After trying this stuff a couple of weeks ago, it left me pleasantly wanting more, so Frosty and I managed to escape back to Belmont Station on Friday for lunch so that I could pick up a six pack.

I tried it again with dinner tonight:  Roast Turkey breast, Fried Stuffing, Corn on the Cob, and turkey gravy…all lovingly home made.   Food of the gods washed down with beer of the gods lite.

Wild Raspberry Ale doesn’t rate as highly as Stumptown Tart, but only because it doesn’t have the same depth of flavor.    Wild’s flavor is light, clean, definitely fruity, with a slightly sour wine-like finish.    It’s essentially Stumptown Lite, and that’s not a bad thing.     It’s not a clean drinking meal beer, it’s one of those winding down, sip to relax beers.     You could easily pack away 2 or 3 of these whereas you’d have to “work” to do the same thing with the real Stumptown.

Let’s see what Frosty thinks when I pack some of this along on our upcoming two-family camping trip.

Sorry for the long gap in posts. You see, when I found out that Stumptown Tart was a limited run, and it was soon to be gone forever, I headed over to Magic Beer Station and cleaned them out. Many drunken nights later, I have finally decided to try something new, keeping up the appearance that we actually do something with this website.

On to Wolaver’s Organic Brown Ale. This review is going to be painfully short. Because really, the beer was good. Not awesome, not bad. Just one of those good beers. Calming and enjoyable. The beer version of smoking a nice cigar on a leather sofa.

Unfortunately, its hot outside, I’m getting that sweaty leg on leather thing, and the AC is on so the cigar smoke is swirling around the house making me cough. In other words, Wolaver’s Organic Brown is great beer, but is here too early. Come back in November dear Wolaver, when I’m ready to lement the loss of Oregon sun by wallowing in Thanksgiving turkey and dark malty beer. August is not for you.

Writing reviews on Frosty Goodness doesn’t pay well. In fact, it doesn’t pay at all. And when Frosty is on my ass for not writing a post in like, forever, it is hard to get motivated. HOWEVER, a perk has begun to surface. It seems that there are some people who actually read Frosty Goodness. People who are not the same people who write it. We’re not talking thousands or even hundreds, but a couple people have tuned in now and then. These people have also started to BRING US BEER!!

This is incredible. I mean, they just drop beer by my desk! Sweet! I need to start reviewing video games, exotic cars, and HDTVs! Recently, my friend Ben brought his brother’s homebrew by my desk. I was surprised, and quite frankly a bit scared when I heard this was his brother’s attempt at a coconut curry beer. Yes, coconut curry. What in the hell? I agreed to drink and review the beer on the condition that he be prepared to have it totally lambasted.

That weekend I had my in-laws over for a BBQ and finally got the courage up to try it. I opened the bottle and took a whiff. Yup… definitely coconut. Definitely curry. He wasn’t joking. Still beer though. I closed my eyes, clenched my stomach and took a swig.

Hmm. Not too shabby! Although the flavors were unconventional, they blended together for a taste that seemed to fit. Unlike other flavored beers, like Old Market Pub’s Chili Pepper beer, it didn’t taste like some pilsner or IPA that someone haphazardly dumped some Mrs. Dash in to. It tasted complete. I gave my in-laws a sip.

Sideways glances and skeptically furrowed brows gave way to smiles. My father-in-law thought it would make a great marinade. My mother-in-law and I are big Indian and Thai snobs and both thought it would make a great addition to some Massuman Curry or Pad Prik. We both agreed that an entire 6 pack might be too much, but it would definitely make a great companion to good curry-based cuisine.

So, Ben’s Brother (sorry, I lost the mail with your name)… keep up the good work! You might even want to consider marketing this as an Indian beer. I would buy it at my favorite local Indian restaurant.

Whats the only thing better than drinking beer? Drinking beer someone gives you! Ok, so maybe there are a few things better than drinking beer, but its sure nice when a generous coworker comes wandering by with a bottle of home brew for you to try. In this case, the brave soul was our own British expat, Jonathan Edwards. I had the pleasure of sampling one of the last bottles of dear Mr. Edwards Birthday Bitter, named in honor of both his birthday, and the birth of his cute little daughter Elizabeth.

Now, some of you who know me well may be wondering about me using the words “pleasure” and “Bitter” in the same sentence. I have been know in the past to strictly avoid Bitters, every since Grandpa Goodness had me try one that was the beverage equivalent of being punched in the teeth. So it was with a bit of trepidation and politeness that I geared up and gave Jonathan’s freshman brew a swig.

And wouldn’t you know it, as it turns out, Mr. Edwards has no idea how to brew a tooth punching Bitter. And I love him for it! This beer was really good. Despite its depressingly low alcohol content (2.6%!), it was a perfect complement to the Disney character shaped pasta the little Frosties and I had were having that evening. Full flavored, with a touch of hoppiness. After finishing it, Mrs. Goodness and I both remarked that it was very close in flavor to some of the Red Ales I enjoy. Kudos Jonathan, for renewing my faith in “Bitter” as a term not indicative of the experience of drinking it.

This is Chris McGowen. Everyday that you go to work and your computer doesn’t die a horrible death from viruses and botnets (assuming you use McAfee), you should be thanking Chris.

Personally, every time I’m thirsty and am looking for solid alcoholic beverage to chill with on the patio, I thank Chris. Cause by golly, does this guy brew some tasty beer. Not just tasty, but in a true nod to the comfort in his manliness, a fruity beer. Very fruity, and perfect for a warm evening BBQ, or for boozing up your lady for a night of lovin’.

Chris’s entry was a tasty ruby ale that we at the Goodness have name “Ruby McGowen”. The name makes me think of one of those waitresses you’d order pie from in a Texas diner. Sweet, but with a hint of sharpness if you push her. In this case, Ruby had a cool, sharp flavor on first sip, then went down with a mellow fruitiness.

And unlike some fruity beers I’ve had, it had no sugary aftertaste to sicken the palette. (McMenamins!!) All in all a worthy brew that I hope I can con Chris into giving me some more of.

As an aside, I would like to acknowledge my restraint on not making a joke after I wrote the words “went down with a mellow fruitiness”, as well as give a mild taunt to the one called “Jilot”. Mr Packer, along with Chris himself, claimed that Ruby was overly “heady”. Well my friends, take a look at the picture of this pour. I call it skill. Or perhaps a testament to how much I drink…

Welcome folks to the first installment of a new series here on Frosty Goodness, the “He brews beer” collection. Quite a few of our fellow drunkards have begun brewing beer of their own, and we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight the ups and downs of their foray into garage speakeasies. So without further ado, lets begin.

This is Doug Boyer. Doug is a great guy, and when not coming up with ways to make our livers swim, is actually in charge of shaping our future as a big wig at a local school. Doug’s submission into the always dangerous hands of Frosty Goodness was a dark and tasty porter that we at the Goodness have officially named “Boyer Bathroom Porter“. (More on the name later)

Many of you no doubt know that I am no real fan of porters. They tend to have this “gristle” taste to them, as if someone just shoved a bunch of junk in a pot and cooked it until it stopped wiggling. I have had in my day, a few good ones. But until I sat on an empty stomach in Doug’s kitchen and drank 20 or so ounces of this beer, it had been really shaky. Kudos to Doug then for curing my fear of the dark yummy roast. BBB as we’ll call it for short, was super drinkable, had a yummy “toasty” flavor, and gave me a wicked buzz that carried all the way up to me putting my swooning head to bed. Luckily for me, if not for my liver, I walked away with “one for the road”.

In revisiting from above, why the name “Boyer Bathroom Porter”? Well, I really hope it had it’s brown color before the fermentation process. Because as it turns out, Doug did his fermenting in the downstairs family bathroom. Which as I told him, is a statement that is really a joke in itself.

Hoegaarden Witbier - When shopping at Haggen for an appropriate beer for break-time-post-Home-Demolition-101-swillage at Frosty’s place, this beer practically lept off of the shelf into my shopping cart. It’s name was that good. Heck, I bought this beer for the name alone. That fact that it’s a style I like was just a bonus. After the wife saw what I had chosen, I got one of “those looks” from her, but we’ve all learned when we can safely ignore those. This was one of those times.

Around 11:30 on sunday, the time came to till the Hoegaarden. Of the eight people and one NEW beer at Frosty’s house on Sunday, only four of them were even remotely possibly candidates for wrapping my lips around. Doing so to the first of those four, Mrs. Frosty, would have resulted in rifts in the space-time continuum that I’m not prepared to deal with. Doing so to the second of those four, Mrs. Jockey, would have just been plain awkward in a public venue with children around. Doing so to the third of those four, Frosty….well let’s not go there, he’s not my type…..and he was just plain filthy by this time anyway. Alas, the fourth option was my only real choice.

With quivering lips and fluttering eyes, I watched Frosty pour the golden elixer into a frosty glass for me. I almost had to excuse myself. My first taste was WOW, this is interesting stuff! Let me try more and continue to deflower the Hoehaagarden with my quivering lips. The wildly different Belgian Hoe’s yeasty, fruity but not fruity flavor started to become more natural. I finished the glass quickly and savored every elicit drop.

This is good stuff, contrary to what the women in the room thought. Mrs. Frosty’s comment will live forever in my mind along with memories of this beir: “Hoegaarden - It tastes like a hotdog.”

You can tell this isn’t a woman’s beer from comments like that. The tasting of hotdogs is something this not often spoken of inside the sanctity of marriage unless you’re one of those lucky few most of us envy. Since my lovely, caring, radiantly beautiful, and nurturing spouse had similar, although much more interesting facial reactions to this bier, she’ll not be drinking more of it either.

More for me! I can quietly relish the remaining four and ponder my hotdog in peace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoegaarden_Brewery

Our next installment of the Beers of Evil comes to us from jolly old England. Brewsters Brewing Company has the distinction of being one of the few breweries with a female brewmaster. Kudos to you sister. And kudos on this beer! Wicked Women Mata Hari is named after a World War I woman labeled as “Europe’s queen of unbridled eroticism, an exotic dancer, courtesan, harlot, great lover, spendthrift, liar, deceiver and thief.” She was later convicted by the french, virtually without evidence, of being a spy for Germany and was executed by firing squad. If that’s not inspiration for a beer, then I don’t know what is.

I’ll admit, I was totally gun shy after installment one. For no good reason, I cringed as I started to drink this beer. But you know what, it was good! Its a nice copper colored ale, with a real smooth drinkability. It has a bit of fruity wheat taste, kind of like the summer wheats I dig so much. All in all, quite enjoyable. Sort of the British equivalent to “Easy Drinkin’”.

In addition to the good taste, I also have to give kudos to the Brits for the bottle. It has that funny British bottle shape, but unlike their smelly southern neighbors, it holds 1 pint, 9 ounces. That my friends, is appreciation for the drinker. And just another reason why England won the war. I’m not sure which war, but damn it I’m sure they won.

     A beer from Monty Python’s comedy crew, brewed (I envision) by stiffly-moving british police in a hand-cranked meat grinder.  I of course picked this up purely for the label, as being a card-carrying geek I would proudly drink any beer brewed by Monty Python, Dread Zeppelin, They Might Be Giants, rock tumblers, graphing calculators, 24-sided dice, etc.  (I could go on…)  I know I’m being suckered by niche-marketing, and I know the true beer snobs will complain this is the wrong way to pick a brew.  But let’s face it, you’re not reading Walt Liquor’s beer reviews on this site for my nuanced palate, are you?  (If you are, I urge you to read my Grammy-award-winning series of reviews on Beers Whose Artwork Can Kick Your Ass.)

The joke of the label itself is a little broad, given the off-kilter Monty Python humor — the beer artwork says “Holy Grail”, with the “GR” crossed out and “ALE” written in below.  Yes, thanks, I got the joke — broadcasting your joke that loudly I’d expect instead from something Jay Leno pasted to a black card, not from the folks at Monty Python.  And yet, the beer is actually really tasty…  it’s got a nice thick ale taste to it, something you might imagine enjoying with a bratwurst or salt & vinegar chips in a British pub somewhere.  I had figured that an essentially gag one-off beer would show the signs of a lack of priority on taste, but it’s the real deal.  Of course after five straight reviews of the very worst in beer (again, see my Stanley-Cup-winning series on Beer Whose Artwork Can Kick Your Ass), Formula 409 might get three out of six from me at this point.  For that reason I give myself a handicap of one off my first impression of 5 out of 6 for this beer.  I heartily recommend it.   And I wear high heels.  And I like to press wildflowers…

After a long day of eating bonbons and polishing my toenails, there is nothing I want more than a smooth and flavorful beer, straight from the bottle. (Yes… I surpass the middle man. I am not a pansy who needs to pour it into a glass first!) Blue Moon’s original Belgian style wheat beer is just the ticket for such a grueling day. It is refreshing, light, and still full of flavor. The Blue Moon Website even suggests having a slice of orange with it. (Sorry, can’t get the slice through the bottle opening so I will have to take their word for it!) I recommend this one for a relaxing evening in the hot tub, or if you don’t have one, drink it in the shower… I don’t care.. just drink it! It is yummy!