Want to experience a slightly uncomfortable moment with your wife or girlfriend? Try this. Take her to an expensive restaurant for her birthday, order an expensive bottle of Japanese beer and then be sure to take a picture of it with your cell phone for your blog. Apparently, that’s not the most romantic thing to do, but it seemed like the right thing at the time.
Without a doubt, Spring is my favorite time of the year. The grass starts to turn a lush green. There’s baseball on the radio. And, of course, there’s outdoor drinking! Yes, there’s nothing like a couple of beers outside to make you feel like you’re really experiencing life.
So, with the temperature hovering around 80 yesterday, I set out for the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant on the outskirts of Philly for some locally brewed beer on the deck overlooking the Schuylkill River.
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant offers about 8 beers on tap and I decided to start off with a Kayak Kölsh Blonde German Ale. I was a little disappointed to see that the draft beer was being served in plastic cups which looked to be a tad on the small side, but that’s the price you pay for outdoor drinking.
It’s always fun when you walk into a liquor store to buy a six-pack of Guinness while you’re wife’s waiting in the car with your three-month old daughter. The moment you step foot in the store, you know the clock’s ticking and your consumer experience is now more akin to a severely-shortened episode of “24″ than a leisurely stroll through the mall.
But, for some strange reason, I forgot the clock was ticking when I saw a big bottle of Arrogant Bastard Ale sitting on the shelf. Not only did it have a great name, but the fact that the label stared at me with a mocking “You’re Not Worthy” told me that this was a beer I was destined to try. It was meant to be, although my wife probably wasn’t thinking that as I read the entire description while standing in aisle one:
“This is an aggresive beer. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to the safer and more familiar territory - maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery or one that implies that their tasteless, fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps yo uthink multi-million dollar ad-campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.”
I’m a big fan of everything pumpkin: pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, pumpkin bread from Trader Joe’s and, my favorite, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. In fact, after the first time I had it, I made my wife go with me on an all-day tour of every liquor store in the area searching for a case to buy. (She wasn’t happy and neither was I, as every store was sold out…)
So, when I was walking down the aisle at the local Canal’s Liquor Store the other day, you can imagine the look on my face when I saw a lone bottle of Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale sitting on the shelf. Pumpkin ale in March? That’s better than Christmas in July! And, at $5 for 22oz, that’s not a bad deal at all.
Just over a year ago, my neighbor Tony introduced me to Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat and I instantly added it to my wheat beer rotation of Blue Moon and Hoegaarden. Great beer - Very smooth brew that is a tad sweeter than Blue Moon and works as a perfect summer beer.
So, when I saw the Leinenkugel “explorer” 12-pack at a local shop for $14, I snagged it without a second thought. Featuring Sunset Wheat, Honey Weiss, Berry Weiss and Summer Shandy, it’s a nice way to sample a couple of Leinie’s brews without breaking the bank.
I already knew I’d like Sunset Wheat going in, but how did the other beers fare?
