The Method For Choosing

The method for choosing the beers that I drink during each visit to the Celebration Town Tavern is going to have to change.  Again I asked for numbers from The Wife, but after arriving and looking at the list I quickly realized that each of the numbers I had were for beers already sampled from the list.  Then I called her for more numbers only to have 5 of the 8 new numbers among those I have already crossed off.  So as I approach the halfway point the tactic of using random numbers may need to evolve into another method.  That will be something for me to think about before making my next visit.

Good beer plus World Cup equals good times.

Even among the few numbers given to me that were not already used, there was conflict.  After seeing that the number 31 that The Wife gave me was not crossed off, but was for a Heineken that I have already reviewed, I had to adjust a bit.  With the newer beers inserted into the list and the numbers being shifted that type of thing happens.  So I simply dropped to number 30 to start our afternoon with a Harpoon UFO.

The UFO Hefeweizen poured an orange, honey-like color with a creamy white head that had good retention and a nice laced trail.  The aroma was lightly sweet and grainy (wheat) which was almost exactly reflected in the flavor.  There was some dryness at the finish, but it was easy drinking without much in the way of overall character.

Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen

It is not often that Bill and I differ greatly on our opinion of the beers we are sampling for the day and this was no different as we each settled on a grade of 3.  There was nothing bad about the beer, though there was not anything special about it either.  It is a nice beer that would go down well in the hot summer weather (we were at the inside bar on this day).  As is my opinion with most wheat beers, I think it would go nicely with lightly dressed salads or milder flavored chicken dishes.

As we were finishing up our UFOs Bill Bona slid into the seat next to us and ordered a round of Lindemans Framboise for the three of us.  Not having tried this one in some time and being able to cross off number 17 (now Coors Light after number shift) in its place meant that there was no way I was going to argue with the owner’s decision on this one.

Lindemans Framboise

As you might expect from the name, this one pours a deep reddish color with a big, bold raspberry aroma having strong sugary sweet notes.  The flavor starts quite sweet up front with some slightly tart raspberry sweetness, then follows with some straw/barnyardy notes that lead into a crisp finish with good lingering berry flavors.  The mouthfeel is quite champagne like with the carbonation that it has.

Berry goodness

The initially strong sweetness softens quite nicely after the first few sips, leaving a very enjoyable beer that I gave a grade of 4 and Bill a grade of 3.5.  If I was able to pair this one with a really nice piece of chocolate cake or some other chocolate based dessert my grade would likely be even higher.  I also think a dessert incorporating fresh berries would be a really nice pairing.

To round out an odd group of three beers for the day we took the number 4 (Amstel Light) from The Wife and morphed it into a number 6 and an Oaked Arrogant Bastard.  Neither option was a great one to follow the Framboise, but I did not want to back down the flavor ladder to close the afternoon. 

Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

The Oaked Arrogant Bastard poured a dark brown color and a thick, frothy head that held well and leaves a heavy trail.  The aroma had some even floral and slightly citrusy hop notes with some low sugary malt undertones, but I did not pick up too much in the way of woodiness.  The flavor brought some smooth bitterness up front with some underlying earthy, slightly woody maltiness that gets better as the glass empties.  The finish is somewhat dry with hint of lingering bitterness.

This was a difficult transition to make for my palate and perhaps I will have to revisit this one again when I am not leading into it with such an intensely fruity beer.  Even with that I settled on a grade in the area of a 4 (as did Bill), which is likely in the ballpark since I am such a fan of the unoaked/regular version.  This beer would hold up pretty well against some nicely grilled red meat and the bitterness would also play well with some bigger flavored cheeses.

A closer look.

Now the time has come for a few closing remarks.  Again a big thank you goes to The Wife for picking the numbers that led us in the direction of our beers even though we ultimately moved from a few the given numbers.  Also there is a thank you to Rich for being on top of what beer he was pouring for us.  He gently rolled the bottle of Harpoon UFO before opening to ensure that the goodness at the bottom of the bottle of Hefeweizen was properly roused before pouring.  That was very much appreciated.

For those keeping track, that is now 44 down and 55 to go! 

Stay tuned . . .