About the Challenge

Posted on February 23, 2013 by

About the Challenge

Last year I decided to come up with a challenge that would allow me to combine my two passions, craft beer and baseball.  I decided to attempt to drink a different beer for each game of the Astros season.  That’s 162 different beers in approximately 185 days!

I’ve decided to continue the challenge with some changes.  Instead of posting after each beer/game I will be posting once per series.  However, I will still attempt to drink a different beer for each game.

I don’t think that there’s anything that goes better with beer than a baseball game, and I’m looking forward to another season of trying new craft beers while I watch my favorite baseball team, the Houston Astros!

Cheers and Go ‘Stros!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

7/10 – All Star Game! (BOTASG)

Posted on July 11, 2012 by

The Beer-of-the-All Star Game is one that I picked up a few months ago when it was released to the Houston market.  It’s from (512) Brewing Company out of Austin, TX.  Hence the (512).  It’s the area code for the Austin area if you didn’t know.

This is the Pecan Porter on steriods…like Ryan Braun.

(512) is well known around the TX craft beer scene for their outstanding Pecan Porter so for the All Star Game I thought I would go big with their barrel aged version.  It’s named Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter.  What a mouth full!  What’s this beer all about? I may have been lax on keeping this blog updated, but I can still cut and paste like a champ.  Watch this…

(512) Double Pecan Porter is a robust porter accented by locally grown roasted pecans and subtly enhanced by aging in recently emptied oak whiskey barrels. For the first ever bottling, only one 200L barrel was bottled. Notes of chocolate, coffee and pecan marry with the subtle flavors of vanilla and whiskey to make this a wonderful winter warmer worth sharing and savoring. We sincerely hope you enjoy every sip.

Bam!

Beer Review:

This beer is big and bold like Prince Fielder.

I took this beer with me to my in-law’s place to share while we watched the All Star game.  I think they were all sufficiently impressed with the opaque black color and mocha colored head.  We didn’t take our DSLR with us so I didn’t get the best pictures, but I think you get the point.  The head on each pour was easily three fingers tall and as creamy as mousse. The beer was so carbonated that we had to wait a while for the head to settle before we filled each 8 oz taster glass.

The aroma wasn’t quite what I expected, but there were major notes of whiskey and dark chocolate. Although not quite as much whiskey as you would expect off of Josh Hamilton’s breath after an all-night bender.  Minor notes followed of smoke and coffee, but I never got much of a whiff of pecan or vanilla.  It didn’t smell infected at all, and that’s a great thing.  I had heard several reports of infected bottles, but mine smelled just fine and dandy.

The taste is dominated by the roasted, chocolaty malts.  I wished there was more of a bourbon taste, but I can’t complain too much.  The finish is a little bit bitter, but it just helps make this big beer more drinkable.  This beer is basically the same as the (512) Pecan Porter that I know and love with a touch of whiskey.  The booze flavor shows up in the finish which is understandable considering this beer dials in a 8.2% ABV.

Overall, I could have easily taken my time and finished this bottle by myself.  However, I am really glad I shared it.  Even though this isn’t the best beer I’ve ever had it’s the type of beer that I love sharing.  It’s so dark and “foreboding” when poured, but pretty darn easy to drink.  I think everybody enjoyed their taste, and I enjoyed hearing everyone’s opinion as we tasted it.  I will try to buy this again next year, because I don’t think this beer has reached it’s potential yet.  This 2012 version I will give a Double!

All Star Game Review:
The National League won the game for the third straight year, but this time was by far the most crushing defeat.  I never, EVER would have expected the AL to get shut out.  Much less 8-0.

A few things that stood out:
1) Every single All Star pitcher throws 100 miles per hour.
2) Except R.A. Dickey
3) Jose Altuve was safe at first.
4) Jose Altuve is apparently so small that the camera crews and broadcasters didn’t even notice he was on the field.
5) Chipper Jones hasn’t been working out since he knows he’s retiring.
6) Bryce Harper tries too hard.
7) Kellie Pickler tries too hard.
8) Strange baseball cleats are starting to come in style.  Not sure whether I like this development or not.
9) Bow ties still are not in style.
10) The AL will win the All Star Game next year, because the Astros are moving to the AL. Clearly, we are the difference makers.

Now on to the 2nd half of the season.  It looks like there is a good possibility that a few more Astros players will be traded.  It’s going to be very hard to win a lot of games with this young roster, but I am still encouraged by each and every move that Astros management is making.  So win or lose I will keep saying, “Go ‘Stros!” and I will surely keep on Root Root Drinking my way through the year.

Go ‘Stros!

Posted in (512), Astros, baseball, beer, Porter, whiskey barrel aged | 1 Comment

6/25 vs SD – BOTG #73

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

After a fun Saturday with friends and family at the Astros game, I have been convinced to keep blogging.  Apparently, it’s not cool to be a quitter.

Beer is TBA. No, not “to be announced”, it’s Texas Brown Ale!

I bought a beer from Stone Brewing Company that they made in collaboration with Bear Republic and Fat Head’s.  Since Stone is located close to San Diego I thought it might be a good time to crack one open since the Astros are playing the Padres tonight.  Here’s a link to Stone’s blog with tons of info about the beer called TBA (Texas Brown Ale).

The Stone Blog

Bear Republic / Fat Head’s / Stone TBA
Stats: 7.1% abv, 81 IBUs
Availability: Limited 12oz bottles & draft, beginning February 27th
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, NC, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA
Malts: Pale 2-Row, Crystal 60, Toasted Wheat, Victory, and Chocolate Malt
Hops: Bravo, Brewer’s Gold, Cascade, and Columbus
Brewers:

  • Richard Norgrove, Jr. (Brewmaster, Bear Republic Brewing Co. | Healdsburg, CA | @brbcbrew)
  • Matt Cole (Head Brewer, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon | Cleveland, OH |@FatHeadsBeer)
  • Mitch Steele (Brewmaster, Stone Brewing Co. | Escondido, CA |@StoneBrewingCo)

I really recommend checking out that blog link.  It does a great job explaining the history behind this beer.  Now I will attempt to explain the appearance/aroma/taste of the beer.  How fun!

 

I only bought two of these bottles…I now regret being so frugal.

Beer Review:
TBA poured up medium brown with a reddish tint.  There’s a bit of a haze to the beer as well.  The head on this beer was three fingers tall, light tan colored, and consisted of the tiniest bubbles in the history of bubbles.  Not really, but the bubbles were so small it almost looked like the beer was tapped off a nitro cask.

The aroma starts off strong with the hops.  Piney and little bit tropical, you can tell tell that the focus of this beer is on the hops.  There is also a definite scent of toasted malt and a sweet smell of brown sugar.  Honestly though, TBA’s aroma reminds me of an IPA first and foremost.

TBA tastes like a brown ale however.  Malty sweetness added to a wheat bread taste give the beer a nice body.  There are notes of sweet tropical fruit and bitter molasses in there as well.  The hops show up in the finish with a citrus flavor, and leaves a dry, bitter taste on the tongue.

I thought this beer was great.  It was pretty pricey at about $5 per 12 oz bottle, but I would probably buy a few more bottles if I can find it again.  I really enjoyed the style, and I hope that some of the local Houston breweries can brew me up something similar.  I give this beer a Triple!

Can you read this cap? I can’t, but Jenn took a picture of it so I figured I might as well post it. You’re welcome.

Astros Review:
If Wandy wants to stay in Houston then he needs to keep pitching like he did in the first 3 innings.  I’m pretty sure that no team in baseball would trade for a pitcher like that.  However, if he’s looking to join a contender, then it would behoove him to pitch like he did from the 4th inning on.  He looked like a completely different person, and I really don’t understand it.

When he works quickly and aggressively he seems to be much more effective than when he plods around and pitches like he’s stuck in pine tar.  Wandy has always had trouble with the mental part of the game, and even after all these seasons he still looks like a rookie sometimes.  Very frustrating.

Offensively, we have been doing a much better job lately of getting baserunners and moving them around to score.  It’s hard to say we are doing a bad job tonight since we’ve scored 6 runs, but most observers would expect many more after leaving 12 men on base so far through 7 innings.  At one point we loaded the bases three consecutive innings and left them loaded each time.  Not good!

Right now the score is 7-6 after a 2 run homer in the top of the 8th by the Padres.  The Padres’ bullpen is their strength and we strike out a TON, so I don’t feel great about our chances in the last two at-bats, but I will stay up until it’s over and Root, Root, ROOT for my Astros!

Go ‘Stros!

Posted in Astros, baseball, Bear Republic, beer, Brown, Stone | 1 Comment

6/14 @ SF – BOTG #63

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

A day game on the West Coast means that Jeffrey can’t #rootrootdrink during the game.  That would seriously shorten my career with my current employer.  Therefore, I drove home as fast I could, listening to KTRH the whole way, to pop open a BOTG.

Today’s BOTG is from Jester King Brewery out of Austin, TX.  I chose one of their year-round beers, a golden ale, called Noble King.  You know the drill.  According to Jester King, Noble King is a…

Medium strength, dry, golden ale brewed with our farmhouse yeast, and, as its name suggests, an abundance of noble, European hops. Thoroughly hoppy, yet elegant, dry, balanced, and drinkable.

Package: 750ml bottles, limited draught
Availability: Year-round
OG: 1.047  FG: 1.007  ABV: 5.3%
Water: Filtered Hill Country Well Water
Malts: Organic Pilsner, Organic Two Row, Organic Wheat, Organic Caramunich
Hops: Czech Saaz, East Kent Goldings
Yeast: Farmhouse Yeast

That’s 750 milliliters of pure, golden deliciousness.

Jester King has some pretty fantastic artwork on their labels. This is a CLOSE UP!!

I love that so many breweries are describing their beers as “drinkable.”  Shoot, I think I’ve even used that adjective a time or two on this blog.  Since Jester King doesn’t use that word in every description, I can only assume that the others are NOT drinkable.  How sad.

 

I dare you to tell me this beer doesn’t look “drinkable”.

Beer Review:
Some of the Jester King beers that I have tried have been extremely carbonated so I started pouring this one slowly.  I began pouring more aggressively when it became obvious that this one had the carbonation under control.  I ended up with a white head consisting of tiny bubbles that was about 2 fingers tall.  The beer is slightly hazy and a golden-orange color.

Noble King has a really pleasant, sorta crisp scent.  I get notes of citrus, fresh cut grass, and an earthy sour aroma.  I love the smell.  If I got really in to it I might be able to pick out more specific aromas, but I had a long day at work.  I want to drink this beer not stick my nose in it!

Thank god the taste doesn’t disappoint!  Up front I got a bit of sour tartness from the farmhouse yeast. This beer is well-hopped and they impart a citrusy, lemon rind flavor that is most refreshing.  Noble King also has a cool peppery, earthy flavor that kinda makes me want to go mow the yard.  Is that weird?  This is a wonderful beer for our hot Texas summers. It has a crisp, clean finish that makes me want to jump in my truck and head to Rowdy’s Liquid Express to get another few bottles.

At only 5.3% this beer is very drinkable. Haha!  I get it now.  I really, really enjoyed this one, and it will be a regular occupant in my beer fridge.  If you haven’t tried this one, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle or two.  You won’t be disappointed.  I give this beer a Triple!

Astros Review:
Like I said at the top, I had to hurry home to get my BOTG cracked open, but I didn’t make it home before the game ended.  But that’s ok.  I got to hear Brett and Dave call another Myers save and an Astros 6-3 victory!

Obviously the highlight of the game was J.D. Martinez’s grand slam that he hit in the 3rd inning to push the score to 5-0.  It’s great to see him attack the ball again.  He looked so tentative a few weeks ago that I was starting to wonder if he was ever going to recover.  There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played, but he’s not pressing and guessing at the plate anymore.

The other wonderful thing about this victory is that it shows that this young team has heart.  A few years ago I would have bet my paycheck that the Astros would have been easily beat the game after getting no-hit.  Heck, they might not even have shown up at the park after having a PERFECT GAME pitched against them.  Instead, they came out swinging and quickly jumped out to a nice lead against a pretty good pitcher.  It just goes to show you that this team doesn’t have any quit in them.  I think the future looks bright, and I am proud to be an Astros fan!

GO ‘STROS!!

Posted in Astros, baseball, beer, Golden Ale, Jester King | 2 Comments

6/13 @ SF – BOTG #62

Posted on June 13, 2012 by

Another game in San Francisco means another great BOTG from Anchor Brewing.  This time I chose the venerable Anchor Porter to help me #rootrootdrink my Astros to victory. Let’s get straight to the brewer’s PR from the website.  Heck, it’s my favorite part of my blog.  Full disclosure: It’s my favorite part because it’s the easiest part.  Any fool can cut and paste.  It takes a really amazing blogger to link to the original content and put the info in italics.  So here ya go.

With deep black color, a thick, creamy head, rich chocolate, toffee and coffee flavors, and full-bodied smoothness, Anchor Porter® is the epitome of a handcrafted dark beer.

A blend of specially roasted pale, caramel, chocolate, and black malts, along with our top-fermenting yeast, creates complexity without bitterness. The brew is hopped at a high rate, and naturally carbonated. The result is dark in the glass, but surprisingly light on the palate.

Anchor Porter® became the first modern American porter when it was introduced in 1972. As we celebrate its 40th anniversary, our porter continues to reward those who look beyond its intimidating appearance to discover its smooth, full-bodied drinkability. Anchor Porter® is the definitive American Porter.

There’s something about Anchor’s labels that I love. They are complex, but not busy. They have a vintage vibe that the hipster in me really digs.

Ok here’s the deal.  The Astros are getting absolutely killed right now.  It’s 10-0 in the 5th and we are getting no-hit.  I am pissed off.  My wife loves this style of beer.  Therefore, she is going to take the computer away from me and review this beer all by herself.  Loyal readers, meet Jennifer.  Jennifer, meet both of my loyal readers.

From the pour you can clearly see this is a DARK BEER! My wife likes DARK BEER! How cool is she?

Beer Review:
Hi everyone! *waves* The caption of the picture is 100% correct. My favorite styles of beer are porters and stouts, so when Jeff said we needed to pick an Anchor brew for the BOTG today, I knew it had to be this Anchor Porter.

As he poured it up, it didn’t look like there would be much of a head. But with the last rush of liquid, a nice 2 finger, cappuccino-colored head formed at the top of the glass. The beer was practically black with very little light showing through.

I’m not the best when it comes to identifying smells, but (to me) most porters I’ve had have a similar heavy aroma. However, the Anchor Porter was very different. It smelled lighter, almost fruity. I smelled a bit of chocolate, but I was mostly thinking how…different it smelled compared to other porters.

After the first sip, I think I said, “It tastes fizzy.” I could taste a dark fruity flavor — maybe black cherry — right off the bat. I also tasted a bit of chocolate, but there was no coffee flavor like I was expecting from a porter. I took another sip because I was so surprised by the unique flavor. As it warmed, the “fizzy” mouthfeel mellowed, and the dark cherry flavor seemed more pronounced. It finished with a slightly bittersweet flavor.

Although it was different from what I expected, I really enjoyed the taste of the Anchor Porter. The smell and flavor give it a unique flavor that sets it apart from the pack, and I will definitely have another! I would give this beer a Triple.

Astros Review:
Matt Cain is perfect through 8.  I’m staying up to see history in the making.  And by that I mean an 11 run comeback in the 9th for my Astros.

*UPDATE* Matt Cain just threw a perfect game against my Astros.  I am not going to sleep well tonight.  My god.

Go ‘Stros.

Posted in Anchor, Astros, baseball, beer, PERFECT GAME, Porter | Leave a comment

6/12 @ SF – BOTG #61

Posted on June 13, 2012 by

I went out with my friend Ryan tonight to watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  He was craving some wings from Hooters so being the good friend I am, I headed up to my local Hooters and ordered myself an ice cold Miller Lite.  Thankfully, they were served ice cold in a frozen mug so at least my taste buds were completely frozen, and rendered useless.  That’s a blessing when forced to drink a BMC product.  Anyway, it was difficult, but somehow I finished the mug.  Then another…and another.  I’m such a trooper!

By the time the OKC Thunder had dismantled the Miami LeBrons I was ready to head home and grab a craft beer and watch the end of the Astros game.  Since they were playing in San Francisco I decided to have a beer from Anchor Brewing which is located in San Fran.  I really love this brewery, but I’ve never had their Summer Beer so that’s what I chose as the BOTG.

The crisp, clean flavors of Anchor Summer ® Beer are refreshingly light, a thirst-quenching American-style filtered wheat beer.

Released each year in advance of the summer season, Anchor Summer ® Beer is an all-malt beer, with over 50% of its malt derived from malted wheat. It is fermented with a traditional top-fermenting “ale” yeast, yielding a clean, balanced flavor that highlights the refreshingly light flavor of malted wheat. The head is unusually abundant due to the natural protein deposits of wheat, with a thick consistency similar to meringue.

First brewed in the summer of 1984, Anchor Summer ® Beer is the first American wheat beer in modern times. Anchor Summer ® Beer is intended to be a lighter beer for those who don’t want to sacrifice tradition or character.

Made in San Francisco. I wish I was there watching the Astros in that beautiful ballpark.

I didn’t want to drink anything too heavy since I was already full of wings and beer, and I certainly wanted to choose something with a lower alcohol content.  Anchor’s Summer Beer only has 4.5% ABV.  That’s practically a session beer!

I wish Hooters served beers like this.

Beer Review:
Summer Beer poured up crystal clear.  It’s definitely a filtered wheat beer.  The color is dark yellow and almost a rose gold color.  The head is a bit larger than a finger width, and very creamy.  There’s a lot of spiderweb lacing as well when the head finally recedes.  It certainly looks refreshing!

There isn’t a whole lot going on with the aroma of this beer, but there are prominent notes of grassy wheat and grain.  I also get a faint whiff of citrus.

The taste of this beer is exactly what I was looking for.  Simple, smooth, and refreshing.  Summer Beer’s taste is big on wheat grains and pale malts. I get notes of toasted white bread, and pleasant hints of lemon zest and orange.  The hops go well with the wheat flavor and are earthy and grassy. There are just enough hops to give it a slightly bitter finish.

Summer Beer is pretty darn good.  It seems like it’s designed to be light, refreshing, and sessionable.  I only had one tonight, but this beer definitely went down easy.  It would go absolutely perfect with an afternoon baseball game here in Houston, TX.  I give it a Double!

Astros Review:
When the Astros play on the West Coast I can hardly ever stay up to watch the entire game.  It doesn’t make it any easier when I head to Hooters before the game starts and stuff myself.  Therefore, I have to admit that I did not catch the entire game.  I was greeted with the unhappy final score of 6-3 when I woke up on Wednesday morning.

It was only 3-1 when I headed to bed, but what made that even more discouraging was the fact that Bud Norris had to leave the game in the 4th inning with a knee injury.  I don’t know how serious it is, but I imagine he will miss at least a few starts.

I know that the Astros don’t have enough talent right now to make a World Series run, but we can’t catch any breaks either.  Injuries and illnesses have really been piling up for this young team.  In my opinion the lack of consistency is one of the biggest reasons that we have been struggling so much lately.  I wish we could just settle on a lineup and run the same guys out there day after day for a month.  That would be nice.

The main positive note from the game has to be Brian Bixler’s performance.  2-for-4 with 2 RBIs easily make him the Astros player of the game.  He’s clearly only up here while the guys ahead of him are injured, but it’s nice to see him have a big game.  Sadly, he’s 7 years too late to be a member of the Killer B’s.  Bzzzzzzz.

Go ‘Stros!

Posted in American Wheat, Anchor, Astros, baseball, beer | Leave a comment

6/10 @ CWS – BOTG #60

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

Today’s Beer-of-the-game comes from Warrenville, IL which is a suburb west of Chicago.  I thought twice about using a beer from around Chi-town for this BOTG, because it seems like the Astros lose every time I drink a beer from the opposing team’s territory.  Considering that this was the rubber game of the series and the Astros hadn’t won a series on the road all season, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that my ‘Stros were going to lose anyways.  So I figured, why the heck not drink a beer from Chicago?  What could it hurt?  I’ll get to that after the beer review.

The BOTG is called Cane and Ebel from Two Brothers Brewing.  It’s described as a Red Rye Ale, and they brew it year-round up there in Warrenville.  I’m not sure which of the two brothers wrote this, but here’s the info from their website.

Dry, but with a creamy touch of Thai Palm sugar and the spicy tang of rye, all balanced by loads of the wackiest new hops we could lay our hands on.  Yep, it’s an original.  And that’s no sin.

My first beer from Two Brothers. I’ve heard good things!

One more note about this brewery before I get to the review.  The two brothers who started the brewery, along with the rest of the family all have names that begin with the letter “J”.  That might not be of interest to many, but my family is full of “J” names as well.  Jeff (that’s me), Jennifer, Jayden, Julianna, and James.  So I already have a bit of affinity for this brewery before taking my first sip.

Beer Review:
This red rye ale pours up, you guessed it, black.  Just kidding, but it’s not really RED either.  It’s more of a hazy, brownish-red.  When held to the light you can easily see the reddish color come through, but in hand it appears brown.  The head is off-white and about a finger width tall.  Nice lacing though.

Poured up a dark reddish-brown. Not sure the lighting was quite right on the photo, but hopefully you get the idea.

Cane and Ebel smells like a Rye IPA to me.  It’s clearly got the dark spicy notes from the rye, and the hops make an appearance in the nose with notes of pine and citrus.  I haven’t had a ton of rye beers, but this one smells distinctly of the rye, and it is much appreciated.  Some of the others I’ve tried didn’t give me any indication that rye was used at all.

The taste of this beer is exactly what I’ve been waiting for in a rye beer.  It’s got a spicy, bready flavor that just screams, “RYE!”  I also get quite a big kick of piney, grassy hops that contributes to make this beer plenty bitter.  However, you can also taste the smooth sweetness from the palm sugar.

Overall, I think this beer is an excellent example of the Rye Ale style.  It’s easily the best rye beer that I’ve ever tried, and that makes it all the more disappointing that I can’t easily get this beer in Texas.  Hopefully, some of my favorite local breweries will start to experiment with this style soon, because I just discovered that I REALLY like rye beers.  I give this beer a Home Run!

Astros Review:
Well, well, well.  Turns out that the chosen BOTG didn’t have a detrimental effect on the Astros performance today.  Quite the opposite, in fact, when you consider that the Astros offense exploded for 4 home runs on the day to help score 11 runs.

Home runs were hit by J.D. Martinez, Brett Wallace, Justin Maxwell, and Jose Altuve.  It just so happened that we needed every last one of them, because the final score was 11-9.

Lucas Harrell pitched fairly well on a day when the ball was clearly flying out of the park, and he deservedly was rewarded with a W to push his record to 6-4.  He clearly was looking forward to facing his former team, and it showed with his aggressive demeanor on the mound.  He doesn’t usually strike out 5 batters in a game.  Heck, sometimes he doesn’t even get the other team to swing and miss AT ALL!

The last thing I want to mention is the fact that the ball still hasn’t landed that Justin Maxwell hit for his 6th homer of the season.  Some people are getting tired of the way he flips his bat after he hits a home run, but if we see that bat flip another 15 times this season I will not be one of the complainers.  That dude crushes the baseball.  Simple as that.

Let’s go to San Francisco and take another road series!  Go ‘Stros!

Posted in Astros, baseball, beer, Rye, Two Brothers | Leave a comment