Beer of the Month - December

The Beer of the Month for December is New Belgium Brewery's (NBB) 2 Below {6.6% abv}. As I started getting into last month, NBB has a great story of origin; a brewery started by a married professional couple living the American dream. An artistic neighbor handling all beer label art from 1991 to current. Even better, every employee of this Colorado based company becomes a part-owner after a years employment! Outstanding.

2 Below is one of NBB's great line-up of seasonal brews. It's taste is a result of dry-hopping during the fermentation process and using roasted malts. The flavor profile is in the neighborhood of a stout, but finishes much crisper and cleaner than you'd expect.

If you haven't already snagged a sixer, do so during this lovely holiday season. 3 stars of course. Stay safe during your New Years celebrations everyone.

Beer of the Month - November

The Beer of the Month for November is New Belgium Brewery's (NBB) Fat Tire {5.2% abv}. Looking back to this past July, I'd have to say trying out NBB's Trippel was the beginning of great future beer enjoyment. There was something outstanding about that beer that I couldn't put a finger on, but I did get a taste bud around the unusually clean finish, following bold flavor. Looking into NBB's history gives a great story; a 32 year old professional goes on a beer sabbatical of sorts in Belgium, riding from village to famous beer village, gathering inspiration and ingredients. He returned home to his self-made brewery kit and made two beers, one of which was Fat Tire, named as such due to the tires on his cruiser bike he rode through the countryside with. Fat Tire as a brew put NBB on the map and they went public with the company in 1991.

Fat Tire is an Amber ale with rich flavor and a hoppy soundtrack. Oh and news flash, it's outstanding with hard pretzels. This is a solid all rounder that can be drank in any situation or time of year. It's a great way to get introduced to what NBB is all about. 3 stars.

Pic of the day - Sunday

Well I went out and shot today, but the sun still wasn't quite out. More specifically the sun came out for a few hours late morning through early afternoon, but I was watching the World Cup and couldn't get outside ha. After the Cup was claimed in the name of Spain, I shot under unfortunately bland skies. So the pic of day for today is a beer I bought last night at the LQ next to Hodad's, up the block from our room at the Ocean Beach Hotel (both highly recommended btw). 

New Belgium Brewery out of Colorado makes an ale called Trippel. It has great flavor and more importantly packs quite a punch (7.8%). I tried several micro brews in while in San Diego, as there are literally hundreds on parade here-whether it be by bar, restaurant or many local beer and wine stores. This selection was good enough to bring back in my checked luggage rather than leaving it for the OBH cleaning crew. 3.5 stars.