You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2010.
My friend Brad just said to me, “Alcohol-free beer, is like orgasm-free sex.”
I have to admit he has a point there.
On a totally unrelated note, I thought I’d share this little Onion Radio News bit with you. It’s about a new cereal for the poor, but having said that, it’s actually quite on topic for this publication. Listen and you’ll see why…
Not everyone can drink alcohol.
Me, personally, I’ve taken a year off. I know, horror of horrors, no alcohol for me in 2010. But this website must go on, and so I’ll do my best to track down and review every single non-alcoholic malt beverage I can find, plus throw in a few reviews I still have scribbled on paper, scattered around and buried in piles.
I’ll start this off with Clausthaler Premium, an import from Germany which I still think of as “beer” — but that’s not technically correct. Still. It’ s sold in the beer aisle at the store, and — at least here in Illinois — you still get carded for it.
It smells like beer. In fact it smells a lot like Lowenbrau. Just by sniffing it you can’t tell that it’s a non-alcoholic brew.
Upon first sip, which for me turned into a gulp, it tastes like the real thing. Smooth, bitter with hops, lightly carbonated and just a bit watery, it’s not that much different than a mass-produced import. Where the illusion fails is in the aftertaste. Alcohol has an aftertaste that is missing here. Then on the second swig, the illusion starts breaking down even further. You can tell something is missing.
Let’s put all that aside, though. It’s not fair to put this up against a real beer. What is important is, does it satisfy? How good is it?
Pretty darn good. It satisfies the craving for those who are missing the real thing – and believe me, I am – and it is undoubtedly the best of the brews I’ve had so far since beginning this sobering adventure.
Obviously I can’t nominate it as a Holy Beer contender but I have no problem proclaiming it as a groovy brew.
I ran across this great article on Discovery news, and thought I should share it with you. In essence:
As always, MODERATION is the key.
UPDATE - Here’s practically the same article, word for word, on The Guardian: Drinking beer can help prevent weak bones. Interesting. (Thanks, and a shout out to De McArthur)
Let me try and set the scene…
I’m sitting in a pretty much round room, looking out a huge curved window at palm fronds swaying in the island breeze. My attention is torn between the beer sitting here on the desk, and the beautiful water in front of me, swirling in light and dark patterns as gentle swells wash the sand of the lagoon. Some of the palms lean far out over the water, looking like they might just drop over. Over on the side of the building are four full-sized replicas of moai monoliths (you know, those big, creepy-cool Easter Island heads). If I look out a side window, I see one staring back at me.
To say that the beauty here is surreal would be an understatement.
Add to that, the radio behind me is playing this really odd, yet catchy dance song, with a clearly mechanical robot voice chanting “disco dance in your sexy panties” and “wear your sexy pants just for me.”
I tear my eyes away from the view, pop open the beer, and walk out to the porch with a pad of paper and a pencil.
It smells like molasses and vodka. Now, that may not sound like a good combination, but in this case it is. It smells interesting, and I mean that in a positive way.
I take the first sip, tilt my head back and savor it. The first thing that hits me is the taste of well toasted oats and barley, aerated by light but satisfying carbonation. It finishes off with a nice bitterness that reminds me in an odd way of the charred skin on barbecued chicken.
Later, the bottle empty, it leaves me satisfied and happy. In all, the flavor is well balanced, and I enjoyed so much I’m awarding it the status of Holy Beer Contender and rating it 2.3 on the Holy Grail Scale.
This review transcribed from handwritten notes taken in 2009.
|
|
