Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Beer Review: Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi


I hear it all the time. "I hate beer in cans cause it tastes like tin" or "Beer should only be served in bottles cause cans ruin the flavor of the brew!". I cannot stress to you dear reader how false these statements truly are.

Here are 5 reasons cans are fine for your beer:

1) Beer cans are made from aluminum not steel anymore and have a safe, food-grade lining inside which prevents the beer from touching actual metal.

2) Cans are easier to recycle.

3) Cans are much better for outdoor activities. Hello? Mardi Gras anyone?

4) Beer in cans stays fresher. There is no way oxygen can seep into the can.

5) Cans protect the beer from becoming light struck thereby protecting the flavor of the beer.

Now I'm not going to get into the argument as to which package is better for beer but I want to stress that beer in the can is perfectly fine. In fact I can honestly say that I've never had a craft beer in a can that I didn't enjoy.

Recently my wife took a trip to Texas and brought back some beer for me from Liquid Town which is by far by place of choice for beer when I'm visiting Corpus.

One of those beers she brought back with her was Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi IPA. Not sure how this beer has alluded me all these years but I have to say I'm extremely happy she brought some Ska Brewing beers back with her. I was extremely impressed! Now if they'd just distribute here in Louisiana!!!


Here is my review of Modus Hoperandi IPA:

Brewery: Ska Brewing

Beer: Modus Hoperandi

Style: IPA

ABV: 6.80%

Available in Louisiana?: NO

Appearance: The beer poured a clear, coppery gold with an incredible, fluffy off white head. Lacing was present throughout the short life of this brew.

Smell: Wonderful hints of grapefruit and pine.

Taste: A nice bready maltiness with hints of grapefruit, mint citrus and pine. Nice bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Nice creamy, medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: Damn this is a great well balanced IPA. The bitterness from the hops is balanced extremely well with the malts. Very easy drinking IPA.

Score: Photobucket 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Product Review: The Chill Bag


Having worked in a couple of wine stores there was always one thing that was pretty consistent. None of the stores sold gift bags that could keep the purchased product chilled or cold while the customer transported it to wherever it was they were going. I saw this a lot with champagne. People were always calling and asking for chilled champagne and then looking at us oddly when we told them we really didn't have a nice gift bag for them to keep their product cold.  Sure we had items that could keep your product cold but not nice packaging.

Recently I received an email from a company called ChillBag USA. They wanted to send me a sample 6 pack holder that could be used with beer. I have to admit I liked the idea but wasn't really sold but told them to send it anyways.

So I've had a chance to try the bag out and I must say it's pretty cool. As you can see it looks like a clear purse so I spiced it up a bit with some brewery stickers I had lying around. And it holds more than just your average six pack. I had 5 22 oz bottles and 1 750 ml bottle in the bag. Just add some ice and water and it'll keep those beers nice and cold. This sure beats bringing a cooler to those Beeradvocate events when you only have 6 beers!! And it's not really expensive at $11.95.



For those companies that are reading this review this is a no brainer. You can add your own logo to it and I guarantee it would sell! Hey Chan's Wine World and Martin Wine Cellar! This is one you guys should definitely bring in!!

Anyways, check out the Chill Bag I thought it was very cool product and I recommend it to you guys! Just wish I had thought of it first!!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Friday, August 20, 2010

Beer Review: Stone Brewing 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA


It's no secret that my favorite brewery is Stone Brewing out of Escondido, California. The quality of the product, their attitude and their dedication to the craft beer community is all a draw for me. Hell, two things on my Growler List involve Stone Brewing.

Anyways, this year celebrates Stone's 14th Anniversary and they've released another anniversary beer to celebrate. This years brew is called Emperial IPA and is an English style IPA. Using all British ingredients but adding their own Stone touch they've really knocked this one out of the park in my opinion.


I would recommend that if you don't like hoppy beers perhaps stay away from this one. The hops they use create a very peppery hop flavor with an intensely bitter finish. Could be a bit overwhelming to those not used to it. I highly recommend you start your hops journey though because you are truly missing out. Start with Arrogant Bastard. My favorite beer with pizza.



Well I was lucky enough to grab a bottle of the 14th Anniversary and wanted to share my review with you guys. I warn you though. It is 100% biased as hell. I love these guys and in my opinion they can do no wrong. On to the review:



Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer: 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA

Style: English IPA(possibly a double IPA?)

ABV: 8.9%

Available in Louisiana?: Yes but limited.

Appearance: This beer poured a golden yellow with a fluffy white head. Lacing is incredible and present throughout.

Smell: Hop overload. Very grassy with hints of pepper and lemon. The overwhelming hop aroma hides any evidence of malt.

Taste: POW. Once again the hops are very strong and overwhelming. I wouldn't call it an English IPA as it is listed on BA. The beer is clearly called Emperial IPA which suggests a very hoppy brew and this one delivers. Nice grassy hop flavor with hints of pepper and citrus as in the nose. Biscuity flavor allows me to taste the maltiness which was hiding in the aroma. That 8.9% abv doesn't hide at all. Very boozy beer. Definitely a sipper.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and medium carbonation.

Overall: Not sure why this beer gets a lot of bad reviews on other beer websites. It's a Stone Brewing IPA. It's supposed to be hoppy. It delivers. Very nice hoppy brew. Another solid beer from Stone Brewing!

Score: Photobucket 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas


Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Beer Buddha Interviews: Polly Watts from Avenue Pub



When you think craft beer bars in New Orleans images of Cooter Browns and The Bulldog was what immediately popped in your head. Not anymore. Like a craft beer juggernaut Avenue Pub has gone from seedy dive bar to one of the top beer bars in the entire South in little over a year. Owner Polly Watts unwavering dedication and unique ability in convincing distributors to bring in better beer has made Avenue Pub a hub for beer geeks everywhere.

I couldn't imagine anyone better to represent the bar side of craft beer then Polly. Here is my interview with her. Enjoy!

1) What are you personal goals for craft beer and the craft beer culture in New Orleans?

My personal goal is for the Pub to continue to be THE place to look for high end craft beer, new craft releases & allocated beers. I'd like to see us have better access to special releases like Stone Cali-Belgique and Harpoon 100 barrel series beers. We have made a lot of progress in this area but we still don't get the allocated collaborations like SN(Sierra Nevada) Life and Limb. I'd like to see the state have access to quite a few breweries that aren't currently in our market. DFH(Dogfish Head), Boulevard, Deschutes...just to name a few. We aren't ready...as a beer culture yet...to support all those beers so I'd like to see it grow organically rather than all at once.

Another big gap in our market is really good European beers. Unfortunately a bunch of the really great European beers we have access to in bottles are brought in by a distributor that doesn't take care of his beer and ships unrefrigerated product. With unpasteurized beer that's a big NO NO. Beers like Weihenstephaner( great beer and great price point) which should be fairly common draft offerings in bars all over the city aren't available because the distributor that brings them in isn't really a functioning beer distributor.

2)What is your favorite macro beer?

I don't drink macros. I don't have anything against other people drinking them but I have never liked them. For years and years I would have told you that I didn't drink beer at all because all I had ever been exposed to was macros and macro imports. Everybody drinks beer for different reasons...or combination of reasons. I drink for taste alone. The getting drunk side is really kind of a bad side effect for me. The result is that I don't drink anything just to relax. I get why people drink macros and some of that is that the person wants to drink 5 or 6 beers and not get hammered but that's not my personality. Unlike a lot of beer geeks I can see why someone would drink BMC(Bud, Miller, Coors) and still be a serious beer aficionado. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

3) What do you see for the future of craft beer in Louisiana?

I see great things! Our market has opened up tremendously in the last 18 months. Over 300 people came to my American Craft Beer tasting...that's over double last year. Breweries like Abita have started bringing cask ale to all sorts of places that didn't have it before. Bars throughout the city are starting to take their line cleaning seriously, replacing lines and experimenting with beers they wouldn't have given a second look to before.

4) Are there any future or upcoming plans with Avenue Pub which craft beer drinkers in New Orleans would like to hear about?

WOW...it's a long list. Obviously the August 28th Rare beer fundraiser. My Octoberfest kegs will be even better than last year and we will be getting some more German gravity kegs for the month. I have just started work on a cask festival...looking to November or early February. Moylans will be entering the market on draft in the next 30 days...there is lots to look forward to this year!


5) Which member of the original Charlie's Angels TV show was your favorite and why?

Jaclyn Smith...I liked her hair!

6) If you were stranded on a deserted island and had one beer available to you which beer would it be?

On a hot desert island? That would have to be Mahr's Ungespundet-hefetrüb.


7) Louisiana tends to get skipped over by a lot of craft breweries when it comes to distribution, They'll be available in Florida and Texas but not Louisiana. Why do you think this happens and what can we do to fix it?

Florida gets the beers because they have one or two major markets. Texas...the same reason. They get those beers because of the volume that Dallas, Austin & Houston sell. LA really only has New Orleans at this point. Baton Rouge has huge potential but isn't there yet...the same with Lafayette. The ONLY thing that will really fix it is for more people in the state to buy more craft beer. There are lots of reasons we don't sell as much as we should in LA...and some of those obstacles are dissolving but that's what it all comes down to...sales.

To give you an example...Stone came in almost a year ago and everybody thought the world as we know it would change. Still, a year later The Pub is responsible for 50% of their draft sales. That's pretty impressive in our little "pond" but on the large framework that's not where we need to be as a state to get beers like DFH.
At this point...and I really, really believe this....everybody who cares about craft beer in LA needs to work their asses off to get people in LA to buy the craft beer that's already here. People complain about a lack of choice but really we have some great options now that people AREN'T drinking. Drink the stuff we have...like Stone, Harpoon, Brooklyn and the others will come. DFH or Deschutes entering this market at this moment would not expand the beer culture...it would just cannibalize the existing brands. This has already happened in Alabama...their new law got passed...everyone got very excited and rushed into the market and I don't think sales have measured up to the expectation. Brooklyn just pulled out of Alabama.

The biggest thing that will change the community in terms of craft beer sales is more high quality local breweries. NOLA has done amazing things for the beer culture here. People will try a beer just because its local and then start investigating. I'll bet NOLA Hopitoulas turned hundreds of people on to a beer style they never thought about trying before. If I had to narrow down to one thing that has made the BIGGEST difference in our state beer culture NOLA Brewing and its success would be the one thing. Bayou Teche is enjoying the same success and my hopes for Parish brewing are just as high.

If you take a close look at the great beer markets in the country they are all markets that have really solid local breweries. I don't think it's the chicken and egg scenario. I think the local breweries expand demand in a way that new beer from out of state...no matter how good....can never do.

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Thanks for reading the blog and I hope you enjoyed the interview with Polly. More to come! If you have anyone you'd like to see me interview let me know by emailing me at thebeerbuddha@gmail.com.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Monday, August 16, 2010

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale


Ahhh, fall. Football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cooler weather and watching the leaves changing colors to reds, oranges and yellows. Growing up on the East Coast(Virginia, North Carolina and Rhode Island)you develop this great love of fall that I just can't explain. It is without a doubt my favorite time of year.



Down here in South Louisiana fall doesn't show up until maybe November which for this boy totally sucks. There are two seasons here in Louisiana and that is hot and cold. Fall just isn't the same down here!

One of the great things about fall are all the seasonal beers that come out. Pumpkin beers, Octoberfests, etc. It's a season where we see more maltier beers come out.

Over the past three years Sierra Nevada, who is well known for their hop usage, has released Anniversary Ale which is an American IPA. This year however with their release of the 30th Anniversary beers they decided to switch things up and release a more fall appropriate brew. Their answer to more appropriate fall brew? Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. Just look at the label. It SCREAMS fall!



I love it. Brown ales like lagers are one of those beers that continually get overlooked in this new world of extreme beer. Typically known as more of an English style of brewing you can now find brown ales being brewed in America, Belgium and many other countries. Tumbler is considered an American Brown Ale which generally means all the ingredients are American and most likely means a little more hops are added unlike our cousins version across the pond.

Here is my review:

Brewery: Sierra Nevada

Beer: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Available in Louisiana?: Yes

Appearance: The beer poured a dark amber color with a huge off white head. Lacing present throughout,

Smell: Wonderful aroma of chocolate, toffee and a nice smoked malt.

Taste: The smoked malt flavor is dominant in this brew. The hints of chocolate come through along with a slight hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: Incredible American brown ale! Love this beer. Perfect for autumn. Now I just wish it was actually chilly outside.

Score: Photobucket 4 out of 5 Buddhas


Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Beer Buddha Interviews: Andrew Godley from Parish Brewing


So I thought it would be fun to line up a bunch of interviews with brewery owners, brewers, beer bars, beer stores and maybe even other beer bloggers from Louisiana. I wanted another way to promote beer in Louisiana and promote those people who are working hard making Louisiana a better place for beer. We're gonna call them The Beer Buddha Interviews.



I've decided to start with Louisiana's newest and smallest brewery Parish Brewing out of Lafayette, Louisiana. Now I'll warn you not all my questions are normal questions. I find some interviews in magazines and such pretty boring so sometimes I like to throw curveballs out there. Here is my interview with owner Andrew Godley from Parish Brewing. Enjoy!


You call yourself a nano brewery. What exactly is that?

A nanobrewery is a recently coined term to describe a brewery that is so small it isn't even in the same category as a microbrewery. I've even seen the term picobrewery, which would be even smaller, like homebrewing size. Other self-proclaimed nanobreweries out there are about the same size as my pilot brewery, so I guess that makes me a nano too. I can brew 1.5 bbls per batch (about 45 gallons). And I brew 2 or 3 times per week. My brewery is really a pilot brewery as I will be building a much larger brewery soon and graduating from the nano ranks.


Opening a brewery is a huge investment. What made you decide to take the risk and open Parish? What did you do before opening Parish?

I've worked for over 8 years as a chemical engineer and also have an MBA (still the day job). It's been an interesting career, basically designing and running chemical manufacturing processes - perfect experience for running a brewery. I also love good beer. I have an infatuation with beer and brewing it. It's art and science combining to create a the best kind of beverage in the world. Plus I would like to work for myself. Starting a commercial brewery seemed like the only option really. Oh, and also the free beer.


Who is your favorite A-Team member and why?

Does the van count? If so, the black van is my favorite A-team character. I used to have a matchbox one and that sucker got driven up and down every wall, stair railing, and couch in the neighborhood.

How do you feel about online beer sites like Ratebeer.com and Beeradvocate.com? How do sites like this affect you as a brewery?

Those websites are great for promoting beer culture. I am all about getting everyone to appreciate craft beer, to educate and enlighten. Those sites are great at facilitating beer talk, so consider me a fan overall. Getting people to talk about beer is good, period. As a brewery I hope that the sites can provide feedback from what is essentially a large panel of experienced beer drinkers. They are my audience and I want to make beer that most of them enjoy. A couple negatives about the sites - beware of the uber beer geeks. Sometimes they can be a bit condescending to new folks trying craft beer for the first time. Also, the ratings need to be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people will rate certain beers higher or lower based on preconceived notions, hype, etc. and not just on the beer itself.


Louisiana breweries have been popping up right and left over the last 2 years. What do you see for the future of craft beer in Louisiana?

The future for beer in LA is bright, but there are still many roadblocks that will keep growth slow. With the 3-tier system firmly entrenched, it creates a huge barrier to entry for any startup brewery. The margins that the brewery makes on beer are tiny and when you force them to sell through a distributor and also a retailer, both of whom take their own margins, the profit gets even smaller for the brewer. Also, keeping the brewer from selling direct to consumers limits our beer culture. When people can go to the brewery, buy beer there, and experience the brewing culture, it grows awareness and appreciation for better, hand crafted, artisan beer. Right now people have no idea where beer comes from so you cant really expect them to get into higher quality beer when they dont understand it. I want to team with other brewers in LA to change laws and start enabling breweries to sell direct to consumers from the brewery. Growlers anyone? The future of beer here is going to be better than it has ever been before. It is inevitable. The only question is how fast we get there - and I believe we can get there faster by changing the 3 tier laws.


I get a lot of crap for my weird infatuation for macro lagers. What is your favorite macro beer and why?

My guilty pleasure is non-skunked Heineken. If it comes in a 12 pack box it tastes great because it hasn't been light struck. VERY hoppy... mmmm... It's also great on draft. I wont touch it from a 6 pack though

Wine sucks. So how can we convince wine drinkers that beer is a much better product?

People like wine because you can open a bottle and share it amongst a table of friends. We need to paint that picture in people's minds, but replace the wine bottle with a nice 750mL Saison, Tripel, or Lambic. They will prefer beer, they just haven't introduced it into their paradigm yet. Wine is boring with limited options. But that also makes it accessible for people. Beer can sometimes be intimidating because people are not educated yet. I bet way more people in the US have heard the word Chardonnay than have heard Saison and Tripel combined.

Cheers, drink dat, geaux Saints.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew for the awesome interview! If anyone is wondering where they can get some of Parish's beer you have to make your way up to Lafayette. The distributon right now is pretty limited due to Parish's size but be ready! Things are looking bright here in Louisiana as far as beer goes. We've got new breweries opening up and new beers entering into the market! It's good time to be a beer drinker in Louisiana!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Beer Review: Newcastle Summer Ale

Many times on this blog I have mentioned the Theory of Time and Place.  The theory is simple: there is a time and place for every beer.  For me situation plays a huge part in what beer I will enjoy at the time I'm drinking it.  Here are some examples:

Situation #1: Mowing or having finished mowing the lawn.

Beer: PBR, Miller High Life

* Notice the trend here. I would go for something light, crisp, clean and refreshing.

Situation #2: Hanging out on the porch at night with the wife and kid late October.

Beer: Southern Tier Pumking, Sam Adams Octoberfest

* You see what I did there? Seasonals.

Situation 3# Throwing some bad ass Jamaican style throw down in my backyard complete with jerk chicken and reggae.

Beer: Red Stripe

* Again note what I did. The beer fits the situation.

Now of course not everybody does this and it really doesn't matter in the end as long as you're drinking beer. This is just me. I'm of the mindset that I can't drink a stout during 100 degree weather. Now 32 degrees and snowing? Stout me!

Recently I was contacted by Jack Follman from Formula PR Inc. who represents Newcastle. They wanted to send me a bottle of Newcastle Summer Ale to try and review. As a dedicated beer blogger I couldn't possibly turn down his offer so of course I accepted. I've done "business" with these guys before when they sent me some Newcastle Brown Ale. I love Newcastle Brown Ale. It was the import that turned me on to better beer. Situation played a HUGE part in that as well though. Sitting in O'Flaherty's Pub when it was open and drinking pint after pint of Newcastle was a big part of my life back in the day.

Anyways, I have never tried or even seen Newcastle Summer Ale so this was a great opportunity to try a new beer.  After attempting to do some research I really couldn't find much information on the beer.  I called Jack and he informed me "there is no official style" for this beer.  Newcastle Summer Ale releases in June and is off the market by September until the next summer.  It officially released in limited markets in 2009 and is not available yet in New Orleans.  Here is my review:

Brewery: Heineken International

Beer: Newcastle Summer Ale

ABV: 4.4%

Appearance: The beer poured a pale golden color with huge rocky head. No lacing present.

Smell: Slight grain aroma with no hint of hops.

Taste: Very grainy(corn)and grassy taste with a light malty sweetness, Not much hop bitterness despite the claim hops and glory on its bottle neck.

Mouthfeel: Thin and watery body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Not a bad beer. Good for after mowing the lawn or any other outdoor activity in the heat of summer.

Score: Photobucket 3 out of 5 Buddhas

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Beer Snob Strikes Back or Beer Buddha Rants about Beer Snobbery Again

Totally stole this from some dude online.


During my last visit to my favorite bar Avenue Pub a couple weeks ago I was at the downstairs bar and overheard some dude making fun of someone ordering a Miller Light.  Yeah I'm sure sometimes I poke fun at the BMC guys or make fun of ladies who order beer that "tastes closest to Bud Light"(just order a Bud Light then) but I also have no problem drinking their product either and I'm careful what I say.  In fact I have a 12 pack of Miller High Life in my fridge right now.  I also have my wife, who is going on a trip to Texas next week, picking me up a case of Lone Star tall boys and looking for some Pearl in cans as well.

It drives me insane when I hear people state, "I don't touch BMC stuff it sucks!" or "This bar isn't a real bar if it carries macro swill." Blah, blah, blah.  Get over yourself.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy seeing that craft beer is steadily gaining in sales.  It's fantastic but I can't stand when I'm looked at funny when I order a Miller High Life or PBR from the bar.  I LIKE Miller High Life so what?  I can buy a 12 pack of Miller High Life for $8.  That is about the same price as 1 six pack of craft beer.  Sometimes I want something I can drink a lot of  for cheap.  It's like McDonalds or Rallys(Rally's is awesome. Checkers to all you Yankee readers.)  Sometimes I don't want a fancy burger that costs me $15.  I just want a double bacon cheeseburger, large fries and goddamn litre of cola.  And no I don't want it Dimpa sized for a quarter.(If you don't get the last 2 sentences you have some movie watching to do.)

And think about this for a second.  If you are bashing macro beers at a bar you could be bashing some dudes favorite beer who just might have been thinking about trying that new local, craft beer that just came out.  You just made yourself look like the pretentious douche you are and may have just turned off a potential new craft beer consumer.  So thanks a lot beer snob.  You sir a douche and are actually hurting the craft beer movement.  So think before you open your big douchey mouth again.

Rant Over

Cheers!


The Beer Buddha

Sunday, August 1, 2010

My Dick is Bigger Than Your Dick: The High ABV Arms Race

Unless you've been living in a cardboard box under the I-10 overpass I'm sure you've heard about what is being labeled the High ABV Arms Race.  I don't know exactly who is labeling it that(it could be just me) but it sounded good.

Anyways, Scottish punk brewery Brewdog recently released a beer called End Of History which is a 55% abv powerhouse that comes wrapped in the body of road kill.  Yes, I said road kill.  See picture below:



These are the same guys who released Tactical Nuclear Penguin last year at a whopping 32% abv and equally whopping $100 price.  $100 sounds like chump change now.  End Of History retailed at approximately $700.  Granted they only had 11 bottles for sale but damn.  No beer geek I know can afford that.  Actually Vasu probably could but not sure he would.  Or would he?  They also released Sink The Bizmark which came in at 41% abv.

Well, now some Danish brewery called 't Koelschip just released Start the Future.  Get it?  End of History?  Start the Future?  Funny right.  This beer is supposedly coming in at 60% ABV.  What. The. Shit.

All of this posturing got me thinking.  What's the point?  The average person isn't really going to have an opportunity to actually drink these beers.  I like the marketing behind the End of History.  Beer bottles shoved up the ass of a squirrel will always make me laugh but seriously though, what's the point?  The ABVs of these beers are way too high in my opinion.  Beer was never supposed to be that high in alcohol hence the reason why you can't actually make beer this high in alcohol without using a distillation process which makes people question whether or not it's actually even beer.  What's the point?

In my opinion the only reason for any of this is for two reasons:

1) Because they can.  It seems to me these guys are a bunch of guys just trying to bend boundaries which is fine with me.  Go ahead bend them.  That's how companies like Dogfish Head got its start.  Brewing beer that no one else brewed.  But 60% abv?  Come on, there has to be limits.  Doesn't there?  And don't get me wrong I love Brewdog beers but man this is just crazy.

2) Publicity.  The internet is buzzing about this war of ABVs.  Any news is positive news right?  I have friends on Facebook emailing me right and left asking me if I've heard of these beers.  And these people aren't even interested in beer.  They are now.

But amidst all the hype I have to admit I'm actually becoming more interested in session beers.  In the "my dick is bigger than your dick" analogy think of a session beer as the dude with a medium size dong but can last hours.  I'm not sure why I'm putting beer and penis' in the same blog post but I am.  Weird.

But seriously, fellow beer blogger(and overall beer bad ass) Lew Bryson has an entire site dedicated to the love of session beers called The Session Beer Project.  On the site he defines session beers as: lower than 4.5% abv, flavorful enough to be interesting, balanced enough for multiple pints, conducive to conversation and reasonably priced.  How could you not agree with any of these?

In the end this is what beer is all about right?  Drinking numerous, flavorful pints and conversing with friends. It is a social lubricant if you will.   Generally when I'm hanging out at Avenue Pub on Friday nights for our weekly Beeradvocate Pint Night I'll have three beers and I'm done.  I know my limits.  And it's great.  Session beers are where it's at folks.  It's just not newsworthy.  And that's too bad.


Cheers!

The Beer Buddha