The fans and misters will be going strong assuming that the weather will be much like what it has been in recent days.  Then again, maybe there will be a nice afternoon shower to take care of some of that humidity for us.  On top of the temperature comfort provided, it is always my intent here to give some additional incentive to be there.  For those of you who have not yet joined us keep on reading, but for those of you that have been with us in the past, you can just skip down to the list you are looking for!

These are your friends

For the folks attending the Tweetup at 6:00 that evening there will, as always, be some good beer to sample.  The entire Beer Club (with its relatively recent additions) and draft list will be available as usual, but there is yet another special opportunity to sample a few beers not typically on either list at CTT.  With the awesome folks of The Brew Crew continuing to be on board for the occasions, each person coming to this Tweetup will be given a flight of four beers to sample.  After tasting all four, everyone will vote on the beer that they enjoyed the most and more specifically for the beer that they would order on their own if they were to visit again.  The winner of this vote will be added to the draft selection at Celebration Town Tavern for the month.

If any of you did not hear what beer won the vote last month and is currently occupying the “Micro of the Month” tap handle, you can check it out here so you know what we will be replacing.

Come out and enjoy the scenery

Announcing the beers that will be offered at the Tweetups that will compete for the “Micro of the Month” is always the favorite part of this announcement for me.  In June we had the first ever seasonal battle and for this month we are appropriately going with a bit of a red, white, and blue theme.

Without further delay, the four beers and styles this month will be:

• Summit Horizon Red Ale (St. Paul, MN) – American Amber Ale
• Avery White Rascal (Boulder, CO) – Witbier
• Southampton Double White Ale (Southampton, NY) – Witbier
• Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale (Longmont, CO) – American Pale Ale

Some of you might think your eyes are failing you, but the White Rascal is indeed returning for another shot at the title.  Where the first three on the list might have a more obvious relationship to the theme, the Dale’s Pale Ale works in a different way.  Any of you that know what the can that it comes in looks like will understand that it belongs as well.

Your flight will be waiting for you

Unfortunately, once again I will not be able to make the event this month so I will be anxious to hear from some of you about your impressions of the beers.  Be sure to let me know what your thoughts were.

Mark your calendars for July 7^th!

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 . . .

So the first number chosen by The Wife was number 77.  When looking at that I noticed wheat (based) ales on either side.  So using the inspiration of number 77 I decided to do a side by side of Sam Adams Coastal Wheat (number 76) and Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (number 78).  In my mind directly comparing two beers of similar style, by the same brewery, and at the same price point ($4 dollars) made perfect sense.

Brothers in wheat

The Coastal Wheat poured a golden, honey-like color, had a good frothy head, and left a laced trail.  The aroma was a bit sweet (again honey-like) with some light graininess/breadiness and some citrus.  The mouthfeel was nicely smooth with a light lemony flavor that builds on your palate the more you drink (not in a good way for me).  The lemon flavor makes the finish a bit harsh and lingering especially after it warms some.

The Cherry Wheat was a golden to amber color, having a thick, off-white head that left a good trail.  There was a prominent cherry sweetness in the aroma.  The flavor had light sweetness up front following with some pretty strong notes of cherry then closing with a bit of dryness/astringency at the finish.

Colors and aromas given them away.

I did not exactly care for the either of the two and my reasons were similar.  The lemon flavor in the Coastal Wheat builds on my palate in a way where it starts to morph into an almost Lysol-like flavor (or what I would imagine it to taste like).  When it is quite cold that stays in check, but the second half of the glass is never ice cold.  The Cherry Wheat simply has too much cherry flavor for my liking.  Of course I realize that it is a fruit beer, but as much cherry as it has it starts to remind me of cough syrup taken as a child.  In the end neither are bad beers, but I would not order either again so I gave them matching grades of 2.5 with Coastal Wheat having a very slight edge.  Bill’s opinion was only slightly different, giving the Coastal Wheat a 2.5 and the Cherry Wheat a 2.  Either beer would be fine accompanying a salad (without a really pungent dressing).  Aside from that I think the Coastal Wheat could work when paired with a light chicken dish and the Cherry Wheat might be nice with desserts incorporating berries or chocolate.

Using the given number 91 we made a big jump in style to the only porter currently on the list.  I had actually already crossed off 91, but the newly added beers jumbled the numbers and it was again something I had yet to drink.  It did not take long for me to take the Smuttynose Robust Porter now at that number and cross off number 16 (Budweiser) in its place.  Sorry to those of you waiting for the Bud review!

In my porter excitment I overpoured!

The Smuttynose poured an extremely dark brown (essentially black) and had a thick, light brown head that held well with a nice laced trail.  The aroma was nose filling with deep roasted malt and lightly smoky notes.  The body was medium (to full) and the mouthfeel was very smooth with deep roasted flavors up front, following with some roasted bitterness and a bit of coffee character with a slightly dry finish.

A closer look at my mess.

This is a really full flavored beer and I think a good value at the $5 price.  We both really enjoyed it with Bill giving a grade of 4 and me hovering somewhere between 4 and (more likely) a 4.5.  Either way this is a very solid beer.  Though I don’t always immediately think of a food pairing while I drink beer, I almost instantly wrote down “BBQ” in big letters.  At the very least this one would be great with red meat, though preferably something that had a bit of smoke put to it.

To close the day we went off the list of provided numbers and revisited number 1.  It was (I believe) the very first beer that I crossed of the list, but it had a new occupant with the addition of the new beers.  Having caught my eye, I went ahead and chose number 1 and a 400 Pound Monkey while crossing off number 19 and a Corona Light.  Again it was a very good switch for me.

Beware of large animals!

It poured a medium coppery amber color with a slight white head.  The aroma was lightly sweet and had a bit of an earthy nose, blowing its cover as an English IPA.  The flavor had a good, light caramelly malt background with some low hoppy bitterness and a peaty/earthy character.  The flavor and mouthfeel had a bit of a bready quality, being smooth with a slightly chewy wheat-like character.  The finish was very slightly dry with a bit of lingering.

Behind the glare is some nice artwork.

This was the biggest gap in our grading for the day as Bill gave it a solid 4 and I landed on a 3.  Not a bad beer at all and I could be convinced of a higher grade, but I think my palate tends to lean towards the flavors of American IPAs rather than their European cousins.  Regardless, I think this one would pair nicely with most any sandwich with the malt profile playing nicely against the bread and the carbonation and bitterness working well with the meat.  Roasted meats would not be a bad way to go either.

As has become my habit, I will end with a few closing remarks.  First, a big thank you goes to The Wife for picking the numbers that led us in the direction of some good beers and a few new to me.  Second (and I suppose lastly), thanks to Rich for again hanging out with us and indulging our usual discussions of beer and sports.

For those keeping track, that is now 41 down and 58 to go! 

Stay tuned . . .

The misters are your friends

One of the contenders had to be pulled from the competition at the last minute, so Dogfish’s Festina Peche was replaced with Blue Moon’s Honey Moon Summer Ale.  Quickly moving past my opinion that it does not qualify as a craft beer to be included in this month’s vote, the final roll call for the event was:

• Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager (Chico, CA) – Czech Pilsener
• Sam Adams Summer Ale (Boston, MA) – American Pale Wheat Ale
• Brooklyn Summer Ale (Brooklyn, NY) – English Pale Ale
• Honey Moon Summer Ale (Golden, CO) – American Pale Wheat Ale

A view of the contenders

 After taking in the aromas and flavors of each, my short notes went something like this: 

• Sierra Nevada Summerfest – Not much overall aroma (clean) and a pretty bitter/hoppy pilsner flavor.  Quite refreshing though.
• Sam Adams Summer Ale – Lightly sweet and citrusy aroma.  Wheat is obvious in the body with some spice and fairly strong notes of lemon.
• Brooklyn Summer Ale – Some resiny/floral hop notes and breadiness in the aroma.  Flavors are smooth with some nice earthy hop flavors and good malt undertones.
• Honey Moon Summer Ale – Lightly sweet aroma with smooth sweetness and crisp carbonation on the palate.  The honey does come through in the flavor.

So after that are there any predictions as to what my vote and final order of the four was?  No need to build suspense, so without further delay my vote was: 

1. Brooklyn Summer Ale – most well balanced flavors of the four.
2. Sierra Nevada Summerfest – bitterness became thirst quenching
3. Sam Adams Summer Ale – lemon flavor was too much for me
4. Honey Moon Summer Ale – just not much of anything there for flavor

The interesting thing for me with this vote was that had I put them in order after my first taste of each, it would have been the exact opposite of what it turned out to be.  As the beers warmed some, the hop characters of the Brooklyn opened up and smoothed out nicely whereas the lack of substance in the Honey Moon became more obvious when not ice cold. 

Remember which was which?

As always though, I am only one vote among the many that attend the monthly Tweetups at CTT.  After all of the votes were tallied it was a very close race between two of them.  Drum roll, please.  The winner and new resident of the “Micro of the Month” tap handle is Brooklyn Summer Ale!  It narrowly beat out Honey Moon Summer Ale to win the battle of the summer seasonals. 

Be sure to stay tuned to find out what the lineup of beers will be for the Tweetup  next month looking to take Brooklyn Summer Ale’s spot!

Before moving along I must remind you all that the next Tweetup at Celebration Town Tavern is one week from today.  Check out the beers that will be up for “Micro of the Month” election this time and I will see you there! 

Though it was a bit hot that day, Bill and I settled in at the outside bar with Rich and the misting fans.  Being in the shade with the misters and having a bit of a breeze made for a comfortable beer drinking environment.  

Wanting to start the afternoon with something different, we split a Schaefer (number 85 via @GRPasswater).  It was certainly a new beer for me as I don’t remember even being in the same room as a can of it before.  However, I was a bit hesitant to drink it after Rich wouldn’t look directly at the can as he placed it in front of us as if it was his kryptonite.  It poured a pale yellow color with a bit of sharpness and light graininess in the aroma.  Though there was a slight sharpness at the finish, there was not much in the way of flavor overall.  The good thing is that there were no harsh or off putting flavors either. 

Something new for me.

This beer (as is the case with all of this style) is best very cold, though it does not go downhill much as it warms.  Since I would drink this one (at $3) over say a Heineken or a Bud, I settled on a 2.5 for a final grade, as did Bill (though I may have talked him into that).  I said at the time that it would make for good beer pong fodder and I think that is a pretty accurate description.  Since it is very light and crisp I would say this can pair with your typical fried or spicy bar food like onion rings or chicken wings.  With that said, if I were to pair a beer with food I would go for something that brought some more flavor of its own to the table. 

Claim to fame?

Since we had a few pale ales among the numbers to choose from we decided to do a side by side comparison for our next beers.  The competitors would be a Lagunitas Pale Ale (via number 44 from my new favorite running back) and a Sam Adams Pale Ale (via number 83 from @word_czar).  Since the numbers shifted a bit with the newly added beers I actually crossed off number 51 (Michelob Ultra) for the Lagunitas, which seemed like a good trade for me.  The Lagunitas Pale Ale is a $5 beer and the Sam Adams a $4, so that was something to consider as we evaluated them. 

The two beers poured an almost identical golden color with maybe a hint of orange.  That is pretty much where the similarities ended.  In taking in the (hop) aromas of each it became apparent that we had an American Pale Ale in one hand (Lagunitas) and an English Pale Ale in the other (Sam Adams).

The contenders at the weigh in.

The Lagunitas had a very bold, bright citrusy, slightly floral hop aroma with a light sweetness in back.  The flavor led with a big hoppy (somewhat resinous) bite up front that fades to a pretty dry finish with a good amount of bitterness still present.  It did seem very IPA-like, though it did not bring much in the way of malt character to balance out the equation. 

The aroma of the Sam Adams was a bit flat and earthy with a faint malty sweetness underneath.  The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy and it has an even malty flavor that leads into some bitterness toward the finish.  Though it does not bring a ton of flavor to the table (especially when compared to the Lagunitas), is does have a nice balance of components. 

The grades for the two were very close, but for completely different reasons.  You really have to be in the mood for some big, hoppy bite if you go with the Lagunitas (though the edge come off a bit as it warms) and the Sam Adams is the more drinkable option of the two.  With that Bill gave the Lagunitas a 3 and the Sam Adams a 3.5.  Though there are better options on the list, I would drink them both again and gave them both a 3.  If necessary I would give the Sam Adams the edge (toward a 3.5) since I could have a few without ravaging my palate.  In pairing food with the two, I would go with the spicier foods for the Lagunitas and probably couple the Sam Adams with some nicely grilled meat (steak or pork). 

Also had dueling head retention.

Last up was a Hercules Double IPA (number 33) via @willspot.  This was a beer that was saved specifically to close an afternoon/evening visit with.  With the big flavors and 10% ABV, this one would have been hard to follow with anything else.  It poured a deep coppery amber color and I could actually smell some of the aroma at arm’s length as I poured it into the glass.  The aroma was (surprisingly) malty overall without much in the way of hoppy characters.  It was a bit sweet and caramelly with what seemed to be a slightly smoky note in back.  The hop bitterness is even from start to finish, but it is well supported by a nice (somewhat toasty) malty background.  There are good flavors throughout with notes of sweetness and nuttiness and a slightly roasted characteristic.

A fine way to wrap up the day.

This is another one of those beers that is great if you have time to sit down with just one.  The edges of the bitterness calm some as it warms and you get a different range of flavors as you sit with it.  The high ABV is also well balanced in without it becoming too apparent.  After all of that it should not be too much of a surprise that Bill and I both gave it a 4.5.  I originally wrote down a 4, but I did like it better than the Sam Adams Double Bock, so I bumped it up.  Either way it is a good one.  I would tend to drink it without food, but the caramelly notes would be nice with red meat and overall I think it would be interesting with some good, pungent cheeses. 

I have a thought to go with my closing remarks for this post.  First, a big thank you goes to Rich for hanging out and talking beer with us at the outside bar.  Also, I must again thank the Twitter folks for helping me choose the good brews.  Now for my thought.  What is it going to take for me to give a beer a 5?  I wish I knew.  That is (obviously) a perfect score in this system and is there such a thing as a perfect beer?  I would hate to give a 5 to one and then have another that I enjoy more.  Maybe I will have to go back after all is done and choose my favorite of the bunch as the lone 5.  We shall see. 

For those keeping track, that is now 37 down and 62 to go!  

Stay tuned . . .