July 10, 2009
Three Cheers for… De Regenboog! ...alright, so that happened like a year ago. Whatever. It’s been 28 years since we got a win, ok? Bragging rights last at least 12 months. Anyway, it’s also been a while since we updated this blog. In May, I left off with a bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout just as Denver was facing defeat in Game III, and ultimately the entirety, of the semifinals to Kobe and the Lakers. That the Lakers would go on to continue their championship legacy interested me about as much as Young’s brew. The thing’s tasty enough, but there’s something so gimmicky and artifical about the flavor (not to mention the tacky bottling) to be a big turn-off. It’s like Young’s was trying to answer every friend of mine who says, “I’m just not that into beer, you know?” I could see it being a ”gateway” drink of sorts, something that might prove how beer doesn’t have to taste (and look) like bottled piss, but I guess that’s the charm. Once you move on to better brews of a similar nature, you’re not going back. See, e.g., the Belhaven lineup. Ok… if the last post was inspired by an immediate sports experience, this one comes from Phillies ‘08 nostalgia - and hope, of course, for a Phillies ‘09 win. I recently mentioned to someone how close my family lives to Rehobeth Beach, which reminded me of Mr. Calagione and his DFH labratory’s tempting proximity to home. I didn’t get a chance to explore the beerpub on my last visit to South Jersey (it’s just a ride away on the Cape May-Lewes ferry), but I’m making a promise right now: Should the Phillies go all the way this year (and this will be soooo much sweeter if they destroy the Dodgers again), I’ll be cheerleading from Rehobeth, sipping 90 minute IPAs with Philly shoobies vacationing ”down the shore.” That’ll totally beat drinking Miller at Jimmy’s (which kind of tempered the mood that glorious night in October, gotta say). That’s all I have sports-wise for now. Except the look on Brad Lidge’s face: it sort of expresses my discovery of De Regenboog’s ‘t Smisje Dubbel. Oh, man… this is everything I desire in a beer: sweet, warming, full-bodied and balanced with a hop-malt complexity that could make any beer-skeptic wine snob blush. The thing about ’t Smisje is that you can’t dive into it on a full stomach. I mean, it’s full of honey, which makes it a dessert in a sense, but this fine brew is a meal in itself. Super heavy and satisfying. I won’t say so much about its flavor profile: you really have to experience this one for yourself… Trust me! (Check out the Map Room on Armitage and Damen and you might be lucky enough for a taste on tap.) I can tell you that I quickly forgot my two-beer Sunday afternoon limit. Respect to Beeradvocate’s readers, but this gets an A+, a champion beer in my estimate. With a little more consciousness, we’ll be updating the site again with regular Beerhunter meeting minutes. For now, I’m hoping to convince Andrew to weigh in with a “Scotch-hunter” post. We spent a few nights at Duke of Perth last month, and some of the Islay selections were… expensive, yeah… but totally worth it. Speaking of Scotland: to Robyn from Glasgow — I miss you, and uh… please come back with your cute sweater, pretty accent and charming tolerance for pints of Matilda. You had me at “hiccup.” Love, -t

Three Cheers for… De Regenboog!

...alright, so that happened like a year ago. Whatever. It’s been 28 years since we got a win, ok? Bragging rights last at least 12 months.

Anyway, it’s also been a while since we updated this blog. In May, I left off with a bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout just as Denver was facing defeat in Game III, and ultimately the entirety, of the semifinals to Kobe and the Lakers. That the Lakers would go on to continue their championship legacy interested me about as much as Young’s brew. The thing’s tasty enough, but there’s something so gimmicky and artifical about the flavor (not to mention the tacky bottling) to be a big turn-off. It’s like Young’s was trying to answer every friend of mine who says, “I’m just not that into beer, you know?” I could see it being a ”gateway” drink of sorts, something that might prove how beer doesn’t have to taste (and look) like bottled piss, but I guess that’s the charm. Once you move on to better brews of a similar nature, you’re not going back. See, e.g., the Belhaven lineup.

Ok… if the last post was inspired by an immediate sports experience, this one comes from Phillies ‘08 nostalgia - and hope, of course, for a Phillies ‘09 win. I recently mentioned to someone how close my family lives to Rehobeth Beach, which reminded me of Mr. Calagione and his DFH labratory’s tempting proximity to home. I didn’t get a chance to explore the beerpub on my last visit to South Jersey (it’s just a ride away on the Cape May-Lewes ferry), but I’m making a promise right now: Should the Phillies go all the way this year (and this will be soooo much sweeter if they destroy the Dodgers again), I’ll be cheerleading from Rehobeth, sipping 90 minute IPAs with Philly shoobies vacationing ”down the shore.” That’ll totally beat drinking Miller at Jimmy’s (which kind of tempered the mood that glorious night in October, gotta say).

That’s all I have sports-wise for now. Except the look on Brad Lidge’s face: it sort of expresses my discovery of De Regenboog’s ‘t Smisje Dubbel. Oh, man… this is everything I desire in a beer: sweet, warming, full-bodied and balanced with a hop-malt complexity that could make any beer-skeptic wine snob blush. The thing about ’t Smisje is that you can’t dive into it on a full stomach. I mean, it’s full of honey, which makes it a dessert in a sense, but this fine brew is a meal in itself. Super heavy and satisfying. I won’t say so much about its flavor profile: you really have to experience this one for yourself… Trust me! (Check out the Map Room on Armitage and Damen and you might be lucky enough for a taste on tap.) I can tell you that I quickly forgot my two-beer Sunday afternoon limit. Respect to Beeradvocate’s readers, but this gets an A+, a champion beer in my estimate.

With a little more consciousness, we’ll be updating the site again with regular Beerhunter meeting minutes. For now, I’m hoping to convince Andrew to weigh in with a “Scotch-hunter” post. We spent a few nights at Duke of Perth last month, and some of the Islay selections were… expensive, yeah… but totally worth it.

Speaking of Scotland: to Robyn from Glasgow — I miss you, and uh… please come back with your cute sweater, pretty accent and charming tolerance for pints of Matilda. You had me at “hiccup.” Love,

-t

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