Organic Beer?!

I was at work on my lunch break surfing the net for random news stories, when I ran upon a story about organic beer. The first thing I thought was "wow what have these hippies done to beer, but apparently I'm wrong. I have yet to try one, but I will let you all know asap how it goes.

Now I'll try every beer at least once, but organic beer?! I have never heard of such a thing. Apparently from the reviews I had read, its actually pretty good. I have always said "a beer a day keeps the doctor away" but this takes that saying to a whole new level.

This organic beer is produced in small batches from only organically grown barley, malt, wheat, hops, yeast and spring water. It has to meet the guidelines of the National Organic Program administered by the US department of agriculture. The beer meets these guidelines wayyyy before it is even brewed. It has to do with how the soil is tended and the absence of manufactured chemicals. These brewers must search for ingredients that are produced with the help of composts and inter cropping systems.

I don't know a whole lot about the taste of these beers, but one of the most popular brewers is Peak Organic Brewing Company. I'm going to try and order some of this or find it somewhere. I am hopefully going to prove that this is not some silly hippy fad and that it is classy, tasteful and good for your health.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

Everyday is a lovely day for a Guinness

“I can’t have a Guinness because I am on a diet.” “How can you drink that? It’s so filling!” “I just ate, there is no way I can drink one of those right now.” Have you ever heard anyone say such blasphemy? Perhaps you have even said it yourself. Well, let me shed some of knowledge upon you.

To begin, I absolutely love Guinness. Let’s put it this way, I would bathe in it if I had the choice. It has everything you are looking for in a dark stout. It has a creamy roasted taste, a deep blended scent similar to rich mahogany and an aura of a Greek God. I like Guinness from the tap, bottle, can or even in cooked in my food.

Now that I have shared my obsession with Guinness, let’s look at some reasons why Guinness is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. It has been proven that 1-3 beers per day is good for your mind, body and heart. I’m not going to get into the specifics of this, but if you would like to see it then check out this site

Guinness draught has 125 calories and around 10 grams of carbs. This is actually fairly competitive health wise as bud light. Bud light has around 100 calories and a little over 6.5 carbs. So doing the math leaves us with Guinness adding on 25 more calories and an extra 3.5 carbs. You can burn that off by walking to the bathroom and taking a leak. Rather than drinking a watered down “light” beer, PLEASE do yourself a favor and pound a Guinness.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

Christmas Farm Ale

Christmas is a great time for seasonal brews. My favorite domestic is Sam Adams Winter Ale, but the best Christmas seasonals can be found at microbreweries. I found another great beer at Dunedin brewery called Christmas Farm Ale. I know I talk about Dunedin brewery a lot, but hey that place is just straight up class all the way. class class class.

Dunedin brewery defines this beer as "A special Holiday ale brewed in the country farm spirit of times past. This winter warmer has a complex, spicy taste and aroma that will delight your senses and warm your soul." They are completely right. It starts out with a crisp taste and ends with a warming sensation throughout your body. That could also be the high alcohol % in it, but I'll take that. You can taste the cinnamon, ginger and all the other Christmas flavors you require in a winter seasonal beer. Go out and try it.

Peace out and Stay Classy

Oldmar Tap House Reviewed

You have to go to Oldsmar Tap House. If you enjoy great imported beer, unbelievable service and a chance at free beer then this place is for you. The pints are around $5, but they'll let you try whatever you want before you order a pint. Most of their beers are 6-10% abv so you don't need many pints to catch a buzz. They also have 35 beers on tap and 75 bottled from all over the world.

The atmosphere is completely laid back. It's a great place for conversation and relaxing. They even have board games to play if you want. I wouldn't do that, but it seemed like a sweet idea.

When I went there I had no idea what to get. I know I wanted a dark stout, but they had around 10 of those. I was still a bit hungover from my night before so I didn't want a 10% abv beer. So I just put my trust into the bartender (who knew a lot about beer) and she poured me a beer I've never heard of. Beamish Irish Stout.

Great stout beer. Rivals the nitro stout at Dunedin brewery and Guinness. Jet black color with a thick, creamy/soapy, two finger head. It smelled of chocolate and caramel. It tasted of sweet caramel, roasted malt, molasses, and rich dark chocolate. Basically all that is man is put into this beer. I had two of these and left because they close at 11 on weekdays. I am definitely going back again because they have a huge selection and they change beers frequently.

This place is a serious untapped resource in the Tampa Bay area, so make sure you hit it up.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

Golfing and Beer

One of my favorite things to do golf. Am I that good? no. But it is one of the classiest things you can do on a weekend. Pick out a decent golf course, buy some beer and cigars and go be manly.

Now there are a lot of different types of beer that you can drink when you golf that are acceptable. Pretty much anything that isn't gay or cheap. Don't go buy natural light to go golfing...come on you're better than that. Natural light is for when your 19 in college and you don't know any better.

Take my advice and go buy Budweiser...in a can. Yes, it must be a can. Why you might ask? well here are a few reasons.

1. The cans fit easier into your cooler with ice and easier to disguise you're bringing beer on the course.

2. It conveniently fits into the coasters in the golf cart.

3. It's what your dad drank and your dad's dad drank on the golf course so you should too.

Also, I've noticed that my golf game becomes much better as I drink more Budweiser. Try it out and see if it works for you.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

MGD 64

Ever tried a beer knowing that its probably shitty, but you still had to try it anyway? I know I have and that beer was MGD 64. I don't even know how you can call its a beer with 64 calories and 2.4 carbs. Anyway so I pick it up and I walk to the counter and I get this look from another dude in line and he gives me the "wow really MGD 64 dude...come on." I can't blame the guy, I'm sure I would have done the same thing. Or a guy that buys Smirnoff and swears its for his girlfriend...yeah right its either for you or for your homo ass underage roommate.

So back to the beer. If you have ever had Michelob ultra (an alright beer by the way), Picture that but a more watered down taste. I swear I was drinking carbonated water with a mild amount of hops and no flavor. Was it terrible? no. Was it good? no. Would I recommend it? only if you're on a diet and you have to have beer I guess. Personally, I'm more of a Bud guy when it comes to domestic beers. But, I guess if you want a lighter beer than bud light then have at it chief.

This beer is gonna go bad in my fridge so if anybody else wants to try it, come over to my house and you can have it. I'll just drink water or Guinness instead.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

I'm back and still loving dunedin brewery

Over the past several weeks I've been hearing more and more people asking me what happened to my beer reviews. I stopped for a number of reasons.

1. Pure Laziness : Literally I just got lazy... no excuse, I'm just lazy

2. Lack of reader interest : I thought that nobody read my blogs except my closest of friends.

But, here I am writing again and its been about 4 months since my last post. Why do you ask? Because I realized there is a reader interest and I also have a lot of time on my hands. Taking two classes, waking up at noon and graduating really don't take up a whole lot of time. So I'm going to tell you about my latest trip to the great Dunedin Brewery.

My bro and I are driving to Dunedin Brewery and I'm telling him he needs to get the Nitro Stout, Its better than Guinness. Basically, picture a milkshake and add some hops to it and you basically have Nitro Stout. I personally think it's a glorified version of Guiness, which pretty much makes it the classiest dark beer sold in the Bay Area. I had four of those and their patented Nitro Stout and I was extremely satisfied, but my pocket was kinda empty (which brings me to my main topic).

I'm sitting here enjoying my pint of beer for 4.50 and I look over and this dude and his ugly girlfriend have these massive jugs of beer. Some other dude in the corner asks him where he got that and apparently you can buy them every friday in October for $30 and you get a refill for $6 every time you come in with that jug.

So, I'm pissed off because the jug is a liter of beer. Lets do some math. A pint is 16 oz. A liter is a little over 32 oz, which is over two pints. I'm paying $9 for two pints and this douche is getting more than twice the quality beer than me for $6!? Granted he bought the thing for $30, but big deal! like I won't drink enough to cover that! I should have created a distraction and debo'd the damn thing, but theres always a next time.

I'm also very impressed at the new renevations at Dunedin Brewery. I've always avoided going there to watch any game because...well they didn't have any TV's. They now have a back room with tables, darts and HD TV's. I don't think anybody knows about it because the place was pretty packed and there was nobody back there (and it was saturday college football).

So go to Dunedin Brewery, I promise you'll love it. Just don't go on a tuesday, unless you're a hippy...you'll figure it out if you go.

Peace out and Stay Classy

Liquid Cigar Beer

Yuengling Lager is probably my favorite beer. It has a great taste, light and doesn't give up any flavor. On the other hand, Yuengling Black and Tan tastes like garbage. I would equate it to a liquefied old cigar. It tries to have a deep flavor like Guinness, but sucks more than a fat kid playing soccer.

Yuengling quotes from their website, "Black & Tan combines our popular Dark Brewed Porter and Premium Beer to create a brew that is rich and dark in color, with a well balanced flavor that finishes smooth and satisfying. It has a faint sweetness with hints of caramel and coffee from the dark roasted malts." If you check back to my blog about Guinness you'll find that they also claim the same rich dark caramel smooth taste. Well they are lying. I had this beer on the 4th of July at the two different points of conscience (sober and hammered), and both times were atrocious.

If you like bitter tasting dark beer, then by all means try Yuengling Black and Tan. But, if you are classy stick to Yuengling.

One more thing before I sign off. If you did not drink Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Select, Bud Ice, Bud Dry, or Bud Ice Light on July 4th then you committed treason. Yes, that’s all the products Anheuser Busch has that start with the word bud or Budweiser. I don't count bud light lime because I'm not gay.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

The best Guinness Draught served in Florida.

Before I start this story, let me just tell you Flanagan’s Irish Pub in downtown Dunedin, FL is the best Guinness served in Florida...maybe even the US.

I'm driving back from my boating class and my Dad asks me if I want to stop and get a beer. He then asks me if I wanted to taste the best Guinness in Florida. Now, I knew this had to be a great Guinness because my dad doesn't drink any beer but Guinness (I know...Manliness just happens to run in the family). So I figured since he's lived here for over 30 years and played in blues bands in just about every bar in 100 miles of Clearwater that he would know a the best place to get Guinness.

If you don't know how to tell a good Guinness draught, then you need to know the secret. The secret is to make a smiley face on the top of the beer (the head) with your finger. If you finish your Guinness and you can still see the smiley face at the bottom of the Guinness, then you bought a great Guinness and got a great pour. Make sure you tip your bartender. The Guinness at Flanagan’s Irish Pub shows you the true beauty of Guinness.

I'm waiting for my beer and its taking longer than normal. I begin to wonder what the problem is and I see the bartender keeps re-pouring my beer over and over. He’s doing this so that my beer gets the perfect amount of head. Then at the very at the end of the pour they draw any shape you want to be embossed on the head of your beer by using the last drips of sweet Guinness as a paintbrush. They embossed image of an Irish 4 leaf clover on mine and on my dad's beer they put an embossed image of a sun. I sat there stunned in awe of this bartender’s performance. He was proud of his pour and actually cared if he did a good job. Normally you get some bartender who doesn't give a damn and pours your beer in 5 seconds. What was even more impressive was that it was a pint of hand crafted Guinness and it cost $3.00. You can't find bad Guinness draught at like Applebee’s or some hole in the ground for $3.00!

The Guinness I got was perfectly thick. It is so thick that you can't see anything but the black body of the beer and the milk shake like head at the top. It literally is the milkshake of beers. There is a malt and caramel taste in the beginning and finishes with a deep roasted taste that begs you're taste buds for more. Please go do your body and pockets a favor and go get a Guinness at Flanagan’s Irish Pub.

Peace Out and Stay Classy

Outback Takes the W!

We realized that Wingzone didn't have beer, so we had to find another restaurant to go to and fast! In a daring attempt to find a last minute restaurant, Dan fell upon the best wings in Tampa Bay. The glorious name of this restaurant is outback steakhouse. I personally haven't been to outback in probably 3 years, so I was excited in trying their wings. We ended up getting the best combo on the first try and there was no need to try other combinations. This amazing combination was Tassie's Buffalo Strips and Beach Bum Blonde Ale.

I'm not going to really cover the wings because Dan does an amazing job at greeneggsmarketing in describing the beauty of these bad boys. They have the perfect tang and spice that you want in a wing.

The Beach Bum Blonde Ale has been one of my favorite seasonal beers this summer. I first tried it last summer while I was on the beach, and from then on whenever it was available it was my beer of choice. It is great pale ale, but not as bitter as other Belgian ales or rolling rock (for domestic reference). The aftertaste is refreshing and carbonated, which is the perfect combination for wings and beer.

I thought in the beginning that Buffalo Wild Wings or Winghouse was going to take the W for the Wings and Beer war, but the Cinderella story prevailed. I am calling Outback the Cinderella story because they are not known for their wings, but for great family and friend dining. Although this is true, they also sport an amazing wings and beer combo. Now, I have an idea for outback. Why not, just for one day a week, they bring in Winghouse girls to serve their wings and beer. Just a thought...

Outback Wins!

Peace Out and Stay Classy