Not The Sharpest Tool

The last few days I've been helping my friend S celebrate his birthday. Thursday we got tickets to the Mets game last minute, last night was free birthday dinner a Kiko House (post to come) and tonight was some drunken fun at the Pig Pen while we listened to a cover band Vinyl Meltdown.

Immediately after showing up I went straight to the bar to grab a drink. I scanned what was on tap and saw that they had Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Sounded like it would be a good choice, so I patiently waited before I could get one of the bartender's attention.

One of the bartenders finished up a order and turned to me. "What can I get you?"

"Yeah, can I get Sam Adams?"

She looks to the taps on her left. She looks to the taps on her right. She looks at the taps on her left again... I guess just to make sure. The ones on her right have Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. I know it's there, I could see it.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have Sam Adams."

"You don't have Sam Adams?" At this point she walks away and another bartender asks me for my order.

"Give me the Cherry Wheat."

"Sure thing."

I'm sorry, but you should know what's on tap at the bar you work at. I knew it was Sam Adams because of its familiar font and the fact that I read Sam Adams Cherry Wheat on the spout.

Needless to say, I avoided that one bartender for the rest of the night.

What The Heck Is a Lambic, Anyway?

Sunday was a very productive day for M and I. One of his Christmas presents was a beer making kit from his sister (and new beer maker). We picked up the ingredients Saturday and after our last shift were good to go on the beer adventure. M is working on a post about it, so hopefully he will post it soon (he's too busy watching it since it's in the burping phase).

Bottling won't be for another week, but in the meantime we've been working on getting enough bottles for it (48 beers in a week? uuuuugh). The Sam Adams sampler pack was on sale at Price Chopper and after quickly scanning the selection, I was surprised to see a lambic.

Do I know what a lambic is? Nope, but it sounded interesting.

Did the label on the bottle give any clues? "Our version of a traditional Belgian lambic is brewed with the juice of native American cranberries, a unique top fermenting yeast, and a touch of maple syrup." Thanks, but still clueless.

Okay Wikipedia, work your magic: "Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer's yeasts, Lambic beer is instead produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste."

Perhaps this would not be the right beer to pick when deciding if lambic is good or not. It was a little strange, but very drinkable. M did not like it at all, but I think any of his thoughts on beer right now will be a little biased.

If you try this, let me know what you think!