Speaking of Beer

And so we come to the end…

After two big and strong (if not universally loved) brews, why not change it up? Because big and strong is what’s called for this time of year, so bring on some more! Foregoing the Belgian theme, round three of this post-Thanksgiving evening show turns to a different Holiday thread: the gift. We cap things off with Founder’s Breakfast Stout, a generous present from The Beer Report that was part of the annual Beer Safari Beer Exchange. Of the guests (and once again that’s my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan) who’ve been struggling with the Belgian beers, will this big stout from the Midwest be a welcome thing? Tune in and find out!

Picture by Groucho from The Beer Report

 

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And the evening wore on, and our revelers continued in their revelry…

Beer #2 for the evening is Delirium Noël, the holiday entry from the storied brewers at Belgium’s Huyghe Brewery, who’ve brought us many other fine beers with “Delerium” in their names. Amongst the post-Thanksgiving crowd (to review, that’s my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan) the gloves come off, as the relative merits of beer #1 vs. beer #2, or Belgian beer vs. non-Belgian beer in general, get a surprisingly heated going-over. There’s even a couple of cheap shots hurled around the table, but then, this is the Holidays. Who’s dissing whom while getting more and more jolly? Tune in and find out!

 

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OK, so it’s been a strange month. An episode turned into a trilogy? Slurping on video? Three shows in less than 30 days? Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on either, but what the hell. Isn’t that what this new media’s for anyway? And in that spirit, if you’d like to drink along with the last segment of Show 56: Liquid Christmas 2008–Vrolijk Kerstfeest!, you’ll want to scare up some Founder’s Breakfast Stout. Alternatively, Old Viscosity or Victory’s Storm King might get you in the same general ballpark.

The Holidays are once again bearing down on us with their relentless festiveness, and there’s no better time to explore the world of beer. Like Oscar-baiting movie studios, breweries the world over save their best, most interesting, and most profound brews for the year-end season. To celebrate this bounty, Speaking of Beer turns this year to Belgium, the land of diverse, sublime, and often butt-kicking brews. Once again I invite my Thanksgiving dinner guests to drink with me as the turkey is still settling in our tummies, and this year I’m honored to be joined by my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan. So much fun was had that I’ve decided to split this up into three installments, the first of which features Gouden Carolus Noel. I was a big fan of their Grand Cru, but how does their Christmas brew go down with a slap-happy group of all-over-the-map outspoken party-goers? Tune in and find out!

 

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So you know that certain someone who loves their beer and appreciates unique clothing, crockery, or various other sundries, but are stumped about what to give them this Holiday Season. Well, might I suggest something from the Speaking of Beer Store? There’s no better way to show support for quality brew and new media in one fell swoop, and the the proceeds all go to that great big smile on the face of the lucky recipient. Come on, you know you want an SoB thong for that certain special someone…don’t you…?

You’ve been marking your calendars and waiting with baited breath, but the wait is over: Another dose of beercasters running amok is now available! The third annual Beer Safari Christmas Beer Exchange Video Special (that’s what I’m calling it anyway) is here to crank up your festive cheer. Here’s how it works: folks from nine beer podcasts randomly draw names and send a beer to the drawn show. The receiving show opens it and drinks it, while filming the result. It’s all then spliced together and hilarity ensues. What you get is a great selection of diverse interpretations of the idea, and lots and lots of really good beer being consumed.

Thanks to The Beer Report, Should I Drink That?, My Life as a Foodie, Davis on Draft, The Good Beer Show, Big Foamy Head, Brain Gravy, and Craft Beer Radio (collecively known as the good folks at Beer Safari) for once again inviting me into the fun. Enjoy!

Today’s show is another Beer As Folk interview, this time with Mike Mellow (yes, that is his real name) from Ballast Point Brewing Company in cerves-o-centric San Deigo. Mike was in town recently (unfortuantely, technical problems intervened to make it longer ago than I would like) to host a beer event at a local Whole Foods Market, and I managed to squeeze in a few minutes to talk about Ballast Point, and what it offers in a market already crowded by such crowd-pleasers as AleSmith and Stone. Hint: everybody wins, especially the beer lovers.

 

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Hey there you two faithful site-checkers, how’s it going? Isn’t life just simply…odd sometimes? Case in point: this podcast. Bad news: there’s been a drought of any activity around here for the last two months or so. Good news: the techno-finger’s been pulled from the dike, and a near diharretic torrent of content is heading your way. Buckle up and mark your calendars for the following bits of beery fun:

Hot on the heels of Show 54: International Hop Overthrow will come Show 55: SoB Gets the (Ballast) Point. To prep for that one, scare up something from the Ballast Point Brewing Company, perhaps their Big Eye IPA, or (considering the time of year), their Black Marlin Porter.

Next is Show 56: Liquid Christmas 2008: Vrolijk Kerstfeest!, in which we enjoy a little Dilerium Noel, as well as some Gouden Carolus Noel, two top-shelf Belgian holiday beers.

And somewhere in there will be the Beer Safari Holiday Beer Exchange Video Special (or whatever it’s called) to which I’ve contributed a short and theoretically humorous segment like I did last year.

And by a strange confluence of unrelated events, much of the above content features significant contributions by Friend of SoB Evo Terra. No, he’s not taking over the show, that’s just how the hop-smeared chips fell. I mean, the bastard’s got his own damn podcast, he doesn’t need mine. Anyway, strap in and enjoy my gift to y’all: actual honest-to-Ninkasi content! w00t!

Our favorite libation has been evolving for thousands of years, and part of the fun of riding along with the current craft brew revolution is watching that evolution unfold before your eyes. America’s west coast turns out to be a pretty good place to grow hops, so the brews that emanate from there carry that wonderfully distinctive hop signature. This has captured the attention of the Beerniverse, and brewers the world over are now taking inspiration from the luscious herbal “American” hoppy goodness. Today I’m joined by lupulo-centric Friend of SoB Evo Terra as we tackle two “American” beers brewed far, far from American soil.

First Up: Nøgne Ø India Pale Ale. Neither Evo nor I can pronounce the name, but it’s story is a great one. Imagine West Coast American attitude filtered through the people who brought you lutefisk…Isn’t that an oxymoron of some sort? We’ll see what happens when American attiude meets Viking vigor.

Sudsy Song Segment: For a little pop with our hops, here’s a ditty from one of my personal favorite bands (shared in common with my pals at The Beer Report), Too Much Joy. It’s their song King of Beers, which has already been played on this podcast, but this time it’s the “rare accoustic version.” Oooooh…

Last Up: The beer journey now takes a turn, as Evo and I leave the style of IPA altogether and dive into Schneider and Son’s Hopfen Weisse. A collaboration between brewers on separate continents, this amped-up, hopped-up hefe could easily sail off the proverbial rails. So..does it? Tune in and find out!

 

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