Battle of the Beers: June 2011

This Month:

-We travel to Disney World for good times and good beer!
- Rapture is postponed - If it's true that in Heaven there is no beer, then why do they call it Heaven?
- The BOTB Guys sail away into the mist with Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale.

Sherman on the Mount

It seems that everywhere you look you see signs that the Craft Brew Spring, that growing revolution of small, independent beer makers who are standing up to the tyranny of the Mega-brewers, is thriving and winning over the hearts and minds of beer drinkers across the country. It's a beautiful thing. Craft beers are slowly appearing in places you normally wouldn't expect. Dan and I played golf at North Shores Golf Course on the north shore of Oneida Lake the other day and low and behold they had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Magic Hat #9 on tap as well as Saranac Pale Ale in cans. Golf courses generally carry only the basic Mega-brews, so this was a pleasant surprise.

View from our balcony!

But on a recent trip to Disney World I was really surprised to find our fridge (we stayed at the Contemporary on site) stocked with Harpoon IPA and Yuengling. On top of that, nearly all of the Disney restaurants serving adult beverages had fairly nice selection of beers: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Abita Turbodog, Yuengling and Samuel Adams. Not bad.

Apocalypse Interruptus

In other news: the world didn't end despite predictions based on solid, unimpeachable evidence to the contrary. Coincidentally, the end was supposed to occur on the very night of our latest BOTB meeting. Truth be told, it looked at first like that crazy old man might be right. First of all, it was the first Beer Club meeting that I was unable to attend - a sure sign of the Apocalypse if ever there was one. I did have a phone conversation with the Guys which, at times, sounded bizarrely like they had already been Raptured. Secondly, the meeting was at Herb's on the lake and it involved some sailing. But at around the time of the End Times a fog worthy of a Stephen King story (or John Carpenter film) rolled in (I'd say of Biblical proportions which would work metaphorically here but I don't recall much mention of fog in the Bible, most of the stories occurring in a decidedly arid part of the world). Nevertheless, armed only with Saranac Pale Ale in a can and the courage it provided, the intrepid group ventured forth into the mist, braving the unseen horrors that might lie in wait for those unworthy enough to be Taken. Of course the good news was, those Left Behind would get to drink Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale (also known as Heaven-in-a-Bottle) upon returning to shore.

Alas, eventually the fog cleared and the guys returned to find the world pretty much the way they left it. As we learned the next day, it was all a clerical error and we still have about five months of debauchery left to us. Whew!

Back on dry land Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale was sampled as the featured beer for this month. It is a surprisingly balanced brew, solidly hopped but not overpowering. It has a nice, toasty malt backbone making this beer wonderfully drinkable. The perfect beer to celebrate the End of the World - or the Beginning of the Summer!