Commentist Beer Barrel: It’s a Beer!

As I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing, I have drunk many, many different beers—roughly 2,300 by my best current reckoning. It has been, and continues to be, a really awesome, life-enriching hobby, with the incredibly minor drawback that finding something truly new and different seems to be increasingly difficult with each passing month. Innovation in the field of beer is constant, and I’m sure the surprises won’t ever really run out for me, but when I see a brewery like San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing put out an “Estonian-style ale,” yeah, I’m going to jump on that, because I’ve never had an Estonian-style ale!

Saaramaa Island Ale, the sixth brew in Anchor’s Zymaster series of experimental beers, was inspired by the Anchor brewmaster’s trip to, well, Estonia’s Saaremaa Island. He brought back a sample of the local yeast, and used it to ferment Saaremaa Island Ale. It was this last bit that really had me interested: A strain of brewing yeast that’s not Belgian or German or English or American, with the potential to produce new and unfamiliar flavors. This is the shit I get most excited for: A new hop that tastes like lemon and gunpowder; a beer aged, for the first time, in barrels that previously held gin; a yeast that—well, I don’t know yet. Let’s find out!

Okay. Hmm. Well. For a beer inspired by a distinctive brewing tradition, there’s a lot that’s familiar here. Saaremaa has a warm, friendly orange-gold color, with a quickly dissipating head. It’s a sweet beer with a slightly spicy finish, incorporating flavors of cantaloupe, banana, candi sugar and clove with minimal hop presence. If you read all of that and thought, “that sounds like a Belgian golden ale,” then we’re on the same page! There’s little, from what I can tell, to differentiate this from a Belgian golden or pale—and a good golden or pale, to be sure, but I have to admit to a bit of disappointment. And not because there’s anything wrong with this beer, at least as far as I can tell!

Part of never having had a beer from Saaremaa Island, and having had any Estonian malt beverage just the once when I was already drunk at a hipster bar in Chicago’s gay district, which, like, I’m still not even sure why they had bottles of Saku Originaal lager… anyway, what I’m getting at is that I don’t have even a remote reference point for the thing Anchor’s brewmaster was inspired by. This is certainly a very good beer, in that it tastes very good. It may also be a good Estonian-style beer; at the very least, I have no reason to doubt that it is. Its only failing is its failing to present my senses with something new, and the more I think about it, the more I doubt that I was reasonable in expecting that. Sometimes a beer’s just a beer.

lady snow says: It just tasted like a farmhouse ale to me. Maybe a farmhouse ale with honey. It’s very enjoyable! This is the sort of beer I think I could drink more of than most other beers. Nothing all that distinctive about it, but it’s just really good.

tl;dr: You’re even more justified than usual skipping to this line today, as much of the above comprises some extremely silly hemming and hawing about my personal expectations for the beer. It’s very good, and should be an especially big hit with any fan of the lighter Belgian styles.

Grade: I’m going to have a Wekken Sour next. It’s a blend of DeProef’s Zoetzuur wild ale and Left Hand’s Wake Up Dead imperial stout. It won’t be the first time I’ve had a sour stout, but it’ll be the first time I’ve had this one. Can’t wait.

make it snow is an alot of beer who couldn’t find a good free photo of Saaremaa Island. Image search that shit though, because it looks beautiful. He drank about an Imperial pint of Anchor Saaremaa Island Ale, and lady snow drank the rest. Drink something nice tonight yourself, will you? It’s only Sunday.

 

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makeitsnowondem
make it snow is an alot of beer. He is also a Broncos fan living in Denver.
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Sill Bimmons
Sill Bimmons

The Carpet Crawlers
Heed their callers
Gotta get in to get out
Gotta get in to get out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yUN6CsuVPw

JerBear50

Since there is all this Phil Collins love going on, I will post this as it is sort of related. The title/lyric “senseless acts of selfishness on made-up English Oceans” refers to the legend about Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” and the line “Made-up English stomach contents” is a reference to the Rod Stewart stomach-pumping legend, both of which are completely fabricated. The song is supposed to be told from the perspective of notorious Republican organizer Lee Atwater about how easy it is to get dumb people to believe dumb shit. It’s a really fucking good song.

https://youtu.be/viAsB60haz8

Sill Bimmons
JerBear50

Not sure I follow.

Sill Bimmons

Nothing to follow.

K.

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

WBS was right about tonights TWD, the episode was just shitty. Not I got a story I didn’t like shitty, just fucking awful shitty.

Sill Bimmons
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Sill Bimmons

comment image

KEEP THEM MOWER BLADES SHARP

https://youtu.be/y1tFQMjc-IE

Sill Bimmons
WCS

WCS

The Hardly Boys and the Case of the Violated Monkey

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons

Thanks WCS.

Still can’t understand why I can’t post YouTube videos, but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huXh3M7bCs4

WCS

Talking about top-whatevers. Top-ten ever for your buddy. Could listen to this 1000 times straight, and never get bored with it.

Sill Bimmons

Doesn’t get much better,

JerBear50

Until this weekend I thought it had to do with posting privileges, but obviously that’s not it or else you would be able to. I also saw someone relatively new embedding video this weekend, so now I assume I’m just incompetent.

Sill Bimmons

I’m #5 on the masthead and I can’t post YouTubes.

It’s all topsy-turvy.

Horatio Cornblower

We have a masthead?

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

I have tried multiple ways from multiple programs and no luck. I actually like to open a new tab with the song anyway since they get interrupted when it refreshes.

http://49.media.tumblr.com/5215dad22a2ada60aa8c29e59fe7528e/tumblr_netup1dkMJ1svbttyo1_400.gif

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Apparently I am too.

Sill Bimmons

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Sill Bimmons

HOW Y’ALL DOIN’ THIS EVENIN’???

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

Obligatory because of a comment below. Gonna finish the ep, see you in 40ish min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plPyJdXKIY

Sill Bimmons
Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons
WCS

I remember watching this as a kid, and having absolutely no idea what was going on. Fraggle Rock on acid.

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

Currently taking a break in the middle of TWD. I have to say while the ep is entertaining, the reasoning behind why it is happening is still fucking stupid. Last week was just lets fuck this up for the finale and this weeks logic isn’t that much better

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Mr. theeWeeBabySeamus is PISSED about this episode. You are taking it way better as a fan.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Mental harem, anyway.

Sill Bimmons

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WCS

Top-25 song of all-time, hands down.

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

I had to do math to log on tonight. What is that? 8+1? I could have easily gotten that wrong. Is that a specific to site thing or a new to wordpress thing?

Sill Bimmons

9

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

It took me 6 tries but I got it. It is the principle of it

Sill Bimmons

It happens.

Marc Trestmans Windowless Van

I was going to originally go with spelling it “principal” but I wasn’t sure people wouldn’t just think I spelled it wrong, so I went with the lesser joke.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Oh, that would have been good.

WCS

If you have an 8+1, you probably have a handgun with a caliber of .380, possibly .25. Don’t ever forget there’s one in the chamber.

JerBear50

And if you have 15 + 1, you and Nate Dog are about to regulate.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Lawrence Taylor too.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
WCS

“Paint me, Niklaus. Like you do the others.”

Sill Bimmons

As if there could be anything better than In The Cage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4tDKF_uwRI

Sill Bimmons

FREE TO FLUTTER IN MEMORY OF THEIR WASTED WINGS

WCS

Sill Bimmons

A Trick Of The Tail:

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WCS

Sill Bimmons

FUCKING SQUONK WOO

Sill Bimmons

Turn It On Again:

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WCS

Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons
WCS

WCS

Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons

St Sebastian

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Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons
WCS

And, from my uncle’s favorite album of all time:

Sill Bimmons
WCS

Got to give you credit, Sill. Of all the bands in rock, I didn’t have you pegged as a Phil Collins-Genesis fan.

Sill Bimmons

First concert ever: Invisible Touch Genesis 1985.

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
WCS

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His grandson, Jody, also enjoys it.

Sill Bimmons
WCS

Sill Bimmons

comment image

WCS

On a scale of one to Manos: The Hands of Fate, how bad will Independence Day 2 be?

JerBear50

As bad as Mallrats 2 and Clerks 3, albeit a jillion times more expensive.

Sill Bimmons

Plan 9999999999999999999999999999999999 From Outer Space

WCS

I regret that I only have one +1 to give. This is just damn good hustle, son.

/slaps Sill on the ass, HARD

WCS

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there, slick. There’s going to be a Clerks 3?!

JerBear50

Unfortunately. And MallRats 2 will be called MallBrats. If there is a Chasing Amy sequel, Smith should take a nice hot bath a la Frankie Petangeli.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2564126/?ref_=nv_sr_3
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574472/?ref_=nv_sr_1

ThePirateSloth

Brace yourselves: angry Walking Dead fans are coming.

WCS

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theeWeeBabySeamus

You’re goddamned right.
I was already bitching it up over on my piece o’ shit baseball thread.
Fucking asshole writers/producers.
But Jeffrey Dean Morgan is awesome.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Balls asked about breweries in Dallas or Texas in general WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY down at the bottom of the comments; thought I’d bump that up here.

http://49.media.tumblr.com/54bf0ea5cb407b0a26be2d72f5e23f96/tumblr_o0trqolFyn1uakbflo1_500.gif

ballsofsteelandfury

Thanks to both of you!

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
WCS

The extra 30 minutes of Walking Dead is just commercials.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Sill Bimmons
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Now I wonder how many I’ve tried. Between all the local brew tastings, different kinds from good liquor stores, and being persistent at several tap houses that have “beers from around the world.” Shit.

http://45.media.tumblr.com/f416f70d4960a6f401c873d76ca32032/tumblr_o2w3b6olXe1qfr6udo3_500.gif

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

At most of the breweries I do a flight or two with friends. That is about 7-10 each place. Between here and Cali at least 100 (?) places just in the last few years. Plus the others over many decades. I will call it a “lot”……

http://49.media.tumblr.com/471e6fc559573aeea3e4a10dea342ee7/tumblr_o16hxmOv3S1qanwe4o2_r1_500.gif

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

and yet I know a few people who have drank Coors Light for ~97% of their prodigious beer drinking efforts.

JerBear50

PFTC has also had 2300 beers, but they were all 40’s of Mickey’s.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Ages 13 through 16 I had several of those. They had the patented Automatic Spill In Lap pop-top.

JerBear50

Drank a lot of Mickey’s as a kid, and a lot of OE 800. Mickey’s was one of the more palatable malts. I think St Ides was probably the worst one I remember.

Senor Weaselo

What does gunpowder taste like anyway?

JerBear50

I always wonder where some of these descriptors come from, and more importantly, why they’re considered positive traits.

Horatio Cornblower

I was once trying to find wine for some occasion and was reading labels. One was described as having flavors that included asphalt.

Never bought it.

JerBear50

That’s a little more insight into the lives of you and lady snow than I was expecting.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

[snicker]

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

As one who’s fucked around with black powder rifles; it tastes terrible; very gunpowderery.

JerBear50

Heh. For some reason my dad started hunting with a black powder rifle for awhile. It never failed to amuse the rest of us when the loud, dry “click” would send the buck he had lined up running for the trees because he’d load the fucking thing wrong. This happened more than once. We started leaving him thank-you notes from the deer tacked up around our camp. He was not as pleased with this as the rest of us were.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

I really liked the history of it and it was interesting to see how fast you could load it compared to a Civil War musket time. The ones we messed with were made from Hawkins kits. Surprisingly accurate up to about 125 yards with a lot of drop. Plus they kicked like a mule.

JerBear50

It was accurate and certainly powerful. I think his was a 50 cal. It’s just not a particularly convenient weapon for hunting, especially if you’re not that practiced with it.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Do you guys make the bullets with the mold? My uncle showed me that. Pretty fucking cool.

JerBear50

No, he never went that far. We used to reload shotgun though. We did a lot of trap shooting.

ballsofsteelandfury

Where do you find all these beers? I live in the relatively beer-friendly state of California and there are a lot of beers you mention that I’ve never seen.

ballsofsteelandfury

I’m visiting a friend in Dallas on the Tax Day weekend. Any recommendations for beers I should try that are only in Texas?

ballsofsteelandfury

Awesome! Thanks!