A Good Beer Blog

December 2007

A Good Beer Blog's Best Of 2007 - Part Two

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Another favorite (if not prize winning) beer picture from 2007  •  New Year's Eve. Why did I think I would be able to come up with Idea of the Year and Beer of the Year on New Year's Eve. I have to make burritos and I have to amuse a ten month old and I have to watch B-grade bowl games and I also …

A Good Beer Blog's Best Of 2007 - Part One

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 6 comments
How time flies when you are drinking a lot of beer. Last year in 2006 and again the year before that in 2005 I posted a "best of the year" for a number of things beery - I even asked the question for 2004 though I never seem to have answered it. So why ever would I stop using a technique that …

Big Hop Bombs: Ithaca Beer's IPAbbey, Me And Tom Brady

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
Is this the right thing to note? I dunno. I think sometimes that we are a bit to concerned as beer nerds that the beery moments in life are not quite up to the sip any more. But Stan has pronounced that beer is still beer and Stonch argues that it should be more the pub than the brew. There you …

Stouts: John By Imperial Stout, Scotch Irish Brewing, Ontario

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 5 comments
This is a great new stout from the Scotch Irish Brewing branch of Heritage, the eastern Ontario makers of a very good IPA and a solid, if only seasonal, porter. There is much talk about this one over at the Bar Towel, the province's beer fan forum, with a little discussion of whether a 6.7% beer …

In The Coming Recession, Will Beer Be The Affordable Luxury?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 3 comments
With a reported one million empty homes built in the US on speculation with another million sub-prime mortgages timed to fail this year, there is a lot of discussion this Yule on the economic prospects for 2008. I once advised small firms and in my planning advice I always included the need to be …

Beer At Yule: Winter Ale, Great Lakes, Etobicoke, Ontario

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 1 comment
We all got skates. I grew up skating a bit but probably skated last 12 years ago or so. But, it turns out, having a seven-year old who can't skate at all is a great way to cover up one's own failings when you are Canadian amongst Canadians but not good at what Canadians do. The beer amongst the …

Beer At Yule: Seriously Bad Elf, Ridgeway Brewing, England

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 5 comments
Why is there no Boxing Day beer? No songs, no traditions and not one beer. It's like Boxing Day is a dirty little secret in the world of holidays. It needs to assert itself and could start with demanding its own beer. This 9% one could be one but I am not sure what to believe about Ridgeway, it's …

Beer At Yule: Knuta Claus Delivers

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 3 comments
It came in the mail more than a week ago but I was under strict orders not to open Knut's parcel. And I kept my word.  •  Inside the package was smart small German key chain, a bottle of Nøgne Ø Julesnadder and a very natty "Ø God Yule 2007" t-shirt. Best of all (perhaps inordinately you may think …

Merry Christmas To Each Of You And Happy New Beer!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
As we sit around this Christmas Eve at my house, as full of chowder and roasted salmon as a family of expat Scots could be, I am immersed in gratitude and hope that you are each as content where you find yourselves tonight.  •  These moments of reflection within cycles of the year do make you ask …

Christmas In Oz: Mixing Too Much Beer With Texting

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - leave a comment
I had no idea that out antipodean cousins of the British Commonwealth, now looking forward to Christmas on the sunny beach rather than in a snowdrift as the Good Lord intended, were facing a holiday time pitfall beyond the North American tests of the office party or that least liked cousin …

Beer At Yule: La Moneuse SWA, Brasserie De Blaugies, Belgium

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - leave a comment
We've had a look at a few beers from Brasserie de Blaugies: Darbyste , a fresh figgy saison (that I was calling a lambic for some reason); Saison d'Epeautre spelt saison; and La Moneuse, their rustic straight up saison. This is the final of the brewer's four brews to try. It's an upgrade of La …

Travis Tries Out Landmark Brewing's India Pale Ale

Posted by Travis Glazier on in - leave a comment
So this is my first guest post to A Good Beer Blog from here in Central New York. With Syracuse University basketball in full effect and the football season a long way away - thank God - we in Central New York are hunkering down for another white winter.  •  For this post I decided to write about …

One Step Towards Both Eco-Friendly Brewing And Good Value

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 2 comments
More on the decisions that go into making your beer tonight as I noticed this story just now about a brewery that is simply not playing up its wonderfully eco-friendly ways on its own website, Barrington Brewery of Great Barrington, Massachusetts:  •  “"The first thing that we looked at as far as …

Beer At Yule: Winter Solstice, Anderson Valley, CA, USA

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
This one is actually called "seasonal ale" which is sort of a euphemism for "winter ale" which is sort of a euphemism for Christmas ale. Not that I mind except that lawnmower lite is a seasonal beer as well...just not this season.  •  This is the 2006 bottling of Anderson Valley's Yule brew which … read more »

Evan Rail Has A Great New Czech Beer Blog

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 2 comments
You remember our pal in beer and sometime columnist Evan Rail in Prague, right? Radio Prague wag, New York Times journalist and the author of the Good Beer Guide Prague and the Czech Republic? Well, Evan has a new beer blog running on the website of the Prague Monitor. Go read. He has great photos …

Day 29: It's Over! Let The Prize Giving Begin!!!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 12 comments
Winners: Please Email Your Postal Addresses!  •  The Global Grand Prize Winner  •  Well, that was an astoundingly good contest as the entries here and over at Stonch's totaled well over two hundred if my guestimation powers are still what they used to be. Over the course of (hopefully just) this …

Beer At Yule: Lump Of Coal Stout, Ridgeway Brewery, England

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 1 comment
From the label of this 2006 brewing, you would think it was made for the importers, Shelton Brothers, given the slim reference to the actual brewer. Not the greatest BAer reviews either - I do not like to see the word "thin" pop up in reference to an 8% stout...or rather a "dark holiday stout" … read more »

Don't Drink And Read In Utah

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 4 comments
I have heard of planning set-backs for beer licensees around churches and schools but this one is new to me: a restriction relating to libraries in the community of Bountiful, Utah:  •  “A Bountiful restaurant, located too close to a county library branch, was denied a beer license 18 months ago …

Day 27: The Gallery Is Updated Again

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Go have a look. I think there are about seven thousand photos now. Almost.  •  As Stan emailed me this morning with his wise counsel, I will have to figure out a better gallery tool to present these on next year but I had no idea that there would be this many submissions. Great work everyone …

Day 25: Entries Still Coming In And The Gallery Needs Updating

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
What a month it has been. Well over a hundred entries for the contest from dozens of beer fans - and God knows how many over at Stonch's, too - and that damn cold is still hanging on. Eric Delia of Richmond, Virginia send the one above today to add to his entries to date and I thought it had … read more »

Porter Season: Raspberry Porter, Southern Tier, NY, USA

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 1 comment
All things have to come to an end and the season of porter is no different. The deep freeze has come here at the east end of Lake Ontario and autumns turning leave and harvest are long gone. Tripels, Christmas ales, imperial stouts and barley wine will be everything until the snow banks begin to …

All Prizes All The Time - That's What Beer Blogging's For!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
Our pal Greg Clow at Beer, Beats and Bites and Taste T.O. let me know today about another great web event that beer bloggers are invited to get involved with called Menu For Hope - and best of all it is for a great cause:  •  “It's December 10th and raffle tickets are officially on sale for the …

Craft Or Kraphtt: Sam Adams Scotch Ale, Boston Beer, MA, USA

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , , - 3 comments
Stan was rightly giving me grief the other day or at least a lesson in life when I spoke of the Sam Adams line of beers. I didn't mean to be mean and I am a delicate flower in the face of such dressings down - but, as you all know, I am working with what I am thinking about beer pricing and value …

Germany: Aventinus Eisbock, Schneider, Kelheim, Bavaria

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 3 comments
What a difficult bottle to photograph - what with all that silver foil lettering. This is the 12% version of the Aventinus I reviewed back here in February 2006. It has shown up in Ontario as part of the LCBO's winter warmer seasonal release and at $3.95 or so for 500 ml it is a steal as The Bar …

Day 21: More Contest Photos And Just A Week To Go

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Finally. It's been eight days since the last update for A Good Beer Blog's Yule Photo Contest 2007 held in concert with merry Father Stonchmas over in London, England. This unending cold in the house has bounced and bounced leaving little time for anything but sneezes and little energy but for …

Beer Drinker's Rights: Sensible Objections Are Made

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Andy Crouch has done the right thing and held me accountable for the underlying principles - or lack there of - supporting my proposal entitled The Beer Drinker's Bill of Rights. What fun! Were there any more jolly than the anti-Federalists? I have taken my place at the paper mache ramparts of …

Session 10: Faceplant Winter Ale, Nelson Brewing, BC

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 4 comments
Today's edition of The Session is all about winter beer and where better to find a winter ale than in Canada...you would hope.  •  This one is new to me, sent from my colleague in crime (or at least potential administrative penalty relating to inter-provincial trade) Darcey who is the blogmeister …

Tomorrow, The Session Hits Ten And It's Going To Be Cold

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
As we take a little break from both the cold meds and the photo contest as well as entrants asking who picks the winners (it's me) why the heck haven't I updated the gallery (it's also me), it's a good time to pause and consider that there are other things out there like The Session. This will be …

Paul Goes To The 2007 Dove Beer Festival, Ipswich, England

Posted by Paul of B. St-E. on in , - leave a comment
Inspired by the lyrics of a song from the once hirsute folk-prog-rocker and role model for omni-pede flautists the world over, Ian Anderson, I trundled off to the Dove Beer Festival in Ipswich last Saturday, singing to myself "Let me bring you beers from the wood." There was a promise of six ales …

Beer Drinker's Rights: Better Graphs Describing The Experience

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 2 comments
When I jotted down my proposal for a Beer Drinker's Bill of Rights the other day, my intention was that it would be elaborated, that commentary needed to be provided on each section to see if the thing was valid. One of the key point for me is that beer is understandable or as section 4 states …

Germany: Kellerbräu, Mönchshof, Kulmbach, Bavaria

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 1 comment
I really drink so little German beer, it is only right that I give it its own category filled with with a revisionistic retagging. And, really, what is a "quick note" anyway? You have no idea how long these posts take, the difficulty in finding a flag that you will mistake for a civic banner of a …

A Good Gesture But...Odd Timing

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Do you notice what I notice in this story?  •  “The 109-year-old last British survivor of the World War One trenches has been given a surprise treat - free beer for life. Harry Patch, who was wounded in battle in 1917, will be able to sup for the rest of his days at his local boozer in Limpley …

Day 15: What Beer Goes Best With My Cold Remedies?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
I am a little far from the comfort and joy at the moment with a nasty bug going through the house and nothing getting sipped but Buckley's mixture - a potion that essentially is a whole pine tree reduced into a four ounce bottle. I am tempted to mix it with an imperial stout just to see.  •  Well …

The Beer Drinkers' Bill Of Rights

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 16 comments
A depiction of the first debates on the rights  •  of beer drinkers, Greece 4th century BC.  •  I've been thinking about this beer stuff for a while now and have decided that it is right and proper that a Beer Drinkers' Bill of Rights for us all be established. Any bill of rights, after all, is …

Day 13: Shipyard and Saunders Step Up

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
“Day 14 Update: Stonch has just sent me the link to a Flikr gallery he set up to handle all the UK entries he has received. Go have a look.”  •  More entires over at A Good Beer Blog's contest gallery and some great new prizes including our first entry from the Arctic zone of a cake being made … read more »