Black and White

Beer: Blue Moon
ABV: 5.40%
Home: Golden, Colorado, USA
Slogan: "The right blend of ingredients and imagination"

Pretty standard - Blue Moon is actually brewed by Coors. This Belgian-style wit beer pours a hazy orange-gold with virtually no head, and smells faintly of citrus and wheat. This beer is not at all bitter and goes down very easily. An average beer and a safe bet if you're not sure about other options.

At this point, I got a text message from a friend asking me if I was at Bukowski's. I was wondering if she was watching us (since it was a random Wednesday) before she said she saw my check-in on this one beer app I've been using. Between that app and MapMyRun, she has the distinct privilege of seeing my drinking and fitness accomplishments as they happen... Love it!

Beer: Ipswich Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 7.00%
Home: Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA

Pours a brown-black color with a thin tan head. The taste is rich and bittersweet with a dry finish, reminding me of a strong dark-roast coffee or espresso. This stout sits heavy, but I like it! A great beer for a cool night.

Reunion

After 2 weeks with one of us out of town (and then sick all last weekend), the mug team is back to operating at full strength once again. Even though it was only Monday, we got back to work immediately.

Beer: Westmalle
ABV: 9.50%
Home: Westmalle, Belgium

Unusually dry and bitter for a Trappist, at least for the ones I've tried - it's the only Trappist Tripel on our list. Light-bodied, simple, and clean with a fruity aroma. This one closes out the Trappist category - getting closer to the finish!

Beer: Hitachino Red Rice Ale
ABV: 7.00%
Home: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

The Red Rice Ale is definitely unique. Strange is a better word. There aren't any strong aromas. I think it tastes like candy, specifically rock candy, but with a dry finish. It's interesting, but it didn't blow me away. I'd probably have to be in the right mood to order it again.

Gameday

The bar was pretty quiet on Saturday afternoon, so we were able to watch the VT-Marshall game on ESPNU without any objections. Good thing because we don't get the channel at home...

Beer: Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine
ABV: 9.20%
Home: Boulder, Colorado, USA

I heard that the Hog Heaven was a tough one, but I'm thinking maybe that had something to do with drinking it on a hot summer day. Definitely not ideal. The Hog Heaven pours a clear copper color with a head smelling strongly of hops. Dry and significantly bitter, but clean and crisp with just a hint of caramel. While it has more bitterness than I'd like, it's a good Fall beer overall.

Beer: Carlsberg
ABV: 5.00%
Home: Copenhagen, Denmark

Green-bottled beers have a very specific taste, and this beer is no exception. Must be all the crap adjuncts added to the beer to prevent skunking in these see-through bottles. If you must drink it, get it down while it's still ice cold. Forgettable.

In hindsight, ordering this beer was a bad decision. I was sufficiently drunk by 5pm and rather than going home to pass out on the couch, we hopped on a bus to Harvard Square and wandered around town. Nice little Saturday. Hey, at least we've almost finished the challenge! Down to 12!

Smoke 'n' Apples

Beer: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen

ABV: 5.20%

Home: Bamberg, Germany

I love how this beer smells like clothes after a night at a beach bonfire. Pours a translucent amber with a huge foam head. Interesting because it's a fairly light-bodied wheat beer brewed with a smoked malt. This beer is my third Bamberg smoked variety and I think this one's the best. I'd recommend trying this beer on a cooler day with some smoked meat - really good!

Beer: Floris Apple
ABV: 3.60%
Home: Melle, Belgium

In a completely different direction, but still keeping in the spirit of Fall, I ordered this apple wheat brew by the brewery that makes Delirium. It pours hazy golden with a small, short-lived head. Smells strongly of green apples! It tastes both sweet and sour like an apple-flavored soda. A nice dessert!

The bar manager thought it would be hilarious to tell us that the bar is moving... to Lynn. I was ready to have a meltdown right there when he laughed at our reaction and told us they were just moving into a recently vacated space a block down the road. Sometime next year. Nice, it'll be closer to our place!

Yeti

Beer: Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.50%
Home: Denver, Colorado, USA
Slogan: "Great minds drink alike"

Untamed. Imposing. The pour looks like a chocolate shake: Black beer with a mocha-colored head like the Founders Breakfast Stout. Strong roasted malt flavor with aggressive hops that really punch you in the face. Really good, but definitely a heavyweight. It would be great paired with food - a steak, strong cheese, or dark chocolate.

I have 16 beers to go and we're closing in on our goal. While drinking this beer and watching the Mannings go head-to-head in the Giants-Broncos matchup, we talked about the authors we might pick for our mugs. The mug club (a.k.a. "Dead Authors" club) requires that you pick a dead author whose name will be engraved onto your mug. Since divulging my potential authors right now would be like telling everyone my baby name, I'll share at the end.

Happy Hour After Hours

I decided to go with "easier" beers that I'd been saving for situations like this one, where I'd already been through a couple of drinks at happy hour.

Beer: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
ABV: 6.00%
Home: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA
Slogan: "Off-centered stuff for off-centered people"

IPA fans make a fuss over this one for a reason. The 60 minute pours a clear orange with a bubbly head. This beer is tasty and refreshing with lots of citrus and hop. The hop bitterness delivers a punch, but it's not overdone. Definitely a standout IPA that I'd drink on any occasion.

Beer: Xingu Black Beer
ABV: 4.70%
Home: Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Slogan: "Light & dark, smooth as silk"

The Xingu (pronounced "shin-goo") is a Brazilian Schwarzbier, a new one for me. Pours black with a tan head that recedes quickly. There's not much of an aroma, but the taste is unique. The Xingu has malty, dark fruit flavors with a fair amount of sweetness. It's unexpectedly light in body. I definitely liked it, but I prefer a dark beer with more earthiness.

Game Changer

Beer: La Trappe Quadrupel
ABV: 10.00%
Home: Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands
Slogan: "Taste the Silence"

First, I would generally advise against drinking this 25.4 oz La Trappe on a Tuesday. Along with a handful of other beers on our list, this quadrupel Trappist ale has been deemed by our fellow bar friends as a game changer. Absolutely true. Also absolutely delicious! The Quadrupel is a Belgian style of dark ale that is much stronger than a Tripel or Dubbel (10% ABV or higher). It is typically full-bodied with rich, malty flavors. This beer pours a clear amber with a generous creamy head. The sweet caramel flavor is most noticeable to me, and this quad has a lighter-than-typical body with a fleeting finish. It's also interesting that the La Trappe Quad is not a Belgian - It's brewed at De Koningshoeven, the only Dutch Trappist abbey.

Greek Fest

Before this session, we spent some time with friends at the annual Greek Fest in Somerville, having the world's best gyros and loukoumades with some delicious Opa-Opa blueberry beer. One of my all-time favorite meals. Too bad I only get it once a year! A little while after getting home, we headed back out to try a few more beers - stuffed, but up for a nightcap.

Beer: Schneider Aventinus Eisbock
ABV: 12.00%
Home: Kelheim, Germany

I should start by explaining the story behind this beer style: To create an Eisbock, the brewers partially freeze the beer so that the slush can be scooped out, concentrating the brew such that the alcohol overpowers any subtle flavors. I'm not really a fan. This beer pours a dark brown sludge with a moderately sized, but quickly dissipating head that gives off a sweet aroma. The taste is overly sweet with a syrupy body. Very strong. Banana is the only flavor I can really distinguish.

Beer: Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier
ABV: 4.30%
Home: Bamberg, Germany

Pours a light golden with very little head. Light-bodied and crisp, but with noticeable smokiness characteristic of Bamberg brews. Not a surprise considering that the Helles is brewed in the same copper kettles as Schlekerla's famous smoked beer! The smokiness is more subtle than a Rauch, though, since no smoked malt is used. A unique brew that I'd order again.

Blanche

After a relatively quick bike ride through Arlington and Belmont, who doesn't crave greasy food and beer? With no room at the bar, we had no choice but to grab a table. Not a bad option, considering that both the NFL Kickoff and the Red Sox-Yankees game were on!

Beer: Blanche de Chambly
ABV: 5.00%
Home: Chambly, Quebec, Canada

The Blanche de Chambly takes the top spot for Belgian whites, in my opinion. Pours a hazy gold color with a huge head giving off aromas that are very fruity and a little sour. Abundant fruit flavors featuring tangy orange. Refreshing, well-balanced, and highly drinkable! Great session beer, which is a plus because of the seemingly bottomless 25.4 oz bottle. A side note: The bottle label depicts Fort Chambly in honor of the volunteer militiamen who died defending Lower Canada (against the US!) in the War of 1812. And with that, I've completed the Unibroue category - They sure know how to brew some fine beers up there! As far as I'm concerned, these Canadian beers are free to invade the US any time.

Non-Taco Tuesday

The first Taco Tuesday where I ordered something besides $2 tacos... Hey, we all need a change sometimes!

Beer: Maudite

ABV: 8.00%

Home: Chambly, Quebec, Canada

La Maudite = The Damned. Awesome beer. Like all other Unibroue beers, the label is eye-catching and seems to depict a boat ferrying damned souls to the gates of hell. The Maudite pours a cloudy red with a generous foamy head. The aroma is sour and fruity, typical of Belgian-style beers. Fruity and malty flavor. Very drinkable, and therefore dangerous!

Beer: Dragon Stout

ABV: 7.50%
Home: Kingston, Jamaica

Hard to believe it's from Jamaica, let alone the same brewery that produces Red Stripe! The Dragon Stout pours an intense dark brown with a thin, tan head. This brew is a sweet stout with dark, candied fruit flavors. A tad syrupy, it has a lingering finish. Good choice for your last drink!

Big Bottle Day

After Friday's Brewers Fest, I took a booze-free day before feeling recovered enough for Sunday brunch at Bukowski's. We met up a few hours before the Mug Club Party when they closed the bar to everyone else - Since we can't drink 25 beers in one afternoon, especially not those we have left, we'll have to wait for the next one. We figured this rainy Sunday would be ideal for powering through some tougher ones on the list.

Beer: Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout
ABV: 8.10%
Home: Healdsburg, California, USA

Thick imperial black stout with a bubbly tan head right after the pour. Roasted earthy flavor with some sweetness. A strong brew in a big bottle - don't plan on a long session if this one's in the mix! A weekend bar visit is ideal for taking this one down.

Beer: Mönchshof Kellerbier
ABV: 5.40%
Home: Kulmbach, Germany

Mönchshof = monk's yard, Kellerbier = cellar beer. After a bit of reading, a cellar beer is an unfiltered German beer that ferments at cool lagering temperatures. The beer is matured in wooden casks with active yeasts and a loosened bung that allows CO2 to escape, reducing the amount of carbonation in the finished product. It's supposedly based on traditional recipes in which the beers are made in farmhouse cellars. The Mönchshof pours a hazy orange color with a finger head. I like the dimpled glass! The taste is malty and sweet. Not bad, but it's a little too sweet. It might be better paired with some good cheese!