Christmas gift beer and other ramblings

Grand Canyon Brewing - Sunset Amber

This beer was gifted to me by my Sister an Mother, so it will probably be awesome.  

It pours true to form for an Amber, nice coppery red color.  It has a nice tan head that lasts throughout even from the bottle.  

A nice caramel nose with hints of brown sugar.  The caramel flavor is very smooth though not overwhelming and just when you are tired of it you get a nice hop kick.  It has a nice mouth feel to begin with but I feel like it falls apart towards the end-- begins to feel like water.  

Overall a better than average Amber.  I like the use of hops and I have an inclination that it is a lot better if you are sitting atop the Grand Canyon  I have a Pale ale and an "American Lager" in bottle as well but I am really looking forward to the canned IPA.  

Craft Beer Advocacy 

Its a crazy time we live in for craft Beer.  We are on the cusp on an explosion that we simply won't know the scope of until the dust is settled.  There are a few things that we can do to help support this growth as craft Beer fans:

1. Support your local brewery.  This can't be stressed enough.  The passion and effort that goes into that bottle or keg is amazing-- if you love it drink it!  
2. Be vocal.  There are many people out there that would be drinking something better if they only knew someone like you.  Luckily they do!  Don't let your friends drink crap without giving them a better option.  Share your knowledge and love of beer.  Explain the difference in quality ingredients and adjunct fillers.  If you don't, you may go on a vacation and come back to find out your favorite micro-brew is no longer!
3. Have an opinion.  All pallets are different.  Don't every blindly trust some 2 bit review on some half ass blog.  Trust your nose and your tongue!  They will rarely do you wrong!
4. Relax, don't worry -- Have a microbrew!  craft Beer is fun!  Enjoy yourself!  I want to use one more exclamation point!

I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year's. I will be enjoying a craft Beer within walking distance of my residence.  

Cheers

P.S.  Try a Raging Bitch IPA(flying dog) with Miso anything.  It might change your life.  

Hello World

Yet Another Beer Blog....

Well it was just a matter of time.  The beer world is exploding around me and I really just walked in to it.  It is actually pretty cool and maybe, just maybe Ill have something you want to hear.
For those of you who don't know me-- I'm a Beer nerd;  I'm in love with my wonderful girlfriend Natalie; I'm a Beer lover; I have four dogs and one of them is 1011.  Yes I name my dog 1011-- so I suppose I'm a second degree nerd.

But enough about me, lets talk about Beer.

The great thing about Beer?  It's all about the moment in the cosmos you capture with the perfect tasting brew.  The forces of nature and the ingenuity of man intersect often, but rarely is it memorable.  But then every so often it clicks.

Rahr Winter Warmer


Rahr was the first microbrewery I ever visited so its fitting that its the first beer that I share.  I had this on draft at Black Star Co-op.
It pours a deep brown color with scarlet highlights.  A nice caramel colored head pours but settles quickly.
At first whif there isn't much of an aroma but there are subdued cinnamon, nutmeg and fruit elements.  On first sip the malt is apparent but not overwhelming, nicely balanced by the lighter spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and maybe some allspice.  The hops are present and do a fine job of balancing without intruding. There is almost no alcohol taste at all.  It does seem a bit thin but it isn't a deal breaker.
Surprise, this beer is 8.5 by volume! Would not have guessed that much, very well disguised.  All in all an exceptional Winter Warmer, I can imagine this would go great with some holiday fare.  There is a Bourbon aged version of this beer floating around out there-- word on the street is that Black Star will have it sometime next week.