Wandering back in Maine... revisiting the imbibing beer trail

Last Christmas, I was up in Maine and hit a beer store in Waterville called Jokas. My intention then was to buy some local craft beer, and to partake of a simple winter weekend on the off chance I'd get to sit down and have a beer. Turned out my trip to the beer store was even a smarter plan than I imagined since a giant blizzard rolled in and I was stuck inside with nothing to do but well.... drink... Good thing I was ready.

However, when I returned back home to DC I was left with a beer on my mind that I saw on the shelves there that I didn't buy while I was up there. It had a cute little simple smiley face, on a tiny bottle... and it looked and reached out to say to me... you sir... with my plain simple label do not ignore my bland surroundings... please come and drink me.. I remember glancing at its purple ink and thought.. this looks really interesting, but having coddled bottles of Cadillac Mountain, Dogfish and Sebago in my hands the bottle sat. But somehow I never forgot about it.

The beer I am referring to is an Amber Ale called Zoe from Maine Beer Company. When I got home I actually researched it a bit and found that it was actually very highly received, and thus started really kicking myself for not trying it while I was up in Maine. In the end... I acquired some, with some help of a trade. After that, I got into my Maine beer imbibing mode below.

To see how the imbibing went, check the video below.

CHEERS!

Beer Bourbon casks can make a better beer! Say that 3 times fast!

If you are a fan of Bourbon whiskey, and a brewery says to you... I am going to make a beer and use Bourbon whiskey barrels to make it, would you jump at the chance to try their creation? If you loved beer and Bourbon so much would you knock over the old lady on the street corner, just to get to it?

For me such a question I thought would be and easy answer. I love beer. I love Bourbon. Therefore, I would kill my first born and it would be a marriage of great body, massive caramel, tobacco, and sugary sweetness that would be in a beer and send me to another realm. The beer could not be bad. It would be nirvana.

The reality is regarding both of those statements, neither turned out correct. I tried two Bourbon cask aged beers, one was from Allagash from Maine, a tripel aged in oak Jim Beam barrels named Curieux. The other was an Imperial Stout from a brewery named Goose Island based out of Chicago.

The beers are of course from two different breweries, but they are also two different "types" of beers (one a Tripel, the other an Imperial Stout). I was really hoping to find characteristics of good Bourbon in beer. Alas, the reality is I really did not find those distinct Bourbon characteristics from these two. But in trying these beers, I discovered some fantastic drink. Check out the Bourbon cask beers that I reviewed in the video below.

For blueberry beer, the good, the not so bad, and the UGLY....

So... fruit in beer. Seriously what is up with that? I never even knew that beer could contain something such as fruit, until I started looking at great Belgian beer and discovering Kreiks, Lambics, and the sorts.

It turned out many of them I didn't care for, but it got me thinking that beer wasn't just a malty-hoppy one trick pony. With care fruit could be added and you could come up with something good. However, it is usually not the first thing I think of.

I soon discovered that with fresh fruit in season I could get blueberries in my area. I absolutely adored them. They were just perfect sweet snack food, not even too sweet sometimes. My wife who is originally from Maine even introduced me to one of the States best exports that being Maine wild blueberries. From there heaven could be found in blue fruit. Why not make thine marriage of suds and such things?

For this tasting I decided to have a little fun and compare 3 beers and their Blueberry-"ness". This was to just have a little fun and take a break from some serious Bourbon tastings, and good quality craft microbrew. I always wanted to do this, and I came home from work on a hotter than normal day.. dog thirsty and ready.

See the video below as I review 3 beers, or as I nicknamed them... "THE GOOD (Seadog Blueberry Wheat Beer), THE NOT SO BAD (Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale), AND THE UGLY (Wild Blue Blueberry Beer).

BLUEBERRY VIDEO QUICK THREE SIPS REVIEW