Beer Wednesday: Solace by Firestone Walker

There is a new seasonal beer out from Firestone Walker called Solace. Firestone Walker is the maker of my favorite pale ale, their Pale 31. I was excited to see that the Solace is another light style, which they describe as a hefeweizen-saison fusion of styles.

Beer Wednesday: 50 Best Beers in America

Rather than a beer review this week, I am passing along a link from MP (who was not bold enough to post this himself) about the 50 Best Beers in America as named by the American Homebrewers Association. Or maybe as named by readers of Zymurgy, the AHA's magazine. Not quite sure. (Fun etymology fact - Zymurgy is named after zymology, which means the process of fermentation and frequently is used as a fancy term for the study/process of beer-making. Class dismissed.)

Keep in mind that people who brew their own beer about as hardcore as beer aficionados get, so it is not too surprising that the list is dominated by IPAs and Imperial Stouts, the extreme manifestations of their respective styles. Pliny the Elder by Russian River, which we tasted in the FIWK IPA Tasting, came out on top. There are lots of beers on here that I haven't had before, so I'm very excited to try to work through this list.


(pictured: #2 finisher Two Hearted Ale by Bell's)

Anything on here that you would personally rate higher? Any beers listed that you want to go find now?

Chocolate Wednesday - Chocolate Palette by Trader Joe's

I might be stretching the 'Wet Wednesday' template a bit for this one, but my chocolate review is in the same spirit as a beer review or anything else. If you are the type of person who likes tasting and experiencing new flavors to expand your palette, and you like chocolate, then I strongly recommend Trader Joe's Chocolate Palette.

Beer Wednesday: Mother's Milk Stout by Keegan Ales

While in New York recently, I tried a local beer from Hudson Valley-based brewer Keegan Ales. I usually prefer to try local brewers when I'm somewhere new, and I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed Keegan's Mother's Milk Stout.

Beer Wednesday: Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale by Cigar City

I have long been intrigued by Cigar City Brewing, based in Tampa, but their beers don't make it to me in Los Angeles. On a recent trip to New York I was finally able to try their Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale and I was very impressed.

Beer Wednesday: Vrienden by New Belgium and Allagash

New Belgium Brewing has a line of beers called "Lips of Faith" which involves a variety of creative beer styles that have a funky or sour element. They are often brewed with brettanomyces, a type of yeast that results in "wild ales" - beers like Flanders red ales that have a sour flavor, for example, or fruit-beer lambics. Lips of Faith usually tames the wild side of the funk and will balance it with other interesting flavors. That is what they've done with their new beer Vrienden, which is a collaboration with Allagash.

Beer Wednesday: Koko Brown by Kona Brewing

My take on Kona Brewing's Koko Brown is very short: Kona took the smooth, rich character of their Pipeline Porter and added in some well-balanced coconut flavor. Delicious. Boom.



I'll also point out that the beer has 5.5% ABV and apparently costs $7.50 for a 6-pack at Bev Mo. I had it on tap so I'm not sure if it's quite as smooth out of the bottle. I am a giant fan of this beer, it is perfect for my particular palate. If you like a slightly sweet ale in the nut brown style, and you like the flavor of coconut, I strongly recommend this beer.

For longer, better-articulated opinions of this beer, you can also read some good reviews about Koko Brown at The Full Pint, Slash Food, Beer and Whiskey Bros, and The Daily Pull.

Beer Wednesday: My Bloody Valentine by AleSmith

Since we like to be topical here at FIWK, Wet Wednesday this week is dedicated to a Valentine's day themed beer: My Bloody Valentine, a red ale by San Diego-based brewery AleSmith. I had this beer on tap at a bar in San Diego, and it was delicious.

Beer Wednesday: Rigor Mortis by Dieu de Ciel

I recently had the Rigor Mortis by Brasserie Dieu de Ciel, a French Canadian brewery, and immediately loved it. Any reader who recalls my affinity for smooth and delicious darker beers will not be surprised - Rigor Mortis is one of the smoothest and most delicious strong amber ales I've ever had. It's instantly one of my favorite beers.

Wet Wednesday: Robitussin

Wet Wednesday this week is brought to you by Robitussin. Turns out I've had bronchitis for about a week now, it's no fun. So I've been drinking a lot of the stuff.



Robitussin does not taste good, let me tell you. Its viscous, sticky consistency coats the mouth and requires chasing from water and snacks to go away. The bright pink color lets you know you're in for trouble right away - I don't want to stereotype here, but bright pink liquids don't have a great flavor track record. The taste is like if melted down cotton candy had been left to ferment in a rusty, molded bronze jar. It has kind of helped my cough though.

Beer Wednesday: Palo Santo Marron by Dogfish Head

I like Dogfish Head because they are not afraid to take chances and brew interesting, unique beers. Their Palo Santo Marron is a great example. This beer is very strong (12% ABV) and is described as a "malt beverage" on the bottle. It was apparently brewed in tanks made out of South American Palo santo wood, which I had never heard of before. Regardless of the wood type, using wood barrels to add flavor to fermented drinks is a time-tested tradition in wine making (oak is popular) and has caught on in brewing also.

Beer Wednesday: Chicory Stout by Dogfish Head

I had another review queued up for today, but then I drank the Chicory Stout by Dogfish Head two nights ago and decided I had to review it immediately. I am a big fan - apparently more so than most people.

Wine Wednesday: Alamos Malbec vs Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec

Malbec is a wine varietal I really like. It tends to be flavorful but easy to drink and is generally a good value in the states - you can find a lot for $20 or less that are pretty good. I also went to Argentina last year, which is the premiere Malbec growing region in the world currently, and became familiar with a lot of the names of the producers. In the US, Malbec is currently becoming very popular according to our old pal Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV.

With that in mind, I tried two Malbecs from BevMo recently and had a pretty good experience: the Alamos Malbec '09 which was $9.99 at BevMo and the Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec '08 which was $12.99 at BevMo.

Wet Wednesday: Variety is the spice of life

I saw something glorious on Sunday...but before I get to it, you need a little history. As I mentioned in my own personal history of beer, the first step to liking beer came in the form of Pyramid Hefeweizen. That bottle was my "monkey using tools" moment. It was my small step. The natural progression was to Widmer Hefeweizen and other wheat beers. I slowly began trying new beers and styles. A few friends and I went to Hooters and on the server's suggestion a buddy and I ordered a Sam Adams Boston Lager and a Sam Adams Summer Ale. She set the Summer Ale down in front of me and the Boston Lager down in front of my buddy. We each took a sip, then passed the beers across the table so that we could each try both beers. He never gave the Summer Ale back.

Beer Wednesday: Bourbon County by Goose Island

I had the Bourbon County Stout by Goose Island a while back, and it was intense. But it was a good intense. At the time I could barely drink more than half my glass. Then I found myself thinking back and pondering it for the next week or so. Which I take as a good sign.



Here are my quick notes from when I drank it:

Insanely dark (pitch black), smells like car oil; super alcoholic (bourbon) at first, transitions nicely, has a vanilla extract and coffee bean finish

If that sounds heavy and complex, it really is. The car oil smell reallyyy put me off at first, and the super alcoholic first impression backed that up. But it moves into such interesting flavors on the palate, and it is so viscous, that I couldn't help but be intrigued.

This beer is extremely well-rated at both ratebeer and Beer Advocate, which makes sense because it's their kind of heavy beer. It is 13% ABV and I don't know the cost because I didn't buy it, my buddy did. I do recommend it to heavy beer fans, but only to them.

Beer Wednesday: Bitter American by 21st Amendment

While in Napa last week we visited a fantastic bar-restaurant in downtown Napa called Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ. (Quick aside: this place was awesome. The bbq was amazingly delicious, they had wine tastings, and they had a solid beer list. And it had a cool ambiance. Wish there were a bar like that near me.) One beer we tried was the Bitter American by 21st Amendment Brewery, based out of San Francisco. It caught me off guard because it was very good, which I was not expecting.

Wet Wednesday: Developing your palate

Sutter Home White Zinfandel is delicious. It's cheap, tastes good, it's wine, it's alcoholic. It is very easy to drink. It's a little sweet, but very light. It can go with a meal or you can drink a glass by itself. A single glass can get a lightweight tipsy, while an experienced drinker could probably polish off a bottle him or herself.

Cabernet Sauvignon is difficult to drink. There is such a wide variety that you never know how your bottle is going to taste. It is often the most expensive wine on the menu, so if you get it wrong, you have a bad taste in your mouth AND you spent a lot of money in the process. And even if you do get the right bottle, there are many people who just don't like cabernet sauvignon.

So why is a cabernet sauvignon a good wine and a white zinfandel a bad wine?

Beer Wednesday: Hoptopia by Hermitage Brewing Co

Back with another review for Wet Wednesday. This is another tag team gchat review by Aaron and myself, just like the Le Freak review. I should warn that we are serious windbags who talk about extraneous subjects in this particular review. If the format does or doesn't do it for you I'd like to hear about it.

This week we tried Hoptopia by Hermitage Brewing Co. It is labeled as a double IPA, but as you will see below we questioned that style name. It is 8% ABV and costs $3.49 for a 22oz bottle at BevMo!, which is a pretty good price.


(photo courtesy of Aaron)

Beer Wednesday: Cuvee van de Keizer blue by Gouden Carolus

The Cuvee van de Keizer Blauw (blue) by Gouden Carolus is a big beer. I mean BIG. Not dark like a big imperial stout, but big in the sense that it's got a very heavy mouth feel, it's thick and viscous, and it's super sweet and rich. It was described to me as a quadrupel, but since I don't know exactly what that means I'm going with the description I see online of a "belgian strong dark ale."

Beer Wednesday: Norwegian Wood by Haandbryggeriet and Morke Pumpernickel Porter by Beer Here

Scandinavian beer reviewin' time! The inimitable Wally's Wine (& beer) in West LA stocked these beers recently, so I had the chance to try them. Norweigan Wood is by Haandbryggeriet (Hand Brewery, I'm told) in Norway, and the Morke Pumpernickel Porter is by Beer Here located in Copenhagen, Denmark (or maybe in Norway... different sites have conflicting info). I've never had a Scandinavian beer before that I can remember, but these two are a great place to start. First up - Norwegian Wood. And yes, I chuckle every time I say the name.