I love beer from Stone Brewing. They make beer that punches your tongue in its throat. Today I’m writing about three of their beers. If you’re lucky, you can find them where you live.

I first found out about Stone from one of my old bosses. Tom was really into wine and cooking, as was I, and he enjoyed good beer. He traveled a lot and told me of a beer named Arrogant Bastard by Stone Brewing, which was, “off the charts.” Fast-forward to two years later. In May 2007 my wife was returning from a trip to Boston and she brought back two bottles of beer. She went to a beer store, asked what was good, and that she was buying a gift for a hophead. (I’ve since expanded my taste, but I do still love a hop bomb). The beerman, bless his anonymous soul, gave her a bottle of Stone Ruination IPA and some local Boston drek.

When she came home she gave them to me and I said, “are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?” She had no idea that I wanted to try some Stone.

The half hour the beer spent in the fridge passed way too slowly.

Ruination was a godsend. It absolutely blew me away with the power of the hop plant. It was the beer that sent me on a quest for bigger beer and converted all of my taste buds to look for beer as a hop delivery vehicle. I knew at that point I would have to look for any Stone beer I could find and try them all.

Fast-forward again to Summer 2008. My cousin was getting married in Las Vegas and it was a good excuse for my wife and me to take a break from the kids. 2008 was the year I became a full beer geek and so I was on the prowl for beer that I couldn’t get in Minnesota. I logged on to Beeradvocate.com at the hotel and looked for good beer on tap on the strip. Two bars popped up, The Burger Bar and Pour 24. Both were within easy walking distance, which was fortunate since they were the only two bars on the strip that served good beer.

Arrogant Bastard at 10 AM is a sin, but damn, it’s worth it.

My first taste of Arrogant Bastard came from a plastic cup from a block of ice at Pour 24 in NY, NY. Not the best of circumstances, but it was still amazing. See my review under better circumstances in the first Beer Talk. Later we discovered the Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay, which was a much better venue for beer. It was a restaurant that actually served beer in the correct glassware (for the most part) at the correct temperature. There I had Ruination and Stone’s IRS on tap. It was about as close to a religious experience as I’ve ever had.

At that point I knew I had to take some home with me. After a couple of days of whining to my wife about how eating out was so expensive and we really should just eat at McDonald’s, I convinced her to take a cab with me from the strip on a 15 minute cab ride to Lee’s Liquor’s, the closest beer store that sold Stone. It cost $45 for the cab ride and another $35 for the six bombers (22 oz bottles) I picked up.

The cost was worth it until I found out literally ONE WEEK LATER that Wisconsin had been carrying Stone for about two weeks… I live 15 minutes from the border… shit.

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The return of the JRPG

The last couple of years for Japanese Role Playing Games has been lacking to say the least. Final Fantasy XII was the last huge release for the genre, and that game wasn’t what I would call…good. Since then the genre went pretty much dormant except for the occasional sign of life (Persona 3) or big time disappointment (Blue Dragon). However this year saw some truly fantastic entries into the genre with games like Lost Oddysey, Tales Of Vesperia, Disgaea 3, The World Ends With You, and the grand finale of 2008 that was Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4. With the 800 pound gorilla that is Final Fantasy XIII on the horizon, I can’t wait to see what the genre puts out in 2009. Dragon Quest IX and White Knight Chronicles have peaked my interest.

Mega Box Sets from HBO

Everyone loves DVD box sets, and everyone loves HBO. When you put them together, you have a chocolate & peanut butter situation. However this match made in heaven tends to be expensive as fuck. So when John’s check signers decided to have a mega sale on all HBO box sets last week when I happened to have a bunch of Christmas cash, I decided to get two shows that I’ve never and always wanted to watch: The Sopranos: the complete series and The Wire: the complete series, which pretty much everyone is in agreement are two of the best TV shows ever made. Apparently this deal also caught my brothers eye, who proceeded to get me Deadwood: the complete series as well. That my friends is over 170 hours of content across 75 discs, so whatever spare time I have for games is now gone. Also: kudos to whoever puts these sets together, as they are all gorgeous. The Sopranos case is this giant book with the season laid out as the pages, and it might be the best box set EVARRR. Add to these the Blu Ray release of Band Of Brothers earlier this year, and HBO has done some fucking awesome work this year…if you got the cash.
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OK. You’ve been to your local beer store, looked at the selection of strange labels on the imported beer wall, grabbed one, thought better of it, put it back, and then went on over to the cooler to pick out a Heineken. You congratulate yourself for trying something that’s not Budweiser.

Meanwhile, the beer gods cry.

If you really love beer, or want to develop a taste for some great beer, you’re going to have to take some risks. Taking risks also means you will eventually try beer that you will not like. The good thing about trying bad beer is that no matter what, it increases the range of your palette and that’s never a bad thing. Take heart, though: there is a reason all those strange beers are on the shelf. Most of them are good… really good.

The following four reviews are for beer from the same brewery. If you’ve been to a decent beer store, you’ve most likely seen these on the shelf and thought that maybe the Liberace lookin’ guy on the bottle just wasn’t for you. I’m here to tell you that just because someone looks like Liberace, it doesn’t mean he can’t make awesome beer.

Reviewed in no particular order, all drunk from an official St. Bernadus chalice.

St. Bernardus Pater 6. Belgian Dubbel. 6.7%ABV. Brouwerij St. Bernadus NV.

Pours dark amber when held to the light.

Smell has sweet malt, mellow incense, and rye.

If you have ever attended Catholic Mass, you will recognize the incense taste and smell. It infuses the beer wonderfully. The cloyingness of the incense is balanced perfectly by heavy caramel and rye. The mouthfeel is light and dry. Intense carbonation prickles on the tongue.

This beer is very well balanced. New complexities keep rising as the chalice is drained. It is very surprising that even though the beer has so many sweet characteristics, it is never cloying.

A word of caution: do not drink this after coffee. It tastes like barf.
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We all spend hours lamenting the death of proper arcades in the United States. The dark, quarter-munching game halls have mostly been boarded up and forgotten or replaced by giant bowling alley/redemption machine/food and drink establishments like Dave & Busters, GameWorks, and now Brunswick Zone. Brunswick Zones have been around for a while, operating mainly as large, fancy bowling alleys. Occassionally they’d throw in a bar and maybe a few arcade machines and pool tables. But that was before Brunswick Zone…XL!

So Brunswick Zone XL takes the old model and turns it into a ginormous family fun center, which sounds like hell on earth to me. Complete with restaurants, bowling, video games, laser tag, private rooms, and party rooms, XL is the place to go if you want to fight through hoards of screaming children so you can earn some tickets on a neon-lit redemption machine. There’s a new one that just opened down the road from my place, so while driving past I decided to pop in and check it out.
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Article By: Zinswin

On October 25th I made a trip I was planning for almost a year. This was a quest to buy one of the world’s most hyped and treasured beers. It would take me on an epic 32-minute journey from my home to the heart of Brooklyn Center, MN. The heart of Darkness.

The previous night at 4pm I decided to prep. I had a growler of Surly Furious in my beer fridge that was taking up too much space, and it needed opening. I cracked it open and got to work. Opening a growler of Furious is not like shooting wamp rats back home. This is 64 ounces of 6.2%ABV beer. It was a good night.

The next morning at 7am I woke up. I planned on being there at 8 and I knew it was going to be in the 30’s, so I put on four layers of clothing and two pairs of socks. I double-checked my wallet since they were taking cash only. Six 750ml bottles per person, $100 for all six. My wife was also getting ready, but to go for a 5k race instead. (True love is forever, but it won’t stand in line for four hours to get six more bottles).

In the paper that morning was a short blurb on Darkness. It’s then that I was getting a bit nervous. They said that the first 700 were guaranteed beer. I have to get going. I grabbed the cell phone, but it had no charge so it was left behind. I kissed my wife and kids and headed out the door.

As I approached the exit ramp to France Ave, I got more and more nervous. Ed and Joe, the owners of Heritage Liquor down the street, told me they had a group of people coming with them in a camper and were going to get there at 7pm on the 24th. How many people were that crazy? I was about to find out. (more…)

Article By: Zinswin

In preparation for Surly’s Darkness day (Oct 25th) I’ve been drinking a veritable shit-ton of stouts to warm up my palette. I bought beer that I’ve tried before and some beer that I’ve always been curious about. I even opened up a bottle of my stash beer, the legendary Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.

I’m drinking a lot of Russian Imperial Stouts in this article. What makes a beer an R.I.S.? Well, back in the day, Katherine the Great was visiting England. She loved the stouts there and wanted them back home. After she arrived home, the deliveries were never quite as good because fresh beer is usually the best beer. So, they put extra hops and malt in the beer. More than any sane person would want. Those beers were able to survive the trip because of the extra alcohol and hops. A new style was born and we have some great beer because of it.

You may have noticed that I like all the beers I review. Well, I don’t want to waste your time with beer that I don’t like. If I write about it, you can be sure it’s a beer that you may want to buy next time you go into the beer store. In this article, the beers are ordered by how I liked them, least to most.

You’ll also notice that almost all the beers listed here are pricey. There is a price to pay for greatness, and the ingredients from just one bottle of these could be used to make about 50 kegs of Miller/Bud/Coors light.

Oak Aged Yeti. Oak Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Great Divide Brewing Company. 9.5%ABV. $7.99/22oz bomber.

Pours as black as satan’s PJ’s. Nice thick caramel colored head that leaves spotty lacing.

Smell is newly cut, boozy oak with lots of astringency.

POW! This is an oak aged product that you can certainly taste the oak in. It gives off tons of new oak resin. Huge, thick mouthfeel. This one is a sipper in the most extreme sense. Rich cream. Bright bitterness in the hops. Burnt toffee. The alcohol is hidden very well; there is no heat whatsoever. As it warms, the astringency of the oak lessens and out comes the taste of one of those high quality dark chocolate bars made with 85% cocoa.

This took me over two hours to drink. Definition of a sipper beer. Recommended, if you like the taste of new oak.

Bell’s Expedition Stout. Russian Imperial Stout. Bell’s Brewery, Inc. 10.5%ABV $2.69/12 oz bottle.

Pours a deep black with a thick cocoa head. Leaves an oil slick where it once was on the glass.

Smells of molasses and a hint of yeast.

Thick waves of sweet molasses. Very full mouthfeel. Not a beer that is easy to drink, but in a very good way. Spicy black and white pepper notes. Burnt toffee is hiding behind the molasses. Cherry/vanilla/oak is hiding behind the toffee. Dried grass covers like an umbrella.

Yeti. Russian Imperial Stout. Great Divide Brewing Company. 9.5%ABV. $6.99/22oz bomber.

Pours pure black with a thick chocolate milk colored head.

Smell is condensed roasted malt with a touch of hops and a subtle nod to soy milk. A slight booziness fills the nostrils.

Nothing subtle in the mouth. Very exciting entrance and makes a bold statement of deeply roasted malt. The aggressive hops have a dried grass taste. Sweet molasses comes up a few seconds after tasting and lingers pleasantly. As it begins to warm, a hint of rye is found teasing in the boackground. The alcohol is masked very well and gives no hint that this is a 9.5% alcohol beer.
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Living in the Russian Federation – 22/10/2008 ‘Milk?’

Today I decided that I really needed to get some milk so that I can have coffee whilst at home. I’m pretty much a self confessed caffeine whore and if I don’t get regular doses I’m not the most responsive person on the planet. With that in mind, I set off to a small grocery store on новый арбат (New Arbat) which is the main area that I’m staying in. After getting back to the apartment I recorded the following little video post:

Mmmm salty…

As mentioned I decided that I’d head out to get some actual milk. Instead of head back to the same store I decided that I’d check out a new area and see what I found. The results were staggering! I headed up past новый арбат and then doubled back down арбатская (Arbatskaya – or Old Arbat) which is the main pedestrianised tourist area. I stopped for Starbucks and continued on to смоленская (Smolenskaya) which is the area where I catch the tubve in the morning as I hadn’t had a chance to explore yet. After the hilarity of seeing the ‘Golden Ring’ hotel I found an awesome little grocery store just on the corner, best of all they accepted AMEX so I can use the company card there.

Much more happened on this little trip so I recorded a little vid blog just after I got back in as frankly what I witnessed was just plain weird.

I’m only a couple of days into this now and if this is the level of crazy I’m seeing then I can’t wait to see what else is out there. It’s a scary, insane, and rewarding thing to stay in another country that doesn’t have a recognisable language. I’d never imagined that I’d get to do something like this but have to recommend that if any of you lovely readers get the chance to do something similar you take it – there’s nothing else quite like it!

Sir Philthy

Living in the Russian Federation 21/10/2008

I’ve now been in Russia for a day and a half with almost no sleep or food as of yet. But it’s ok, I’ve had an amazing time so far and I’m really blown away by how nice the city is. First things first, I want to dispel the myth that the city is ridiculous levels of cold. Experience so far puts it at a little warmer and clearer than Leeds, whilst it may get much colder during January and February, right now it’s pleasantly mild.

Today was my first day in the office, a daunting prospect when I hadn’t really gotten my bearings with my surroundings yet (or eaten any food). I hadn’t even had any coffee due to a lack of milk, which as those who know me will understand means that I was barely even functioning on a basic level this morning.

A good thing that I had a Taxi organised to get me to the office! Even better was the really nice quality FREE coffee available all day long in the office. This was a good thing seeing as I was there from 8am through until 8pm – a pretty lengthy first day on the job. I only stopped once to pick up some sandwiches somewhere around lunchtime so by the time I finished I’d had almost nothing to eat since mid-day yesterday (and that was an in-flight meal…) Some how I managed to find my way around the Moscow Underground Metro and arrive at the street I’m staying at (Novvy Arbat).

I was really impressed with the sheer liveliness of the city – there’s a really amazing vibe that I really wasn’t expecting.

After looking at the shiny stuff I decided that I should really find somewhere to get some food so I started exploring until I found a 24 hour place. Now Moscow is expensive, people warned me but I had no idea. I bought the following:

Toothpaste, cheese, bread, ketchup, Pringles equivalent, a bottle of Pepsi, 2 bottles of Mountain Dew, some shower gel and a Snickers.

The total cost for this stupidly small list was £26 or $47

WOW

I eventually made it back to the apartment with less trouble than I’d anticipated.

Philthy

Article By: Zinswin

Oktoberfest. ‘Tis the season to drink beer. And while I may be a few weeks late to the celebration, now is the time that you will be able to find Oktoberfest (or Marzen) style beers where you may live.
This style of beer originated in Germany, and was the last beer brewed in the brewing season. Summers in Germany were too hot to brew before refrigeration, so they put their last effort into their March (German: Marz, English: March) offering. The beer barrels were aged in caves over the hot summer, and when September rolled around the beer was ready. Because it needed to be higher in alcohol to survive the summer, it was brewed with more malt. It was also made with malt that was more heavily roasted so it comes out with an amber color.

Traditional Oktoberfest beer is sweet with little hoppiness. The mouthfeel is slightly thicker than water. It is specifically made to get you drunk. You are supposed to drink as much as you can when drinking this. I am not kidding.

Today I’m looking at traditional as well as non-traditional styles. My own tastes lean towards the non-traditionals, but none of these is a bad beer. I’ll start with most traditional and go to least.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen. 5.8% ABV. Purchased at The Cellars, Roseville, MN. $6.99/6 pack of 12oz bottles.

Pours a brown amber with a head that dissipates quickly. Smells of yeasty, lightly roasted malt.

Taste at first is something that I connect with an oxidized beer; a bit of a wet cardboard taste. This evolves quickly into a mild wet malt flavor. Very easy to drink and I can see how this can be easily thrown back in Munich in great quantities. I get a feeling, however, this would be better if it was imbibed in the Fatherland… it seems it just doesn’t travel well and would make a better showing in Munchen.

Overall, it is easy to drink and has a moderate alcohol content so it is fine for a gathering of people who aren’t very picky about their beer.

Don’t turn it down if someone hands it to you, but don’t go out of your way to get it, either.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest. 5.7%ABV. Purchased at The Cellars, Roseville, MN. $6.99/6 pack of 12oz bottles.

Pours a dark amber. Smell is sweet and lively.

This is a beer I can picture myself drinking on a mild early fall day outside. The malt is sweet and mellow and has the slightest hint of wine in it. The bitterness from the hops is so faint that you really have to concentrate to taste it. Well balanced and would pair nicely with just about any food you would throw at it, since it is so mild.

First time I had this I was new to drinking beer, was back in the Fall of 1996. I had it on tap at the Bodega Brew Pub in LaCrosse, WI, as a sophomore at Viterbo College. (I was with my parents and it’s legal to drink with your parents in good ol’ ‘skonnie.) I thought it was the most fantastic thing ever. My taste has changed (and probably this recipe) but this beer still holds a special place in my heart.

This is worth picking up if you are going to have an Oktoberfest party and you see it for a good price.
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Zinswin bring us another article in the Beer Talk series!

Article By: Zinswin

Of the four main ingredients in beer (water, malt, hops, yeast), the hop plant is the most interesting. Before hops, beer had all sorts of adjuncts to add varieties of flavor. This was because beer brewed with only malt was too sweet and cloying. Some examples of common ingredients added to beer before hops were figs, anise, and rosemary. (I’ve had beer made like this. It’s… interesting). Then one day in the 11th or 12 century, someone discovered that adding this cousin of cannabis to beer was the perfect compliment to balance out the sweetness in the malt. Since then, hops have been as essential to beer as malt.

So, we will explore the wonderful world of hops today. I am a self-certified hophead and I’ll review some beers that bring them to the forefront. Hops add bitterness and aroma to beer. There are many different types of hops and they all impart different qualities. Typical hop aroma descriptors include citrus, pine, and floral.

On a sad note, if you are a hophead, it’s a guarantee that your beer prices will go up for the next few years. Hop prices have dramatically increased due to the global market and have gone from around $3 a pound last year to upwards of $27 a pound two years from now. Gotta love commodities.

The fresher a hoppy beer is, the better. Hop profiles degrade quickly and a beer that was “awesome” today may be only “great” four weeks from now.

There are amazing food pairings with hoppy beer. This beer will destroy your taste buds, so you need to find a full flavored food to go with it. Buffalo chicken wings (I’ll give you my recipe sometime if you’re lucky) or strip steak from the grill will make you pound your fist on the table with a Samuel L. Jackson-esque, “fuck, yeah, motherfucker!”

I have included a wide variety of beers here that I hope will be available where you live. You should be able to find at least one.

All tastings done with a Duvel tulip glass.

Mojo IPA. Boulder Beer Company. 7%ABV. Purchased at St. Anthony Village Wine & Spirits, St. Anthony, MN. $8.49/6 pack 12oz bottles.

Pours an amber-straw color with a nice, thick, finely bubbled head. The head dissipates quickly but leaves a decent amount of lacing down the glass. Pine and white pepper with a hint of lemon are in the first sniff.

First taste gives a nice spicy bitterness and light malt presence. The hops impart a peppery taste with a slight hint of orange peel. If you love the bitterness that hops impart, this is a great beer for you.

Drinkability is very high. You’ll find yourself constantly taking small sips, wonder where it all went, and start from the beginning again. Just make sure you call a taxi when you go back out for that second six-pack.

Worth a try. (more…)