The
New Year is here and we have a few birthdays to celebrate: Juice and
El Guapo, AKA Cathan and Fernando, are another year older which means
another year wiser. In their old age, their palates have developed to a
new level, requiring us to show off their new favorites. Since
they are as dedicated to beer drinking as anyone, being stalwart members of the Hi-Time Beer Department, we decided to
divide their picks into their breakfast, lunch and dinner beers that
they plan on enjoying on their birthdays.
-Cathan Cokas ("Juice"); Cathan runs the Hi-Time Beer Twitter Feed (here).
-Fernando Ruvalcaba ("El Guapo")
El
Guapo’s Birthday Picks
Morning
Beer
Stiegl
Radler 12oz 6-pack $11.47 [472611] Link
They
say that grapefruits are the breakfast of champions, well grapefruit
radler is mine! With only 2.7 ABV, this is perfect way to keep going
on the drinking marathon I'm having going on my birthday.
“The
Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit is a mix of Stiegl-Goldbräu and fruit juice
that is invariably natural and has no artificial sweeteners added to
it. The grapefruit juice lends this a naturally cloudy appearance and
a tangy fruit flavor, creating a succulent and fruity taste sensation
with a refreshing finish.” -Stiegl Brewery Description
Lunch
Beer
Ska Brewing Rudie Session IPA 12oz 6-pack $10.47 [474644]
Some
say drinking a radler is too sissy. So keeping with the marathon, I
wanted a beer with a little more attitude, “Lip Up Fatty!” If “The
Specials” like Rudie, then I must drink like Rudie! This
session IPA had me skanking out! Ah-Ah-ah...
“Rudie begins with a big fruity hop aroma of pears and
watermelon candy, but is relatively low in actual bitterness. Pairs
great with breakfast, summer, sunny days, rainy days, winter, on the
river, on the trail. Drink it any day, any time.” - Ska Brewery Description
Dinner Beer
12oz 6-pack $9.97 [474240]
Since
I don’t have my funnel and tubing, I wanted a beer with a bit more
of a complex taste. I
want my blood to be orange-- blood orange, that is. With the right
amount of salt, this Gose is just what I needed to soak up all the
water that the alcohol didn’t replace yet.
“Our
Blood Orange Gose is a tart, refreshing wheat ale that is
kettle-soured with lactobacillus and brewed with sea salt and
coriander. However, unlike traditional versions of the style, ours
features liberal additions of blood oranges during fermentation.
This imparts tangy citrus notes that complement the champagne-like
flavors, creating a complex and sessionable ale perfect for any
occasion.” -Anderson Valley Brewing Description
Juice’s
Birthday Picks
Breakfast
Beer
Lagunitas Day Time Session IPA 12oz 6-pack $10.47 [471488]
For
breakfast, I wanted to start off with a light beer but being the
picky guy I am, I couldn’t live with myself if I was to drink one
of those mainstream beers every store will have. I am a big IPA guy
but to start off the morning with the high alcohol and bitterness might be too much... even to jumpstart my birthday. I decided on a cousin of
one my favorite IPAs , the Session IPA, and Day Time by Lagunitas is
one of the best.
“Sometimes
you want a beer, then you realize how much crap you need to do before
you call it a day. This is it. Nicely dosed with Big, Round Hop
Flavors and a Toasty Malt Foundation to satisfy your every need. But
it still lets you stay in the game to do what needs to be done. Yup.” -Lagunitas Brewery Description
Lunch
Beer
Since the Session IPA I started my day on, I decided to put my big
boy pants on and skip over the regular IPAs and jump up to the
Double IPA coming from El Segundo Brewery. Filled with Simcoe, Citra,
Cascade and Chinook hops, this beer is one of the premier craft brand
IPAs out there.
“A
brazenly hop-forward beast of a beer, with a huge passionfruit nose.
A subtle caramel character provides a malt backbone to shoulder the
massive amount of dry-hopping that gives this beer its unique aroma
and hop flavor. Two 5 Left is the runway that sends planes screaming
right over El Segundo. We always knew we would name a beer after this
local landmark, and when it came to naming our first Double IPA.. it
fit the bill perfectly.” -El
Segundo Brewing Description
Dinner
Beer
Boulder
Brewery Shake Chocolate Porter 12oz 6-pack $9.97 [486598] Link
After
my mid-day siesta from delicious IPA drinking, my sweet tooth arrived
in full force and I was craving something silky smooth and full of
chocolately goodness. I glanced around and realized Shake Chocolate
Porter from Boulder was calling my name loud and clear. I sat down,
popped open this delectable 12oz, and took down about half my
birthday cake along with the other lonely beers in this 6-pack and
reminisced over the last year. I’ve tasted so many great beers over
this year, so many more to go.
“Our twist on the traditional robust American
Porter, Shake Chocolate Porter is dark black in color with rich,
sweet aromatics and flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and caramel.
This unique brew blends five different grains, including Chocolate
Wheat, that along with cacao nibs create a devilishly delicious
chocolate finish with a velvety mouthfeel.” -Boulder
Brewing Description
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