Liquid Distilled Happiness in a Bottle. New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

The beer so classy it has to be photographed on the stairs!

This are really two sides to this particular beverage. On one hand, it might be the greatest thing I've ever put in my mouth. Just pure liquid deliciousness. On the other hand, it really doesn't possess any of the traits of a beer so I can't call it the greatest beer ever but I can call it ridiculously tasty and amazing.

Very low, only a 4.0 on the drinkenscale, so it's definitely not going to get you drunk unless you drink a whole lot of it. You might want to after the first sip though. 

WAIT! Before you sip, you should smell! This stuff smells like a cherry blasted heaven has been forcibly shoved into my nose hole. I never want to stop smelling it...but I had to...so I could drink it.

There is one flavor that stands out more than anything...CHERRY. This is a cherry drink with hope and malt and other beer stuff. The other beer stuff must lend to the flavor but it does it in the background because the only thing that really stands out is the cherry. However, it is not cloyingly sweet or overly sour. The other ingredients are damn near impossible to pick out but they work together to create this amazing drink. Hell, even my wife liked it! and she hates beer!

As a beer blog, I should judge this as a beer...but it's hard! It doesn't have any of the qualities that beer usually possesses but it's so damn good otherwise. I'm saying this is probably the best drink ever but I could never call it the best BEER.

If you are in Wisconsin and have the opportunity to get your hands on a bottle of Wisconsin Belgian Red you better! If you don't, I'll find out!

The Chronpickles of Making Beer Pickles

Making beer pickles is something I've been thinking about doing for awhile now and today...I've finally done it.

First, let's take a look at the ingredients.

Ignore the Pepto Bismol, spaghetti, dirty dishes, medicine, and cleaning wipes...

Can't make pickles without cucumbers. Unless you're making really weird pickles.

Look at the dill! It looks DILLicious!

I decided I was going to make 4 batches, each one based off of 2 different recipes then add habanero to one of each of the recipes to kick it up a notch. The recipes weren't much different but one had me cooking the liquid and dissolving sugar into it where the other did not.

The MKE Hop Happy is what I decided to cook with. I combined the sugar, salt, beer, water, and vinegar and cooked it until the sugar dissolved. A very simple process. Then I added the dry ingredients to the jars.

Fresh dill, mustard seed, peppercorns, garlic cloves, kosher salt, and habanero for the spicy batch. The non-spicy batch was habanero free.

Bubble bubble toil and trouble...

Basically at this point I sliced cucumbers into a sort of spear-ish shape, added them to the dry ingredients and poured the liquid on top until the jars were full. 

Look at how pretty we are. Get lost in our eyes...

Then I took my other beer, which did not get cooked at all, and followed a very similar procedure: garlic, habanero(in one)salt, mustard seed, peppercorn, etc...

Terrible picture but a pretty damn good beer.

I've had the Beyond the Pale from Steven's Pointa few times and I knew it was a good hoppy beer so I'm hoping it makes good beer pickles

That was pretty much it, a really simple procedure. Took maybe 20 minutes and most of that time was cleaning up the giant mess I was making because I'm sloppy. 

As for the taste...I'll let you know after they've sat for at least 48 hours...*WINKY FACE EMOTICON*

Soon...they will be in my belly.

A Plastic 40 and a Dream

I've been meaning to grab a big ol 40oz of something cheap and review it for the blog. It's been way too long since I last updated so I figured this would be the perfect way to get back on track. I present to you...A 40OZ OF OLDE ENGLISH MALT LIQUOR!

First things, I was very disappointed in the shatter proof plastic bottle, I wanted to feel the heft of a glass bottle wrapped in brown paper in my hands. Also, I wanted that metallic sound upon opening the cap but that was taken from me by the plastic. Therefore this beer scores very low in the look and sound department.

Next, I poured some out for my homies lost in the struggle because it just seemed right to me.

You can tell I'm hardcore because I have a Dave Matthews tattoo

Then, I drank some...it wasn't the worst beer I've ever had. It definitely wasn't good, but you know, I didn't hate it. I wouldn't go out and buy another one anytime soon but I'd rather drink this than a bud light or miller ultra or bud select 55.

I started in my dining room but soon realized a 40 should be properly enjoyed on a stoop. With no stoop to be found, I settled on my deck.

Got my damn rap face on in this picture. 

Olde English 800 Malt Liquor comes in at a staggering 7.5 on the DRINKENSCALE. This is a beer designed for one purpose. To be cheap and to get you drunk. If I'm basing it entirely on it's sole purpose than this beer is a clear winner. If I factor in taste though, it loses a lot of points. Add in the disappointing plastic bottle and you're down in the bottom tier of beers. The experience though, sitting on your stoop(deck) drinking a 40 from a brown paper bag...that can't be replicated. Worth every second.

Six Pack O' Questions with Blacklist Brewing

This is going to be a regular feature of the Beer'd Baron and Blacklist Brewing is the lucky first brewery to get featured. I've not had the chance to sample many of their beers but they are one of my favorite small breweries based on the little bit I have had.

I emailed with Brian Schanzenbach one of the BIG WIGS at Blacklist Brewery and asked him a SIX PACK O' QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite beer not brewed by you?

My favorite beer not brewed by me is almost impossible to decide on just one…but most memorable might be the first Ayinger Hefeweizen I had at a little restaurant outside of Munich.

2. Where did your brewery get their name?

We based our name Blacklist from the stories of sour beer producers being blacklisted from even entering other breweries from fear that they might contaminate the breweries with “wild yeast” and bacteria. Although we have not released many “sour” beers into the public we plan to go that direction in the future. I’m sure you know “sour” beers properly made take a long time. 

3. What is the worst beer you've ever brewed?

The worst beer I have ever brewed. Haha one time back in my home brewer days I made a beer for a Lord of The Rings marathon party. It was a beer with star anise, lemon peel substituting hops. Lets just say I have good friends because we still drank it. 

4. What are three yearly events you do not miss?

Three yearly events I do not miss…

1. Schanzenblast ( This year will be year 13. Its a party of close friends that                           involves beer, camping, campfire, and a little more beer. )

2. Oktoberfest in some form and location…. I can’t resist slapping on some                       lederhosen!

3. My birthday. I seem to keep getting older so I know I don’t miss it.

5. What is the best beer you've had in the last month?

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis! Sometimes the simple things well done get me the most excited!

6. Weather is sunny and you're hanging with friends - What's in the keg?

It doesn’t matter whats in the keg if its sunny and I’m hanging with my friends but probably something refreshing like a good pils or hefe.

Some great answers from a great brewer. I've only had the privilege of drinking a couple of their beers and they were both excellent. I intend on definitely trying as many as I can. If you see Blacklist Brewing beers in your local beer store, you better snatch one up and enjoy it. 

 Keep an eye out for the next 6 Pack O' Questions with another brewer. If you have a suggestion for a brewer you'd like me to try and get ahold of, leave it in the comments.

The Beer'd Baron Visits: Big Axe Brewing

Finally, a Gastropub near me! I was extremely excited to visit Big Axe Brewing last night and sample their selection of beer.

Ugh...I need a better camera.

That's supposed to be a picture of the beer menu but it didn't come out too particularly well...They have 5 beers on tap and no clever names for them. Amber Ale, IPA, Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, American Wheat, and a Red Ale.

I had a flight so I could try them all and I was relatively impressed. None of them stood out as being amazing but they were all good beers. The Chocolate Oatmeal Stout was definitely lacking chocolate...to the point that I tasted none but it was still good. If they just called it a stout I wouldn't have been disappointed at all but since they called it a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout I was looking for chocolate that just wasn't there.

The IPA was the best beer but that's not really a surprise coming from me. I love IPA's. Big Axe's is definitely a good one. Nice citrus flavors, good hops, just a good overall IPA.

The Red, the Amber, and the Wheat were all good with the Red standing out the most. Good flavors, good hops, good beer.

I'll definitely return in the future. The food was good but I'm not going to get into that since this isn't a food blog but I will say I had a tasty cheeseburger. 

I'll be going back in the future and writing more in depth about each of their beers individually but for now I'll just say that I was satisfied.

CHEERS!

Avery Brewing Maharaja Imperial IPA

Avery Brewing Co. is another brewer I completely new too but if this is an indication of their quality, then you can say that I'm a fan. To be fair, I'm a fan of IPA and this is a IMPERIAL IPA or an IIPA. I I CAPTAIN! 102 IBU? Yes please. I would like all of the IBU's to dance on my taste buds. 10.2 on the Drinkenscale? WHOA!  But it's just so drinkable! I wouldn't have guessed this was a 10,2 and I'm still having a hard time believing it. Are you lying to me AVERY BREWING COMPANY? Is your label a farce?!?!?

I love me an IPA, all of the bitterness and the citrus and the smell..nothing smells better than a good IPA and this is a good smelling IPA.

If it has a flaw it's that it really is another IPA but to me,..that's not really a flaw. The Maharaja doesn't really bring anything new to IPAs but I don't care because it does what it does so well.

Strange Brew Breakfast Grapefruit IPA

This beer surprised me. I don't like grapefruit. In fact, I think it's just awful. That being said, I have enjoyed a grapefruit radler in the past, most notably the Schell Shocked from August Schell Brewing This is an IPA made with grapefruit and when I poured it, I could smell the grapefruit and I got nervous. The radler works because the grapefruit doesn't really stand out. This IPA is the opposite...it works because the grapefruit takes center stage. Give me a glass of grapefruit juice and I'll punch you right in the mouth. But for some reason, when you mix that flavor with beer, I suddenly like it. This grapefruit IPA comes from Strange Brewing Company out of Denver, CO. It's the first beer I've ever had from them and it puts up a strong showing. There is citrus coming out of the wazoo with this beer and I love it. The grapefruit works quite well. I think I would like this more with a different citrus fruit but I like this as is. 7.0 on the drinkenscale and pretty light so it's an easy drinker though the 65 IBU, which I think is enhanced a little by the grapefruit, might turn off some drinkers. If you get nervous about a beer over 50 IBU this might still be a good beer for you because some of the bitterness is coming from the grapefruit and it's not the same as a high IBU IPA. I will definitely drink this again given the opportunity.