Groucho, JefferyT, and all the other good folks involved with Beer Safari (including yours truly) want to make your holiday season special with this epic little video. We each exchanged beers with another beercast and filmed the resulting opening, drinking and enjoying. Here’s the 34-minute NSFW result:
Prebeer Preamble: We all have at least one thing we’re completely gaga over: Harry Potter, the New England Patriots, or Battlestar Galactica, for example. For some folks there’s a particular beer that makes them go all mushy inside, and today’s show is deidcated to them. I’m joined by two hardcore fans of specific beers, and grill them as to why they like their favorite brews so darn much.
Beer #1: My sister Nancee is a lover of Spaten Optimator, a dopplebock from Germany. She even went so far as to persuade her local supplier to get it on a regular basis in convenient six-packs so she could buy it by the case. How did this particular beer come to reign “supreme” in Nancee’s personal Beerniverse? Tune in and find out!
Interbeer Interlude; Microbrewed “El Bait Shop, Round 2″ Tee Morris, sans compadre Phil Rossi but joined by Paul and Andrew, wades into the second round of brews at Des Moines, Iowa’s own multi-tap Mexican cantina. Who’d a thunk such a cool place would spring up in Des Moines? I mean, it’s Des Moines for chrissakes!
Beer #2: Podcaster, author, musician, and Joe Murphy Memorial Fund CFO Jack Mangan loses his deadpan demeanor when the topic is Hacker-Pschorr Weisse, his personal favorite beer. This hefeweizen (once again, coincidentally, from Germany) makes him all tingly inside. Take a listen and find out what he thinks of my description of this one (hint: “not much”).
Sudsy Song Segment: Too Much Joy “King of Beers” I am personally a huge fan of this now-defunct power-pop band from the 1990’s. This song is pretty much the thing that sealed the deal. Sample lyric: “Gonna feel like hell tomorrow/so I won’t go to sleep tonight/na na na na na na sorrow/everything’s gonna be alright.” I love these guys…
Postbeer Postscript: With all of the gushing on this show, it’s probably no surprise that the scores run on the high side. Am I swept up in beer-love, or do I play party-pooping foil to my zealous co-drinkers? Take a listen and see!
[sarcasm]Ahh…the blissfully smooth-running world of Web 2.0 new media goodness[/sarcasm]. OK, so there’s the proverbial “good news/bad news” situation that seems to be becoming all too common around here. Bad news: Show 41 is rarin’ to go, but parked at the moment in Podango gridlock. As soon as that clears up (and it could be any minute) you’ll be able to enjoy the glory that is me drinking beer with both my sister and Mr. Deadpan himself, Jack Mangan. Good News: Show 42 will (barring techno-glitches) be out hot on 41’s heels, within a week or so, in time for your Holiday drinking pleasure.
For show 42 please acquire:
Santa’s Private Reserve Ale: [alternative: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale]
and
Samichlaus Bier [alternatives: a toughie...technically it's a doppelbock, but at 14 % ABV find the strongest doppelbock you can get!]
Sorry again for the herky-jerky release schedule. Then again, maybe I should relax and have a beer…
Prebeer Preamble: The frozen and ruggedly beautiful country of Norway has given rise to many things: Vikings, Protestants, and lutefisk being but three examples. But did you know the word “ale” descends from the Old Norse word for “fermented grain beverage”? Today the Draco Vista Review Krew (plus Anna from Washington) and I dive into beers produced from one of Norway’s oldest breweries to see how the legacy is holding up.
Beer #1: We start off with the cornerstone of the Ringnes stable, Ringnes Pilenser. As it turns out, the brewery that produced this beer has only recently been acquired by European mega-brew conglomerate Carlsberg (hailing from Denmark). Tune in and listen to what happens when one Scandanavian country takes over another’s “national brewery.” [hint: think "chicken scissors"]
Interbeer Interlude: Heatland Brews. “Goose Island Harvest Ale” Pubcasters Phil and Lingo from the Brit and Yankee once again contribute some enlightening entertainment featuring a beer from the Plains (home to many folks of Scandanavian descent, so it fits the show’s theme!). This time, Chicago’s storied Goose Island Brewey gets the spotlight, with their seasonal Harvest Ale. How does it rate according to the Brit And Yankee? Tune in and find out!
Beers #2 and 3: The Review Krew plus Anna now reach for two other Ringes products, Lysholmer Double Ice and Ringnes SkjÆrsgårds Pils. They pour out suspiciously light and spritzy, and your intrepid drinkers begin to wonder what characteristic, if any, distinguishes them from one another. Is this what they serve in Valhalla!?!
Beer Geek Moment: “Viking Age Ale” Way back in the last millenium, Norwegian folks were enjoying the juice of the barley with some enthusiasm. What they were drinking and how it was made are the subjects of today’s Moment.
Postbeer Postscript: We return with the scores, and with all these reviewers and beers, there are numbers aplenty. We also manage to work in some words, as a genuine Scandanavian Warlord (named Peter) skypes in to set us straght on the pronunciations. Hey, I got “Ringnes” right….
So some of you may be wondering when Show 40 will be heading down the feed. The answer is “soon,” hopefully in the next few days.
So, what’s the deal? Well, I’ve found in the last 1.5 years of doing this that most shows just seem to fall together naturally, and practically write themselves. But every now and then comes an episode that appears doomed to thrash and kick during the creative process, and only reluctantly gets shoved out the door into the podosphere. Circumstances align against it, as if someone doesn’t want the information to come out. Such a show is Show 40.
The good news is, Show 41 is pretty much done (it’s one of those “write themselves” episodes), so there won’t be any significant delay in its arrival.
Thanks to Devona and Mary for this link.
Apparently, after strenuous exercise, a beer is better at replenishing your precious bodily fluids than water. Well, gotta go hit the treadmill….
I said the beers for the last show were tough to find, and several people shamed me for that assertion (who knew Breckenridge’s 471 IPA was on tap in so many places?). Well, this time around, I think it’s safe to say most of you won’t find these beers. Unless you live within driving distance of a fjord, that is.
Try to find, if you can,
Ringnes Pilsener, Lysholmer Double Ice, and Ringnes SkjÆrsgårds Pils [alternatives: really, if you can't find these, just get a nice light "import"--a.k.a "green bottle"--pilsner that you enjoy]
This show caters to those north of the 50th parallel, and those who love them (or were, like me, descended from them), but it’s a lot of fun for everyone else too (promise).
Prebeer Preamble: Apologies for the Lucas-like complexity of the show title, but whenever legendary hophead, author, and internet recanteurEvo Terra joins me for a beer, I dust off the bombast. Any opportunity to revel in the resiny goodness that is hops with another Humulus Lupulus fanboy is an opportunity for excess, as far as I’m concerned. Today Evo and I scale the twin peaks of IBU and ABV, engaging in some good old-fashioned “drinkin’ a coupla beers” conversation along the way.
Beer #1: Evo’s (relatively) recent trip to Vancouver, BC yielded our first beer of the day, Granville Island Whitecaps IPA. Canada isn’t exactly known as a hophead Mecca, but Evo really enjoyed this one from the tap. How does it fare when poured from a bottle?
Interbeer Interlude: Microbrewed. “El Bait Shop.” Straying from his usual East Coast haunts in a never-ending quest for the perfect pub experience, Tee Morris winds up in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa. Flanked by co-drinkers Paul and Andrew, as well as a stray local or two, Tee dives into the Midwest mega-tap experience. What are they drinking and how does it go down? Tune in and find out! (Part 1 of 4)
Beer #2: Evo and I now turn to Breckenridge Brewing’s Small Batch 471 Double IPA. This one is touted as being “double hopped,” and it’s definitely cranked up on the EtOH. But with alcohol comes malt and with malt comes balance. Could it be that “double” just isn’t enough?
Beer Geek Moment: “Hop Horticulture” Ever had the hankerin’ to grow your own hops? Turns out it’s not that tough, especially if you’re into “projects” and have even a faintly green thumb. Take a listen and find out how it’s done!
Postbeer Postscript: We score up these spicy brews and discuss the Theory of Hop Relativity (at least, that’s what I’m calling it now…). Which beer might just have Evo Twittering away? Tune in and find out!
