Don't Worry - Be HOPPY

A quick update on a few more beers of interest that I have had over the past couple of weeks:

Bareknuckle Stout

I had this Anheuser-Busch answer to Guiness at the Harrah's Casino in Tunica, MS, on a break during a poker tournament I was playing there during the WSOP Circuit. The barkeep seemed surprised that I ordered it and I thought I had made a bad choice, but evidently he just doesn't sell much of it here in the land of Budweiser even after I asked for a dark beer. Good flavor and finish. I think it could actually hold its own against the juggernaut that is Guiness.

Bosco's Bombay IPA -

After meeting some friends at Arrington Vineyard near Nolensville for some wine and cheese pairings, it was decided to have dinner at the new Bosco's Restaurant location in Cool Springs. That was fine with me because while I don't consider Bosco's a great restaurant, they do brew their own beer and it's good stuff. I went for two pints of the IPA and it did not disappoint. Good to see this new location in Cool Springs because at the one over by Vandy it's sometimes hard to find parking.

Dundee Pale Ale

Picked up a great-priced six pack of Dundee's Pale Ale at the Kroger in Mt. Juliet on my way to The Poker Barn for a Friday night tournament. I hadn't seen this offering before there or anywhere. The only Dundee brand I had seen before was a Honey Brown that I have not tried yet either. The pale ale was solid with a nice hoppy flavor from a bottled ale. It's brewed in Rochester, New York, and will be on my list of more products to try.

Tsingtao Lager

My wife, Ashlee, hosted her Supper Club this month and the theme was Chinese New Year. She picked up some Tsingtao Lager from China for the occasion and I wound up drinking most of them. Although my friend, Woody, who's wife Linda is in Supper Club came along and we share a love of good beer and he had a couple as well. We both agreed that for a bottled lager this stuff wasn't half bad.

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The MovieWavs Page - Simpsons: okbrain.wav

A Flyte of Fancy and More Frugal MacDoogaling

Flyte Restaurant in Nashville is one of my wife and I's favorite places to eat and now with the discovery of beer flights there along with wine and champagne - it just moved up as place to imbibe as well. We met our friends, Woody and Linda, there for dinner recently (this was Ashlee's second visit in the same week and she's the one who discovered the beer flight on the earlier visit - thanks, babe!) and I chose the flight that most appealed to me - "The Hop N Skip" - what else? This flight as it name indicates focuses on the almighty hop with a trio of 4-ounce selections with increasing "hoppiness." I skipped the recommended pilsner to start and replaced it with the Classic Ale from Hitachino Nest - a "real" Japanese brewery. Until I had this nice ale I had about zero success in liking Asian beers which are usually of the cat-pee pilsner/light-colored lager variety. This one was quite nice and I definitely want to get to know this microbrewery more. Second up in the flight was Red Seal Ale from California's North Coast Brewing. It was a decent offering, but nothing to get too excited about. Last, but definitely not least, was Mojo IPA from my new friends at Boulder (CO) Brewing (I recently reviewed their Hazed & Confused and loved it). It was a great IPA . So much so that I ordered another pint of it since that was the conclusion of my flight.

Another great thing about Flyte Restaurant is that it is across the street from Frugal MacDoogal's Discount Liquor and Beer. A great thing about the beer side of McDoogal's is that they will let you pick out a six-pack of randomly selected microbrews from all over. I introduced Woody to this little corner of beer heaven and being the dark beer lover that he is, he went heavy on the stouts. I kind of followed his lead since the IPAs were few and far between. Here's the line-up and a quick review:

Stone Pale Ale - California - excellent brew - Stone is easily one my favorite craft breweries and a pretty much a legend in the field

Milk Stout from Left Handed Brewing - Colorado - not too shabby, a little bitter to start but it smoothed off nicely

Bluegrass Brewing's Dark Star Stout - Kentucky - BBC is definitely one of my favorite regional breweries and this offering was solid.

Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout - Maryland - nothing great, nothing bad

Never Summer Ale - Colorado - my boys from Boulder Brewing strike again!! - that's three for three in excellent brews - I got to go see these guys!!

8 Ball Stout -Lost Coast Brewing - California - cool beer and brewery name, average beer

The Star of the Lion Mountains

Craig Harris here, Rob's friend of God-only-knows how many years and many, many great memories. He is graciously allowing me to guest blog this entry.

I recently made another mission trip to Sierra Leone. In the Portuguese language, Sierra Leone means 'Lion Mountains.' This was my third trip to the country and the best trip of the three. Sierra Leone is the poorest country in the world according to the United Nations poverty ranking with occasional moves up to next-to-last, so suffice it to save there is great need there. When we go to Sierra Leone, as one would expect, it is NOT safe to drink the water. We purchase bottled water and are careful to listen (and watch) for the seal to crack on the bottles we buy. Also safe to drink are the available soft drinks which include Fanta, Vimto (a Ne hi grape substitute), Bitter Lemon (a mello yello like drink with a small amount of quinine to help ward off Malaria, and the increasingly available Coke products, Sprite, Coke, Diet Coke, and "Coke Light." Those are always safe to drink. But the Star of the bottled drink selection is in fact Star Beer. Oh, there are other beers available (mostly malts which i wouldn't use to quench a fire in my mouth) and the famous Guinness Stout (Sierra Leoneans are poor, not stupid) and Heineken, but Star is the most popular by far.

Star Beer is the only beer brewed in Sierra Leone. It is a light colored Lager which I usually avoid but beggars can't be choosers and the price is right, as little as Le 2,500 (which is 2500 leones, which converts to about 83 cents). On the back label, Star boasts "millions of sparkling bubbles" and it doesn't disappoint. It is more carbonated than the average beer. That fact alone makes it worth consumption after a long day in the heat and humidity of West Africa. Bubbles are not the only reward though. It is a surprisingly full flavor for such a pale beer. It tastes of hops all the way down but not on the return belch. Clean and crisp beer flavor and a pretty good alcohol content as well. I can imagine that this beer would be especially delightful to drink during the months of July and August when rainfall can easily surpass 20 inches per month. Lying in a hammock, thatched roof over your head, listening to the rhythm of the falling rain, sipping a Star. If I weren't so hungry, this would be very, very nice. Odd dichotomy.

Star beer doesn't create memories, but it can seal them. A fine beer for a fine, if impoverished, country.

Spending time in the CariBEERean

One of my goals during a recent Caribbean cruise was to try as many different beers as possible - wait a minute...isn't that my goal in life? Never mind...status quo....on to the beer.

San Juan, Puerto Rico:

Medalla Beer - I think "Medalla" is Spanish for "Miller" - pure pilsner piss. They love it down there...probably because it's cheap and plentiful. Y'all can keep it.

Old Harbor Brewery - located in Old Town San Juan - great place and the only microbrewery in Puerto Rico per my research. I had the Old Harbor Brew Pale Ale which was a solid contender. My wife, Ashlee, went light with the Coqui Lager. She only drank half of it and I polished it off, of course, so I am checking it off the list as well. It actually was a very pleasing for a light-colored lager.

St. Kitts:

Carib Beer - Think of it as a poor man's Red Stripe. Just like St. Kitts is a poor man's Jamaica. Excellent tropical lager brewed and bottled right on the island of St. Kitts (went by the brewery on a island tour - it was not much to look at). I think ice-cold light-colored lagers are only acceptable in warm tropical settings. I love Red Striple when I am in Key West (and avoid them when I am at home) and I had enough Caribs in St. Kitts and the next day in St. Maarten to say I love them when I am in the Caribbean.

Caribbean Sea:

Flying Dog In-Heat Hefeweizen - I ordered this craft beer on board the cruise ship since it was the only microbrew available via room service. Not bad for a wheat ale. Flying Dog is a legendary microbrewery out of Maryland that has been popular for many years.