Indigo Imp

It has been a very long time since I have posted something on this blog. There have been a lot of Miller Lite and Guinness jammed in that period, but last night I had a new beer from a new brewing company in Cleveland - Indigo Imp.

I had a nice beer called the Jester. It is a pale ale fermented with a special blend of Belgian style yeast, has a pleasant clove and a banana flavor with a slight hop bitterness. It was great to try this new beer, and even better that such good stuff was coming out of a new brewery in Cleveland.

Ever since Crooked River folded, Great Lakes Brewing has dominated the Cleveland Craft brewing scene. It is true that Buckeye Beer puts out some decent beers, but nothing as complex and lovely like the Indigo Imp selections.

They have a small selection right now, but it will be nice to watch this brewery and see if they can grow their selection and locations.

Visiting the Guinness Factory

Did I mention that I was recently in Ireland. Dublin to be specific. I had a great time and drank as much Guinness as I could. Even better, I made a trip to the Guinness factory for the sixth time. I took a couple of photos from my trip that are posted on my photo blog.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Vat House sign at Guinness factory
• Reading with a Guinness
• Watching the musicians at the Cobblestone - who are drinking Guinness as well

Jealous. Well, you should be because the Guinness isn't quite as good in the United States. However, St. Patrick's Day is approaching the Guinness gets better and better as March 17th approaches. Go on - go out and have pint, you'll feel better. Remember, Guinness for Strength!

Ringing in the New Year

Well, 2008 is upon us. It seem like 2007 has gone by so quickly. I just wanted to take a few minutes to recap some great beer events from the past year.

March 13th - The day I started the blog. When we actually started to grow the World Tour Team.

March 22nd - Hitting the midway point in the tour.

May 13th - Finishing the Century of beers at Winking Lizard.

July 2nd - The First Annual Corn Hole Extravaganza

August 15th - Discovering Shipyard and Smutty Nose brewing on my trip to Down East

September 11th - Having my first try of Magic Hat #9 - which has become one of my favorite beers

November 11th - Learning how to pour a half and half from the Guinness experts

December 31st - Pouring my last half and half of the year before drinking a bottle of champagne with my sister-in-law at midnight.

Guinness Believer Event in Chicago

As I was cruising through all of the random emails I get every week, one caught my eye . . Guinness True Believer. I thought it was probably spam, but when it comes to Guinness, I am willing to take that risk.

I opened the email and it was an invitation to a Guinness event being held in several locations, none of which was my current hometown. As you know with the Irish, luck happens upon us from time to time. One of the events was in Chicago the weekend I was going to be there for business.

My co-worker and I made our way to the West Loop of Chicago. We started standing in line a couple of minutes early . . thank heavens because it was first come, first entry. I had no idea what to expect, the sign outside of the event didn't give any indication either.

We get into the venue after a few minutes in the windy Chicago evening (our event was at 9pm). When you get into the room, you take a token to the bar and great a freshly poured pint of Guinness. I was liking this event already. They told us we had until 9:40 when we would be asked to go to another room.

My co-worker and I moseyed up to the bar, waited in line for a bit and waited for the nice bar keeper to pour our pints. I was fevered with anticipation. Could there be a band inside? We had all kinds of theories.

Of course the reality was not as good as us imaging U2 was playing a super secret gig in Chicago and we were there to see it.

It was pretty cool. There was a Guinness pouring competition. Everyone learned how to pour a half and half. We got mini pint glasses and a half and half spoon. There were a few other things going on. Overall, it was definitely worth the trip and the experience.

It made me really long for Ireland. How much I miss the relaxing experience of sitting in a pub, reading a good book and having a few pints. Slainte!

Blended Guinness Drinks for All!

Well, it has felt like forever, but the team is getting together tonight. I am not sure about the status of all the members. It seems like summer is in full swing and everyone is being pulled in a million directions.

There are beers to be drank in a million other place. It seems like my intake of Miller Lite has increased dramatically. I did manage to have a Half and Half the other night. This sweet combination of Guinness and and Harp should not be confused for Black and Tan.

I had forgotten how refreshing the drink could be. Now as you might have read, I love the Guinness. However, in the summer, I just can't have more than one or two. A wee bit on the heavy side. I have to say, the Harp just makes the Guinness so snappy. It is a lovely experience.

So here is what I am thinking, a trend will continue with the blended Guinness drinks. I am hoping to have a black and gold. That is a local twist on the blended tradition. It takes the same theory of part Guinness and adds Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes Brewing Company. I am thinking it is going to be a combination to my liking.

I am just hoping the rain has gone away and we can sit outside and enjoy the great summer weather. I am hoping that when I say "It was pouring" everyone understands, I am talking about the beer.

Sierra Nevada Summer Time Sweetness

I happened to have an impromptu meeting with AneLyn on Sunday at the Winking Lizard. We happened to be meeting up on some top secret business we were doing.

First, it is important to note that she did add a beer to her world tour. She has also come up against the road block of the last dozen or so beers. There are beers that she has been avoiding throughout the tour - ones she has NO desire to drink. Well, the time has come. I suggested starting out with one or two really nasty ones at the start of each visit and just ending with her favorite beer - even if it is not on the tour.

Speaking of not on the tour, the beer of the month is Sierra Nevada's Summerfest. I had asked the waiter about the beer, and although he was very cute, he asked "Do you drink Miller Lite?" with a crappy little edge I didn't particularly like.

At any rate, I do drink Miller Lite. I also really like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (one of my first forays into pale ale). To be honest, my favorite beer style besides Guinness (see below) is India Pale Ale. I like the kickiness of it.

I had faith that the folks at Sierra Nevada Brewing would not let me down. Besides, you got a companion pilsner glass with the purchase. I decided to go for it. It was a great beer. It has the nice easy quality of a light beer, with kickiness of a pale ale. Sierra Nevada got it right. It was a Sunday afternoon in the sun beer if I ever had one.

The moral of this story, drink the Summerfest, and don't let cute waiters deter you.

SEE BELOW
Guinness - now I know you are thinking it is not a beer style because Guinness is a stout and that is beer style. Let all of us be honest. If you have ever been to Ireland and had a Guinness, you know that it is a category to itself.

You might be saying that you have had Guinness and the place that serves it takes a lot of pride and they serve a lot of Guinness. I am glad you are drinking the good stuff. However, anyone who has set foot in the Emerald Isle (even the British bit that is attached in the North) and put a pint of the black stuff to their lips can tell you.

Anything that rolls too far from St. James's Gate - well it is just an immigrant to that country - not a native.

The St. Paddy's Team Event

The WLWTOB Team has been on a bit of a hiatus this week. We had a meeting on Monday, although we were down a member, and there hasn't been much activity this week.

Today, we are brigging out the green and getting the community involved. Our boy is still not in town, but I think we will manage to struggle on without him.

Since I am half Irish, today's world tour meeting has me in a bit of a quandry. I want to keep working toward my goal of 100, but there is only one Irish beer our world tour list.

Maybe it doesn't seem odd to you, but No Guinness, No Smithwicks, No Harp. The Winking Lizard sells the dark stuff - why isn't it on the tour?

I guess we will have to soldier on an enjoy some other beers today. Luckily it is only the eve of St. Paddy's!