Beer Review

Here are the brews that I sampled at the LMU Alumni Beer Tasting. All the beers were from California breweries. Although there weren't that many beers sampled, the chosen candidates seem to cover a large spectrum of brews. There was a clear winner, a definite loser, and everything in between.

Please, don't let me discourage anyone from trying any of these beers even when my opinion of it is less than craptacular. You might have an acquired taste for bottled piss water. Regardless, it'll provide contrast between beers that you do like and beers that you don't.

Brewery: Karl Strauss
Location: San Diego, CA
Name: Woodie Gold
Type: Pilsner




















My thoughts: Not bad. It wasn't terrible but I wouldn't buy a 6 pack of it. I had such higher hopes for a beer with the words "woodie" and "blonde" in its name. If I saw it in a cooler at a party, then I'd pick it up over a Corona.

Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Location: Chico, CA
Name: Wheat
Type: Wheat Ale















My thoughts: This one didn't leave much of an impression on me. It wasn't as assy as their more popular Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that can be found in supermarkets but it didn't make me want a refill. I think I would take a corona over this one.

Brewery: Stone
Location: Escondido, CA
Name: IPA
Type: Indian Pale Ale

















My thoughts: Stone is one of those brands that can not do right by me. I know a couple peeps that really enjoy their brews but I'm not one of them. Couple this with the fact that this is an IPA and I immediately dismissed this as gas station toilet water. I'm just not down with their hoppyness. The other Stone brew that I have tried is the Arrogant Bastard Ale. I felt it puts the ass in basstard, but I digress. I would crack open a frosty Coors Light before I open another Stone IPA. That's right, I said it.

Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Location: Boonville, CA
Name: Boont
Type: Amber Ale
















My thoughts: This one was actually not new to me at the time of the tasting. I had had it on more than one occasion and I continue to pick up a 6 pack from time to time. It's got good flavor that is not bitter at all and actually tastes a bit sweet going down. For those that aren't into dark ales, this one would be a good one to try. This beer has the added advantage over the other beers in this list in that it is available at Trader Joe's. You don't have to make a pilgrimage to Beverage Warehouse or BevMo.

Brewery: Moylans
Location: Novato, CA
Name: Kilt Lifter
Type: Scotch Ale












My thoughts: This brew was the winner for the evening. It's got great flavor that isn't bitter. It's like a strong pimp hand that doesn't slap the taste out cho mouf'. It's like a rub n' tug in a bottle. OK, not quite but it's pretty damn good. I rank this as a possible favorite. It's not quite at the Newcastle and Fat Tire level but it's up there.

Brewery: North Coast
Location: Fort Bragg, CA
Name: Old Rasputin
Type: Russian Imperial Stout
























My thoughts: Where to begin... perhaps a verse!

It boggles my mind...
How did they teach a horse to
shit in a bottle?

This stool sample was easily the loser of the evening. No one that attended the tasting could choke down this crap. All around the tasting room, people had poured this out into discarded pint glasses.

It's hoppy like an IPA.
Except it's like an IPA on crack.
And the crack is just more hops.
And when the said horse could shit no more, more hops were added to the brew.

Russian Imperial Stout is another brew that was traditionally over-hopped so that it would survive a long sea journey. This time it had to go all the way to Russia. In communist Russia, the beer drinks you! They shoulda stuck to vodka.

Post Graduate Studies at LMU

I graduated from Loyola Marymount University in May 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering. On that fateful day, I vowed that I was through with college. No more studying for me! My newly minted bullshit (B.S.) was enough.

Five years later, I made a liar out of myself and enrolled at USC to pursue a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. So I toiled for what seemed like ages until December of 2006 when I graduated from USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. My perseverance has allowed me to add More Shit (M.S.) on top of my B.S. Just like before, I vowed that I've had enough shit; I don't want it Piled Higher and Deeper (Phd).

In January of 2008, I received an e-mail from LMU inviting me to continue my post graduate studies. I thought about it; I slept on it; I took 2 hr dumps while I contemplated.

I thought to myself, "I'm not getting any younger. I might as well do it while I can handle it."

So I replied to the e-mail, "Yes, I would like to attend...

and I will be bringing a guest."

To the South Bay Alumni Beer Tasting Event hosted by the LMU Almuni Association!

Oh, come on! Did you seriously think I'd pursue a doctorates in EE? Maybe in psychology, pottery, photography, or even gynecology but fuck engineering. I've sat in enough classes full of nerdy asian dudes to last me two lifetimes. Show me the dumb blondes!

And no, I did not have to contemplate long on this decision. My attendance was never in question.

It was a great time. It took place at Sangria on the Hermosa Pier. We had the entire back room to ourselves. There were beer enthusiasts of all ages; newly-grads, yuppies like myself, and moms and dads. The things I learned! The beer I tasted! It was legen......dary!

At the tasting, information sheets were handed out that listed the beers to be poured as well as some beer related terms and facts. Since, this sheet provided such useful information - some of which I've wondered about in the past - I thought it be a good idea to share the knowledge that I have gained. The following info is pilfered from the sheet that was handed out. I did not dig this up myself and I do not take credit for it. All credit belongs to the LMU Alumni Association.

First off, some general terms:

• Balance: This is the malt to hop proportion in a beer.
• Cask/bottle conditioned: Beer with yeast still in the brew to complete fermentation.
  
• Hops: Considered the spice of the beer that can add bitterness and/or aromas.
• IBU: International Bitterness Unit - this is the unit of measurement in a system designed to quantify the hop-induced bitterness of finished beer. Higher IBUs equals more hop flavor. Some refer to this flavor as hoppiness. I call it bitterness.
• Malted grains: Gives beer its smooth, rich flavor. Although barley is normally used, other grains may be substituted e.g. wheat. Ergo, beers that use malted wheat instead of barley are called wheat beers. Duh...

There are two main styles of beers out there: Ales and Lagers. The main difference resides in the type of yeast used in the brewing process. Ales are brewed with a fast acting yeast that leaves that leaves behind residual sugar. This fast acting yeast is top fermenting and works its gaseous magic at room temperature. Lagers, on the other hand, use a slower acting yeast that leaves behind less sugar and results in a dryer beer. This strain of yeast is bottom fermenting and requires colder temperatures. For more information, see this wikipedia page on beer. Ales and lagers are further divided into subcategories such as the following:

Ales:

• Bitters: This is an English Ale brewed with a lot of hops. Our US equivalent is the pale ale.
• Pale Ale: An amber/copper colored ale that tastes like a poorly wiped ass. Okay, that's just my opinion but the majority of pale ales I've had do taste like ass. However, I still retain an open mind to trying them. Just don't expect me to pay for it.
  
• IPA: Indian Pale Ale - an over-hopped (bitter) ale that was originally brewed in the 1700's. This style of brew was made for British troops serving in India. The excess hops in the beer allowed the ale to survive the months-long journey. W/o the excess hops, the beer would spoil before it reached its destination and that would have been an extremely heinous party foul. Like the pale ale, I think this tastes like a poorly wiped ass - one that dropped a deuce in London, half-heartedly wiped, and then placed on a boat where the dingleberries could marinate on its sea voyage to India where English blokes could savor its bitter poo-ness. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a big fan of the IPA.
  
• Porter: A very dark ale first brewed in London in 1722.
  
• Stout: Formerly known as Stout Porter, this tends to be darker, richer, and hoppier than porter.
  

Lagers:

• Bock: A strong lager traditionally brewed in the winter to celebrate spring. It's full bodied and malty.
• Maerzen: Pale lager that dates back to the 17th century. I don't know squat about this one but if you would like to sponsor a study into this brew, I would be more than happy to oblige.
• Pilsner: Like maerzen, I got nothing.
  

The above list is most likely not conclusive. I'm sure there's a lot of different styles of beers that I haven't mentioned and I'm too lazy to chase down every category. Believe it or not, I'd much rather learn about beer via experience, not a book.

One other noteworthy style of beer is the Belgian Ale. These tend to be fruity, bottle conditioned ales with high alcohol content. So not only will it kick your ass, but it'll taste good while doing it. They tend to cost a little more per bottle but are very worthwhile if you ever have a chance to try one.

Since this post is getting much longer than I intended, I'll end it here. I'll discuss the beers that were poured that night in another post. In the mean time, go forth and comsume beer. Cheers!