Oktoberfest

Matt went to Germany and brought me this:

1L can + glass. Pretty sweet, right?

Yum.

Nice to have good neighbors.

Ugandan Brews

In Uganda, we have beer. It's all cheap and light and most 20 oz. bottles (the only size) cost about $1- $1.50. None of it is great, but it's readily available and sometimes cold. There aren't too many choices, but I've found my warm and cold favorites. 

Not pictured here, but also available in my village and throughout Uganda:

• Nile Special- I don't like it much, but it seems to be a hit with foreigners. The brewery is located on the Nile near Jinja, but I've heard that a brewery tour will turn you off from ever drinking a Nile again.
• Senator- a local favorite. I've only had it warm and when there's nothing else to choose from and I think it always tastes skunked and very metallic. The story goes that 'Senator' was created when President Obama became a Senator in 2004 (his father was Kenyan).
• Eagle- I was a fan at first. It has the highest abv (although still comes in under 6% I think), giving you the biggest 'bang for your buck.' In the beginning, I even though I could taste the hops. But now, every time I have one, I'm really disappointed. It just tastes like sweet water with a metallic aftertaste.

Tusker Lager, my cold favorite. It's light and refreshing after a hot day in the equatorial sun... and I like the label. Brewed in Kenya. The slogan, 'Bia Yangu, Nchi Yangu,' means, 'My beer, my country' in Swahili.

Tusker Malt, also from Kenya. It's the only 'local' beer that comes in a 12 oz. bottle but has the price tag of a 20 oz. bottle. Not bad, but I like the lager better.

Bell is a local favorite. My counterpart goes to 'Ring the Bell' during soccer games. I believe it's the oldest beer in Uganda, dating back to 1950.  It's a bit sweet for me, but I'll have one on occasion.

My favorite beer when there's no refrigeration, and more readily available than Tusker Lager, is 'Club.' It's quickly becoming my favorite. There isn't a lot of flavor, but it's a pleasant crisp lager that's really drinkable on a hot day. Best enjoyed on the shores of Lake Victoria, as pictured above :)

And we're back!

Breaking the beer-posting inertia.

Behold this masterpiece, it awaits you all.

Just another day in the garage refrigerator....

Not to be out-classed!

Let me set the stage … on a recent vacation trip down south ...its early evening & I’m in a
South Carolina grocery store looking to pick up a six pack for the next few
nights while traveling & settling in. We’re in a rush, as we’re both looking forward to getting to our place to stay for the night. The grocery store has the usual chain store brews, but this one jumps out (maybe due to its prominently displayed “ON SALE” bright yellow price tag)? It’s a store brand called “PIG SWIG!” Adjacent was a brand called “PIG SWILL!” I’m being rushed to pick one so we can
finally get to our destination. Don’t know why, but I opted for the ‘Swig” rather than the “Swill” (Maybe I feared the sure ridicule from Debby if selecting to drink ‘swill’ and thought I could easier slide by with a ‘swig’? Anyway, the price was right for either one ($4.99) Regardless, Debby was quick to question me at the checkout counter, and I was really glad I didn’t select the “Swill!” We got back to our motel & I unleashed a bottle of “Swig.” It was pretty damn good! I started reading the label & learned it was made by a micro brewery called Thomas Creek Brewery, out of Greenville SC. (Check it out at http://www.thomascreekbeer.com/index.html)
and was marketed by Piggy Wiggly under their own brand name. Normally it’s labeled as the in house “Dockside Pilsner,”

I would agree with the description. So, do you think buying a bronze medal winner
beer in a world beer competition in a grocery store for $4.99 a six pack is
such a bad move? So in retrospect, my
only regrettable error was not being able to get past the name & not trying
the other relabeled store brand (Swill) for $4.99. I won’t make the same
mistake the next time I’m in a Piggly Wiggly down south! What's above is what to look for if you ever find yourself in a Piggly Wiggly!

Classy, Not Trashy

"Classy, Not Trashy, Beer Cocktail Recipes"
from Chowhound

The New Generation of Beer Cocktails

Mentioning the term beer cocktail still elicits skepticism from people, ranging from "Why would you waste a perfectly good beer?" to warnings about the folly of mixing beer and liquor. Nevertheless, bartenders at fashionable New York bars and restaurants like the Breslin and Death & Co are experimenting heavily with beer cocktails, and have even carved out dedicated sections of their menus for them.

The new generation of beer cocktails is interesting and complex, a far cry from "car bombs" and boilermakers, explains Shaher Misif, a bartender at Cantina in San Francisco. "[Now] it's an ingredient in cocktails, rather than just dropping a shot in your beer." In other words, beer is being used as a flavorful carbonated mixer.

Here are our favorite new beer cocktail recipes, perfectly suitable for tailgates, picnics, or barbecues.

Say what, American beer prices?

Appalling! When you get used to excellent beer for less than a dollar, it's a downer to see American level prices.

After spending time today in the czech Home Depot, hey what can we say, it feels so normal, Matt drove to a watering hole that sells beer to go. Stocking up before the playoffs this weekend was a necessity.

He sent me in alone, since I'd never been there before, and the kids were already happy in their car seats. I must admit, it was a fun store/brewpub. I picked out a handful of liter bottles, along with two 1-liter growlers to go. I didn't look at prices at all, because it's typically such a bargain! Well, each of my 1-liter growlers was 125CZK, or about $6.00. That's about $3.25/pint! Better than American bar prices I guess, but not by much. What's going on, Czech Republic? Is the local industry tuning into demand for specialized beer?

Takeaway: Visitors, get here fast, while the beer still cheap!

One other note, this is the same place that Anthony Bourdain visits on his 'No Reservations' show for the Czech Republic. For anyone who has seen that episode, it's where he eats a roasted pork knee, a local favorite.

Now back to the beer...

I'm sipping on the first of the two growlers. It's an IPA, "Jubiler", from a brewery in Moravia, in the southeastern part of the country. [Pivovar Vyskov] Once poured, it had only a slight head, less than acentimeter, although this might have been a consequence of sitting in the growler. (?) It's clear and dark golden, with a nice, but not overpowering hop aroma. The internet says the following - 'this beer is hopped 4x - including hopping in cold lager tank. 15.3 ° Hops used: Kazbek, Premiant, Cascade.' For all of that hopping, I would have expected a stronger hop presence. It's lacking the strong florals and pines that I want, but is still satisfying. The bitterness is there in a comfortable dose. I'd like a bit more carbonation, but I tend to like higher carbonation. On the whole, I'd definitely drink it again....but would I buy it? At such a premium to other good beers, even czech IPAs, I'm not sure that I would. I'd seek out the Czech 'Samari' IPA, for a few less crowns, any day.

Undo edits