Water into Wino

The Napa Valley of Beers

I've been in Colorado for some time now and I think I could stay here for a whole year and drink a new beer every night. Maybe it's a good thing I'm leaving tomorrow for Kansas. The first sixer I picked up was a Red Hook Sunrye Summer Ale. I've had this once before and it was just as tasty as I remember. There were so many different beers I can barely remember half of them. The best ones did manage to influence some of my brain cells enough for me to recall their names. These include Odell's 90 Shilling Ale, Avery 14'er E.S.B., Fat Tire Ale, and Great Divide Titan IPA. It seemed as though every corner store and liquor store was stocked with dozens of micro brews. I spent a hell of a lot of time pacing the aisles of each of them.

Based on my advice, the crew I'm working with, including the executives that flew in for the show, all had a send off dinner at Walnut Brewery Pub and Restaurant in Boulder. The combination of giant vats of beer behind the bar and the animal heads on the walls made this a unique place to enjoy a few brews. I started with an red ale beer, moved on to the bitter, and finished with a Dalwhinnie Single malt Scotch. There was a steak in there somewhere too. All in all a great choice for dining with a large group that likes to drink.

I did drink one bottle of wine while playing some poker with the crew. It was some blend of Spanish grapes from different regions. Some garnacha, mourderve, and s few other grapes thrown in. It wasn't bad but if I don't remember the name so I guess it wasn't all that good either. My wine obsession did rise to the occasion when I found a Garfield Estates Cabernet Franc from the Grand Valley in Colorado.
It's 14% alcohol so it probably won't taste like the ones I'm used to but I can't wait to drink it. I think I'll wait for my first tornado sighting to drink it though.

Red Hook ESB

I found another good reason to drink beer during daylight hours. Just look at how nice the sunlight illuminates this glass of Red Hook ESB. Makes my mouth water every time. I've been buying this beer at my local grocery store for only $6. Every other premium selection there is at least $8 to $9. Just like everything else, catching a buzz costs more in NYC. So when I find something thats reasonable and enjoyable I become a loyal consumer.

Light amber color with some good suds. Aroma of fruity hops, but overall not very intense on the nose. The taste really hits the spot for my palate. I love ESB and by that I mean the classically thick and aggressively bitter ones. This beer has only a trace of that style, but enough to know you're not drinking your average ale. The bitterness is complemented by citrus undertones that make this a thirst quenching beer, which is not what I'd expect from an ESB. The texture is also refreshing while still having substantial body that coats the mouth. The finish reveals a minor metallic quality but that's one of the only negatives I can find.

I wouldn't try to pass this off as a classic ESB in style, but I think for the average drinker this would be enjoyable, as well as drinkable for those of us that see the six pack as a serving size. This might also make a good stepping stone beer for someone who hasn't tried ESB and wants to take their domestic beer guzzling in another direction. I'm now on the lookout for the Red Hook Sun Rye Ale. It's just so damn hard to find rye beer these days and summer is on the way. My grade: B

A Bitter 50th Post

For my 50th post, I am gonna do something different. Sometimes when I am verbalizing my obsession with wine to someone who has dared question it, I reference my beer drinking days in college. Unless I was at a kegger, simple yellow beer didn't do it for me. I'd drive that extra mile for a taste of something new. In those days it might have been Bluemoon Belgian White Ale or that rare rye beer I'd drink at a local brewery pub. Exposing myself to as many different flavors and styles with my student loan money was the norm. The similarities to my current wine binge are clearly evident.

Being from Niagara Falls, and its close proximity to the other North Americans, my favorite "table" beer is Molson Canadian and if I can find it here in NYC, Molson Export Ale. Lately though I'm craving those hoppy, dense, buzz inducing beers of the good old irresponsible days of college. After refining my palate on wine and food in recent years, I feel its time to revisit and experiment with what makes a good beer in my taste. And honestly, having a couple beers on a week night doesn't do as much damage on the wallet as opening another bottle of wine.

Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing Co.
San Diego County ($4)

With a label and name that would alienate most wine buyers in a flash, this beer seduced my playful side immediately. As if the name wasn't bold enough, the words "You're Not Worthy" adds to this cocky marketing strategy. The bottle also reads "It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth." Having read so much wine media lately, seeing this written as a selling point in such plain terms is refreshing, rather than that message being relayed in a passive aggressive way as I sometimes notice in wine branding. Turns out it's not just a gimmicky beer, it's a tasty one too that lives up to its claims of complexity.

Deep amber color with a sweet but hoppy nose. The palate is extremely complex for a beer, with citrus qualities of grapefruit and lemon. The finish is very bitter, but still fruity. The ass kicking 7.2% alcohol is well balanced with the flavors and the texture is just as close to perfect as I could expect. It's hearty, but not too filling. I've already decided to buy more. My grade: A-