Beer of the month - September

The beer of the month for September is Grolsch Premium (Pilsner)Lager {5% abv}. Please note that Grolsch has a handful of variants, including Blonde Ales, Hefeweizens and Bocks; unfortunately it's hard to find many of these in the states due to the limited range of imports as well as US popularity. Grolsch is a product of Holland with brewing history going back to 1615 and, much like other US imported beers from this region (i.e. Heineken), there is a distinct yet 'skunky' aroma at first blush. Don't let this throw you off, the flavor isn't bitter in the least (i.e. Heineken). It's a smooth sipping brew with hoppy notes and a clean yet unique finish.

The bottle above is one of Grolsch' trademark swing top 450ml units, which are ceremonious to open and provide a tight seal if you don't quite finish one in a sitting. I had my first Grolsch Premium Lager about six years ago, and it's always nice to have a return visit. This isn't a beer limited to season or occasion; rather an all-rounder, as well as one of the better known products coming out of the Netherlands. 2.5 stars.

Beer of the Month - August

The beer of the month for August is Stella Artois Pilsener. SA is one of my absolute favorites; I had it for the first time in 07' and never looked back. Light yet definitive flavor, refreshing and a clean finish, brewed in Belgium, nationally imported by Anheuser-Busch. This is a beer that can be called upon in any situation, with any food, for any occasion, but purchase should be paced in the same way as mini-vacations or a nice dinner out shout be. Not because of cost, rather it's that good. If $10 six packs are a problem for you, hopefully graduation from college and a job is around your corner. Put your econo-brew down and treat yourself. Getting a pint via draft in a nice bar is even better as SA glasses are pretty sweet. 4 stars, obviously!

Beer of the Month - July

The beer of the month for July is Land Shark Lager. I got introduced to Land Shark by a co-worker of Beth's at a bbq a couple years back. Upon the first sip it was familiar, like I've known it for years...but apparently it was just launched in 2006 to promote Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant chain (ba-dum-tish). JB sung a song called 'Fins' that was the inspiration for the name. At first glance you'll think Corona (which I consider a 1 star brew) while looking at the bottle, but this is a better pale lager in my opinion; but who doesn't know Corona's overrated. Land Shark is light, easy and quite refreshing, yet not watery and vague in flavor like light beers, which makes it a great summer beer. This is why it takes the summer month of July. I instinctively picked it out for a recent boating trip and I couldn't have been happier as the sun was present in abundance. 3 stars.

Beer of the Month - June

If you've visited my photobucket, you'll see I have a section in there just for 'beer ads'. I started shooting my own magazine insert styled shots just for fun, trying to get a cool shot worthy of desktop wallpaper...you know, beverages in their own natural habitat or something along those lines. When I try new beer while out, or in the store, I'll tell friends about the good ones I've had and pay the good experience forward; same goes for restaurants and hole in the wall take-out joints. Let me preface this particular series by saying please drink responsibly and more importantly don't drink and drive. Secondly, by no means am I an expert, rather experienced and in turn sharing my own experiences. That said, lets get this ship outta port.

The beer of the month for June is Warsteiner Pilsener. For the BMW enthusiasts out there this choice will be quite familiar as Warsteiner is a quite notable sponsor from German Touring Car (DTM) Racing Series in the 80's and 90's. This beer has the strong flavor and finish of a stout, but is light in color like a traditional lager. Traditional German beers are easy to recognize blindfolded due to the shared brewing methods and regional ingredients used. On my rating scale below, I give it 2 stars. You can sip this on a relaxed evening of conversation, TV or a poker game, but not in a higher paced social setting. Definitely a quality brew but for those without a refined palette, you should look elsewhere.

1 - Let a friend buy it.
2 - Solid choice.
3 - Enjoyable.
4 - Seek it out with great effort.

What keeps shooting interesting is creating excuses to capture new things. I'll try expanding themed posts to other items going forward, all while keeping the overall theme of this blog.

Who goes there?

Well this has been a long time coming. As some close to me know, I've taken my sweet time to get my act together on producing a site/blog to help showcase my content. I didn't feel like starting from scratch so blogspot fit the bill (thanks Google). I've been capturing said content with a variety of cameras for over a decade and I never really had a good place to put it where I could present it in the environment I felt it deserved, regardless of what subjects were involved...forums be damned.



This is the first picture I'll put up - pink beer. This shot makes me happy for a lot of reasons; not only was this taken on my honeymoon, the year before last to my lovely wife Beth, this shot represents what Friday means to all of us; a bar and a nice drink. Not saying we all equate drinking with relaxation or even drink for that matter, but whatever is at the end of the money earning rainbow for you that gets you through hump day, this is 'that' for me. Actually, cleaning my car is 'that' for me too, but this I can do sitting down with friends and family so it wins by default. We work hard to play hard and I enjoyed a few of these pink beers from the good bartenders at an 'unnamed resort' in Ochos Rios, Jamaica back in Dec' 08. Basically it's an ice cold Red Stripe (Horaaay!) with a shot of Campari liquor in it. Local rumor is that it helps in da sack, mon.

Well this is new for me so I'll figure it out as I go; I've always liked to ad lib as it keeps things fresh and organic. I'm hoping to post a bit a few times a week; some classic material, some new. As I get inspired I'll snap and share. Might even share work from some of my jobs. Time will tell, but thanks for looking. Last but not least, feel free to subscribe and follow this blog as well as my photobucket account.