February In Review

February has been eventful and the past couple of days have actually knocked me off the blog for a bit. Only a few days but I was hoping to fill out everyday this month. Especially since I know May is pretty much not happening at all here. There are some moments I wanted to share, but I guess they will have to wait until March. So, for February, this is what I have done.



I did some Macro Beer Tasting and that was pretty exciting. I mean, who was not making fun of the new Superbowl beer for the ages, Black Crown.

While I was working on that one I finally found everything I needed to do a side by side that I was waiting to do for a very long time, Budweiser vs New Albion. Ever since I heard this beer was being rereleased, I actually knew about the history for years now, I have been wanting to do this.

Though, there was so much misinformation and talk that kind of drove me to the edge and made me go on My Little Rant.



But that is enough about all that. There is a New NC Brewery opening up and I was the first!!!!! I think the official opening date is now set in stone and The Raleigh Brewing Company will be open on March 9th.

I know a few notable beers off of my 1001 list, Sexual Chocolate made heads roll and I went on even more about my New Belgium Obsession.

I had a lot of fun being interviewed by The Cellar Monk this month as well. You should check that out here, A Man In Brewniform.

Top 5 Beers This Month



Dirty Bastard
Hoegaarden
Hop Wallop
Monks Cafe
Ruthless Rye


Look out for a few fun reviews at the beginning of March!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Hoegaarden

Beer Number 40: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden Hoegaarden

Happy V-Allen-Tines Day to ME!!! I have had Hoegaarden before but never has it been so exciting. It came with a surprise this year! A cupcake baked and frosted with this beer!



Crazy, right? How could one do such a thing? Very simply, I guess. Take a look here. I had the easy job. Eating and drinking this delight. What more could I ask for? The frosting is thick, creamy, buttery, with a nice orange flavor. No spice just a lot of sweetness. The interesting thing about the frosting is that it is actually double layered.

There is a second frosting underneath the big layer on top. That one is very rich and marshmallow centered. You can tell the difference because it is really light and fluffy by comparison. There is a bit of the orange flavors in there, too, but not as distinct. Apparently there was no beer in this layer, so it must have stolen flavors from its surroundings.

The cake itself is very bready, citrusy, some spice and thick. The cake cuts down on the sweetness from the frosting a lot. All together this is one pretty awesome cupcake and I even got 13 of them! What number could be better than 13?!?!

Doing A Fancy Pour from L Allen Huerta on Vimeo.

I thought I would be all fancy like and post a video of me looking like a bad ass and pouring this beer like a champ... but that totally FAILED! I still decided to post it, but it came out nothing like I had planned. I have done this before. I have just never had success with a wheat beer... maybe that is the problem. 

Hoegaarden is produced from a sixty/forty mix of barley malt and unmalted wheat. The hops are unspecified, with the major flavoring coming from the mix of coriander and bitter orange peel that is added to the copper. Some critics say that the beer is not the classic it once was. Its place in beer history, however, cannot be denied.

Who-Gar-Den pours a pale, hazy straw color with a fluffy white head. Nice rise of carbonation in the glass and a spicy, clove, earthy, citrus scents on the nose. There is a lot going on just in the nose. High level of carbonation, the cloves and spice really hit you but they sooth out and go down easily. Juicy, fruity, grainy, a bit watery at the front and the end. Sharp orange flavors in the finish.

Another damn good beer. I am glad I was introduced to this a few years back and I love that it is in this book. Not saying I would not have tried it again, but I feel that it is very deserving and I don't drink a lot in this style, so who knows when it would have been.

961 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!