Good Beer

When I became old enough to drink, I was the weird kid that brought "good beer" to the parties. Whereas my counterparts were swilling Keystone Light or Busch Lite or anything light by the case, I was the one bringing a six pack of something higher quality and usually leaving with 3-4 beers at the end of the evening. I blame my uncle (Mimi's brother) who lived a very epicurean life. He instilled in me the idea that life is too short to drink bad booze or eat bad food. 

Unfortunately, he died far too young from a life of excess. There is a lesson in there somewhere. If I can shake my cravings for a cinnamon roll, I might put some thought into what that might be. 

That said, the youngest nephew (affectionally known as Baby Huey) seems to have taken a page from my uncle's playbook and has dedicated his life to beer. Once upon a time, I had to take a business trip to Denver, CO and decided to make a family trip of it. Baby Huey and his (at the time) fiancé caught wind of it and asked if they could  tag along. We, being the enabling types, acquiesced.

Once we arrived in Denver, Baby Huey asked if there might be a chance that he could be dropped off at a location near downtown the next day. We allowed as how that might be possible; but, we being curious, asked why. He allowed as how he had an interview with someone for a job working at Coors Brewing.

Aha! The light bulb clicked on.

So fast forward a few or five years, and Baby Huey has relocated completely to Colorado, married his fiance, spawned a couple of boys and taken a job with Avery Brewing where he is one of their Cellarmen. He recently came home to visit and brought several cases of beer  to share. 

We were fortunate enough to snag 4 six packs of differing flavors to share: White Rascal, The Reverend, Avery IPA and Gose Con Sandia

 I'll be upfront and disclose my bias: I hate IPAs. They are way to hoppy for my tastes. The Queen, however, professes to like them. Even she said the Avery IPA was too hoppy for her. So, if you like IPAs on the hoppy side, this is the one for you. 

The Reverend is a quadruple ale in the Trappist ale style. It boasts 10% ABV and is very smooth and tasty. You don't want to drink too many of these at once if you are used to standard American pilsner and lager styles. 

The White Rascal is a Belgian Style White Ale similar to Blue Moon. I highly recommend drinking this one from a glass instead of the can. 

My personal favorite was the Gose Con Sandia. Here again, the beer benefits from a pour into glass, but the flavors are just about perfectly balanced. 

So, if you see this in your local store, consider throwing a few shekels their way to keep Baby Huey in diaper and rent money.