My mind is playing tricks on me...

A few years ago I had the great fortune of living in Bellingham, WA.  It is a truly beautiful and unique city and I can honestly say I enjoyed my time there.  I especially enjoyed dinner time!  Living within a very close proximity to work and where you shop has a number of benefits, chiefly among those was convenience.  I usually went grocery shopping every night due in large part to the two minute commute from my apartment to the local Haggen's.  Despite the supposed higher prices as Haggen's, I continued to shop there regularly for three very important reasons:

1.  They have an awesome produce section
2.  They have an awesome butcher shop
3.  They have an awesome selection of single beers

I would often pick up some simple vegetables, discounted prepared meat (like beef stuffed portabella mushrooms) and a good beer.  One of my favorite beers, or so I thought, was Belhaven Scottish Ale.  It seemed like it usually went well with everything, but perhaps that was the problem.  It goes great with everything but maybe it is terrible on it's own?

Last night I ordered a pint of Belhaven from Flying Saucer's in Charlotte, NC.  When Angela, our hostess/server/barmaid/wench/goddess for the evening brought the beverage over I immediately started salivating.  The frost upon the glass was adding a magical glow to the murky reddish-gold tones of this marvelous ale.  The head upon her was just right and everything seemed so perfect... the beer looked good too!

Now maybe it was because I haven't had a drop of alcohol in a couple months, maybe it was because I was hungry, maybe it was because of my fasting diet, or maybe it was emotional problems, I don't know what it was but the first sip wasn't as delightful as I had hoped.  for whatever reason I seemed to remember this beer being a bit less bitter, then again it is Scottish...  Anyhow, once my giant (and overly salted) pretzel showed up with fake cheese dip in tow I think things mellowed out a bit.  One refreshing consistency through it all was the finish.  Belhaven leaves a pleasing aftertaste behind that truly begs you to go in for another sip (gulp).  Now if memory serves me correct the other two drunks that author this blog had enlisted some sort of rating system... I think it was a 1 to 10 scale.  If that is the case, and avoiding the need for fractions of a point, I would rate Belhaven a solid 7 on it's own, but with a hearty meal I would take it up to an 8.

Was that a virtual tumbleweed that just blew by?

Those beer buster boys are a bunch of lazy, no-good-for-nothing bums. One is too busy lallygagging in the hot sun, while the other sharpens little pencils all day and dozes off hiding between books shelves. Meanwhile, there are dozens upon dozens of beer blogs littering the blog-o-sphere with half-witted commentary on bozo beverages. I'd write more, but I've got one Oranjeboom beer left in the fridge that needs my love and affection.

Since this is a beer blog, I suppose I should mention that Oranjeboom is a wonderfully tall 16oz can of light, high alcohol goodness that was going for $5.99 a six pack at Trader Joe's for a spell. Paco wishes he would have purchased Trader Joe's entire supply of Oranjeboom (which Paco affectionately pronounces "orange BOOM!"), but then I guess the expression "too much of a good thing" may apply to beer too. Other than Oranjeboom, Paco has been reduced to purchasing whatever is on sale, and has nearly given up on creative beer buying.

So, our one reader (and our biggest fan) needs to step up to the bar and make an effort to motivate that Erinn character into putting down his Cuban pork sandwich long enough to let us know what he's drinking while relaxing with sand between his toes. Hell, maybe he had a few unusual beers while skiing in Dubai that he can report on? If not, Paco is going to be forced to write a 1000 word dissertation on Bud Light. And as a smelly man dressed in jean overalls at the horse track once told me before throwing up into a half eaten bucket of pop corn, "never bet on Bud Light."

Lazy Boys

Has the beer blog lost steam already? Have Paco and Erinn been lying in a ditch since their last post? What happen with the the twenty beer bonanza? All question will be answered (maybe), but first, just a word to the wise (or the not so wise - considering the audience - yeah, man that means you, who else, you are the only one reading this damned blog), when you are reviewing beers, write everything down as you go. After the fourth or fifth beer, it gets really difficult to review anything. So, here's a rough translation of a beer soaked page of scribbled reviews:

Lazy Boy Beer is a beer brewed is Everett, Washington. We tried their IPA. Paco found it "refreshing and smooth. Like a warm summer day spent on the couch." This turned out to be one of Paco's favorites during a long night of drinking many, many rich beers. Erinn thought this beer was a bit "cold at the start, but warmed over time. Not the best beer, but..."

Next we have Balktika 6 Porter. Neither of us can remember where this beer came from, and we are too lazy to google it. This was the first in a long line of really, really sweet beers. Erinn had this to say:

"Tastes good with a hand full of nuts."

Paco found this beer "too god damned sweet. Undrinkable after a meal. May be good after running a marathon, but can't run a marathon to find out."

After barely getting to the bottom of this bottle of beer, Erinn elaborated on his review, saying Balktika was "one step away from being a beer in a box."

Next we have an East African beer called Tusker. Erinn found Tusker "clear and smooth. A light champagne beer without any skunkiness." Paco found Tusker "too sweet, too light, and too malty." After dumping a bunch of salt in it (a trick he learned somewhere in Mexico), and squeezing some lime in it, Paco's doctored Tusker became "almost good."

Ok, that's as much as we can decipher. Paco and Erinn are now writing and reviewing beers from opposite ends of the coast. Hopefully, this won't slow down the blog. I know our one reader is hanging on the edge of his seat...

Well, you've made it through the first beer post. Now, here's another. Our first post was so popular (two viewings!!!), that we've got more people involved in the review process. Just a reminder, we aren't here to review the whores of the beer world (i.e. the ones everyone have tasted), we are reviewing the oddball beers. We're not snobby about it or anything, we're just regular joes sucking down a few obscure brews and writing reviews. Hey, that rhymes. Here goes the next review, with help from our better halves:

Name of beer: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. A "celebrated old brewery Tadcaster."

After one sip, Erinn's better half began talking about "thinking about the future," leading Erinn to conclude that this is the philosopher of beers. Erinn says, this is a "creamy stout with a well rounded body (err... "well endowed") beer." Erinn has no intention of spilling any of this beer. Paco likes that his beer comes in a 1pt 2.7 oz bottle, and taste like "a drinkable dessert shared with a women of culture." This beer speaks with a strong British accent. This is definitely a "stout," and isn't for the weak of heart. Delicious.

Erinn's rating: 8.6, Paco: 8.7

What happens when you drink too much beer one evening? You get online and start your own beer blog.

The scene: A good friend (Erinn) flies cross country to visit Paco.
The scenario: Friend on opposite coast (Paco) promises a 20 beer selection upon arrival.
Conclusion: The Beer Blog!!

We will be reviewing different beers rating them on a scale of 1-10. Original? No, but effective, and really, really fun. Hold on, let's drink a little more. Oopss... Little bit of beer spilt on the ole' jeans. Here goes the very first beer review:

Name of Beer: Hoegaarden. It's a "Belgian White Beer," with a 4.9% alcohol content.

Erinn calls this a "light beginners beer" that tastes like it could be made in your own backyard. Paco thinks this beer is a bit "too wheaty, a little grassy, leaving the palette dry and thirsty.

Ratings: Erinn: 4
Paco: 3.5, but then found out it had a decent alcohol content and raised his rating to 4.