By now, just about everybody recognizes Zach Galifianakis, or for those less familiar with the comedian turned actor/pop-culture icon - The goofy guy from The Hangover Trilogy... And with the changing of the seasons, I reach to my DVD collection and retrieve "Out Cold," EASILY my favorite movie that he's cast in, as well as a topic for debate as my favorite comedy of All-Time!! In 2011 he also played roles in "Bubble Boy," "Corky Romano," as well as "Heartbreakers," whatever the fuck that is... Aside from being a favorite from the collection, it holds a fair amount of nostalgic value as well, as I enjoyed many joyous nights with old hockey pals watching this movie!!
Along with the changing of seasons, the beers get darker and movies such as "Out Cold" help one get mentally prepared for the cool weather in our future... The opposite being true for y'all Southern Hemispherians(?)... But with the cooler weather approaching, winter activities are also on the horizon as well!! I was lucky enough to have once spent a winter south of Denver, and it was a delight having the Rocky Mountains available to ski and snowboard whenever the snow began!! Granted half the time I went, I was trying to keep up with an Olympic rated skier, which forced me to ski outside of my level to keep up, but my snowboarding skills developed at an accelerated rate because of it... Not without a little collateral damage of course, but no bones were officially declared broken, so all's well that ends well...
Regardless your leisure activity of choice, make sure to enjoy the sunny days no matter whether there's snow on the ground or not!! And if you've never followed the plows in the middle of the night during blizzard conditions through the Rocky Mountains with some of Denver's finest herb and a few good friends, staying up all night to do tree runs in the fresh powder from the evening before; put it on your bucket list... Though I'm not ready to fully embrace winter, enjoying a good brew and a classic flick is an excellent way to kick off the cool days of fall, so pop the top on this excellent beer and enjoy the movie!!
Boulevard Brewing - Grainstorm [Black Rye IPA] (750ml---> Stemless Wine Glass : 7.7% ABV : 65 IBU)
As it flowed from the bottle a nice two inch khaki colored head sat atop a moderately carbonated brew, that was quite hazy but wasn't exactly black, as it had a dark brown tinge to it... The head slowly faded, leaving behind a good amount of lacing as well as a decently sized retentive cap... The aromatics of piney hops and a roasted wheatyness made its' way across my nasal pallet, inviting me to enjoy the first sip... An earthy hop bitterness was the initial taste followed by a a good deal of bready rye notes, whose presence was extremely crispy and bright... Hints of sweet malty caramel were also hidden in there, with the sweetness definitely playing second fiddle in this band, but fittingly so, as any decent band has an appropriate balance of rhythm and lead... The finish on this beer allowed the small amount of hop sweetness to present itself once again, and at an appropriate time also, as it gently lingers amongst the fading of the beers' other flavor components... The mouthfeel of the beer was nice, as it suited the style of the brew, but just as a personal preference, I would have enjoyed it being a few notches fuller, as I feel it would have accentuated each flavor more... The flavors are all nice, but they're somewhat bound by the restrictions of the opposing flavor elements in their subtlety... Basically stating that the other flavors in this brew were often muted by the surprisingly resounding hoppy bitterness... I say surprisingly, as research documents this beer at a fairly moderate 65 IBU's... In a standard IPA, that overwhelming hop bitterness is a welcome element, but I feel that Rye beers lend themselves to other flavors quite nicely... Especially since we've a Black Rye at hand and some more toasty char notes would have been gladly welcomed... It's no "Wookey Jack," but it's a damn good brew, and I would definitely suggest this beer to the masses... Cheers!!
Regardless your leisure activity of choice, make sure to enjoy the sunny days no matter whether there's snow on the ground or not!! And if you've never followed the plows in the middle of the night during blizzard conditions through the Rocky Mountains with some of Denver's finest herb and a few good friends, staying up all night to do tree runs in the fresh powder from the evening before; put it on your bucket list... Though I'm not ready to fully embrace winter, enjoying a good brew and a classic flick is an excellent way to kick off the cool days of fall, so pop the top on this excellent beer and enjoy the movie!!
Boulevard Brewing - Grainstorm [Black Rye IPA] (750ml---> Stemless Wine Glass : 7.7% ABV : 65 IBU)
As it flowed from the bottle a nice two inch khaki colored head sat atop a moderately carbonated brew, that was quite hazy but wasn't exactly black, as it had a dark brown tinge to it... The head slowly faded, leaving behind a good amount of lacing as well as a decently sized retentive cap... The aromatics of piney hops and a roasted wheatyness made its' way across my nasal pallet, inviting me to enjoy the first sip... An earthy hop bitterness was the initial taste followed by a a good deal of bready rye notes, whose presence was extremely crispy and bright... Hints of sweet malty caramel were also hidden in there, with the sweetness definitely playing second fiddle in this band, but fittingly so, as any decent band has an appropriate balance of rhythm and lead... The finish on this beer allowed the small amount of hop sweetness to present itself once again, and at an appropriate time also, as it gently lingers amongst the fading of the beers' other flavor components... The mouthfeel of the beer was nice, as it suited the style of the brew, but just as a personal preference, I would have enjoyed it being a few notches fuller, as I feel it would have accentuated each flavor more... The flavors are all nice, but they're somewhat bound by the restrictions of the opposing flavor elements in their subtlety... Basically stating that the other flavors in this brew were often muted by the surprisingly resounding hoppy bitterness... I say surprisingly, as research documents this beer at a fairly moderate 65 IBU's... In a standard IPA, that overwhelming hop bitterness is a welcome element, but I feel that Rye beers lend themselves to other flavors quite nicely... Especially since we've a Black Rye at hand and some more toasty char notes would have been gladly welcomed... It's no "Wookey Jack," but it's a damn good brew, and I would definitely suggest this beer to the masses... Cheers!!
No comments:
Post a Comment