The Texas Monthly is sitting next to me. It is the issue with the "Best and Worst Legislators 2015" article. I'm curious and will read it, but legislative sessions, as a whole, depress me. The Texas Legislature is still hamstrung even 150 years after then end of the Civil War in that it can only meet for about five months every two years. To ENCOURAGE citizen legislators, the pay is low, and to meet only periodically so that real citizens come to the table to make laws for the state. What is DISCOURAGING about the process is that these are professional politicians for the most part, especially in statewide offices, and they spend time when the legislature isn't in session posturing, pontificating, and building the agenda for the next session.
The two largest expenditures in the state budget are health and education, and yet few, if any, come from these fields (health overtook education recently I believe, but I'd have to look up the budget and compare the two from what was actually passed and I don't want to look at those numbers). That's also DISCOURAGING because then testimony and requests are what generate information for them, but it's my opinion that they rarely review the information provided and that job one in testimony is to make the one who holds their opinion look good and to eviscerate the one who holds an opinion contrary to them (I've watched it happen, they are masters at it). Finally, when all said and done, these citizen legislators who are paid little will receive a retirement after 10 years at the level of a state district judge (one a system that is based on years of service, average salary, etc). How did that happen? I asked when I first learned that, to which my informant called me a dumbass and said, "They passed a bill to make it happen dumbass."
So, when I see a list purporting to claim who was BEST and WORST I'm inclined to think they are all bad personally. They don't start out that way (most of them don't), but the system encourages them to forget from whence they came. Nice offices and a few butt kissing tours from your voters asking you to consider this and that and soon you are part of the system. If you are bitten by a snake and act surprised, the common sense response is, "You knew it was a snake." Logically, if a politician disappoints you, you have to make a similar observation, "You knew he or she was a snake." Anyway, what's this have to do with beer?
Personally, I'd rather see magazines devoting their pages to meaningful things, like craft beer. That, I can understand, and that, I can appreciate. If a beer is good, it is because it met your expectations on the taste spectrum. If a beer is bad, it isn't because the beer was ugly or deceitful (well, the major manufacturers may be an exception to that), it just didn't satisfy your expectations. See, these guys and gals come and go, make promises and then lie to you telling you how they were out for you, the little guy (who made millions in their respective industries of oil/gas/law/insurance/telecommunications) while the real little guy benefitted little from anything they did of consequence. Not beer, beer doesn't lie. It doesn't lead you with deception. In fact, at the end of the day, if you can actually have a beer with someone, it helps you in the relationship side of whatever you are engaging in.
Sierra Nevada Brewing has a beer for the summer called Summer Fest and St. Arnold's Brewery has one for the summer called Summer Pils. These two beers are classic and straightforward pilsners with a full-bodied tastes but light (in terms of hops and color, not calories). Unlike the other beers we've looked at this summer, these are pilsners in the classic sense and not flavored by fruit, spice or some other flavoring. In fact, upon have a couple recently from both, I'd have a hard time distinguishing between the two. Pilsners, by tradition, are lagers (cold storage, longer fermentation time than ales), and are historically named from a town (Pils I believe) in the Czech Republic. Both sites insist that their beers are best served cold, like revenge.
That takes us back to politics, a business of vengeance. I'd personally recommend taking a couple of these and going into the back yard in the evening and forgetting about such non-sense as politics for awhile. Neither, if this is your kind of beer, will disappoint you.
Enjoy.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
The World Has Lost Its Mind...
Again. No student of history, or historian, looks at the present and anguishes, but merely compares. Go ahead, get it off your chest, these time are the worst ever, and perhaps attribute all this as signs of the impending apocalypse. Somewhere out there lurks the anti-Christ, destined to start whichever version of end times you use.
I prefer the one where the world just ends, and a new world is created. It fits within my belief system. If God gave me another 1000 years to clean my act up after the life I've led after 55 years, I'd just say, "Okay, starting in year 990 I will atone." This fits with how we achieve goals. "How much longer do I have?" So, I'm not inclined to read apocalyptic scripture the same way some do who come up with the 1000 year analysis (millennialism I believe).
As a student of history, I'm more inclined to think that we have managed to come back to a point much like the 1960s where there was chaos in our culture. Norms were being redefined, roles were being challenged. Toss in the early 1970s where the Arab states flexed their political muscle, and I think we have a similar point in our history. Yet absent in that era which we have now was one ingredient that gets us through such turmoil - the craft brew market.
We were just 40 years past the lifting of Prohibition and so there were only a few beer makers around with the accumulated wealth to start back up and produce and distribute beer. They dominated that era, and when you went to the store, your choices were Schlitz, Miller or Budweiser. We didn't even have the concept of lite beer yet and Coors was still a craft beer created in Colorado. Today, there is a myriad of beer choices to help you pull through the crises that we experience.
In the summer, we get some of the lighter varieties of beer that have a fruit added, namely the lemon, which creates a very good effect. Sam Adams Summer Ale, Leinenkugal's Summer Shandy, and Shock Top Lemon Shandy all hale an element of the lemon, or a derivative (lemonade). These are beers fit for summer with that taste, and these are ales that have not created a bitter aftertaste or a taste that can start to become bitter while enjoying perhaps a six-pack. They are my personal favorite of all seasonals with the lemon, but for beer drinkers looking for darkness or the bitterness of hops, these will not set well with you.
Just the other day, as I was listening to the news of the day, I went to the refrigerator and opened a Summer Shandy. Within minutes I completely forgot whatever the news was that upset me and found myself relaxing in the back yard with this in my hand. On Father's Day, I put some in the cooler along with my own concoctions (witbier with orange) and was able to put current events well out of mind and enjoy my family.
I highly recommend these as a change of pace and a way to enjoy a hot summer day. If you find the news bothering you, turn it off. Better, take a vacation from it, perhaps the entire summer. With that, a backyard smoker calls as I prepare the fatted calf for some friends for tomorrow, and yes, while out there, I will have some summer ales.
Enjoy and remember this simple truth, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Nothing is more noble than a fine ale and that IS the truth.
I prefer the one where the world just ends, and a new world is created. It fits within my belief system. If God gave me another 1000 years to clean my act up after the life I've led after 55 years, I'd just say, "Okay, starting in year 990 I will atone." This fits with how we achieve goals. "How much longer do I have?" So, I'm not inclined to read apocalyptic scripture the same way some do who come up with the 1000 year analysis (millennialism I believe).
As a student of history, I'm more inclined to think that we have managed to come back to a point much like the 1960s where there was chaos in our culture. Norms were being redefined, roles were being challenged. Toss in the early 1970s where the Arab states flexed their political muscle, and I think we have a similar point in our history. Yet absent in that era which we have now was one ingredient that gets us through such turmoil - the craft brew market.
We were just 40 years past the lifting of Prohibition and so there were only a few beer makers around with the accumulated wealth to start back up and produce and distribute beer. They dominated that era, and when you went to the store, your choices were Schlitz, Miller or Budweiser. We didn't even have the concept of lite beer yet and Coors was still a craft beer created in Colorado. Today, there is a myriad of beer choices to help you pull through the crises that we experience.
In the summer, we get some of the lighter varieties of beer that have a fruit added, namely the lemon, which creates a very good effect. Sam Adams Summer Ale, Leinenkugal's Summer Shandy, and Shock Top Lemon Shandy all hale an element of the lemon, or a derivative (lemonade). These are beers fit for summer with that taste, and these are ales that have not created a bitter aftertaste or a taste that can start to become bitter while enjoying perhaps a six-pack. They are my personal favorite of all seasonals with the lemon, but for beer drinkers looking for darkness or the bitterness of hops, these will not set well with you.
Just the other day, as I was listening to the news of the day, I went to the refrigerator and opened a Summer Shandy. Within minutes I completely forgot whatever the news was that upset me and found myself relaxing in the back yard with this in my hand. On Father's Day, I put some in the cooler along with my own concoctions (witbier with orange) and was able to put current events well out of mind and enjoy my family.
I highly recommend these as a change of pace and a way to enjoy a hot summer day. If you find the news bothering you, turn it off. Better, take a vacation from it, perhaps the entire summer. With that, a backyard smoker calls as I prepare the fatted calf for some friends for tomorrow, and yes, while out there, I will have some summer ales.
Enjoy and remember this simple truth, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Nothing is more noble than a fine ale and that IS the truth.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Life Got Busy, But I Remain Faithful
The beer quest can be an expensive hobby, and with my funds limited as they are, I decided to seek employment in the world of groceries. My part-time job has paid well, but with it being summer, production at the Baldner Brewery has ground to a halt with work, travel, and hobbies.
Speaking of hobbies, the Mrs. and I went to Houston to pick up two genuine seats from the Astrodome (circa 1965 - 1999). The trip was quick, the Astros were not in town, and so we visited a few areas, ate, and sampled local beers at a pub in Kemah. Kemah sits along the bay and not along the Gulf, and yet it has developed a brand of its own which includes small art markets, seafood places, and pubs and such (marinas, boat sales, and such). I wrote the names of none of the beers I tried down for reasons I will explain later, but there is a growing industry of small craft beer makers along the coast in that area.
With the seats now in the house, we have dedicated ourselves to watching baseball in the cave (it's a catch-all cave, not just a man-cave), drinking refreshingly cold beer and pretending we are back in the Astrodome watching the Astros who, for the most part, are playing much more competitively than in the recent past. So, along with baseball, summer is about beer, and the beer changes dramatically in the summer.
It is said if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The moron who created the quote was probably overcoming some issue and the self-help book he or she was in made a quip that created that image in his or her mind. Then they went around giving their self-help lectures and used their quick-witted quippy quote to cheer up the downtrodden they were speaking to. Non-sense. If life gives you lemons, make lemon flavored beer and shut up and quit your whining.
Lemon is the citrus of choice in the summer. My own beer for the summer was a "witbier," or white beer. One you commonly drink is Blue Moon which is the exception to the rule with orange as the mainstay of its taste. The witbier I made uses orange peels in its recipe, but that has been the exception. Almost every other beer on the market is a lemon or lemonade added beer. As a general rule, I usually think real men, or real beer drinkers, play a hand that shows they aren't when they put fruit in their beer (or drinks in general). In this case, I have created an exception to the rule called Summer Rules for Consuming an Ale.
So, the next two weeks, Average Guy will feature about four prominent summer ales - two summer pils and two lemon flavored beers. This is added to the previous review of the Sam Adams Summer Ale which features... lemons.
If someone walks up to you and says, "If life gives you lemons, drink lemonade," belt them, and as they fall to the ground, comfort them with a summer ale or pilsner and tell them you are bored with clichés used as psychobabble. Promptly apologize, tell them you are just an average guy and don't need such BS in your life, and quickly leave.
More later, but just writing this made me thirsty.
Speaking of hobbies, the Mrs. and I went to Houston to pick up two genuine seats from the Astrodome (circa 1965 - 1999). The trip was quick, the Astros were not in town, and so we visited a few areas, ate, and sampled local beers at a pub in Kemah. Kemah sits along the bay and not along the Gulf, and yet it has developed a brand of its own which includes small art markets, seafood places, and pubs and such (marinas, boat sales, and such). I wrote the names of none of the beers I tried down for reasons I will explain later, but there is a growing industry of small craft beer makers along the coast in that area.
With the seats now in the house, we have dedicated ourselves to watching baseball in the cave (it's a catch-all cave, not just a man-cave), drinking refreshingly cold beer and pretending we are back in the Astrodome watching the Astros who, for the most part, are playing much more competitively than in the recent past. So, along with baseball, summer is about beer, and the beer changes dramatically in the summer.
It is said if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The moron who created the quote was probably overcoming some issue and the self-help book he or she was in made a quip that created that image in his or her mind. Then they went around giving their self-help lectures and used their quick-witted quippy quote to cheer up the downtrodden they were speaking to. Non-sense. If life gives you lemons, make lemon flavored beer and shut up and quit your whining.
Lemon is the citrus of choice in the summer. My own beer for the summer was a "witbier," or white beer. One you commonly drink is Blue Moon which is the exception to the rule with orange as the mainstay of its taste. The witbier I made uses orange peels in its recipe, but that has been the exception. Almost every other beer on the market is a lemon or lemonade added beer. As a general rule, I usually think real men, or real beer drinkers, play a hand that shows they aren't when they put fruit in their beer (or drinks in general). In this case, I have created an exception to the rule called Summer Rules for Consuming an Ale.
So, the next two weeks, Average Guy will feature about four prominent summer ales - two summer pils and two lemon flavored beers. This is added to the previous review of the Sam Adams Summer Ale which features... lemons.
If someone walks up to you and says, "If life gives you lemons, drink lemonade," belt them, and as they fall to the ground, comfort them with a summer ale or pilsner and tell them you are bored with clichés used as psychobabble. Promptly apologize, tell them you are just an average guy and don't need such BS in your life, and quickly leave.
More later, but just writing this made me thirsty.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Summer Beer is Near
Summer is just around the corner, and with that, we will soon be seeing a litany of summer beers from A - Z. Ahhhh, the summer. We can hardly wait for it. Vacations. Time to float rivers, go to the lakes, tube, hang glide, head to the coast, sit in the pool in the backyard, or fill a metal goat feeder from a feed store to put your feet in and pretend you are in the other locations.
First, since there is a large quantity of summer ales from which to choose, Average Guy is committed, dedicated, and sworn to you, the loyal reader and beer enthusiast to leave no stone unturned, no trail not traveled, nor allow a lead to not be exhausted, to find and sample and report back to you of the sensory experience provided by a refreshing ale in the summer. It is as though God, during creation, said that there needed to be seasons: one to let you know summer was coming to an end - the fall; one to rest the weary land from its harvest - the winter; one to plant in anticipation of a bountiful harvest - the spring; and one to provide enough heat so as to enjoy a cool refreshing ale - the summer.
Yes, it all comes together in the summer - from planting to harvest for us to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Well, actually we enjoy the grains of our labors, but you get the idea via cliché.
Our first beer I first enjoyed about two summers ago in Milwaukee at the Miller Beer Pub in the Hilton in downtown. Milwaukee is a beautiful city that sits along Lake Michigan and features much of what we have learned to love in life - beer, baseball, Harley's, and all things that go along with living on a great lake (fishing, boating, and other such activities). While at the pub, I asked the young man behind the bar to give me something local, so he gave me samples of Leinenkugels (which still is a craft brewery but it was purchased by Miller probably as we were speaking).
My favorite at that tasting was the Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Leinenkugel Brewery is located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and no doubt, the effects of life in that town had an impact on this beer. The Shandy has a strong lemon taste (the ingredients state lemonade to be specific) which is perfect or a summer beer (in contrast to fall or winter beers who seem to insist on cloves in addition to cinnamon and some other fruit making it almost undrinkable). Like the people of Wisconsin, this beer has a certain amount of character to it. I will confess I violate the beer enthusiast's creed of ethics and drink my summer beers cold, not cool.
The young man at the pub knew I was staying at the hotel, and so he felt moved to share samplings of the beer and some food he thought it went well with. Consequently, after a few hours of watching baseball, talking to him, sampling beer and food, I went back to my room for my eight hour nap early.
There are more summer beers to enjoy, but this one is a particular favorite of mine. Hope you enjoy as well. Average Guy has much sampling and reporting to do this summer, so I'm taking it one at a time.
First, since there is a large quantity of summer ales from which to choose, Average Guy is committed, dedicated, and sworn to you, the loyal reader and beer enthusiast to leave no stone unturned, no trail not traveled, nor allow a lead to not be exhausted, to find and sample and report back to you of the sensory experience provided by a refreshing ale in the summer. It is as though God, during creation, said that there needed to be seasons: one to let you know summer was coming to an end - the fall; one to rest the weary land from its harvest - the winter; one to plant in anticipation of a bountiful harvest - the spring; and one to provide enough heat so as to enjoy a cool refreshing ale - the summer.
Yes, it all comes together in the summer - from planting to harvest for us to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Well, actually we enjoy the grains of our labors, but you get the idea via cliché.
Our first beer I first enjoyed about two summers ago in Milwaukee at the Miller Beer Pub in the Hilton in downtown. Milwaukee is a beautiful city that sits along Lake Michigan and features much of what we have learned to love in life - beer, baseball, Harley's, and all things that go along with living on a great lake (fishing, boating, and other such activities). While at the pub, I asked the young man behind the bar to give me something local, so he gave me samples of Leinenkugels (which still is a craft brewery but it was purchased by Miller probably as we were speaking).
My favorite at that tasting was the Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Leinenkugel Brewery is located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and no doubt, the effects of life in that town had an impact on this beer. The Shandy has a strong lemon taste (the ingredients state lemonade to be specific) which is perfect or a summer beer (in contrast to fall or winter beers who seem to insist on cloves in addition to cinnamon and some other fruit making it almost undrinkable). Like the people of Wisconsin, this beer has a certain amount of character to it. I will confess I violate the beer enthusiast's creed of ethics and drink my summer beers cold, not cool.
The young man at the pub knew I was staying at the hotel, and so he felt moved to share samplings of the beer and some food he thought it went well with. Consequently, after a few hours of watching baseball, talking to him, sampling beer and food, I went back to my room for my eight hour nap early.
There are more summer beers to enjoy, but this one is a particular favorite of mine. Hope you enjoy as well. Average Guy has much sampling and reporting to do this summer, so I'm taking it one at a time.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
National Home Brew Day, Post Script
The question isn't how did it get by us because the answer is simple, it did. Monday, May 4 marked National Homebrew Day. Now, most days that are given a status of some kind before Congress are a complete waste of time. What is an "Administrative Professional" and why did Congress need to tell me to pause, once a year, and say thank you to my secretary? There are others, and you know them in your heart. You begrudgingly go to a store (come on - you know you do, admit it) and thumb for a minute or two, probably the day before, to find that card NOT, mind you, for that special someone, but rather to not look like a boob, a heel, a loser when everyone else gathers and "friends" ask, "What did you get?" "Joe Bob bought me a fishing reel and a six pack for Mother's Day," she says at church, almost ducking her head hoping no one asks.
But this, this my friends, is a day we can call our own. Congress, probably not realizing what they did when they passed it in 1988, gave credence to the rise of the home brew movement before it was cool. Will I observe such a thing? Well, does a wild bear poop in the woods?
Naturally I spent most of the weekend honoring the day. Our own local homebrew store, Yellow House Canyon Brew Works (601 N. University) had a Big Brew Day that I attended. Fresh in my stock is a witbier (currently fermenting patiently). Bottled are two beers - a kolsch and a pale ale. And after going to the Big Brew Day at Yellow House, my commitment has ratcheted up a notch (more like four or five notches). Plans are already underway to purchase the necessary materials for a complete and full grain brew and not a partial batch as my first 10 (that means I don't buy the malts that come in concentrate form anymore, I steep the grains myself to create the sugars that eventually become the alcohol and flavor).
On Saturday, we had family over and I asked my nephew (bringing the paternal grandparents and joining our house which had his maternal grandfather) to bring a craft brew to add to my assortment, including my home brewed ales. So, from Big Brew event on Saturday to pulled pork and homebrew at night, I'd say we'd done a tremendous job acknowledging craft beer and home brews.
My nephew brought Deep Ellum IPA, brewed in South Dallas by the Deep Ellum Brewing Company. Having just brewed a pale ale, we had a homebrew next to a craft brew. The Deep Ellum IPA has similar ingredients to mine, but the hoppiness factor was much more clarified in theirs than mine (I begrudgingly tossed my third ounce of hops when I began cooling the wort instead of just at the end of the boil which gave it enough of a hops flavor for the pale ale enthusiast but left it not as hoppy for someone like me - accidentally I might add).
The pale ale, in general, was great against the salty, smoked flavor of pulled pork, so the contrast was great. I enjoyed the Deep Ellum IPA as did my nephew, so we recommend it if you can find it in a store near you. The upside to the evening was that we were with family who are friends (you know exactly what that means - everyone has family they dread coming over). The other upside is that most either don't drink beer or are "Bud" men, meaning my nephew and I had the run on the homebrew/craft brew market that night. The downside was it was the day before Sunday which of course meant that we had to limit our intake so as not to nod off the next day praising God and what not or go to church wearing sunglasses in the sanctuary.
On Monday, the actual day of National Homebrew Day, we sang Doxology in honor of God, the Father, who gave us the ingredients and know-how to create this miracle of beer. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below...." Happy Brewing!
But this, this my friends, is a day we can call our own. Congress, probably not realizing what they did when they passed it in 1988, gave credence to the rise of the home brew movement before it was cool. Will I observe such a thing? Well, does a wild bear poop in the woods?
Naturally I spent most of the weekend honoring the day. Our own local homebrew store, Yellow House Canyon Brew Works (601 N. University) had a Big Brew Day that I attended. Fresh in my stock is a witbier (currently fermenting patiently). Bottled are two beers - a kolsch and a pale ale. And after going to the Big Brew Day at Yellow House, my commitment has ratcheted up a notch (more like four or five notches). Plans are already underway to purchase the necessary materials for a complete and full grain brew and not a partial batch as my first 10 (that means I don't buy the malts that come in concentrate form anymore, I steep the grains myself to create the sugars that eventually become the alcohol and flavor).
On Saturday, we had family over and I asked my nephew (bringing the paternal grandparents and joining our house which had his maternal grandfather) to bring a craft brew to add to my assortment, including my home brewed ales. So, from Big Brew event on Saturday to pulled pork and homebrew at night, I'd say we'd done a tremendous job acknowledging craft beer and home brews.
My nephew brought Deep Ellum IPA, brewed in South Dallas by the Deep Ellum Brewing Company. Having just brewed a pale ale, we had a homebrew next to a craft brew. The Deep Ellum IPA has similar ingredients to mine, but the hoppiness factor was much more clarified in theirs than mine (I begrudgingly tossed my third ounce of hops when I began cooling the wort instead of just at the end of the boil which gave it enough of a hops flavor for the pale ale enthusiast but left it not as hoppy for someone like me - accidentally I might add).
The pale ale, in general, was great against the salty, smoked flavor of pulled pork, so the contrast was great. I enjoyed the Deep Ellum IPA as did my nephew, so we recommend it if you can find it in a store near you. The upside to the evening was that we were with family who are friends (you know exactly what that means - everyone has family they dread coming over). The other upside is that most either don't drink beer or are "Bud" men, meaning my nephew and I had the run on the homebrew/craft brew market that night. The downside was it was the day before Sunday which of course meant that we had to limit our intake so as not to nod off the next day praising God and what not or go to church wearing sunglasses in the sanctuary.
On Monday, the actual day of National Homebrew Day, we sang Doxology in honor of God, the Father, who gave us the ingredients and know-how to create this miracle of beer. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below...." Happy Brewing!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Pursuit of Hoppiness
Thomas Jefferson, keeping in line with his political ideals defined before his day by John Locke, wrote of natural rights. Natural rights for mankind was a fairly radical notion given that the monarch in Britain defined his or her power and authority from "divine right." God ordained it. In writing the "Declaration of Independence," Jefferson had the audacity to say that all of mankind held rights "endowed by their creator," those being "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." These rights were "unalienable," meaning the crown nor any form of government could not stand in their way.
The Average Guy takes rights such as these seriously to the point that if I were sitting at Jefferson's side at that point in history, I'd say, "Hey Tommy, consider this to the old list, 'the pursuit of hoppiness.'"* Thomas, it is worth pointing out, was a wine person and credited with the creation of American wines by grafting wine branches from France and taking them to Monticello. So it is logical then that he would have gladly taken craft beer as a worthy pursuit.
Hops were substituted as a key ingredient in beer by the Germans about 500 years ago.... so says Bill Hardy, master brewer and grand proprietor of the Yellow House Canyon Brew Supply store in Lubbock. As he notes, it took the place of some rather unseemly ingredients, and as the Germans hold the ingredients into what can define a beverage as a "beer," hops have become that main ingredient. Hops give it the "bitterness" factor and, as some claim, the mellowing factor of a beer (it's not just the alcohol).
Pale ales are beers dedicated to hops. The IPA, the current rage, is an especially hoppy beer that measures high on the hops' richter scale, called the IBU. Pale ales in general have a high hope factor. Two that Average Guy has tried recently are Shiner's Wild Hare Pale Ale and Mirror Pond Pale Ale.
Shiner is so proud of its Wild Hare that it has a website dedicated strictly to it. Not a fan of overly hopped beers myself, I did enjoy the Wild Hare as it toned down the hoppy tradition of a pale ale as you can see in the specifications of its beer. Mirror Pond has a distinguished hoppy flavor beyond my taste buds, but I think the fan of a pale ale and its hops will enjoy it. Shiner calls its pale ale a "classic American pale ale" while Mirror Pond, brewed in Idaho at the Deschutes Brewery, refers to itself as a classic northwest pale ale.
Neither come close to the rabid hops of an IPA which I tend to avoid, but I will give in eventually in order to provide you with wise words of counsel when it comes to beers.
Try either of these two beers if they are available. Remember, it is a God-given right when it comes to the "pursuit of hoppiness" in 'Merica, by gawd.
*Editor's note - It is worth pointing out that Pursuit of Hoppiness is a beer brewed by the Grand Teton Brewery in Victor, Idaho which I learned as I was typing this. This is meant as an acknowledgement of their trademark and not a review of their beer.
The Average Guy takes rights such as these seriously to the point that if I were sitting at Jefferson's side at that point in history, I'd say, "Hey Tommy, consider this to the old list, 'the pursuit of hoppiness.'"* Thomas, it is worth pointing out, was a wine person and credited with the creation of American wines by grafting wine branches from France and taking them to Monticello. So it is logical then that he would have gladly taken craft beer as a worthy pursuit.
Hops were substituted as a key ingredient in beer by the Germans about 500 years ago.... so says Bill Hardy, master brewer and grand proprietor of the Yellow House Canyon Brew Supply store in Lubbock. As he notes, it took the place of some rather unseemly ingredients, and as the Germans hold the ingredients into what can define a beverage as a "beer," hops have become that main ingredient. Hops give it the "bitterness" factor and, as some claim, the mellowing factor of a beer (it's not just the alcohol).
Pale ales are beers dedicated to hops. The IPA, the current rage, is an especially hoppy beer that measures high on the hops' richter scale, called the IBU. Pale ales in general have a high hope factor. Two that Average Guy has tried recently are Shiner's Wild Hare Pale Ale and Mirror Pond Pale Ale.
Shiner is so proud of its Wild Hare that it has a website dedicated strictly to it. Not a fan of overly hopped beers myself, I did enjoy the Wild Hare as it toned down the hoppy tradition of a pale ale as you can see in the specifications of its beer. Mirror Pond has a distinguished hoppy flavor beyond my taste buds, but I think the fan of a pale ale and its hops will enjoy it. Shiner calls its pale ale a "classic American pale ale" while Mirror Pond, brewed in Idaho at the Deschutes Brewery, refers to itself as a classic northwest pale ale.
Neither come close to the rabid hops of an IPA which I tend to avoid, but I will give in eventually in order to provide you with wise words of counsel when it comes to beers.
Try either of these two beers if they are available. Remember, it is a God-given right when it comes to the "pursuit of hoppiness" in 'Merica, by gawd.
*Editor's note - It is worth pointing out that Pursuit of Hoppiness is a beer brewed by the Grand Teton Brewery in Victor, Idaho which I learned as I was typing this. This is meant as an acknowledgement of their trademark and not a review of their beer.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Spring Brake
Spring is in the air here in the South Plains of West Texas, and as such, God (or nature, or Vishnu, or whomever else you the reader hold in esteem) has put a brake on the weather of Artic nature. I am convinced that this was the time of year that settlers in their horse-drawn wagons came to the area and said to themselves, "Beautiful, this is God's country. Let's make our homes here," not realizing God would then release the brakes around mid-April and give us a solid month or two of hurricane force winds. He had them fooled, and as more advanced and high-minded folk, He (or she, or it, or whatever gender/non-gender you assign him or her) has us fooled as well.
We took advantage of the break last week, appropriately named "Spring Break," and our family came together on several occasions to observe the rituals of the cold snap lifting, the geese beginning their long migration north, the whir of lawnmowers starting up, and other familiar sounds of the thaw.
Each Texan is granted a God-given right, ordained by God himself (Leviticus 7), to offer meat for sacrifice via burnt offering and then partake in that offering afterward. Consequently, every Texan worth his or her weight in salt has a smoker of equal or greater proportions to a small house in which to smoke and consume meat in all categories - beef, poultry, pork, fowl, fish, assorted vegetables such as corn on the cob, onions, and creative dishes known or unknown to the end user of the product such as various forms of road kill and other such desired plates.
The days, now the same length as they were before but categorized as saving daylight (please explain that to me logically), gave ample time to smoke an abundance of meat over the break. The beauty of a finely smoked piece of meat (piece weighing less than a ton but over five pounds) is that the time and duration of the smoke is equal to the merriment that surrounds the day. In all, we spent about five days in and around three different cookers - a new gas grill, a smoker, and then a friend's smoker - enjoying such things as steak, chicken, brisket, pork spare ribs, and pulled pork.
Average Guy cannot underscore the importance, then, of how to fill the time while the meat is on the smoker/grill - dominoes, cards, chatting around the table, cigars, wine, and of course the staple to any diet with such things as smoked meat - beer. Now, high-minded educated types (not Average Guy) have a table of foods that mix properly (etiquette) and worthily (taste) with beverages - wines and beers. Rogue Ales (I'm now a citizen of Rogue Nation by the way - even have my freshly minted ID card) even is kind enough to use a legend and figures on the side of each beer telling you what this blends well with. I do enjoy a lighter beer during the smoke, perhaps even a mass-produced kind that is light bodied and not leaning too much on flavor, maybe even best served cold. However, in the event a cigar is lit while the meat is smoking, a lager becomes the choice (although lagers are not light-colored beers alone). With it being Spring Break, a St. Arnold's Spring Bock (seasonal) became that beer of choice. Bock, as was mentioned earlier, means "ram" in German (see Shiner Bock). This is a full, rich dark-bodied beer that flows smoothly and is pleasing in many ways.
With my son back at college, my daughter back on full schedule, my wife back teaching in the classroom (supporting my lazy self), I hope to begin a more consistent review of brew for you. May I recommend, though, the finer things in life like a good day, nice weather, the aroma of smokes in the air (wood of choice, meat, and cigar), and all the other things in life that make it good.
Until next time, I am just the Average Guy seeking the perfect beer one beer at a time for you.
We took advantage of the break last week, appropriately named "Spring Break," and our family came together on several occasions to observe the rituals of the cold snap lifting, the geese beginning their long migration north, the whir of lawnmowers starting up, and other familiar sounds of the thaw.
Each Texan is granted a God-given right, ordained by God himself (Leviticus 7), to offer meat for sacrifice via burnt offering and then partake in that offering afterward. Consequently, every Texan worth his or her weight in salt has a smoker of equal or greater proportions to a small house in which to smoke and consume meat in all categories - beef, poultry, pork, fowl, fish, assorted vegetables such as corn on the cob, onions, and creative dishes known or unknown to the end user of the product such as various forms of road kill and other such desired plates.
The days, now the same length as they were before but categorized as saving daylight (please explain that to me logically), gave ample time to smoke an abundance of meat over the break. The beauty of a finely smoked piece of meat (piece weighing less than a ton but over five pounds) is that the time and duration of the smoke is equal to the merriment that surrounds the day. In all, we spent about five days in and around three different cookers - a new gas grill, a smoker, and then a friend's smoker - enjoying such things as steak, chicken, brisket, pork spare ribs, and pulled pork.
Average Guy cannot underscore the importance, then, of how to fill the time while the meat is on the smoker/grill - dominoes, cards, chatting around the table, cigars, wine, and of course the staple to any diet with such things as smoked meat - beer. Now, high-minded educated types (not Average Guy) have a table of foods that mix properly (etiquette) and worthily (taste) with beverages - wines and beers. Rogue Ales (I'm now a citizen of Rogue Nation by the way - even have my freshly minted ID card) even is kind enough to use a legend and figures on the side of each beer telling you what this blends well with. I do enjoy a lighter beer during the smoke, perhaps even a mass-produced kind that is light bodied and not leaning too much on flavor, maybe even best served cold. However, in the event a cigar is lit while the meat is smoking, a lager becomes the choice (although lagers are not light-colored beers alone). With it being Spring Break, a St. Arnold's Spring Bock (seasonal) became that beer of choice. Bock, as was mentioned earlier, means "ram" in German (see Shiner Bock). This is a full, rich dark-bodied beer that flows smoothly and is pleasing in many ways.
With my son back at college, my daughter back on full schedule, my wife back teaching in the classroom (supporting my lazy self), I hope to begin a more consistent review of brew for you. May I recommend, though, the finer things in life like a good day, nice weather, the aroma of smokes in the air (wood of choice, meat, and cigar), and all the other things in life that make it good.
Until next time, I am just the Average Guy seeking the perfect beer one beer at a time for you.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Arm the Garrison
March 6 marks the date in Texas (and US) history in which the Army of Mexico made final assault on and killed all soldiers in the Alamo at great cost to life on both sides. Col. Travis and some 150+ soldiers had been under siege for 13 fateful days defending the western outpost in San Antonio at the old mission known as the Alamo as Santa Ana moved north and then would move west to defeat the insurrection of the province now called Texas who had declared independence from Mexico after Santa Ana took power in 1835.
What was the threat the Alamo posed that the Mexican army had to take the fort with its small number of soldiers? What was its strategic advantage? More importantly, did it hold something of tremendous value that Travis and his men would be willing to die for ultimately and that Santa Ana would sacrifice so many for in return to capture it?
These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves here in Fredericksburg, Texas from time to time as we sit back and enjoy the better things in life. For Average Guy, it has been a three-year relationship now with Texas first independent distillery that produces Texas first small batch bourbon whiskey known as Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon Whiskey. Like the volunteers at the Alamo, no sacrifice is too great for God and country (Texas first and foremost. As Davy Crockett said, "You can all go to hell. I shall go to Texas.".
The volunteers at the garrison at the Alamo knew the precious nature of their supply, and this week the volunteers at Garrison are bottling Single Barrel Bourbon, known for all bottles in that limited batch of 65 - 70 bottles coming from a single 15-gallon barrel. Limited in quantity, it becomes a precious supply of high quality small batch bourbon. Like the officers at the Alamo, the staff at Garrison Brothers make sure you understand as a volunteer the unique nature of the bourbon you are handling, so there are special instructions at each part of the bottling process. Part of the honor of bottling at Garrison is the half-hour quality control check made by volunteers and staff... you know, the sacrifice you make for a team kind of thing. Each quality control check provides you the opportunity to sample the bourbon and make a toast. It is an important step in the process that ensures the taste and integrity of the bourbon as well as putting a smile on your face (and in 20 degree weather warming the heart).
Bourbon, it seems, is a trademarked distillate that can only be made in the US. Kentucky once held the lock on bourbons, but Garrison Brothers brought the bourbon industry to Texas and gets most of the ingredients for its bourbon from Texas farms, including Dan Garrison's, and it gets its water for the bourbon from Texas skies above the land that the distillery occupies. The land is the hard rock-filled land that is the Texas Hill Country dotted with thick oak trees knotted by time, land, and hard weather, so it is completely ironic that such a smooth bourbon can come from deceptively beautiful but hard surroundings.
If you ever get the chance to visit Garrison Brothers, take it. It is located between Johnson City and Fredericksburg on Highway 290 just south of Hye. If you ever get a chance to bottle, take it. Tell the gang who bottle I sent you, mainly to increase my value to them, but also to be asked to leave immediately. As we like to say in Texas, they's some good people there.
Remember Garrison Brothers Bourbon...and remember that March 6 is the day the Alamo fell. Santa Ana won, but he lost with that victory. Texas would soon become a republic, and its independence still lives on today.
What was the threat the Alamo posed that the Mexican army had to take the fort with its small number of soldiers? What was its strategic advantage? More importantly, did it hold something of tremendous value that Travis and his men would be willing to die for ultimately and that Santa Ana would sacrifice so many for in return to capture it?
These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves here in Fredericksburg, Texas from time to time as we sit back and enjoy the better things in life. For Average Guy, it has been a three-year relationship now with Texas first independent distillery that produces Texas first small batch bourbon whiskey known as Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon Whiskey. Like the volunteers at the Alamo, no sacrifice is too great for God and country (Texas first and foremost. As Davy Crockett said, "You can all go to hell. I shall go to Texas.".
The volunteers at the garrison at the Alamo knew the precious nature of their supply, and this week the volunteers at Garrison are bottling Single Barrel Bourbon, known for all bottles in that limited batch of 65 - 70 bottles coming from a single 15-gallon barrel. Limited in quantity, it becomes a precious supply of high quality small batch bourbon. Like the officers at the Alamo, the staff at Garrison Brothers make sure you understand as a volunteer the unique nature of the bourbon you are handling, so there are special instructions at each part of the bottling process. Part of the honor of bottling at Garrison is the half-hour quality control check made by volunteers and staff... you know, the sacrifice you make for a team kind of thing. Each quality control check provides you the opportunity to sample the bourbon and make a toast. It is an important step in the process that ensures the taste and integrity of the bourbon as well as putting a smile on your face (and in 20 degree weather warming the heart).
Bourbon, it seems, is a trademarked distillate that can only be made in the US. Kentucky once held the lock on bourbons, but Garrison Brothers brought the bourbon industry to Texas and gets most of the ingredients for its bourbon from Texas farms, including Dan Garrison's, and it gets its water for the bourbon from Texas skies above the land that the distillery occupies. The land is the hard rock-filled land that is the Texas Hill Country dotted with thick oak trees knotted by time, land, and hard weather, so it is completely ironic that such a smooth bourbon can come from deceptively beautiful but hard surroundings.
If you ever get the chance to visit Garrison Brothers, take it. It is located between Johnson City and Fredericksburg on Highway 290 just south of Hye. If you ever get a chance to bottle, take it. Tell the gang who bottle I sent you, mainly to increase my value to them, but also to be asked to leave immediately. As we like to say in Texas, they's some good people there.
Remember Garrison Brothers Bourbon...and remember that March 6 is the day the Alamo fell. Santa Ana won, but he lost with that victory. Texas would soon become a republic, and its independence still lives on today.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Endeavour to Persevere
March 2, 1836 is the date given to Texas Independence from Mexico, and we native Texans celebrate the day as is customary in simple terms by putting out the Texas flag, acknowledging the day on social media, firing 21 gun salutes from our backyards, parades, speeches, enjoying a beer, enjoying several beers, parties and talking smack to anyone who will listen about the virtues of all things Texas. St. Bum Phillips once said there were two kinds of people when he reigned victorious over the Houston Oilers in the late 1970s: Texans and people who wanted to be Texans.
This bravado gets us in trouble to a certain extent with the rest of the world because it is interpreted as bragging, perhaps bragging too much, but when a group of students, including me, went to Europe in college, there was really only one state that they knew about and could spot you even without a cowboy hat. In London, they knew us for two reasons in fact - 1. You were from Texas; and 2. Buddy Holly was from Texas.
My pride in Texas is evident. Once, when bidding on a project in Missouri, I was asked if my accent would be a distraction to the locals not accustomed to such by the executive director of the then-company I represented (she was from Michigan no less with a distinct accent herself). No, I said, I've never been accused of having too dramatic an accent, so when I called on the district via phone conference, I knew my voice was on display. About two minutes into the conversation, I asked, "Can you tell I'm from Texas?" Silence preceded the answer with a brief pause and then a confession that my accent was not distracting, so I ratcheted up the accent for them to let them know I could sound Texan if necessary.
My pride is also evident in the fact that my home town of Houston had Texas first microbrewery, St. Arnold's (written about before by Average Guy). Consequently, on Texas Independence Day, the beer I chose to have along with a cigar was Endeavour. St. Arnold's Endeavour comes in a large bottle and is an IPA - referred to on their website as a double IPA. The IPA is the darling of a younger generation who seeks something different in a beer. Personally, Average Guy is happy with beer and doesn't need a hops infusion on a comparative note of being the difference between a stick of dynamite and an atomic bomb. Hoppiness doesn't make me hoppy, but hops is apparently that additive, approved in Germany around the 1500s I'm told, that makes the beer drinker a bit more mellow when a beer is sipped.
Still, I'm not trendy. Don't go to coffee bars in my garb to look cool and stare into my notebook computer. Don't hit hot spots that are the upscale scenes with trendy looking people there. Instead, I like a local bar that knows me. I like the Big Band sound, 1960s rock and tail off the music scene around 1990, so I even missed the grunge sound, rap, and anything else that has come since. In addition to that, I'm not an IPA enthusiast because it is currently just that, a trend.
Endeavour went well with a cigar, so I was not disappointed but it isn't in my taste realm. I would recommend it if you like IPAs. I would also say that enjoying a beer that originates from Houston on Texas Independence Day was perfect as well. I just wish it had not been a double IPA.
I am back in the saddle, to stay with the theme. Two bouts of strep throat knocked me down, but not out, over the past month. Consequently, I've backlogged my activity. Rogue Dead Guy Ale gets a review shortly, AND a surprise commentary on bourbon from Hye, Texas all this week.
Enjoy the time we have on this earth. Be productive. And productivity increases with a beer or two. Endeavour to persevere.
This bravado gets us in trouble to a certain extent with the rest of the world because it is interpreted as bragging, perhaps bragging too much, but when a group of students, including me, went to Europe in college, there was really only one state that they knew about and could spot you even without a cowboy hat. In London, they knew us for two reasons in fact - 1. You were from Texas; and 2. Buddy Holly was from Texas.
My pride in Texas is evident. Once, when bidding on a project in Missouri, I was asked if my accent would be a distraction to the locals not accustomed to such by the executive director of the then-company I represented (she was from Michigan no less with a distinct accent herself). No, I said, I've never been accused of having too dramatic an accent, so when I called on the district via phone conference, I knew my voice was on display. About two minutes into the conversation, I asked, "Can you tell I'm from Texas?" Silence preceded the answer with a brief pause and then a confession that my accent was not distracting, so I ratcheted up the accent for them to let them know I could sound Texan if necessary.
My pride is also evident in the fact that my home town of Houston had Texas first microbrewery, St. Arnold's (written about before by Average Guy). Consequently, on Texas Independence Day, the beer I chose to have along with a cigar was Endeavour. St. Arnold's Endeavour comes in a large bottle and is an IPA - referred to on their website as a double IPA. The IPA is the darling of a younger generation who seeks something different in a beer. Personally, Average Guy is happy with beer and doesn't need a hops infusion on a comparative note of being the difference between a stick of dynamite and an atomic bomb. Hoppiness doesn't make me hoppy, but hops is apparently that additive, approved in Germany around the 1500s I'm told, that makes the beer drinker a bit more mellow when a beer is sipped.
Still, I'm not trendy. Don't go to coffee bars in my garb to look cool and stare into my notebook computer. Don't hit hot spots that are the upscale scenes with trendy looking people there. Instead, I like a local bar that knows me. I like the Big Band sound, 1960s rock and tail off the music scene around 1990, so I even missed the grunge sound, rap, and anything else that has come since. In addition to that, I'm not an IPA enthusiast because it is currently just that, a trend.
Endeavour went well with a cigar, so I was not disappointed but it isn't in my taste realm. I would recommend it if you like IPAs. I would also say that enjoying a beer that originates from Houston on Texas Independence Day was perfect as well. I just wish it had not been a double IPA.
I am back in the saddle, to stay with the theme. Two bouts of strep throat knocked me down, but not out, over the past month. Consequently, I've backlogged my activity. Rogue Dead Guy Ale gets a review shortly, AND a surprise commentary on bourbon from Hye, Texas all this week.
Enjoy the time we have on this earth. Be productive. And productivity increases with a beer or two. Endeavour to persevere.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Lent and the Local Brew Shop
So, being a Lutheran people often associate us with those denominations who are "like Catholics," so a logical question is, "Do you guys give up something at Lent?"
First, Lutherans are not "like Catholics," and that difference was hammered out some time ago when Martin Luther merely suggested that the pope, and Catholicism in general, reform. We quickly forget things it appears, if 500+ years is quick. Secondly, the notion of "giving up something" is really a custom that has lost its meaning along the way as well. This "sacrifice" was supposed to be private, between me and God kind of thing, much as Christ said in Matthew: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting." So, even if I am "giving up something," really is it truly an act of faith if I then broadcast it to the entire crowd?
Yes, Lutherans observe Lent, and yes, some customarily make a sacrifice of some kind to serve as a method of reminding us of our sinful nature and the need to repent and other such things (lose weight, see if I really am addicted to chocolate, or to let everyone know I gave something up). So, prior to Lent starting today (Ash Wednesday), several of us gathered at the local home brew shop here in Lubbock and not in observance of Fat Tuesday. Instead, we gathered because church was to be held during our regular night (third Wednesday of each month) to observe Ash Wednesday (We attempted to get the pastor to move it the service to Thursday, but as you can see, he didn't budge. Traditionalist.).
So, we gathered at the local home brew supply store, Yellow House Canyon Home Brew Supply, located appropriately enough at Yellow House Canyon, Lubbock. The supply store has all you need for successful home brewing up to and including two trained brew masters, the Hardys (father/son), who own and operation the business. Home brewing, an honorable hobby comprised mainly of people seeking to brew the perfect beer, is a growing business in the United States, and not because you can save money if you brew at home.
Home brewing reflects much of where the US is currently as consumers are far more trusting of a small niche business, perhaps even perceived as local, that is not part of a larger corporation or is part of a mass-produced product. Large chains are losing business. Large churches and denominations are losing numbers in their ranks. Public schools, large and impersonal, find people seeking something more personal and individualized, so we see home schooling growing in our state. Large beer makers are buying or creating small craft brews because the market is moving there, and home brewing is as local, craft, and individualized niche as you can get (the Super Bowl commercial by Budweiser was quite the sin among home brewers and craft brewers yet Anheuser Busch is guilty of placing beers on the market to compete with craft brews).
What helps with a local store is that you can gain knowledge, insight, and wisdom from the people who gather there or work there (most of the time). Such is the case at Yellow House. So, we found ourselves at Yellow House on Tuesday night talking about such things in life as craft brew, home brew, making home brew and the love of beer in general. The Hardys shared their experiences of touring breweries, going to Master Brewers Schools in Chicago and Munich, the differences between the ingredients in beers, where they are grown, and such. They were even kind enough to taste my donation to the event of my recent Winter Lager bottled a couple of weeks ago and show us how to taste and savor beer. They said the Lager was good, as high a rating as I needed.
The experience was good as the Hardys shared their time with us walking us through beer and brewing beer.
So, over the next six weeks (40 days), Average Brew Guy will continue to sacrifice time, money, and perhaps even do so at the expense of my faith life as I don't "give up" beer... all for you the reader and lover of fine ales just as I am. Don't expect Budweiser to make a review any time soon by the way (lifetime being the length).
If you are interested in home brewing and live in and around Lubbock, I suggest Yellow House Canyon Brew House. You can find on-line stores, and the Hardys will walk you through those as well. More reviews to come soon.
Average Guy
First, Lutherans are not "like Catholics," and that difference was hammered out some time ago when Martin Luther merely suggested that the pope, and Catholicism in general, reform. We quickly forget things it appears, if 500+ years is quick. Secondly, the notion of "giving up something" is really a custom that has lost its meaning along the way as well. This "sacrifice" was supposed to be private, between me and God kind of thing, much as Christ said in Matthew: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting." So, even if I am "giving up something," really is it truly an act of faith if I then broadcast it to the entire crowd?
Yes, Lutherans observe Lent, and yes, some customarily make a sacrifice of some kind to serve as a method of reminding us of our sinful nature and the need to repent and other such things (lose weight, see if I really am addicted to chocolate, or to let everyone know I gave something up). So, prior to Lent starting today (Ash Wednesday), several of us gathered at the local home brew shop here in Lubbock and not in observance of Fat Tuesday. Instead, we gathered because church was to be held during our regular night (third Wednesday of each month) to observe Ash Wednesday (We attempted to get the pastor to move it the service to Thursday, but as you can see, he didn't budge. Traditionalist.).
So, we gathered at the local home brew supply store, Yellow House Canyon Home Brew Supply, located appropriately enough at Yellow House Canyon, Lubbock. The supply store has all you need for successful home brewing up to and including two trained brew masters, the Hardys (father/son), who own and operation the business. Home brewing, an honorable hobby comprised mainly of people seeking to brew the perfect beer, is a growing business in the United States, and not because you can save money if you brew at home.
Home brewing reflects much of where the US is currently as consumers are far more trusting of a small niche business, perhaps even perceived as local, that is not part of a larger corporation or is part of a mass-produced product. Large chains are losing business. Large churches and denominations are losing numbers in their ranks. Public schools, large and impersonal, find people seeking something more personal and individualized, so we see home schooling growing in our state. Large beer makers are buying or creating small craft brews because the market is moving there, and home brewing is as local, craft, and individualized niche as you can get (the Super Bowl commercial by Budweiser was quite the sin among home brewers and craft brewers yet Anheuser Busch is guilty of placing beers on the market to compete with craft brews).
What helps with a local store is that you can gain knowledge, insight, and wisdom from the people who gather there or work there (most of the time). Such is the case at Yellow House. So, we found ourselves at Yellow House on Tuesday night talking about such things in life as craft brew, home brew, making home brew and the love of beer in general. The Hardys shared their experiences of touring breweries, going to Master Brewers Schools in Chicago and Munich, the differences between the ingredients in beers, where they are grown, and such. They were even kind enough to taste my donation to the event of my recent Winter Lager bottled a couple of weeks ago and show us how to taste and savor beer. They said the Lager was good, as high a rating as I needed.
The experience was good as the Hardys shared their time with us walking us through beer and brewing beer.
So, over the next six weeks (40 days), Average Brew Guy will continue to sacrifice time, money, and perhaps even do so at the expense of my faith life as I don't "give up" beer... all for you the reader and lover of fine ales just as I am. Don't expect Budweiser to make a review any time soon by the way (lifetime being the length).
If you are interested in home brewing and live in and around Lubbock, I suggest Yellow House Canyon Brew House. You can find on-line stores, and the Hardys will walk you through those as well. More reviews to come soon.
Average Guy
Sunday, February 8, 2015
He's Gone Rogue
The theme is fairly straightforward. He's a successful leader and wartime general. His men love him and will die for him. He has a vision of clarity and the US no longer follows its ideals of freedom. So, he and his men steal (name your favorite bad ass weapon) and occupy (name a spot - Alcatraz, desert caves, abandoned military bases, the Astrodome) and set up a war room. Then, they use their genius to take over communications from (name one - TV studios, communications satellites, the Disney channel) and make demands. To show they mean business, they destroy, just for show, (name a location - a sports stadium, a city, NBC - oh, sorry, that's Brian Williams). The good guys gather together and conference, and at this point, they call this leader gone bad "rogue." He's gone rogue, on his own, and he has to be reined in.
So, imagine my curiosity as to the origin of Rogue Ales? I have had a Rogue Ale a time or two and have enjoyed them, but it was my calling to inform you of beer, and as such, my calling has taken me to a higher level of information to help you through the clutter of advertising and thousands of choices. I can honestly say that I don't know if I have had as much fun learning about a beer as I have Rogue.
Rogue Ales website is worth a visit. The first page I would go to is the "About" page which is the link I've provided. In the movie "The Big Leboski," you know within twenty seconds that this is going to be different when Jeff "The Dude" Bridges buys half-n-half for his White Russians by writing a check for $1.47 (or some such amount) while wearing a house robe in the grocery store. The Rogue Ale website gives you this same feel.
The bottle I purchased to write about gives you the same feel. The top of the bottle has a ring that must be part of their beliefs that states: Dare, Risk, Dream. The bottle also contains the exact ingredients that are in the beer, in this case the Hazelnut Brown Nectar. This is rare in and of itself as most brewers are vague at best on what comprises their beer. As you read the ingredients, you see that Rogue has trademarked their malts for this beer, named Dare and Risk Malts (TM) from Rogue Farms.
This is all very different. It is like a spiritual awakening in the realm of the brew experience, an epiphany of sorts. Brewing and drinking can be mundane when you find yourself in mass-produced land. Craft brews break you away from that. Home brewing brings understanding. Calling your beer "The Revolution" and stating a Creed, A Fundamental Agreement, and The Rogue Way takes it to an entirely different level. Call it a religious retreat of solitude and meditation in the world of craft beers.
The Hazelnut was very good (okay please get to the point, did you like the beer). After brewing Pecan Pie Ale recently, there were similar flavors (much like saying my steaks on the grill are much like Charlie Palmer's. Yet Rogue captured the senses much more effectively, the aroma and the taste were there. Rogue, though, leaps miles ahead of the others with the persona it delivers in its name, its packaging on the bottle, and then its entire culture.
Buy a bottle of Hazelnut and enjoy it. Learn more about Rogue. As for Average Guy, beer has become much more than an experience through this recent beer. Average Guy's going rogue. Let the "Revolution" begin.
So, imagine my curiosity as to the origin of Rogue Ales? I have had a Rogue Ale a time or two and have enjoyed them, but it was my calling to inform you of beer, and as such, my calling has taken me to a higher level of information to help you through the clutter of advertising and thousands of choices. I can honestly say that I don't know if I have had as much fun learning about a beer as I have Rogue.
Rogue Ales website is worth a visit. The first page I would go to is the "About" page which is the link I've provided. In the movie "The Big Leboski," you know within twenty seconds that this is going to be different when Jeff "The Dude" Bridges buys half-n-half for his White Russians by writing a check for $1.47 (or some such amount) while wearing a house robe in the grocery store. The Rogue Ale website gives you this same feel.
The bottle I purchased to write about gives you the same feel. The top of the bottle has a ring that must be part of their beliefs that states: Dare, Risk, Dream. The bottle also contains the exact ingredients that are in the beer, in this case the Hazelnut Brown Nectar. This is rare in and of itself as most brewers are vague at best on what comprises their beer. As you read the ingredients, you see that Rogue has trademarked their malts for this beer, named Dare and Risk Malts (TM) from Rogue Farms.
This is all very different. It is like a spiritual awakening in the realm of the brew experience, an epiphany of sorts. Brewing and drinking can be mundane when you find yourself in mass-produced land. Craft brews break you away from that. Home brewing brings understanding. Calling your beer "The Revolution" and stating a Creed, A Fundamental Agreement, and The Rogue Way takes it to an entirely different level. Call it a religious retreat of solitude and meditation in the world of craft beers.
The Hazelnut was very good (okay please get to the point, did you like the beer). After brewing Pecan Pie Ale recently, there were similar flavors (much like saying my steaks on the grill are much like Charlie Palmer's. Yet Rogue captured the senses much more effectively, the aroma and the taste were there. Rogue, though, leaps miles ahead of the others with the persona it delivers in its name, its packaging on the bottle, and then its entire culture.
Buy a bottle of Hazelnut and enjoy it. Learn more about Rogue. As for Average Guy, beer has become much more than an experience through this recent beer. Average Guy's going rogue. Let the "Revolution" begin.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Super Bowl 49
The world has been in turmoil, and the NFL delivers a day of respite from it. The economy has been in the tank, and the NFL has been there for us. The possibility of a great game. The always faithful commercials which deliver us from our depths and from perhaps a bad game to make us laugh.
So, what is a Super Bowl like when football itself is the eye of the storm? Spousal abuse, child abuse, brain damage from concussions, paralysis, player arrogance on display daily, and cheating the game.... all issues the game touched this year. To make matters worse, it started the year already under scrutiny and these issues were magnified under a microscope. The commissioner, a learned man, handled these matters poorly at best and is being asked to have his head handed to him on a silver platter (a la John the Baptist to Herod's wife).
Well, football used the big game to try to heal the wounds. Commercials were somber. We had JFK's voice-over with a famous talk in which he talks of our origins and our link to the sea. We had commercials asking us not to stereo-type girls (the "throw like a girl" commercial). We were privileged to hear a 9-11 call of a woman being abused. I just watched it at home with my wife, but I can imagine the parties, if they were like those I've been too, where everyone gets quiet to watch a much anticipated commercial, and what it was like when one of those came on. Chip in hand with dip on chip and dip on chip drips to the floor as the mouth falls open. A lull. Perhaps someone says, "Hmmm." Yes. Real downers. We even had an ad, in a format carefully regulated by both network and the NFL, which questioned the Pete Rose ban in baseball. Hey, stick to your own sport!
The world's most prosperous nation with freedoms never enjoyed by any other nation before it or even now seems to be the most introspective guilt-ridden nation in the world. Sometimes I just don't get it. Sure, life has its problems, and it is great that a moment where we all come together is used to perhaps posit thoughts for us to ponder...but come on, this is the Super Bowl.
Average Beer Guy was not really looking forward to the game. The two coaches of the team are questionable in character, so I went to the roster. The Patriots tout, currently, a Tech player and two UH alum, and Tom Brady's story is always a good reminder of good things coming to those who wait (never started at any level until the staring QB in New England was injured). The game was close, and the ending was classic. So, I was glad we took time to watch it.
The beer Average Guy drank during the game? Can you believe it was Miller Lite? It is a beer that goes well with just about anything on the menu. It is light in both alcohol and taste, so you can sip on it during the game. Yes, for me, my mass-produced beer of choice, is Miller Lite. Sure it is like drinking water, but every now and then, water is what is called for.
It is worth noting that the president enjoyed a home brew in a pregame interview. I didn't get to hear it, but I did see the carboy with the bubbler on the table as he was interviewed and then shared a brew with the interviewer. Average Guy will share that when it is found.
So, what is a Super Bowl like when football itself is the eye of the storm? Spousal abuse, child abuse, brain damage from concussions, paralysis, player arrogance on display daily, and cheating the game.... all issues the game touched this year. To make matters worse, it started the year already under scrutiny and these issues were magnified under a microscope. The commissioner, a learned man, handled these matters poorly at best and is being asked to have his head handed to him on a silver platter (a la John the Baptist to Herod's wife).
Well, football used the big game to try to heal the wounds. Commercials were somber. We had JFK's voice-over with a famous talk in which he talks of our origins and our link to the sea. We had commercials asking us not to stereo-type girls (the "throw like a girl" commercial). We were privileged to hear a 9-11 call of a woman being abused. I just watched it at home with my wife, but I can imagine the parties, if they were like those I've been too, where everyone gets quiet to watch a much anticipated commercial, and what it was like when one of those came on. Chip in hand with dip on chip and dip on chip drips to the floor as the mouth falls open. A lull. Perhaps someone says, "Hmmm." Yes. Real downers. We even had an ad, in a format carefully regulated by both network and the NFL, which questioned the Pete Rose ban in baseball. Hey, stick to your own sport!
The world's most prosperous nation with freedoms never enjoyed by any other nation before it or even now seems to be the most introspective guilt-ridden nation in the world. Sometimes I just don't get it. Sure, life has its problems, and it is great that a moment where we all come together is used to perhaps posit thoughts for us to ponder...but come on, this is the Super Bowl.
Average Beer Guy was not really looking forward to the game. The two coaches of the team are questionable in character, so I went to the roster. The Patriots tout, currently, a Tech player and two UH alum, and Tom Brady's story is always a good reminder of good things coming to those who wait (never started at any level until the staring QB in New England was injured). The game was close, and the ending was classic. So, I was glad we took time to watch it.
The beer Average Guy drank during the game? Can you believe it was Miller Lite? It is a beer that goes well with just about anything on the menu. It is light in both alcohol and taste, so you can sip on it during the game. Yes, for me, my mass-produced beer of choice, is Miller Lite. Sure it is like drinking water, but every now and then, water is what is called for.
It is worth noting that the president enjoyed a home brew in a pregame interview. I didn't get to hear it, but I did see the carboy with the bubbler on the table as he was interviewed and then shared a brew with the interviewer. Average Guy will share that when it is found.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Domo Arigato
Austin is to Texas what Sante Fe is to New Mexico and what Seattle is to Washington. It thrives on its artistic personality in both its music scene and other forms of the arts. There is always the next O Henry or Larry McMurtry sitting at a coffee bar or the bar at the historic Driskoll Hotel enjoying a bourbon. So, when asked to be at a conference with my friends at MWM Architects, I of course accepted. The hotel of choice was the Hotel San Jose on South Congress, south of Town Lake (now Lady Bird Lake) which places it in the equivalent of Austin's version of the Left Bank in Paris. When checking into the hotel on Sunday afternoon after setting up the booth at the conference, I mused that I would literally clear the courtyard for us by putting on a Speedo and going out there and finding a seat. The manager looked at me and said, "I doubt that clears the courtyard." I said, "You haven't seen me in a Speedo" (neither have I though) to which he replied, "You haven't seen our courtyard."
There is a point when people seek to be so different than norms within a society that when you see them all in one location, they really become the norm, which means they aren't really all that different, no matter how hard they try. Piercings, tats, painted toenails on a man, colored hair might cause a glance or a look in a mall in a suburb, but here, when everyone is painted up and attempts to demonstrate how far they can push an envelope, it hardly draws attention.
So, in this environment, our team attempts to find a place to eat. Now, when it comes to food, I'm a conventional sort, but in an unconventional area thriving on being different, a steak house or a seafood place are not going to be what image you conjure in your mind. Still, I was surprised when one of the architects said, "There is a great sushi bar not far from here that I really want us to eat at."
Sushi? Really? Is this a joke? Are you videoing my face to post it on social media as a laugh hoping it goes viral? "Oh, they have meat dishes too," was an attempt to reassure me, "But I think you will like it." Since I don't have the car, and (a big and) since they are buying the meal, it would be most ungracious to simply say, "I will stay here and find a taco bar or something," tempting as that may be. So, we go to the sushi bar, us and the younger cool crowd with variations of styles of cool clothing for 20-something young artistic types. I'm not hip (probably never was) and in this environment, my age and my lack of hipness are apparent (when I asked for a fork it really became apparent). So, servings brought in bowls of things not cooked with vegetables and such to our table, along with saki was the order of the evening. I was only comforted with two things, being with friends AND seeing Japanese beer on the menu. I chose the beer and prayed that there be at least two dishes that I didn't have to kill before I ate it or chase it as it flipped off the plate.
Perhaps beer was one of our gifts to the Japanese after World War II, along with baseball. So, perhaps the Japanese gift to us in return was a sushi bar (along with ceasing their warring ways after 2000 years of conquering). Beer one from Japan was White Hitachino Nest from the Kiuchi Brewery in Ibiraki, Japan and the other was Kirin Ichiban from Tokyo, Japan. I have had Japanese beer before, and I will note that it has a distinct flavor. I preferred the Kirin, since it was on tap and came in a draught format. I felt as though I noted a hopiness in both beers but the Nest White specs cite a low bitterness unit (which measures the hopiness of a beer). Kirin on the other hand notes it is a malt. Nest White is 5% alcohol and if Kirin is a malt, perhaps it is stronger. The Kirin site does not mention the level of alcohol. Both beers were good, but just know I won't being going to Spec's to see if they carry it.
In conclusion, I know that I have one year to practice holding chop sticks to not completely embarrass my friends and appear to be a Neanderthal among the enlightened. Most interesting about the sushi bar was the "hot rock" they brought to the table to cook the beef items we ordered off the menu. One of the architects forcefully told me I needed to eat the tuna (not cooked), so I obliged her which leads me to the next interesting item: I cannot distinguish between a slice of tangerine flavoring the tuna and the uncooked tuna. It all looked the same.
"Domo arigato" means "thanks a lot." To some my age or close, it was also one of the worst songs on one of the worst albums ever put out by Styx and was pretty much the end of their days. Thanks for the meal in one of the more interesting places to visit in Texas and domo arigato for the beer.
There is a point when people seek to be so different than norms within a society that when you see them all in one location, they really become the norm, which means they aren't really all that different, no matter how hard they try. Piercings, tats, painted toenails on a man, colored hair might cause a glance or a look in a mall in a suburb, but here, when everyone is painted up and attempts to demonstrate how far they can push an envelope, it hardly draws attention.
So, in this environment, our team attempts to find a place to eat. Now, when it comes to food, I'm a conventional sort, but in an unconventional area thriving on being different, a steak house or a seafood place are not going to be what image you conjure in your mind. Still, I was surprised when one of the architects said, "There is a great sushi bar not far from here that I really want us to eat at."
Sushi? Really? Is this a joke? Are you videoing my face to post it on social media as a laugh hoping it goes viral? "Oh, they have meat dishes too," was an attempt to reassure me, "But I think you will like it." Since I don't have the car, and (a big and) since they are buying the meal, it would be most ungracious to simply say, "I will stay here and find a taco bar or something," tempting as that may be. So, we go to the sushi bar, us and the younger cool crowd with variations of styles of cool clothing for 20-something young artistic types. I'm not hip (probably never was) and in this environment, my age and my lack of hipness are apparent (when I asked for a fork it really became apparent). So, servings brought in bowls of things not cooked with vegetables and such to our table, along with saki was the order of the evening. I was only comforted with two things, being with friends AND seeing Japanese beer on the menu. I chose the beer and prayed that there be at least two dishes that I didn't have to kill before I ate it or chase it as it flipped off the plate.
Perhaps beer was one of our gifts to the Japanese after World War II, along with baseball. So, perhaps the Japanese gift to us in return was a sushi bar (along with ceasing their warring ways after 2000 years of conquering). Beer one from Japan was White Hitachino Nest from the Kiuchi Brewery in Ibiraki, Japan and the other was Kirin Ichiban from Tokyo, Japan. I have had Japanese beer before, and I will note that it has a distinct flavor. I preferred the Kirin, since it was on tap and came in a draught format. I felt as though I noted a hopiness in both beers but the Nest White specs cite a low bitterness unit (which measures the hopiness of a beer). Kirin on the other hand notes it is a malt. Nest White is 5% alcohol and if Kirin is a malt, perhaps it is stronger. The Kirin site does not mention the level of alcohol. Both beers were good, but just know I won't being going to Spec's to see if they carry it.
In conclusion, I know that I have one year to practice holding chop sticks to not completely embarrass my friends and appear to be a Neanderthal among the enlightened. Most interesting about the sushi bar was the "hot rock" they brought to the table to cook the beef items we ordered off the menu. One of the architects forcefully told me I needed to eat the tuna (not cooked), so I obliged her which leads me to the next interesting item: I cannot distinguish between a slice of tangerine flavoring the tuna and the uncooked tuna. It all looked the same.
"Domo arigato" means "thanks a lot." To some my age or close, it was also one of the worst songs on one of the worst albums ever put out by Styx and was pretty much the end of their days. Thanks for the meal in one of the more interesting places to visit in Texas and domo arigato for the beer.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Get It While You Can and Dig It
Janis Joplin, a Texan and blues rock great, had as her last song on her last album, "Pearl," a song that summed up life in some ways - "Get It While You Can." "Your taking a gamble on a little sorrow, but then who cares baby, 'cause we may not be here tomorrow."
So, during my 12-minute guided tour of Shiner, the tour guide, once done with the growling and ordering of our herd, asked, "Have you had our '106' yet?" Some said yes, like children reluctant to disappoint a strict teacher. "Better get it while you can," was her reply. Now, I'm not so sure that our guide is a Janis fan. Her star has faded with the ages with only us loyal fans still clinging to her great blues voice that could be beautiful one moment and then gravelly the next. However, it did cause me to stop at the local store once home and seize the moment (carpet diem, oh, sorry, carpe diem) when I saw an individual six pack of the product there on the shelf.
The urgency of getting a review out was in case you read it and decide you want to try it. Get it while you can because even Spec's here in Lubbock, America only had one six pack of it as well. I opened one bottle just for this moment, poured it, and then took a clean whiff of the stout. FYI - It is a chocolate stout and the aroma is prevalent. In cigar language, aroma is only one part of the experience, and in this case, the aroma is deceiving. As the Shiner website notes, "it has a soft, creamy head." Indeed. You can taste the cocoa and it has a distinct aroma of chocolate, but it doesn't interfere with the stout. In fact, I'm wondering how a stout would taste with a Hershey's now.
St. Arnold's has their annual Winter Stout out at the same time (two Texas beers) and it, too, has chocolate as part of its recipe. The chocolate is much more subtle than Shiner's, but the stout holds its own cleanly and remains a great beer. You can learn more about it on their website.
So, Shiner 106, a Chocolate Stout in honor of its birthday. Yes in my book. Alcohol of 5% by the way. St. Arnold's Winter Stout. Seasonal ale. Yes as well. Alcohol is slightly les than Shiner, but so what? Both are now available, and as Janis said, "Get it while you can." Although I'm certain "it" wasn't beer to Janis. IT is beer to me, so we know what the definition of "it" is. Or as John Lennon once sang, "Dig it. Dig it. Dig it. Dig it."
So, during my 12-minute guided tour of Shiner, the tour guide, once done with the growling and ordering of our herd, asked, "Have you had our '106' yet?" Some said yes, like children reluctant to disappoint a strict teacher. "Better get it while you can," was her reply. Now, I'm not so sure that our guide is a Janis fan. Her star has faded with the ages with only us loyal fans still clinging to her great blues voice that could be beautiful one moment and then gravelly the next. However, it did cause me to stop at the local store once home and seize the moment (carpet diem, oh, sorry, carpe diem) when I saw an individual six pack of the product there on the shelf.
The urgency of getting a review out was in case you read it and decide you want to try it. Get it while you can because even Spec's here in Lubbock, America only had one six pack of it as well. I opened one bottle just for this moment, poured it, and then took a clean whiff of the stout. FYI - It is a chocolate stout and the aroma is prevalent. In cigar language, aroma is only one part of the experience, and in this case, the aroma is deceiving. As the Shiner website notes, "it has a soft, creamy head." Indeed. You can taste the cocoa and it has a distinct aroma of chocolate, but it doesn't interfere with the stout. In fact, I'm wondering how a stout would taste with a Hershey's now.
St. Arnold's has their annual Winter Stout out at the same time (two Texas beers) and it, too, has chocolate as part of its recipe. The chocolate is much more subtle than Shiner's, but the stout holds its own cleanly and remains a great beer. You can learn more about it on their website.
So, Shiner 106, a Chocolate Stout in honor of its birthday. Yes in my book. Alcohol of 5% by the way. St. Arnold's Winter Stout. Seasonal ale. Yes as well. Alcohol is slightly les than Shiner, but so what? Both are now available, and as Janis said, "Get it while you can." Although I'm certain "it" wasn't beer to Janis. IT is beer to me, so we know what the definition of "it" is. Or as John Lennon once sang, "Dig it. Dig it. Dig it. Dig it."
Shiner Brewery in Shiner, Texas
1978 - 1982 were the years of college for me. In that time, having joined a fraternity, we were treated (due to a drinking age of 18 and then 19) to visits from distributors. For us in Seguin, the distributor was a man named Schroeder who dealt in beers such as Miller Lite (growing in popularity at that time), Lone Star (made at that time in San Antonio), and other beers as well. Schroeder was a great guy who gave us beer routinely, held events at the distributorship, and even took us on a road trip in a distribution van to San Antonio for a personal tour of the Lone Star Brewery (he may have regretted that at the end of the day but that is another story).
Shiner was not in our vocabulary, and there was some disagreement between Texas Tim and me about why that was. I seem to recall having read somewhere that Shiner was not a popular beer until it began to offer the Bock brand to people as a "craft beer." Bock is clearly its most popularly produced brand. Tim says it was not popular because it was cheap and lumped in with other cheap (inexpensive) beers, but that would have made it popular to college students who were not out to drink beer because they had refined tastes. The dispute stood between Tim and I, and we did not allow it to darken the day.
Shiner must be very popular now, distributed throughout the US in various markets, and the Bock brand is its most popular. The brewery was completing a production expansion as we visited and was building a new visitor's center. Since Monday was a holiday, the tourist crowd and the college crowd, clearly off for the day, were in force interfering with the retired "out on holiday" crowd. The number clearly threw the tour guide off as she barked orders for us to assemble correctly (you are given a "label" from one of Shiner's beers and are to go on the tour with the same group with that label - birds of a feather kind of thing). It clearly rankled her that some of us may not be in the correct group, so she made it her mission during our time there to rectify who was to tour with which guide.
As for the tour and Shiner Brewery - On the bright side, it is free and they do give you four free beers. On the down side, it takes longer to organize the group than it does to take the tour and the beers are about four ounces in size. While it is cool going to Shiner, and while it is cool to say you've been to the brewery, you really are not enlightened about the beer, its composition, or that kind of thing because you view the brewery from a platform and are informed about all phases of the brew process - from start to finish - from that platform. In the middle of our tour, Texas Tim looked at me and confessed, "It really isn't a very good tour." Timing is everything in Texana Tours, so this fact, stated deep into the tour, was a moot point. However, had I known that at the start, I still would have gone.
In short, go. In short, shop at the brewery gift store. There is much to see in Shiner, including the brewery, but don't go to the brewery expecting to buy a glass and have them fill that instead of the small cup (St Arnold's style where a purchased mug becomes your glass for the free beer) or go to a place where you can buy the product (winery and distillery style). I was disappointed but can say I've been, and I do enjoy Shiner Bock (bock meaning ram in German but I learned that before the tour).
The picture below is of my tour guides you've read about - Jeff and Tim from left to right - at the Piano Bridge. They are a couple of good guys really, and it was good to be with old friends. Not pictured was David from Hallettsville. He has a furniture store to run in Hallettsville - named Ehler's there on the town square. He's also good for a story or two, although Texas Tim owns that department, and he will tell you where there is some good local cuisine in the area.
Shiner was not in our vocabulary, and there was some disagreement between Texas Tim and me about why that was. I seem to recall having read somewhere that Shiner was not a popular beer until it began to offer the Bock brand to people as a "craft beer." Bock is clearly its most popularly produced brand. Tim says it was not popular because it was cheap and lumped in with other cheap (inexpensive) beers, but that would have made it popular to college students who were not out to drink beer because they had refined tastes. The dispute stood between Tim and I, and we did not allow it to darken the day.
Shiner must be very popular now, distributed throughout the US in various markets, and the Bock brand is its most popular. The brewery was completing a production expansion as we visited and was building a new visitor's center. Since Monday was a holiday, the tourist crowd and the college crowd, clearly off for the day, were in force interfering with the retired "out on holiday" crowd. The number clearly threw the tour guide off as she barked orders for us to assemble correctly (you are given a "label" from one of Shiner's beers and are to go on the tour with the same group with that label - birds of a feather kind of thing). It clearly rankled her that some of us may not be in the correct group, so she made it her mission during our time there to rectify who was to tour with which guide.
As for the tour and Shiner Brewery - On the bright side, it is free and they do give you four free beers. On the down side, it takes longer to organize the group than it does to take the tour and the beers are about four ounces in size. While it is cool going to Shiner, and while it is cool to say you've been to the brewery, you really are not enlightened about the beer, its composition, or that kind of thing because you view the brewery from a platform and are informed about all phases of the brew process - from start to finish - from that platform. In the middle of our tour, Texas Tim looked at me and confessed, "It really isn't a very good tour." Timing is everything in Texana Tours, so this fact, stated deep into the tour, was a moot point. However, had I known that at the start, I still would have gone.
In short, go. In short, shop at the brewery gift store. There is much to see in Shiner, including the brewery, but don't go to the brewery expecting to buy a glass and have them fill that instead of the small cup (St Arnold's style where a purchased mug becomes your glass for the free beer) or go to a place where you can buy the product (winery and distillery style). I was disappointed but can say I've been, and I do enjoy Shiner Bock (bock meaning ram in German but I learned that before the tour).
The picture below is of my tour guides you've read about - Jeff and Tim from left to right - at the Piano Bridge. They are a couple of good guys really, and it was good to be with old friends. Not pictured was David from Hallettsville. He has a furniture store to run in Hallettsville - named Ehler's there on the town square. He's also good for a story or two, although Texas Tim owns that department, and he will tell you where there is some good local cuisine in the area.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Painted Churches and More
If you've read about Texas Tim in these last two blogs and tried to Google the name or looked on social media to find him, just know right now you will have no luck. It's not that Texana Tours isn't something he enjoys, but technology, much less social media, have not met up with him. Computer? An old rebuild from Jeff, rancher and driver on this tour, that he hasn't plugged in yet. Hand held device? See the answer to computer and deduce from there.
No, Texas Tim relies on word of mouth, or when he hears someone say they would like to visit a place, he offers to go along, although we believe it is to see it himself and less to tell the traveler about it. Texas Tim has developed an "ambitious" business plan, but as he notes, getting too involved in a business at this point in life may interfere with his own travels. So, after a hefty breakfast in Flatonia (working man's breakfast for us ranch hands on Jeff's ranch), we embark to see the painted churches, safe in the assumption that church is over for this Sunday.
First, though, Tim wants Jeff to see a house in Flatonia. An old house with a front porch that wraps the house in the old turn of the 19th century into the 20th century style. I later learn that Texana Tours has a schedule that it routinely ignores and sometimes goes out of its way to add and enhance your tour enjoyment. We reach our first painted church and stop to look. On the outside, it is a regular church, but once inside, you learn the Czechs and Germans brought items from the old country as they founded their communities, including altars and such. The concept is simple, but breathtaking in its beauty such as this example from St. Cyril and Methodious in Shiner, Texas.
No, Texas Tim relies on word of mouth, or when he hears someone say they would like to visit a place, he offers to go along, although we believe it is to see it himself and less to tell the traveler about it. Texas Tim has developed an "ambitious" business plan, but as he notes, getting too involved in a business at this point in life may interfere with his own travels. So, after a hefty breakfast in Flatonia (working man's breakfast for us ranch hands on Jeff's ranch), we embark to see the painted churches, safe in the assumption that church is over for this Sunday.
First, though, Tim wants Jeff to see a house in Flatonia. An old house with a front porch that wraps the house in the old turn of the 19th century into the 20th century style. I later learn that Texana Tours has a schedule that it routinely ignores and sometimes goes out of its way to add and enhance your tour enjoyment. We reach our first painted church and stop to look. On the outside, it is a regular church, but once inside, you learn the Czechs and Germans brought items from the old country as they founded their communities, including altars and such. The concept is simple, but breathtaking in its beauty such as this example from St. Cyril and Methodious in Shiner, Texas.
All you see around this altar is hand-painted, from the mural to the stencil. I was impressed, as were clearly Texas Tim and Jeff or they wouldn't have taken me to this and four other churches on the tour. There are seven in all, but with our schedule, or lack of one, we made our way around the area much like Magellan circled the globe, with a meandering here and there that got us exactly where we wanted to go. We hadn't even made it to Shiner but after a day full of wandering and exploring, we were exhausted. Shiner Brewery would have to wait until tomorrow, but we were content to once again go to the Jeff's ranch and enjoy a fire with friends. Dave, another frat brother, came and joined us each night. Monday, I would finally get to see the Shiner Brewery.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Texas Tim's Texana Tours
The premise of the tour was to "see the seven painted churches in Texas and to tour the Shiner Brewery." The clear draw to Average Brew Guy. The tour, taken over two days, finally met most of its objective if the objective was to look at houses, stop at obscure places, get some tea, get back on the road, look at more houses, and see a church every now and then."
"Most people who take my tours say they like it better when I'm not on it." Thus was my introduction to the Texas Tim's Texana Tour on Saturday as we sought to view the Central Texas Hill Country sites in and around the towns of Shiner, Hallettsville, Flatonia and La Grange.
Texas Tim, as he calls himself, is an old fraternity brother of mine from the days of our youth at the "stately college on the plains," Texas Lutheran College (TLC), now university. A fellow history major and retired educator as well, Texas Tim has made a life of traveling internationally as well as in the US during his lifetime, seeing much of what the world has to offer. As he notes, in his early days of travel, he designed a course at TLC to tour the Civil War battle fields with a group of guys from the college. It was during a time called "interim" where you only took one course and had some time off.
I was aware of this course, and when I signed up for his tour this past week, I should have paid heed to what happened on his Civil War Battle Field Tour back then as a precursor for our trip. In short, the classmates on the tour held a coup and tossed his idea out the window after two battlefields and went to Disney World instead, somewhat of a backlash it may seem.
Tim has a nose for locales that are not just out of the way, but they aren't even registered on Google Maps. Consequently, the first stop on the tour was a local tavern in Moravia appropriately called Moravia. This was originally a Czech settlement and town dance hall, meeting place, and beer tavern in the 1800s. Today, it is a beer place on an FM and county road crossing, somewhere between here and there, after a turn or two and putting a wet finger out of the car window to test direction. Tim's driver for the event, another fraternity brother named Jeff (also a retired educator), kindly obliged Tim at every request.
This was Saturday, the supposed start of the tour, and the Shiner Brewery was on the schedule, but as we pulled out of the "parking lot" in Moravia, Jeff suggested to Tim that we go back to Jeff's ranch and relax. Relax in this environment is a relative term since I didn't know I was stressed, but Jeff and Texas Tim assured me that we would eventually get to the churches, the "Piano Bridge" (tossed in at no additional charge), and then the pinnacle of the tour, The Shiner Brewery. Of course, for what I was paying, I realized Tim's tour's motto, "Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride" was exactly what I was going to do.
We adjourned to Jeff's ranch, checked on the cattle, built a fire, put on some music, and I served up some Baldner Select Pecan Ale. They appeared to like it and we enjoyed the fire. More later about the churches and the tour of Shiner Brewery.
"Most people who take my tours say they like it better when I'm not on it." Thus was my introduction to the Texas Tim's Texana Tour on Saturday as we sought to view the Central Texas Hill Country sites in and around the towns of Shiner, Hallettsville, Flatonia and La Grange.
Texas Tim, as he calls himself, is an old fraternity brother of mine from the days of our youth at the "stately college on the plains," Texas Lutheran College (TLC), now university. A fellow history major and retired educator as well, Texas Tim has made a life of traveling internationally as well as in the US during his lifetime, seeing much of what the world has to offer. As he notes, in his early days of travel, he designed a course at TLC to tour the Civil War battle fields with a group of guys from the college. It was during a time called "interim" where you only took one course and had some time off.
I was aware of this course, and when I signed up for his tour this past week, I should have paid heed to what happened on his Civil War Battle Field Tour back then as a precursor for our trip. In short, the classmates on the tour held a coup and tossed his idea out the window after two battlefields and went to Disney World instead, somewhat of a backlash it may seem.
Tim has a nose for locales that are not just out of the way, but they aren't even registered on Google Maps. Consequently, the first stop on the tour was a local tavern in Moravia appropriately called Moravia. This was originally a Czech settlement and town dance hall, meeting place, and beer tavern in the 1800s. Today, it is a beer place on an FM and county road crossing, somewhere between here and there, after a turn or two and putting a wet finger out of the car window to test direction. Tim's driver for the event, another fraternity brother named Jeff (also a retired educator), kindly obliged Tim at every request.
This was Saturday, the supposed start of the tour, and the Shiner Brewery was on the schedule, but as we pulled out of the "parking lot" in Moravia, Jeff suggested to Tim that we go back to Jeff's ranch and relax. Relax in this environment is a relative term since I didn't know I was stressed, but Jeff and Texas Tim assured me that we would eventually get to the churches, the "Piano Bridge" (tossed in at no additional charge), and then the pinnacle of the tour, The Shiner Brewery. Of course, for what I was paying, I realized Tim's tour's motto, "Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride" was exactly what I was going to do.
We adjourned to Jeff's ranch, checked on the cattle, built a fire, put on some music, and I served up some Baldner Select Pecan Ale. They appeared to like it and we enjoyed the fire. More later about the churches and the tour of Shiner Brewery.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
France and the French
I must confess up front that I like the French people. They helped us fight a revolution against Britain. They recognized us immediately as a nation. They were the country that shaped Thomas Jefferson, who spent a considerable amount of time there. They recognized our liberty with that gift that still stands - The Statue of Liberty - which stood in contrast to the Twin Towers that were clouded with debris and smoke from the terrorist attack.
They have art and wine and beautiful cities and country side. I have had the privilege of going to Paris and going to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. And, I have been privileged to see the Normandy Cemetery with the thousands of crosses and stars of David lined up in final formation. Hit by Hitler's armies early in World War II, the French resistance was a tribute to bravery in the middle of a violent war. We don't always agree with the French, but they are an independent nation entitled to make independent decisions as they see fit.
So, Average Beer Guy decided he was going to sample some beer from France to put on these pages in dedication to them as a way of providing a tribute after the terrorist attack on the magazine. There is plenty of French beer, but Lubbock is not necessarily a big importer of it. I went to Crickets, with probably the largest selection of draft beer here in Lubbock, and the closest I could get was Belgium and Stella Artois. Really, Belgium? No thank you.
So, logically I chose Montana and Moose Drool Brown Ale because hey, it was there. Moose Drool is a product of Big Sky Brewing Company. Having rated brown ales before, my like of the beer has been stated, but Big Sky has made a good brown ale that was good and among many this craft brewery has developed. Apparently, I have some opportunities to learn more with this brewery. This one is milder in terms of alcohol - 4.1% - than others, so it isn't necessarily a really strong beer, but it has good flavor.
Crickets, for those of you not from Lubbock and of Buddy Holly history, was the name of his band (Buddy Holly and the Crickets), and the bar/restaurant is really a pretty good setting to enjoy a fine ale. They serve it at recommended temperatures - around 50 degrees or there about - so the flavor comes through and did not disappoint with Moose Drool
I like Crickets and I liked Moose Drool. I am guessing the name means the beer is so good that even moose drool and not that this is what they gathered to make this beer. You never know. What I'm beginning to learn is that marketing in the craft beer market is tied to name and beer.
As for the French, the irony of a magazine that is so harsh that even with a First Amendment in the US, we would have sued, countersued, and found a way to drive it out of business for not being PC. In France, who doesn't have a first amendment, it has a dedicated following. After the attack, even those who didn't read the magazine came out close to the scene of the crime, criminals still on the loose, and held up pens as a reminder that "the pen is mightier than the sword." Ideas matter. They were also the people who said, after the attacks of 911, "Today, we are all Americans." "Je Suis Charlie" is similar to that in meaning, "I am Charlie."
As for now, I am Average Guy.
They have art and wine and beautiful cities and country side. I have had the privilege of going to Paris and going to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. And, I have been privileged to see the Normandy Cemetery with the thousands of crosses and stars of David lined up in final formation. Hit by Hitler's armies early in World War II, the French resistance was a tribute to bravery in the middle of a violent war. We don't always agree with the French, but they are an independent nation entitled to make independent decisions as they see fit.
So, Average Beer Guy decided he was going to sample some beer from France to put on these pages in dedication to them as a way of providing a tribute after the terrorist attack on the magazine. There is plenty of French beer, but Lubbock is not necessarily a big importer of it. I went to Crickets, with probably the largest selection of draft beer here in Lubbock, and the closest I could get was Belgium and Stella Artois. Really, Belgium? No thank you.
So, logically I chose Montana and Moose Drool Brown Ale because hey, it was there. Moose Drool is a product of Big Sky Brewing Company. Having rated brown ales before, my like of the beer has been stated, but Big Sky has made a good brown ale that was good and among many this craft brewery has developed. Apparently, I have some opportunities to learn more with this brewery. This one is milder in terms of alcohol - 4.1% - than others, so it isn't necessarily a really strong beer, but it has good flavor.
Crickets, for those of you not from Lubbock and of Buddy Holly history, was the name of his band (Buddy Holly and the Crickets), and the bar/restaurant is really a pretty good setting to enjoy a fine ale. They serve it at recommended temperatures - around 50 degrees or there about - so the flavor comes through and did not disappoint with Moose Drool
I like Crickets and I liked Moose Drool. I am guessing the name means the beer is so good that even moose drool and not that this is what they gathered to make this beer. You never know. What I'm beginning to learn is that marketing in the craft beer market is tied to name and beer.
As for the French, the irony of a magazine that is so harsh that even with a First Amendment in the US, we would have sued, countersued, and found a way to drive it out of business for not being PC. In France, who doesn't have a first amendment, it has a dedicated following. After the attack, even those who didn't read the magazine came out close to the scene of the crime, criminals still on the loose, and held up pens as a reminder that "the pen is mightier than the sword." Ideas matter. They were also the people who said, after the attacks of 911, "Today, we are all Americans." "Je Suis Charlie" is similar to that in meaning, "I am Charlie."
As for now, I am Average Guy.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Why Can't People Talk Write?
Just where do they learn to talk? Really? And just who are they talking to when they talk like this? Who am I talking about when I say such things you ask? Experts. Connoisseurs. The learned (ler-ned).
No, really, you tell me if you understand this from the February 2015 Cigar Aficionado Magazine. In it, we are treated to the Top 25 Cigars of 2014 (written by David Savona who is a true aficionado and true to his craft, but each review is probably from a rater - who compiled the notes from experts who smoked and then made notes/rated each cigar individually). So, here we go with the cigar rated number 4, a Cuban (what good does knowing this help me since I cannot get them right now anyway?) named a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial (Tubo): "The cigar is very, very rich, with varied notes that include coffee, earth and cocoa powder, and a touch of graham cracker." It gets better, the number 5 cigar, the Rocky Patel Royale Toro is right next to it, and it says: "The Royale is a rich, spicy smoke, with pleasant hints of chocolate." I saw another one that describe the flavor as "leather." Leather? Like baseball glove leather? I don't understand.
I've had the privilege of meeting Rocky Patel on several occasions, and even the maker of a cigar doesn't talk like this. Instead, when you walk up to him and ask, "Which of these would you recommend?" he doesn't go down a list of attributes that confuse, he just asks, "What do you like ordinarily?"
So imagine my surprise the other day when I went to the local bar that allows you to smoke cigars (a dying breed sadly). I pulled out my cigar that is spicy with a hint of oak, and asked the wait staff what kind of beer was on special today. "Every beer is $2 today." Every? I asked. Yes, except our coffee porter. Oh, now see, there they go. Even the wait staff is talking like that. Coffee porter? I asked. Yes, it's a seasonal beer, she replied. Oh, never mind then. So, I asked if could try that.
Folks. Let me tell you now that I stumbled on to, quite by accident, a beer that was absolutely wonderful. Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, Texas (Fireman's 4 is one you may know), has produced an absolutely wonderful porter that is strong and yet does not have the bite that a stout or porter may possess. The seasonal beer, Real Ale Coffee Porter, is a very nice surprise that I did not expect. God certainly ordained that I have this beer since it was too cold to have a cigar outside, so my trip to a place I don't frequent was accidental. Finding this seasonal beer, then, was ordained by God Himself.
I went to the website for my usual "here are the specs for you beer types who like those kinds of things" readers. Let's just say they make great beer and don't keep a well-maintained website. So, if you are going to focus on something as a craft brewery, focus on beer-making. The Internet is highly over-rated anyway.
To finish the story, the cigar was a medium body cigar, not too lite and not too strong, and went well with this fine ale. To think, this was all by accident, and it turned out to be a great find.
No, really, you tell me if you understand this from the February 2015 Cigar Aficionado Magazine. In it, we are treated to the Top 25 Cigars of 2014 (written by David Savona who is a true aficionado and true to his craft, but each review is probably from a rater - who compiled the notes from experts who smoked and then made notes/rated each cigar individually). So, here we go with the cigar rated number 4, a Cuban (what good does knowing this help me since I cannot get them right now anyway?) named a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial (Tubo): "The cigar is very, very rich, with varied notes that include coffee, earth and cocoa powder, and a touch of graham cracker." It gets better, the number 5 cigar, the Rocky Patel Royale Toro is right next to it, and it says: "The Royale is a rich, spicy smoke, with pleasant hints of chocolate." I saw another one that describe the flavor as "leather." Leather? Like baseball glove leather? I don't understand.
I've had the privilege of meeting Rocky Patel on several occasions, and even the maker of a cigar doesn't talk like this. Instead, when you walk up to him and ask, "Which of these would you recommend?" he doesn't go down a list of attributes that confuse, he just asks, "What do you like ordinarily?"
So imagine my surprise the other day when I went to the local bar that allows you to smoke cigars (a dying breed sadly). I pulled out my cigar that is spicy with a hint of oak, and asked the wait staff what kind of beer was on special today. "Every beer is $2 today." Every? I asked. Yes, except our coffee porter. Oh, now see, there they go. Even the wait staff is talking like that. Coffee porter? I asked. Yes, it's a seasonal beer, she replied. Oh, never mind then. So, I asked if could try that.
Folks. Let me tell you now that I stumbled on to, quite by accident, a beer that was absolutely wonderful. Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, Texas (Fireman's 4 is one you may know), has produced an absolutely wonderful porter that is strong and yet does not have the bite that a stout or porter may possess. The seasonal beer, Real Ale Coffee Porter, is a very nice surprise that I did not expect. God certainly ordained that I have this beer since it was too cold to have a cigar outside, so my trip to a place I don't frequent was accidental. Finding this seasonal beer, then, was ordained by God Himself.
I went to the website for my usual "here are the specs for you beer types who like those kinds of things" readers. Let's just say they make great beer and don't keep a well-maintained website. So, if you are going to focus on something as a craft brewery, focus on beer-making. The Internet is highly over-rated anyway.
To finish the story, the cigar was a medium body cigar, not too lite and not too strong, and went well with this fine ale. To think, this was all by accident, and it turned out to be a great find.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Hey Porter, Hey Porter
I grew up in the wrong era. Fedoras, Big Band music, and travel by train would have been more my style. I traveled by train twice when I was a child. Once to New Orleans and once to Minnesota. I traveled again in Europe when in college. It was an enjoyable experience that took you through some of the more scenic routes of both our country and in Europe. While on the train to Minnesota, I vividly remember the porter. The porter was an employee of the railroad on the train who was there to serve the people in whatever fashion and was there to move things, hoist things, and to help.
Johnny Cash sang the song, "Hey, Porter," in which he asks the porter how much longer before "we cross the Mason Dixon line," and to tell the engineer to slow it down, because he wants to "take a stop and look around."
So, we come to the porter beer, so named for both its strength and, as lore has it, usually enjoyed by the porters. Porters who worked the docks loading and unloading. I can't do anything about the era I was born in (well, I do have a fedora), but I can do one thing: enjoy a porter beer.
London, it appears, is the home of porters. I must confess, I have really enjoyed porters since last May because it was the first beer I brewed at the house. I brewed it for two reasons: the taste of the sample at the brew house, and the experts said start with a dark beer when you begin brewing. In order to see if I had developed a porter of quality, I went to Spec's to find porters that would give me a sample when mine was ready. I chose Samuel Smith Taddy Porter.
We've sampled the Samuel Smith Brewery before in previous reviews, but the porter was my first from this brewery from England. The porter is, including the one I brewed, very dark, almost impenetrable by light, giving it almost a stout-like appearance. The taste is different from the stout, however, in that it has little "hoppy" flavor to it. According to Smith, the porter was first brewed in the 18th century (1700s), and given the audience it was named for, may have been a working man's ale.
Because I grew up near the port of Houston, worked on it periodically, and lived in a working man's neighborhood, I think I developed a fondness for it when I learned its history. If the review is based on its taste, then I have to confess it has quickly become one of my favorites. I can certainly say the Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is one worth trying. Mine was too, of course.
If you hear of a way to travel back in time, let me know. My decades are calling me.
Johnny Cash sang the song, "Hey, Porter," in which he asks the porter how much longer before "we cross the Mason Dixon line," and to tell the engineer to slow it down, because he wants to "take a stop and look around."
So, we come to the porter beer, so named for both its strength and, as lore has it, usually enjoyed by the porters. Porters who worked the docks loading and unloading. I can't do anything about the era I was born in (well, I do have a fedora), but I can do one thing: enjoy a porter beer.
London, it appears, is the home of porters. I must confess, I have really enjoyed porters since last May because it was the first beer I brewed at the house. I brewed it for two reasons: the taste of the sample at the brew house, and the experts said start with a dark beer when you begin brewing. In order to see if I had developed a porter of quality, I went to Spec's to find porters that would give me a sample when mine was ready. I chose Samuel Smith Taddy Porter.
We've sampled the Samuel Smith Brewery before in previous reviews, but the porter was my first from this brewery from England. The porter is, including the one I brewed, very dark, almost impenetrable by light, giving it almost a stout-like appearance. The taste is different from the stout, however, in that it has little "hoppy" flavor to it. According to Smith, the porter was first brewed in the 18th century (1700s), and given the audience it was named for, may have been a working man's ale.
Because I grew up near the port of Houston, worked on it periodically, and lived in a working man's neighborhood, I think I developed a fondness for it when I learned its history. If the review is based on its taste, then I have to confess it has quickly become one of my favorites. I can certainly say the Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is one worth trying. Mine was too, of course.
If you hear of a way to travel back in time, let me know. My decades are calling me.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Ordinary Average Guy
So sang Joe Walsh once in a song . So, in this new year, I've taken up what appears to be an activity that you look at and say, "Brew review? Doesn't that come to you like breathing? What's to review?"
The truth is that conducting a search in Google to find an estimate or exact number of beers available to the average guy is not easy. Sure, you can find top rated beers or bottom dwellers, but not an exact number of beers out there.
So, if you couple that fact that the amount of beer available is limitless and divide that times a limited amount of time on earth, you begin to see that the average guy, limited by time on earth and a large number, needs to have some kind of funnel to narrow the search. To exacerbate the problem (make matters worse if you live in East Texas), you are probably like me in that you have an average salary in your average life that can only be spent on so much. That means, perish the thought, a limited amount to spend on what appears to be a limitless supply.
To the point, Average Guy Beer Review is committed to steering you in the right direction when it comes to beer. That means highlighting beers you may not know about and informing you on some you may have heard of. Now, since all tastes are not the same, my taste may not equal your taste, which means my analysis may not be yours, but that is what is cool about the world of beers and brewing. We learn to exist on the same planet with different tastes.
So, Average Beer Guy and the average guy who writes it is committed to you the loyal reader and to those who may be new to the site: analysis that is friendly to the reader, not complicated; helping you in your selection of beers from across the country and globe; providing some good reads for just before bedtime to help you doze off; and, hopefully to bring us together in the world of brews.
Hope you had a Hoppy New Year with some of your favorites. We did here.
Average Beer Guy
The truth is that conducting a search in Google to find an estimate or exact number of beers available to the average guy is not easy. Sure, you can find top rated beers or bottom dwellers, but not an exact number of beers out there.
So, if you couple that fact that the amount of beer available is limitless and divide that times a limited amount of time on earth, you begin to see that the average guy, limited by time on earth and a large number, needs to have some kind of funnel to narrow the search. To exacerbate the problem (make matters worse if you live in East Texas), you are probably like me in that you have an average salary in your average life that can only be spent on so much. That means, perish the thought, a limited amount to spend on what appears to be a limitless supply.
To the point, Average Guy Beer Review is committed to steering you in the right direction when it comes to beer. That means highlighting beers you may not know about and informing you on some you may have heard of. Now, since all tastes are not the same, my taste may not equal your taste, which means my analysis may not be yours, but that is what is cool about the world of beers and brewing. We learn to exist on the same planet with different tastes.
So, Average Beer Guy and the average guy who writes it is committed to you the loyal reader and to those who may be new to the site: analysis that is friendly to the reader, not complicated; helping you in your selection of beers from across the country and globe; providing some good reads for just before bedtime to help you doze off; and, hopefully to bring us together in the world of brews.
Hope you had a Hoppy New Year with some of your favorites. We did here.
Average Beer Guy
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