Shandy

We were at Porky's Cafe the other night for our usual Wings and Beer / date night. We got our usual cold beer and hot wings.

I didn't see any new to me brews on the draft beer menu. I asked and the beer babe said they had Saranac Shandy in a can. Okie dokie, I'm game for that.

Shandy (4.20% ABV) is lager and lemonade. It says so right on the can. It also says "How cool (and crisp and refreshing) is that? Pucker up, you're gonna want to kiss us for this one."

I don't know about that, I've never had a shandy that really impressed me. Narragansett's was so bad I poured it down the drain. Pint and Panels wasn't overly impressed with this one. That didn't deter me though. On person's poison is another person's nectar.












Jaime brought me a can and then posed for photos. She even poured it for me!! She's WAY accommodating. That's why we love her!

Saranac Shandy poured a clear lemony yellow with a big floof of white foam that quickly settled.

The aroma? Lager and lemonade. Duh. :-P

The taste is big time lemonade with some beerness hanging around in there. What I like about it is that it's not sicky sweet or cloying. A good mix.

It's very light and quaffable. It goes down easy and low in alcohol, which makes it ideal as a refresher on a hot summer.

It's not great but it doesn't suck.

Overall: good.

Big Moose Ale

Big Moose Ale is Saranac's take on the winter warmer. They take a different approach using a a pale ale as base. It is malt forward; which is a standard characteristic of the winter seasonal.  What really sets it apart from other beers in this classification is that it is hoppier and lacks the spices normally included in many winter beer recipes.

But that's okay, as long as it tastes good, right? Let's see what this beer is all about.

Big Moose Ale (5.3% ABV) pours a clear amber that approaches red. The head is bright white and airy bright and leaves behind spotty lacing.

The aroma is malty with caramel notes.

The taste is fairly light. Toasted malt and sweet caramel are in evidence. The sweetness is offset by a resinous hop profile. The finish is crisp and mildly bitter

The mouth feel is light and effervescent. Very drinkable and sessionable.

Big Moose Ale is smooth drinking beer with good but low-key flavor. It's not bad but not great either.

Overall: good.

The Three Stooges

I have a friend who also happens to be a blogger. He recently received and accepted an offer for his dream job and is, consequently, relocating to another state.

While in the process of going through household items in preparation for the big move, he came across a six pack of beer. He doesn't know where he got it, how long he's had it, or even if it was any good.

The beer was The Three Stooges from Panther Brewing. I admit I'd never heard of this beer or brewery before but I was curious so I did some poking around. It turns out that this is no ordinary beer that my buddy dumped down the drain.

Of course, he blogged about it.

Panther Brewery was owned by Matt Brewing who is better known for brewing Saranac.

There was a Three Stooges 1935 episode called Three Little Beers. In it, the Stooges were hired as delivery men by The Panther Brewery. It's implied that brewery is so named because their beer tastes like panther piddle. So it's a natural that an actual brewery named Panther Brewing would name a beer after the Three Stooges.

It hasn't been brewed in a long time - The Three Stooges was brewed in a limited run in 1998 and has long since been retired from production - but apparently, it's very collectible; going for as much as $10 a bottle on Ebay. It's seems as though it's more collectible to Three Stooges fans than beer lovers. People are auctioning and buying things like bottle caps and empty six pack holders and empty bottles. The six packs that actually contain the original beer are obviously more valuable.

Actual comments from the original blog post:

I'm reading mixed reviews as to how good it was. It was an adjunct lager, so I'm guessing it was nothing special. I'm not sure that *I* would have drank the beer myself, but I probably would have tried it.

Whatever the case, glug, glug, glug . . . down the drain it went.

 I love Jay. He's cute but not too bright, though.

Strange brew and a smoke

I was invited to a Memorial Day picnic.  Like most picnics there were tables loaded with food, a grill piled high with burgers and coolers full of beer.  

My buddy, knowing my love of good craft brew, handed me a Bigfoot barleywine.  Hmmm, okay.  Off to a good start.  Sweet!

Next he handed me. . . wait, what?? Was ist das??

Kirkland Signature brand beer.  Huh? Costco brand beer? Really?

As I suspected, the beer isn't actually brewed by Costco, it is contract brewed.  But by who?  The bottle says it's brewed by New Yorker Brewing Company in Utica, NY. Who are they?  You might be surprised to know that New Yorker Brewing is also known as Matt Brewing Company who is best known for brewing Saranac beer.  I have to say that I was surprised to discover that F.X. Matt Brewing Company is the second oldest family-owned brewery in the United States (D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest).

In my experience, Saranac beer is average craft beer.  Not bad but nothing special.  

At the time, I didn't know who was actually brewing the Kirkland beer but I was still very curious about the quality of the brew and how it would taste.  For $19.99 a 24-pack, these things are worth knowing.


Since I was at an outdoor party, I drank them all straight from the bottle so I can't tell you what they look like or give you a good description of the aroma.  So, I'm going straight for the flavor.  

India Pale Ale (6.50% ABV) A decent tasting IPA.  Actually, a pretty good middle of the road beer.  Not too hoppy, not too malty.  A good balance of grapefruity bitterness and caramel malts.  A lingering bitter aftertaste. Good mouthfeel; somewhat light with nice carbonation.  Overall: good. 

Pale Ale (5.40% ABV) The sweetness of caramel hops combined with bready grains and the mild bittering of hops.  Actually pretty good. The light mouthfeel and lively carbonation makes this beer very drinkable. A good refreshing beer.  Overall: good.

Amber Ale (5.70% ABV) Malty and relatively sweet. But I couldn't get past the metallic taste, so that ruined it for me right off the bat.  I didn't like it. Overall: blah

German Lager (5.50% ABV) A decent pilsner style beer.  A good representation of the style.  Light, mildly bitter, goes down easy and very drinkable.

For all of the beers, I'd say they're a bargain for the money.  They're not fantastic craft beer, but they're not bad either.  For the money, they are spot on or better.  

These are way better than macro brews in the same or higher price bracket.

I'm not a beer snob.  There's a time and place for almost every beer. Sometimes money is something to be considered.  I wouldn't be ashamed to serve Kirkland beer at gathering.  

Cheers!

And since my buddy was kind enough to give me a cigar, I'll review that, as well.  In fact, he's been saving this particular cigar just for me.  

My Uzi Weighs a Ton made by Drew Estate is a 60-gauge cigar. Nicaraguan leaf filler with a Connecticut wrapper.

This is a big cigar.  Bigger than I usually smoke when I puff the occasional cigar.  I was thinking it was going to be harsh.

I was pleasantly surprised.  This is a remarkably mild smoke.  The wrapper has a spicy flavor and adds nice character.  

The tobacco is packed tight.  It's got an easy draw and an even burn.  The ash is nice and dense.  

I'm no cigar expert but this was a pleasant tasting cigar with a nice long smoke. I liked it.  Thanks, James!