When the chance to learn a little about my second favorite past time comes along I never let it slip by. Here is a report from a friend on his latest taste testing from the world of barley pops. -Andy
When Andy asked me to do a piece on my experiences with beer, my wife said with a laugh, Oh no, another excuse to drink beer. I must confess, I love a good beer and since those of us who fancy the long rod also appreciate a finely brewed beverage or two once in a while, I agreed to do the post. I will post here my meetings with some of these brews and hopefully I can either expand or add on to your beer tasting experience.
Before I start, I will let you know that I like beers of all forms and tastes. But, I am not going to be doing a review on Bud Light or similar as most of us already know what these taste like. I would like to bring to you beers that you may or may not have heard of, let alone tried. There are so many wonderful micro-breweries popping up these days and the lagers being produced by them are superb to say the least. There also have been a bit of dabbling in these types of beers by a major brewing company and I must say it is fantastic. I will review this one in another post.
Last night my wife and I were out to dinner in the Minneapolis area and as she enjoyed the walleye, I was digging into a beautiful New York strip that was cooked to perfection. Being a test run before opening, the restaurant was not serving alcoholic beverages so I sipped on water for the meal. Afterwards, my wife suggested that we go to a local wine bar called Riverview wine bar located at 3747 42nd Ave S Minneapolis. This is a small, laid back place with about 15 tables for eating, and a couple of leather couches at the back nest to the fire for relaxing. They have live entertainment on some nights and it is a very nice place to take your significant other. As I was going over the wine list I noticed an extensive list of import and domestic beers that raised more than just one eyebrow as I gazed over the listings.
For today, I would like to bring to your attention a company out of Boulder, Colorado called: Avery Brewing Company. I went with the New World Porter for my choice. As the waitress expertly poured the lager in a glass for me I took notice of the deep and rich black color, with a very ginger colored head on it. The aroma was fantastic and I could smell almost immediately the strong ingredients that make a porter what it is. At first taste, I fell in love with this lager. The chocolate and caramel tones were robust and full, yet the brew was as smooth as a babys bottom. It has a more than average bitterness to it, but dont let this fool you, this is one hell of a lager and I highly recommend it to all. Each sip throughout the brew was just as good as the first and it goes to show the affects one gets from dry-hopping a beer. For those of us who enjoy the occasional stogie, this Porter would fare well with a medium to full flavored smoke such as the Montecristo Media Noche or a nice Diamond Crown.
You can find out more from their website at: www.averybrewing.com/Home Give this brew a try; I am sure that if you already drink a Porter, this one will top your list at the first sip. If you have never tried beers of this kind before I say, go ahead and be audacious with your beer pallet you just might find that you are missing out on a plethora of different lagers.
4 users commented in " Time For A Beer "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackLooks like a fine beer….I’ll have to add that to the list. Being Irish I would also recommend Finnegans if you like a good amber beer. The Finnegans Community Fund has raised and donated over $50,000 back to community programs in Minnesota.
http://www.finnegans.org/
Ah yes, Finnegans is a smashing beer as well. Another one I may have to write about. VERY cool with the money that they donate back to MN programs. With the Avery above, they have 9 all season brews and 16 seasonal. I can’t wait to try the rest!! I have my “beer guy” aquiring me some right now.
From a lover of Irish Guiness laced with a touch of Ribena Cordial, and BC Shaftsbury Cream Pale Ale, I must admit, Porter sounds like a keeper ! However, any excuse to comparitive taste another glass of nectar from the Gods is a good-un eh ?
Nice Job, from A&A !
Beer, like fly fishing….fun to discuss,read and seek out new venues but most joyous is partaking. To that end I’d highly recommend Town Hall Brewery as one of the best brewpubs in the TC area. I’m an unabashed Hop Head and their IPA is one that will grab your tonsils.
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