So apparently last time I posted was on May 10. Whoops, how time flies. I never did forget about this, it just sort of had to be on the back burner for a bit...school, life, new nephew, etc. I know, I know...excuses. But don't you think for a second that just because I haven't been blogging that I haven't been drinking...trust me....I have. Additionally, I think I may have just given up on the idea of creating, or at least posting, some sort of "master list." The fact of the matter is....I am not very good at keeping track of things, and anything I post would be horribly inaccurate. I did, however, receive a little wine journal for Christmas. (Santa knows me too well...and might be a bit of an enabler. I guess that is another story). I have been drinking a bit more wine than usual lately, and perhaps if I find this little book useful for keeping track of wine, I could fine one for beer. I'm sure they're out there. (Feel free to mail me one if you are so inclined). And perhaps that would lead to better and more frequent blog entries....only time will tell I suppose. On to the beer!
Like many people, I find myself drinking even more over the holidays. Don't worry family, it isn't your fault...at least not in a bad way. It's just that my hometown is not the most populous or hoppin' of places (full of lovely fun people though...) and the drinks are cheap. So that makes it easy. I just got back from an entire 7 days in this little hometown, and my liver is probably pretty stoked about that. (A phone call from a dear friend in Alaska prompted my return to the blogosphere...thank her for tonight's ramblings...). My hometown has exactly 2 bars. One is good, and one is the Elk's Club. The first night I was home, I hit up the good hometown bar with my buddy Bradley. On the whole, good hometown bar is fairly predictable in its offerings: slew of macro lagers, Guinness in a bottle, Corona, Heineken, Mike's Hard Everything, hefe, and some Drop Top on tap. But. There are always one or two rows in the cooler case by the fryer that appear to sometimes be experimental. I'm not sure if that's really the case, but it sort of just seems to rotate with random micros from all over. Sometimes they stay awhile, sometimes they don't. I saw this last week that this row was full of Lost Coast's Tangerine Wheat. Yay for me! I was excited to see this...I've only had it once (over the summer in Shasta), but liked it well enough to have again. Additionally...the bartender informed me that no one else was drinking it, so I made it my personal mission to have that row empty by the time I left town. This turned out to be not much of a problem.
Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat
Style: Fruit Wheat Ale
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 19
Serving vessel: Bottle and/or clear plastic Coors Light cups (no red solos here, because Toby Keith is a douche)
So usually, I don't love fruity beers. If they have enough flavor to suit my fancy, they're usually too sweet. I tend to prefer bitter, hoppy brews, or really roasty, dark, boozy ones. I like this one quite a bit though. It pours a hazy (definitely unfiltered) orange, with a nice, white head. Smells fairly citrusy and tastes it as well. The difference between many fruit beers (for me anyway) and this one is that this one finishes a little bitter...far more bitter than the 19 IBU suggests. I don't know this for a fact, but I would imagine that it has to do more with the tangerine rind being used in the brewing process, rather than hop bitterness. The wheat/weizen "base" of the beer is evident, but the tangerine is definitely present. This one has a good balance for my taste...a little sweet, a good amount of bitter, and lots of flavor. I'll keep this one in the rotation for sure, especially in the summer.
So that's it for tonight...I'm off to continue enjoying my Mirror Pond Pale Ale out of my new Kodiak Island Brewing Co. pint glasses I received from dear aforementioned Alaska friend. Thanks, I love them!
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