and in the darkness bind them
Surly 16 Grit - Hoppy, delicious
Avery Maharaja - Hoppy, delicious
Lagunitas Correction Ale - Hoppy, delicious
Went to Bavarian Lodge, had a BBQ chicken sandwich...drank IPA's...it's insulting to have to go into details on them...you know the drill.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Are you ready to learn some next level shit!? From this moment on, you guys are no longer little kids… You’re cold, calculated, murderers.
Prepped some ribs the night before to make my first attempt at smoking in my Weber kettle. Turned out pretty edible but for the amount of effort it took to make a slab just for me, there's no way I'll ever do it again.
While part of the problem is the kettle not being specifically designed for smoking, it just takes too much effort and resources for one person. With a proper smoker I'll have to revisit.
Did make some amazing chicken though by marinating it overnight in Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porter, honey, jalapenos and onions. I've had the GLEFP on several occasions and most of the time it tastes like one of those beers you would grab at a party that someone put their cigarettes in, so I saved the remainder of a 6 pack to use for grilling/marinade purposes. It worked out well. Baked the chicken in the oven for 3hrs @ 200, with about 2 cups of the marinade in the pan, wrapped tight in foil. When they were done I browned them up on the grill for about an hour while I was stabilizing the coal temp for the ribs. It came out amazing...the meat refused to stay on the bones.
Stone Ruination IPA - #2 and 3 of a 3 bottle batch of these I bought last time I was in Indiana since Stone doesn't have distribution in Illinois. GREAT IPA...much better than the first bottle that may have just been old. Thse two were just like the previous bottle and drafts I had enjoyed in Vegas and MD. Enough hops and citrus flavor to burn your tongue right out. Yet very drinkable. Thing of beauty.
While part of the problem is the kettle not being specifically designed for smoking, it just takes too much effort and resources for one person. With a proper smoker I'll have to revisit.
Did make some amazing chicken though by marinating it overnight in Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porter, honey, jalapenos and onions. I've had the GLEFP on several occasions and most of the time it tastes like one of those beers you would grab at a party that someone put their cigarettes in, so I saved the remainder of a 6 pack to use for grilling/marinade purposes. It worked out well. Baked the chicken in the oven for 3hrs @ 200, with about 2 cups of the marinade in the pan, wrapped tight in foil. When they were done I browned them up on the grill for about an hour while I was stabilizing the coal temp for the ribs. It came out amazing...the meat refused to stay on the bones.
Stone Ruination IPA - #2 and 3 of a 3 bottle batch of these I bought last time I was in Indiana since Stone doesn't have distribution in Illinois. GREAT IPA...much better than the first bottle that may have just been old. Thse two were just like the previous bottle and drafts I had enjoyed in Vegas and MD. Enough hops and citrus flavor to burn your tongue right out. Yet very drinkable. Thing of beauty.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Can I wear the Scream mask…the mask from Scream…
Dreadnaught Imperial IPA - Had this bad boy many times at the Three Floyds tap house, always great....but...first time bottled, I'd have to say this is the single best beer I've ever had. Hopslam, we had a good run. Supremely delicious imperial IPA, hops, citrus, a bit of carmel malty goodliness. Crikey.
I’m a bulletproof tiger man!
Last night stopped at Rock Bottom Lombard to watch the Blackhawks game. Enjoyed the following fine brews:
Erik the Red Casked - A lot better than the last time I had it
Argus Brown Ale - Gorgeous little brown ale, nice warming and a hint of hops
Powerhouse Pale Ale - Always respectable American Pale Ale, me loves the hops.
Had some seared ahi that bordered on cooked fish but I didn't feel like a greaseball afterwards so that's good.
So close to getting my name on the keg of glory there...about to run out of space though...must get on the frist keg...second is unacceptable.
Erik the Red Casked - A lot better than the last time I had it
Argus Brown Ale - Gorgeous little brown ale, nice warming and a hint of hops
Powerhouse Pale Ale - Always respectable American Pale Ale, me loves the hops.
Had some seared ahi that bordered on cooked fish but I didn't feel like a greaseball afterwards so that's good.
So close to getting my name on the keg of glory there...about to run out of space though...must get on the frist keg...second is unacceptable.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless
Dark Lord '09 bottle #7 last night.
Hung the hell over. Working through it remembering my culinary highlights and low lights of the past week.
Last Weds went to Kuma's Corner.
Kuma's is the now "legendary" north side metal burger bar whose burgers are covered in ridiculous toppings and named after metal bands. I.e. the "Lair of the Minotaur" the "Pantera" etc etc. They have been spotlighted on diners, drive-ins and dives as well as some other local shows and have become so popular there's now an average dinner time wait of 2 hours.
For a burger.
LMAG and myself attempted to go there for dinner a while back and there was still a 2 hour wait at 8PM. We ended up going somewhere else, but gave it another try as we figured a Weds at 10 was probably one of the least crowded times we were ever going to be near it. Still a 30 minute wait, but we persevered.
I had the 'Swine Flu':
LMAG had the veggie 'Iron Maiden':
On the whole the food was good, definitely huge portions but the burger was the driest medium rare burger I think I've ever had. No idea how something could be that pink and that puck like at the same time.
Also had one of the worst tasting Alpha Kings I've ever had...something was definitely wrong with it.
In a nutshell, way over-hyped. Tons of people with beards mixing with clean cuts and identity crisis pin-up girl waitress types. If you're in the neighborhood and can actually get in the door....give it a try, but definitely not worth a special trip.
Saturday went to Firkin in Libertyville.
515 N. Milwaukee Ave
Libertyville, IL 60048
(847) 367-6168
Thanks to wiki, we know the following: a Firkin is an old English unit of volume...also, that it's equal to half a kilderkin. Yep, apparently that's a word.
Casks this size are the most common vessel for cask ale, a purists ale delivered through a beer engine (hand pump) without the aid of additional Nitro or CO2. Served at a higher temperature than standard beer/ale it can easily be dismissed as warm beer. In my opinion this style can be hit or miss, the more flavorful the beer the better it lends itself to this style. I've had some lighter styles like reds that basically tasted like a warm Killians, I've also had some stouts and brown ales that really shined.
In any case, both casked beers at Firkin were out, which seemed a bit odd being it's their namesake...but with 20 something other quality beers on tap, I couldn't complain.
Enjoyed a few (beer content):
Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA - Flavorful IPA, nice hoppy bite but pretty smooth at the same time. Not overly citrusy. Would drink again.
Bells Two Hearted Ale - Respectable IPA but I'm not really sold on this. It's definitely drinkable, but I've had this on draft and bottled and haven't really been impressed. Surprising since Bells Hopslam is pretty much my gold standard IPA.
Had some chips and guac for an appetizer and for dinner had a turkey pastrami sandwich (real hammer of a sandwich, stacked with turkey pastrami, bacon and cheese (yep, both food groups)). LMAG had a goat cheese salad thing, which began an unprecedented veggie devouring rampage for her over the weekend. Off the charts good on the food (though the guac was just average), would return for the grub alone...even w/o the beer list.
Hung the hell over. Working through it remembering my culinary highlights and low lights of the past week.
Last Weds went to Kuma's Corner.
2900 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 604-8769Kuma's is the now "legendary" north side metal burger bar whose burgers are covered in ridiculous toppings and named after metal bands. I.e. the "Lair of the Minotaur" the "Pantera" etc etc. They have been spotlighted on diners, drive-ins and dives as well as some other local shows and have become so popular there's now an average dinner time wait of 2 hours.
For a burger.
LMAG and myself attempted to go there for dinner a while back and there was still a 2 hour wait at 8PM. We ended up going somewhere else, but gave it another try as we figured a Weds at 10 was probably one of the least crowded times we were ever going to be near it. Still a 30 minute wait, but we persevered.
I had the 'Swine Flu':
LMAG had the veggie 'Iron Maiden':
On the whole the food was good, definitely huge portions but the burger was the driest medium rare burger I think I've ever had. No idea how something could be that pink and that puck like at the same time.
Also had one of the worst tasting Alpha Kings I've ever had...something was definitely wrong with it.
In a nutshell, way over-hyped. Tons of people with beards mixing with clean cuts and identity crisis pin-up girl waitress types. If you're in the neighborhood and can actually get in the door....give it a try, but definitely not worth a special trip.
Saturday went to Firkin in Libertyville.
515 N. Milwaukee Ave
Libertyville, IL 60048
(847) 367-6168
Thanks to wiki, we know the following: a Firkin is an old English unit of volume...also, that it's equal to half a kilderkin. Yep, apparently that's a word.
Casks this size are the most common vessel for cask ale, a purists ale delivered through a beer engine (hand pump) without the aid of additional Nitro or CO2. Served at a higher temperature than standard beer/ale it can easily be dismissed as warm beer. In my opinion this style can be hit or miss, the more flavorful the beer the better it lends itself to this style. I've had some lighter styles like reds that basically tasted like a warm Killians, I've also had some stouts and brown ales that really shined.
In any case, both casked beers at Firkin were out, which seemed a bit odd being it's their namesake...but with 20 something other quality beers on tap, I couldn't complain.
Enjoyed a few (beer content):
Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA - Flavorful IPA, nice hoppy bite but pretty smooth at the same time. Not overly citrusy. Would drink again.
Bells Two Hearted Ale - Respectable IPA but I'm not really sold on this. It's definitely drinkable, but I've had this on draft and bottled and haven't really been impressed. Surprising since Bells Hopslam is pretty much my gold standard IPA.
Had some chips and guac for an appetizer and for dinner had a turkey pastrami sandwich (real hammer of a sandwich, stacked with turkey pastrami, bacon and cheese (yep, both food groups)). LMAG had a goat cheese salad thing, which began an unprecedented veggie devouring rampage for her over the weekend. Off the charts good on the food (though the guac was just average), would return for the grub alone...even w/o the beer list.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
...you drink beer like a fucking dickhead.
People drinking Miller64 is about the most horrific carnie thing one should ever have to witness.
Dinner at Taphouse Grill in Westmont.
Taphouse Grill
Tap House Grill
6010 South Cass Avenue
Westmont, IL 60559
630-541-8840
Nice dinner place with 40 drafts. Nothing amazing, way too many comparable beer types to be above average...but it's close to home and has 40 beers on draft...I could do much worse right?
Stanley Cup playoff game going on and some wierd towny has TV control to watch a Cubs game. Pretty sure I saw early teenage boys making out in the bleechers. I'm not saying...I'm just saying. If anything more important sports-wise is going on than an early season Cubs game...I'm pretty sure only a Cubs fan would still be concerned with the ball game. Maybe I'm just bitter because the Sox games are completely unwatchable.
Had some apple brie flatbread thing for an appetizer, solid. Kind of desserty. Chicken bruscetta for dinner, basically grilled chicken and bruscetta style tomatos over mashed potatos...sounds wierd but it was obviously delicious. Enjoyed a couple of (beer content):
Rogue Dead Guy Ale - Solid as always, if this is the bottom of the barrel beer I'm happy. 6.5% ABV maibock.
Unibroue Maudite - Nice dark Belgian ale. 8.0% ABV, smooth and highly drinkable for the ABV.
Dinner at Taphouse Grill in Westmont.
Taphouse Grill
Tap House Grill
6010 South Cass Avenue
Westmont, IL 60559
630-541-8840
Nice dinner place with 40 drafts. Nothing amazing, way too many comparable beer types to be above average...but it's close to home and has 40 beers on draft...I could do much worse right?
Stanley Cup playoff game going on and some wierd towny has TV control to watch a Cubs game. Pretty sure I saw early teenage boys making out in the bleechers. I'm not saying...I'm just saying. If anything more important sports-wise is going on than an early season Cubs game...I'm pretty sure only a Cubs fan would still be concerned with the ball game. Maybe I'm just bitter because the Sox games are completely unwatchable.
Had some apple brie flatbread thing for an appetizer, solid. Kind of desserty. Chicken bruscetta for dinner, basically grilled chicken and bruscetta style tomatos over mashed potatos...sounds wierd but it was obviously delicious. Enjoyed a couple of (beer content):
Rogue Dead Guy Ale - Solid as always, if this is the bottom of the barrel beer I'm happy. 6.5% ABV maibock.
Unibroue Maudite - Nice dark Belgian ale. 8.0% ABV, smooth and highly drinkable for the ABV.
Making the necessary adjustments...
So my wife believes I have some pearls of wisdom worth imposing upon your fragile psyches. Maybe she's right...or maybe she just wants me to talk to someone else about beer and Insect Warfare.
I'm going to try and avoid this becoming the typical beer blog where I go into some over-descript self serving descriptions of the greatest beverage known to man...all while informing you of any events surrounding food you should be eating, beer you should be drinking, grindcore that kicks my ass and Kenny Powers.
I'm going to try and avoid this becoming the typical beer blog where I go into some over-descript self serving descriptions of the greatest beverage known to man...all while informing you of any events surrounding food you should be eating, beer you should be drinking, grindcore that kicks my ass and Kenny Powers.
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