Rainier Beer

In a can!

1/15 I'm throwin it down old school here, in a well attended party near Lake Union in Seattle. And I feel socially responsible about it, as all profits go to aid tsunami victims. Nothing beats socially responsible partying. Nothing. Well, maybe socially responsible sex...

So I'm drunk enough to review a Rainier Beer in a 16 oz can. I had one already, but I wasn't feeling the funk yet.

Lemme check, yeah, there it is. Funk thy name is Ethanol. (Advanced technique is acid, George Clinton style, but I have not achieved that level yet.)

So my sources tell me there is a Save Rainier Beer campaign, which is about 5 years too late, as the brewery has already been sold to Pabst. The campaign provided this party with copious quantities of beer at nominal cost (free), but I'm only telling you what I heard.

Which brings us to the question of the evening: "Should we save Rainier Beer?"

*pchah* tok.

Well, it tastes like beer... so yes, absolutely. I'm for ethnic diversity as well as beerthnic diversity. This tastes like beer, so therefore it deserves our support.

I suppose the more immediate question, as unless I miss my guess, the goal of Save Rainier Beer is to make Rainier the PBR of Seattle. Fuckin followers, can't handle not being the first to think of having a beer for hipsters. Nah, just playing.

It may taste better than PBR. Maybe. But does that really matter? No. So, if I were Julius Caesar, my thumb would be... *up*.

WDTB? Seattle hipsters who wish to distance themselves from Portland hipsters. People who con the Save Rainier Beer people out of beer.

WSDTB? People with good con game. People still fixated on Nirvana.

Rating: 5.0/10

Arrogant Bastard

12/9/04 I'm at the County Cork with Portland Taiko.

I've got myself a pint of Arrogant Bastard on tap, brewed by Stone Brewing Co. They really are arrogant, but that has little to do with the beer.

There is a very strong hop nose, yet this beer is very smooth, even with all the hops. The finish is where the hops come through and is a little bitter a the very end, but it does not detract much from the beer.

This beer is much smoother than you would expect from a beer with so much hops. The malt is perfectly balanced, slightly sweet through the middle.

Overall this beer is very well balanced, nice and complex, repeat drinkability is high.

WDTB? Arrogant Bastards*

WSDTB? People who like beer. Seriously, drink this beer.

9.3/10

*No, really this is rather unfortunate. A friend of mine just stated that he had never ordered this beer because he was afraid of being thought of as an arrogant bastard. But I guess if you let what other people think of you control your drinking habits you get what you deserve. Are you listening PBR drinkers?

Heartland I.P.A.

12/3/04 I'm in New York with my friend Mary, at the Heartland Chophouse brewpub. Their website is hard to navigate effectively, so although I am fairly certain I drank their I.P.A. I can find no record of it.

The supposed I.P.A. (it was an I.P.A., for sure, I just like to say that "supposed"), which I got on tap is fairly coppery in color. It didn't have much nose, mostly a hop note. It was rather crisp in the mouth, with a slight coppery tang in the finish. The mouthfeel is a little thin, even for a pale ale. The finish is slightly bitter and lingers a little overlong, but is nothing an accustomed I.P.A. drinker should be surprised at.

This beer is decent. I am not blown away, neither am I disgusted. It is simply a workmanlike I.P.A., slightly above average.

I did get a taste of Mary's oatmeal stout, which was rather nice, but not enough to review it. It was good enough to convince Mary that she didn't dislike beer, as she previously had thought, although I must say I tasted a lot of their beer to find one that I knew would change her mind. That is always a great trick at a pub, btw, to taste several beers before you choose. You get more beer that way, and you get to taste a lot. But it does necessitate tipping much better, otherwise you piss off your server, which is bad. Don't do that, especially if you intend to get mixed drinks later and don't want visene in them.

WDTB? I don't know, I just got to this city.

WSDTB? Hop heads. This is not an exceptional beer.

Rating: 7.8/10

Brooklyn Brown

Its 12/3, and I've moved to the Knitting Factory Tap Bar in New York to watch Get Him Eat Him, for whom my brother plays keyboards. I've got a Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Brown, which was on tap. Its nice, a little thin in the mouthfeel, but has a good sweet, malty start. The finish is nice and robust as well as fairly smooth, tapering quickly at the end. Most of the finish is at the back of the tongue.

This beer would be exceptional on nitro, as this is a rather mild beer and the carbonization tends to interfere with your appreciation of that.

The nose is a little sweet/malty, nothing exceptional, certainly not bad. The mouthfeel is a little thin at the start, but other than that quite nice. Overall this is a very nice brown, mellow, drinkable and complex enough to keep you interested.

Repeat drinkability is high.

WDTB? I don't know. I would guess it is fairly popular as the bartender recommended it too me when I asked him for a "good local beer."

WSDTB? People who like Newcastle, to which Brooklyn Brown is quite superior. Seriously. Buy American! Fuck Yeah! Nascar!

Rating: 8.1/10

Lagunitas Censored

7/31, at the Ship in Multnomah Village with Chris. I lost these reviews for a while, but here they are.

So I have a Lagunitas Censored from the tap. They describe it as a "rich copper ale", which seems pretty accurate.

This beer is quite robust, amber in color, and rather winey in the finish, which is not surprising because it has an ABV of 7.5%. There is a lot going on in this beer, as it is very complex. Overall it is well balanced, however it is also fairly directionless. The flavor is rather sweet overall, with good body, but the finish is a little cloying. There is not much to the start, and not much to the nose but sweetness. It might benefit from a bit more hops.

Chris says it smells like "strawberry fruit roll-ups that I had in my lunch in 2nd grade." Yes it really is that sweet.

Repeat drinkability is not that good, it is just too heavy and the cloying finish adds up pretty quick. Fine for one pint, though.

WDTB? Northern Californians.

WSDTB? People who enjoy hearty beer without a ton of hops.

Rating: 7.2/10

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

7/31 still at the Ship

Oooh, nice head. Drinking with Chris is always a pleasure, especially when he brings me a pint of Rogue Dead Guy Ale.

This beer has a very nice clean nose that is rather floral. This ale is quite sweet, but in a very nice way. The body is very full and is smooth and creamy. The mouthfeel is quite round, reminiscent of an oatmeal stout. Balanced against the smoothness is a pleasant crispness.

This was one of a very small number of good beers that I was able to get my hands on in Northfield, Minnesota, where I attended Carleton college. Needless to say it was a very welcome addition to the limited beer supply there, as this is a rare beer in its great balance, pleasant sweetness, but good complexity as well. It is very easy to drink, yet will keep you interested for a long time. This may be the perfect beer for pleasing anyone, from beer novice to beer aficionado. My only gripe is that it could use a little more hops, but that might detract from its populist appeal.

Repeat drinkability is moderate to high, as it is a little heavy for drinking lots and lots of.

WDTB? People who like beer.

WSDTB? People who want a complex and balanced beer, who don't particularly like hops. People who need to buy one beer to please many people.

Rating: 9.4/10