A Pint Half Full

Note: This is part 8 in a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beers they serve.

This is where things start getting fuzzy.

We moved from Morocco to France.  This area of Epcot is smaller as the space seems more cramped and France really consisted of a gift shop and a few bakeries.  There weren't too many attractions for France besides Beauty and the Beast.  It didn't, now it was about checking off the box and saying I had been to France and drank their beer.  This was also the last stop before going to "Soaring" (we had gotten our fast pass at 11AM for the 4:30PM line), one of the newer motion rides at Epcot.


The ride was great - these 4-D rides have come a long way since Star Tours and Body Wars (barf!).  Soaring was smooth and immersive as the screen you are watching are ginormous and really puts you into the environment.  The mechanics of the motion machine are smooth and you will hardly feel sick.  This is definitely one of the best rides at Epcot.  
I didn't even get sick after the Kronenbourg 1664 I had in France.

Purchased from:
Total Wine and More, Alexandria, VA

ABV%:
6.7%

Type:
India Pale Ale

Color:
Deep amber hue with an orange-tinged, fluffy head

Aroma:
Citrus and piney scented hops emanate from the head and grow stronger as the head fades.  Alcohol mixed in there as well with a tiny tiny hint of spice.

Taste:
Somewhat full bodied with a delayed hit of a major load of hops and bitterness in the back of the palate.  The alcohol is a bit overpowering.  There is hardly any sweetness and the hop taste lingers for a good long time after you finish.  No dry finish to speak of but it does warm the throat.


Overall:
After trying Victory Brewing's Hop Wallop beer at Columbia Firehouse in Old Town Alexandria, I wanted to check out the rest of their line.  The Hop Wallop was wonderfullly balanced with hops taking the forefront, better balanced I felt than the Hop Devil.  However, one cannot deny the freshness and bright flavor of the hops in this beer.  It's too bad the alcohol somewhat detracted from fully enjoying all the flavors and it covered up some of the malt sweetness to balance the bitters.  But it does get you your hop fix; the flavor is complex, wonderful and sticks on your tongue for a long time to enjoy.  The artwork is great too - that little hop devil is so cute (it looks like a bull).

3.75/5

Was away from the coldness of the DC area this week and arrived in "sunny" San Diego.  I was hoping to get away from the snow and rain but all I got upon arrival was even MORE rain with added wind.  Asking the hotel receptionist what was up with the weather, she said that it was the first time this year it had rained in SD.  Awesome, this trip is gonna suck.

Fortunately, the rain subsided over the next few days, the sun eventually came out, and I was able to go out and try some new local beers!  I really liked that even the hotel bars and alot of the restaurants had local microbrews on tap along with the other mainstream stuff.  It allowed me to explore and try out stuff I'd never get on the east coast.

The beers I were able to try were a couple from Ballast Point brewery - Victory At Sea Imperial Porter and their Yellowtail Pale Ale.  Also tasted was the Firehouse Pale Ale and Stone IPA.  It was great to see such a thriving beer community there.  Also, had some Fat Tire Amber Ale, a staple on any trip out to the West Coast.

Impressions of beer after the jump.

Note: This is part 7 in a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beers they serve.

After a quick break in America to rest up, we journeyed over the pacific into feudal Japan.  This Japan was kind of like you stepped into an old forest village, complete with man-made coy ponds, temples, and traditional houses that look like you are playing Ninja Gaiden on Xbox.  We went into the shop there and alongside the Mickey and Minnie dolls dressed in kimonos and other random Japanese trinkets and delicate stationery, there was a live oyster pond where one could find their own pearls.  This was pretty cool but I wish they were serving the raw oysters for consumption instead.  Finished browsing, we went and caught the Taiko drummers perform.  They had a monster drum and it was well done, rhythmic AND melodic. 


As far as beer goes, I passed on the beer in Japan since I've had most of the brews that they were serving (Asahi and Kirin).  Both decent beers but I wanted to keep things moving so I could try some stuff I never had (and preserve some sense of sobriety - for the kids). 

We moved on to Morocco.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday.  For dinner, I made a pork loin roast, corn bread stuffing, miso codfish, wintermelon soup, and my sister made garlic mashed pototoes.  Everything turned out well for the most part.  My pork was dry, though.  That's ok, I had enough beverages to wash it all down.

Other fun activities was going to sing karaoke, seeing Chanticleer - an all male acapella group - sing unnaturally high (falsetto or castrati?!), and spending the rest of the time giving my sister a hard time.  Just like the old days.

Back to the food and drink: on the table this weekend was the Southern Tier Harvest Ale, the Stone Double Bastard, and some Otter Creek Pale Ale that I got earlier last week.  For you wine drinkers, we also got some wine on my sister's recommendation - a 2006 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a red wine from Italy.  Impressions after the jump.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Hope you are all enjoying time with friends or loved ones and sharing some good food.  Oh, and beer, of course.

As I went food shopping, I picked up a couple fresh brews that I'm pretty excited to try over this long weekend.  The first is a big bottle of Stone Brewing's Double Bastard Ale.  This looks like a beast of a beer at 10.5% ABV with potential of awesome flavor.  Looking forward to it.

 
Second, I picked up Southern Tier's Harvest Ale. I've tried their Pumpkin Ale offering and really liked it so I thought to give this a try with dinner.  I will post my impressions next week.

So, what are you all drinking and eating? Feel free to leave your impressions in the comments.

First, I just want to say that I still hold by my opinion that American light beers (Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud Light et al.) are weak, flavorless, and are a detriment to the beer landscape.  They reduce the appreciation of better quality beers with richer flavors brewed with creativity.  Due to the mass production and cheap-ness of it however, it is impossible to escape these choices when out and sometimes they are your only choice.  Case in point - my friday night at BBQ Chicken and Beer (BBQ = Best of the Best Quality, really).