Twentieth Meeting

Editor's Note: Every blue moon, Tom J takes over blogging responsibilities on this here site when I'm absent. The following was written by him with quilled pen and squid ink, and it is heretofore transcribed into digital form.

Author’s note: Erica, a guest host by relation to living with Dan, is trying out her new beer that she picked up from Four Firkens – J.K.’s Scrumpy Hard Cider. Erica – “Ugghhggghhhgg. “ Tom J “is it bad?”, Erica, “no, it tastes like juice.”

Brent - “Is that a Batman shirt?” Tom J. - “Yeah” Brent - “Yeah, that’s pretty sweet”.

Another author’s note: Joe has never been to a meeting that I’ve gone to. Is Joe in Beer Club?

We have a special guest tasting with us in lieu of Joe’s constant tardiness, and Tom B’s unfortunate scheduling conflict. Erica Holtan (soon to be Belfry) will be joining us!

Beer #1 Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale 5.7% ABV
Derek – “it tastes like pumpkins. The smell? Like pumpkins”
Dan/Erica – “I smell the Harvest” “Yeah, I taste the harvest”
(the conversation has turned to yams and sweet potatoes. Evidently not many people know or like them)
Brent – “It’s pretty malty”
Brent – “Do you know why Tom B didn’t come tonight? Cause he doesn’t like pumpkin”. What a pumpkin cake
Tom J – “Smells like a regular beer, but doesn’t taste like one.”
Mike – “I got nothing”

BPA: 2.93

Beer #2 Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale 9.0% ABV
Mike - “wow, that’s, that’s pumpkin”
Brent - “That’s good, it’s more spiced than pumpkiny”
Derek – “Holy crap that was pumpkiny. This is full on pumpkins”
Tom J. – “this tastes like a festive holiday drink”. The sense was confirmed when Brent read the ingredients, featuring nutmeg.
Belfry – “Tastes like the season. It kind of lingers”
Erica – “It’s not for me. It’s like a taste explosion…. On your tongue”
Colin – “That’s a beer, that’s something that’s crazy”

BPA: 3.38

Beer #3 Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale 8.0% ABV
Mike – “This one tastes like a lot more pumpkins and a lot less spice than the last one”
Erica – “This wasn’t quite the explosion. I like this one better than I like the last one”
Belfry – “It tastes really cinnamon too”
Tom J. – “Definitely smells like cinnamon, but there’s only a hint of it in the flavor”
Brent – “The cinnamon is for sure….. it’s all cinnamon to me”
Derek – “I think it is overwhelmingly spicy.”
Belfry – Lame joke that everyone called him out on (including Erica) “May the spice be with you”

BPA: 2.73

Beer #4 New Holland Brewery Ichabod Pumpkin Ale 5.5% ABV
Brent - “It’s really pumpkiny. That’s the most pumpkin flavor. But it loses it quick, really thin”
Mike - “It’s very thin. Thin like an anorexic model”
Side conversation – Chili. Everyone likes bacon. Joe likes Colin’s, Erica likes Belfry’s, but everyone agrees that chili and bacon are delicious.
Tom J – “Has a cinnamon smell, but tasted more seasonal eggnogish”
Derek – “Um, I don’t remember what it tastes like”
Colin – “I give that beer a B grade”

(side note: Michael is 4 for 4 in his rankings compared to Beer Advocate’s rankings. Coincidence? I think not)

BPA: 2.75

Beer #5 Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking 9.0% ABV
Belfry – “This is weird”
The Group – “It is WEIRD!”
Belfry – “It tastes like malted milk powder”
The Group – “What the hell does malted milk powder taste like??”
(Side conversation -- Belfry’s new name is Belfast)
Colin – “That’s bizarre”
Derek – “Dude, it doesn’t taste anything like pumpkins”

BPA: 2.52

Beer #6 Blue Moon Harvest Moon 5.7% ABV
Erica – “
Editors note: We have completely skipped the quotes, and everyone’s yelling their grade. All members have lost any interest in the beer, and are talking about concerts, ABR and anything other than the meeting.

BPA: 2.57

Surlyfest

On September 18, Tom B, Brent, Joe, Colin, Tom J, and Derek attended Surlyfest along with various significant others and hangers-on. The highlights include perfect weather, the sweet Surlyfest shirts most people bought, the extreme drunkenness, and the terrrrrriffico tacos we had afterwards. Tom J stole the show, as in he was not only the drunkest person in our group, but the drunkest person at Surlyfest. And there were even babies there! (I assume they were drinking too) Anyways, the below statements were sent LIVE from the action.

Took a picture with the owner of surly, Omar, and noob Tom J was conspicuously absent.

Derek to Erin: if I give you a token, how many cigarettes can I have?

Kayla is sporting the Turnbull Tux. Awfully formal for this occasion

Colin just bought a surly jumper for his unborn child

Nineteenth Meeting

This Oktoberfest tasting is being hosted by Porter, over at Kayla and Joe's house. However, the host will spend most of the meeting cowering in the corner while sizing up his potential foes.

First tasting is Bell's Oktoberfest, coming in at 5.5%. It pours a light golden amber color. It smells caramelly and malty. Tastes like a standard Oktoberfest- smooth and malty. It's worth noting that we chose Oktoberfest as a style this week because we're going to Surlyfest on Saturday.

BPA: 2.8

BOOM! Next up is Avery Kaiser, which is an "Imperial Oktoberfest." A style that doesn't really exist, but makes sense because it's pretty much an oktoberfest wtih lots of booze. 9.7%, that is. This pours a little darker, and smells more like a scotch ale than the last. This one's a popular one. It really tastes a bit like a wee heavy scotch ale.

BPA: 3.15

A delicious local brew is next. Schell's Oktoberfest also comes in at 5.5 percentage points. This looks like, smells like, and rhymes with Bells.

BPA: 3.35

Next up is Victory Festbier. Ja? Ja, stimmt. Es ist funf punkt sieben auf Alkohol. Es hat ein dunkel rote Farbe, und es schmeckt mir sehr gut! Mehr Hoppy, sagt alles! Joe hat nicht sehen es. Wir sollen Rate es? Ja.

BPA: 2.37

Another local brew is up next. Summit Oktoberfest yodels in at 7.4%! This stuff is unanimously declared tasty. First we rate, then we felony!

BPA: 3.45

Our next beer is the first one that's actually from Germany. Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest is the next beer in the True Blood Beer Club. The True Blood Beer Club has everyone from the WTBC, minus Brent. This one is 5.8%. This one smells a little sweeter and pours a little darker than the rest. This tastes a lot different than all the rest, and it's very delicious.

BPA: 3.7

Lastly, we have Great Lakes Oktoberfest. Which I'm surprised Colin hasn't brought yet, because he seems to be on the Great Lakes payroll. This stuff is purty good.

BPA: 3.17


Overall, a very drinkable style, and it was nice to finally put them side by side. Next time I buy some of this I'll get Summit, or Hacker Pschorr if money starts growing on trees.

Eighteenth Meeting

Tonight we have Russian Imperial Stout night, part II. The first installment ranks as one of our drunkest beer clubs ever. Tonight we're going to do this in a hurry so we get JUICED up for the Vikings game in an hour. Baroooooo!

First up; North Coast Old Rasputin. #34 on BA and it comes in at 9%. This stuff pours darker than Drew Brees' birth mark. It tastes like bitter chocolate and coffee.

BPA: 3.76

Next up is Founders Breakfast Stout. Supplies! This one was a last minute addition that is also found at #7 on BA. It's 8.3% of pure dankins. This one is noticeably smoother than the last one, with more of a coffee feel. These reviews will be brief, because we're pumping it up for the Vikes.

BPA: 3.76, samesies

Third up is my favorite beer on Earth. It's #1 on BA's top buzzed list, and was only released about 6 months ago. Goose Island Bourbon Coffee Stout is 13% alcohol and you can't taste any of it. Pours the same thick black color, and it smells like pure coffee. It starts out with coffee then goes into a bourbon-y sweet burn. Larson thinks it tastes more like a liqueur than a beer. 99 Bananas, he says!

BPA: 3.88

Southern Tier Imperial Oat is up next. It's a 9.6 percenter. This is more of an American Double Stout, and it has a far thinner mouth than the last few. Flavor is good, but this won't get the scores of the last ones. Let's rate this; T minus 20.

BPA: 3.3

Next up is Kuhnhenn Solar Eclipse which really comes in at 18%. That's twice as strong as a strong beer. And 4.5 times stronger than the strongest beer Larson has tasted. It tastes fairly sweet, with an above average nosefeel. Burns down the ole gullet, it does.

BPA: 3.48

The next beer that we're tasting is Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher. 9.4%, this one's going to taste like a Corona Light. OOH boy, I find that tasty. 6 MINUTES WE BETTER HURRY HARF HARF.

BPA: 3.54

Avery Czar up next. This is the first time I've had this one. Some sort of African American marching band is playing on the teevee. Wow, this is the first one that's quite a bit different. There are a ton of hops.

BPA: 2.83

Time to molest the Saints! Last beer: Central Waters Satin Solstice. Pump it up! Pours: Black. Smells: Coffee. Taste: Mmmm i dont know, tell em how it tastes steve. oh alright. no way jose am i spittin this stuff out it tastes like fruit. Let's quickly rate this before they get kicked over.

BPA: 2.9

That's it, and the Vikes are already looking like a bunch of dingus. Ugh.

Seventeenth Meeting

Welcome! Tonight we have a special treat: the Blind Taste of Light American Adjunct Lager! It's St. Louis vs. Milwaukee in a racquetball throwdown showdown. Everyone will be tasting Mich Golden, Busch Light, Bud Light, Miller Lite and Natural Light, and we'll be trying to guess which is which, as well as rating the beer. Let's get started!

Beer A (Mich Golden Light): This one pours a copper color, with just a small amount of carbonation. Wait, almost no carbonation. It's not too cold. On the warm side, indeed. The nosefeel is that of our downstairs after a blood-spattered, thursday night beer pong festival. Taste: NA

BPA: .68

Beer B (Busch Light): This one pours the exact same copper color. Similar carbonation and same icky smell. They just re-played the Kirby Puckett '91 HR, and Derek asks "What's up with that glass wall? Do they have to hit it over it?" LOL.

BPA: 1.48

Beer C (Natural Light): This one smells less like vomit, and more like nothing. Which, on a hot day while drinking on a pontoon, is the way this is supposed to taste. Colin thinks it tastes like a rifle barrel... vortexy? WINK!

BPA: .92

Beer D (Bud Light): This one pours a coppery copper with a crappy foam head. Smells complex... mouthfeel... like a syrup drawn from the flowers that populate the garden of eden. The flavor is complex; more complex than the complex level on goldeneye.

BPA: 1.02

Beer E (Miller Lite): Here goes nothing. Once each of us take the first taste, we'll know if we completely screwed up our guesses. The winner of the blind test challenge gets a special mention on the blog. If anyone goes 5/5, they get to write a paragraph on the blog themselves. I'm nervy. If you get none of them right, you're kicked out of beer club.

BPA: .67

Alright... the moment of truth. We're passing our guess cards to our neighbor and grading those.

Final Standings: Colin and Derek: 2; Tom: 1; Belfry and Mike: 0

Welp, it looks like we're kicking Belfry and Mike out of beer club. They're starting the Grey Goose Beer Club, and we'll be rivals. There will be spilt blood at ABR come October.

Highlight: The lowest graded beer, and the one Colin rated the lowest, was Natty Light. His "favorite."

The top billing went to Busch Light.