New Beer Friday, Great Smoky Edition (December 21)

This past November Steve and Barb took a road trip down through Kentucky and North Carolina. Go here and here to read about the first two legs of their journey.

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

When Barb and I were planning our road trip we agreed that she would drive and I would be the navigator. It was an arrangement that we first used while vacationing in Italy five or so years ago. On that trip I started out in the driver's seat but because my poky driving infuriated some aggressive Italian drivers and because Barb kept erroneously yelling out that we had missed a turn we thought it would be prudent to flip flop our roles.

Actually I rather enjoy sitting in the navigator's seat because I'm better able to observe and enjoy the passing scenery — the old farmhouses, silos and barns, the small streams and wide rivers, the rocky outcrops, forested foothills and tall mountains.

I've always had an affinity for mountains. While were were on the stretch of I-40 that winds through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I imagined how that section of the Appalachians looked 480 million years ago. According to geologists, the Appalachians are some of the oldest mountains on earth and when first formed were as high as the Alps and Himalayas.

It was late afternoon and the sun had dipped behind the Smokies when we pulled into the Country Inn and Suites on the southern outskirts of Asheville. After our experience with that seedy motel in Frankfort, Kentucky, we were glad to see that there was a good number of vehicles in the parking lot. We were even happier when we walked into the lobby, happier still when the clerk told us there would be no problem getting Ubers and downright overjoyed when we walked into our nicely appointed room.

It was dark by the time we were unpacked so rather than taking an Uber downtown we decided to drive to a chain restaurant down the road for dinner. That was a mistake. My entree of spaghetti and meatballs was nasty and Barb's chicken dish was worse. “Is there something wrong with your meals?” the waitress asked after eying our plates.

“I guess we weren't very hungry,” I replied.

“Would you like boxes?”

“Sure.”

As soon as we were outside we threw the to-go boxes in a trash receptacle.

After returning to our nice motel I mixed up a couple of nightcaps and turned on the TV.  While we lay in bed sipping our drinks and watching Animal Planet we were practically giddy about the fact that there were no partying sounds coming from the adjacent rooms. We wanted a good night's sleep because in the morning we were going fishing.

New and Returning Beer

• Big Lake Brakewall, $2.99/16oz - "A juicy IPA made with loads of Citra, and Mosaic hops. Weighing in at 20 IBUs, and loaded with hops this one will crash the traditional IPA wave" (source).
• Big Lake Snow Machine, $3.19/16oz - No commercial description.
• Blackrock Starman, $2.19/12oz - "Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, Columbus, Mosaic. Take an adventurous exploration on a classic style" (source).
• Dogfish Head American Beauty, $2.79/12oz - "American Beauty, an Imperial Pale Ale inspired by the Grateful Dead, captures the spirits of the band's 30 years of touring and recording. Dogfish Head and the Dead both built their followings by connecting directly with beer lovers and music lovers, so we asked those loyal fans to help drive the recipe" (source).
• Dogfish Head IPAs for the Holidays, $23.99/12pk - "'Tis the season for family, friends and IPAs! Why IPAs, you ask? Think of the citrusy and piney characteristics this style is known to bring to the table, and then think about those foods you'll be bringing to the table. IPAs have a tendency to pair with an assortment of holiday favorites - everything from shrimp cocktail to chicken wings, and a little ham in-between" (source).
• Haymarket The Defender, $2.39/12oz - "
• This big dark ale is brewed with copious amounts of roasted barley, chocolate malt and oats, then hopped and dry-hopped with loads of Chinook. Flavors and aromas of coffee and chocolate are complimented by citrus and pine. A truly complex and intense brew" (source).
• Kuhnhenn DRIPA, $2.99/12oz - "Double Rice India Pale Ale. This gold colored West Coast style Double India Pale Ale has an intense hop nose, with aromas mainly of citrus. The high hop character dominates this IPA’s flavor pro-file. Made with American long grain rice, it is quite difficult to make but the rice con-tributes to this beer’s crisp aftertaste" (source).
• Kuhnhenn White Devil, $2.99/12oz - "Our Imperial White Ale is a cloudy straw color, and has a zesty citrus nose and a medium sweet aroma. It is refreshingly crisp with a bit of a wheat flavor. With medium hop bitterness, this is a delight-ful brew for any season" (source).
• New Holland Blue Sunday, $9.09/22oz - "This unique anniversary libation, heritage-blended from our library of barrel-soured beers, exhibits deeply layered flavors of malt and oak, with a tart finish" (source).
• North Coast BBA Old Rapsutin XXI, $25.89/500ml - "Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, the depth, intensity and complexity of this beer makes it what it is" (source).
• North Coast Rye Barrel Aged Rasputin, $25.89/500ml - "Stout Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels" (source).
• Odd Side Firefly, $2.89/12oz - "The blend of papaya and a small dose of habaneros provide an ideal mixture of spicy and sweet" (source).
• Revolution Freedom of Press, $1.99/12oz - "Keep currant with the latest entry in our session sour series — sweet, earthy berry flavors from black currants to complement this 140-calorie, easy-drinking, lightly tart ale" (source).
• Right Brain Mangalista Pig Porter, $18.69/22oz - "Porter Brewed with Real Pig Parts. Who would have thought that what started as an inside joke amongst the Right Brain brew team would evolve into out most acclaimed beer ever? Brewed with REAL Mangalitsa pig heads and bones, this rich and chocolaty porter is infused with a symphony of salty, smoky, and savory flavors. Some have hailed it as the ’quintessential bacon beer’ while others call it a true breakfast brew. Regardless of what you call it, this imaginative and complex beer has to be tried to be understood" (source).
• Short's Uber Goober, $2.59/12oz - "Über Goober is an Oatmeal Stout brewed with peanuts. Pitch black in color with a mocha head, this beer has strong aromas of peanut butter, roast, chocolate, and oats. Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel, the well-balanced chocolate and peanut flavors meld together like a peanut butter cup with a smooth finish. One of the oldest stouts in the Short’s portfolio, when found on tap at the pub it can be blended with Soft Parade to create PB&J Stout" (source).
• Tripelroot Tripel Stout, $17.19/22oz - "Imperial stout Coffee, chocolate, and vanilla" (source).

Video of the Week | American Beauty

Dogfish Head American Beauty is available now at Siciliano's Market.

Cheers!