Want to try chili beer?

This man has an interesting review of one:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/519536655.html

NSFW! Or children!

Return of the beer reviews

31
DuClaw Brewing
Belair, MD
Grade: 9.25


According to the press release, Celebrate Halloween with the latest brew straight from Jim Wagner's cauldron: 31, our special Spiced Munich Dunkel. This German-style amber lager tricks you with its smooth, malty taste and moderate 5.1% abv, then treats your palate with a spicy finish of cinnamon and nutmeg. 31 goes on tap October 31st (all day) and will be available for a limited time — while supplies last. So get to your nearest DuClaw on Halloween night and sample a beer so good it's scary! Costumes are optional ... but encouraged.

So...I have a great job. The pay isn't great, but I go to beer festivals and microbreweries, and brew pubs. It's what I get paid to do.

As such, I get to meet some great people throughout the state - homebrewers, brewmasters, bar tenders, brewery CEO's, sales, marketing, and production line people. It's a job that allows me to sit and chat with these people over some good beer and good food.

Some of my favorites - as much for their beer as it is for their company - are the guys at DuClaw. Brewers Jim Wagner and Bo Lenck do some fine work. Sure, I'm not thrilled by their Raspberry Chocolate Stout, but I've never been thrilled by raspberry beers. My wife, on the other hand, loves it. Really just a matter of taste.

Now, the 31 I noted above, I drove an hour to sample this, and it was well worth the ride (my wife says that the stout is as well - so if that's your cup of tea, make the trip).

The 31 was an imminently drinkable Dunkel with a nice aroma, pours well and has beautiful color. The spices were subtle without being understated, or overwhelming. I highly recommend this beer.

Coming soon: reviews of Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner, Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter and their Kerberos Tripel, as well as DuClaw Devil's Milk.

Mirassou Pinot Noir

Finally! Something to write home about. This light, fruity wine from the oldest winemaking family in America has enough spice to make it so good with any spicy dish and of course alone. You can find it for under $10.

Another scam to watch out for...

Sometimes, a full pour of beer doesn't measure up

The Austrians know how to motivate their teams...

Check out what corporate Austria has offered its soccer players in international competition to get the best play possible out of their national team...

McCain comes out against beer...sort of

Let's assume this was a Freudian slip...and as such, something that John McCain was thinking, but didn't really want to say (as is the way with many a slip of the tongue) -

(CNN) – John McCain issued a promise Tuesday that may cause a bit of unrest with a broad swath of voters:

He'll veto every single beer?

In a slip of the tongue while railing against excessive earmarks at the National Small Business Summit in Washington, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee inadvertently pledged to veto the popular alcoholic beverage.

Watch McCain's slip of the tongue

"I will use the veto as needed. I will veto every single beer — bill with earmarks," he said, as rumblings from the crowd could be heard. "And every single bill that we have come across my desk I will make them famous. I will veto them, you will know their names."

Now, I understand we're looking at a slip of the tongue, but I can't condone anyone being the commander and chief that utters those words. Consider the following from everyone ranging from past presidents, founding fathers, and other world leaders -

"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."

-John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough

"Make sure that the beer - four pints a week - goes to the troops under fire before any of the parties in the rear get a drop."

-Winston Churchill to his Secretary of War, 1944

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

-Benjamin Franklin

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."

-Abraham Lincoln

"He was a wise man who invented beer."

-Plato

"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."

-Kaiser Welhelm

For me...never trust a world leader who doesn't drink beer - or recommends vetoing it.

Beers I have hated

There have only been three beers in my life that were SO bad, I was actually offended.

One was Magic Hat #9. Tasted like hobo piss.

Another was Purple Haze Wheat Beer. Undrinkable.

Another was some Italian beer that I had at the Capital City Carnival. I was pretty damn drunk by the time I had this one, so I couldn't tell you exactly why I didn't like it, or even what it was called. But it was pretty nasty.

And now, I have discovered a new contender for Worst Beer Ever.

It is Legacy Brewing Co.'s Midnight Wit.

It is described on the label as a "Belgian-Style beverage with a medium body and citrus overtones. Silky, creamy, and refreshingly delightful, Midnight Wit is the essence of pure pleasure."

At the bottom it says "Ale brewed with spices." Everything about that sentence appealed to me.

And now, I will digress here and talk a little bit about composting.

For the true novices, composting is the act of taking vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, newspapers, dryer lint and placing it in a bucket with some water with the purpose of letting it sit out in the sun and allow it to "cook." After the vegetable and fruit matter rot and breakdown, it becomes a lovely additive to one's vegetable garden.

Why the digression? Because Midnight Wit tastes like rotted vegetable compost. That's been urinated on by hobos.

Before even taking a taste of Midnight Wit, the smell hits you and immediately invokes a gagging reaction. When you taste it, its like someone has made a beer out of lemon-scented Pledge or lemon-scented Ant & Cockroach Raid. It is horrifying in every way imaginable.

You can read other reviews of this beer here. Keep in mind, most of these people must be frakkin' insane. Someone describes it as "medicinal" and that is indeed only nice thing I could say about it.

Who should buy this?

1) Those who hate life and all that is good in the world.
2) Curiosity seekers and daredevil types.
3) Those who may want to gauge their tastebuds against mine.

Please keep in mind however-those who venture into the world of Midnight Wit and return claiming a liking for it are, forever and always, dead to me.