Now that's what I call a stiff drink!

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, after reading this story about a British brewery that has created a 7.5% ABV IPA laced with Viagra, of all things—because after 3 IPAs, you'll probably need a little help in that department, if you catch my drift. Read on to learn about Pfizer's new chewable Viagra, to appeal to people who are unable to swallow. (Yes, I'm sure there's a joke in there as well, but we're taking the high road).

Yes, January IS a good time to brew beer!

Wow!

Matt is right in that there seems to have been a drought of posts here on the blog since the New Year. I wish there was some monumental excuse or event I could blame the lack of keeping all four of you informed on the happenings in the world of beer, but alas it is not the case. Just plan laziness on my part. Although, on the up side, even though our posts have been anemic, our beer consumption (especially new beers!) has been quite healthy.

So much to write about, where to begin? I guess the most important is to let you all know Matt and I are brewing Monday MLK day. Yes, we know it is January, and that this winter in K.C. has been on the slightly frigid side but we are willing to brave the cold all in the name of brewing great beer (and perhaps the greater driving force, in desperate need of re-stocking our homebrew fridge). We are getting back to our homebrew roots by brewing our Inaugural Belgian Ale - the first beer brewed by M&B. An excellent example of the Belgian style using an authentic Belgian Ale yeast strain and the use of candied sugar to boost the alcohol. Slightly less heavy than a true Belgian double, but a good tasting session beer. Our two other beers will be from the same base grain bill but will turn into two distinctly different beers, one will use a Belgain Saison yeast strain the other our first ever lager - a Czech Pilsner. Both should be quite tasty and Matt and I are very excited at the opportunity to stretch our brewing skills with the Pils!

As I noted earlier, Matt and I have been busy expanding our beer tasting horizons over the Holiday break. Mostly with Lagunitas Brewing Company offerings, all quite tasty (and becoming one of our favorite brewers). We also made a nice little pilgrimage to Freestate Brewery down the road in Lawrence sampling many of their fine brews. If you have the chance to get over there, right now they have Cape of Good Hope IPA on tap - absolutely phenomenal!

Of course being the New Year, we all have new resolutions that we are rapidly breaking. Hoever, one I hope to maintain is to be a little more faithful in posting to the blog. So keep tuned for all things beer!

Cheers!

-Ben

Saturday night's all right (for reviewing six day-old craft beers)

So, we're both sitting at my house, waiting for our dutiful wives to cook dinner for us, beers in hand, and Ben says to me, he says, "We should review these." So I says "Good idea! Give me a beer!" So here goes:

I (Matt) and Robyn and friends visited Free State Brewery in Lawrence last weekend. Ben couldn't attend, though he was there in spirit, and his growler was there in reality, so I returned with two, count 'em, two full growlers. After an interminable 6 days in the fridge, we are now able to enjoy an evening of libation. I can attest that these have lost a little something since they were filled; the aroma has subsided a bit, the hops are more subdued, but still, the beer held up well. We just had a sidebar discussion with the wives, discussing the merits of our a bromance built on beer, and now we're ready to review:

Santa's Helper: Described as a "Belgian IPA," it falls a bit short of being a true IPA, lacking the necessary hoppy nose and bitter finish. Belgian yeast is very much apparent—fruity, citrusy, dry. An interesting take, not the most memorable; very malty and would be improved with more hop character. (I say it was hoppier a week ago, but it is what it is.)

Vortex Red: A red that is actually hoppier than the IPA, not too hoppy, but with more nutty bitterness. A lovely red color. Slight astringent bitterness at the finish, perhaps a bit too sweet for a red, but good with white chili and beer bread, so good enough. My decision to buy it was based on a good experience with Lagunitas' Imperial Red a few weeks back.

We've had better at Free State, but I chalk some of that up to the time it sat in the fridge—the nose was greatly diminished. I think we prefer the Red to the Belgian IPA, but in any case, this makes us want to get back to Free State to compare our experience to the fresh stuff on tap.

Incidentally, we are tenatively planning to brew on Monday, December 28. Our potential lineup has changed; we are now considering our Belgian Ale (with a Mexican twist, courtesy of Dr. Todd Martin), our take on a Saison, and our first ever lager, an M&B Pils. Watch this space, or follow us on our web site for full details. We will probably be inviting guests to serve as assistant brewers, so if you're interested in braving the cold, keep it in mind. Happy holidays!

The "Why Haven't I Tried This Before" Beer Review

I was downtown in KC last week, sitting at the impressively-endowed (with beer) Flying Saucer in the P&L district, trying to decide which of their dozens of beers on-tap I wanted to try—I was (as is so often the case) in the mood for something hoppy, and the gal behind the bar suggested a Bell's Two Hearted Ale. I thought, I've never had a Two Hearted, and I've always wanted to—why have I overlooked this for so long? I ordered one up and didn't suffer a moment's remorse—hoppy, crisp, perfect for Fall in KC. Check out Bell's story: they started in Kalamazoo, MI in 1985 with a 15-gallon stock pot! I can see into my future…

San Antonio's Freetail Brewing Company

My bro-in-law David had said if possible, we should visit Freetail, a nearby brewpub. The requisite amount of wheedling and complaining made this happen, as the wife and sister practically insisted we get out of their hair for a few hours. So we headed down to the road to the Freetail Brewing Company, a modest-sized place but very nice--one wall slides up like a garage door to open entirely, so you can look out over a huge area, a quarry or something. The weather was great, and the beer selection was awesome: a few different varieties of IPA, a brown, a standard pale, a Belgian Wit, a saison—in all, probably a dozen or more, but only 3 that appear to be year-rounders. Most of the beers there seem to be made in small batches and sold until they're gone. I enjoyed the Hop Brutality IPA and it was okay; the Hopasaurus Rex was better, and the Hopothesis (available for the first time that day) at an insane 12.5% ABV and 125 IBU was ambrosia.

The service was spotty, and the brewmaster seemed a little too cool for school, for some reason. That said, the beer was awesome, the pizza was very good and the atmosphere was ideal. Thanks to David for taking me, and to anyone, check out Freetail when you're in San Antonio!

More Texas Craft Beers

As I'd hoped, the need to feed my family happily coincided with an opportunity to sample more Texas beers. I visited the awesome Gabriel's Liquor Superstore on Blanco Rd. and received excellent advice from the resident beer aficionado; after recommending Real Ale (which I'd tried the day before) and Shiner (meh), he suggested I try either Houston-based Saint Arnold or Austin-based Independence Brewing Company. Not knowing when I'd be in Texas again, I did the responsible thing and picked up six of each.

I started with the Saint Arnold Elissa IPA, and I had high hopes. I was decently satisfied—only Cascade hops are used, and the body was malty enough, but there was a slight metallic tang at the finish that didn't thrill me. Maybe my expectations were too high, because it wasn't a bad beer at all.

That said, my expectations were suitably dampened enough that I found the Independence Pale Ale to be a delightful session beer, dry-hopped with Cascade and Saaz hops to provide a subtle hoppiness—it is, after all, a pale, less hoppy than my standard go-to faves Odell 5-Barrel Pale Ale or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but a nice effort nonetheless. I look forward to sampling more of Independence Brewing Company's offerings (especially their seasonal Stash IPA, hopped FIVE TIMES. Ay caramba!) in the future.