Drinks on Me: Round 2

Good grief -- it's only Tuesday night?! I swear it's the weekend already, or Christmas, or New Years Eve. It feels like it should be break time, the weekend, vacation. I think I have holiday fever, with the dark days and the Christmas lights everywhere. I find myself curled up on the couch earlier in the night, and more often. A good read and a good glass of beer or wine don't necessarily bend time, but they make things more interesting.

This week's beer curiosities started with a hot-pink oddity that Bill picked up at Whole Foods. It's a new-ish beer from Rogue, in Newport, Oregon. Rogue and the famous Voodoo Doughnuts, in nearby Portland, joined forces to make this... bacon, maple ale. Hmm. If you are a vegetarian, this is not your beer* -- there is real, smoked bacon in here. And it's not hiding. This (light) brown ale, at 5.6% ABV, bottled in bright pink and dancing with images of piglets and maple leaves, has a super strong maple and bacon flavor, with lots of smoky bacon aftertaste and maple sweetness. It has big smoky aroma, too.  If ever there was a breakfast beer, it's this one. It was worth the novelty to try it and share with you... but we laughed with each sip, not sure about the weirdness of it all.  *Note: believe it or not, numerous beers are not vegetarian/vegan, but the other stuff you buy in the store from Rogue (unless it has bacon on the ingredients list) is vegan.

Later in the week we had more of a winner in this Dog Fish Head beer: Pearl Jam Twenty: Faithful Ale. It was rightfully enjoyed while watching the documentary of the famed band (which was a lot more interesting than I imagined... I was skeptical, despite hearing really good reviews). This is a Belgian ale, but it's a slightly darker Belgian and carries nice, yet subtle spice flavor and 7% ABV. Perhaps the spice is due to the currants it's brewed with? Dogfish Head, of Delaware, is known for interesting experimental ingredients and flavors, and while this one is no exception, it's less intense than a lot of the Dog Fish flavors I've tried -- it's pretty safe if those sorts of crazy spices and berries and fruits and nuts make you (or your taste buds) nervous. Give it a try -- and the documentary, too. 

Bottoms up!