#791 and #792

Sometimes a nice evening is just what the doctor ordered.  Dinner and recreation were solo tonight.  Don't read that wrong way...

Dinner?  Those pheasant in my fridge.  Roll 'em around in italian bread crumbs and pan fry them with a bit of oil.  Zuchinni in the steamer with gobs of salt and pepper makes for a good, healthy side.  And how does one wash it all down?  With a beer, of course!

#791 was the Good Juju Ginger Ale from the Left Hand Brewing Company in Colorado.  All in all? Pretty fair.  Apparently, the ginger is added largely to replace the hops.  As you would expect, the beer was not very hoppy.  Crisp, refreshing and a nice gold/straw color, it went down  pretty well.  Unfortunately, the finsih was a bit funked out.  I am not sure what to make of that.  Since the hops can often be detected in the finish, it could be the ginger, but we will never know.  I could barely detect it anywhere, quite frankly.  Was this a bad brew?  No, not by any means. That said, I think Left Hand has better stuff.  3 out of 5.

Recreation?  On site at the Fort Street Brewery. Why on a Thursday?  Doug, the brewer, in his all knowing beer world, brews new beers in casks and taps 'em every Thursday night.  You really should get here now and then.  Never the same stuff here.  No door prize for me tonight.

The beer?  What is this rye doing in my coffee?  No, really - that is the name of the beer.  "What Is This Rye Doing In My Coffee?" is #792 and is certainly one of the more unsual beers I have had as of late.  As you might gather from the name, coffee is a key ingrediant.  While I can't say it is Bird Friendly (it should be!), I can say the coffee taste is quite strong.  You really smell it and get it on the finish. On the palate, it fights a bit with the roasted tones, you would expect in a stout.  Pretty fair overall but be aware - fi you don't like coffee, this stuff will kill you!! It was also creamy and thin as weird as that sounds.  Nothing to get get crazy about, but nothing to shy away from either.   3 out of 5.  (If you are keeping track, by the way, the coffees were from Columbia and Sumatra. )

Quite an eclectic evening, eh?  Pheasant, squash, ginger, and coffee....