In case you were wondering, just because football season ended nearly seven months ago that doesn’t mean that I’ve been sober for seven months. In fact, without having football games to occupy my time, it drives me to drink even more. Sure, we had basketball, baseball and my Wild made a run at the Cup, but it isn’t the same.
I’m going to be spending opening night 2015 watching and live Tweeting the game from local watering hole, New Bohemia, of Golden Valley, MN. This fabulous bar features nearly 30 unique and traditional sausages plus traditional German sides and long dining hall tables reminiscent of a beer hall you might find in Germany. They also feature 36 different tap beers making my selection all the more difficult.
Typically I drink my way through this article on Thursday night while watching whatever craptastic game the NFL chooses to subject us to, but this week’s game actually looks interesting (which means it probably won’t be). Since I’ll be busy actually watching this football game along with throwing down beers and chasing them with sausages tonight, I better get my “What’s on Tap” drink on this afternoon instead. #DayDrinking
Cheers,
Harley
New Belgium Lips of Faith Transatlantique Kriek 2015 from New Belgium Brewing Company out of Fort Collins, CO.
Served: Served from a bottle, at refrigerator temperature into a tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark maroon with a half-inch thick neon pink head.
Smell: Vanilla and raspberry is the initial aroma I get, as it warmed some I got more blackberry and black cherry.
Taste: It is not as sour as some Kriek beers that I have had in the last couple years, but there is some tartness present. My first thoughts are that the cherry is a little on the sweet side and it even pulls a hint of Granny Smith apple and Anjou pear or Extra Brut sparkling wine grapes.
Mouth feel: Effervescent like Champagne, the bubbles pop into my nose as I sip it. The flavor lingers for a short time afterwards but at no point does this feel heavy drinking.
Overall: Nice segue beer for people not familiar with sours or Lambics. Take your time drinking it, because well it may taste like fruit juice or Sangria it still comes in at 8% ABV.
Nitro Dales Pale Ale from Oscar Blues Brewing Company out of Longmont, CO.
Served: Served on Nitro in a pint glass.
Appearance: Light copper/amber with a ¼ inch head of white foam.
Smell: Hops smell earthy and caramel headlines the nose. As it breathes, a little more citrus and pine comes out but not as much as I remember from the last time I drank this.
Taste: Caramel forward with a bit more citrus than I smelled originally. It also has a slightly organic cola or Dr. Pepper syrup aftertaste.
Mouth feel: This one feels heavier than it is (perhaps the creaming nature of the Nitro). That said it is still easy to drink.
Overall: Oskar Blues rarely doesn’t anything wrong in my opinion. This one is no different. It calls itself an APA, but it has enough hops to satisfy IPA drinkers as well.
Equinox Pale Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company out of Chicago, IL.
Served: Served on draft into a Lagunitas mason jar.
Appearance: Clear orange with a thin white head and a fair amount of lacing.
Smell: Traditional biscuit opening that a lot of the Lagunitas’ ales feature, plus a ton of pine. I feel like I’m in a coniferous forest.
Taste: The flavor is not as piney as the aroma but there is still a fair amount of citrus shining through and you can taste the oats much like you can in an oatmeal stout.
Mouth feel: Resinous and thick, this is driven by the oats. The citrus flavor lingers on the tongue and the pine lingers on your nose.
Overall: Another home run for the fine folks at Lagunitas. I wish it wasn’t so big, at 8% I am going to be in trouble if I down multiples of this. That said I don’t care. I don’t have anything to do tonight right? Oh wait…football! LET’S GO!
