This Beard's For You

Today marks my sixth year living in Atlanta. Shortly after moving in with my then girlfriend, and now wife, I had shaved my beard to get a job with a credit reporting company, working in a mail room sorting and scanning in mail.

It was a Sunday afternoon, slightly overcast as it is today, as I decided to get the dreaded act done, and shave off what I had worked to cultivate to earn a little more than minimum wage.  I imagine the walk up the stairs of the townhouse we were renting of the time, was like a condemned man walking to his execution. I would not walk out of the master bathroom myself. The entity that would leave the chamber would be only a shell of who walked in.

I did the deed, and shaved clean, not hearing that Sarah, a friend of my wife Haley, had come to visit, and enjoy ice cream and beer.

I walked down the dark, cream carpeted stairway, into the living room, and sat down next to my girlfriend as she drank a Miller High Life, or perhaps it was a PBR, on her old, lumpy futon that doubled as our couch. 

Sarah, without interruption ate her lime sorbet and they chatted until it came to a natural stopping point. They  greeted me, and jokingly gave me condolences on my parted facial hair. Sarah’s eyes went to her ice cream and her friend, but my lover’s gaze stayed on my bare chin.

“Want some ice cream?” she asked me.

“No, I’m good.”

“How about some beard?” She paused as she realized what was just said. She blushed and made apologies, but what was said, was said, and could not be unsaid.  

Luckily, I was relieved of my duties from that job after a couple of weeks, and I was able to grow into myself again. 

Pope Crisco

Thomas Creek Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale

Continuing on my theme of beers from the Carolina’s, I decided to pour a bottle of Thomas Creek’s Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale, brewed in Greenville, SC.  The brewery was suggested by friend, and fellow You Tube Pipe (and cigar, and beer) Presenter, Joffre The Giant (find his links in my side bar).  The Style though was picked by my desire for a novelty to break up the standards I have been drinking recently.

Appearance is an ultra clear, pale golden yellow. There is very active carbonation, with the head starting off strong, however it quickly dissipates into about a nickel’s thickness.

The nose is very much like a generic “beer” smell up front, but mingled with the welcoming, sweet wisp of vanilla.

The first sip is mild, and suggests a malt forward beverage; however the beverage turns sharply bitter, that i suspect is coming from the vanilla itself. On the back end though, the flavor rounds out with a nice, warm vanilla cream ending.  The more that I drink the less bitterness becomes apparent and mellows out significantly. By the completion of the drink, the bitterness and sweetness are both relatively mild and well balanced, albeit somewhat boring.

The vanilla is nice and somewhat unique, but the beer doesn’t offer much else to keep this drinker interested. A little more flavor in the beer or vanilla direction would perhaps make this more interesting, but as it stands, it is lacking trying to negotiate both equally.  

I am glad I took the time to try this beer, but it will likely not be one that I purchase again.

Prost!

Craggie Dubbleicious

Just to limit the possibility that the second growler that I purchased last weekend will also be flat, I decided to crack open the Craggie Dubbleicious, a “Belgian style ‘double’ ale',” to celebrate leaving work early due to low call volume.

Thankfully, the carbonation and thus the head, unlike the previous growler I sampled, is quite healthy and frothy. Forming easily, the head is a slight, off white, with an orange tint. The beer is a nice peach tone, and is very cloudy with particulate.

As the name would suggest, the nose is slightly like bubblegum, being malt forward with a slight hint of banana (although after reading that line, I’m not sure how gum is “malt forward”).  

The mouth feel is amazingly full and thick, without leaving a sticky film on the interior of my mouth.

The primary flavor is banana and clove, without being overbearing in either respects. On the backend there is a very slight orange tone, without much bitterness to mention.   While beers of a similar flavor profile can often be made so sickly sweet, this brew is perfectly balanced with a mild sweetness, making the second and third beverage as drinkable as the first.

Proust!

Green Man Legendary Ales IPA

Last weekend, to celebrate the marriage of two friends, I found myself in Asheville, NC, and picked up a few growlers from local breweries for sampling of the local flavor while in the comfort of my more southern abode. Having visited their brewery, I thought it most appropriate to start with the Green Man IPA this Sunday afternoon.

Sadly, as I poured from the half gallon vessel, there was a significant lack of carbonation in the beverage, resulting in an almost nonexistent head, despite multiple attempts to pour vigorously into my pint glass. Some CO2 bubbles can be seen rising to the top of my pint, but still very few and far between. 

The beverage itself was a nice, clear amber.

Taking a whiff of the ale, which I will assume is lacking in part due to the lack of a nice head, is light, and hoppy with hints of grapefruit.

The first sip is nice, malty with apricot notes, with a pronounced grapefruit zest backend that predominated the drinking experience. The bitterness starts out mild, but becomes a bit more pronounced the more I drank.

I wish the beer was presented in a more optimum state for this review, but since the closest growler of this beverage is about 3.5 hours away, the follow up review will have to wait till my next trip to the upstate (which might be as soon as November if I have my way).  Given the lack of carbonation, I can only project that in its optimum state, would be a nice IPA, but not really breaking the mold on what can be purchased nationwide.  

Prost!

On the Road - Asheville, NC

A few home brews and ciders to share with friends ready to travel

Hello All,
This weekend to celebrate the marriage of two close friends, I find myself in the very pretty, very touristy, and very beer friendly town of Asheville, NC. So many breweries are here, or very close to here, that I cannot even attempt to get a fraction of the local flavor, but ill do my best to get as much a feel as possible.


At the first function of the wedding festivities, at the reception dinner, the hosts provided a number of wines, soft drinks, and a wonderfully refreshing, organic Pisgah Endless Summer Ale. The beer started out stronger than it ended. From what i can recall, given the number of drinks I had over the night, This ale was light and crisp, minimal hoppyness with a slight fruitiness, and reminded me of a farm style ale whose name escapes me, that I overindulged in at a house warming a couple years ago, for the same couple being honored at this party. The first three where tasty, the 4th and 5th were okay, and by the sixth i needed something not so sweet and acidic (FYI, these were 6oz pours at best, so its not as if I was on a bender).

When the initial party wound down, though, we (being the groom to be and 7 others) hit a small brewpub called Jack of the Wood, or Greenman, depending on who you ask. Located a fair walk from the main strip where we started the evening, its a bit hidden, but quite a treasure, if you like dank, dark holes to sip suds (and I do). I had an ESB that was just okay, being very malt forward, with a light maple taste, and slight bitter backend. However the Cask Aged Pale Ale, that my friend Scott had, was amazing.

One thing that Ashville has over Atlanta, is the option to walk out of bars with growlers, 64oz monsters of beer, for post pub enjoyment. While my wife picked up Greenman's IPA at a supermarket for me, I will have to see if I can find my way back to this brewery to give that pale ale a home in the Dirty Dirty.

 I wish I had more to tell you from the night, but after a quick pint, the night devolved into stock bachelor party depravity of cheap beer, shots, and tits.

Looking to the future, I am already planning a birthday weekend of beer drinking and pub crawling in this upstate hamlet, where things are on the slow end, and really my speed.

Prost!