Saturday with Mom

This weekend Momma Mich came over to do her laundry at my house since she is redoing her laundry room.  While waiting for each load we enjoyed our beverages of choice.  Wine for Mom and beer for me.  I started with the KBC Pumpkin Ale brewed by Kennebunkport Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.

This gift was actually a housewarming gift but I believe the original place of purchase was Trader Joes.  I really enjoyed this pumpkin beer.  The pumpkin flavor is apparent but the beer also has a nice fall, spice flavor to it.  Definately not as sweet as some of the other pumpkin beers we've tried and it was a nice change. 

The second beer I tried was the Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale. 

 I thought this was a really good Pale Ale.  It had a typical pale ale flavor to it but the hop flavor wasn't overwhelming.  We'll have to get this one again when Mark is here since he likes the strong hop flavor a lot more, I'm curious to see what he thinks of this one.  I'll definately be checking out some other brews from the Flying Dog brewery next time I'm at Bev Mo as well. 

Saturday night is Halloween party at our house.  Beers will be consumed but not sure if they will be the blog worthy kind...

Lazy Sundays

Last Sunday was finally a day Mark and I took a break from all of our new house work and enjoyed a day at home with football on.  By about midafternoon, Mark decided he needed a break watching poor performances by his fantasy football team and claimed it was time for drinks in the backyard.  A family friend had just given us outdoor furniture as well and we had yet to test out our new set up. 

Putting on a smile for me even though his fantasy team is losing.

A few weeks ago, we had picked up a single of the Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA after I had read good reviews about it. 

Check out the new furniture too.

Upon first taste the beer has more sweet flavor to it than the traditional IPA.  However the IPA hop flavor does come out at the end.  At 9.5%, this beer has a punch to it but it doesn't come out in the flavor of the beer.  As Mark likes his IPAs as hoppy as they come, the sweetness in this beer won't make it a favorite.  Now if only I could find their Punkin Ale...

Second, we tried the Sam Adams Black Lager which came in the Fall Variety 12 pack we picked up awhile ago.  This beer had the roasted, dark flavors of the porters and stouts that we both enjoy.  However, it was also a little to sweet for us.  Sweetness is the theme of the day?  I think we'll both stick to our go to porters and stouts when we want a dark, roasted flavor beer and will not be adding this into the rotation. 

After a trip to BevMo, we came home with some new brews to try...Another weekend...

Beer for Recovery

Last Sunday, we ran the San Jose Rock n Roll half marathon.  This was my 4th time running the race and Mark's 2nd.  What better motivation to finish a race than a beer sampler lunch after?

The full sampler

We have had the sampler many times before but what better excuse to go with the full 8 than you just ran 13.1 miles?   

We start with the lightest beer and both tolerate the Lightswitch and the Blonde but don't really get excited about any of the beers until the Pale Ale. 

I like the Hefeweizen because I usually like Hefeweizens but can't really think of anything to uniquely describe it and Mark is never impressed. 

The Pale Ale has the hop flavor you would expect but the hop flavor is not too overwhelming.  We both enjoy their Pale Ale and Mark will order is as a pint with dinner when we come out to dinner here. 

Next comes the Jeremiah Red.  I really enjoy this one as it is a little maltier and sweeter but Mark could do without it. 

After is the Nutty Brewnette.  We both enjoy this one and I think is is one of my favorite of the BJ brews.  It has the brown flavor you would hope for and does not have the overwhelming sweetness that causes Mark not to like some browns. 

Then we get to the dark beers.  We both like the Porter but it does not have the really roasted and smoked flavor that our favorite porters have.  (It's no Stone Smoked Porter.) 

Finally, we get to the Stout.  The close brother of the Porter.  The Tatonka Stout is Mark's favorite of the BJ's beers and one of his top three stouts period.  He says it is high in alcohol and is a good beer to cap off all the others.  I think it is a nice beer to have after a good pizza but I wouldn't want it with my pizza.  Definatley a beer we both enjoy. 

I think we would also agree that the beer and the carbs also helped our recovery fore the next day.  And our naps on the couch that day...

It's Officially October

Yesterday was the first day of October so Mark and I decided it was a good day to begin our pumpkin beer sampling.  We went out to BevMo to check out the selection and make our first picks of the fall season.  After much store wandering, we walked out with the Sam Adams fall variety 12 pack and the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale 6 pack.  Upon returning home, we opened a Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale while waiting for the the Shipyard to get cold. 

We both definately enjoyed the Sam Adams Pumpkin.  It had enough Pumpkin flavor to taste but did not take over the brew. 

By then, the Shipyard had received an acceptable level of coldness.  Had it been another company, the Rockies would not have yet been cold but close enough for impatient tasters...

The initial smell of the Shipyard was not overwhelming.  However, the taste of the pumpkin was definately stronger in the Shipyard.  It still had a nice spice to it giving it a very nice fall flavor.  We both agreed that we liked the Shipyard better. 

As yesterday was only the 1st day of October, I'm sure there will be more pumpkin and Oktober brews to sample so we'll be updating our favorites as we find them.