on brining back a culture of drinking good beer? It's outstanding! It's about the founders of beeradvocate.com and such. Check it out:)

Overcoming a Frat Party Reputation

great quote

Talked to Williamson tonight, and I have a new quote for the site.

Beer, making bad times tolerable, and good times out-fuckin-standing.

Then I had a Lagunita's IPA and a Indica IPA from Lost Coast Brewing. I also made another fun trip to Fred Meyer and came back with 16 different boys, a few in 24s and a few grenades of Fosters Bitter and Heiniken. Also, I am taking a few days off next week, and plan to stretch a volleyball tourney in Albany to a trip to Rouge Brewery, and can't fucking wait. I am going to buy every kind they have. And have some dead guy. Lots of it.

Nate's Beer #40

and it was just as classic as the commercial....

Lang Creek Brewery: 0 for 2

Tonight I had the Lang Creek Mardarin Hefeweisen. I hope the beer-flavored beers from this brewery are better because I've had a hard time choking down both this one and the Huckleberry & Honey.

Blasphemy - Glam

Here, I've gotta say it: Sometimes it's not about the beer.

Last night is was a Fat Tire in a plastic cup at the Showbox. Completely eclipsed by the show itself.

Nate's Beer #39

So last night I had some Bud Light and some Dead Guy. Since I've already counted the Dead Guy it looks like beer #39 is gonna be good 'ol Bud Light. I know it's a little early to be crossing this one of the list but nothing else in my fridge sounded very good last night. So I went with the first beer I ever tasted, and it was just as good now as it was then. Nothing too exciting, just a very easy drinking beer. I really do love Bud Light. I plan on consuming many of them during our upcoming wiffleball season.

a few more

Peroni Nastro Azzurro is good. Like most beers in green bottles, it kind of tasted like Rolling Rock or Heinekin, except I think I liked it more. I'm gonna have to try that again soon.

Then a Firestation 5 Pike Pole Porter while finally sorting through 9 months of paperwork to finally do my taxes one of these nights. Being organized is cool, except for when you are too lazy to keep up with it.

In between those two beers I had a Butler dark beer, which I am pretty sure was actually a Black Butte Porter that the waitress was too stupid to pronounce. I was skeptical that the chinese restaurant had a beer I hadn't heard of, especially when she brought it and it looked and tasted exactly like Black Butte. But I did learn that if I ever run out of different beers, I will just go somewhere that stupid people work and have a few of the other choices she offered like Windermere. Stupid wench, I needed 3 different beers to get back on track and now I am too tired. Guess I need to have 3 tomorrow.

Nate's Beer #38

So Sunday night I was sitting around watching tv when I realized that I hadn't had my beer for the day. So even though it was already fifteen past ten I cracked open a Bridgeport Blue Heron pale ale and kept my streak alive. I wasn't really in a beer drinking mood so I didn't finish it until a little after 11.
The beer itself was pretty easy drinking. I may have to try it again out on the disc golf course.

Bass Like Ass, Not Bass Like Ace - Glam

Whether you're a bass player...

or a bass fisherman,

Bass, my beer for Monday, is fine beverage. Even if their website is the most obnoxious I've seen thus far, the beer itself has a little something to appeal to everybody.

Final Four

So N8, who did you blow to get two of your teams in the Final Four and both #2 seeds? You suck.

According to the Vegas bookies, the odds are as follows:

Favorite: Florida (Gus)
Underdog: UCLA (Nate)
Spread: Florida by 3

Favorite: Ohio State (Alex)
Underdog: Georgetown (Nate)
Spread: Even

If Nate pulls two upsets and has both his teams in the finals thereby sweeping the entire beer winnings, I won't send him any beer. F**kin' A.

RRR 27-30

Morning friends! Sounds like most of you have been adding to your numbers and watching most of our teams get wiped out of March Madness. It was a helluva week for me too. My mom was in town Monday night and we went out to dinner and when we came out my car was towed and a BMW 5-Series was in its place. At first, I was like "woohoo, upgrade!" but then I snapped out of it and realized I had parked in a permit spot rather than a restaurant spot (a common occurrence in S.C.). So $100 later, I got my car back.

On Friday afternoon, I met my buddy Tom for lunch and had a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (27). I found it extremely tasty! That night Tom and I headed over to our friends' Kiersten and Scott's place to play cards and watch the games. I had a Steinlager (28) by the New Zealand Brewing Company, which was very refreshing, and a Bass Pale Ale, which I forgot I had already had a few weeks before so doesn't count.

The following night the Canadian, his roommate and I went out to dinner and I had a Labatt Blue (29). After we met up with some friends downtown at a bar and I had a Yeungling Lager (30), which was pretty unremarkable in comparison to some of the stellar other brews so far.

Overall, I'm just glad last week's over...AND that Georgetown pulled off the upset over UNC:)

Home Brew rears its ugly head....

Had a very busy weekend at the Rotary club...oh wait, that was gay Gus. When are you going to start your campaign for mayor of Springfield, I mean Longview?

Its weird that almost every Friday night I find myself at the same bar near work and 4 weeks ago I had drank all the different types of beers they have. Somehow I keep getting new types of beer though. This week Friday I had myself some Pacific IPA and some Pilsner Urquell. Don't know how either of them tasted because I was and am so congested right now I haven't enjoyed the sense of smell or taste for a week. From past experience though, Pilsner Urquell blows...

On Saturday I went to a bday party and drank a lot of home brew. My friends the Carlson brothers made two types of beer. Carlson IPA and Carlson Winter Ale, both I assume tasted pretty good, but like I said, I am more stuffed than a john holmes - mandingo sandwich. On a side note, the home brew came back with a vengence on Sunday.

Finally, last night I drank a Sol at a mexican restaurant and went to bed after an exhausting weekend. Aren't weekends suppose to be for relaxation?

Wine thwarts another day

Well, Friday I had no beer. At least I don't think I did. I had wine at a Rotary auction, and lots of it. When you have wine, and then more wine, and then hurry home before you are to drunk to go home, and then have more wine at home, sometimes you forget to have beer. Luckily the prime rib was way too small...wait, no, that part sucked. But the wine was free if you don't count the donation to the scholarship fund.

As for Saturday and Sunday, I watched a few more of you lose out on the pool, then coached all day Sunday, and managed a JW Dundee's Honey Brown, a Bridgeport Beertown Brown, an Inversion IPA and Cascade Ale from Deschutes, a Full Sail LTD 01, and am right now enjoying a Lost Coast Downtown Brown. I didn't know it before, but I really like Brown beers. A lot. Like I was only going to have 2 beers to unwind from winning another tournament (that's right, best coaches EVA!), but the brown's are so good I am going to see if I have any more...

Ahhh, Great Success! I have a Newcastle Brown Ale in the fridge, and am going to consume it in the hot tub in a few minutes. Man I like beer. And I just counted, and will be at 75 different beers after the Newcastle. I'm only one behind the 2-a day pace. Nice.

The Rise of Taj

Today I tried to enjoy a bottle of Taj Mahal Premium Lager Beer from India. I think the Ganges River water (and the cremation ash contained therein) they used to brew it may be why I found this beer to be quite unremarkable.

A friend who was visiting from Oregon dragged me out to a buddy's place for beers yesterday afternoon. The guy we went to visit brews his own beer, writes about beer for brewing magazines, organizes beer festivals, and is basically all about beer. I'm going to count his Oktoberfest as my beer of the day, but we actually sampled several different beers (he had 11 kegs to choose from in his garage) including a Trippel that was pretty savage.

Despite rave reviews from Dicko and Goat, I found the Lang's Huckleberry & Honey lager that I drank on Friday to taste absolutely disgusting. It was like Coors Light mixed with watered-down fruit juice. Thursday's beer was Zywiec from Poland.

Wednesday night was an exciting one in Seattle. You see, the Fly Fishing Film Tour was in town and I was able to catch up with my cohorts from the Angling Exploration Group as well as dozens of other fly fishing friends and acquaintances of mine. Before the show, I stopped at Big Time and had a pint of their Cask-Conditioned Prime Time Pale Ale, which was simply delicious. The show and after-party at Murphy's Irish Pub were loads of fun. Working on Thursday after 4 hours of sleep was not.

Tuesday's beer was Baltika #9 Extra Lager from Russia. At 8% alcohol, this isn't your average lager, but was good and quite drinkable despite the high alcohol content.

Nate's Beer #37

I was super hungover yesterday (see Nate's Beer #36) and was barely able to choke down a Red Stripe. Hooray hangover! I'd write more but it wasn't really that enjoyable of an experience.

Nate's Beer #36

Friday night my good buddies Dateless were playing in Portland. I have known Chris and Le-vy for many years now but haven't had the chance to see them play in a long time. They now live in Seattle and don't play the Portland area very often. So I made it my goal to get drunk. And I succeeded in that goal.
I started the night off with a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine that I was going to count for my beer of the day. It was pretty tasty and packed quite a punch. I still have one more sitting in my fridge and I'm sure I'll crack that badboy open here in a week or so.
After the Bigfoot I grabbed my 22 of Great White. I've already counted the Great White but I really enjoyed it when I had it so I decided to have another. While I was having my Great White my friends Reggie, Margaux, Laura and Courtney all showed up at my place. We all enjoyed a beer together and made our way to the show.
While we were at the show I had beer # 36 thanks to Dr. Bert. It was New Belgium's spring seasonal, Springboard. I've had this before and I like it, just not as much as Fat Tire, Skinny Dip, 1554 or 2 Below.
Somewhere during the evening Le-Vy bought me a shot of tequila. This is were my night started to go bad. I remember sometime later buying Le-Vy a drink, but I have no idea what it was. I think we may have had more tequila. During these couple of hours I also consumed numerous PBR's and a shot of something else.
I came home from the show and passed out on my couch. When I woke up at 8 in the morning I felt like I had been hit by a very large truck. My head hurt so fucking bad that I downed some aspirin and went back to bed. A couple of hours later I was better but still pretty hung. It finally went away early this morning.
The moral of the story is this: Tequila is evil.

(edit: Dr Bert wanted me to let everybody know that he does in fact have some game and he isn't scared of girls. He was making out with one in the middle of the bar Friday night. It was just as cool as it sounds.)

Two More - Glam

Last night I had a Menabrea (Heineken with an Italian label) and the last of the Lang Creek brews, the Mandarin hefeweizen.

The Menabrea was servicable and familiar. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again but if I were at a party where it was the only beer being served, all would not be lost.

The Mandarin was strange. The subtle flavor is most definately mandarin orange. The beer itself is a sturdy hefe. It didn't taste Bad but it wasn't Good either. It was...weird.

Oh, hey Trout. Congratulations on keeping your dignity. Did you actually have to put your pants on the table when you bet them?
.

A Hit and a Miss - Glam

Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting up with my friend S. She's is not much of a beer drinker but she totally understood the spirit of 365 and agreed to meet me at the Pioneer Square Saloon for a couple of after work beverages.

The Saloon, for those of you who've not been there, is semi-Jules Mae's-ian. It retains it's atmosphere of another era. It's also got a cetain Collins Bar quality that I enjoy as well. But, ultimately, it's the clientel that really makes the place. From shaggy to chic and in every color of the mental wellness rainbow, people come to the P Square Saloon to lean their elbows on the hundred year old bar and drink from the broad variety of beers.

When we first got there, I had a lovely pour from the Elysian tap, specifically the Zephyrus Pilsner. This is my third Elysian brew and dang if it wasn't a winner as well. Lovely, balanced flavor, held it's effervescence, and very tasty from first sip to last glug.

While I was enjoying the Zephyrus, my friend S was sipping a glass of water. (She really, really isn't much of a beer drinker) but, when my pint jar became empty, she insisted on buying the next round. My friend Peter had raved about the Longboard here so I requested one of those. S returned to the table with two beers. The light, unmenacing Longboard for me and the bartender's recommendation for her. Her glass was filled with a deep reddish honey colored brew that appealing to the eye. It looked exactly like what a glass of beer should look like. Not knowing what to order, S trusted the bartender. Not knowing what she liked, he made the perfect selection. He poured her a Manny's. And she, a non beer drinker, finished it to the last drop.

Oh, and my Kona Longboard was a disappointment. It was unremarkable, dull. It went flat right away and it tasted kinda weird - fruity in a bad way with a hint of sour feet. Peter will defend it to the end but I can't say as I recommend it.

Friday, it was pleasure as usual. A couple of Manny's at Jules Maes with some of my favorite people in the world. Had to cut it short though. Had a date with the Glamor Kid to go see 300 (Frank Miller, bitches!). If you haven't seen it, shut down your computer right now and go see it on the biggest screen in your town. Seriously. Read more here.

Nate's Beer #35

Last night I had another beer out of the Deschutes mixed sixer that's been sitting in my fridge for about a month now. My choice was the delicious Cinder Cone Red. I'm a huge fan of this beer. It's a great tasting brew that went down very smooth. Big props to Deschutes for brewing such great beers.
Tonight I plan on drinking the Lost Coast beers that have been in my fridge for a week. I picked them up last weekend for Dicko after our visit to the Goodfoot. I think Dicko forgot they were in there because he was so disappointed with Dr. Bert's lack of "game". So I will enjoy them tonight before I go watch a kick-ass rock show featuring my friend's band Dateless. I'm sure there will be many PBR's consumed during and after the show. Can't wait!
Have a great weekend everybody!

bowling baby

Not only did I start off all three games last night with a strike, and bowl over my average all 3 games, but I had a 32 oz Miller Lite that went down oh so smooth. That was followed later by a New Belgium 2-Below, which I thought was dark beer and is very amber-ish and not so dark at all. I think I will make up for that with a Widmer 07 Pale, a Widmer Snow Plow, and a Deschutes Obsidian Stout. I would have three dark's, but just found that most of my fridge is not dark beer. For shame. I might have to hit up the store tomorrow...

Also, I just lost So. Ill. and am now down to Florida. Nate still has UCLA as long as they hold onto their lead. Alex may lose Ohio St. if Emily's great orange hope can hold onto the big lead they have opened up. Glam is alive til at least the weekend with Kansas barely beating my boys at So. Ill., and still with hopes of USC tomorrow, although that would eliminate Trout. Dicko is still alive with Memphis, but has Pitt currently losing to Nates UCLA. Ed is destined to lose at least one team as Oregon plays UNLV tomorrow. And his Butler better lose to my last hope Florida and Nate probably hopes G.town will beat Ed's Vanderbilt, which could cut Ed's hopes down to one...

Lastly, when's the last time you just grabbed a can of whipped cream and (...shit no matter how I type this it sounds dirty, squirt some in your mouth, fill your mouth up, have a mouth full, spray some into your mouth, anyways,) I can't remember the last time for me, until just a minute ago. And as we have two kinds left over from some party awhile ago, I did a taste test. And the good stuff is WAY better than the cheap stuff. Just FYI in case you are shopping and wondering if the extra 0.50 is worth it.

Nate's Beer #34

So last night I was craving some pizza to go along with my beer. So I walked over to the world famous Stark Naked Pizza and enjoyed a slice of pepperoni, a slice of sausage/artichoke (so good) and an Anderson Valley Brewing Boont Amber Ale.

This beer reminds me a lot of other good amber ales like Fat Tire and Drop Top. On their website they describe it like this... "Boont Amber Ale is a medium bodied pale ale with a beatiful copper color, a robust head, and the rich flavor of caramel malt. This very smooth and exceptionally drinkable beer is excellent with steaks, chicken, pasta, and other flavorful meals."

I well definitely be drinking this beer again. Very nice!

WARNING!

DO NOT DRINK WESTCOTT BAY ORCHARDS VINTAGE CIDER. I REPEAT, DO NOT DRINK WESTCOTT BAY ORCHARDS VINTAGE CIDER!

So, I get home from work tonight. I have the house to myself. I'm looking forward to sitting down and writing a quick entry about my last couple of beers before plopping down in front of Craig Royale. My fridge is abundant with bottled libations from which I select the only cider I've had since begining this endeavor.

.

I take a sip. Sour, winey, flat. Maybe it's supposed to taste like that. I take another sip, this time straining my taste buds for any redeeming qualities. Scanning. Scanning.

Nope. None. Not a single enjoyable aspect to this putrid swill. Even the label disgusts me - pure groovy, hippy drivel. What is that? An eagle flying into the sunset drawn up in pastels? Jesus. That was $6 I didn't mind pouring down the drain. Don't say you haven't been warned. Unfuckingpotable.

I wish I could go back in time to Monday night when I had a delight bottle of MacTarnahan's Amber Ale. She was delightful. Refreshing, satisfying. Nothing quirky about her, just a good drinkable beer. This brewery also made (but sadly retired) Bourbon Cask Aged Blackwatch Cream Porter. Trout are you taking note? I wonder if Hales got MacTarnahan's retired bourbon barrels?

As you know from Dicko, Tuesday's beer was a refreshing and serviceable Shiner Bock. The kind of beer that makes you want to have another and another and another...

So, as I sit here recovering from the the devil's urine I tasted just moments ago, I am finding comfort in a Golden Pheasant. I like it. I haven't tasted Grolsch in years but it reminds of that for some reason. Grolsch and pot stems. The Golden Pheasant has a definite cannabis quality. Right on.

Oh wait, as it warms, it doesn't taste nearly as good. Oh well, I guess tonight's just not my night.

Now, where'd I put my pipe?

Blazers win again

I'm not saying they are the best team ever, but they are enjoyable to watch, and with a last minute stand at the Rose Garden last night to win 100-98 and win me a free chalupa coupon, I salute them. I also was happy to enjoy a large Coors and some pizza hut, as well as a Bridgeport Ropewalk Amber Ale in the car before the game and a Elk Rock Velvet Antler by Portland Brewing when I got home to watch the Office on DVR. On the way I also hit up BJ's to refill the growler with some Iverson's IPA, a seasonal brew just about to be replaced in April, so it was nice to grab something that won't be around in a few weeks so I can get it off the list in a few days. Anyone that is interested in sharing this, let me know, cause 1/2 gallon of india pale may be more than my pallate can handle.

And after reading Nate's post, I had a thought:
I like IPAs and ESBs, but they are really an acquired taste. I feel the bitter beers and stouts are kind of like drinking wine in that you really have to ease into it. You can't just surprise a 21 year old with ESB or a dark stout and say, "here, this is beer and I know its not your usual busch lite, but you are supposed to like it because it's expensive, so drink it." You really have to get used to drinking some beers, kind of like scotch, or drinking straight vodka on the rocks.

Nate's Beer #33

So last night I had a 22 of Red Hook ESB for my daily beer. I thought it was an alright beer. Nothing really stood out about it so while it wasn't bad, it wasn't the greatest beer either. I'm gonna have to find something a little different tonight to mix it up a little I think. I'm thinking maybe a Barleywine or a Belgium brew....

Beer #35

Yesterday I went to the Pig Iron BBQ with Goat and Trout. We all enjoyed a Shiner Bock, made in Shiner, TX (Population 2070). I really liked this beer and it went well with the BBQ. Its also cool to hear the Goat say to the waitress, "give me a shiner." Cat fights are hot.

Fuzzy Shamrock Memories - RRR Beers 20-26

Hey friends:) I haven't updated for a while and i think part of that is due to the hazy memories I have of St. Paddy's Day. Let's just say that I had a much more fun time this year than last year AND if anyone ever offers you a pitcher of a drink called a Monkey Boy (flavor name: bong water) run fast and far! Other than that, it's been good times as of late. I'm hoping to find time to post on my other blog at some point with some stories so keep a lookout.

Apparently I can't count either. I went back and was counting beers and was 2 off (I used the number 7 twice) So I'm including the extra in my list now. I'm up to 26 beers as of today. Note the question marks for beer 26. That was drunken at the 3rd bar of the night. I know it was a new brew, so even though I can't remember the name I'm counting it.

20) Harp Ale
21) Victory Hop Double D IPA
22) Sleeman's Honey Brown
23) St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
24) Magic Hat Circus Boy
25) Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot
26) ????

Always bet on black

I am spending this week digging through my fridge for black beers because Passenger 57 was on the other day. That movie has some of the best lines since Die Hard.

Last night I had another dead guy ale at applebees, and then a Guiness Draught, a Murphy's Stout, and a Firehouse 5 Bunker Gear Winter Ale at home later. I still love the dead guy, but all three of these other beers still rank right up there. I am still happy today just remembering how good these beers all were...

And I was looking through the spring brew&wine fest in 3 weeks, and New Belgium is going to be there with a beer you can't get here right now, the Mother Ship Wit Organic Ale. This in and of itself should be reason to go. Cause every beer New Belgium has made, I have liked. I can't wait.

Report From The Field

Ok, it's been awhile since I've posted my accomplishments, so here you guys go:

3/11 - Harnas (Poland)
3/12 - Heineken Slovensko Golden Pheasant/Zlatny Bazant (Slovakia)
3/13 - Karlovacko (Croatia)
3/14 - Young's Double Chocolate Stout (England)
3/15 - Pyramid Amber Weizen (USA)
3/16 - Bitburger (Germany)
3/17 - Guinness Stout (Ireland)
3/18 - Modelo Especial (Mexico)
3/19 - Aldaris Porteris (Latvia)

Nate's Beer #32

Tonight I enjoyed a Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool Brown Ale. It was pretty damn good. I would write more but I need to go grab some food. And another brew.

Week# 3&4

Week #3 started out with Widmer Snow Plow(43). This is one of my favorite winter brews right up there next to the New Belgium 2 Below. I know that Nate has posted a lot about some of the beers on my list so I am only going to talk about the ones that really stick out (or that I can remember). Next on the list is McMenamins Jack Rabbit Porter(44), Followed by a Lagunitas Lucky 13(45) which is an anniversary beer with an 8.3 ABV and is described as a "mondo large red lager". This beer truly lives up to reputation and is not for the faint of heart.
Cascade Lakes Rooster Tale Ale(46), Stella Artois Lager(47), McMenamins Red Ale(48), McMenamins Terminator Stout(49), Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale(50), Carlton & United Breweries Ltd. Australia Sheaf Stout(51), and Samual Smith Oatmeal Stout(52) round out week 3. Not being a big fan of stout beer, the Sheaf Stout really surprised me. It was fairly easy drinking with a nice aroma and roasted malt and coffee overtones.
Week #4 kicked off Friday down at this little hole in the wall near work called Produce Row. It's a nice semi-dive worth mentioning because one of the original owners went on to co-found McMenamins breweries and because they have 29 beers on tap(mostly micros) and something like 200 beers from all around the world. This was a work-sponsored event which means that all the drinkers get to go out on the company dime and talk shit about work. We all split many pitchers and it should come as no surprise I can't remember the names of any of the different beers that I had. I do know that I had two reds, an amber and a pilsner, too bad I can't log them. Damn that good beer stealing my memory.
The rest of the week was kinda lame and I only logged seven beers Sapporo(53), Pilzen Czech Pilsner Urquell(54), MacTarnahan's Amber Ale(55), MacTarnahans Mac's Ale(56), St. Pauli Girl(57) gotta love the label....ummm, Laurelwood Red Ale(58), and Terminal Gravity ESG(59). Lastly I have to admit that I blew it the other night. Dicko is right, I was in the presence of a master in the art of wingman and was too drunk to capitalize on the situation. Sorry Nate, I may have been cut off but that is no reason cut your chances of hanging out with some ladies. In my defense I did start the evening after having played 18 holes of disc golf with a few comfort beers followed by a stop at Union J's for a couple IPA's (with a view). Next time I will have to prepare for the occasion, hold off the drinking until later in the evening and eat some thing before going out. I had a good time anyways, I think.....

Dirty Bear

I'm back...and behind dangit

Thursday I was treated to a couple of Henry's Hefeweizen by Shaun while watching some NCAA replays and the end of a few games after practice. I'm not sure which one I like least, Henry's or Pyramid, but the only thing that both these Hefe's have going for them is that they have alcohol in them. They suck. The brewers make good other beers, but their Hefe's suck.

We were coaching all weekend, which seriously hampered my beer drinking efforts, but our team did well and took 2nd in the 2nd division of the power bracket at the Yakima Jamboree. Basically we lost a few close ones, but went 5-3 and won tshirts, so we were happy.

As for beers, Friday I finally enjoyed a Sam Adams Black Lager I took with me (and a few Red Hook ESBs in the hotel lounge), Saturday had some Green Beer (yes I'm counting it) but unfortunately no guinness cause I just got too tired to drink the ones I brought with me as we had to get up again before 7:00 and then coach all day, and Sunday I had a Michelob Amberbock at a great pizza place just past white pass on the way back from yakima, and then a Mac's Blackwatch Porter when I got home before I fell asleep exhausted. So I am behind a few beers of my two-a-day schedule, but planning on doing some catching up this week before another tournament this weekend.

Also, I am making plans for the springbeerfest April 6th and 7th, and hope you guys are too.

Well, I guess the weekend started off well....

As Nate mentioned, I was down in Portland visiting and I had the same beers as him... St. Pauli(I love that label), No Pity Pale, and finally Terminal Gravity ESG. I got to say that the No Pity Pale was pretty damn good, reminded me of Manny's(Michelle).

The one thing that Nate didn't mention is that Dr. Bert completely blew his chance to be accompanied by some females home because of his drunken haze. While waiting for food, I met a couple of ladies at the bar that I had mutual friends with in Tennessee of all places and they were ready to party with my buddies Dr. Bert and Nate. As soon as the food came Dr. Bert was out the door w/o me and when I called for him, he turned around, came back in looked around and left again. Not sure if he even knew where he was. Being the honest, married man that I am, I told the ladies goodnight because I wanted to save Bert the embarrassment of explaining whiskey dick and I wasn't sure if Nate made it back from the Plaid Pantry alive. Maybe next time, my Wingman skills will not go wasted. For shame, Bert, for shame.

The above is the good part of the weekend, that bad part is the WSU has a team full of chokers and completely ruined my whole rest of my weekend. I hate them....all I could muster to drink on Saturday was a Tilt 8.0 and then I was done.

Sweet 16 Update

Here's how we stand after two rounds of March Madness;

Glamor Goat- Kansas, USC

n8 b- Georgetown, UCLA

Alex- Ohio State, Texas A&M

Dr. Bert (lucky s.o.b.)- Butler, Oregon, UNLV, Vanderbilt

Alpine Trout (what happened?)- North Carolina

Dicko- Memphis, Pittsburgh

Gus- Florida, Southern Illinois

Emily- Tennessee

Nate's Beer #31

How was everyone's St. Paddy's? Good I hope.

Dr. Bert and I enjoyed a couple of brews at home and then made our way down to the local Irish bar, Katie O'Brien's. Bad idea. The place was so packed that there was nowhere to sit and you had to stand in line for about fifteen minutes before you could even get a beer. We each enjoyed a Guinness there and then left.

After Katie O's we stopped by a place called the Doug Fir to watch a couple of bands rock the fuck out! The first band was some friends of some friends. Their name was Wet Confetti and they rocked.

So after drinking with Dicko on Friday and then enjoying St. Paddy's yesterday, I did not want to drink a beer last night. I searched through the beers I had on hand and decided to go with a Firestation #5 Golden Brigade Blonde.

And it was alright even though I didn't feel like having a beer. Not too bad, but not great either. Oh well.

Three Beers Behind - Glam

Well, hello there. Where the hell is everybody? Was St. Pat's really so devastating?

Although I was tempted to stir up some Hibernian trouble of the Alpine Trout variety, I ended up passing St. Pat's at home, enjoying a rare, quiet night with the house to myself. I also enjoyed a cool, crisp bottle of Lang Creek Brewery's Tri-Motor Amber. Thanks again Dicko for your generous gift of a Lang Creek sampler. The Tri-Motor was perfectly fine, unless you compare it to it's sister, Huckleberry n' Honey which was surprisingly delicious, light, natural tasting and satisfying. Like good champagne. Or Pop Rocks.

Speaking of Lang Creek Brewery, they're going to exhibiting April 6th & 7th at the Spring Beer & Wine Fest in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Check out the list of brewers. Road trip anyone?

Dicko is not the only generous soul among us. Last week I had the pleasure of savoring a bottle of Abita Brewing Company's Turbodog. Gosh, wow. Effing delicious. Yeasty, dark, complex without being intimidating. Yum yum. Thanks Trout. Absolutely excellent beer.

Yesterday I had a Black Butte Porter at a second rate chain restaurant at the mall. And, yeah, I pretty much got what I deserved. Blorf.

And now, to bring it up to the present, I sit here sipping on one of my perennial favorites. Wells Bombardier. I like everything about Bombardier. I like that it's called Bombardier. I like the bottle. I like that it's from jolly, olde England. I like that I had my first Bombardier at the Triple Door while watching my kid gig with with some of the hottest jazz musicians in the city.

Here, take the Wells "English Test". My grandfather would be so ashamed. I scored a mere 40%. Gotta go. Casino Royale is cued up (or is that queued up?) and ready to go.

Nate's Beer #30

Happy St. Paddy's

Nate's Beer #29

So last night my roomie, Dr. Bert, and I were graced with the presence of the one and only Dicko. I got home a little after 8.30 and Dicko met us here about fifteen minutes after that. And being the quality guy that he is, he brought us some St. Pauli Girls. Outstanding call Dicko.
So we hung out at my place for a little while, bullshitting and drinking and then decided to go find a nearby bar. Since none of us felt we could drive, we walked over to the Goodfoot on Stark and enjoyed a couple of brews there. First off was No Pity Pale Ale which was a little hoppy buy fucking delicious. After that we had some Terminal Gravity that pretty much finished me off. We were all hungry and decided to get some grub. We also decided that we should probably get some more beers.
We decided to split up with Ed and Ryan grabbing some grub at some cafe next to the Goodfoot. I decided to head down a couple of blocks to the nearest Plaid Pantry and grab some brews. Ed said he'd drink anything so I grabbed a sixer of Dead Guy to split with him. Dicko said he wanted something new and exciting so I grabbed him a 22 of Lost Coast Brewing's Great White and a 22 of their Indica Ale.
After grabbing the brews and made my way back to my place. I was met shortly there after and we decided to watch BeerFest. Well we all ate while watching the movie and I think we were all passed out shortly after. What a great fucking night! Thanks for coming down Dicko, we had a blast. Next time you'll have to bring Smooty.

March Madness Round 1 Update

Here are the teams that everybody has left. Sorry Em, go Vols?

Glamor Goat:
Indiana, Kansas, USC

n8 b:
Georgetown, Texas, UCLA, Boston College

Alex:
Ohio St., Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth U

Alpine Trout (I hate you):
Louisville, Wisconsin, Creighton, Purdue, WAZZU, North Carolina

Dr. Bert:
Butler, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Oregon, UNLV

Dicko:
Memphis, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Kentucky

Gus:
Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Southern Illinois

Emily:
Tennessee

Nate's Beer #28

I feel so sorry for the guys at Cascade Lakes Brewing. On their website they say "Rooster Tail Ale is the flagship beer of Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. First brewed on the system in Redmond in December 1994, this light bodied, golden style ale has become a Central Oregon favorite. A crisp clean finish makes this the perfect beer for all seasons!"
If that's your flagship beer, you should just shut down the brewery. This beer was terrible. I found nothing enjoyable about it at all except for when I was finally finished (just because that meant I didn't have to drink anymore).
I remember at last year's Brewer's Festival drinking some beer that I believed at the time was called Rooster. Well after trying this beer last night, I believe that it's the same as the one at the brew-fest. It was so bad last night that I had to drink two pints of hefeweizen and a big-ass Dead Guy Ale to just wash the taste out of my mouth.
Try to avoid this beer if at all possible.

How's everybody else doing at the one month mark? What were your most enjoyed beers so far and what was your least? I'd have to say that the Rogue Dead Guy was probably my favorite so far, right ahead of the PBR and He'Brew. Rooster Tail is easily the worst of the bunch and I can't really think of anything that was close to as bad.

3/15 and streaming video

I am so excited. Alex sent a link to CBS's streaming video, and I get to listen/watch the cougs game at work. http://ncaasports.com/mmod/welcome Although customers not leaving me alone probably means I'll only see a shot or two. GO COUGS! And I just saw the best Old Spice commercial ever. The guy used the old spice, which instantly grew hair on his chest. Awesome.

and last night I went to watch the Blazers lose to Detroit, and enjoyed a Stella Artois and a Pyramid Hefeweizen (I hate this beer and wanted it off the list, and $8 a beer, I think it turned out pretty good since it wasn't as horrible after a $8 Stella right before). Blazers lost as expected, and now its on to March Madness and hopefuly some irish beer the next few nights.

Holiday Beers

I prefer to stay away from Irish pubs on St. paddy's day so I probably wont be having a guiness, however, I will be having a beer. As a matter of fact, i already had my beer for that day so i will be getting ahead of the game even more.

#27 Lang's Tri-Motor Amber - This beer was ok. I am wondering if I am ever going to get blown away by an amber.

#28 Lang's Huckleberry N Honey - This was actually pretty good, not very sweet at all, but brought some interesting flavors to the beer.

#29 Lang's Skydiver Blonde - I enjoyed this beer probably the most of the Lang's half-rack of four different flavors. Went down smoothly.

#30 Lang's Manadarin Orange Hefe - Once again, a pretty good beer. I commend Lang's for being able to infuse the fruit flavors into their beers w/o over powering it with sweetness. It just adds a little something to keep it interesting.

Today's Reason to Drink: March 15th is the Ides of March so have a toga party.

Nate's Beer #27

Last night I enjoyed the Chosen Beer.

Seriously, it said so right on the bottle of He'Brew Genesis Ale. Genesis is brewed by Schmaltz Brewing company. This was one of the beers that I picked up on my first visit to Belmont Station.
On their website they describe Genesis as "Crisp, smooth and perfectly balanced between a west coast style pale and amber ale, with a supple malt sweetness and pronounced hop flourish." That's a pretty damn good description.

I didn't really notice the hops too much but I let Dr. Bert try some and that was his first reaction. I will definitely be trying this beer again as well as some other He'Brew ales. I suggest you all do the same. Good stuff.

Holiday Beers

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm trying to make a point of drinking appropriate beers on holidays throughout the year. I screwed up on Mardi Gras and didn't go shopping soon enough, but I don't plan on letting it happen again. My question is, what's the appropriate beer for today?

Reasons to Drink

It is almost certain that at some point a few of us are going to start to lose motivation so I am instituting a daily reason to drink. I will forget to post these so feel free to remind me...

Today's Reason: Drink 3.14 drinks in honor of Pi day! (03/14)

Update

Whether you are shooting for 1 a day for a year, 500 in a year, 365 in a year, or 730 in a year, give an update to where you are now that we are approaching that one month mark (actually 26 days through the 13th).

and here is a few picks from last night, not very good, but beer drinkers don't ususally make good photographers.

Look at the size of that growler

Is it just me, or does my glass appear to be full of coffee? Damn the tatonka is dark.

365 Picks

I emailed everyone this so you can print and see how you do, but here it is and Nate has it typed out below. Also, Alex figured some stats so you can see how you rank. It should be a close race with everyone having some good teams.

name Michelle Nate Alex Ed Brendan Ryan Erik Emily
avg rank 9.25 - 8.13 - 7.63 - 8.25 - 7.13 - 8.38 - 8.25 - 11.00

My beer for 3/13 while we did this and watched Borat was the BJ's Tatonka Stout, like mentioned below. That stuff was so dark that we thought the bottle was clear until we finished it and saw that it had the BJ's label on the outside. You know it's dark when you can't even see the label...

RRR 14-17: Canada brews

Hey all- I've been pretty lax in posting so I gotta cover a bit of ground here. I just got back in town from a long weekend in Toronto and even though the Canadian's family leans more towards wine than beer, we did manage to head out to this great brewpub in downtown Toronto called C'est What? They seemed to have some great brews on tap, and I would've liked to have tried more of them but his mom was there and I don't think getting sloshed with the folks would've been the best first impression. Recommended is the Hemp Ale if you get the chance. Apparently you can now buy this particular brew at beer stores all around Canada.


I also got to have a very tasty apricot wheat made by the brand St. Ambroise, brewed by the McAuslan Brewing Co. in Quebec.. In fact, I'd have to rate it as the best Apricot Wheat I've ever had. The fruit notes tasted like they just put the apricots in right there. We stopped at a beer store before heading back to the States and you can apparently purchase this brand there as well, for those of you living near the border. I myself picked up a sixer of Grasshopper, a wheat beer made by the Big Rock Brewery in Alberta that also makes Warthog brew. I've heard only good things about it, so looking forward to tearing into that sixer at one point.


I also spent some time at Otto's Pub with friends, since one of my buddies Evan is moving back to Cali soon. I'm running out of choices on the Otto's menu though. I had the Double D IPA, the Red Mo Ale, and the Mount Nittany Pale Ale. The Red Mo is the best of that bunch though. Sooo tasty. I'll miss not being able to repeat it for a while.

Anyhow, overall opinion is that Canada is full of good brew. For those of you living near the border, a trip across for some of these brands is totally worth it.

March Madness Picks

Here are the picks for the NCAA tournament pool we have going on. Everybody's in for a mixed sixer with winner taking home 6 of them and second getting 2.

Glamor Goat (team rankings in parantheses)-
Stanford (11) Indiana (7) Kansas (1) USC (5) Jackson St. (16) Virginia Tech (5) Oral Roberts (14) Belmont (15)

n8 b -
Albany (13) Georgetown (2) Texas (4) Weber State (15) UCLA (2) C. Conn. St. (16) Boston College (7) Notre Dame (6)

Alex -
Long Beach St. (12) Ohio State (1) Texas A&M (3) Nevada (7) Texas Tech (10) VCU (11) Arizona (8) Villanova (9)

Dr. Bert -
Butler (5) Gonzaga (10) Michigan St (9) Vanderbilt (6) Davidson (13) New Mexico St. (13) Oregon (3) UNLV (7)

Alpine Trout -
Illinois (12) Louisville (6) Wisconsin (2) Creighton (10) Pennsylvania (14) Purdue (9) WAZZU (3) UNC (1)

Dicko -
Memphis (2) Holy Cross (13) Texas A&M C.C. (15) Pittsburgh (3) George Washington (11) Xavier (9) Duke (6) Kentucky (8)

Gus -
Old Dominion (12) Florida (1) Winthrop (11) Virginia (4) Maryland (4) Southern Illinios (4) Wright St (14) Niagra (16)

Red Red Rine -
Marquette (8) BYU (8) Tennessee (5) E. Kentucky (16) Arkansas (12) North Texas (15) Georgia Tech (10) Miami of Ohio (14)

An American Classic

What's the word? Thunderbird! / How's it sold? Good and cold. / What's the jive? Bird's alive! / What's the price? Thirty twice.

Nate's Beer #26

So after work last night I stopped by my friends the Williamson's house and enjoyed a Blue Moon belgium ale. But I decided that I'm not going to count that for number 26 because I most likely will be drinking a couple more of these before this year is over. After drinking some beer and enjoying some pizza with Reggie and Margaux (thanks guys!) I decided to head over to the Guttormsens and watch Borat with them.

Erik had picked up a growler of Tatonka Stout at BJ's in Portland after the last Blazer game. I informed him that I had never been to BJ's and he decided he would share it with me. I was checking out BJ's website this morning and they described Tatonka as "An Imperial Stout – a classic style so rich and flavorful that it was once the private beverage of Russian Czars. The profile is malty sweet, hop bitter roasted, full-bodied, alcoholic, and deliciously complex. Beer doesn’t get much more intense than this!" And they are right. It was a very dark "intense" beer. I don't think I could drink it on a regular basis but every once in a while if I was wanting a dark beer, I could see myself grabbing a Tatonka....

365 Pool

for those of you really into the march madness like a few of us, get into the pools we mentioned before (you only have until Thursday morning). But on top of that, we need to throw down some hard earned beer, and since most people have never predicted a winner, let alone won their pool, I propose all 8 of us bet a sixer or a couple of 22s or something, we draw teams out of a hat, and winner takes 6/8 of the prize, 2nd place team gets 2/8 of the prize. Any suggestions, or can I just cut up a list of team names and divey em up? And should I exclude the 15 & 16 seeds and just do 7 teams each?

Comment to let me know you are in for sure and with suggestions, but I am pretty much just entering all 8 of you in this and will draw team names with Nate tonight.

My bet will be in the form of a mixed sixer of microbrews, unless we decide on something else.

Mac's?

So I can't tell online if Mac's ale is the same as Mac's amber ale. The bottle I just had says that it is a pale in the little description up around the neck, but no where does it say Amber. But Mac's advertises itself as an Amber ale. And then I see a label online that says amber, and see a Mac's amber in the store with a different label. I am so confused, but I think I had a different beer tonight. Mactarnahan's Pale Ale (Mac's Ale). I also had an Alaskan Amber at JTs steakhouse with some oh so excellent crab dip, casa-dillas, and jalepeno poppers made with chedder instead of cream cheese, which is 100 times better by the way, and then had my Terminal Gravity IPA. Mac's good, Alaskan good, Terminal smelled like doodie, but actually wasn't that bad. So today was a good day.

Nate's Beer #25

Tonight for my beer I had a Widmer Brewing Drop Top Amber Ale. And it was defuckinglicious. Seriously so good. Soon as it hits your lips, it's so good.

I hadn't had this beer in a while and for that I'm sorry. I plan to make up for it this Summer.

(Seriously so good....)

(and Trout, WTF with the video?)

Stuff that's cool

Don't you love it when you are drunk and come across things like this?

blazers win again

Sunday
I knocked another staple off my list with a Mac's Amber Ale's I had before the Blazer game last night. When your choice is coors light, or Mac's, you choose Mac's even if you already had one in the fridge chilling for another day. Then after another $8 beer during the game (Widmer Drop Top, man this is good beer) Abby and I went to BJ's Pizzeria and Brewhouse for dinner and enjoyed a pitcher of the Brewhouse Blonde. Blazers won by 20 or so, and I had a good buzz going along with some buffalo wing pizza that I just finished the leftovers of for lunch a few minutes ago. I also picked up a growler of Tatonka Stout that Nate and I plan to share on Tuesday while making some bracket picks and hopefully watching Borat.

Saturday - Anchor Steam. I was introduced to this beer by Nate and Dr. Bert, and shit, I like it a lot. It went great with chinese take out after our 12 hour tournament and cleanup. I had the other one from my fridge Sunday with leftover lunch, cause that's the kind of guy I am.

Friday - Dinner at Amy's for her birthday, and she gave me her last Tilt so I could wake the fuck up, then enjoyed a Jubeale instead of the wine we brought her, because this isn't 365 days of wine motherfucker, and 2-a-days is gonna take some commitment. I even tried one of the girls Schmirnoff Twisted Arctic Blue or some shit like that. It was pretty good, but couldn't count it cause I only had an ounce or so. I will have to mix and match a sixer of these fruity crazy bottles of headache later in the challange, cause there is no way I am purchasing extras of this stuff.

Also, while adding more to the beer list, I found that Fish Brewing (probably Trout's favorite) makes Spire's ciders. I added a few of theirs and some other oganics to my fridge, and when I went to add to the cider list, I found hornsbys on this site. Apparently these two guys are responsible for bringing all the "quality" wines to us in our favorite supermarkets. Man, they make some horrible shit.

#21 and beyond

So on Friday night I went to the Red House Wine and Beer house in Renton. This is probably my favortire place in Renton to get exotic beers and thats not just because its the only place in Renton to get exotic beers. Before the Red House I prefunked at a friends house and drank one of each of his beer selections...



Freinds Beers:

#22 Red Hook Copper Hook Spring Ale - I like this beer better than Red Hook ESB, but that isn't saying much.



#23 Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea - Bitch Pop!



#24 Samuel Adams Winter Lager - A darker beer with a slight taste of dirt.



Red House Beers:

#25 Saxo Belgium Blonde Ale - Hard to describe, but it made the back of my tongue go numb which I feel would come in handy if i was in prison.



#26 Liquor de Malt(Dogfish Head Brewing)- I had to get this again and I was lucky, I got their last bottle of it. It doesn't taste that good but it really messes me up. This is the infamous 40oz that comes with its own fancy bag and directions on how to place the 40 into the bag. Awesome. Brewer's description below:



The world's only bottle-conditioned Malt Liquor, brewed with red, white and blue gourmet corns (released in time for Independence Day!). Each 40-ounce bottle comes with a hand-stamped brown paper bag. Cheers!
Each 12-ounce serving of this beer has about 246 calories.

Oh Yeah - #21 was Heineken

Nate's Beer #24

So on this lovely Sunday I took a trip out to Pier Park and played a round of disc golf (suprising huh?). I played with Dr. Bert and his friends John, Amber and Ryan. We all enjoyed some Pabst Blue Ribbons while we played. I don't remember exactly what I shot but it was a pretty good score. I got a birdie on twelve after putting my drive right next to the goal. Pretty good day for disc golfing.
Afterwards we all went to Pizza Schmizza and enjoyed two BBQ Chicken pizzas along with some Schmizza Beer which is a locally brewed IPA. So that is what I'm counting for my beer #24 on day #24. It was alright for an IPA. I would probably label it more as an amber ale. It was very copper in color and not very hoppy at all. It drank down smooth like an amber ale. Pretty good beer to go with pizza.

Shoppin'!

Јуст гот бацк фром Централ Маркет, њхере И њент он ан еастерн Еуропеан беер буѕинг спрее. Мѕ рефригератор ноњ цонтаинс брењс фром Руссиа, Латвиа, Поланд, Цроатиа, анд Словакиа. Ит'с гоинг то бе а фун њеек.

(Just got back from Central Market, where I went on an eastern European beer buying spree. My refrigerator now contains brews from Russia, Latvia, Poland, Croatia, and Slovakia. It's going to be a fun week.)

Checking in...

Thursday: Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen
Friday: Pyramid Thunderhead IPA
Saturday: New Belgium Springboard

I don't feel like writing anything else, so I leave you with this:

Nate's Beer #23

On Saturday Dr. Bert and I made our way out to Timber Park for some disc golfing. Timber Park is one of the few parks around that are beer friendly. So of course we had to pick up some brews for our round.
We decided to go with Pabst Blue Ribbon which is always a good choice. We played our first round pretty quickly so we decided to play another. On the second round we were joined by a couple of guys and they were kind enough to share their Budweisers with us. I ended up shooting my best two rounds evah. All in all a good day.

Nate's Beer #22

So last night I enjoyed a Full Sail Brewing '06 Old Boardhead Barleywine Ale. Packing a 9% ABV it took me a while to drink it. This is definitely not a fast-drinking beer. Not that it is overpowering or anything, actually quite the opposite. I just found myself taking it slow and enjoying it.

Full Sail Brewing only releases this beer in the winter so if you can't locate any '06 you may have to wait for the '07.

On a completely separate note, Dr. Bert finished his second post recently. It's too bad that he started writing it on Tuesday though because as soon as he published it, it got buried in all the other posts. He has drank a ton of beers in the last week and if you want to check it out you can do so right here.

Where the Eff Has Glam Been?

Well, I'll tell ya. Sometimes a person just falls off the the social registry. You know what I mean?

So, anyways. Here's what I've been up to since my last post.

Wednesday: Mac and Jack's at Christos' on Alki. Followed by ouzo with Christos himself and a little retsina just for fun. Petros and Christos assure me there will be some Greek beer there by next week.

Thursday: Tona beer from Nicaragua. Um...totally unremarkable.

.

Friday: Ooh...this was sooooo good. Perseus Porter from Elysian Brewery. I'd had this once before about six months ago and it was even better today than I remembered it. Very dark, like a stout, but light on the pallet. I never tasted anything so good with a hamburger in my whole life.

.

Later Trout convinced me to join him at the newest spot in Georgetown. I think we may have drunk dialed Gus but I'll put the entire responsibility of that on A-Trout. The new bar didn't suck but I don't know what they had in their gin bottle. I had FOUR gin and tonics and walked out on my own volition. In fact, I'm remarkably clear headed and ready to roll back out into the glory of Friday night.

.

Catch up with you tomorrow.

march madness

I know Em posted something about a new pool, which I signed up for, but now I can't find it. Plus I think everyone in 365 should sign up. So can you re-post it?

Also, in case one bracket isn't enough, I created a yahoo bracket group called Go Cougs.
http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/53110
Group ID# 53110
PW cougsin07

Holy shit, beer #39

Yesterday I had another Halo, and then moved on to the couple Bridgeport Blue Heron's that I had chilling in the fridge. And I watched the cougs beat the huskies, which was out-fuckin-standing. The only downer was that I have been so exhausted that I fell asleep at half time to be awakened in the 2nd half by one of my cats spewing puke in the middle of our new carpet. We had no carpet cleaner, but after I cleaned up the chunks and puddles, Abby got the miracle solution from our friend Amy, and a little vinegar and water later, the carpet was saved (I hope). After that, I finished watching the cougs win, but didn't have the stomach or enthusiasum to finish the 2nd Blue Heron. I tried, after a few big swallows, it went down the drain. Fucking cat.

Nate's Beer #21

Last night I went and had some great sushi with my friends Margaux, Reggie and Laura at a place called Fuji Teriyaki in Longview. Actually Laura had teriyaki chicken and Reggie ordered some spicy mussels but Margaux and I ate sushi. We split a Hawaiian roll, a Hot Night roll (sooooo good) and an Alaskan roll along with a couple of pieces of tuna. I love sushi and haven't had it in probably a month and a half so I thought it was great. I haven't checked out any of the sushi places in Portland yet, but I'm sure I will soon.

Along with my sushi I had a big bottle of Kirin Ichiban. It was just as delicious as I remembered. I first discovered this beer a couple of years ago when Gus had some at his house. He got it from a friend who used to pick it up somewhere in Chinatown in Portland. It is a very easy drinking beer that goes great with just about any Asian cuisine. If you have the means I highly recommend it.

3/7 Halo and Mix N Match

So I have found a new addiction, and it is finding new kinds of beer, and mixing and matching 6 packs. Remember how I said I had 30+ different beers a few weeks ago? I have drank at least 10 of those, and now I have 40+ different beers plus a fridge door full of extras.

I also found that if you shop at the same place enough, you can go right to the self-check, yell out "do you need to see my ID?" and then when they say no and waive the ID check, they don't bother to look at your beer either. I also found myself at the store for at least 15 minutes writing down beers I didn't buy, and expect to give in to temptation and buy them within the month. Good thing I have two fridges...

And last night was good old Widmer Broken Halo while bowling. And then on top of what was already a good night, my friend Amy had Jublale and 2 Below still in her fridge, and both are not on the shelves anymore, and She gave them to me. I was so happy.

Dirty Dicko... I mean Dick's...

Young's is Britain's oldest brewery. They have been brewing beer since 1581 and export several varieties to North America.

On Tuesday evening, it was finally time to crack the bottle of Young's Dirty Dick's Ale that had been chilling in my fridge for over a week. The name refers to a man named Nathaniel Bentley, who, during Victorian times, lived on the premises of a pub in London which now also bears the Dirty Dick's name and was acquired by Young's in 1991. Mr. Bentley earned the nickname Dirty Dick because he was so notorious for refusing to wash or clean himself. The ale had a very typical British ale flavor reminiscent of those I sampled in the UK, with a rich ruby color, and was rather enjoyable.

Keeping the Young's streak going, last night I sampled a bottle of their Old Nick Barley Wine Style Ale while I watched School for Scoundrels. As far as barley wines go, it was quite mild, with a low alcohol content (not "devilish potency" as billed by the brewer) and not as sweet as most barley wines. It was very drinkable, but not particularly exciting.

This report wouldn't be complete without some helpful tips, so here you go:

Nate's Beer #20

As I was feeling super hungover yesterday, I decided against my previous plan of enjoying one of my Sierra Nevada Bigfoot barley wines and instead went with something a little easier to drink. So I am crossing the very easy drinking Stella Artois off of the list. It was very easy to drink and tasted pretty damn good even with the hangover.

quick funny stories

While drinking bud light and coors light at the moose last Friday, I got my ticket pulled to participate in Deal or No Deal. It was on a quite smaller scale, with the prizes ranging from $0.01 to $100.00, but I didn't do too bad, lasting all the way til the end, then taking the banker's offer of $20.00. I also found that my case held only $0.75, so that worked out pretty fuckin well.

Then while having a beer at our coaches meeting Monday, I came out to find a big rig parked within 12 inches of my drivers side door. I'm not exagerating, my mirror actually stuck out over the tires a little. I was going to go back in side and find out who the little-penis-having-motherfucker was, cause I had 2 drinks and figured I could take a trucker, but Abby talked me out of it and I climbed in the passenger side and went home to have a few more beers instead.

Anything crazy happen to any of you during 365 yet?

Drinking Jokes

I saw a wonderful little Irish saying on Family Guy last night. "Let's drink til the alcohol in our system destroys our livers and kills us." An interesting thought when drinking every day for a year...Anyways, I had a couple Deschutes Cinder Cone Ales. I don't really like reds, but then again I like beer, so I had two. And a full sail Pale to wash them down.

Plus our very own Stacy sent a great email with even more fun stuff.

The Value of a Drink

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame, Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams .. If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
~ Jack Handy

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties.

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "
~Frank Sinatra

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
~ Henny Youngman

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?I think not."
~ Stephen Wright

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"
~ Brian O'Rourke

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
~ Benjamin Franklin

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
~ Dave Barry

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over
an! d over again that you love them.

To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
~Dave Howell

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin,of Cheers.
One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to
his buddy Norm. Here's how it went:
"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not

Also, Smooty sent a great email link. Who has more alumni pride, Cougars or Huskys?
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/survey/index.html

Nate's Beer #19

So last night I decided to go meet my co-worker Matt at the McMenamin's in Vancouver. It sits right on the Columbia River and is normally about a fifteen minute drive. Last night it took me about forty minutes thanks to traffic. Dr. Bert decided to accompany me on this trip and we split a couple of pitchers.
The beer we had was just called pale ale. It kind of looked like Ruby but it was a little darker and it didn't have any taste of fruit at all like the Ruby does. It was really good and really easy to drink. I liked it and I will probably have it again in the future.
After we left McMenamin's Dr. Bert wanted to head downtown Portland and meet his buddy Lance who was celebrating his birthday. So we stopped by one of Lance's buddies place and they were all drinking gin and tonics. Well since it was his birthday we couldn't not enjoy a couple of gin and tonics with him. And they were good so they were going down easy.
And that is why I am feeling a little hungover this morning.

Day 19 - Glam

Yesterday: Budweiser. What can I say about it that you don't already know? Well, I can tell you that when you drink one before a Manny's, it makes the Manny's taste like poison.

This Evening: Extra 9 Lager. Or maybe is Extra Lager No. 9. Whichever, it's a Russian beer from a brewer called Baltika. Not bad. Good actually.

Hard Ciders

As previously posted, I drank 5 hard ciders in one night. For those of you who do not know what that kind of sugar and sourness can do to a person, here is an easy to follow chart.

bummer

the only bad thing about finding all these beers and beer sites and breweries, is finding ones that you probably won't get to try. Stupid breweries so far away. I will keep adding them to my list, but will probably not actually try most of them. Like Drakes for instance. Beers look great, gold medal winner, cool pirate slogan, but I have no plans to visit Cali, so probably won't get any of this or brewery specific beers from places like Stone and Sierra Nevada. Bummer.

Planning

An email chain just took me to a great high, then to a great low.

The Oregon Brewers Festival (i.e. Portland brewfest) is the best weekend of the year, each year. And it's time to start planning it now. I will have no better chance to hit 730 than hitting up some brewfests, and with something like 50-100 different beers and breweries at last year's brewfest, this year is the place. Last year the guys from Broken Lizard were there Sunday promoting Beer Fest, but we didn't get there to see them as we were still recovering from Saturday. Get your calenders out.

And on a sad note, I just checked my schedule and realized I will be in Yakima coaching at a weekend long volleyball tournament during the St. Patrick's Day weekend. The tournament is normally in February, and it didn't occur to me until right now that I will miss my normal Longview and Portland St. Patrick's Day partying with Nate and the guys. Crap. Double Crap.

Also, the Blazers play the Sonics Saturday April 14th, and I would like to get a group of tickets if anyone is interested in coming to Portland and meeting at the game. Let me know who wants to go and we can plan this over the blog the next week or so.

As for beers, 3/5 was a fun day of a really, really good glass of wine, then a Full Sail Pale, a Full Sail Amber, then a Red stripe, although that is already off the list.

Local Drinking Spot Gone Dry! (or has it?)

The Goat, Trout and I stopped by the old reliable Jules Mae after work yesterday. After finishing off my Rainier bottle I went back up to the bar and looked at the selection that I hadn't counted for 365. Let's see.... Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Manny's....Hmmm, don't want to drink any of those, I may need them in a pinch. I explained to the bartender the dilema and w/o skipping a beat she looked around, checked if it was clear and said, "I'm not suppose to do this, but I think we can get away with it." She opened up the cooler door and pulled out a beer I've never had before....ever. She told me that they have a regular customer that is friends of the bar owners, but doesn't like the beer so they keep a stash just for him. She sold my very first bottle of Bitburger for $3. Can't beat that...the topper was that I liked it. I thought it was very similar to Heineken in flavor and went down smooth. I'm calling number three of the beers I've had so far just behind Rainier and PBR....Bitburger, you're in fine company my friend, fine company. (Do to the specialness of this beer, I will be bumping the Hard Core Cider from my Monday Beer Spot and monving Bitburger in....Hard Core and Rainier will be Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Na zdraví!

While wandering the beer aisle at the grocery story, a certain lager caught my attention. It may have been because I had been telling Dicko and Glam a shortened, edited version of the story of the two Czech sisters I met in Sydney, Australia. The part of the story I didn't get to was that after our late night visit to the beach, I made it back to my hotel and collapsed at around 6am. The problem was I had a flight back to LAX at noon. Hungover, lacking sleep, and still wrapping my head around one of the best nights ever, I made my flight on time only to spend the next 4 hours sitting on the plane at the gate while a computer problem was diagnosed. I had an aisle seat. The two people next to me wanted to get up and walk around every 10 minutes. You have no idea how much I grew to hate them over that 18 hour period.

Anyway, back to the beer. Lion Kralovsky Lev is from the Czech Republic, and like its female human counterparts, is light, refreshing, and blonde, with a sweet, honey-like aroma.