Paul McCartney's "Press" was his first single of the '80s (1986, to be exact) that didn't crack the Top 20 in America. Still ... why don't I hear this anymore?
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Why Don't I Hear This Anymore?
Paul McCartney's "Press" was his first single of the '80s (1986, to be exact) that didn't crack the Top 20 in America. Still ... why don't I hear this anymore?
Sunday Beer Spotlight: Budweiser Brewmasters’ Project 12
This last spring, Budweiser revealed it had asked the
brewmasters at its twelve American plants to come up with new “tribute” beers.
Now, the brewmasters didn’t get to go completely crazy. The rule from on high
was that they had to stick to “all-natural” ingredients, the beers had to be
lagers, and they had to use the same proprietary yeast as regular Bud.
Internally, those dozen brews were reduced to six and after
taste tests around the country, three beers remained. That trio is now in
supermarkets as a special 12-pack, four bottles of each. They’re named for the
zip codes where they started. (Your actual bottles might have come from
whichever brewery is closest to you or had the room to brew.)
Batch 63118 (St. Louis): The label promises a golden
pilsner brewed with the kind of hops used during the 19th century at
the St. Louis Anheuser-Busch brewery (Hallertau and Tettnang). The label also promises
6% ALC. (Regular American Bud is 5%.)
Poured into a pint glass, 63118 is a yellow-tan with a faint
malty aroma. A few sips confirm it’s maltier and deeper than regular Bud, but
not by much. Those touted hops are buried. There’s a little sour-sharp-floral
edge, but nothing I’d call “hoppy.” Finishing sweet, Batch 63118 might hint at
what a Budweiser was like around 1885, but beyond that, it’s not memorable.
Batch 91406 (Los Angeles): This time, we get a “deep amber lager brewed with two-row and caramel malts and finished
on beechwood chips.” The Bud website also reveals four types of hops
and 6% ALC.
91405 is a brassy amber in the glass with (yes, again) a
faint malty aroma. It’s got a slighty richer flavor and mouthfeel that
Budweiser, and definitely more browned malty flavor … but that’s because
regular Bud doesn’t have any of that. Batch 91406 comes off as a poser - just
not distinctive or memorable or flavorful as even Budweiser's attempt to take away Yuengling shelf space, Budweiser American Ale.
Batch 23185 (Virginia): I’m expecting the most from
this one. It’s aged on bourbon staves and vanilla beans, so it should at
least taste like that stuff, right?
The brew pours about the same color as 91406 with just the
barest whiff of vanilla. It’s creamy going down and there’s definitely that hit
of ‘nilla, but the bourbon essence is so mild as to get lost behind the
already-mild malts. At most, it comes off as caramel. Batch 23185 has the same
sweet finish as 63118 and 91406, but it makes more sense here. 5.5% ALC.
The bourbon-vanilla is the best of the three, but don’t expect true craft beers. Budweiser loyalists will probably groove on the trio
because they’re all variations on the same Buddy tune. If you’re not a
Budweiser drinker, you probably won’t like them for the same reason.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday Beer Spotlight: Lucky Buddha Beer
As I understand, Buddha was not a fan of alcohol, but the enlightened one doesn’t have a team of lawyers on retainer, so … Lucky Buddha Beer! The bottle
is an eye-catcher, the kind of thing that will hold a place of honor
in frats and dorms across America. It’s heavy green glass with The Teacher smiling right at you, delighted you chose him over cotton candy-flavored vodka.
Originally brewed in Australia -- Lucky Buddha now comes
from the Hangzhou Qiandaohu Beer Company in China –which is partially owned by
Japanese brewer Kirin. After all that world travel, I could use a beer.
Lucky Buddha pours a very, very pale yellow with a thin,
white head. Somewhere between a Bud and a Heineken, Lucky B is so mild as to be
almost flavorless. Coming from China, it’s a very ricey brew with just the
faintest hint of malted barley. At the finish, a lingering alkaline finish like
a pinch of baking soda.
Lucky Buddha is just a novelty beer, nothing awful, but
nothing special either … and at $10 a sixer from Target, not worth trying more
than once. The Lucky Buddha bottle feels hefty, which makes me wonder which
costs more to ship from China’s eastern coast – the little hollow statues or
the beer inside.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sunday Beer Spotlight: Moa Breakfast Beer
No one flinches if Sunday brunch features a make-your-own
Bloody Mary bar or all-you-can-stomach mimosas, but print “breakfast” on a beer
bottle and get ready for trouble. When Moa, a New Zealand brewery, started Breakfast Beer in 2011, it was accused of “normalizing pathological
behavior.” Of course, Moa could have just named the beer something else, but then
there wouldn’t have been hundreds of articles and blog posts (like this one)
all over the world, giving Moa free publicity.
Moa was founded by winemaker Josh Scott and that background
inspires his beers. Many are bottle-conditioned, so there’s some yeasty sediment
or “lees.” With Breakfast Beer, Moa says it “can either be poured carefully off
the lees or alternatively with the lees mixed in if a stronger yeast character
is desired.” Let’s go with “stronger,” shall we?
First, you pop the cork on the 12.7-ounce bottle. (5.5% ALC,
BTW) I definitely smell the cherry essence that was promised, and worryingly, a
little skunk. Very pale straw color on the pour with frothy white head – and
cloudy, since I did my best to kick up that deceased yeast.
It’s got a thicker mouthfeel than I anticipated - not sugary
sweet, but not bone-dry either. I can’t decide whether the vibe is more
“cherry” or “cherry candy.” For better or worse, it’s going to remind some
drinkers of cough drops. It’s definitely a wheat beer. I also get hints of
banana, raspberry, and (despite the green bottle) a hint of skunk funk.
Moa Breakfast Beer is interesting and makes me curious to
try other more conventional beers in the line, but I'm not sold that this is anything more than a novelty - fun once, but once might me enough. The next time you’re having
migas or hash and eggs on a late Sunday morning and want a little something
along side, I’d suggest a Guinness or a freshly-made michelada.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Sunday Beer Spotlight: Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest
I remember Sierra Nevada as my first IPA. This is back when
India Pale Ales and that green/weedy/lemony thing were a novelty to most
Americans. Now, I dare say, there’s a hops explosion in the world of
non-supermarket beer.
It only makes sense that Sierra Nevada also introduces me to
“wet hops” beers. Usually, IPAs are brewed with dried flower clusters of Humulus Lupulus. (Yeah, I googled it.) You know, those things on the beer label that look like pine cones. Sierra Nevada
swears this Northern Hemisphere Harvest is made with hops that are in the
brewery within 24 hours of picking. In other words, this is a once-a-year beer.
On the pour, you get a dark-tan ale with a hint of red and a
sturdy off-white head. (When I first poured, I swear I saw a hint of green, but
that must be wishful thinking.) The aroma is hoppy, as you’d expect, with a
powerful citrus note.
What I taste is an exceptionally-grassy IPA – almost, but
not quite, bitter to the point of unpleasantness. There’s serious lemon notes,
a little black tea bitterness, maybe even rose, black pepper ... and hops, hops, hops. Malt sweetness cuts the green, but there’s serious resin
here.
As Frank’s RedHot is to Tabasco, so is Sierra Nevada IPA to
Northern Hemisphere Harvest. This shouldn’t be your first IPA, but if you’re
not getting the same rush you felt from your first time, Northern Hemisphere is
an interesting novelty. 6.7% ALC
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