I liked this when I tried it two years ago. It's a big (8.5%) lager aged on a bed of roasted cacao beans: kind of slick, eh? And two years ago, it was richly chocolatey. Now...not so much. It tasted thin, like skim chocolate milk; the richness I remembered was not there. The package is cool, like a little artillery shell (until you get the plastic nosecone off and see screw-top underneath, which looks kinda cheesey), but the beer just doesn't come up to standards. I'd like to know if things changed, or if I'm just remembering it differently in the glow of pleasure surrounding it when I had it in 2006: eating a fine meal with friends, enjoying good conversation.
Might crack open the cherry Celebrate this weekend.
13 comments:
Now is this a current release or something from the vault???
P.S. I opened my first hoembrew (irish stout)last night and it was very nice...my wife thought it would be bad, but she was duly impressed. Can't wait to get to the store to try my next batch.
Not really "the vault," but from the prior holiday season, yeah. I got it in November. Just didn't get to it.
Congratulations on the homebrew!
So, I can likely assume that it isn't going to be something I can find..I'm sorry I should have asked straight out.
We thought the packaging looked more perverse than you described, seeming more like an over-sized sex toy, but we had to give the beer a shot anyway. Looking forward to reading about your cherry experience.
Lew, Bill brings up an interesting point. Who is this for?
Rick,
Not sure what you mean, "Who is this for?" It's a beer I got. It was for sale in stores. I got it out and drank it, and wrote up a tasting note. I was a bit behind the seasonal with it, and I am guilty of that sometimes. But like I said...I'm not sure what you mean.
As for what the package looked like, I did my history master's thesis on coast artillery; military stuff has always been an interest of mine, and I worked (as a civilian) for the Dept. of the Army for four years. We see what we know, I guess!
Lew...they apparently brewed two batches, one in mid-summer which went out to distributors for sampling and the real one later on. I too really liked it at the GABF and again around Christmas. Almost too much chocolate. I'll see if I can find some and try it again and let you know. william brand, www.beernewsletter.com/blog
Oh. My bad, thought it was sent out or something. I've not seen it on any shelves out west. I was mainly wondering if it was something being marketed to a wine audience, or to be sold in 'upscale' accounts - whatever that means. The coloring on the package and it's shape seemed to be breaking away from 'beer' in presentation, and like 'they' say, beer is the new wine. Right? Anyway, probably didn't clear anything up there. Sorry.
As for seeing what we know. Well, I guess there's not much to add.
MA in military history eh? Live in the philly subarbs. Write about beer. I gotta say Lew, I like your career path. Got an MA in history myself, grew up in the burbs, now, just need to get a kick ass beer blog going.
Sly,
Well, the MA's actually in "research methods." Then I found a thesis advisor who was as interested in heavy artillery as I was...and out came the thesis. I got my Library Science master's, and worked at the Armor Library at Knox, the Test & Experimentation Command library at Ft. Ord (before they sold it off), and then wound up at Walter Reed (that was to move home). I was looking at two positions that just had me drooling, one at the Nimitz Library at USNA, the other at the Naval Historical Center at the Washington Navy Yard...when I fell in love with my wife, who lived in Connecticut. And that was it for any pro involvement in military history. Nowadays I just read about it. Lot of good WWI books out lately.
Cheers!
Military history isn't quite my thing, but you'll be happy to know it's alive and well at Temple U. I'll most likely be starting an MLS program in the next year. I'm currently working as an archivist in Delaware. Any idea if there is a beer archive out there? Talk about a dream job...
Heavy artillery?
Couldn't get too much heavier than the stuff Gerald Bull tried to build and others he proposed.
got a good book on coastal fortfication in the US you'd probably like
Kiernan
K,
You've read Bullseye, I assume? That guy was an operator, and a little bit of a loonie. Brilliant ballistician, though. Hey, you hear anything about a new brewpub in Phelps?
Sly,
A-B has a beautiful large archive, and well-funded, too. Not just corporate history, either, American brewing history.
Lew
Haven't read bullseye but saw a special years ago about him and did some research on the internet. Brilliant guy, bit crazy though. Haven't heard anything about a brewpub in Phelps. BTW did you get that artwork I emailed too you a while back?
Kiernan
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