My niece came up from Texas/South Carolina, so we had an early, outdoor Thanksgiving with the family.
As the coronavirus surges to scary levels, we plan to batten down the hatches over the holidays in isolation. So yesterday served as our extended family holiday. Eight of us went for a walk along the Columbia trails. Afterward, we set a fire in the chiminea and enjoyed a simple outdoor dinner (Jimmy Johns sandwiches) with a few Thanksgiving sides and pumpkin pie.
We had a few beers. First, each sampled a few ounces of a 120 IPA from Dogfish Head. For some weird reason, I moved a bottle to the refrigerator door. During someone’s visit to the downstairs fridge, the 120 bottle seemingly jumped out when the door was opened. This was a heroic attempt to freedom for this plucky little bottle. Sadly, the bottle cap was loosened enough to produce a slow hiss, forcing us to drink this prized beer. We each sampled an ounce or 2 of the 12-ounce bottle. According to the internet, 120 IPA‘s ABV is somewhere between 15 – 20%, both oddly vague and stunningly high. I have always enjoyed this very boozy IPA in very small quantities. It is surprising how fresh the hops taste despite aging this classic beer.
I also offered a surprise beer to the crowd. I slipped a few ounces of Heineken 0 into fresh glasses. No one was fooled, all guessing it was a non-alcohol beer. Once I let them know it was a Heineken 0, one comment summed up the drinking experience perfectly. “The only thing I like about Heineken is the alcohol. So, why would I drink this stuff?”
Beer Reads
For this weekend, I came across a few beer-related items that I thought I’d share with you.
Man of Many, Buffalo Wangz Sour Combines Frank’s Hot Sauce and Beer. The concept is both odd and intriguing. I love the picture of the enormous Shaq eating a tiny chicken wing.
Food and Wine, Waffle House Is Getting an Official Beer—and It Smells Like Bacon. It’s a sad truth, but I’ve never been to a Waffle House. But, now that they have their own beer called…Bacon and Kegs, I might just have to stop by. Plus, this 6.5% red ale supposedly smells like bacon!
The Hill, Brewery launches new Biden beer described as ‘inoffensive and not too bitter’. It’s a kõlsch of course!
Martha Stewart, What are Sour Beers? A surprisingly good writeup of sour beers especially coming from Martha Stewart.
Beer and Brewing, Best in Beer 2020 Readers’ Choice: Your Favorite Beer Styles. Apparently most people have not learned the beauty of a good farmhouse with esters of barnyard and horse blanket. And for pumpkin lovers, this is just sad.
Uncapped, Westin Coast, Hysteria Brewing Co. Thanks to Pierce for passing this along.
And finally, thanks to Mrs. Adventures for passing on this sure-proof COVID-19 test.
US Surgeon General: Loss of taste, smell helps differentiate COVID-19 from flu Home Covid Test
- Open a can of beer and try to smell it.
- If you can smell the beer, drink it to see if you can taste it.
- If you can smell it and taste it, this confirms you don’t have Covid.
Last night I did the test 19 times and all were negative. Tonight, I am going to do the test again, because I woke up with a headache and feeling like I might be coming down with something. I am so worried.
Cheers!
Warren