Buzzzzzz....Bumblebee golden ale

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm-fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast.^[1][2] The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which help preserve the beer and impart a bitter herbal flavour that balances the sweetness of the malt.

Bumblebee: Golden Ale by Indian Wells Brewing company. I picked this up a few months ago at a Fresh and Easy store (Chad chose it....hence the ale part..). I'm not generally an 'ale' fan because I don't really care for hoppy beers. This beer, for me, isn't the greatest. Its on the sweeter side and has a pretty hoppy aftertaste.

Not extremely aromatic, this beer is crisp, but not extremely flavorful. Also, the mouthfeel flavor is low.
Give it a try if you like...but I dont recommend spending your mula on it. Chad liked it...but I'm just going to be honest, there really aren't many beers he doesn't like. :)





1.^ Ben McFarland, World's Best Beers: One Thousand Craft Brews from Cask to Glass, p 271. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2009, ISBN 1402766947. 2009-10-06. ISBN 978-1-4027-6694-7. Retrieved 2010-08-07
2.^ M. Shafiur Rahman, Handbook of Food Preservation, p 221. CRC Press, 2007, ISBN 1574446061. 2007-07-16. ISBN 978-1-57444-606-7. Retrieved 2010-08-07.

Bier au BANANA.

I'm sure you're wondering.....what?!?! Did you just say beer...with BANANA? Why, yes...yes I did. In Europe (this was in Germany) it is common for beers to be mixed with other concoctions. While there are a few that I will go over in the future, it's important to note that there is a popular Cola-bier and Any-frucht-of-your-choice beer. In this one, they mixed 'banana nectar' in my beer. This gave a normally very strong, hoppy beer a tone down. It was easier to drink, very smooth, and had more than just a subtle flavor of banana.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "you mixed WHAAAA with WHAAAAT??? That's terrible." But, keep in mind, somebody is drinking it or it wouldn't be on the menu.

The ratio, if you are wanting to do this on your own, is about 3:1 beer to banana. Also, it's important to note that this is best with a Weizen beer. Or WHEAT beer. All you extreme beer lovers out there......quit griping, and just try it. You'll never know until you do. It makes a wonderful summer drink and breakfast drink as well.

"Drink a Guinness, it's good for you."

To star with my (Ciara's) favorite beer -- Guinness. Before I was a beer drinker, I heard the Guinness-buzz from afar. The label was everywhere. I would see hats, T-shirts, posters, etc. with Guinness plastered all over the merchandise. I liked the label, but when I tasted the beer, I wasn't impressed. I'm sure you're thinking...WHAT?!?!?!?! Hahahaha

I know, I know, my current self is pointing and laughing at my former self. Before anyone approaches a Guinness, they should, in my opinion, know a bit about how it is brewed. Four basic ingredients -- water,  hops, yeast and barley. The cool thing about Guinness is that they slightly burn (or brown) the barley before they brew the beer.

While visiting Dublin, Ireland, Chad and I made sure to stop by the Guinness factory. We had such a great time. We also got a tutorial on how to pour the perfect pour. Basically, hold the glass at a 45 degree angle directly under the tap so it doesn't have much room to foam up. Then you set the glass down once it is about half full. After waiting a few minutes you leave the class sitting under the tap and let the tap run down into the glass. This causes more friction, obviously, leaving more of a head. So thick and creamy...very delicious.

Guinness is dark and rich. Some people say it's thick but it really any thicker than another beer. The EXTRA stout is only 164 calories. It has subtle hints of coffee and I'm sure pairs really well with chocolate.

If you have never tasted Guinness, take it slow. Take in what I told you, and enjoy the glass, one sip at a time.

Let me know how you feel about Guinness. AGHH! (YUM!)

Does a bear sh!# in the woods?

A neighbor once asked, "Would you like a beer?" and a swift reply back sounded something like, "Does a bear shit in the woods?" Before we introduce ourselves, we would like to make two things very clear -- 1. WE LOVE BEER! and 2. WE LOVE FREE BEER EVEN MORE. It's a fact.

Some people who like to sample many beers become beer snobs (ehem, they go by connoisseur, if you will). Not us :) We feel like every beer crafted is unique in its own way. The cheaper beers you find at college parties aren't bad beers, they just fall into a different category, then say......Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

We hope you truly enjoy reading our blog. We aren't a daily blog, so be sure to follow us by email updates so you are notified when a new beer has been tested.

Can't wait to get started.