Better pictures of the butternuts

Packaging sells

Imagine you're in upstate ny at a giant chain grocery store looking for beer. The selection is good, but you want something you can't get at home in Illinois. On the shelf you see this 12-pack of cans from Butternuts Beer and Ale. The cans have funny pictures and wacky names: Porkslap Pale Ale, Heinnieweisse Weissbier, Snapperhead IPA, Moo Thunder Stout. The pictures are even better. We didn't know if the beer would be good, but we really didn't care; the price was right and the pictures were fun.

Bonus! The beer was overall pretty good. The stout was exceptional.

The case contains this explanation of their beer: "on this converted dairy farm nestled in the idyllic Butternut Valley of Upstate NY we have created a beer drinker's utopia. Here the ingredients are simple and natural. The brewer's art is practiced with reverence and creativity. And craft beer becomes more drinkable and easier to enjoy. Why? Because we are smarter, better looking Brewmasters." I could not have said it better.

Porkslap!

This pale ale is pretty good. But the can is hysterical so it deserved its own blog entry.

Sonny Listman, the boxer

This is Makers Mark, ginger ale, and rose with lemon juice. Somehow I think I was responsible for the entire group getting these shots. Mine might be different, but I have a heavy makers taste. Not bad.

Pinot noir

This tasted very good. Then we tried it with a slice of orange and the acid in the wine exploded in our mouth. :( wow. I liked it by itself. It is smooth. The oak casks mellow the acid. Very nice.

Chardonnay!

This is zolo Chardonnay from the Andes in Argentina. The grapes are 100% organic because there are no bugs that live there and the grapes are not sprayed with any insecticides. The water is all from snow melt. This tastes a little dry and not too sweet. I enjoyed this wine.

Beer school with wine?

This is cava - as I understand it, it's a Spanish sparkling wine like champagne. The bubbles are tiny and rising fast! I've been told that the smaller the bubbles and the faster they rise, the better the champagne. I'm getting ready to ask the question ...

Lager

Stiegel lager. I like this lager. It's a little sweet and doesn't taste like a German pilsner masquerading as a lager. A good choice.

Don't let the glass (or the name) fool you

This is a Sprecher Hefe Weiss, which is brewed in Wisconsin. I try not to put lemon in my beer these days, but this was a fairly malty unfiltered Hefe Weiss, so I squeezed in the lemon. Ah, better. But I sort of wish it was an Erdinger.

Hoppy

Maybe it's just me, but this whole concept of wet hops seems new or at least relatively new. This is a beer by Great Divide that is brewed with wet hops. Although I liked this, I did not like it as much as the other harvest ales I've tried recently which were also brewed with "wet hops." I felt like this was a little too bitter - just for the sake of being bitter.

I <3 blackberries

Last year I was in Seattle during their blackberry season and there were large fresh free wild blackberries all over the place. Yummy! When I was a kid, we had fresh blackberries in our yard and I loved them. So, naturally, I was interested in this blackberry witbier. I would have enjoyed just a little more taste of the blackberries, but I liked this a lot more than their cherry wheat, which I think is too sweet.

Mmmm... Malty

This DeKonick said it was "malty." I wasn't sure whether or not to believe the hype so I tasted my friend's beer. Yup, it was malty, which I like, but not too malty. I would describe it as a cross between a trippel and a brown ale, with a little bit of hops. Overall, I liked this more than I remember liking my last DeKonick trippel.

New Holland

Hopavour! Hop on board this mildly bitter ipa that has a crisp finish. Nice.

Seasonal beer from Abita

This is a pecan harvest ale from Abita. It has a sweet aroma and a slightly hoppy finish. I like Abita and this is no exception.

Sierra Nevada Chico Single Estate

This is a limited edition wet hopped ipa with hints of pine, burnt sugar grapefruit and lemon.

Ah ... Piece at last.

Left to right - the baron Von awesome (wheat), worryin' ale (English session ale), and Roland the headless assistant brewer (oatmeal stout). All are good, but I'm particularly enjoying the oatmeal stout tonight. Fall is here.