Before Getting to the Beers

Before getting to the beers that were crossed off the Beer Club list this week, I must make mention of a great event here in Orlando that is quickly approaching again.  Taste of the Nation Orlando is a really awesome event that The Wife and I have attended a few times since moving to Orlando.  Even more than that, the evening benefits Share Our Strength and its efforts to fight child hunger in the United States.

If that was not enough reason to go, from now until next Friday, April 16^th you can get 15% off your ticket by using the code “TAXORL” when you by your tickets for Taste of the Nation Orlando.  So to recap, it is a great event, it benefits a great cause, and you can get your tickets at a discount.  Need I say more?!

Now we can move back to the beers for the week . . .

Screens are in and ready for the rain!

I again reached out to the world of Twitter this week to get the numbers for my beers.  I will thank all three folks in turn, but there is one that gets a much bigger thank you than the other two.

The first number that I went with was 34 (via @willspot), which turned out to be a Heineken Light.  Now I like @willspot and have met him a few times, but for making that the first beer of the afternoon I must thank him the least of the three!  It pours a very clear pale straw color and has a very light grainy (corn-like) aroma that almost has a buttery quality. It should be no surprise that it drinks a lot like a glass of water, with very little overall flavor.  It does have a bit of harsh crispness and a minerally quality to it that actually gets worse as you drink it (the first sip was the best).  That is likely because this beer needs to be ice cold to be at all enjoyable.  It does not drink well as it warms.

Heineken Light

If I had to rank the three beers that I drank that day this one would be at the bottom without a doubt, though I gave it a generous grade of 2 (Bill gave a slightly higher 2.5).  My benevolence was in part due to the fact that I know that there are a few beers on the list that I will enjoy less.  I would much rather have a Bass Ale or a Brooklyn Lager (to name a few) at the same price (of $4) if given the choice.  The high carbonation and crispness would cut into a spicy dish a bit or would offset your fried foods such as onions rings or calamari pretty well.

Only a slightly bigger thank you will go to @KENLarch for picking number 6 and an Avery White Rascal.  For those of you not at the last Tweetup at CTT, this one was my last place finisher in the beer flight vote.  I love Avery overall, but not this one.  It pours a hazy honey-like color and has some light spice and citrus notes in the aroma.  The beer has a light body and is pretty smooth though there is something in the herbal, citrus, yeasty flavor that leaves a slightly unpleasant finish.  Maybe this is simply a style that I am struggling to come around to?

Avery White Rascal

Even though Bill and I agreed that we would only drink this one to cross it off the list, it is a better value than the Heineken Light (both priced at $4).  With that I gave it a 2.5 (if only because it had actual flavor when compared to the first) and Bill gave it a middle of the road 3.  I do think that the beer would go fairly well with most salads and any fish or chicken dish that has not been fried.

Rocky Mountain IPA

Certainly the biggest thank you of the day goes out to @KatyAtTBF for choosing number 72 and a Rocky Mountian IPA from Fort Collins Brewery.  It was nice to close the afternoon with the best beer and my favorite style of the three.  It pours a brownish copper color and has a slight bit of haze to it (though mostly clear).  The aroma was good overall, with a really sweet, hoppy profile that had notes of floral and citrus.  The hop bitterness in the flavor is nice, but very prominent.  It does have a nice amount of sweetness to balance out the hop flavors that do become a bit resiny as it warms some.  There is some dryness at the finish that does linger a bit.  The beer really grew on me the more I drank, which is the case sometimes with IPAs.This beer was certainly the best of the three for me and at the same price of $4, it was the best value in my mind.  I have certainly had better IPAS, but this was a good one as Bill and I settled on matching grades of 3.5.  This beer can stand up to bigger flavors and can offset some fat in a dish so I would recommend a pairing with maybe some fried shellfish or a burger with bleu cheese.

As my closing note to this post, I really would like to thank the three folks for choosing my numbers for me.  All of the beers have to be crossed off eventually and getting a few less enjoyable ones out of the way means there is only a higher concentration of good ones left to choose from.

For those keeping track, that is now 17 down and 82 to go!

Stay tuned . . .