Mug Warrior

Taste and the good old-fashioned ability to get you drunk are among the top ways to finding a good beer, but what attracts you to trying a new one? Aesthetics, whether you consciously know it or not, play a big part when you’re selecting an unfamiliar beer to take for a test drink. Checking out the shape of the tap, looking at the graphics on the case in your distributor, or eyeing up the Beer Face (the bottle’s label) all can play a strong role in legitimizing a potential buy. A weak Face makes a beer look like it doesn’t have it’s act together. Lets take a look at the Beer Face of Hofbräu Oktoberfest and see how effective they are in conveying the sense of its storied heritage.

Being based in Munich, the royal Hofbräuhaus brewery was a key beer supplier to the first Oktoberfest of 1810. Two years later, in an attempt to offer King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria a top-notch brew with some extra alcohol (man, because being a King back then was ROUGH, damn drafty castles), the “Oktoberfestbier” from Hofbräu München was born.

The modern Oktoberfest’s bottle has 3 labels: a rhombus-shaped one on the neck bearing their logo, a rectangular informational one on the back, and the ovular supposed show-stopper on the front. This is the Face, the one that is supposed to envoke “How YOU doin’?” from strangers. The color palette of consists of a royal blue, a warm yellow, gold and white. Set against a green bottle, I’m thinking of skipping through a summer field in Sweden, not a brisk fall night of drunken chanting with my buds. These colors are very strong, but aren’t working. So what’s left?

At the center of the ovular label, is a quant illustration of the Hofbräu tent at Oktoberfest, and a surrounding festival atmosphere incorporating horses and a ferris-wheel. This is their shot at conveying the real “feel” of the Oktoberfest experience through a Bob Ross miniature. Not getting that feeling much it across the bar, and not seeing much more with my magnifying glass.

Comparing this to their regular label for the original brew, let’s see what they did different for the crown jewel of Munich’s great gift to the world, Oktoberfest. Not much except an updated doodle better suited for the napkin your bottle sits on. Inappropriate colors and a lack of realign effort for the label of such a seemingly important authentic German brew. Man, all that drinking around Oktoberfest makes Germans lazy!

Take a look at the Beer Face in your hand. What’s looking good and successfully telling you it’s that time of year to throw some bratwurst on the grill?

Dan has inspired this next post, and it takes participation. I would like you to pair a beer with corned beef…and not in the boring bravo tv taste complements kinda way. I want creativity…if it is a can of bush light then tell me its because Bush Light is so damn watery that is allows you to inhale more corned beef, if it is a Heineken Keg can then tell its because the effing can does not sweat all over the table. Just reply, I am looking forward to reading them, and so are the other two people who look at this site…or is it three now?

There has been mention made of the award winning Russian Imperial Stout from Iron Hill. Luckily, while eating lunch at the Iron Hill in Media, this Bronze medal winner was available for purchase in a 25 oz. corked bottle.  I bought it.  Let me just say that it is a beer with more characters than a science fiction convention.  Sweet, chocolaty, bold nutty finish etc. etc. etc.  To be honest, I would have a hard time finding a complementary food to accompany this beer.  This beer maybe be best served as its own meal.  If you have had a chance to try this beer, please comment below.  Did I like it?…Yes.  Would I recommend it?…Yes.  Is it a type of beer that should only be imbibed once a year?…Yes, because of its loud nature.  Hmmmm…not too dissimilar to Tim.

I had the pleasure of living mere blocks from Iron Hill Brewery in Media. Trish loves their Shrimp and Crab Cakes and the Pan Seared Shrimp and Sea Scallops is pretty amazing itself. As is important for any good brewpub, they’ve got some really good beers. The Rasberry Wheat (though I prefer my wheats unfiltered) is light and delicious. It goes great with the seafood dishes at Iron Hill. Top off the meal with a Pig Iron Porter and a Double Chocolate Hill cake. I’m getting fatter just thinking about it.

2006 has been a big years for Iron Hill. It’s their 10th anniversary. To celebrate they are releasing an anniversary beer, a Belgian-style Trappist Ale at 10+% ABV. Not only does this beer sound delicious, but its gonna be bottled and sold for your carry out pleasure. They recently opened their sixth location in Pheonixville and they won two awards at The Great American Beer Fest. One for the Russian Imperial Stout in Media and Bourbon Ivan in West Chester. They also recieved Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Brewpub 2006 this year.

I’m a big fan and you will be too. Go, eat, and join the Mug Club - then you too will drink from a 24oz beer mug.

Victory Brewing Company is by far my favorite microbrew. With the exception of their HopDevil (I don’t like it hoppy), I have loved nearly all of their beers. Their brewpub is pretty good too. The jalapeño-crab poppers are amazing.

The thing I’ve noticed about their beers however is the names. They are varied and creative. I had originally thought they were just silly names, but I have come to think that they are more than that. Each beer I have tried from Voctory seems to have a unique effect on me. The Golden Monkey (by far my favorite of all beers) tends to make me a bit goofy and stumbly. On occasion I have wondered if this was the inspiration for the Drunken Monkey fighting style. What brought me to this conclusion however is when I tried the Old Horizontal. An awesome beer, as I was drinking it I couldn’t fight the urge to lay down. I tried not to, I wasn’t tired, I just wanted to lay down. Then there was the St. Boisterous. Most who know me would agree that I need little help getting rowdy, but when I was drinking this delight, I was louder and more exuberant that normal.

Bottom line, the names aren’t just fun, they’re descriptive of the mood that your night is going to take when you drink them. I think I’m going to go pick up a case of their Dr. Decibals Brown Ale. Better warn the neighbors.

Ho Hos and the Yule Log you say? About three years ago, I was browsing through the world famous “Foodery” at 10^th and Pine in Philly. Just in case you did not click on the link yet, here it is again, www.fooderybeer.com. I will talk more about the “Foodery” later because I do not want to egregiously digress. As I am browsing through the many deli style refrigerators healthily stocked with the finest barley water in the world, I happen to come across a tempting selection: Cosendonk Christmas Ale in a 25 ounce bottle. I happen to be quite pleased with Cosendonk’s other beers so I figured to give it a try. I will spare you the aficionado’s review and analysis, but I will just say that it is excellent. Not necessarily in the “have one everyday, Yuengling Lager” sense, but definitely in the “stare at the open fridge and wonder what I am in the mood for” sense. The Christmas Ale bottle becomes somewhat of a tradition in my household. My wife and I usually buy a bottle around November and cork it (the bottle I mean) on New Year’s Eve. So three years later, I am drifting around the Exton area, actually I was commencing and completing Christmas shopping for my wife, and I walk into a beer distributor and find a case of this stuff. So I buy it, and now it is September and I still have some left. So I bring two up, pour them into the appropriate glassware, hand one off to Tim, and we drink.

Next blog will be about the Foodery.

I was introduced to Pumpkin Ale’s several years ago and was immediately enamored with them. I was drinking Dogfishhead Punkin Ale (which was brewed in celebration of the annual Punkin Chunkin even in Milmont, Delaware. It tasted like a pumpkin pie in a glass. It was heavenly. Jarrod and I drank it with dinner, desert, and waking up the next morning in possesion of a growler of it, for breakfast too. In recent years the flavor seemed to go down hill, I may have out grown it, it just wasn’t the same though. I desperately wanted to find something as good as that first year.

The other day I picked up a case of their Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Weyerbacher. Weyerbacher is quickly becoming one of my favourite breweries, convenient given they are local to me (located in Easton, PA). After the Blithering Idiot incident, which is a story for another time, my interest in this crafter was peaked and have had made it a point to sample some of their beers at any opportunity I might get. Seeing this Ale on the shelf of a local distributor I couldn’t resist. Untasted, I took the case to the counter.

The label of each bottle bears a menacing Jack O’Lantern holding his scepter high, cape flowing. Behind the king lies sit his court of pumpkins, looking terrified. It’s a fairly dark label. I could tell I was in for a treat suiting the halloween season coming soon. It did not disappoint.

The beer itself has a dark orange, tending almost to red, color to it, with a thin, light orange head. It smells strongly of spice. While drinking it leaves a very thin amount of lacing down the glass. Not heavy at all despite it’s earthy spice and pumpkin flavours, it is definitly drinkable. It warms the stomach and the body, given it’s higher than normal ABV, and makes one thing it would probably be perfect for taking the bite out of the october air. Cold this beer is good, but I prefer to leave the bottle out for about twenty minutes before pouring since I find the warmer temperatures really bring out the flavor of this beer. This beer is definitly a suitable replacement for that Punkin Ale, and I am happy to have made it’s acquaintance.

I have recently moved and have been frequenting the local take-out. Every time I would go, a certain beer caught my eye. I never tried it until tonight. The beer is Black Dog Ale, an English style amber ale by Spanish Peaks. I bought a six-pack and brought it to a small get together. Being a dog lover myself, I admire anyone who names their beers after their dog. The beer was smooth with chocolaty hints. If you are ever undecided on a beer and Black Dog is available, I would definitely check it out. It may not become your favorite, but it’s not going to sit in your fridge as long as that left over Chinese food from 2 weeks ago.