Nothing Like A Stick To The Nuts On All-Star Weekend

Many moons ago I had my first affair in the craft beer world with Rogue's "Hazelnut Brown Nectar…" I credit that brew alone with being the one that got me interested in the craft beer world and everything that it has to offer… Needless to say, I now have an affinity for nut brown ales, as they are extremely nostalgic to me… So much so, I made sure my first home-brewed beer was a honey-nut brown ale!! I had other experimental trials in my home-brews, but the one I was most excited about was the one I screwed up during the bottling stage… It was supposed to be my "Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Porter," but after reading that I could use maple syrup as my conditioning agent, I chose to take that option over the tried and true priming sugar… It turned out to be a complete failure as my brew was severely under-carbonated and tasted like weird chocolate milk… That was the last time I had thought about peanut butter in a beer… Then I came across "Stick To The Nuts!!"

When my eyes first grazed the bottle, I was immediately drawn to it's graphic due to the hockey influence of their brewery's name - "SlapShot…" As one of my previous articles states, hockey and beer is the perfect marriage!! The graphic has a little peanut hockey player as well, further intriguing me to the quality of its' contents… The only downfall I could find upon my initial inspection of the bottle was it's from Chicago, and not that Chicago is a bad place, but I'd assume the brewery is full of Blackhawks fans… But with this being All-Star weekend, I figured I could put my distaste for the 'Hawks aside and enjoy a hockey influenced brew in the spirit of the best sport in the world!! Also, as much as I'm NOT a 'Hawks fan, I respect the players of the game, and the fact that they have five individuals from their roster in the All-Star competition is no small feat…

So with a small, weird sense of disloyalty, I chose to enjoy this brew as I watched the final day of the All-Star weekend… Hopefully I'll be able to find out what a beer brewed with peanut butter is TRULY supposed to taste like… And for the record, I'm only hoping "Team Toews" wins due to them having Minnesota's Ryan Suter on their roster!!

Deceiving Looks - Master Of Disguise

Stone has always been a brewery that pushes the brewing envelope, especially when it comes to IPA's, as they brew more of that style than any brewery that I'm aware of… They don't discriminate though, as last year they released a pair of smoked porter varietals, and then asked for consumers input as to which one they preferred better… I preferred the vanilla version over the chipotle version, but both were delightful concoctions… I must also give them a nod for encouraging consumer feedback and participation, which is evident in their porter experiment, as well as their recent Xocoveza collaboration with a homebrew competition winner!!

This particular brew caught my eye because I've never even heard of a stout that's not dark in color… It made me think of how Black IPA's were a recent trend, and the back of the beer even mentions how they've been accepted as somewhat normal in the realm of IPA's… I've always had an affinity for the darker styles, so I've wanted to try every Black IPA I could get my hands on… Making me think - If a Blonde Stout is anywhere near as good as most of the Black IPA's I've consumed, it's sure to be a real treat!!

2015 - The Year Of The Squarian

Happy New Year!! Welcome to 2015, "The Year Of The Squarians" as dubbed by The Kid With The Green Backpack - XV… If you're unfamiliar with the work of XV, I suggest getting acquainted with the music of this young Kansas resident via your favorite music source!! With the new year, the common accompaniment are resolutions, typically a few things in each individuals life that they wish to achieve in the coming 52 weeks… Though I rarely wait 'til a certain date to induct change into my life, this year I decided it was time I make a change and I gave myself a resolution - DRINK MORE BEER!! It may seem to be a juvenile resolution, but it's a reasonable one that can be somewhat easily accomplished and is inherently fun!! To clarify, by "more" I'm speaking in terms of variety and style, not an increase in total beer consumed… I rarely consume more than a bomber in a standard session, and hardly ever pick up anything larger than a 4-banger - MAYBE the occasional 6'r making its way into the fridge… Picking up smaller quantities at a more frequent rate will allow me to try more brewer's products more frequently, whilst not overindulging in alcoholic beverages… So to those who've decided this will be the year they have the rock hard body they've always wanted - More power to ya, and I hope to catch ya at the beach!! You bring your six pack, I'll bring mine…