New Logo!

I guess I can call it new, I mean it is, but there wasn't one that preceded it. Who knows, there might never be another new logo. So, that being the case, I introduce to you the reader, BeerIdiot.com's Old Logo! New Logo! Logo!™ So why did I create a logo for a site that has ten readers a day? Well, because I hope to have more than that eventually and it looks cool. So there!

Also, I have a link to some sweet ass apparel designed by me. I put this stuff up because I needed to post something. I made a promise that I would post stuff this past week and I didn't. I have been very busy on getting my college application together (I never graduated), and just haven't had time for the site. I am headed to the beach this week and headed to Georgia after that so maybe around the 1st of August I can start again.

If you would like to see more regular posts on this site, please feel free to leave a comment letting me know, but it might happen only if I can get more writers. I will try to respond quickly.

Thank you for visiting and keep checking the site weekly!

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Butterbeer

Harry Potter arrived in theaters Friday and while that has absolutely nothing to do with beer, I thought I should mention what I read on Slashfood. In the books and in the movies, there has been mention of butter beer. While butter beer isn't exactly brewed, someone probably has a theory on how it would be made if it were real, which is what Slashfood has posted. Ladies and gentlemen, Butter(scotch) beer:

Madame Rosmerta's Butterbeer
(recipe adapted from Mugglenet.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
1/2 cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
1/2 tablespoon butter
Directions: Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated. Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit. Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses.

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MicroBrew Review and Why Dale's Pale Ale is So Important

This week I received an email from David James who runs the Microbrew Review. David posts a new review about once a week. His reviews are insightful and in depth. He reminded me that I had never posted a review about Dale's Pale Ale (shame on me) and so now that I have posted my review, here is his to compliment. Also check out David's blogs listed at the bottom of the review!

Just recently, I went out and took a wild stab at trying Dale's Pale Ale which is proudly produced by Oskar Blues Brewery out of Lyons, Colorado.

Being a huge fan of pale ales and India Pale Ales in particular, I was more than a little skeptical of this hop offering. Afterall, it's packaged in an aluminum can. Nothing good can come of that, right? That's what I've always thought since I branched off of the macro-brew trail long ago and moved on to bigger, better things...all things microbrew that is. More after the jump!

Well, I was dead wrong. A good, solid microbrew does not have to ALWAYS come in a brown bottle. In fact, despite my predispositions, the whole "can" thing was what got me curious in the first place. No matter how bad I wanted to resist the marketing of this brewery and using the whole "microbrew in a can" gimmick, I gave in and purchased a mixed case (12 Dale's Pale Ale and 12 Old Chub Scottish Ales). Let me tell you what I found.

This pale ale didn't disappoint. Looking at the can design itself was not all that impressive. The silver, red, white and blue colors actually gave me a little bit of a reminder of the Pabst Blue Ribbon cans only with reverse proportionality of red to the Pabst blue. Kinda tacky design, but it's what's inside that counts here.

This ale poured an orange-auburn into a pint mug. If you like a bid head on your beer, you aren't going to get it here...about 1/4 inch lasting about 3 minutes before dissipating to nothing.
But the taste...aaaahhhh that's where it's at here. Close your eyes while sipping Dale's Pale Ale and you'd swear it was from a bottle. Being a hops nut, the bitterness/piney feel of this brew really hit the spot although the level of carbonation was just a bit less zingy than I like personally. It came across just a little flat. But don't let that deter you though. In fact, I think the whole "can gimmick" thing made me keep thinking it was less of a beer than it actually was. I think I'd mentally programmed my tastebuds to automatically deduct a point or two just because of the fact it was a microbrew out of an aluminum can. But upon second review, if I just closed my eyes and took a sip, I was able to realize this was far and away better than many microbrews I've tried from the bottle.

I can just picture myself throwing a case of dale's pale ale in back of my Ford Escape to take on a camping trip with some pals. When you put it all in perspective, if you like the taste of a fine microbrew over the boring lack of flavor in many of today's macro-brews, Dale's Pale Ale will give a fine reproduction of many of the finer micro pale ales in a fully portable and durable aluminum can. If Bud, Coors or Miller just isn't your thing and you need something more substantial in your beer, Dale's Pale Ale makes a fine option when you're heading outdoors for a camping trip, hunting lodge or tailgating at your favorite team's next game.

I found my case at a local brewery in Western Pennsylvania. Dale's Pale Ale is not something I've seen around much in this part of the country though, so if you're looking to try it out, the availability at your local establishment may vary. If you do get a chance though, I would recommend a try.

Giving this one 7.25 out of 10.00.

You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!
David James is Editor of The Microbrew Review Blog

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Dale's Pale Ale - Stephen's Review

Describing something as 'da bomb' tends to bring me back to days in grade school when I was all about things that were 'tha shit.' My Bazooka Joe T-Shirt might fall into this category because I had to eat a crap load of gum to get a shirt that I know no one else had. It's rare that a mature adult such as me (tongue -> cheek) would call something either of these terms but when I do it is with the utmost sincerity. It usually involves me feeling like a kid again. So it is really odd when I say I feel like a kid again drinking beer, but this one stands out above the rest. More after the jump!

As a regular pale ale, Dale's Pale Ale is better than average. It has a strong hoppiness without the bitterness (how in God's name does that happen?). This thing was formulated to drink like a Bud with the flavor of a craft brew. But what makes Dale's Pale Ale stand out above the rest and puts it in 'tha shit' category is... it's in a can! Fuckin Rock On! The geniuses at Oskar Blues Brewery thought it would be funny at first, convenient second, to package their beers in cans. After a little research, they realized that the stigma with canning beer is all but gone these days as taste isn't all that affected. This beer packs all the punch of the other crafty pale ales but you can take it to the lake, beach, funerals, etc.

Dale's is a bit hard to find as the grocer's aren't sure how to stock it. Some of them put it with the other cans so look between swill and Bud if you don't see it with the microbrews.

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Mistaken Identity - McSorley's Ale Review (Sort of)

Back in the day, before I had graduated grade school, and before microbrews had taken over the American beer market, there were beers that had a case of mistaken identity. One, for example, was Killian's Irish Red. Everyone's favorite Irish beer other than Guinness, was known as a slightly smokey Irish Red Lager,not ale as the original recipe calls for, that you could always count on when you didn't want a German beer. But wait a second, Killian's was made in Ireland right? Wrong! Coors brewed it based on an old recipe.

So today, I see a beer that sounds interesting: McSorley's Ale, "brewed with the Irish Spirit." Okay, so I understand that this flat out means it ain't brewed there but come on. On the packaging, it says New York, USA. On the bottle it says Wilkes-Barre, PA. So what's going on here? Well... McSorley's is an Ale House that has been in business in Manhattan since 1854. It has a wonderful storied history that was chronicled in 1943 by New Yorker Magazine writer Joseph Mitchell. McSorley's Beer Ale has been made since the inception of the 'Old Ale House,' as far as I could tell. More after the jump!

Now, the bar (kind of a tourist trap) still serves the brew but you can't really classify it as an American classic. It is, but unlike Budweiser or any of the famous American blue collar beers still brewed today, this thing has switched so many hands that I don't know what to call it (it's now brewed by Pabst). The beer is less Irish than it thinks it is. The taste is like a hoppier version of a cream ale. Thankfully, it isn't as creamy as Genny Cream, but that still doesn't necessarily save it. It used to be manufactured as McSorley's Cream Stock Ale, but is now simply know as McSorley's. I'm not exactly sure how a beer can become famous and recognized when the name on it doesn't refer to the brewer but the only bar that ever served the stuff.

Is it good? You bet! It has a bit of the macrophlegm that you get from cheaply produced beers like High Life and PBR, but it has much more depth in flavor than those. But they are session beers and this isn't.

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Where'd the Beer Session go?

So I came back on from spending time with family and friends on Monday and noticed that there was nothing posted on this blog about the July 4th Session. What the hell happened? Someone was supposed to post and yet - nothing! Well, I was unavailable to post due to some obligations that came up at the last minute. Hopefully, I will be able to get that up Monday. In the mean time, feel free to read the McSorley's post that should be up in the next thirty minutes or less.

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