Beer Day

This week the beer of the week is Innis and Gunn, oak aged beer. At first taste I didn't really like this beer, my buddy and I were trying to figure out if it really tasted as good as the bottle said it should. We over analyzed the beer...then something happened. Another guy started telling a story and as we started listening to the story we just started drinking the beer.

By the time the story was done I realized that I had finished my beer...and I would say that I enjoyed it. This is my first official Beer Day "story beer". It'd be nice by a late night campfire on a cold night, or perhaps in a pub where stories are popular.

Here at Beer Day headquarters we spend a lot of time picking the beer of the week. First of all, we need to figure out that the beer fridge needs restocking. Then there is the drive into town to either the "Beer Store" or the "Liquor Store". Once we arrive, then we need to select the beer of the week candidate. This week it was Old Speckled hen.

I chose OSH or Old Specked Hen because of the colour of the beer. It had a really nice red hue to it and I thought it would make a nice change from the lighter fare that I'd been reviewing lately. Old Speckled didn't disappoint in that department.

Beer Review Hint #1
Do not have 8 beers before going into your review of a heavy beer.

Unfortunately by the time I got around to my Old Speckled Hen I had already eaten a big meal and had a bunch of MGD (Miller Genuine Draft). It took me about 2 hours to get through my 500ml bottle of Old Specked goodness. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the beer, but clearly it is not and end of the night beer...at least not for me.

Beer Review Hint#2
Here's where I use big words in my review like "taste" and "good" and "like"

Old Specked Hen tasted to me a little like Boddingtons (remember I was 3 sheets to the wind by the time I got around to sampling it). So, I liked it...it tasted good.

The old specked was actually last week's beer, but this weekend I'm heading up to cottage country for Canadian Thanksgiving and while I'll be drinking, I won't be writing any reviews about it. I'm going to sit by a big bon fire, drink some ice cold beer and enjoy some good company.

If you're Canadian, Happy Thanksgiving, if you're not, get back to work!

It's been a long time since I've done a beer of the week, mostly because we dropped off the face of the search engines. However, for the last day or two we have regained the top spot for "Beer Day" and it's time to celebrate. I will do most of my Friday night drinking this week at my buddy Craig's house. He's the guy with the beer fridge which maintains perfect temperature.

Anyway, this week's beer of the week is Moosehead. Moosehead is a Canadian beer from Canada's oldest independent brewery...Moosehad Breweries in Saint John's New Brunswick. Surpisingly, given the name, Moosehead is a nice light beer. It is not unlike a Labatts Blue or Molson Canadian, but is much better tasting (in my opinion). I don't detect any significant after-taste with my Moosehead. I could see myself drinking this beer at the cottage, on a hot summer day or at a beach-side bar....mmmm beach-side.

Well, enjoy your Friday. I'm going to finish my Moosehead and then head over to the magic beer fridge...I mean over to Craig's

If you're looking for a nice cold beer on a hot day, then Brahma may be the answer. I liked this beer better than Corona. Some that I've talked to have mentioned that they thought Brahma was slightly creamy...hmmm. I didn't notice that, but I did notice that it was light and refreshing and came in a cool curvy bottle. If you've ever seen a Brahma beer commercial (if not, look elsewhere on this site) then I think you'll understand the subtle marketing to the curvy bottle

There are a lot of Guinness mixes out there. My Chef friend Erik introduced me to one this weekend. I think he just called in 1/2 and 1/2, but I can't remember. What I do remember was that it tasted great. Occasionally I like a Guinness, usually during the fall or winter, but not in the summer on a hot day. Mixing the Guiness with Hoegarrden was a refreshing change. The Hoegaarten has a slight citrus flavour and played nicely with the Guinness.

The drink was layered with the Hoegarrten on the bottom half and the Guinness poured over a spoon, much like you would with a layered shooter.


1/2 and 1/2 Guiness recipe

1/2 Guinness 1/2 Hoegaarten, layered with Hoegarrten on the bottom

I wish I had taken a picture, but the one shown (made with Guinness are Harp should give you the idea).

I've been a little lax about putting up "Beer of the Week" candidates lately. Well, that's because Google in their infinite wisdom decided that I should be ranked about 500 places lower than I've been for the last 6 months...grrr. Anyway, nothing brightens the spirits more than trying out a new beer. This week that beer is Keith's Red Amber:

I tried Keith's Red Amber at a local eatery (The Market Hill Cafe) earlier this week. It was smooth and flavourful. A nice beer to have with a meal, or afterwards. I didn't try a second Red Amber, so I'll need to indulge a little more to decide if it's a "poker night" beer, a "camping " beer or a couple at the pub beer. I'm thinking pub.

That's it for today, remember; try a different beer every week, you never know what you'll find.

This isn't a funny commercial. This isn't a beer commercial. This isn't a beer of the week review.

This is a video by the "Red Elvises". Their music is the core of the Six String Samurai movie soundtrack.

Well, let me tell you, I was told that there was cold pizza in the fridge. So, I go downstairs, grab a Corona and get ready to enjoy some left over pizza with an ice cold Corona.

That's right, you guessed it...there is no pizza in the fridge. So, I'm left drinking this ice cold Corona and boy is it tasty. Corona is one of those beers which you either like or you don't. Me, I like Corona all summer long, then in the winter it reminds me of a dead skunk. Today is a Corona day for sure. Light, tasty, refreshing and 4.6% alcohol.

Let me check the fridge again for that pizza...got it. It was right in front of me, it's bacon, green peppers and mushrooms. Yes, I was right, the Corona and pizza really taste great together.

This funny beer commercial has the Rolling Rock Beer Ape saving the day.

I'm not going to call this a beer of the week review, or even a review. I just want to mention that I went to a restaurant last night and enjoyed a nice cold Stella Artois. This Stella was on tap, not from a bottle. It was served in a big Stella Artois glass and was uber frosty!

My mother always told me "if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing". With that in mind, I'll keep this review short and sweet.

I tried Warsteiner with two drinking buddies of mine. Combined we have over 75 years of beer drinking experience. Warsteiner rated two thumbs down and a "it's not that bad". I'm sure that there are plenty of people out there who enjoy Warsteiner, just not us.

This week's beer of the week is a new one to me, Zubr. It has a green and gold label with a buffalo on the front. Here's the description on the label:

Brewed for over 200 years on the edge of the Bialowieza Forest in Poland, our golden beer is made from only natural ingredients and the purest water. The kno-how and expertise of our brewmasters ensure uncompromising quality with the rich and full taste of real beer.

It's worth noting that my Zubr came in a 500ml bottle and had 5.8% alc/vol.

There is a slight aroma to the beer, comforting and not offensive. My first taste was surprising, for a beer which is 5.8% alcohol, it is remarkable light in flavour. Ahhh, the second taste (a slightly larger gulp brings a slight but pleasant aftertaste. Sip #3 tells me that this is a high quality beer. One that I could drink a couple of without trouble.

Off I go to find a picture...hey, my extensive research (looking for a picture) tells me that Zubr means Bison (aka Buffalo)...cool.

Well, I must say that I might need to change the "Beer of the Week" to be some sort of more frequent title...either that, or slow down my consumption.

Today I tried a Rickards Pale. This comes to us from Molson Breweries and is a nice smooth easy drinking "Pale" beer. I really enjoyed this beer, it reminds me a bit of the Sleeman Clear I had last week. I'll put this in my "buy it again" category.

Note: I have no idea if they sell Rickards Pale in a bottle...I had my Draught style.

Wow, an old beer commercial featuring Mr Magoo...who would have thought that he'd be pushing Stag Beer?