Mike's Archive

Category: Beer & Wine

  • Desert Island Beers

    A neat riff on the now famous “Desert Island Discs“, I thought I’d take a stab at this:

    Dogfish Head Chicory Stoudt: Chock full of chocolate and coffee, this baby will keep you warm on those cold, lonely nights.

    Yuengling Lager: Because the only thing worse than remembering home when you’re stranded on a desert island is not remembering home.

    Pilsner Urquell: The real stuff. On draft, of course. They tried to make the best Pilsner in the world. They succeeded.

    Modelo Especial: Hey, it is a desert island after all… if you didn’t have a light, refreshing Mexican beer, you’d probably wish you did.

    Half & Half: The very best of the beer combinations, Guinness & Harp go together like peanut butter and jelly.

  • Note to a friend about tasty Franziskaner Weiss Beer

    Franziskaner WeissSo last Sept @ Oktoberfest there was a brand represented that brought universal praise: Franziskaner Weissbier. Then, at the Main Line festival there was a Spaten tasting and part of it included the company’s corporate video (starring a well-coiffed-and-spoken mod German), touting the merging of Spaten and Franziskaner – both well-respected München beers (Spaten holds the honor of being the first beer tapped to hearld the beginning of Oktoberfest each year).

    Being a big fan I was still surprised to see Hans’ video about “gaining market share for the Spaten and Franziskaner family” manifested at a beer store a couple of weeks ago with $22 (24x12oz) cases of Franziskaner. I’m of the opinion that Franziskaner far outshines Hoegaarden for summer weissbiers, but cases of Hoegaarden are ~$35+. Just had a Franziskaner tonight with dinner and I gotta tell you it’s sublime. And for $22/case it’s a total bargain. Highly recommended especially for summertime – it’s a light wheat that’s full of flavor but goes great with an orange or lemon garnish. Also, there’s a cheerful monk on the label and that counts for something in my book.

    Note: the $22 case may have been a random promotion but wasn’t marked that way – online Hoegaarden and Franziskaner are about the same price. Still tasty beer though.
    Update: I’ve seen $4/case Rebates for Franziskaner in three different locations.

  • Should the Drinking Age be 18?

    Obviously we all felt that way when we were 18. Even as an adult, however, Beer Expert Lew Bryson makes an interesting argument for the changing of these laws. Although some of his logic is flawed or stretched, I generally agree that 18 would be a better solution.

  • Victory Brewing Company

    Victory Brewing Company is a brewery in Downingtown, PA that produces some of the most hearty, delicious and strong beers to be had in our fine nation today. Your author is privileged and grateful to be able to drive only a few minutes to savor Victory beers from the tap, sample their menu, and bask in the camaraderie of their brewpub clientele. But, there is one incredibly massive fly in the Victory ointment, and I aim to address it here – not because I’m upset about one meal but because I am proud to support this great local business and it grinds my gears that I can’t reliably take friends or family there to dine because the foodservice is horrible! (more…)