Gerry ventures to Munich, drinks amazing beer

I arrived in Munich, and beer capital of the world and home of the world famous Oktoberfest. Unfortunately, I was here in June, but that didn't stop me from sampling some of the fine local brews! I went to the famous Hofbrahhaus, where all good beer enthusiasts must go at some point in their life. It's like our Jerusalem. Our Mecca. Our Holy Land. I had the HBH Munchner Weisse, which comes in a half liter for 3.85 euros.

This wheat beer puts its american counterparts to shame. This full bodied blonde warms the throat as it goes down, and complements nicely the bratwurst and pretzels you eat at this restaurant. It comes in full liter versions as well, and I most likely would have done this if I didn't have a train to get to. WHile there, I also sampled an odd combination, this beer mixed with lemonade. Although it didn't taste bad, it is not something worth repeating. The beer itself is too much of a joy to be mixed with anthing else.

-Gerry

P.S. John would like to add that this beer is fucking great, and you need to buy it right now.

Italy part 2

Good news, readers! Italy may have been saved in the way of beer! While traveling in Florence I discovered a deliteful little beer called Birra Moretti. THis beer comes in a small green bottle with what appears to be a 1920's reporter on the label. For 4.5 euro, you can enjoy this hoppy beer. I'm personally a fan of lighter beers myself, but the hoppy taste was not overpowering at all and was quite enjoyable. So if in Italy and you grow tired of wine, have no fear! Search for Birra Moretti.

-Gerry

(Available at your local BevMo)

Gerry's first post from his Euro-Trip!

So Gerry took a totally sweet trip to Italy this summer for law school, and sent a couple of posts back from across the pond!

"Greetings from the center of one of the oldest civilizations on Earth: Roma! This land is known for their fine wines, which are absolutely exquisite. But, seeing as this is a beer blog, I thought I would sample some of the local brew. Unfortunately, the only Italian-made beer I was able to find was Peroni. Yes, that's right, the beer you can buy at Olive Garden that is almost clear, and while not bad tasting, doesn't particularly taste like anything. But I figured what the heck, it must be better in the home country, right? I mean, Guinness is better in Ireland (or so I've been told).  

Unfortunately, it is exactly the same. Not bad, but not great either. So if in the future you find yourselves in this great land, stick to the fine wines this country prides themselves on, and leave the Peroni for Olive Garden. BTW, never-ending breadsticks are possibly the greatest creation known to man. Happy drinking!"

Whoa, a new post!

Well, sorry about the lack of updates : (
To make up for it though, there's going to be a ton of new content really soon!

While I'm putting that together, here is a handful of beers to sate yourself on:
Lagunitas Bavarian Doppel Weizen! This one is inspired by the Bavarian guys building the new Lagunitas brewing facility, and is something of a black sheep among those brews: it's not all that hoppy. In fact, it is a super tasty American take on a classic old world style, rich in flavor and taste that just never quits. Comes in a 22oz bottle and at 9%ABV, this one will definitely get you going! $4.50 a bottle, available at your local BevMo (do you see a theme here?).

Harp Lager: I'm not a super big fan of Guinness, but this offering out of St. James Gate is a solid, flavorful lager that makes for good drinking any afternoon. Golden pale ale, pours with a nice white head. Not the best beer out there, but good for drinking in multiples! $8 for six, $14 for 12, get it at BevMo!

Alrighty, I'm going to get this organized and drink more beer, now GO DRINK!!

Thirsty Thursday mega-update!

Hey there fellow beer lovers!
I've made a special effort to search out and find you delicious beers to drink over the weekend! Again, the selection we've made is mostly international beers, and I've got to say they are all totally awesome.
First off, we've got the Somersault Summer Ale, followed by the Flying Horse Lager, the Hobgoblin Dark Ale, and the Baltik Wheat Ale. I'll give you all the juicy details to follow!

Ok, started off with the Somersault Summer Ale, buy the New Belgium Brewery. This ale has a very nice crisp taste, with nice hints of citrus. It's on the blonde side for an ale, and it's nicely hoppy without being too much. This would be a great beer to drink with your lunch, it would complement some sort of sandwich very nicely. It's also a fine beer to drink by itself, personally it would be great to drink outside in the sunshine. Somersault is 5.2% ABV and has a sweet label; it's available in a 6-pack at most higher-end grocery stores. I got mine at BevMo for $7.99.

Next up we have the Flying Horse Royal Lager Beer, coming out of India in a 1.5 pint bottle. Firstly, I want to mention the delicious chocolaty after taste on this beer. I was definitely not expecting it, but this sets Flying Horse apart from most other lagers; super tasty! Despite what you might think of it's aftertaste, this beer is still crisp and drinkable, with a slightly flowery aroma. This beer would be great with a dinner of red meat, or as a dessert. At $2.50 a bottle, it would be hard to go wrong with this tasty lager.

Third we've got a slightly darker beer, with the Hobgoblin Dark English Ale from the Wychwood Brewery in the UK. This one's nice and malty, with some subtle chocolate hints on the aftertaste. Hobgoblin is decidedly full-bodied, a heavier beer that is nonetheless clean with a somewhat fruity finish. This one is available in a one pint bottle at select retailers like BevMo, and has a pretty sick label. At $4 a bottle, it's pricey but something  the beer enthusiast won't want to miss. Hobgoblin delivers at 5.2%ABV.

The final beer for tonight's post is a fantastic wheat beer from Russia. Baltika Wheat Ale is one of several brews from the Baltika Brewery consortium in Russia, and I will definitely follow up with some of their other brews based on the quality of this one. Baltika 8, as this beer is labeled, is a wonderfully smooth & golden wheat beer that will appeal, in my opinion, to anyone who likes good quality beer. Baltika 8 has a fine creamy taste to it that makes it very drinkable. Once I poured this one into my stein, I wished it would never end! It's similar to the other beers reviewed here in ABV, at about 5%, and you can get a bottle of this for $2.50 at BevMo.

Well folks, hope you enjoyed this post, despite it's length! I heartily recommend all of these beers, and hope you guys try them!
Cheers as always, J

BEER TIME X2!

Oh double post time, you guys are in for a treat! Plus, this post will have our faces included!

We're going international again, it seems like that's going to be a common theme here! For John we have the Hofbrau Hefe Weizen from Munich, and for Gerry we have the Delirium Nocturum from Belgium. 

This delicious hefeweizen is from the Hofbrau Haus in Munich, one of the oldest and largest beer halls in Germany. This hazy wheat beer is sweet and very creamy, with a slightly flowery aroma and aftertaste. Yeasty too, not for the faint of heart :D Drink this beer with some bratwurst for optimum effect. It'd also be good with other meat lunch and dinner dishes. This bottle will run you $3, which in John's opinion is a great deal. Available at BevMo.

Delirium Nocturum, eh? Crazy name. Delicious beer!
This beer has much more of a punch to it, with a definite flowery aura. Tangy and fruity, it has more weight to its flavor than the other beers we've tasted so far. Inspired by the pink elephant on the label, Gerry wanted to drift off into a lovely dream. It's very full-bodied beer, which will please your palate, provided it is up to the taste. Additionally, and very importantly, this beer is only available in a 750ml bottle. That's right college students, its a fifth! At 8.5% ABV, this is going to leave you feeling pretty good when you finish! Those of you on a tight budget may want to steer clear of this one though, a bottle will set you back a bit over $10. Available at Bevmo.

Thanks for stopping by, happy drinking!
Cheers, J & G

It's BEER TIME

Hey folks!
First post about beer, get excited! Tonight, we're going across the oceans with some international beers!
John's going with Fuller's Organic Honey Dew from England, an ale brewed with honey. Gerry has chosen Singha Lager from Bangkok, Thailand!

Honey Dew - like the name might suggest, this is a decidedly golden beer, both in color and taste. It's semi-sweet, and very creamy- very drinkable. At 5% ABV though, you're not likely to get "crunk" off of this. It's clean, finishes quickly with just a bit of a sweet aftertaste. I'd recommend this beer for light drinking, sometime in the afternoon perhaps, this beer is good by itself. You could drink this with most anything, but you'd be risking overpowering the taste of the beer. You can get this tasty beer from across the pond at your local BevMo.

Singha - this clean and crisp brew out of the Kingdom of Thailand delivers a tangy punch without being overwhelming. When nicely chilled, this would be a great beer to sip on while relaxing on the beaches of Phuket! Again at 5% ABV, this isn't going to ruin your day, but will give you a nice fuzzy feeling after a few bottles. Gerry wasn't as much of a fan of this one, he commented "after over 70 years of brewing, they might want to update the recipe." Still, it's a decent lager, available at most decent supermarkets and of course, BevMo.

Thanks for reading folks, and cheers as always!
J & G