A Few Surprises

The good and the bad thing about working my way through the 99 bottles on the Beer Club list at Celebration Town Tavern is that you have to (of course) drink all of them.  What I mean by that is there are some beers on the list that I likely would never have ordered on my own under any set of circumstances.  Though I do my best to try all the beers that I can, I still have my favorites and go to brews just like everyone else.

There are beers on the list that I have had before and wouldn’t order again (because there are better options) and some others that I have never had and likely would not ever bother with.  Having to try them all presents some surprises for me.  I get a chance to discover some possible new favorites and sometimes even change my previous opinions of a beer.  There was a bit of both on my last visit to CTT.

We settled in with some of the lunch crowd.

Since reaching out to the Twitterverse worked so well last time, I asked for some help picking numbers before I left home.  That seems as random a selection as there can be.  A big thank you to those who helped me out!

The first number that I was given had already been crossed off the list (sorry to @willspot and his 92), so we went with 38 (via @joyfc).  That choice turned out to be an Iron City Beer (still with the name though no longer brewed in Pittsburgh), which is one on the list that I probably would not have ever ordered on my own.  It was pale golden (to straw) color and had an expected clean, clear lager appearance.  There was a nice, smooth, slightly sweet flavor coming from the grains and adjuncts.

Iron City Beer in a bottle.

Iron City Beer in a glass.

Overall it was nothing great, but not at all that bad either.  I am comfortable giving it a 3.5, especially when compared to the other lagers and 3 dollar choices on the list.  Bill gave it a four as we could both see ourselves drinking this while watching a game at the bar.  I would not have any problem drinking this one along with onion rings or spicy chicken wings, or any number of fried bar-type foods.

There were two numbers given by @KegWorks, so decided to go with 63, which turned out to be Orange Blossom Pilsner.  I admit that I see it all the time, but rarely ever drink it.  It was golden in color (with some orange tones) and had a light, malty, sweet aroma.  It is super clear, but I was left with little carbonation or head after it slushed up when poured into the chilled glass.  Even with that, there was a smooth flavor profile with the sweetness and flavor of the honey clearly coming through with a slight amount of fruitiness.

Orange Blossom Pilsner

Ice with your beer anyone?

I can see where this would be a good choice for something to enjoy while barefoot in the Florida sun.  Since we were inside on a rainy day, my opinion was that this beer was as much of a 3 (or maybe slightly under) as any beer likely can be.  It has a very specific flavor and character to it, so though is pretty good I don’t know how often I would be in the mood for that flavor again.  Bill also gave it a 3; maybe in part (by both of us) because this beer was one dollar more than the Iron City that we both enjoyed as a good sports bar type beer.  With all that said, the sweetness of this one would offset something with a spicy (perhaps Cajun) character as well going along well with a strawberry shortcake-like dessert.

Leinenkugel Honey Weiss

A little closer now.

The other number from @KegWorks was 47, giving us a Leinenkugel Honey Weiss for our last beer of the afternoon.  Though it had a crisp, slightly sweet aroma, I also noticed a bit of sharpness (almost minerally) to it.  The appearance is light yellow (pilsner-like) and crystal clear.  It is very crisp, clean, and smooth with a very light honey sweetness and maybe a bit of dryness at the finish.

Remember when I mentioned sometimes changing my previous opinions?  I generally enjoy Leinenkugel products, but this one did not really do it for me.  Not really bad, just pretty nondescript and unmemorable.  The 2.5 that I gave it also had much to do with enjoying the previous two beers more than I did the Honey Weiss.  In giving it a slight edge over the Orange Blossom, Bill gave it a (3 to) 3.5.  I would say that you would have no issues pairing this with a lighter salad or mildly seasoned chicken dish as strong flavors would crush what this one brings along.

For those keeping track, that is now 8 down and 91 to go!

Stay tuned . . .