I was chatting with one of my best friends tonight and she suggested I tell y'all about some of my favorite beers. I wasn't always a lover of beer, I think a part of my culture instilled that it wasn't very ladylike to drink beer. I was a big wine drinker, until I was introduced to a "good" beer and my life was never the same after that.
So here is a rundown of some of my favorite beers (Part I). But, let's begin with the beer that introduced me to the lovely concoction of hops and yeast. The beer that made me a beliebeer (Bad joke).
This brewing company is in Colorado and it is the first beer I fell in love with one night at Pete's Piano bar in Austin, Texas. It was love at first sip. It is my go-to beer when I need a cold one. The classic Belgian White is a wheat with a hint of orange that can only be truly appreciated with an orange slice on the rim of your pint glass. A couple of their seasonal beers that I love include the Harvest Moon during the fall, the Spring Blonde Wheat Ale is tasty with a lemon slice, and the delicious Summer Honey Wheat. I just love wheats. I cannot resist a Blue Moon with a good burger. YUM.
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| Blue Moon Ad |
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| Traditionally served with a slice of orange. I can always spy a wheat beer by it's golden, foggy color. |
The first reason I love St. Arnold's Brewery is because it is in the heart of Houston, Texas and we all know how proud Texans are of this beautiful state. Yes, I am that obnoxious Tejas person. I can't help it if our state is bigger and better than yours ;) Anyway, there is one brew I'm going to focus on in particular from the St. Arnold's brewery, the Fancy Lawnmower. I believe it's official name is a Kölsch, and my friends, I wish I knew how to phonetically say that. Out of luck. It's citrusy and fresh, but unique in taste. Not just your average crisp beer.
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| It's got a slight hoppy taste to it that you wouldn't expect from a blond. |
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| Isn't the name charming? |
There are two beers that taste like the summer of 2011 to me: Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan and Indian Summer. I can think of many things I would do for one right about now. Lazy Magnolia is a Mississippi Brewery that is fairly new (2003). Let's start with my personal fave of the two: Southern Pecan. It's just like the name sounds, pure southern nutty goodness. It is a nut brown ale, and is brewed with real whole roasted pecans. By the way, if you are not from the south you pronounce it "peh-cahn" and not "pee-can." It is a rich brown color, and one of the most memorable beers I have ever tasted. Now the Indian Summer is a wheat (of course), but it's the coriander that gives it a unique spicy flavor. I haven't tried any others from the Lazy Magnolia brewery, but if given the opportunity I'd be happy to experience them!
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| Citrus & Spice |
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| This picture makes my mouth water. Mmmm. |
After living in Louisiana for a year it was inevitable that I discovered Abita. I will review four of my favorites, but there are many good options from the Abita brewing company. The classic and the bestseller is the Abita Amber. It's a really good amber and pairs perfectly with some of the spicier cajun food like a good jambalaya or some spicy sausage. I also love the color of amber beers. The Turbodog is one I tried recently. I have to be in the mood for darker beers, but this one was so smooth and almost creamy I had to tell y'all about it. It is a dark brown ale with a very rich chocolatey taste. Purple Haze is a beer that will draw you in by it's good looks on the outside. Some don't like it because they think it's too sweet. I beg to differ that it's sweet in comparison to other beers I've had. It's a lager with lots of wheat in it. There are real raspberries added to the beer so it is not uncommon to see a purple haze in the beer or even pulp from the berries. Yum. Lastly, the seasonal favorite: Abita Strawberry. The first day of Abita Strawberry season the clouds open up and God smiles down at me (I swear). It is a lager with lots of wheat and real Louisiana strawberry juice added. Sweet, refreshing, and perfect for springtime.
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There are two beers that are fabulous from Leinenkugel's. This is brewery in Wisconsin and I'm very interested in trying some more brews, but for now I'll tell you about two of them. My favorite is a wheat (no surprise there). The Sunset Wheat has a beautiful aftertaste of Fruity Pebbles cereal. Most people wouldn't immediately think of this, but after analyzing the sweet aftertaste I came to the conclusion that it reminded me of childhood. The Berry Weis I tried back in April. It is brewed with wheat malt and lots of berries. This is the sweetest beer I have ever tasted, but it's delicious and perfect to pair with dessert or to enjoy alone as your dessert. The color is gorgeous too.
Are you a beer snob?
Have you tried any of these beers?
Which was your favorite?
Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow!
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