Aaaaaaaaaah! Happy sigh! It is SO good to be home! I just got back from a long weekend in the Vegas, selling art, gambling (and winning! I won a whole dollar!!!), and being smacked in the knees and face by large panels as the 50mph gusts lifted our tent into the air, then set it down on my toes.
I repeat: It was a LONG weekend.
On to the more important things in my life: beer tastings and serious, scientific research for my next brew. We recently got a Total Wine (an actual beer haven! SO many craft beer selections!) a few towns over, and brought back a beautiful bounty to try out.
For scientific research purposes only!
First came Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat. Verdict: Not for me... This had an artificial cherry scent, and tasted like Miller Lite. Actually, I only THINK it’s what Miller Lite tastes like, since I’ve never actually tried Miller Lite.
Next up: Samuel Smith Organic Cherry Ale. Verdict: LOVE! This had a nice, delicate, NATURAL cherry scent, and tasted more like a cider than an ale. I LOVE fruit beers, but I don’t want my brew to be quite as sweet, plus the entire brew process for a beer like this is highly complicated since you have to mix two separate brews that have fermented for different amounts of time with different yeasts, then add cherry juice. Yeah, way too complicated for my third brew… I will pick this up again when I’m hanging out with non-beer drinkers that I’m trying to convert!
Lastly: Raspberry Trail Ale by Marin Brewing. Verdict: LOVE the soft raspberry scent it gives off, “meh” on everything else. This beer was much too light for my liking. I like a beer with a little thicker mouthfeel and a richer flavor: this tasted like they’d added water to increase the volume. Not worth the price.
Overall, I think I’ve decided what my next brew will be, thanks to my tastings! I’ll wait to get all the logistics figured out and then announce it on my brew day! Woohoo!
I celebrated my awesome decision-making skills with a nice tall glass of intense Gulden Draak – Dizzy deliciousness!