The Real "Old Dusseldorf in A Long Neck"

Thomas Magnum, the protagonist in what is arguably one of the coolest television shows based in Hawaii, is convinced that Robin Masters and Johnathan Q. Higgins III are one in the same. For our loyal readers who are too young to remember, Magnum, PI is about a private investigator working for an anonymous rich guy in exchange for free room and board - and apparently unlimited use of the coolest Ferrari ever produced. His island clients are always extremely attractive women and his friends are so cool that one owns a helicopter. If all of that is not enough, his refrigerator is always stocked with beer - Old Dusseldorf, to be specific.

This leads us to a theory. Robin Masters is to Higgins what Old Dusseldorf is to Maui Brewing Company. In  the last episode Higgins admits (and then maybe recants) that he is the famed and anonymous Robin. To which we argue that Old Dusseldorf is really just a cover for Maui Brewing Company. MBC wasn't around in the '80s. Then again, Magnum met Robin Masters more than once and heard his voice a couple of times each season.

Admit it - we just blew your mind.

It took long enough but MBC found its way inside the beltway and we've been soaking it all in. MBC comes in cans rather than the preferred long neck but we won't let that take away from the overall experience. In no particular order here's a snapshot of our mini-line up from best to worst (psst - the worst is pretty damn good).

Is this the real Robin Masters?

Coconut Porter. This beer is one of our all time favorite porters and it comes with the price tag to back it up. Chocolate and a hint of coconut in both taste. Aroma is the opposite. $13 and change for a four pack makes it something to cherish but it is worth it.

Bikini Blond Lager. If Budweiser was made by a craft brewer this would be the result. It's crisp, refreshing but with better flavor than Bud. We have a couple left but this is a summer brew. The heat and humidity returns to the DMV in early April so we'll keep these with our preferred stock until spring.

Big Swell IPA. Strong finish to our line of Maui Brewing Company. An IPA that holds it's own against any other out there. It's not in the 90 Minute IPA realm but neither is the price. We have several in stock but expect them to be gone before Sunday expires.

Is this the real Old Dusseldorf?

Who Need's A Blog?

With the twitters and Untappd we've been long wondering if the blog is really even necessary in 2011. Sure, it allows the random beer geek to wax poetic about aspects of beer the general consumer rarely considers - but to what end? The other beer geeks are going to try anything new regardless. The consumer is going to get bored with technical jargon and go back to "manning up" on Miller Lite.

Today we're going to share our insights on Firestone Walker's Reserve but we're fairly certain it can easily be summed up in 140 characters or less and properly registered as something we've tasted through our untapped account. If we're so inspired we'll rate the brew on untappd, which links to twitter saving us the hassle of redundancy. So, we're going to make a fair attempt to sum up this brew in exactly 140 characters because otherwise there's nothing particularly interesting about this brew.

Bland aroma and bland flavor. It has a mild porter-style, roasted chocolate finish and good looks with a caramel-nut colored head. There's some lacing though I still don't know why lacing matters. It  has a body that looks like a mix of dark chocolate and coffee. Way over - 263 characters.

Like the cute weather girl - all looks no substance. Accurate but way under - 52 characters.

Walker's Reserve is disappointing primarily because you expect a "reserve" to be special. It's a fine beer but by no means special. So close - 131 characters.

Walker's Reserve is disappointing primarily because you expect a "reserve" to be special. It's a fine beer but is by no means special. Beer. Nirvana - 140 characters.

There you have it. We have scientifically verified that there is no need for this or any other blog.

Ride a Pack of Dogs

Coffee has its roast monkey and artisanal brewing has its gypsy. The concept behind Stillwater Artisanal Ales is actually quite cool. Two guys in Baltimore decide to start brewing together but a conventional brewery, even a small one, requires a lot of start up capital. Rather than go through the mind melt these guys rent available brew space where ever they can to get crazy with their brews. Get a little more on them from this nice little piece in the WCP.

Stillwater's Farmhouse Ale comes in a beautifully labeled bomber. This beer is like good, old fashioned, in your face rock n' roll. You can take it at face value and really enjoy it but your better off listening to it over and over to really understand the groove. On its face, Farmhouse is a very good beer. Pay attention to the details and it only gets better. 

You can smell the wheat right off, which is a strong indicator of the performance of this beer.  By and large you know what you're getting. It's crisp, light, and savory. The subtle undertones are there if you care to pay attention. We mentioned the wheat aroma but there's a hint of musty, white grapes too. It almost smells old, which is awesome. The flavor is fruity but earthy. It's in the saison family but is not really a normal saison - the spice pallette is not quite there, which is fine. The best thing about this bomber is that we have another one in the basement.

These guys always have Stillwater Ales in their tour rider.