2 Beer Guys Blog

Welcome to the 2 Beer Guys Blog! Here, you will be able to read our stories and adventures as we travel through the world of craft beer.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish all faithful blog readers, craft beer lovers and the 2 beer guys and their familes and loved ones a wonderful Christmas. You are all in my heart. I'll have a beer for each of you today (that's alot of beer!). Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Are you ready for some hops?



Last night, Sean and I dug into the beer depository and pulled out five IPA's to review. In the midst of the Colts putting a beating on the Bengals, we worked our way through a very diverse lineup of IPA's, from very sweet to very bitter.

Visit us here and check out the reviews for Stoudts Double IPA, Founders Centennial IPA, Ithaca's Cascazilla, Sebago's Frye's Leap IPA, and Southern Tier's IPA.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Sixth Root Show at Barley Pub





On Saturday night, Amber, Ian, Kristin, and I ventured to the Barley Pub in Dover, NH. Paul, the lead singer of Sixth Root, rocked out the evening. To all 6th root fans, this was their last show until Sept 2007. They have plans to go into hiding and create a new CD. After the birth of their new cd, they will start touring again.

http://www.barleypub.com/

The barley pub is a mecca for craft beer enthuastics. Here is the current listing of beers on tap:

Moat Octoberfest
Leinenkugel Sunshine Wheat
Portsmouth Lager
Rogue Imperial Pilsner
Old Crusty Barley Wine
Sierra Big Foot Barleywine
Smuttynose 2004 Barleywine
Smuttynose 2004 Double Bock Smuttynose Robust Porter
Smutty IPA
Sierra Celebration Ale
Guiness
Farnum Hill Cider
Tucherman Alt
PBR

This is such an amazing list of beers. During the evening, they tapped a new keg that they had in their beer vault (note: this beer vault consists of 40+ kegs waiting to be enjoyed). This key just happened to be a dogfish head 60 minute IPA. Oh, I wish I had a vault of this sorts.

If you are in the neighborhood, you definitely should check out the Barley Pub.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The Tragedy of a Nice Beer Foam Head





Beer foam has a short existence. It is born, lives, and dies.

by Peter Keusch


This is a must read article / experiment about two Weizen glasses filled with beer and the inner surface of the top of the first glass is covered with fat. The weizen beer is poured gently down the side of the glasses tilted diagonally until a perfect head is created millimeters from the rim.

Note: The fat represents the usage of fatty based soaps to clean glasses and the residue that is left behind.

Results:

The foam head in the first glass is smaller than in the second glass. It collapses rapidly.

Click here

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Say it ain't so





Beer was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's clear from the Mayflower's log that the crew didn't want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer.

(Note: This brewtoid was found on Alaskan Brewery's website) http://www.alaskanbeer.com)

Tom, where's my beer :)





It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which eventually came to be known as the honeymoon.

(Note: This brewtoid was found on Alaskan Brewery's website) http://www.alaskanbeer.com)

Are you feeling bad today?





When searching for cool taps on line, Ian and I discovered an interesting green tap in the shape of a frog leg. This tap is from a company in Florida called Bad Frog.

http://www.badfrog.com/index2.html

They were merchandisers that transformed into brewers. Check out their website. Their tap handle rocks. I don't believe that they distribute in the north east. It appears that they have 3 different beer selections (which includes the first micro-brewed Malt Liquor).

Note to Lisa: If your sister is close to Saint Augustine, Florida, she could go visit.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

137-year-old brew tastes "absolutely amazing"





Today, when I was reading the article posted below, I thought to myself....

- If we created a beer today, would it last 137 years old?
- If we were on the special list to try this beer, would it taste good?
- This is an amazing find and very special beer to try, but how good can it really be?
- If I had bill gates money, do you think I could by a bottle of this beer?

Please read the article below and add your own questions to this blog.

Sean


London, Dec 11: A recently discovered cache of 1869 ale should have been undrinkable, but liquor and beer connoisseurs are claiming that the brew tastes "absolutely amazing".

The Victorian beer was part of a cache of 250 vintage bottles found in the vaults of Worthington's White Shield brewery in Burton-on-Trent. The bottles will not be sold and have yet to be valued.

According to The Telegraph, the 137-year-old ale has the flavor of raisins and sultanas, baked apple and honey.

The 1869 Ratcliff Ale is bright and luminous like an ancient Amontillado sherry and has a meaty character like smoked partridge with hints of molasses.

One of a handful of people to have tasted the 137-year-old beer is Mark Dorber, a beer connoisseur and publican at the award-winning White Horse in Parson's Green, London, who has the largest range of bottled beers in Britain.

"It's amazing that beers this antique can still taste so delicious," he said.

The Ratcliff ale commemorates the birth of Harry Ratcliff into the brewing family, which became part of the Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton Empire.

All the beers were bottle conditioned, which means they were allowed to develop and mature after they were corked, like a wine. They were also strong - around 10 per cent proof.

The high alcohol content, similar to barley wine, stopped them from deteriorating.

The beers will be recorked to preserve them and displayed at the Museum of Brewing at Coors Visitor Centre in Burton.

This article was postes on zeenews.com.

Monday, December 11, 2006

The Perils of Love

2 Beer Guys Blog
Lo, and there was a woman, Hildegard was her name and the Almighty up above hath so chosen to bequeath upon her the gift of brewing beer. Of the land of Flanders she was, renowned for its rich abundance in the heavenly delight. Such was her prowess that at her oh so tender age she was to wrest from the hops and yeast its most sought-after prize. So great was her gift that upon imbibing the fruit of her craft man, that simple yet charming beast, even forgot any mention of Hildegard's most pleasant qualities, and many there were.
In the fullness of time, Hildegard was summoned to a higher calling and she engaged into that bond that, once ordained by God, no mere mortal shall tear asunder.
'Bas', did we call the man to his face. 'Lucky bastard', when out of earshot he ventured. For, had he not scored a double whammy by taking the bloom of Flander's bounty as his, and a brewer to boot?

Aye, there was a match made in purgatory. For as Bas unlocked the stream of revenue and Hildegard gave Quadrium Samaranth to the world to commemmorate the occasion, was the writing not on the wall? Did we not see the inevitable materialise before us? When Hildegard, besotted by the madness of matrimony gave Bas her greatest prize, as well as her body, so did we lose a daughter, a wonderful maiden such as mere man, a clot, a nincompoop, a dummkopf is unworthy to call his own.

Thus it came to pass that Hildegard, beguiled by dreams of Avarice, moved the gift she so lovingly created to the land of bridge builders and cheese makers. An entire culture, a revelation, a blessing lost for all time to the greater glory of the bean counters and beer coaster designers.

As if this hurt was not already more than one person should have to endure in this, the brief span before the starless dark, the deadly poison so creepeth even further. We are to lose forever the joy of Novicius Vertum, no more will we rejoice in a flask of the divine Tonicum Finiboldhus, changed will be those mainstays of Hildegard's unfathomable genius: Hibernus Quentum a triple to shake the faith of better men and, let the taste of these words be like ash in your mouths: no longer will we rejoice in the superb pleasure of that master brew: the inimitable Quadrium Samaranth. That which once was born to celebrate a happy union is now victim to its consummation. Woe, woe, woe. Threefold woe as we lament the parting of this too-short lived glory. This legend that was to be will now lay buried next to Ozymandias' greatest works, there to be savored by no one.

Hildegard, that heart that was to be forever yours if no one else's is now forever torn. Why, child, what have I ever done to you?

Friday, December 08, 2006

Hazelnut Beer

I went to Strange Brew in Manchester last night before attending the Sinedown/Godsmack concert (yeah...that was an AMAZING show!). And, while I didn't do a formal review of the beer, I just had to note how amazing the Strange Brew hazelnut beer was. What a unique aroma and flavor. And so smooth. It was actually like having dessert. If you've never been, go to Strange Brew and this would be my reccommendation of what to try. Next time, I'm taking a review sheet and doing it properly!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Lessons with beer



Well, this one falls in the category of lesson learned. We can't preach enough about the importance of quality beer. Although the article states that the shooting was over a warm beer, I'm inclined to think it had more to do with the fact that it was a Stag beer.

Either way, let this be a lesson to you all. Beer is best served at the appropriate temperature, and should be of the highest quality.

Wife shoots man over warm beer

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Santa's Butt in the face of Democracy



Have a read of this story, found in the Hartford Courant. A British beer manufacturer has imported a winter beer to the U.S., and is receiving pushback from certain states regarding the label.

Our apologies

I would just like to apologize to all of our loyal readers for not having blogged in such a long time. Sean and I both have significant amounts of beer stories to tell, and we will indeed share them soon. Please stay tuned for more soon, and keep on fighting the fight; drink craft beer!