Beer Review: Bell's Hopslam Ale

It's official...Bell's has entered into my top 5 favorite breweries. I really wanted to try this beer, Hopslam Ale, months ago but wasn't quite tempted enough to buy a $60-70 case, since we Pennsylvanians have to buy a case minimum.

Thanks to a local mecca that manages to dodge that stingy law, I browsed around and found a single bottle of Bell's Hopslam which my hand magnetically clung to immediately. After trying it, I wish I bought a case months ago because it'd be worth it.

My taste in beer is pretty well-rounded, rather than siding toward dark beers or hoppy beers. To me, good beer is good beer. The more IPAs I try, the higher the bar is set for some solid hoppy flavor. Bell's Hopslam is one of those beers that sets that bar higher...hopheads and others alike need to get their hands on this beer immediately!

Swedish Fish Vodka

Berry-flavored vodka? Vanilla-flavored? Citrus? Pshhh...these may be good but you should probably know if you read this site that I like the more adventurous spirits. And it was only in the past year that I started experimenting with the easy process of infusing vodka.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across an article via Food Network that suggested making red-colored cocktails and rimming the glasses with blue pop rocks for 4th of July festivities. Who doesn't love pop rocks? I decided that if the rim is going to be candy, why not make the actual red-colored drink candy-inspired as well? I went to a local candy shop to find these blue pop rocks and browsed around before it hit me...Swedish fish!

Though I've sarcastically described the minimal process of infusing vodka before, I'll repeat it if you're interested. I used 2 boxes of Swedish fish, dumped them in an air-sealed container and topped it off with vodka, letting it sit for about a week and then straining it out. Abracadabra! Swedish fish vodka!

As somewhat of a liquor purist, I decided to just have this infused vodka on the rocks, but it wasn't like I had to turn in my Y chromosome to drink it...it still had a bit of a vodka kick. If you don't want that, I'd suggest adding some club soda or, if you want to add sugar to sugar, use more Swedish fish to infuse the vodka. Whichever way, this is a fun drink to let out your inner child.

As for a name for the drink, I played with "The Drunken Swede," (even though Swedish fish were originally produced in Finland...fun fact). If you read this, leave me a comment with a name for this drink.

Beer Review: Stone/Brewdog Bashah

A collaboration between Stone and Brewdog means trouble...a bunch of "class clown"-types working together. Talented and passionate class clowns though...and it comes through in Bashah (which I feel needs to be pronounced by yelling it like a war cry). I did find out that B.A.S.H.A. is a Brit military term for British Army Standard Hotel Accommodation, but that's not exactly an exciting revelation. This beer is a Belgian style double IPA...nothing to take lightly. I had it in the past couple of weeks, before this face-melting weather here in the northeast. Having tasted it, if I had another bottle, I'd probably save it for a cold winter night. At 8.6% ABV, Bashah!!! wasn't over-the-top, but it had a very rich, dark, faintly fruity taste that would go well with a snowy night and a fire.

As you can see, this beer had an 'oh so great' ominous black appearance. Though I didn't get a whole lot of "Belgian style" in the taste, I did get it in the sniffy sniff, which (since it's Brewdog from UK) smelled like figgy pudding (even though I've never been around figgy pudding in my life). The rest of the smell had the dominant heavy coffee/roasted caramel that you would expect. I didn't get much of that in the taste though; there was a very subtle fruity start and finish, but most of it lingered in the lush dark malt with a warm, faint alcohol kick. It was nice from start to finish, but it didn't knock my socks off considering it had the mind meld of two powerhouses in the industry. It definitely has a re-buy factor though, if not for a knock-out taste, then for the fact that you can yell its name after drinking it.

Canned Beer

Some people shutter at the idea of drinking beer from a can. After all, if you asked the average person of the first canned beer they picture in their head, chances are they won't say, "21st Amendment Brewery Monk's Blood." Macrobreweries have largely been responsible for the empty beer cans littered in or near your neighborhood. When the craft beer movement took off, a staggering majority (if not all) of its results were distributed in keg or bottle. This is definitely not the case anymore. At first there were a couple of canned craft beers at your local beer store...now you've probably noticed that section grow a little larger each time you go.

What took so long? Many of the masterminds behind the quality beer that we drink are also hippy-types, trying to be as ecologically responsible at their breweries as they can. Canning beer is arguably better for the planet than bottling. According to Oskar Blues, recycling aluminum cans generates much less pollution than creating new ones; one recycled can saves the energy equivalent of 6 oz of gas or the electricity to power a guitar amp for up to 2 hours. Also, recycling trucks can compact more cans than bottles, saving fuel costs.

The kicker that most anti-can drinkers are held up on is how cans affect the taste of beer, arguing that it can add a metallic taste. To that, sirs and madams, you are wrong. Here's why (from BeerAdvocate): the cans that these beers come in have a water-based lining that separates the beer from the aluminum. Also, cans are completely protected from getting skunked from UV light or from getting oxygenated (which is possible from capped or corked bottles). ALSO, cans cool down quicker than bottles when you put them in the fridge, so you don't have to be as patient (and you don't need a blue mountain to tell you it's ready).

Now I'll be the first to admit that my palate is far from sophisticated, but it just so happens that I had the same beer both on tap and from a can and I was surprised at my impressions tasting both side to side. I've had 21st Amendment's Brew Free or Die! IPA on tap and have been enjoying it slowly (since it's really hoppy and 8% ABV). On my most recent lunchtime field trip with coworkers to the monstrosity of a beer distributor known as Shangy's, someone picked this very same beer, which comes in a can (we each pick a case, then divide them up due to the stingy PA beverage laws). Naturally, I thought this would be a good chance to test tap vs. can, and guess what? I liked can better. It simply just tasted fresher. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not saying that canned beer is better than from the tap, but it just shows that it can definitely stand up to bottled beer.

So don't worry so much about the vessel it comes in - it's what's on the inside that counts (*cue the "More you Know" tune*)