While I have another couple of gallons of beer bottle conditioning, I decided to branch out a bit and try a Sam Adams pilsner, Noble Pils. Very nice. Hopsy bitterness balanced with a nice, rich maltiness. The flowery aromas aren’t as accessible, since it has such a small head (which disappears quickly, leaving no lacing whatsoever), but it’s still a nice accompaniment to a meal. Very nice stuff, and a reminder of the validity of Ben Franklin’s observation that, “Beer is evidence that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
🙂
It’s one of Sam Adams'[ seasonals, so expect it to disappear from store shelves soon.
I very much dislike beer.
I understand, Mel. I used to think I did too, but then I tasted beer that wasn’t some American beer “manufactured” by pouring water through a horse. *heh* Changed my perspective. I still didn’t become a “beer-a-day” man until I found some real beer that was both good tasting and comported well with my tightwad’s heart. Since then, I’ve learned to make my own and make most of m y potables (including my hard apple cider and other brews) myself for pennies, without sacrificing quality.
I highly recommend the (now rather common” Sam Adams Boston Lager, darned near anything by Sierra Brewing or Boulevard Brewing (both much smaller concerns than Sam Adams). I’m particularly fond of Boulevard Brewing’s Wheat Beer. Also, I collected all the swingtop bottles I use to bottle my own beers by buying Grolsch in the swingtops for less than just buying 16-oz swingtop bottles separatelt, and the Grolsch is a pretty darned good beer.
Also, always check the expiration date. I once got some “skunked” Stella Artois that was past its sell by date simply becaise I hadn’t checked it (and the distributor hadn’t pulled it from the shelves).
BTW, I also make some “Georgy Porgy Beer” modified from a recipe George Washington used to make 200 gallons a month for plantation workers’ consumption. A pretty good beer made from molasses instead of barley malt. I use different hops in small amounts in that beer, because the molasses has such a strong flavor, and a couple of different hops seem to balance that out a bit.
But if all you’ve tasted of beer has been something like a typical Busch product, then know it would’ve been better to just pour it back into the horse it came out of. (Strangely–and very atypically, Coors owns and brews the very good Killians Red beer, supposedly following the recipe from the George Killian Lett family brewery, bought out by Coors. I often drink it when I’m between batches of my own.)