More Notes

January 17, 2009

My tasting notes from last Sunday’s insanity read like Hunter S. Thompson’s scribblings on a napkin: “Malty. Sweet. Tastes like lemon Pledge. Bats! Bats! Fire my attorney.” When I turn to the little notebook the next day, it smells of spilled beer and blood. Well, no blood. But such would be the Thompson style.

These days I’m waiting to blow holiday gifts at BottleTrek. There are about three-four “new arrivals” I would like to buy with this holiday cheer, but I’m hoping for a few more to make those gift certificates stretch. And I’m wondering where to get Captain Lawrence Nor Easter. The place I bought it from last year is not showing any for sale. Another place the Beersage altered the community to is a bit high in its price. Something has to give. My wife is pressuring me. Winter will end one day. And I think it might have been the best winter ale I’ve ever had. I’d be much obliged if some reader (readers? here?) from the New York area would point me to someone who ships this beauty. Or better yet, send me what you can find. I’d be happy to reciprocate with some local fares or my chocolate raspberry ice cream recipe that was a hit a week ago. I’ll even throw in how I made the sliders and rolls last night. Or I’ll ship the lot to you. No guarantees on ice cream shipping, though. And meat may taste different after a few days in a FedEx van.

Until then, a few more notes – these from last night. I finally got around to opening my De Proef/Allagash Signature collaboration, Le Deux Brasseurs. The bottle opened with a big whiff of yeast. Lots of yeast. Lots of wild yeast. The wort must have been left out in a field for a week. This beer was still alive!  My wife turned her nose to it and said no thanks. There is a subtle victory in that moment your partner does not want the beer, and you are left with it all alone. Subtle, because you yearn to share but you also bask for a second or too in selfish gluttony. The moment is subtle. Subtle pleasure. I experienced that moment. Then I forgot about that moment and drank my bomber.

A final fancy-shmancy beer note: Along with that funky, wild taste that I adore, I got a lot of sweetness and fruit. A nice mix of the two dominant tastes that prevail among many beers.

No pic. Imagine what the bottle looked like. Or Google it. Reader’s choice.

Posted in beer