Holiday Tragedy

The cursed residents of Wheat Ridge, CO dealt with another in a series of recent tragedies yesterday when another semi-trailer filled with beer overturned on Interstate 70. The driver was heading eastbound and exiting Highway 58 just after high noon and apparently failed to hit the ramp at a slow rate of speed. The truck was carrying more than 70,000 lbs of beer, including 160 kegs and more than 1,000 cans of beer. According to reports, this is the third truck to roll on what we are now dubbing "Devil's Off Ramp" since August of 2008.

The truck, owned by Central Refrigerated Services, Inc. was said to be coming from the Coors Brewery. The good news is that the driver was not hurt and the spilled beer was apparently Keystone, which nobody drinks anyway.

A Holiday Brew Review - Twelve Days

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the holiday lights bring cheer to the neighborhood, and there's a wonderful winter wonderland across the country. Maybe it's wonderful because while much of the country is getting pelted with cold rain, ice, and snow we're sitting in front of the warm glow of the television while drinking our latest find - Hook Norton Brewery's Twelve Days English Christmas Ale.

This ale comes from our brothers across the pond in the UK (Oxfordshire, to be exact) in a tall and unique 1 pint .9 fluid ounce dark bottle. It pours into the pint glass quite smooth and results in a rich, thick head that's somewhere between egg shell white and beige in color. It's a clear, dark brown ale that begs to be enjoyed. And as it's enjoyed the brew leaves a beautiful lacing on the glass (always a sign of good beer). The back label on the bottle accurately describes Twelve Days as malty above all else with some hints of nutty and chocolate flavors. It goes down smooth, a bit sweet, and is not too carbonated. It's not a complicated flavor so probably easily enjoyed by most at your holiday party. If the merry gatherers don't like it just feed them something with "drinkability" so you can enjoy the real beer.

Nothing overtly negative about this ale but nothing that makes it overtly memorable either. It's the kind of beer you will enjoy this year and next year wonder what that beer was from the UK that you really liked but don't remember the name and wish you could because you really liked it. If you're lucky you will accidentally pick it up again next year.

Look, Up in the Sky

We are not intentionally grabbing only Florida drinking stories - we promise. A woman in Ft. Pierce, Florida was found drinking on the roof of somebody else's home. According to the article, the woman come down and leave but only if the owner gave her more beer. The woman, who was not identified in the article, faces a disorderly intoxication charge.

The AP went on to report that the woman "has been in trouble before".

Take Us into the Weekend Johnny

Pour Some Out for the Homies

We're on the soapbox this morning - a bit delayed but that's because of the hangover. We were not thrilled with the InBev purchase of Anheuser-Busch but we played the stiff upper lip. It's still brewed in America, still headquartered in St. Louis, and there is still something American cool about going into a bar and ordering a Bud. Besides, it's the way of the world for the big brewers (ahem, MolsonCoors). And when big fish eat even bigger fish do beer lovers hear it?

We knew the winds of change were blowing but less than a month into this new venture comes the announcement that A-B will be cutting 1,400 jobs - 75 percent of which are located at the St. Louis headquarters. This does not include the 415 contractor jobs that are also being cut. This will save the company $1.5 billion and that's a lot of money. Part of this is our own fault. In the Wal-Mart world we live in everybody races to the lowest price quality be damned. We're over-simplifying two very complicated issues (1-InBev's job cutting and 2-the entire economy).

We had thoughts on calling for some sort of boycott but we're taking a different strategy. Don't boycott anything - buy. Buy American. Buy local. Everywhere you can purchase a product made in America - preferably if it's an American-owned company (thereby keeping profits in America). Keep the jobs here, the middle-class labor and manufacturing and engineering jobs. This doesn't mean you can't enjoy a Molson or Blue every now and again but think about what your buying before you buy - whether it's a beer, #2 pencil, or shovel from Home Depot.

Next Blog

Proving that our blog is at least as insignificant as all the others.

Running for Rhinos: Describing the Progress Training to Run the London Marathon 2009 to Raise Money for Save the Rhino International.
How many kilometers is in a marathon? Nevermind, we're not running it regardless of what happens to the rhinos.

Aloware Corporation: Disenado por louis
Looks like some sort of corporate partnership between Apple and Google - you know, because they don't own enough of the Internet already.

Israel is Real
Dispelling the myth that Israel is fake.

Hoy Libro!
Aye Carumba

A "Far Out" Westerly View: The Musings of A Conservative Mind Plus Rants, Raves and Accolades
You might think we found the real life Steven Colbert but it's not much more than a family blog with suspect spelling (see post - "will tomorrow every come").

Vincit Omnia Veritas
Seeking to fill the void in life by blogging (seriously, we're not making that up)

Learning to Live Love: An Expression of My Journey of Learning What it Means to Live Love
Oh, puke.

Planet of the Kates
Ripping off a crappy movie for your blog title. Kate does apparently own a giant size old school Nintendo controller so we give a slight tip of the hat.

Wow Online Strategy Vault: Wow Strategies for Dominating World of Warcraft
We'd rather go back to Learning to Live Love. And we just got the "WOW" acronym.

I am Not Like Everybody Else: Andrea Orciari
Yes you are.

Merry New Year, Ya Hosers

A Little Father-Son Road Trip

In our continuing series that highlights the lowlights of drinking and fatherhood we today bring you the story of Joshua Fagan of somewhere in or near Fort Myers, Florida. Having recently lost his job in construction and his wife to divorce Mr. Fagan did what many of us might do - he had a few drinks. As is sometimes wont to happen, Mr. Fagan had enough to recognize that he was in no condition to drive. He apparently was drinking at home so being impaired and not driving is good but doesn't get you the same bragging rights as if you were smart enough to cab it home from the bar.

Here's where the story gets interesting. Mr. Fagan was not done drinking and decided that rather than break the law he would simply have his 9 year old son drive to the store for some more of the good stuff.

The local CBS affiliate, WINK (seriously, the CBS affiliate is WINK? Florida is messed up) followed the story. Here's a portion of Maggie Crane's Peabody-worthy report:
*******************************************************************************
REPORTER: "We have this police report. Would you care to comment on the safety of your son?"

FAGAN: shut the door to his home without comment.
*******************************************************************************

Riveting.

Another Reason to Skip Delaware

OK, so everybody knows that Dogfish Head is the pop music of microbrews. Seriously, how many other microbrews offer bike shirts as part of their merchandising? We actually met Sam Calagione (we even read his book) while he was at the Savor event in Washington, DC. Since that makes us old friends we can give these blunt assessments. Remember kids, pop music is not always a bad thing (see image, right).

This past weekend we gathered with friends to check out the still almost new Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, MD. It's conveniently located just off the highway so there's no excuse for getting lost. Arriving a bit earlier than expected we put in a bid for a table and sauntered up to the bar. The place is nice, clean, and has a homey feel to it. There's a lot of dark wood which provides a wintery comfort. The bar is nice and open, sports 3 big screen televisions, and offers 9 Dogfish brews. It's very a casual atmosphere and the staff, particularly at the bar, are friendly.

The food was good but we relegated ourselves to a few appetizers and the sandwich portion of the menu. Frankly, when you're going to a brewpub you go for the beer - not the food. And the beer is everything you expect when you're drinking a Dogfish Head. Their beers tend to be hoppier then most and a bit bitter but we love that in our beer. We feasted on the Indian Brown, Raison D'etre, Alehouse, and Pangea. We probably drank too much but isn't that the point?

We didn't pick up any fancy merchandise and we didn't give the menu a thorough vetting. Despite drinking several rounds we only made it through half the brews on tap. Basically, we left ourselves many reasons to go back - and we plan to do just that in short order. You're obviously not going to use the Alehouse as an excuse to skip the home brewery but it is a great place to get your fix in between trips to the big DE.

Not That There's Anything Wrong With It

We've seen Crocodile Dundee so we know that generally Aussie men are akin to the American cowboys of the wild west. The likes of Jessie Spencer, Hugh Jackman, that guy on The Mentalist, and even Heath Ledger (what, is it to soon?) make us wonder every now and again but we shrug it off because they always hang out with hot chicks.

Then the fine folks at Reuters reported on a survey that found Aussie men are more likely to drink champagne than beer and talk fashion and hair over football (seriously, hair?).
***********************************************************************************
CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - The survey found 75 percent of Aussie men were more likely to bring champagne and a cheese platter to a barbeque, rather than the traditional box of beer and raw meat for cooking.

One-in-two men also now favored yoga or pilates exercises to football and cricket at the weekend, the survey of 500 men for boutique brewing company Barons found on Tuesday.

"Many single women are crying out that its almost impossible to find a real man," Barons Chief Executive Scott Garnett said.
***********************************************************************************
FYI Australia - the metrosexual thing is out. Not that "out" we mean no longer trendy.

We need a Foster's right about now.

Final Verdict: Perk-A-lator Stout

We managed to go a full 7 days beyond the one month aging for our Perk-A-lator Stout. Part of the reason for the extra week is that the key players were stuck in Orlando and/or Phoenix when we should have been crackin' the hootch.

After a little chilling in the fridge we hit the first capped bottle - b/c we are big dorks we marked the first bottle just so we could know what we were tasting. The beer pours dark and full in a way that only a good stout can. By dark we mean opaque, lost in the middle of woods in the dead of night with no stars while the Blair Witch is looking for you kind of dark. The head is heavy with a nice chestnut color but it settles down rather quickly. The scent provides a slight hint of coffee. Taking a nice big first swig - because we are daring and only sissies take a tiny first sip - and the stout flavor jumps out at you. The carbonation is good but not great. There is a slight coffee finish. Overall, Perk-A-lator came out with smashing success for a homebrew. We are quite proud and have been downing it heavily since opening the first bottle.

As close as we are to brewing experts there are a few drawbacks. The first being that the coffee flavor, while present, could be a bit more full in the after taste. We mentioned that the carbonation is good but not great and we stick by that - if we could take it down have a notch the brew would be smooth as silk. If you're shooting for something as smooth as Guinness we just missed. Finally, the scent after pouring is pretty good but there's a slight tinge of pungent - maybe alcohol smell. You really have to focus to pick it up but it's there.

This is not a movie so we're not going to bother making up a lame scale of beer bottles or pint glasses. Regardless, it's the best brew since bringing on my trusted assistant. It's also a close second to our pride and joy Oatmeal Stout (brewed before we discovered the blogosphere).

Keeping It All in the Family

Indiana state police arrest a woman for drunk driving and it appears she was driving with her child. Not the best decision making but that's not the point. According to the article, the troopers called several family members to pick up the child. First, the father shows up drunk to pick up the child - he too gets arrested. Then the grandparents show up and turns out they had been drinking. Fortunately for the child, grandma was under the legal limit so officers escorted the happy trio home.

GO HOOSIERS!

There is Bad Beer After All

Some beers really are not worth having more than once and today we take a look at two. This is not to say these respective brewers make all things bad but every once in awhile even the best lay an egg.

Breckenridge Brewery's Remarkable Vanilla Porter. So, it's actually brewed with real vanilla beans (as opposed to the fake beans). The label boasts that this original recipe is "seldom seen" and "never duplicated" and for that we are thankful. The beer is a bit light in color for a porter but it has great head (that's what she said). Get a good snootful of this and there is a mild vanilla background but on the front end there's a solid alcohol smell - not exactly ideal. Take a swig and it's like drinking carbonated vanilla extract. According to the fine folks at Breckenridge we're tasting a nice herb and spice beer. Of course, when talking spices you have to use great geography and these folks do it up right talking big on the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar - pretty fancy.

Bell's Cherry Stout. We are actually big fans of Bell's other brews but the Cherry Stout - not so much. On the pour, from a bottle into a pint glass, it looks great. Dark in color with the nutty colored head you would expect from a good stout. Take a deep breath over the glass and you come away with a nice stout feel backed up with faint cherry. Our expectations at this point were high. The taste is where things get tricky. At best the cherry flavor is fake and forced on to the palette. In the end it's closer to a cherry cough syrup than a good, reliable stout.

Generally we prefer that these fancy flavored beers have more hint in the after taste. Of course, these things are highly subjective and we encourage you and yours to try these out and judge for yourself. We're not exactly experts or judges - just schmoes who like to drink too much. Anyway, this has been fun but we're going to find a real beer.

Vote or Be Shamed

It's election day and we here at the D-liner don't care who you vote for we just care that you vote. When you're done voting do not forget to where your fascist "I Voted" sticker proudly - preferably some place where everybody can see it. Stand a little taller so you can look down on people that didn't bother to vote. It's everybody's right to vote and because you voted it's your right to shame others into voting by wearing your little sticker.

You're better than those Socialist, Commie-pinkos that don't need to vote; that don't respect the right to vote. Feel free to flick boogers on these non-voters who still live in their parents basement and couldn't break free from their online gaming so they could wait in 8-hour lines filled with voting glitches and hanging chads.

When you're done looking down on the slackers go to CNN's iReport and post your video about how great you are and how you reminded all the non-voters about their civic duties (because posting your video means you almost work for CNN).

If you didn't vote please purchase "I Voted" stickers here or here or tell people you don't wear one because you didn't want to ruin your coat.

ESB Easy as 1-2-3

It dawned on us that this blog is supposed to include a fair amount of brew reviews and we've been slacking. Why have we been less accountable than a presidential candidate? We really don't have a good reason except to say that like any good Gen-Xers, we're lazy.

So, we found ourselves at our semi-local watering hole, Franklin's passing the time watching the Flyers face off against the Thrashers because there's nothing else on. Seriously, it was that or the end of the ESPN interview of Brett Favre's wife - a disseration on the uselessness of ESPN will someday be covered by our friends at Gheorge.

This evening we decided to go crazy on Franklin's newest brew Anne's ESB. Here's what we know about the brew. Anne is one of Franklin's finest - a day manager. Some have said she's bitter, like the aforementioned ESB (or our ex-wives), but we can't confirm as our midweek drinking is reserved for the evenings. We prefer to be hungover at our 9-5, not drunk. ESB is "extra special bitter" - not exactly marketing genius but don't let that scare you. This beer is where it's at if you like a complex flavor. It's literally brewed with 6 different hops and 6 different malts and the result is 6 percent alcohol - appropriately completing the late October trifecta. We're not saying ESB is evil but the flavor is pretty bad ass - if you can handle a bitter beer and flavor too.

Beer Drinkin' Woman

We should all wear blue pants like that once in awhile.

Free Beer Tuesday!

And as usual there is a catch. A club out of Pensacola called HandleBar is offering free beer to everyone who turns out to cast a vote in the November elections. Unfortunately, you can only get one beer for one vote - we believe it's in the Constitution (unless you live in Washington, DC). Sources claim that if you contact your local ACORN representative they can help verify that you voted more than once. We can't promise this will result in more free beer but it's worth a shot.

Since you don't get any kind of receipt for voting, the fine folks at the HandleBar are trading the commonly handed out "I voted" sticker for the free beer. We encourage everybody in the Pensacola area to vote early and vote often. If you prefer to ignore your civic duty you can always purchase a roll of "I voted" stickers for you and your friends here.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

School bus driver James Pruitt was arrested yesterday for "allegedly" stopping at the local ShopRite and grabbing a quick beer. What he stopped was the school bus he was driving, with one child still on board. Presumably he did not want to create a bad impression for the child so Mr. Pruitt was smart enough to chug the beer before getting back behind the wheel to finish his route. Needless to say, Mr. Pruitt was arrested and has a November 19th date with the judge.

This comes awfully close to our Father of the Year - UK Style post. Let it not be said that us Yankees will ever be out done by the Brits and their red coats.

Get Blind Drunk and Pull the Lever

Early voting has started in several states - Like New Mexico, where a woman from Albuquerque got herself completely hammered before showing up to the election site. The woman was reportedly so disappointed in her choices for president that she actually passed out while voting. Be honest - there's a little bit of this woman in all of us. In case you're wondering, it's not illegal to be drunk while casting your vote in Albuquerque. It's not clear that she completed her ballot but officials have declared her vote will count. Democracy at it's finest.

Not to be outdone is the country of Guatemala where they actually have to ban the sale of alcohol prior to their presidential elections. Apparently being sober when you vote allows you to be constantly reminded that you voted for the guy in office that is driving the country into the ground. Of course, Guatemalans are good drinkers and there are reports that many people started stocking up on booze before the ban.

All I Wanna Do Is Zima Zima and a Boom Boom

As far as we can tell the official death of the '90s arrived on October 20, 2008. It started with the death of Layne Staley and ended yesterday with the announcement that MillerCoors LLC will stop making the malternative beverage, Zima.

Zima has been called a lot of things - crap, awful, Sprite with alcohol. To us, Zima is the godfather of today's pop-malt beverages in the same way Neil Young is the godfather to alternative music. Were it not for Zima we might not have Mike's Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Twisted, and any of the lame beers now being pushed with lemon and/or lime. For better or worse, there's a market for these drinks.

It's not the drink itself rather the memories it evokes. Wearing flannel and work boots with shorts like Eddie Vedder. Pretending to like Mudhoney because they're from Seattle. Wondering why Metallica dressed alternative and still played heavy metal (please remember to get your Metallica music legally!). Most importantly - watching Singles with your girlfriend and running off to the house party hoping to get her drunk on Zima while you forced down Natural Light Ice - because every beer was "ice" back in the day.

So, good bye '90s. Today we grow up and pretend to care about our jobs. Zima - well, we actually thought you left years ago.

Finally, A Real Exit Strategy in Iraq

You want to bring peace to Iraq and, frankly, all of the middle east? The first step is probably opening a beer hall in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. The Press Association (sersiously? There is an Associated Press and a Press Association?) is reporting that Gunter Voelker opened the beer hall and even threw his own version of an Oktoberfest complete with drindl-clad waitresses. Said Mr. Voekler, the festival can be held with people from "all over the world in peace and in a real good mood."

We have high hopes for this new peace movement because nothing is more appreciated in the middle east than scantily clad women and alcohol. If only we could force them all to play baseball instead of soccer...

Father of the Year - UK Style

The Telegraph reports today that one of the finer red coats, Randy Lewis, got himself hammered on the alcohol (and cocaine). Being the safe drive he is, Mr. Lewis had his son take the keys and drive home with several other passengers. Mr. Lewis' son is 10 years old - but he is mature beyond his years. According to the story, Mr. Lewis was in the vehicle with at least one other adult.

Reaching speeds of up to 90 MPH (144 KPH for our metric friends), the kid flipped the vehicle. After the crash, the other adult passenger was seen stuffing her face with pills until police intervened. Mr. Lewis was found wearing a t-shirt reading "Buy this Dad a beer". Classy.

Mr. Lewis you are no K-Fed!

Hit the Bottle

We passed through the primary and secondary fermentation stages of our Perk-A-lator Stout with reckless abandon. Most of it is hazy and cloudy and we would have it no other way.

Today we bottled a case worth of the brew - just a bit over of two gallons worth. The final gravity was 1.020. The recipe calls for a final gravity of 1.021 so we were almost spot-on. We added just under one half cup of brown sugar (original recipe calls for 2/3 cup for five gallons) for our three gallons. It was admittedly rudimentary math so carbination could range from flat to way too much head - which is obviously only possible when brewing beer. The aroma was that of a good stout. It was a close-to-black body with hints of deep brown. In short, we have high hopes for this one.

Give us another month or so before tasting and we'll offer up the final review.

Top 5 - Oktoberfest Brews

In a complete rip off of the fine motion picture production High Fidelity and because we had trouble finding more brews to rate, we bring you the top 5 Oktoberfests around. Next year we will look beyond the local Safeway and microbrew store, Franklins. This is a very unscientific analysis. If you don't agree with this list just keep drinking until you do.

5. Lienenkugel's: The Miller Lite of Oktoberfest brews. It pains us to say that because we have friends who grew up with the cheeseheads of Wisconsin and because we've had some other Lienie's and they were quite good. If your choice is Lienie's Oktoberfest or Miller Lite, check your wallet, flip a coin, and order up.

4. Mendocino: The Toyota Camry of the list. It's fine and has decent flavor - just like vanilla ice cream. It will never fail you and it will never blow your mind.

3. Spaten: The world's first Oktoberfest brewed in 1872. And it's brewed for THE Oktoberfest - the one in Munich. Also, one of only a handful of brews that meets the strict German rules and regulations for qualifying as a beer. Need we say more?

2. Sam Adams: Our introduction to this line of brews and we've been in love since day one - which is why our heart is a bit broken that we can't make it number one. It's got great malt flavors and is ever so sweet on the palette.

1. Brooklyn Brewery: All the benefits of Sam Adams with just a bit more flavor. A little sweeter but not so much that it will turn you off. It might not hurt that we're Yankees fans and bitter that our boys are golfing while those with red socks are playing in the ALCS. What can we say but go Dodgers! Yankee Stadium - moment of silence.

Admit it, you think she's hot.

The BeerSpotter

We are always pleased when we find a new gem - such as somebody else reviewing the microbrews so we can spend more time drinking them and less time blogging about them.

Today we bring you The BeerSpotter (aka Orr Shtuhl) of the Washington CityPaper. This week Orr is featuring Eugene City Tracktown 100 Meter Ale. Orr even goes so far as to tell you where to purchase the beer. We don't do that because we don't want to infringe on your sense of adventure - and because it never dawned on us. Go read the review to find out why you should drink this ale - we're too lazy to cut and paste it here.

We've never come across anything from Eugene City but we have a lot of experience with their brothers and sisters at Rogue. Some of us at DB have experience running the 100 meter dash. Running is hard and since we have a day job, and time for marginally read blogs, it's clear the Olympics (not even the special ones) are not calling. If you can't break a world record what is the point of running races?

Anyway, check out the BeerSpotter and the CityPaper What the hell - check out Tracktown 100 Meter Ale too.

XXX Action All the Time

Tonight we take a voyeuristic peek at Mackeson XXX Stout. Of course, we picked this brew strictly because of the "XXX" on the label. Mackeson is an import straight from England - apparently that little revolution didn't stop anybody from shipping the brews west. And we're all better off for it. Let's be honest, the foreign exchange students were always the hottest.

The beer is quite dark and opaque (would you say exotic?), which is always a good sign if you're going to be a stout. We were drinking from the 12 oz. bottle and when poured into the pint glass the head is thick and nut brown. What else would you expect from the head of XXX Stout? It's not the most complicated stout you'll ever drink but there's plenty of flavor. The Triple is a good, everyday beer - assuming you don't mind paying for it. Occassionally you might find yourself needing it so bad you will be willing to pay for it. Anyway, you can taste the nut flavor and the chocolate malts come through in the aftertaste. There is a bit of bitterness at the end as well - as there should be in a stout - but nothing that will turn you away for good.

If you can lay your hands all over this one we recommend it. If you're really good you can two fist it. Of course, you'll always think you can do better when you're having the Mackeson Triple Stout but we always think we can do better.

That Do Nothing Congress in DC

It's this or do real work. Classic Norm Peterson.

Ladies Drink for Free

It's back - and now it's legal. New York federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum threw out a case in Manhattan that claimed ladies nights discriminate against men by offering free or discounted admission and drinks. Attorney Roy Den Hollander brought the suit because he's tired of women getting things for free - and because he is just doing his part to reinforce the stereotype that men are idiots. According to CNN, Roy said the judge is a feminist.

We are big supporters of ladies nights. First, it means the bar will have ladies and, unlike Roy, we like the ladies. Second, it means more people drinking beer in the bars. And we like the drinking. Finally, if ladies drink for free on ladies night that means we don't have to buy drinks to get them drunk.

Roy, some unsolicited advice - go find a ladies night, have a beer (actually, have several beers), and talk to some of the ladies like most normal men. In your case, I'd recommend a fake name and probably lie about your profession too. If you are man, and we have our doubts, lying should be easy enough.

Boy Meets World

If the younger me and the elder me could have created this musical number I'd be spending less time in the cubicle...and more time on Dungeons and Dragons. I come from the Empire of Ismer!

Are You Ready For It?

Alright, so the National Football League opened its season some 10(ish) days ago but this was really opening weekend for us at DB. You see, some friends with little consideration for the sports interests of others decided that last weekend would be great for a wedding in New England (which it was - even though I am not a Patriots fan). You may have noticed that fall is sometimes in the air and the Oktoberfest's are on tap so it must be time for football...and apparently weddings.

Rather than trek down to the normal haunt for some action, we decided to make a run for the hills and see if there is a place to watch the Buffalo Bills while keeping an eye on the other 1PM (Eastern) games. What we found was the Pour House - a place that, upon entering, harkens one back to the days of yore when the city was in its early days. The Pour House is dark, cool, and real. They feature all the games and several fine brews. The Pour House has only one drawback, which is offering the typical football specials - $10 pitchers for Miller Lite and Bud Light. If they offered either for free I'd still pass. So it was - Sam Adams Oktoberfest by the pint. And I had one or two or...

The important news is that the good guys are 2-0 and you can find the highlights just about anywhere (like here). I had my brew and though it was a bit ugly the Bills are sharing first place with the vaunted New England Patriots. I guess they have to be "vaunted" until they at least lose a game.

Whatever you do please do NOT go to the Pour House. The staff, despite being overworked are friendly and efficient. Your neighbors at the bar are happy to chat about any team and any game and anything you're drinking. There's a good crowd but not a huge crowd. You can make a few friends but don't have to shout to be heard. Frankly, if word gets out you all will start going and ruin the whole experience for me. So really, find some place else to watch your football.

Perk-A-lator Stout

A friend at Gheorge reminded me that I should be focusing more on the homebrews than my cubicle requirements. So....it was just this past Labor Day making it the proper time to labor over the grains and pots to create the latest home brew - a coffee stout for the upcoming fall season. Aided by my trusty assistant (pictured left), we set to the brewing process. We are smack dab in the middle of the primary fermentation which requires a solid 2 weeks of drinking while waiting for the brew to age. Secondary fermentation is 3 weeks. The good news is that means enjoying Oktoberfests of all sorts. The bad news is that means this coffee stout takes a freakin' long time to brew - so my trusty assistant and I will be pissy if it tastes like skunk.

While we're waiting it's worth opening a cold brew and posting ingredients and particulars in the event our 1 or 2 loyal readers wants to know what poison was just sprung upon them. Follow us:

Original Gravity: 1.066

Ending Gravity: 1.020 (or something close to it)

Primary Fermentation: 2 weeks

Secondary Fermentation: 3 weeks

7.25 lbs Briess dark malt extract (dry)

.75 lbs Briess Crystal 80 malt

.25 lbs black malt

.5 oz Mt. Hood Hops, pellets (in boil 65 minutes)
.5 Mt. Hood Hops, pellets (in boil 20 minutes)

7 tspns Starbucks Sumatra Blend

1 tspn LD Carlson Irish Moss

1 tspn LD Carlson Gypsum

White Labs 004 Irish Ale Yeast

.66 cup brown sugar for priming

Steep black malt and crystal malt in 2.5 gallons of water for 21 minutes at 166 degrees F. Remove grains and bring to boil. Stir in extract. Re-establish boil and add .5 oz hops. Keep at steady boil for 30 minutes and add Irish Moss and gypsum. Boil for 15 minutes and add remaining hops and ground coffee. Boil for final 20 minutes and remove from heat.

Transfer to the primary fermenter and add water until 5 gallons. Cool to 74.7 degrees F and pitch yeast. Ferment for 2 weeks, move to secondary fermenter for another 3 weeks. Prime with .66 cups brown sugar and bottle for 3-6 weeks (since this is our first brew with this recipe exact aging after bottling is yet to be determined - stay tuned for details).

We "borrowed" this recipe from the book Homebrew Favorites - a gift from my trusty assistant. You'll find among the pages a tasty sounding Espresso Stout. Tip of the hat to home brewer Greg Kushmerek of Belmont, MA and his kick ass motto "Brew Free or Die"

Pints for Prostates

We at DB are always happy to promote a good cause - even if, like any self-respecting man, we would prefer a novacaine-free root canal to any thought of prostate exams. Apparently something like 1 in 6 of us on the male side can be at risk of prostate cancer. That sounds like a lot of men - and we need the numbers.

So, click on the picture and open your wallet. Then reward yourself with a nice cold beer. If you're over 40 and get tested please reward yourself with multiple beers.

How to Get Free Beer

Well, it works in Canada, eh.

Weed: It's Not Just for Smoking!

Tip of the hat to one Vaune Dillmann of the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company and his fight to make weed legal. The LA Times reports that while brewing out of his Northern California brewery, Mr. Dillmann created a bit of controversy with his bottle caps labeled "Try Legal Weed". Turns out Mt. Shasta is based in Weed, CA and, according to the Times article, the town of Weed has been playing off the double entendre in a variety of ways.

Cue in the fuzz; stage right (wing). While most people can enjoy the goofy joke without getting the munchies our friends at the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms didn't think it was funny. They did make a brief stink of the situation (pun intended) but in the end cooler heads prevailed. The Mt. Shasta Brewing Company's Web site states that the ATF now agrees that their label refers to the brand product and does not mislead consumers.

By the way, Mr. Dillmann is not some renegade brewer that wears hemp and listens to the Grateful Dead. Turns out he's a former fuzz himself.

We've never had a Mt. Shasta beer so can't tell you if they are good, bad, or otherwise. However, if you find yourself in Northern California or Southern Oregon do your best to sniff out some Weed beer. It's worth it if only for the opportunity to support a microbrewery and try something new. Besides, everybody's doing it.

All Aglow for Allagash

No, not the USS Allagash. It’s August 27, 2008, and we ask: "Is there a better time to identify a great summer beer?" Don't answer that; it was rhetorical.

My new favorite cure all for the hot, hazy, humid mid-Atlantic summer is Allagash White. The Allagash folks were kind enough to start a brewery in Portland, ME and that’s important because it’s the home of the Buffalo Sabres new minor league affiliate the Portland Pirates. I’ve never been to Portland but a northeast city with a brewery and a hockey team is alright in my book any day of the week. It turns out there are some pretty good qualities found in both Portland and my home town. I’ll let somebody else wax poetic on urban comparisons. With the discovery of Allagash and the Sabres new affiliate I have two outstanding reasons for a New England road trip.

The point here is to talk up Allagash White. It’s a wheat beer and I’m generally not a wheat beer fan. White falls under the “Classic” lineup of Allagash brews and I’m sure all the classics are great. I think I’m sure but I’ve only been able to find White in my corner of the world. I have only found it in 12 oz. bottles but the rumor is you can get it in 750 ml bottles and kegs. Sometimes I drink straight from the bottle and other times I pour into a pint glass but that’s just so I can enjoy the view. White is a more sophisticated beer with plenty of spices, which probably gives White its funky smell (funky in a good way). It is cloudy gold look but don’t hang your entire beer drinking experience on whether or not you can see your hand behind the glass of beer. The flavor is not too strong but you can't miss the spices and citrus notes. I think it’s best enjoyed refrigerator cold. It is a light-bodied beer with a clean finish and is quite refreshing for a beer. Refreshed or not, you’re going to want another. In fact, if you’ll excuse me…

Creating a Logo

So, we have a logo. Sure, there is a first draft business plan but let's be honest - business plans are far less inspiring and creative than logos. Business plans are filled with jargon, rationality, numbers and justifications. Any good logo is a beautiful work of art that speaks to the public and defines an organization. Everybody knows the Red Cross logo, the Ford Oval, and the Sierra Nevada nature scene. If you don't know these then you need far more help than we can offer.

At the risk of it being poached we will provide a brief description. Hopefully it will be vague enough to remain original when we release an image yet described well enough that you get a good sense of where we are going. Without further adieu....

We are seeing the name of the brewery written in an upside down "U" formation, effectively serving as the border of the crest. Inside the crest and coming from a distance is the bridge with Bison standing at the ready. Behind the bridge an image or silhouette of the major architecural accomplishment of the city. Colors - TBD.

If you can picture it in your head you're getting a feel for where the brewery is going. The next step is to find a graphic designer/artist to scope it out and make it real. When we have that we'll post it here for all the world to see.

Working on Saturday

Nobody likes it when you work on the weekend. So, blow off the boss and enjoy the best thing to come out of Canada since hockey. Oh, and turn on some sports too.

Feed My Franklinstein

Thirsty for beer and it's feeding time. One of the better brewpubs in the metro area is a little place just across the border. The food is fine - stick with the sandwiches and the pizzas, throw in an appetizer for starters, and you can't go wrong. Really, the beer is the reason you visit Franklin's. Of course, it's the reason you visit any brewpub.

One of the great features of Franklins is the 64 oz. take home growler. Enjoy a brew at the upstairs bar and if you fall in love with it take some home. Or, have one brew and enjoy an entirely different one at home. This particular visit found me enjoying the Rubber Chicken Red. Rumor has it the brewer is not a big fan of reds but you wouldn't know it when you drink from the chicken. What did I take home with me? The Coffee Stout. This is a great dark, dare I say black, beer that provides a nice cream colored head when poured. It has a distinct coffee aroma and there is a wonderful coffee taste. It's a somewhat complicated flavor, really but even for those who prefer a lighter beer this is a great option.

We can go on raving about the Franklin's brews for days but maybe you'd like to know more about the place. It was formerly a sandwich shop and the owner lives within minutes of the building - a truely local owner is a wonderful find. It has the restaurant downstairs with the bar and additional seating upstairs. Don't overlook the fact that it's also attached to a toy store that has fun and games for both the kiddies and the adults. We won't dwell on the kids toys but know that after you fill your growler you should stop by the store to purchase a nice hard-to-find microbrew. Everything from DogFishHead to Chimay to brews of the world. Fill your fridge with equal parts Franklin's beers and microbrews. It's one stop shopping for the microbrew lover in all of us. Franklin's truly is the best little pourhouse in Maryland!

D-liner Lunch

The first post was supposed to be more official sounding - an announcement of the arrival of the Dumbarton blog. But this is a blog revolved around beer and the enlightenment it brings and today is no exception. I just took a bit of a lunch at the D-liner, the area's leading Irish pub, and this always involves some food and beer. Smithwick's was the choice today - just enough to whet the pallet as many of us have a day job. The beer was cold, the barkeep cheerful, and the friends were entertaining. How does that not break up the start of a work week.

Smithwick's is a fine beer - of course, it's Irish so it must be fine. If it's Belgian, German, or Irish how bad can it be? It's good for these hot, humid days when one has to bear the sun's beating as he returns to the office. My guess is that Smithwick's is Ireland's version of Budweiser - a good everyday beer that nobody should be ashamed of drinking. It provides a refreshing taste and finishes clean. Certainly a brew that, if you can find it locally, is worth having a pint or two.

So next time you find yourself looking for a refreshing lunch hour beverage be sure to consider Smithwick's or really any fine Irish brew. If that won't suffice don't let the hour of the day prevent you from enjoying a cold one. Now, if you can't find a reason to have a brew in the afternoon, well, maybe you're reading the wrong blog.