Too much of a good thing

So, I'm working on a theory. I've found, more and more, that at a certain point all the stouts I'm drinking taste very similar. Of course, there is some joy to be found in all the intricacies of stouts, but I'm having trouble finding truly unique stouts.

Case in point. For Christmas (yes, it's been a while), I received a bomber of Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, made by Anderson Valley brewing co out in California. I'd been waiting for a good reason to crack it open, and had been distracted by the plethora of other beers I've been finding.

It pours a nice dark brown, with very little head. Taking a deep whiff, I get mostly roasted malts, with a little chocolate. The taste is pretty darn good, flavors of coffee and hints of chocolate and vanilla, with a nice creamy mouthfeel, and plenty of oatmeal taste to round it out. Of course, ever present are those delicious roasted malts.

Here's the problem. It was delicious. I loved it. But it didn't grab my attention the way stouts used to, or rivet me to my seat. I feel like I've tried too many stouts or something, but I may have to take a break and try different beers.


Of course, coming along and runing my theory is a beer I had a while ago and just irresponsibly forgot to sing the praises of here. I went out to Max's with some friends, and on their menu was Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout. I'd heard that Oyster stouts are pretty interesting, and so I had to try it. And wow, they were right.

The flavors were the usual roasted malts, but with a wholly new experience of smoked oysters, a kind of salty fishy taste that went surprisingly well with the dark roasted malts and coffee flavors. It was an odd beer, and I'm not sure if I'd want to try it with food, or even have more than one, but it was a fascinating departure from the usual, which was nice.


Now, I also feel irresponsible for never giving this beer it's due before here. My standby beer, far and away, is Yuengling Lager. For those living outside the east coast, Yuengling is one of the oldest breweries in the states, and makes a tasty yet affordable lager. They are the my favorite fall back, and a great beer to drink when you're hanging out with your friends.

In fact, it's pretty dangerous being so drinkable, it's easy to have 3 or 4 without really realizing it. The flavor is utterly generic: some sweet malts, some light hops, and maybe a little caramel and some grains. Ultimately though, for a beer almost as cheap as the piss water that is Miller and Budweiser, it is a far better beer. I cannot recommend it highly enough for parties and other shindigs where you're not looking for a crazy beer, but something enjoyable to sip with friends.

Wow, and here I was aiming for a one beer review. Just goes to show you how quickly I can get carried away. Until next time!

Free beer is usually the best beer

so, I had the pleasure of drinking way more than usual this weekend, but in nice moderation. Friday night was the usual bars, going to Pub Dog for their tasty beer and pizza. Apparently their new seasonal isn't out yet, but I'm intrigued to try it when it comes out, whatever it is.

Saturday, a local wine store, Iron Bridge Wine Company, had a big wine sale, complete with free tastings and free food. I really like Iron Bridge, because their tastings allow you to see what kind of wines you line, and they place them on a scale of weaker to stronger, and have very knowledgeable staff on hand. I found out that I need to find more Grenache and Cote Du Rhone wines to try.

After that, it was over to perhaps the best local liquor store, The Perfect Pour. This place has literally the best beer selection that I've ever seen anywhere. It is ridiculous how much beer they have. They were also having a tasting, and were featuring Woodchuck's spring cider, and Fraoch's 20th Anniversary Ale.

Woodchuck's spring cider was just awful in my opinion. It is supposed to have a sort of mead influence, but it comes off like a bouquet of flowers dipped in too much honey - It didn't taste like a cider at all. It was sugary to the point of horror, and just really not my thing. My friends didn't mind it as much, but yikes. Not for me.

Fraoch is a Scottish brewing company which I'd never heard of before. However, clearly I was missing out, as their 20th Anniversary Ale is a Heather Ale, aged in Speyside whiskey casks and was *delicious*. It had a nice heather/herb/hoppy flavor, but was subtley smokey as well. Really enjoyed it, hoping to find more offerings in this vein.

Sadly, Saturday was not an adventurous beer night, especially with a bunch of bombers chilling back at my apartment - we settled for a 12-pack of Sam Adams mixed styles, which was nice, and Yuengling's special release Bock.

Yuengling's Bock was actually really tasty. Like most of their offerings, it's not really complex or adventurous, but that's not what you look for in Yuengling. It was tasty and dark without being heavy, and was extremely drinkable. Yuengling is that nice middle class - ridiculously better than Bud or Miller, but not as expensive as Sam Adams or other starter craft beers.

In summary - the woodchuck was cloying, the fraoch was delicious, and the yuengling was tasty and enjoyable, in the most relaxing way. Try the yuengling if you're grabbing a case for a night of movies or cards, and grab the Fraoch if you're looking for something new and interesting.