Joshua Eli Berezin: February 2008 Archives

Note: This special edition of 1000 Beers was conducted via instant messaging technology. Both drinkers acquired the same pair of beers at their local Plaid Pantry convenience store, drinking and discussing the beers from their respective homes.

Josh Berezin: I'm going to go get beer and a glass. Well, a glass for each beer. The way we are supposed to.
Mike Merrill: I'm drinking out of the bottle! We've never done that!
Josh Berezin: This ain't an out-of-the-bottle type of gig.

48/1000: Tiger Lager, from Singapore

Josh Berezin: First of all, you have got to appreciate the packaging on Tiger. Cool logo. Foil around the top. Nice logo cap.
Mike Merrill: Oh yeah, you know I like the packaging! It's got medals on it, foil, a great logo, and even has a touch of class
Josh Berezin: Pale. Bubbly. I do not expect much from this beer. Despite its claims of being a "World Acclaimed" beer.
Mike Merrill: No, I expect it to be like Tsing Tao.
Josh Berezin: (tasting)
Mike Merrill: Yep... it tastes just like those beers you get at Thai restaurants.
Josh Berezin: I honestly can't complain. It's a little bit fruity.
Mike Merrill: Yeah, I like that beer.
Josh Berezin: It's good while you're drinking it. The aftertaste, well...
Mike Merrill: But in the context of a tasting, it's hard because there is less taste.
Josh Berezin: At least it's not strong.
Mike Merrill: I can pound this. A good beer when you are thirsty.
Josh Berezin: Isn't this sort of a fancy semi-expensive beer, though?
Mike Merrill: Like after playing softball
Josh Berezin: Busting out some Tigers after softball would be pretty badass, but honestly, you may as well pound PBRs.
Mike Merrill: Winners get Tigers, losers get Pabst.
Josh Berezin: Yes!
Mike Merrill: Cause of the foil and the medals on it.

49/1000: Inversion IPA by Deschutes Brewing of Bend, Oregon

Mike Merrill: Well, let's move on before this IPA gets warm... You know, I have this initial dread about IPAs... I know that is dumb.
Josh Berezin: It's okay, this one "defies the ordinary."
Mike Merrill: But I fear I won't like it.
Josh Berezin: "Like its name suggests." Invert your thinking, Mike.
Mike Merrill: Well... That certainly has more flavor!
Josh Berezin: You're really killing us, here, Mike, being a beer drinker/reviewer who doesn't like IPAs.
Mike Merrill: Any beer is going to be awesome after Tiger, but I like this!
Josh Berezin: Oh, that has tons of flavor! Mine's a little warm, because I don't think Plaid Pantry keeps their refrigerators on a very high setting. And that is working out great for me. We keep drinking beers too cold, we gotta stop that.
Mike Merrill: I really like the "finish" on this beer. CRISP!
Josh Berezin: I find this beer chewy the way a darker beer often is. But it's a far brighter flavor. It's clear and present.
Mike Merrill: I feel like the taste when it's in my mouth is a lot heavier than the after taste. Like a stout or something else heavy leave you all sticky
Josh Berezin: I don't mean to imply that it tastes medicinal, because it doesn't, but I could see prescribing this beer for a sick person. It seems like it would clear you out.
Mike Merrill: Is this a seasonal? Or can you get this all the time?
Josh Berezin: I think they always have this.
Mike Merrill: Cause next time i get sick, I'm going to try drinking this.
Josh Berezin: Give it a shot, let me know how it goes. In fact, I think I might be catching what Jessica's got, so maybe I should knock back a couple more of these. Confirmed: It's year-round.
Mike Merrill: Nice. I might have a favorite IPA.
Josh Berezin: Wow! But I can't help but think it will be knocked off that spot somewhere in the 950+ beers we have remaining in our quest.

Just 951 to go!

36/1000: CPB IPA

J: What is CPB?
M: I asked: Captured by Porches.
J: Oh! The small-time guy we talked about another time.
M: We haven't had this one before, have we?
J: I better check. [He checks.] We had their Amber.
M: Did we like it?
J: I better check. We found it sort of unremarkable but it might be due to the place in the flight, basically. So let's drink.
M: That tastes good just because I've been wanting to drink beer for a long time.
J: This seems like a Mikey kind of IPA.
M: I'm liking it.
J: Does it do that thing in your cheeks?
M: No. A little bit, as a deep aftertaste.
J: I just asked to make fun of you.
M: I know. But people like Nicole find that information useful. I also think it's sort of unremarkable.
J: But for you...
M: For me, in an IPA, that's a good thing. Captured by Porches is becoming a safe choice. I could order anything and expect a drinkable beer.
J: Well, that's a significant achievement. A lot of breweries have some shitty beers.

37/1000: Bison IPA

M: We did a Bison before, too, didn't we?
J: I'm not sure what to say about this.
M: It's different. It has a flavor.
J: Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out.
M: But I don't know that I like it.
J: Well, I like it. I don't know if I like that particular flavor, but I like the beer. It takes a lot for me to not like a beer.
M: It tastes sort of dirty. I do find the beer entirely drinkable.
J: I expect to be a repeat customer of this.
M: You like the Bison more than the CPB?
J: Yeah.

[Mike brings more beers.]

J: Dark and light join forces!

38/1000: Fearless Cream Ale

M: And the other is the...

39/1000: Fort George Nut Red Ale

J: What is Nut Red?
M: I don't know.
J: "Nut red."
M: We should start with the cream.
J: [tastes] Not what I expected from a cream.
M: Why do I think of popcorn?
J: It's got the tiniest bit of that Belgian vibe. It's far more bitter than what I think of as a cream ale. Not that that makes it bitter.
M: I always think cream ale is going to be heavy.
J: I always think it's going to be smooth.
M: Are you ever afraid of them?
J: No... what does that mean?
M: Cause this one's fearless.
M: Would you get a keg of this cream ale? I only ask because it's the only keg of cream ale you might get a keg of.
J: I think I would. I'd need to have Jessica taste it, too.
M: So that's kind of exciting, for a cream ale.

J: Let's drink some nut red. I can't see you through it. Whoa, big flavor. Barleywine vibe.
M: It smells nutty, but I don't get a taste of that.
J: It's not required to taste nutty, or red, for that matter.
M: But I was surprised that it tasted nutty.
J: I think of a red ale as being...
M: Brighter?
J: Brighter and weaker. It's a chewy one.
M: I'm not that into it. I'm trying to figure out why.
J: I don't like the taste it leaves in my mouth. It's sticking to the roof. It makes my spit taste bad.
M: Where's Fort George? Washington
J: In the land of the Red Nuts.
M: Red skins, maybe? That's a Washington thing.

M: Get it, like "Girl Scout?"
J: I never would have gotten that. [drinks] Whoo! That is a party in my mouth.
M: We should call Willow ... This one's "chocolatey."
J: Yeah, it is. Smokiness. It's got something in common with smoked salmon. Are you getting that?
M: Kind of, off the smell.
J: It's also from the acidity.
M: It sort of tastes like the beer version of hot chocolate.
J: I'm going to have some hot chocolate when I get home. We have that illegal raw milk. Good for chocolate.
M: You should bring that into a cool coffee shop and have them steam it.
J: It would contaminate everything.
M: That's cool. Just burped that beer. It was not a beer burp. This does not really taste that much like beer.
J: You lost me there.
M: It tastes like it's made from a syrup.
J: The stickiness gets to you? I don't think it's as sweet as you're making it out to be.
M: Well, I find it a little off-putting.
J: Well, that's out of the way. I still say I liked it.

41/1000: Klamath Falls Imperial Cabin Fever Stout

J: Ooh, that's smooth and a bit citrusy. This is easy drinkin'.
M: Much easier than the Fort George. I like that citrusy bit.
J: Big winner, this beer.
M: I thought I would like something called a coffee stout more than something about cabin fever. But don't judge a beer by its clever name. People should get this beer. If they want a dark beer, or a stout, they should get this one.
J: It seems like a great place to start, at least.
M: This is certainly better than Guinness.
J: And it's not way more challenging than Guinness.
M: There's more flavor, but that's not saying much. It's funny -- Guinness is only exotic in the context of shitty American beers.
J: Yeah, but I have the feeling that Klamath Falls Imperial Cabin Fever Stout is not going to overtake Guinness any time soon.
M: That's probably true.

Just 959 to go!

JB: Today we have the two hottest beers in the world right now. We have several bottles of the prized Full Sail Top Sail and the Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss.
JR: The Full Sail has a lot of gold on the label, which I like very much. The wax on The Abyss is making it really hard to get our beer! Is that part of the strategy?
JB: I'm just excited that we have these, and some other people don't. And they'll never be able to get them.
JR: That feeling is why you paid ten dollars a bottle!
MM, struggling to open The Abyss: There's another layer of wax under the first layer!

30/1000: Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss, of Bend, Oregon

MM, pouring: It's thick, like blood.
WM: Chocolaty.
JR: It's so intense, I wouldn't want to drink a normal amount of this beer.
MM: "It's dark, it's deep, it's mysterious. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey."
WM: I like the taste of it, but I'm afraid it would give me a stomachache.
JB: I hope you all like it, because I bought several bottles. I think I'll age them.
MM: Do you think they'll age well?
JB: I have no idea. Can you do that?
JR: I'm going to let mine come up to temperature, I think it's too cold.

31/1000: Full Sail Top Sail, of Hood River, Oregon

MM: It's weird that these both came out at the same time.
JR: I don't think one or the other stole the idea, but both picked up on the same trend.
JR: Oh this tastes very different. Almost fruity.
WM: Chocolaty.
JR: It's a lot less bitter. Intense and filling. They both are.
MM: I like this one a lot better. Like coconut.
JB: The fact that the Top Sail is not as cold is making a big different. The The Abyss has more flavor than we're getting from it.
JB: These are definitely both winners. Compared to the ones in the porter tasting we just did, these are both so clearly good.
JR: Okay, so these are excellent and crazy beers.
JB: I don't think they're that crazy.
JR: I'm having trouble drinking all that I have. Josh, you're just going to down it?
JB: Yeah!

Just 969 to go!