You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Chris and Jason talk about all manner of things with the Mets baseball season being so very far away still, though not really that far away! How are the negotiations going? Yay for Keith Hernandez and his number getting retired.
Some coach talk, brief David Newhan talk, and Chris guesses three of the last four people to wear number 17. We meander into Kohler reviews, Girl Scout cookies, and even some NFL and NHL stuff? WEIRD!
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Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Chris, Jake and Jason talk about the end of the year while celebrating the Winter Solstice and dark beer. We spend a lot of time talking about Buck Showalter, and how good or not great he might be for the Mets, and what’s in store for us during this lockout.
We talk some holiday drinking, some Kris Bryant, and meander to some other topics as well.
Michael: Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops – Four Roses Small Batch
Chris: Captain Lawrence Fudgie The Whale
Jason: Buried Acorn Porter Hill Porter
Jake: La Cumbre Elevated IPA
Botty McBotface: El Baero Negro
And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.
Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
It’s the day with the least amount of sunlight, or as they say, the darkest day of the year. With apologies to the southern hemisphere, let’s talk about some of the darkest beers we should be drinking on this dark day.
I’ve mentioned Brooklyn Black Ops before, specifically in the solstice post from 2018, but it’s still an amazing beer. This year, Brooklyn has released Black Ops in 16oz cans, and a Four Roses Small Batch version, which is what I purchased. This beer is just superb all around. It’s smooth and rich and just freaking EXPLODING with flavor. Chocolate and some coffee and rich bourbon and roasty notes. It blows my mind how smooth it is too, beers that come in at 12.4% ABV usually burn a little, especially when they haven’t been aged. And this beer is dark for sure, but keep in mind that drinking 16oz of 12.4% beer is roughly equivalent to four Bud Lights.
Next up we have this fun beer from Tree House, Cafe Kola, that I purchased back in the summer when I was in Cape Cod. This is another rich imperial stout. Kola is Tree House’s coffee liqueur, which I have not tried, and this beer is meant as a complement to that. It is ALSO quite dark, though the ABV on this one is slightly lower at 10%, and comes in a 12oz bottle. There’s actual coffee in this one, so it gives it a lot more bitter/roast notes that just balance out everything else so nicely. Complex, chocolatey, delicious and not too sweet. I’d have welcomed another one of these.
Kilgore Stout is drinking an Empire State Brewing Black Magic Nitro Stout
We’ll be talking about the Darkest Beer for Darkest Days thing when we record the podcast tonight, so stay tuned for that. Will we compare it to the Mets Black Jerseys? Only time will tell.
SRM isn’t a great measurement, though it suffices for measuring how dark a beer is. One thing I like to do to assess is the next day, when I wash my dirty beer glass that had a dark beer in it, is to fill it up with water and see how dark the residue makes it. This Cafe Kola water is darker than many a beer.
Ceetar can be found onTwitter andUntappd where he’s probably baking too many cookies. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.
You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Chris and Jason talk about all the new Mets, how they all fit together, what else we need, and how this roster is constructed. Some CBA talk, some uniform numbers talk, and of course, beer.
The tweet I was referencing from Newburgh Brewing Company.
Michael: Magnify Brewing Do I Know You?
Chris: Singlecut Inexplicably Used Umlaut Marzen
Jason: Critz Farms Pig City Porter
Botty McBotface: 1.5L beers and O’Douls
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Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
I like wine well enough, but Thanksgiving should be more of a beer holiday, and I don’t mean downing eight beers with old friends the night before off dirty taps and watching the parade with a hangover. True story, I once went out to a local place with a great selection, had two beers and woke up absolutely miserable on Thanksgiving. It was in the early 2000s, and I blame dirty taps, even if I don’t have any proof.
So now that I’m “grown up” and hosting Thanksgiving and a little more in control of the menu and the beverage selection, what’s the plan? The crowd will still be pandemic-limited, so there won’t be that many drinkers at my house, which is a shame, but that’s not going to stop me.
Alementary Brewing releases a Thanksgiving beer, an English Barleywine called Figgy Pudding. It’s a beer aged on Turkish figs, Turkish apricots, and Medjool dates and then into Jamaican rum barrels. It’s a great rich and malty beer that pairs well with the season.
Another great drink is cider. Apple cider is already a delicious fall/harvest beverage, and it’s even better with booze. I recently purchased a pack of cider from Graft Cidery called Back Country Old Fashioned Cider, Citrus & Bourbon, and it’s quite delicious. It’s almost like a cocktail, because of the bourbon flavor, but the lemony citrus gives it enough acidity to not be overly sweet, and it just seems to go well with everything.
What, you might ask, is Botty McBotface, our resident AI, drinking for Thanksgiving?
“I’ll tell you what,” Botty said, “I’m gonna make a big batch of wine spritzer. I’m really excited about it. It’s gonna be great! I’ll put the wine in the blender, add some soda water, ice, and cranberry juice. That way, everybody can have a glass of wine.”
Sure. You could do wine. Spritzers seem like the way to go, give yourself a little carbonation to go with the big meal. I saw a fun recipe of Limoncello, cranberry juice, and seltzer, which I might give a whirl. Maybe even use prosecco instead of seltzer.
I personally like to drink Oktoberfests on Thanksgiving, because I feel like beyond that I start looking at all the stouts and dark rich Christmasy stuff, and if I have any Oktoberfest left they just linger in my fridge, despite being one of my more loved styles. Drink ‘em while you got ‘em, so to speak.
All in all, the best Thanksgiving drink is the one that’s in your hand, and if it hits the spot and pairs well with whatever you’re eating, all the better. So feel free to share your beer photos with us on Twitter or Instagram, and have a happy Thanksgiving!
Ceetar can be found onTwitter andUntappd where he’s currently making apple pie and drinking an Alementary Random Placement Of Things. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.
You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Jake and Jason yammer on about Noah Syndergaard signing with the Angels, and what we think about that, Billy Eppler, and some roster construction ideas.
We once against ponder why Edgardo Alfonzo is not being considered for manager.
Michael: Sierra Nevada Celebration
Jake: La Cumbre Malpais Stout
Jason: Empire Black Magic Nitro
Botty McBotface: Lighthouse Brewing Company’s Suicidal Bastard dark barley wine
Follow Us On Twitter: Jason, Michael,Chris, and Jake.
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Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
The name of the game is BeerSport – two beers enter, one beer leaves. Beersport.
I don’t we’re starting to cross into stout season, but imo Oktoberfests go right up until Thanksgiving, they’re a nice meaty supper beer. Anyway, These are the two _other_ beers from the Saranac Oktoberfest pack dual BeerSport I did.
This time It’s the 1888 Octoberfest facing off against the Black Forest Schwarzbier. The Octoberfest is billed as an ‘authentic German-style lager’, but comes in a little low at 5.4% and the Black Forest is named for the homeland of Saranac’s founder. 5.3%.
Preconceived notions on these is that I thought I’d had the Black Forest before and liked it, but actually that was the Black Forest Cake. I expect the Octoberfest, and apologies if I add a k to that–never trust an Octoberfest, to be pretty typical of the style.
Appearance
Octoberfest is a little darker than I’d like, and maybe has a little too much malt. Only a little bit of head. Looks fine.
Black Forest. It’s black? Just a hint of lighter/cola colors around the edge. Pretty coffee colored head.
Edge: Black Forest
Smell
Octoberfest: A malty smell with hint of some cherry perhaps. Whiff of sulfur. Smells a little sweeter than I expected.
Black Forest is very clean. Aroma is very light. Also get some sweetness, more than I expected. Sort of a dank sweetness, that fades into more of a light coffee note. Not fresh coffee, but just that impression you get when you walk into somewhere where coffee is frequently brewed, but is not actively being brewed.
Edge: Octoberfest
Taste
This is definitely a sweeter Octoberfest. Are all of Saranac’s sweet? This is fine, there’s not quite that sulfury/yeasty richness that usually cuts the Octoberfest malts here. It’s faint, but it needs more. It’s very drinkable though, and it definitely tastes better after you acclimate to the extra sweetness.
Black Forest. The black forest might be more drinkable though. Its got that light coffee note, maybe a hint of cola but it’s that sweetness playing with me perhaps. It’s light though, airy.
Edge:Black Forest
Mouthfeel
The Octoberfest has a little more of a beer feel, it’s a little fuller. The black forest is very airy, tickles your tongue and then moves along. They’re both basically the same 5.4 or 5.3 ABV, which is low for an Octoberfest.
Edge: Octoberfest
Overall
Neither of these are great beers, they’re good, but they’re forgetable. The Octoberfest just missing the mark, and is a little weak. The Schwarzbier is just lacking alittle bit overall in flavor. It just needs a little bit more there.
Winner: Octoberfest takes it home here, barely, with a more beer like experience.
Ceetar can be found onTwitter andUntappd where he’s currently on vacation in Mexico, sipping bad beer or tequila by the pool. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.
Well, it’s been so long since I actually sat down and tried to smith some words about drinking that I had to knock my head against a post just to remember my credentials.
Then it hit me. The password, that is, not the post. Plus also the post.
I’ve had a recent conversion, of sorts. Like that guy, on that road, except maybe less dramatically Biblically so.
It turns out that Covid made me one thirsty, alcohol-spongin son of a gun, and it was affecting my health.
I know what you’re saying, though. This is a beer blog (technically). About beer drank by beer loving beer guys. And these beverages are not technically beer, I am surmising, as the can calls it a “near beer” and an “N/A brew” but not a beer.
But now it’s time to put my own spin on this blog.
I’ve converted to an N/A devotee.
Not full time, mind you. I do still enjoy stopping by all of my favorite local haunts for a real deal beer (specifically Buried Acorn and Freight Yard, but others also).
But in terms of what’s in my fridge, nowadays, I am not exaggerating when I say that while there are a couple of Guinnesses and late season Oktoberfests in there, the primary occupants are thirty individual cans of Athletic Brewing self described “near beer.” I’ve even added a monthly subscription, so that I can get some of their other choices sent to me that are not carried at my local food jobber.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. There are all kinds of metaphors here to be made. Here are a few that have gone through my head.
Drinking an N/A beer is like watching a pornographic film where everyone keeps their underwear on.
Drinking an N/A beer is like eating a vegan hot dog covered in mustard powder.
Drinking an N/A beer is like taking a photo of a painting of a sunrise.
You get the idea. It’s a near experience.
But, ultimately, this is about flavor and drinkability. Being drunk is fantastic, do not get me wrong. There’s a reason I’ve been doing it since 1987. But, as I get older, I find that I really just want to enjoy a cold refreshing beverage, and in this regard, these Athletic Brewing beers hit the spot.
I’m going to start with their flagship brand, the “Run Wild” IPA. This one is found locally at Wegmans and is I believe their most popular product. It is, ITBMCBB*, “the ultimate sessionable IPA for craft beer lovers. Brewed with a blend of five Northwest hops, it has an approachable bitterness to balance the specialty malt body.” Did you get all that?
And it is delicious! It tastes, well, like an IPA. I won’t get all specific with hops and notes and mouthy feels and shit, because that’s not how I do things. But it’s good. I come home from a run and crack open one of these fellers and pour it into a glass and then I’m just another guy having a beer.
And that, my friends, is what it’s about.
Look for future reviews of the Athletic Brewing stout, hazy IPA, copper ale, and raspberry lime radler in upcoming weeks. I told you I’m all about this!
You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Chris and Jason yammer on about stuff. Mets managers, maybe Carlos Beltran? Maybe a re-animated corpse? Maybe a Twitter poll? What happened to Edgardo Alfonzo?
Should the Mets branch out and hire an exec that’s committed a different type of crime, you know, for variety? What’s a little arson between baseball teams?
Follow Us On Twitter: Jason, Michael,Chris, and Jake.
And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.
Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.
Michael, Chris and Jason yammer on about stuff. Jeremy Hefner is staying, are we okay with that? Why aren’t pitcher’s throwing more pitches for the Mets? When did Victor Zambrano get hurt, and why does the mob still control NJ Liquor laws.
Also some good pondering about a MLB franchise between Rochester and Syracuse?
Michael: Long Trail Harvest
Chris: Young Lion Go Low IPA
Jason: Founders All Day IPA
Botty McBotface: Cannery Pow Wow Wheat Ale
Follow Us On Twitter: Jason, Michael,Chris, and Jake.
And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.
Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.
