Live Blogging Pumpkin Beer Taste Test

And.... I'm back.

Sorta. It's Friday night, I've had a few drinks and I figured... why the hell not.

Not too long ago, M and I picked up Pumpkin flavored beers at Oliver's. Because it's the season. And they are all local-ish. And a couple of wild cards.

So here we go, trying these beers - blind test style. Not that we have a third party doling out the beers. Just a "close your eyes, grab a bottle and pour" kind of thing. I wanted some cheese to go with it, but eh... pumpkin beers and cheese? .. How about we keep them separate.

Bottle #1 (8:34PM)

M: Don't like it. Nice amber color, no head. But it is sour. A good pumpkin flavor, but really sour. It could be the bottle, or just old, or bad beer... but probably the bottle. I doubt they would ship out beer that tastes as bad as this.

R: It doesn't smell like it has a strong spice flavor, but you definitely taste it. Not too overpowering, a bit mellow. Which is almost erased by the strong sour presence. I'm no beer expert, so I don't know if that is supposed to be on purpose, but it makes it a bit undrinkable. An annoying drink, because of that off taste.

(Now we've decided to eat the cheese. Clashes be damned. If you're wondering, it's a smoked blue cheese, manouri sheeps milk cheese, and water crackers. I think the cheese was on sale at Shoprite. I really need to check their cheese section out more often!)

Bottle #2 (8:54PM)

M: Pretty sure I know what this one is. And really, I don't like this either. It's darker, amber, but still clear. (laughs) Smells like a smoked blue cheese. Same thing, really. No head. A little more bitter than I would like. Not sour, though. Decent pumpkin flavor, but kind of makes me think it's an extract. Like a mass produced extract. But I could be wrong. I think it's a Sam's -- 'cause I've had plenty of them lately.

R: Spicier aroma. Dark clear color. No head. Weird, it's almost sweet. Syrup. Seems flat. I taste spice more than I taste pumpkin. I am not a fan of strong spiced things, especially beers. But a tolerable drink. Maybe would order this one again if the other options were weak.

(I'm starting to get sleepy. And I'm on the couch. This is not good. For the drinking.)

Bottle #3 (9:27)

(I was just informed we still have four more beers to go. Insert "I think I've made a huge mistage" meme here.)

M: I don't know. Maybe I just don't like pumpkin. Nice spicy clovey pumpkiny. Can't tell the difference between this and the last one. Light color, but that's about it. No head, again. (Burps) Yup, it's a spicy pumpkin beer. (Chugs the rest of his glass) So far, I would say this is my favorite... but that's not saying too much.

R: No distinct aroma, but I may be getting sick. Taste there is a strong spice flavor. More enjoyable than the last one. Makes me think it's similar to a Shipyard, because it reminds me of the pumpkin one I had before. Light color, clear. Some visible bubbles. Even though it's spicy, I can easily drink this.

Bottle #4 (9:50)

R: Bleh! I don't like it. It doesn't taste like pumpkin at all. It's bitter

M: It's bitter and stuff, but tastes like a different style. Can't tell you what... a different yeast? Carbonation. Even though there is still no head, it's different bubble-wise. A lot more of the same. A lot more bitter. I like bitter, but not with this kind of beer. The flavored beers? Nah.

(At this point M suggested a dance break, because I was nodding off. While typing. It was a long day... what can I say.)

Bottle #5 (10:30)

M: (sigh) (really deep reluctant sigh) (head shake) It's very very dark. Very dark. Super dark. (gulps) More bitter. Got plenty of clove, I don't really taste any pumpkin. And... that's about it.

R: Oh wow. Really don't like it. Yeah. Really don't. I'm done. I quit. Waving the white flag now.

M: That's it?

R: Yeah. This is disgusting.

M: Two more after this.

(Why did I even think to do this?)

Bottle #6 (Oct. 14 @11:30)

(Delay because I passed out and went downstate for the weekend. But same thing... blindly grabbed a bottle. I just knocked back what was left in my coffee, which may affect the taste. Hazelnut spice? Hazelnut pumpkin? My stomach churns at the thought)

M: I like it, but I really want a beer right now. I may not be the best judge. Okay, same flavor, same blah blah blah. I like this one right now and that's all I care about.

R: Hmm... I like this one. It's a little sour at the end, but it's still pretty good. I could definitely drink this one. Maybe even order another if I were at a bar. An acceptable level of bitterness for me, and probably the perfect amount of spice. Not overwhelming, it's a background kind of thing. You know it's there, but it's not trying to steal the limelight. Team player.

Bottle #7 (11:56)

M: I think there is not too much of aroma, not too much spice. But seems mellower than the others, and I like that. I think this is my favorite. Got a little bit of bitter, some hop bitterness. Not overpowering with the spices. This is probably the most Not pumpkin beer that we've had, which is probably why it's my favorite.

R: Not bad. Slight bitterness. Very smooth. Drinkable. Seems like something I could drink all day, which apparently makes it session-like. I'd actually like another one, please. Best out of the bunch.

Now... the reveal

(drum roll)

Bottle #1 - Post Road Pumpkin Ale (Brooklyn Brewery) LOSER
Bottle #2 - Harvest Pumpkin Ale (Sam Adams) TIE
Bottle #3 - Country Pumpkin (Ithaca Beer Company) TIE
Bottle #4 - Pumple Drumkin (Cisco Brewers) TIE
Bottle #5 - Ubu Pumpkin Ale (Lake Placid Craft Brewing) LOSER
Bottle #6 - Pumpkin Ale (Captain Lawrence Brewing Company) RUNNER UP
Bottle #7 - Our Pumpkin Ale (Saranac) WINNER

Overall Thoughts -

Even though we stretched this out a bit, Saranac's Pumpkin Ale was the clear favorite, with Captain Lawrence's not too far behind. Both Lake Placid and Brooklyn Brewery lost, but for two very different reasons. Brooklyn Brewery beers are known to be good, hell... we've had plenty of their stuff so we know what the norm is for them. This was just a bad bottle... most likely. See? Giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Lake Placid however, was HORRIBLE. One sip and I refused to drink anymore of it. Could if have been beer overload? No, there is no such thing. This was just some bad beer. And I think in general, I'm not a fan of the UBU beers. I want to say I ordered an UBU at Philly's earlier this year and ended up giving it to M because it wasn't good.

Everything else was in the murky middle. It's the spices. I don't like spices in my beer. I take that back - I don't want certain spices in my beer. I think some Christmas beers I can tolerate. These pumpkin beers? If you bring some to my house, I'm kicking you out.

PHOTO ESSAY: 555 Supermarket (Jersey City, NJ)

If you ever find yourself on Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City, I suggest you stop in at the 555 Supermarket. It’s the place my grandparents do the majority of their shopping at, so it’s gotta be good… right? On their website they claim to be the “most convenient Asian supermarket.” I’m not too sure about that – it seems like a pain to me.

The following are photos I took on my recent visit. You can’t really compare it to the Asian markets we have up here, but I like 555’s layout better.

But some thoughts before the photo onslaught:

1. I’ll admit, I’ve been guilty in the past of sampling at the store. But it was a grape, and I wasn’t really thinking about pesticides, just if they were sweet. But apples? Who samples apples… at a store no less? And that sign is in both English and Tagalog. As for the doubling in price if you break ginger… what if I didn’t break that ginger, and it was in fact already broken? Do I pay the price for someone else’s ginger breaking tendencies? I didn’t take a look at the receipt, but I’m sure it was fine.

2. The produce is pretty much in own building, and the perishables are in a walk in cooler of sorts. Clean, organized, and the complete opposite of the markets in Chinatown. Signs are clearly marked and some of them even have a picture so you know which vegetable its referring to. Very smart! I wish the stores up here had their varieties…

3. One of the freezer cases is dedicated to frozen fish balls. A mix and match of sorts, which is both crazy and awesome. I didn’t really get a good look at the signs, but I distinctly remember saying to my sister, “are… you… serious?!?” The new things you find at this store, I tell ya.

4. There was no offending odors coming from the seafood or meat sections. Take note, Asian Supermarket.

5. Their “food court” is this tiny thing, but the foods that come from it are pretty darn good.

6. They sell apples that are as big as pomelos, I kid you not.

7. Emulate, upstate. EMULATE.

Get It While It Lasts!

Not to toot my own horn, but...

TOOT!!!!

I made this batch. And let me tell you, it is just as the label says - delicious.

They Do Exist!

I am pretty sure my sister picked this up in Jersey, but where oh where in the Capital Region can I get my hands on Zima?

Olivers? All Star? The corner store?

I may have to make a stop by one of these places and enjoy in its clear malt beveraged splendor.

posted from Bloggeroid

New Counter/Storage Space

One of M’s co-workers got a new table for her kitchen, and gave us her old, slightly broken one. With a little tinkering, M got it in tip top shape.

Freeosk!

With just a swipe of your Advantage Card, you too can get a Special K snack bar… for free!

I don’t know if they have freeosks in other Choppers, but if you just happen to be in Latham, you’re in luck.

Housewarming Gifts

Our housewarming party was well over a month ago, but I really had to post this. And guess who it came from? Albany Jane!

Not At All Food Related

Steelers are going to the Superbowl!!!

More Apple Picking

I guess it’s official – apple picking season is over. I was in the car this afternoon and the reporter had mentioned that most orchards are just about picked out. The warm spring led to earlier harvests, and the storms that passed through this area didn’t help with the whole pick-your-own situation. But it does help with cider making… and I do love cider.

Hello Kitty

….. aaaaaaaand I’m back.

Hey. Good to see you.

I have a lot to catch up on (being cooped up in a room for hours on end studying can make you a wee bit crazy), but in the meantime enjoy some of these food related Hello Kitty items I found this weekend.

Picture above I found at International. According to the sales sticker, this large tin contains milk candy. I wonder if it really was candy… since it was stocked with cookies and crackers.

Icing decorations! I found these at AC Moore. FYI: I think their Moonlight Madness sale is on the 12th.

And what would go well with edible Hello Kitty decorations?

 

How about a not-so-edible-yet-tasty-looking birthday candle? Also found at AC Moore. That store really has not been one to disappoint with their Sanrio merchandise… although they may have toned it down a bit. What about Keroppi? And that penguin?

Why do kids always get the cool stuff?!? Yes, I want classy dishware. But I also want to be entertained! A cat face on a dish? Entertaining. Some floral trim? Not entertaining. Sold at Target.

Technorati Tags: hello kitty,decorations,candy,dishes,dishware,sanrio,awesome

In It to Win It

I could not post it, and increase my chances… but that isn’t my style.

Albany Jane is giving away a $125 gift certificate from CSN Stores. And all you have to do is leave a comment to have chance at it. If you have a blog, write about it and you get another chance at the GC.

So what are you waiting for?

Go!

Clog My Arteries, Please

I love the Cakespy drawings, but she's taking awesome one step further- deep fried.

And not just the cake part. We're talking cake AND icing. It gets a nice double dip (first the batter, then the fryer) and you can only imagine how incredibly fantastic it sounds right now. Or, like with deep fried candy bars, it gets doused with chocolate syrup.

Can you believe I was thinking about cutting back on dessert? Bad idea... bad.

The recipe can be found here on Serious Eats.

Cookies + Wedding = Awesome

Another reason why Pittsburgh is awesome- they have a cookie table!

There's an article about it over on Gourmet (click on the link)

Will have to incorporate it into my wedding somehow. And I am pretty sure I will be baking up a ton of them.

edit: I totally worded it wrong. M and I aren't engaged. I'm just planning ahead for whenever I get hitched. Sorry, sorry.

Hard Apple Cider

So R's been on my back about posting here for a long time. Problem is, unlike R, I'm just not that into food. I mean, sure, I eat it almost daily, but when I do -- it's mostly just to stay alive.

But this is different. Of all the things I care about in this world, very few lie above the glory of booze. Delicious, fizzy booze. And it just so happens that this is apple-pickin' season -- so I decided to make a batch of home brew hard cider.
You really can't get any more basic than this when it comes to home brew, but for those of you who may not be in the know, I will give a very generalized equation of the science of home brew...

Sugar + Yeast = Ethanol + Carbon Dioxide

Sooo, during alcoholic fermentation, yeast ferment the sugars found in cider and in return produce alcohol and carbon dioxide as waste.

In order to make your own you need the following items:

5 gallons of Fresh apple cider (see below) ***
2 6.5 gallon buckets (one to be used as a primary fermenter with airlock and lid - the other as a bottling bucket w/ spigot)
bottle filler
Racking cane and tubing
capper
bottlebrush
santizer
1 packet yeast (I used Red Star - Cote Des Blanc, which is a wine yeast, but there are many other options available out there.. just ask your friendly brewer at your nearby home brew store.)
2 lbs brown sugar
3/4 cup pure cane sugar
~55 clean and sanitized 12 oz. bottles

*** Make sure to get Fresh apple cider. That is, cider with No preservatives (sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate) and preferably UV pasteurized. Heat pasteurization changes the chemical structure of the apple lectins, causing them to precipitate out. It also effects the taste. Cider that contains preservatives can be used with limited amounts of success when using a starter batch of yeast, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm not going to go into that here.***

Sanitize all equipment prior to brewing. Wild yeasts and bacteria can cause all sorts of unwanted flavors to pop up. It can seriously be the difference between 5 gallons of hard cider and 5 gallons of apple cider vinegar. So please, sanitize. I used a trick I learned from my mom, watching her can fruits and vegetables. After scrubbing the bottles with a chlorine solution (I used LD Carlson no-rinse cleanser, but 1 tbsp bleach in 1 gallon water will do just fine in a pinch), I boiled a small amount of water in a stock pot and placed the bottles upside down to steam for 5-10 minutes. This may be overkill, but again, it can be the difference between sweet sweet hard cider and a useless vat of moldy apple juice.

Add 1 gallon apple cider to 12qt pot and heat to near boiling, but do Not boil (remember what I said about the lectins?) Add 2 lbs of brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add 4 gallons of cider to primary fermentation bucket (let's just call this, bucket #1). Pour in cider/sugar mixture and allow to come to room temperature. Add yeast, then seal with an airtight lid w/ airlock). Place in a cool, dark area and allow to ferment for 2 weeks.

After the fermentation completes (usually within 2 weeks), the airlock will no longer bubble. Now it's time to bottle your cider. Boil 1 cup water and dissolve 3/4 cup sugar. Allow to cool for a few minutes then add to the bottling bucket (bucket #2).

Elevate primary fermenter (#1), taking care not to disturb the sediment that's accumulated on the bottom. Open and insert racking cane and tubing. Siphon the cider into the bottling bucket (#2). This will mix the saturated sugar solution and the cider.

Elevate the bottling bucket (#2) and attach the bottle filler. Fill the bottles to the brim by pressing the bottle filler down on the bottom of the bottle. When you remove the filler, it will leave a sufficient amount of airspace. Use the bottle capper to fit the caps to the bottles. Store for 3+ weeks in a cool, dark place. Then.. enjoy.

Liquid Cheese?

For those of you who watched Talladega Nights, remember the one scene where Cal mentions the nacho cheese fountain? I love that line and have been repeating it quite a bit lately. To the point that I now have the desire to make my own nacho cheese fountain.

This guy totally beat me to it. But at least he documented as he did it. If you're interested, check out the blog - The Six-Cheese Nacho Cheese Fountain Build Blog

If You Didn’t Know

How true.

Beat the Heat

Absence Note!

Hard core.

June 21 1990

Dear Mr. Mahar:

Please pardon Robbie for not coming to Mahar's for the past two weeks; he came down with Bronchitis and was very ill.

Thank you.

Mrs. Payton