Viking and Einstök

Posted on June 13, 2017 by melsmosaic

Moving across the country in Iceland meant new hotel, new happy hour. Wow, this hotel in Vik actually had a 3-hour Happy Hour – 4pm-7pm. We could stay out late doing tourist stuff!

The two brews on tap we sampled in Vik were Viking Lager and Einstök Pale Ale.

Viking Lager, per the site: The most popular draught beer in Iceland for some years, it is pleasantly mild with a slightly sweet flavour. Less filling and more refreshing than many other beers, it’s ideal for those who prefer a medium-strength beer with less bitterness. Tasting notes: Light golden, little sweetness, light, limited bitterness, corn, beans. ABV 4.5%.

My notes: A bit on the light side, nonetheless good. I like my beer to have a bit more body.

Einstök Pale Ale, per the site: Brewed 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle, we balance three kinds of hops with pure Icelandic water to create an ale unlike any other. It can only be described as an Arctic Pale Ale and it’s truly one of a kind. Cascade hops give it American character, while Northern Brewer and Hallertau Tradition add just enough bitterness to make this ale refreshingly Icelandic – and to make everything else pale in comparison. Key Ingredients: Pale ale malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, American and Bavarian hops. ABV 5.6%

My notes: Good crisp beer, not hoppy, good body and color, perfect to drink after a day on the road.

And, since these were both enjoyed at happy hour, bargain price at 50% off bringing them to about $8/pint. Cheers!

Boli & Gull

Posted on June 9, 2017 by melsmosaic

When in Iceland, drink what the Icelandics brew! The first night in Iceland we hit Happy Hour at HVER Restaurant at the hotel. These hours, we found, can vary a lot place to place, and often end early. This bar had it from 4pm-6pm. Jumping way forward, one place had it for 1 hour only, making that hour totally happy, from 9pm-10pm. That’s way too late. Most of the time beers were 50% off during Happy Hour, bringing the price of a pint down to around a ‘reasonable’ $8.

So, back to this one, we opted to try Gull and Boli, both on tap. The Gull was pretty light, nothing too exciting. Better than Bud, but not something I’d get every day. The ABV was 5.0%. The Boli had a bit more weight to it, more color to it, a bit more taste. It was a lager, and came in with 5.6% ABV.

Nonetheless, these were a great kickoff for vacation. They were enjoyed after walking around Hveragerði and seeing hotsprings. These are what the town is known for.

Buddha Beer

Posted on April 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

Got to try a new beer last weekend that I definitely hadn’t heard of before — Lucky Buddha. It’s imported from China and is a light brew in a cool bottle, I will say.

It has a bit of a unique flavor to it, but nothing to write home about. To me it was a traditional light beer — they label it as “brewed and bottled at the Thousand Island Lake in China fusing the finest quality malt, hops, rice and water from this pristine region delivering an Asian style lager that is truly an enlightened brew.”

With a low ABV (4.8%) it would be good for a hot summer afternoon day when you don’t need anything heavy. Another thing to note about this, the bottle is smaller than it should be — only 11.6oz. Totally get skimped on that level. The 6-packs were about $10.

Dominion Cherry Blossom Lager

Posted on May 13, 2014 by melsmosaic

I was at an Asian restaurant last week and they had a unique seasonal beer out that I had to try, though the true feeling was a few weeks old. Dominion’s Cherry Blossom Lager.

Dominion, I found out, is now part of Fordham. Nice and local! So, hence the celebration of cherry blossoms. The taste was pretty unique, a bit fruity, crisp and light. And the beer had little pink things floating in it, not sure what, but it looks pretty neat. Great way to start spring.

Beers from SA and nearby

Posted on April 17, 2014 by melsmosaic

Not only does South Africa have amazing wine to offer but they have quite a few brews for one to enjoy. There were many opportunities to sample ales, lagers and more and add some names to my list.

My first, and ultimate favorite, was Carling Black Label. A bit dark and smooth. Apparently it’s the biggest selling and most awarded beer brand in SA.

The most common beer seen and available was Castle Lager. Light, crisp, refreshing. After that, Windhoek came around a lot. This one is from Namibia. Another light beer.

Beer has the same health notes as wine.

On a sunset cruise (while watching rhinos yawn and elephants swim across the river), I tried the Bohlinger’s Lager, made with maize, malt, hops and water. Pretty simple, just another light lager. This one is from Zimbabwe, and I was enjoying while in its country, near Victoria Falls.

The trip also brought a Golden Pilsener. The label says it’s Zimbabwe’s premier Pils, but per the site it’s brewed in Czech. It had a unique taste for a pils, just ‘off’ but still good.

There was also a Zambezi Lager to be sampled. Fairly traditional lager taste, but fairly light.

And finally, a cider, the Savanna Cider. Not super sweet, just dry, which was very nice!

I’m in a Colorado State of Beer

Posted on October 24, 2013 by melsmosaic

I had Billy’s Joel New York State of Mind rolling through my head so couldn’t think of a better title for the post. So, after visiting wine country in Oregon, I headed a time zone east and a couple states south to check out Ft. Collins, Colorado. I had my fix of wine so hit the breweries this time.

The problem when you go to breweries (proper) is that there are too many choices. Sometimes overwhelming. I tried to do samplers at most of them when possible. The other problem with beer? *NOTE — I am not dismissing beer, turning it down, or crossing it off my list at all! Just making travel notes for future reference. Unlike wine where you can spit, that’s not really an option with beer. Proceed with caution. And jumping three days forward, my hosts mentioned that when they moved to Colorado they noticed the beer hit them much more quickly (than when at sea level) for awhile. Thanks! You couldn’t have told me that when I got here? I wasn’t going to say anything…

Anyway….

Brewery 1: Black Bottle Brewery. Too many, way too many, beers to pick from. I honestly can’t remember which one I finally opted for to enjoy over dinner, but it was good! Some of the beer names are great, Social Insecurity being my favorite.

Brewery 2: Cooper Smith’s Pub & Brewing. Great place to both enjoy some great food and beer. I had a sip of several before deciding what to have. I do remember one that had the name ‘chili’ in it. You could taste that green chili in there — it wasn’t necessarily hot but you knew it was there.

Brewery 3: Pateros Creek Brewing Company. It’s a little bit hidden, so you have to know where to find it. They apparently have great social events in the evening, FYI, if you’re a local. It’s a small place, but nice brews. I happened to get there right before a downpour so spent a little bit of time there chatting with the beermaster. Aside from that conversation, I think I found that CO, or at least Ft. Collins, has a like of chilis, because they also had a beer with some kick. Hmmm… They also make gluten free beer. I have several friends who would be thrilled.

Brewery 4: Equinox Brewing Company. Sampling flight = 6 beers in 5 oz. pours at 5,000 ft. elevation. That’s where that whole idea/thought of no spitting/dump bucket REALLY came into play. I loved the (light) IPA. I say light as in I didn’t feel like I was bouncing off the walls, on a trampoline or on those OLD SCHOOL pogo sticks. Just a nice amount of hops. There was a red on there, too. Dang! The weekend I was there, the Great American Beer Festival happened to be in town (Denver, close enough) and many brewers were near the bar so I shared my sampler with them and it was very interesting getting their feedback/comment/sipping notes on the beer.