Monday, March 26, 2012

Next Up: Method Man Malt Liquor?

Why not? There is already a Dirty Bastard beer, and now, from Colorado's Twisted Pine, Ghost Face Killah. Twisted Pine seems to have a thing for beers with heat- they are the makers of the Billy's Chiles beer. If that beer wasn't torture enough, they also make Hoppy Boy IPA (zing!) and have raised the Scovilles with Ghost Face Killah, made with six different types of peppers: serrano, anaheim, habanero, jalapeno, fresno, and the ghost pepper, formally known as Bhut Jolokia. Just because this was recently dethroned by the Scorpion pepper as the world's hottest, don't think the ghost pepper is the Bhut of your jokes. You can buy a single 12 oz. bottle of this 5% ABV beer at the Kelly's on Juan Tabo for $3.

Also on the shelves at the Juan Tabo Kelly's is the 2012 version of North Coast's Old Stock Ale. A classic interpretation of an English Old Ale right down to the Fuggles and Maris Otter and other ingredients with weird British names. No Spotted Dick, I'm fairly certain. The ABV varies from year to year, with this year's hitting 11.7%. Last year's was 11.9%. Try the '11 and '12 side by side and see if you can taste the .2% difference If you are a fan of Barleywines, you should try this one out. And like a Barleywine, Old Stock ages very well. Four-packs are available for $13.99, and single bottles are available as well, selling for $3.49 each.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

I'm Not Excited Either...

This past week has been a sloowwww one regarding beer news in Albuquerque, but I feel like I have to write something or else I lose my internet privileges. So here it is, something that I know you've all been waiting for: Kona's Longboard Lager is the latest beer to hit our shelves in canned form, though it probably belonged in cans a long time ago. It's a 4.6% ABV beer that uses Hallertau and Saaz hops, making for a beer that sounds perfect for outdoor activities that don't involve throwing beer bottles.
Less than two months till ABQ Beer Week!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Get Your Irish On

If you promise you won't drop a shot of Jamesons, or Bushmills, or Bailey's into this, I'll tell you about a good local choice for a St. Patrick's Day beer...but who am I kidding? I'll tell you anyway. I don't care what you mix in your beer, as long as it makes you happy. And if anyone tells you that what are doing with your beer is wrong, tell them to suck it- D-Generation X style! You spend your hard-earned money on beer, so enjoy it however makes you happiest. I wouldn't suggest mixing Bailey's and lime juice, however.

Santa Fe has their new Irish Red out just in time for America's favorite holiday that pays tribute to Guinness, (and has the non-Irish company owners laughing all the way to Brazil and back). Why not give some of that aforementioned hard-earned money to an in-state brewery by trying out Santa Fe's Irish Red? At 4.5% ABV, it's a beer that you can drink all day, unless you really do decide to add in the whiskey and whatever else you desire. It's showing up all over town, but I know Jubilation and Kelly's on Wyoming have it for $7.99 a six-pack. And also keeping local, La Cumbre should have their take on the Irish Red on tap in time for that big day.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Good Unibroue Deal

The spelling on the sign in the photo may be wrong, but the price is right. Bird of Paradise liquors on Gibson has a sale on Unibroue's Trois Pistoles: $5.99 per four-pack, down from $10.99. Six bucks is quite the good deal on this 9% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale- along with La Fin Du Monde, I think Trois Pistoles is at the top of this Canadian brewery's lineup.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Il Vicino: Giving Ladies That "Natural, Healthy" Look

If you are a female over the age of 21, I suggest you head over to Il Vicino Canteen today for the debut of Magnum PA, the beer that is strong enough for a man but made for women with mustaches. This single hop Pale Ale (Magnum hops, of course) is described by brewer Brady McKeown as having a "lingering bitterness", much like I did when BJ and the Bear was canceled. And Il Vicino is paying homage to another classic 80's show, Magnum PI, by offering Tom Selleck-like fake mustaches on a first come, first served basis. Nothing's hotter than a girl with a fake mustache, right guys? Yeah, I've never gotten that either. But if you've got one, real or fake, you will get a discounted $3.00 pint of the Magnum PA. And if you come anywhere between 5 and 6, you will get to see Brady showing off his Ferrari that is the same model used on the show!
Actually, it isn't Brady's- Il Vicino signs his checks, remember? PAY that man! He makes great beer!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Malt Madness starts today at Il Vicino as well- for the next month, Monday through Thursday will feature head to head battles between different Il Vicino brewed styles where you pick the winner. Today's matchup is between a Belgian Strong Ale and Belgian Blonde. If the Blonde has a mustache, I'm going with the Strong Ale.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Boo Hoo, New Beer Friday

Gonna be a great weekend! I had just gotten home from a visit to the Kelly Liquors on Wyoming, armed with the new Double Dog 25th anniversary beer from Abita. As you can see, the beer didn't like it when I tried to reach for my keys and jumped to its demise in my driveway. Abita Brewery can survive Hurricane Katrina, and I can't even carry a beer into the damn house. Anyway, for the 25th anniversary, Abita took its popular Turbodog Brown Ale and tweaked the recipe a bit adding vanilla beans in the process and upping the ABV to 7%. I can tell you that the beer smells good, and for $5.99 per 22 oz. is worth a try. Aside from Kelly's, I've seen the beer at Jubilation as well. And also my driveway.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Beer From the Land of the Rising Sun

I have a little brother who is obsessed with Japanese culture. From anime to sushi to used underwear in vending machines (not sure if he is into that, but damn, Japan sure has some weird stuff going on) to him trying to read the Harry Potter books in Japanese, he's a pretty obsessed dude. Too bad he's not old enough to drink yet, or else I'd buy him the three beers from Japan's Yo-Ho Brewing Company that Jubilation is carrying. There is Yona Yona, a 5.5% English Pale Ale, Aooni, a 7.0% American-Style IPA, and Toyko Black, a 5% Porter. I haven't tried any of them....I'm a bit of a xenophobe. I didn't even like Lost in Translation that much. You can try these imports for $3.99 per 12 oz. can.

Monday, March 5, 2012

No(che) Bueno?

It's shaping up to be a pretty slow beer week thus far, so I'm forced to write about a sale on a holiday beer- and not a St. Patrick's Day, or Valentine's Day, or Martin Luther King Day holiday beer. I'm writing about a Christmas beer, and a Mexican one at that. Noche Buena, brought to you by the Mexican brewing giant that produces Tecate, Sol, Dos Equis, Bohemia, and other ballgame/backyard barbecue beers, didn't fly off the shelves like cases of Corona do. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this beer is in the Bock style, much less pleasant with salt and lime and tomato juice and clam juice and whatever other crap people put in their Mexican beer. You can re-live that holiday magic by picking up a case of Noche Buena for $9.99 at Kelly's on Wyoming and putting on your favorite Burl Ives record.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Well Whaddya Know...


Fresh off speculating about canned beers, I just learned that Marble Brewery has purchased a canning line. They may need that extra production capacity now that they are expanding their distribution into Colorado. It will be interesting to see how they compete in such a competitive beer state. It will also be interesting to see which styles they plan on putting out in cans. Maybe that Pilsner will finally be available in stores.

Spin the Bottle or Kick the Can?

Sierra Nevada must have seen the success Santa Fe Brewing has had with its Happy Camper IPA and seasonal releases in cans and went out and got themselves a canning line. Perhaps Santa Fe had nothing at all to do with it, but I have to give them credit for being the first NM craft brewery to can their beers.
You can now get the classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in canned form- and if a brewing pioneer like Sierra is doing it, does that mean cans are the future for all breweries? We've seen Fat Tire in cans; Oskar Blues has exclusively canned their beers for years, and La Cumbre will soon be canning their GABF Gold medal winning Elevated IPA. Sierra will soon be releasing Torpedo IPA in cans as well, leading me to wonder: how cost effective is it to have both a bottling and canning line? Will the canning line eventually win out, and all Sierra beers end up in cans? Will our other local production breweries explore the benefits of a canning line? Keep your Earthlink or Prodigy subscription current for answers to these and other beer questions. You should see the Sierra cans popping up everywhere, but I first saw the 12-packs at Kelly's on Wyoming for $13.99.