- Bottoms Up (RSS)Landing in the land of yellow beer
By William Brand
Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 11:45 am in Uncategorized.
CHICAGO - I’m on my way to Savor — The craft beer industry’s food and beer pairing extravagana that begings in Washington D.C. tonight. Just got off a Southwest Airlines moo-expresss (not a single empty seat) at Midway outside Chicago, desperately seeking a decent cup of coffee.
I walked down the concourse and realize that however great the Chicago beer scene is, Midway is the LAND OF YELLOW BEER. There are several airport-style pubs, but don’t look for perhaps a Goose Island pub or anything like that. This is Miller-Bud land.
It’s kind of sad to walk into one of these places and see four kinds of beer on tap: Bud Light, Miller Lite, Foster’s and Heineken. As I said, yellow beer land. And the latte I ordered came ot of a Bunn-o-Matic and tasted like it. Oh well On to Washington.
For discussion, here’s an old idea that’s fun to play around with in an airport with crappy beer: I call it the desert island gambit.
OK, you’re gonna be stuck on an isolated island for six months and you can take beer with you, but only five bottles. What would you decide to take along?
For me, right now today, top of my head: Anchor Porter, Westvleteran Tripel, Fuller’s ESB, Flying Dog Road Dog Porter and…I’m not sure at this minute: Some kind of refreshing, Belgian-style golden ale. But which one? Not sure.
Comments anyone.
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May 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Red Nectar - Great on those hot desert island afternoons
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout - You turned me on to it, and it’s fantastic
Rogue Hazlenut Nectar - a good chilly evening beer
Ommegang Three Philosphers - Speaks for itself, right?
Russian River Pliny the Elder - It’s going to be in bottles soon enough.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Is there a fridge? If so, fill mine with Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Anchor Steam (because nothing goes better with seafood), Fullers ESB (good call, William), Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, and maybe a Ballast Point Calico Amber.
Who am I kidding? This will be gone in two days. Fill it with Coors Light so I won’t be tempted to drink it all at once.
No Fridge? I’ll dig a hole in the sand and take my chances with Old Viscosity, Oak Aged Yeti, Jewbelation 11, Bigfoot Barleywine, and I’d save the Kentucky Breakfast Stout for last, because the flavor lingers for days.
Who am I kidding? This will be gone in 20 minutes. Fill it with Coors Light so I won’t be tempted to drink it all at once.
Seriously…five beers in six months?? With no volleyball to talk to? I’m as good as dead.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:45 am
I have to think about beers 2-5, but there is one beer that will always be on the list. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
A landmark beer. Hey American beer can have some real flavor. Hops! Bitterness! Now when you drink a beer, there is something for the back of your tongue to do.
And what is that other flavor? Malt! The right beer at the right time.
SNPA is such a solid beer and has been for a long time. After all these years, when you go to your cousin’s house and asks, “Hey would like a beer?” You so happy to learn there is the last SNPA mixed in with the Coors and Bud Lite.
It is a trustworthy and reliable friend. You know you are going to go to a good space with SNPA in your hand.
brewnot
May 17th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Oh yeah, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Always a great beer. I may not try one for months, then, like you, I may find one at a friend’s house mercifully hidden in a pile of light lager swill Yeah.
Although, I think I might go with Mendocino Red Tail Ale instead. Ambers are so common now. But it’s still a classic.
May 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
1. Anchor Steam Allways one of my favorites.
2. Buffalo Bills Buffalo Beer. Brings me back to the 80’s when I was going to State. A couple of beers and head over to La Imperial for a Super Burrito.
3. Hopland Brewerys Black Hawk Stout. I could live on this brew.
4. Sudwerks Dopplebock. It packs a punch.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Mine are here…
http://geistbear.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/18/3697805.html
May 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Geistbeer has some interesting beers indeed:
Oak Creek Hefeweizen – Hefeweizens are arguably my favorite beer style if I were ever to admit to one and Oak Creek makes a classic example of the style. But the secondary reason I would grab this one is, leave the last inch or so in the bottle and try to culture the yeast to make some beer the rest of the time on the island ever the homebrewer. The reason I wouldn’t select a German made Hefeweizen is according to Dan Gordon the Germans pull the yeast out and replace it with a lager yeast.
Lev Black Lion – U Fleku and Lev are what inspired my brewing Black Lagers, not quite as roasty as their American cousins this is hands down one of my favorite styles to brew and drink.
Stone Ruination – What list like this would be complete without at least one hop bomb and Ruination is as good an example as you’ll ever find.
Brooklyn Brown – Probably my favorite brown ale of all time.
Oak Creek Rare Earth – Okay I went back to Oak Creek, this might be silly on a 5 beer list. I had wanted a interesting Beligan ale of some form and this one is a recent favorite. It is a wine barrel aged Saison Belgian ale. The aging drops the hazy out of solution leaving a brilliant clear red ale with a bit of wine character. Simply amazing stuff.
My coimment. Ruination ale. All right. and I love Brookyn Brown. Could’t argue with this list.
February 19th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
That