For my part, winter is never welcome, but beer makes the cold times more tolerable.  Let me start by saying that this is beer was above average, but I like some of Sam Smith's stuff better.  A much better way to "Welcome" the winter might be their delicious Imperial Stout.  The head on the beer looked like a high snowy winter peak, which was held in place by the very active and bubbly beer.  In the glass, the Ale looked as crisp and clean as a winter's day.  Its deep copper tones were beautiful in my Samuel Smith's glass.  Aroma-wise the beer had more hops than many of Samuel Smith's beers (notably their Pale Ale, which we've previously reviewed).  Along with the nice floral aroma, there was a malty sweetness that dominated the brew.  Grains, slight nuttiness, and hints of caramel were present in the nose.  The malty sweetness that was in the nose turned into slight sweet malts on the palate.  Hops were also very evident in the taste of the brew.  I would say that the middle of the beer really showed some hop bitterness and taste.  Perhaps the bitterness of the hops makes the bitter winter more tolerable.  The hops continued through the end but ...

Seeing as how winter officially starts in a couple days, we chose to drink this beer.  For my part, winter is not really welcome, but I'll make the best of it.  This brewery still uses many traditional brewing methods.  For some information about Samuel Smith's brewing methods and to see about this beer, check out this site.  They don't really speak too much about the beer on the site but we will see what our take is on it.  On the site, there are also some pairing suggestions that they offer with this beer.  Hopefully, this beer will give a nice start to the winter season.  I also want to suggest trying with various foods after your initial sip.  When we get back together on the review, it will be interesting to see what we thought paired with the beer.  See you Friday.

I just finished drinking an English Ale with a bit of Venison Bratwurst.  How was it?  Very nice. Here at thank heaven for beer we have all sorts of interests.  From one of my first posts on here, you might know that I like to hunt a little.  I like game because of its lack of fat and lack of growth hormones.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I like the taste of beer with a nice bit of wild game.  It doesn't even have to be deer, duck, or squirrel.  The point is trying beer with anything that you eat.  It doesn't matter that if it is wild game or goat...whatever it might be.  I tried some Ethiopian beer with Ethiopian food (goat) not too long ago, and it was wonderful.  Have you ever tried goat, deer, elk, moose or anything outside the normal routine with beer?  Why not give it a try?  If you don't hunt, maybe you know someone that does.  I bet you could get some deer meat that you could marinate and drink a beer with.  A nice earthy tasting beer with the taste of an earthy animal can be a perfect match.  It could be that a pleasant ...

When I first came up with the idea for this blog, I hoped it would bring people together under one common denominator...beer.  Right off the bat, after we shared our earliest beer memories, someone mentioned how nice it was to share the personal experience of beer drinking, so tonight, I'll get a little personal, once again. If you've stumbled across the "About" page here on the blog, you've picked up that I have four kids.  I love these four kids, but the lack of babysitters (free babysitters) results in my wife and I only going out on "date nights" just 3 or 4 times a year.  So when we get to indulge in these fanciful occasions, they mean a good deal.  This past Saturday night we found a free babysitter (thanks dad!) and hit the town. First we stopped by Dale's.  Dale's is a little burger joint that's been pumping out inflation resistant quality burgers for twenty years.  While the beer selection isn't outstanding, the cheap burgers and small town atmosphere is a worthy substitute.  San and I washed down a couple fabulous bacon cheeseburgers with fries with a pitcher of Blue Moon. We paid our bill and walked across the main street of ...

In an effort to talk about more beers, we are planning to review an additional beer or two a week.  This will happen on top of our Drink It with Us Friday beers.  We want to beginning building a database a beers for those who visit to scroll through.  We're also hoping that this will create wider exposure to our site.  The first beer in this series hails from Belgium.  The Oerbier website has a history and blurb about this beer and its others; check out their site.  It may take a little bit of looking to get this beer, but it is worth it.  I found mine at the Hop Shop in Indianapolis.  Without further ado, I will offer my thoughts on this beer. When I poured this beer, there was an extreme amount of carbonation.  Who's to say that this isn't appropriate to the style?  I'm sure it is intended in the brew.  The extra carbonation may come from an extra does of candy sugar in the bottling process.  Of course, Belgian beers are known for utilizing candy sugar in the brewing, as well as conditioning, process.  Either way, the head was creamy and slightly bitter.  The head retention (because of the high carbonation) lasted a virtual eternity.  ...

Well, lads and lassies, this was not a "normal" Scottish Ale.  I'm used to Scottish ales being more assertive and malty.  Generally, there is also a higher alcohol in a lot of beer that we get here in the U.S of A.  My main goal for a Scottish ale is for it to get me hiking up my kilt after two or three of 'em.  Okay! time to be serious. Although the beer is only 4% ABV, don't let that fool you.  It is far fuller than many a beer (especially of the commercial variety).  When I poured my beer into the glass, I noted its deep reddish-brown color.  It smacked of a lovely lassie's hair.  Gorgeous in the glass.  There was a light brown and creamy, long-lasting head on the brew.  It was fairly spritzy and active as I looked at it in the glass.  The aesthetics of the ale were very nice. When I sniffed this concoction, I noted a hoppy aroma.  It was flowery in its hoppy aspects.  The hops were not overpowering in that I also noted a dry malty and metallic odor in the beer.  Also noticeable in the beer was the yeast aroma and a hint of fruits (maybe cherries, which was touched upon in the ...

Now that we've had a few beers from other countries we mustn't forget the domestic situation.  Rogue is an American brewery from Oregon that has been brewing since the late 80s.  As the name implies, they attempt to be a rogue brewing outfit that pushes the normal limits.  Beers in their line-up include a chipotle beer, Dead Guy Ale, an imperial Pilsner and beyond.  Rogue has a nice array of beers from which to choose.  For the list of beers that they have, you can visit this link.  The brewery puts more information on their bottles than most breweries.  Their information includes alcohol level (measured in degrees plato), an ingredients list, beer notes, tasting notes and even pairing suggestions.  You can learn a lot about their beer when armed with this knowledge.  They even suggest putting this particular beer as the liquid in a float (that's right, a beer float).  I have done this with other stouts and had surprising results.  Here is the scoop (pun intended) on this beer.  It is an Oatmeal Stout, which is a variation in the Stout family...which is actually in the Porter family (more on this very soon).  Oatmeal is notoriously difficult to brew with since it gelatinizes.  This makes it hard to filter out ...

Many people drink beer on its own.  There is a recalcitrance to drink with foods.  I don't mean a Bud with steak or with pizza.  I'm talking about pairing food with beer.  There is a certain intentionality that goes into really considering which beer to pair with food or to even include in the recipe.  I've created multiple recipes that incorporated beer and found that it's delightful (for instance, Cornish hens in a mix between a raspberry lambic and Chimay Red).  Here is the point that I want to come to.  Many people see no problem, in fact encourage, pairing wine with food.  Too often people ignore the quality that beer can add to a food experience.  For instance, a stout or Belgian ale goes as wonderfully, if not better, as does a Merlot or other red wine.  There are numerous beers that function well in a dessert capacity.  But there is more. Beyond tendering meats beer adds distinct flavors.  Ever try eating a an Irish stew with Irish stout in it?  A glorious experience indeed.  I've often found that a Resling pairs well with spicy food.  But it wasn't until I drank a hazy wheat beer or pale pilsner with Thai food that I discovered the best compliment for a spicy dish.  Why not try a smoked Porter, ...