What's on tap for the week of May 19th - May 25th 2013

Just a little reminder of what will be going on at AboutBeverages.com for the week of May 19th - May 25th 2013.  A little bit of a low note last week after so many great beers at the tasting table.  With any luck fortunes should change this week at the very least for one of us.  It all happens on Wednesday with a "Give It A Shot" featuring the Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barley Wine from Stone Brewing.  This is the latest Odd Beers for Odd Years release where during that time they create a special release of the Barley Wine and Imperial Russian Stout.  In 2011, the first year of this program, they used a Belgian yeast to change up both beers.  Our podcast about the IRS can be found here.  For 2013 the Barley Wine gets some German oak-smoked malt and the IRS gets a heavy dose of espresso beans.  We will get to the stout another time, but for this week it will just be the Barley Wine.  Make sure you're following us on twitter for all of our other beverage tastings and info.  Click the link here to get to our twitter page.  Also, don't forget to check out our channel on youtube and if you go to our website from your mobile phone you can also get our app!

If you haven't, take a moment to sign up for our email subscription.  Get all the latest articles and podcast information delivered right to your inbox.  If you have any questions or ideas for things we should try, send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

Keith & Andrew

Give It A Shot - Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection Stony Brook Red

The question we asked ourselves last week was a simple one.  Would someone drink a beer with the word rot in the name?  We answered a resounding yes and it was delicious.  A similar question could be asked this week as well.  Would you choose to not only pay for, but drink a beer containing Kosmic Mother Funk?  Obviously the answer to both those questions is yes, since at the tasting table today we have the Stony Brook Red from the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection.  The unique additive that is blended into all of the beers in this collection is the aforementioned Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF).  KMF is the name Sam Adams has created for their Belgian ale that’s been aged for over a year in large oak tuns.  It then undergoes a secondary fermentation with brettanomyces  and lactobacillus yeasts.  All of this sounds like something that would be right up our wild ale/sour beer loving alley.  This leaves but one final question to be answered on the show.  Can Sam Adams pull it off?  Time to find out.  If you have any ideas for future episodes of "Give It A Shot" or just have a question, you can always send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

You may click on the media player to listen directly on our website, right click the link below to download and listen to it later, or subscribe to us and never miss an episode. Enjoy!

Link Lounge

Here are the links to the things we talked about during the podcast.

Tasting Notes - Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection Stony Brook Red

Right click to download podcast

What's on tap for the week of May 12th - May 18th 2013

Just a little reminder of what will be going on at AboutBeverages.com for the week of May 12th - May 18th 2013.  We have had several great weeks of excellent beers at the tasting table and we feel there is no need to stop now.  It will hopefully continue on Wednesday with a "Give It A Shot" featuring the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection Stony Brook Red.  There are four different barrel aged beers in this collection all using their Kosmic Mother Funk.  We're not sure if they just want people to swear inadvertently or if that actually has some meaning.  Either way you'll find out on Wednesday.  Make sure you're following us on twitter for all of our other beverage tastings and info.  Click the link here to get to our twitter page.  Also, don't forget to check out our channel on youtube and if you go to our website from your mobile phone you can also get our app!

If you haven't, take a moment to sign up for our email subscription.  Get all the latest articles and podcast information delivered right to your inbox.  If you have any questions or ideas for things we should try, send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

Keith & Andrew

P.S.  Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there and a special I Love You to our Mom!

Give It A Shot - Dogfish Head Noble Rot

Should we be drinking anything, let alone a premium beer if the word rot is in the title?  The answer is apparently yes as long as part of that same label contains the words Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales.  Thinking not only out of the box or out of the keg as it were, is what makes them very unique in the craft industry.  That uniqueness is what brings the world of wine into our beer today.  Noble Rot is not only the name of the beer, but also a term used to describe a grey fungus (Botrytis cinerea) that can either destroy grape crops or when picked at just the right time can produce a very concentrated sweeter wine.  The beer we are having today uses unfermented juice (or must) from viognier grapes and pinot gris must.  Join us at the tasting table today as we pour this most interesting saison.  If you have any ideas for future episodes of "Give It A Shot" or just have a question, you can always send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

You may click on the media player to listen directly on our website, right click the link below to download and listen to it later, or subscribe to us and never miss an episode. Enjoy!

Link Lounge

Here are the links to the things we talked about during the podcast.

Tasting Notes - Dogfish Head Noble Rot

Right click to download podcast

And the big announcement is....

Your humble AboutBeverages.com co-founders (Andrew & Keith) are now writing monthly articles for Tucson Happenings Magazine!  The first article had to be about something very near to our hearts and of course our palates.  So we chose bourbon!  The magazines is on newstands now.  Please grab a copy and not only learn about some new bourbons, but also what's going on this month in the Old Pueblo.

We would like to thank all of the people who watch us on the site or follow us on twitter or any of the other numerous places (Untappd, Facebook, YouTube, Pintrest etc.) we can be found talking about any and all beverages.  Also a special thanks to David Francis for asking to be a part of this wonderful new local publication.

Keith & Andrew

What's on tap for the week of May 5th - May 11th 2013

Just a little reminder of what will be going on at AboutBeverages.com for the week of May 5th - May 11th 2013.  This week we have a special announcement on Monday which will finally pull back the curtain and reveal the secret project we have been working on.  Then on Wednesday we will have the latest limited release from Dogfish called Noble Rot.  Described on their site as a "saison-esque science project" that uses grape must (unfermented juice) at around 50% of fermentable sugars to help create a wine complexity and a light tang on the finish.  Should be very interesting as always.  Make sure you're following us on twitter for all of our other beverage tastings and info.  Click the link here to get to our twitter page.  Also, don't forget to check out our channel on youtube and if you go to our website from your mobile phone you can also get our app!

If you haven't, take a moment to sign up for our email subscription.  Get all the latest articles and podcast information delivered right to your inbox.  If you have any questions or ideas for things we should try, send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

Keith & Andrew

Give It A Shot - Stone Brewing Enjoy By 05.17.13 IPA

Holy hops Batman!  That's exactly what you might here either of us yell on today's show as we taste the Stone Brewing Enjoy By 05.17.13 IPA.  This beer is hopped every which way you can with seven different types of hops.  In addition to that a clever bit of marketing lets the name of the beer tell the rest of the story.  Enjoy By the date emblazoned on the bottle or you will begin to miss out on the hop character contained within.  We were lucky enough to get our hands on a couple of bottles of the 02.15.13 back in January and it was quite delicious.  Needless to say our expectations are high for this one as well.  Join us at the tasting table as we open a bottle before time has run out.  If you have any ideas for future episodes of "Give It A Shot" or just have a question, you can always send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

You may click on the media player to listen directly on our website, right click the link below to download and listen to it later, or subscribe to us and never miss an episode. Enjoy!

Link Lounge

Here are the links to the things we talked about during the podcast.

Tasting Notes - Stone Brewing Enjoy By 05.17.13 IPA

Right click to download podcast

What's on tap for the week of April 28th - May 4th 2013

Just a little reminder of what will be going on at AboutBeverages.com for the week of April 28th - May 4th 2013.  This is an exciting week for fans of sometimes hard to find limited release beers!  This Wednesday for our "Give It A Shot" we will be drinking the Stone Brewing Enjoy By 05.17.13 IPA.  This beer is loaded up with hops and made not to last.  Does that mean it's going bad?  No, it just means that as everyday passes the hop character will slowly begin to fade.  Hence the name Enjoy By.  These are not meant to be cellared of kept hanging around, but consumed immediately.  This Wednesday that's exactly what we'll do.  Make sure you're following us on twitter for all of our other beverage tastings and info.  Click the link here to get to our twitter page.  Also, don't forget to check out our channel on youtube and if you go to our website from your mobile phone you can also get our app!

If you haven't, take a moment to sign up for our email subscription.  Get all the latest articles and podcast information delivered right to your inbox.  If you have any questions or ideas for things we should try, send us an email to AboutBeverages@q.com.

Keith & Andrew