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.

DC Brau

Posted on August 16, 2016 by melsmosaic

Finally made it to a pretty well known local DC brewery, DC Brau.

I knew it was somewhere in NE DC, but wasn’t sure where. Finally as I was getting there I figured out it’s in one of the developing areas, right off 50, near the relatively new Costco.

Went on a Sunday, a bit after they opened so it was pretty quite. Opted for a sampler so that I could try several of their brews. Ended up with the first six on the list. Of course there is a quite a bit of power to most of them.

Info on the beer, straight from the DC Brau’s site:

Brau Pils was our newest summer seasonal alongside El Hefe Speaks, NOW YEAR-ROUND.

EL HEFE SPEAKS! is a traditionally brewed German-style Hefe. It is fermented around 65°F and hopped with German Tettnang hops. 11 IBUs and 5.3% ABV make this one extremely drinkable.

The Citizen is one of the original flagships brewed here at DC Brau and draws inspiration from the stronger ales made famous over the centuries by the Trappist and Abbey brewers of Belgium. Although the label denotes “Pale ale” this is mainly a reference to the color of the beer and not the bitterness of the beer as is commonly associated with American Pale Ales.

The Public™ Pale Ale is brewed in the classic American Pale Ale style. Assertive bitterness backed by C-60 and Vienna malts which lend notes of rich, yet semi-dry caramel. Then followed up with a nice white grapefruit and citrus aroma that begs for a follow up sip.

The Corruption™ IPA is DC Brau’s take on a Pacific Northwest IPA. Brewed with Pale 2 row, C-10, Honey and Victory malts. Exclusively hopped with 40 lbs of Columbus hops per brew to ring in at 80 IBU. “The Corruption” comes in at 6.5% ABV. This beer straddle’s the line between IPA and Imperial IPA and has a supportive malty backbone with an assertive hop presence that smacks your mouth with a dank, resinous bitterness followed by pleasant aroma’s of pine sap and burnt spruce.

The Hefe was great with the Citizen being another great one. The Imperial IPA was a bit strong. Overall, a great time and the staff was awesome to talk to.

The final one is a cask beer that changes all the time. Very strong…

The Hefe and Citizen were probably my favorite. Overall great time at the brewery, chatting with the staff and enjoying some local, cold beer.

Smiths Craft Beer House, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

Another spot visited in Queenstown was the Smith Craft Beer House.

You can pretty much deduce what they have based on the name. And you can order a sampler of whatever you like. Based on their large selection, the bartender chose several for the table based on our taste. The six that came to the table were:

From left to right:

Garage Prospect, Teas & Tea, Spicy Brown Ale, 6.2% — very dark

Horse Box, Vigilante, IPA, 5.8% — tasted a bit like tea

Horse Box, Storm Hopper, APA, 5.7% — crisp and not too hoppy

Beer Barrons, Lady Danger, Red Ale, 6.5% — red definitely describes it

Wigram Tornado, IPA, 6.6% — bit of fruit, not much else, slightly bitter

Tuatora/Coucher, Summer Gold Golden Ale, 4.5% — light, totally an ale

For lunch we ordered a pizza, half with cheese half without. The crust on this thing was amazing. So light and fluffy! One of the best pizzas I’ve had. Great stuff.

Newbies

Posted on March 27, 2016 by melsmosaic

Always great to pop a new cork or have somebody pour you a new brew. The two most recents…

Was in Rehoboth Beach so had to of course visit one of my favorite breweries, Dogfish Head. They have some brews on tap they you can only get while standing under that roof. The one I opted for was the QuatroSanque. ‘an intensely citrusy IPA made with blood orange juice, sliced lemon and orange zest. Dark and medium crystal malts provide a deep amber color and sweet caramel/toffee notes to balance the the tartness of the citrus. Generous dry-hopping with Centennial and HBC431 dry-hops at a massive 2 pounds per barrel pushes the citrus and tropical juiciness to the next level. ‘ 7.25% ABV (served in 10 oz. pours). This stuff was smooth, not too hoppy and just refreshing. I was close to buying a growler…

LAM Pinotage. A bit earthier than normal, some tobacco in there, had minimal leather and smoke notes, but very interesting. I tasted some fizz, but it was a ‘normal’ bottle. It was a VERY light red. Was definitely the most unique Pinotage I’ve tasted. About $20/bottle.

3 Stars Brewing Company

Posted on June 28, 2015 by melsmosaic

Washington, DC is becoming a growing microbrew market, between the city proper and local areas. Many of the new ones are in the city, and are helping some of the run-down areas get a face lift, since they cost less to operate (lower rent) and then bring traffic to the area. I was recently housesitting and found out about 3 Stars Brewing Company that was less than a mile from where I was staying — perfect! It’s right near Takoma Park in DC/MD. It’s in the far east side of the NW quadrant of DC. Go a couple blocks and you’re in NE.

It’s very hidden in a row of industrial buildings — they could use a bigger sign. They’re open Thursday-Sunday for tastings and tours. They also have an area for homebrewers to come get the ingredients they want to brew their own stuff, aka their Homebrew Shop.

The menu is pretty vast and you can taste 4oz. pours for $1.50. You can’t go wrong with that. The ABV range is also pretty wide so you also have to be pretty cautious on some levels.

I’m torn between the Peppercorn and Ghost as to which one was my favorite.

In addition to the nice tastes, you can of course get pints as well as growler fills. This would be there perfect place to go on the weekend with their picnic tables, They mentioned food trucks also swing by so you can fill the stomach with food in addition to beer.

Extra Irish Brews

Posted on June 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

There are the well-know Irish brews that most people turn to. So it was great to find (and enjoy) the various domestic brews we don’t hear much about here in the States while there recently. And since you can get half pints, you don’t have to drink a ton of the stuff when it’s on tap. I can’t say that I have a favorite. They were all pretty darn good.

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Horse & Dragon Brewery

Posted on December 22, 2014 by melsmosaic

I’m in Ft. Collins for Christmas and of course have to check out some of the local ‘fare’ — that mostly means good microbrews. So today that meant a new brewery by the name of Horse and Dragon Brewing Company.

Wasn’t sure what to get so opted for a sampler. Ok, sampler? Six brews of 4oz each for $8 — that is quite the nice pour of some high octane beer.

The half dozen tastes included:

Fort Kolnz Keller Kolsch-Style Ale — “A grainy sweet aroma holds well with a slight citrus note derived from the moderate hopping. Dry and clean on the palate, bitterness is present but not overpowering. Extended cellaring is evident in the clean crisp finish and despite a very pale straw color and light body our ale has great depth and complexity. Ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit! ABV: 5.2%”

Sage Adweisse Berliner Weisse — “A light, effervescent, slight tart wheat ale that tastes so refreshing that it mush be good for us. Dominant ingredients are evident from the first sniff; wheaty goodness mixed with traditional German yeast scents and a hint of tartness. One glass will make you wonder why anyone ever put a lime in a beer, though this beer is sometimes served with dashes of flavored syrup. Our lowest ABV brew, this is an ale you can enjoy all day. Sage Adweisse was name for our (well, really, Linsey & Titus’s) brewdog. ABV: 3.6%”

Whistle Blast Honey Brown — “A welcoming ale displaying warm mahogany earth tones accentuated by a thin veil of creamy foam head, our Honey Brown Ale is as inviting as the historic English pubs where the style originated. Slight roast malt character leads the nose to a warm sensuous balance of mild hop bitterness and sweet honey malt after notes. A clean, somewhat drying finish allows the sweetness of malt to shine through and remain as a memento for each sip. Quaffable in design, this ale will toast well in any social situation and keep you coming back for more. Cheers! ABV: 6.3%”

Picnic Rock Pale Ale — “Picnic Rock Ale aligns itself with recreation in Colorado and our noticeable desire for great craft beer. Fresh hops aromas likened to lemon, pineapple, and honeydew melon stand out in front of this golden colored ale holding a white laced head. The aroma taking center stage is then carried into the noticeable hop bitterness. Malt body is medium-light and complements the bitterness, allowing for a smooth finish with a light floral hop linger. Let’s go for a picnic! ABV: 5.4%”

L3 IPA — “The L3 IPA pours an inviting copper color topped by a strong, slightly off-white foam. Your first sniff reveals the complex balance between the citrusy, spicy pear hop aroma backed by slight caramel malt notes. Tasting the beer takes you further into a flavorful American hop experience with plenty of hop bitterness balanced perfectly with the sweet malt backbone. This flavorful combination lingers on the palate yet finishes clean and prepares you for another sip. A very drinkable IPA, L3 is hop forward yet balanced. ABV: 7.6%”

The Dark Crystal Cascadian Dark Ale — “A relatively recent style that has gained traction in the Pacific Northwest is the American Style India Black Ale, or “Cascadian Dark Ale”. Deliciously hoppy, also hugely roasty-toasty malty. Get on in here and give it a try! ABV: 6.5%” (forgot to snap a picture — it is definitely dark!)

They were all quite unique — have to love microbrews. My favorite two were the Picnic Rock and L3. We decided to leave with a growler of the latter to enjoy some of before dinner and to have on hand the balance of the week.

What (wine) do you have on tap?

Posted on August 10, 2014 by melsmosaic

There is a great pizza place in DC that has expanded and now has several locations — Matchbox. I’ve been to the one in Merrifield/Mosaic District recently.

Before enjoying their delicious pizza, I had to try their wine on tap. It’s not available at a lot of restaurant so I couldn’t turn it down. I scanned the menu and it was a tough decision. Hot as heck outside, freezing cold AC inside.

I opted for the Gotham Project Zin. Nice nose all around. Fruity, very fun for a wine on tap.

My friend arrived later and we were ordering some nice pizza and we opted for a white to accompany a prosciutto and fig pizza. We opted for a white on tap. We went with the Tangent Sauvignon Blanc. Very fruity and fresh, perfect for the meal.

Such a fun new way to enjoy wine. Can’t say that it was than much different than a normal glass, but simple changes and simple pleasures!

Testing…4,5,6…Tested

Posted on April 6, 2013 by melsmosaic

The pesto-like dip was tested the other night with no complaints!

Then, the next day came about for taking a friend around DC. Between museums, one must eat! So, after going to pizzeria #1 and having a long wait, we opted for pizzeria #2…longer wait. What now? We stumbled upon another restaurant/pizzeria in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area that was amazing…District of Pi. The restaurant is based in St. Louis and this location has been in DC for about 1.5 years.

Table-wise, no wait at 12:15pm on a Thursday (though we opted for the bar). Great beer-on-tap selection and many pizza options, both thin crust and deep dish. We opted for one of the thin crust specials of white bean, chicken, chorizo and arugula, requesting half with/half without cheese because of my lactose intolerance.

Now, the order was place AFTER great conversation about, and tasting of, the beer on tap. They have amazing brews available and the bartender gave me samples of nearly half a dozen before I opted for a wonderful Bell’s Amber.

When the pizza arrived, it was amazing — thin, hot, perfectly ‘halved’ cheese-wise and delicious. And, nice beer pairing, too.

If you’re in the DC area, I would highly recommend checking this place out. It’s just about a block from the normal ‘turf’ of Gallery Place/Chinatown and amazing.