Blue Point Toasted Lager

I usually like to mix it up when it comes to drinking beer but this week I’ve been on a Blue Point Toasted Lager binge. It all started when I picked up a 6 pack at a local 7-11. I just got out of work and figured I’d drink a couple of brews before I called it a night, but after that first sip I was hooked. The beer was 

well bodied and exploding with flavor. My original plan was to just drink two and save the rest for another night because I had class in the morning but two 
eventually became three and three became four and by the time it hit me, I realized that I drank more than I wanted too. I decided to save the last two brews for another time but the next day I went out and bought another 6 pack and did the exact same thing I did the night before. By the end of the week I was down to only one toasted lager sitting at the bottom of my fridge. I decided to set up my web-cam and give it a review because I loved the beer so much and felt that I needed to share it with all my beer blog readers. If I were to give Blue Points Toasted Lager an overall grade, I’d give it a solid B.

Home Brewing with Pete Carlson

Last night I went to my friend Pete's house to make a video on home brewing and to have a couple of beers. He's been home brewing for about two years now and is very good at it. He shows us how he makes it, tells us about some of his favorite beers and shows off his insane beer collection. 

Red Stripe, better in bottle or glass?

 I had this Red Stripe sitting in my fridge for a couple of weeks now and I figured it was time to drink before it expires. I poured half the bottle in a glass so I could review how it taste from the glass and how it taste from the bottle. After drinking from both the glass and bottle I realized I like to drink Red Strip from the bottle. I don’t know what it is but I felt it had a slightly better taste and the sent was really good, almost smelt like freshly cut grass topped with spices. The beer its self had a light golden color with a light head, overall it’s a good beer but I wouldn’t say it’s a great beer. I never been to Jamaica but I have a friend from there who says Red Stripe taste better there because they brew it differently. I’m not sure if its true but I could definitely believe it because I’ve been to Ireland two years in a row and drank a ton of Guinness that tasted better there then here. It might be because the beer is fresher and i'm sure that when it’s shipped out to the states it undergoes different temperatures and sit around for a while; it also might get exposed to sunlight, which could extremely damage the beer. If I were to give Red Stripe an overall grade, I’d give it a C.

Brass Monkeys

 I first started drinking around 15 years old, when I 

was just a young punk kid who didn’t really care about the taste or quality of beer. I drank whatever was around and whatever was cheap and easy to get. High school parties always had the worst beer like Coors light and Bud light, but most of the people I hung out with drank Olde English, Colt 45, Stroh’s, Schafer, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Steel Reserve. Those were the cheapest beers at the time, but every year the price seems to go up a bit and the quality goes down. My favorite thing to do was drink Brass Monkeys, which was usually an Olde English 40 oz., mixed with orange juice. The way we made them was by drinking down to the top of the label and then adding orange juice. Once you added the orange juice, you seal the top back up and turn it upside down so it mixes well. Once you’re done mixing, open it back up and enjoy! Last week I went 

to a party and I figured I’d pick up something cheap and easy to drink. I decided to make brass monkeys but the only malt liquor in the store were 16 oz. Olde English cans. I never made brass monkey in the can before but i'm always down to try new things so I picked up a few and they were on sale for $1.19. The only thing I needed was some orange juice but luckily I had some with extra pulp at my house. I don’t think I ever had a brass monkey with extra pulp so I was pretty excited to see how it would taste. I cracked open a can and drank a little less than half the beer then added my orange juice. I mixed it up the best I could then took my first swig and it was delicious. That brass monkey brought back some memories and its always a good time drinking one of those. If you never had a brass monkey before, you should definitely give it a try. They’re cheap,easy to make and will make your boring party into a happening time! If I were to rate the brass monkey in the can with extra pulp, I’d give it a B. Another cool thing to do is pick up strawberry banana orange juice and mix that in a 40. It has a awesome pinkish color to it and taste amazing.

Drinking Schmidt's in Bed-Stuy

Last weekend I went to visit a good friend of mine who lives out in Bed-Sty, Brooklyn. One of my favorite things about going out there is the bodega’s on every corner and the wide selection of beers they have. I found a 12 pack of a beer call Schmidt’s, I never had a Schmidt before but the name sounded familiar and they had pictures of turkeys and fish on the cans, which was really cool and is one of the main reasons I picked it up. The beer came out to be $10 dollars which was kind of expensive for a 12 pack in the middle of the hood but I was looking to have a good time and didn’t mind spending a couple of extra bucks for beers with turkeys and fish on them. I cracked the first can open and took a sip, it tasted like a PBR or a Black Label which are both decent beers. There was really nothing special about this beer besides the packaging and logo. It’s a cool beer to get once in awhile but nothing to brag about. It was lightly colored and lightly flavored, with not much of a head on it. If I were to give this beer a grade I’d give it a C.

Jai Alai IPA

The other night my friend Pete gave me a Jai Alai IPA from Cigar City Brewery to try out and it had to be one of the best beers I ever had. The name Jai Alai comes from a sport involving  a ball bounced off a walled space. The beer had a nice orange color, citrus spice smell and flavor. Every sip had a kick and was overall a well bodied IPA. If I were to give this beer a grade it would be a solid A.

Port Jeff Brewing

Ever since the Port Jeff Brewery opened up down Port, I've been going there for the free delicious beer tastings and picking up a growler or two from time to time. Yesterday I got a chance to speak with the owner Mike and ask him a few questions about how he got started and what made him want to become a full time brewer. He was a really nice guy and brews up some awesome beers. If your ever in the Port Jeff area stop by after 2:00pm during the week for some tastings or go on a weekend and get the full tour.