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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Yagar Dark - Cerveza Austral

Just when I thought that we had received gold from Rich and Carol Kitchens (I am considering making them our traveling reporters), I received another missive from the pair coming from the Chilean side of Patagonia.

This one concerned Yagan Dark (https://www.cervezaaustral.cl/producto/#yagan-dark) by Cerveza Austral (www.cervezaaustral.cl) which has a “with very subtle hints of chocolate, eminently drinkable, with the vicious weather of Chilean Patagonia bristling in the chilly background.” With an ABV of 6.1% and a serving temperature of about 44 degrees (approximate), this is a beer has you chortling at the rough weather in Patagonia.

So, we will be kept abreast of the Kitchens travel plans by the next beer they send back for us to take a gander at and marvel.

Skal!

What's on Tap?

What's on Tap? Well here is the list at Whole Foods - Fairfax

Monday, January 23, 2017

World Wide Stout - Dogfish Head Brewing

Nothing says winter like a nice warm stout. The basic stout is a great remedy to everything that is wrong with winter. The blistering cold, wind whipping, storm intensity...you have the idea.

Stouts have a way of saving the day on so many occasions, and a really good stout is always a fine treat. So, when I walked into the Dogfish Head Brewing Company to face the mob and decided to check out their World Wide Stout, I thought I would have a nice warm brew on a chilly night. Wrong.
But not for the reasons you think.

World Wide Stout by Dogfish Head Brewing Company (www.dogfish.com/front) seeks to become the firm's numero uno stout. Though the keep it refrigerated, you hardly notice the cold when you pick it up. When I looked to find its ABV, it listed it as between 15-20%. That's right, even they don't know what it is supposed to be - they have a range! It has to be one of the only profession brews to do that!

Its aroma is of a really strong stout, but it has alcohol bubbling up through the center of it.  Make no bones about it, it is alcohol friendly. This beer is close to sizzling. In terms of taste, it is really simple - alcohol with strong stout - in that order. The alcohol is only for the first few minutes. As you get to drinking it, it simmers down and you can taste a bit of the stout, tempered by some of the additional flavors. A tempest of dark fruit comes to mind.
A wickedly wild stout that reaches for the stars - and matches a few of them!
So, when the weather turns cold and its getting bitter, turn to World Wide Stout. It could be the last thing you will do, but it will be memorable.

Skal!

Four Corners - Easter Island

OK, I come from the Left Coast. Specifically, Piedmont, CA, which you won't find on anything but a detailed map of the San Francisco Bay Area. We like our anonymity because it is a small town and we like to keep it that way.

But people in Piedmont like to travel. If there is a corner of the world, someone from Piedmont or associated with Piedmont has been there.

So, in the midst of my beer blogging, I get a message from Mr. Rich Kitchen. Mr. Kitchens served as one of the gatekeepers coming out of Piedmont High School. For a lot of us, if you didn't pass Kitchens class, you weren't going to be leaving Piedmont.

Mr. Kitchens, and his beautiful wife Carol, who also taught for a while at Piedmont (still trying to figure that one out - nice going Mr. K!) send a note from Easter Island in the South Pacific that they are visiting. And then a second note with a picture of a beer from Easter Island! Yeah, Easter Island, addressed to me and for incorporation into the blog.

Mahina Pale Ale is bottled at Cerveceria Rapa Nui at Hanga Roa which is on Easter Island and it under the administration of Republic of Chile. It has a rich peach and apple taste taste combined hop flavor.

So, here is the beer shot:
A little Mahina Beer from Easter Island.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Kitchens!