Is Beer Food?

I found this great article this morning... Long story as to how I got there though. I was looking for foods which increase libido. Beer seems to do a number on mine. Which led to me searching for something else, but then Beer and Food Pairings popped up as a suggestion on Google, which led to a page about pairing beer and food, which had a link entitled "Is Beer Food?"

And apparently it is! And there is even a beer diet!

Well... I do need to drop some weight!

Is Beer Food?

The Reviews are Coming!

I've started putting together a review on a wonderful bottle of Bistlecone Brown Ale from Uinta brewing. The only tough part is that I'm still new to the beer scene, so I'm trying to get more depth to the review.

It did taste good though, but I think the review needs more than a simple 8/10 on my personal scale.

And as far as other upcoming reviews...

I have a bottle of Devastator in my fridge, which I am really excited about reviewing.

I also picked up a 6 pack of BudLight with Lime and Wasatch Breweries Raspberry Wheat Beer last night. The Bud wasn't actually too bad, and the Raspberry Brew was really, really good.

So watch for all of those in the next few weeks.

Advantages of Beer

Types of Beer

I found this excellent chart depicting the types of beer. I suspect it is by no means anywhere close to comprehensive.



I'll try and refer back to this chart as I review the various beers I am able to sample.

Click on the image to view the original image, in it's full glory.

Popping My Cherry

Or alternatively... Popping the hop!

It was July 4th, 2010. I was born the next day, several decades prior, but if you factor in time zones, it was pretty much my birthday.

I'd had a couple of alcoholic drinks prior, but never had a beer. It wasn't that I didn't want to, I just felt I needed to build up to it. I tried some O'Doulls a year or so prior. It wasn't what I expected and as such didn't go down as easily as it should have.

But there I was, some time later. My wife across the table from me, having just finished a good dinner at a friends house.

The friend asked if I wanted a beer.

"If you wouldn't mind", I responded.

He produced a bottle of Michelob Ultra from the fridge.

It was perfect as my first drink.

I'm a pretty big Lance Armstrong fan, and it's the brand he advertises for.

In addition to that, it's not a very beery beer. It had a very mild and light flavor.

I braced myself, memories of the O'Doulls coming back, and readying myself to resist gagging and just trying to appreciate the taste.

I was very pleasantly surprised.

I'll have to grab another bottle at some point and do a real review on it, but if you want my opinion... It's the perfect choice for a first time beer drinker.

I think the key to drinking beer is not expecting it to be sweet in any way. It's not a soda, but given time, the right beer and a nice chill to it, and it is very refreshing.

So... July 4th, 2010. A day that will live in infamy as the first day I drank a beer!

A Little History

I was raised Mormon - or LDS as they prefer to be called. My parents joined shortly before I was born and have been committed to it ever since. One of the most well known aspects of Mormon theology is a prohibition against the consumption of alcohol. While details are sketchy, I understand that my parents used to enjoy alcohol consumption prior to their conversion, and said conversion necessitated the liberation of their liqueur collection, no doubt to the delight of extended family.

So I was raised in a home where alcohol was neither available, nor consumed. I do have a few alcoholic memories though. My paternal grandfather would often visit when I was very young - maybe 5 or 6. I recall large glasses of amber colored liquid, topped with a thick head of foam. I recall the foam getting caught in his mustache and that he smelled like beer and cigarettes.

As I got old, he moved away, and so did my exposure to alcohol.

We moved to New Zealand when I was 17 and I quickly moved into a new social group which used to imbibe quite regularly.

A few memories...

My first steady girlfriend used to drink frequently and in great quantities, and I think that may have contributed to our breaking up. I struggled with it, purely because of all the stuff I'd heard about alcohol. She suggested once that I would eventually start drinking. I figured she was wrong.

Another good friend remarked one night, while a little drunk and as he stood in the doorway with a can of Lion Red...

"It looks like piss,
It tastes like piss,
It smells like piss,
And we call it piss."

"Oh well!", he then said, and proceeded to drain the can.

The next 12 years are kind of a blur. I got really Mormony. I did the Mormon mission thing for 2 years, got a Mormon wife and married her in the Mormon temple, and then proceeded to do my duty and produce a good Mormon family. I even worked for Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City. Ironically that final step may have been the biggest factor in the installation of doubt in my mind.

So there I was. Mormon wife and 5 Mormon kids. And I wasn't sure it was what I had been led to lead it was. I spent a lot of time studying and praying and pleading with God to let me know what path I was supposed to pursue. I've never been more sincere or fervent in my life. And yet, the answer I got was not what I expected. Not only did it become pretty apparent that I had been on the wrong path, I wasn't even sure there was a God.

The problem with having those doubts when you're surrounded on all sides by Mormons, is that it's very hard to leave. If I had been single, that would have been it, but life is seldom that simple. I tried to keep up appearances, and while I lacked belief, I did my best to continue to follow the rules and do everything I was supposed to.

It's hard to be committed to something you know to be fraud. I tried, but Mormons seem to like giving each other little tests of loyalty, and I was started to fail. The final test was a bishop who tried to extort money out of me, in exchange for allowing me to baptize my daughter. I was keeping all the rules, with the exception of handing over 10% of my paycheck to the Church. And he wanted that money.

I realized that my time as a Mormon was over.

I had my first taste of alcohol the next weekend. It was a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream. Not quite what I expected, but not too bad at all.

From there I tried a little rum - holey moley, that stuff is strong!

And then I was offered a beer, but that's a story for another day.

Why

Why Beer?

I have several reasons.

I initially tried it because...

It was a form of rebellion against my upbringing.
I was curious.
All real men drink beer - Thank you advertising!

I'm attracted to it, because the idea of standing around the BBQ with a couple of mates, holding a cold one, just seems natural and fun.

I drink it because...

I've learned to like it.
I like how it makes me feel. The hops has an anti-depressant quality to it, and with 5 kids, 3 jobs and a whole host of other stresses, I can use all the anti-depressant and anti-anxiety help I can get. I run too, but sometimes that is not enough!

I thought I'd start a review blog because...

There are so many different kinds of beer. Different ingredients, different brewing styles and a whole host of other variables.
I like the idea of trying different things. Different recipes, different cultures and different tastes.
I thought it would be fun to share my adventures in brewing.

So here it is... My brew review blog. Exploring the world of beer and my journeys into it.