Michael Carter is his name and planes and beer is his game. Ok, so that will be the last corny line I hopefully will purposefully write. I stumbled upon this blog when I first started conceptualizing my own, and found it helpful in a couple ways. The best things Mr. Carter does are pictures. More then words, pictures take up the majority of the page. This blog is clearly a secondary site to his main blog about airline photography, which he is obviously skilled at. If you have any interest in “SoCal Aircraft Spotting, Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC) and Gulfstream News, plus Domestic and International Airline News,” then most certainly check this out. His beer blog, entitled “Awesome Microbrews, Microbreweries, and Brewery / Restaurants,” is new and not quite as developed. With only about ten posts, at first glance seems to be fairly lacking. But Michael is no amateur, he has been posting since 2007, and it shows in his use of links and easy to follow formatting. The words are used as only brief descriptions and suggestions, the photo gallery and brewery/restaurant suggestions are the real content. This guy clearly knows his beer, but he doesn’t choke you with overloaded analysis. He’s the beer drinkers’ blogger. Microbrews carry an ostentatious implication. If you talk to an antagonist, they will attack the high prices, the snooty over dissection of flavor, and the flamboyant drinkers it attracts. But this blog seems to find a happy balance. His pictures show a rough, storied drinker whose motive is clearly selfless. With his hat on and pint in hand, he just loves the beer and the people he meets along the way. His posting is not to boast about his talents and general expertise, but to share his passions and travels.
My favorite beer that he profiles is Bear Republics "Racer 5" India Pale Ale. I was thrilled when I found this post, as only a few days ago a friend of mine introduced me to this first-rate brew. He describes it perfectly saying it “never disappoints starting with a citrisy nose as you open the bottle and a crisp flavor that builds with every sip.” These are the kinds of words I hope to conjure in my lyrical attempts. What I most enjoy about his writings is that he lets the breweries do their own talking. If he likes a beer, he will briefly describe it, but then redirect you to the company site to hear it directly from the mouth of the bottle. He’s not selling these beers, only sharing their artistry. This is technique that will be utilized regularly by myself.
Like I said, this blog is relatively undeveloped, and focuses only on a small portion of the beer spectrum. Because I don’t know an extraordinary amount about the different types of beer, I will also like to discover how they are made, and what makes them different. Instead of only reviews and situational accounts, I will like to get more detailed in the brewing process. But thanks to my new friend Mike, I now have some great new brewskis on my taste bud inventory. My most anticipated is Coronado Brewing Company's "Islander,” which Mike classifies as his premier IPA. I will end with his illustration of this beer for one last gulp of this wonderful blog. “It has a mild hoppy nose, deep golden color, medium body, and when you take that first taste this well balanced IPA explodes in your mouth as the Hops and Malts tickle your palet with a citrus blast.”
And as Mr. Carter nostalgically signs off,
“Cheers”
JuicyZeus
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
California Bubbles
Listeners of varied persuasions welcome to my blog. This is about the juice that’s both the life of the party, but can also be as complex and distinguished as a 1997 California Cabernet. Throughout the next fourteen weeks I will be investigating the revolution of California microbreweries.
Traveling abroad for some time it was hard not to see the influence that a local beer has on its surrounding community. People communalize around this bitter brew. Pubs only carry local beers, and the people don’t dare to stray from their conventions. From the many varieties of pilsner in Eastern Europe to the dark passions of the Isles, beer is carried through heritage like freckles and blond hair. Coming home awakened me to the lack of American distinction. American beer is a mass produced equation, developed to taste exactly like each competitor, and only separated by broad advertisements claims. It really disheartens me when “drinkers” spend precious conversations arguing the excellence of a Miller Lite over a Bud. Or when I go into a beer house and see the only thing people drink is their habitual 4.3% piss. But the American beer is in the process of reinvention, and has been for quite sometime. The microbrew is the mode of elusion for the unconventional drinker. It’s a way to find your taste, and feel passionate about where it came from. If you’re unsure of what designates a microbrew from other American beers, we will be using a very simple distinction. Ask one simple question. Does is come in a can? If so, it’s not a microbrew. Now obviously this isn’t perfect, but it’s a good convention for a newcomer to go by.
For this blog we will mainly be discussing California beers, but the same concepts are true all over the States. I will do my best to show how easy it is to find beers in your area all across the granular spectrum. Not only will I be doing write-ups on a new tastes and breweries, but I will discuss the process in which they are made. I will be visiting some beer houses in my area, and hopefully talking with their creators. The beer experience is not only confined to the bottle, but is best witnessed when streaming from the tap, and in an environment of other enthusiasts. Because of this, finding your local bar or eatery devoted to these ideals is key, and becoming quite common. If you’re reading this, you probably already have a place in mind, but it’s time for expansion. Beer is as much about the shared participation as the ingredients.
I am no expert in this topic, and will not act like one. The next couple months will be undertaken with an extremely susceptible and objective mind and tongue. I aim to garner a greater sense of my refinements, how they are developed, the cultural relevance, and people who make them possible. If all goes clockwork, I will at least capture a timely voice and the occasionally pickled mind.
Traveling abroad for some time it was hard not to see the influence that a local beer has on its surrounding community. People communalize around this bitter brew. Pubs only carry local beers, and the people don’t dare to stray from their conventions. From the many varieties of pilsner in Eastern Europe to the dark passions of the Isles, beer is carried through heritage like freckles and blond hair. Coming home awakened me to the lack of American distinction. American beer is a mass produced equation, developed to taste exactly like each competitor, and only separated by broad advertisements claims. It really disheartens me when “drinkers” spend precious conversations arguing the excellence of a Miller Lite over a Bud. Or when I go into a beer house and see the only thing people drink is their habitual 4.3% piss. But the American beer is in the process of reinvention, and has been for quite sometime. The microbrew is the mode of elusion for the unconventional drinker. It’s a way to find your taste, and feel passionate about where it came from. If you’re unsure of what designates a microbrew from other American beers, we will be using a very simple distinction. Ask one simple question. Does is come in a can? If so, it’s not a microbrew. Now obviously this isn’t perfect, but it’s a good convention for a newcomer to go by.
For this blog we will mainly be discussing California beers, but the same concepts are true all over the States. I will do my best to show how easy it is to find beers in your area all across the granular spectrum. Not only will I be doing write-ups on a new tastes and breweries, but I will discuss the process in which they are made. I will be visiting some beer houses in my area, and hopefully talking with their creators. The beer experience is not only confined to the bottle, but is best witnessed when streaming from the tap, and in an environment of other enthusiasts. Because of this, finding your local bar or eatery devoted to these ideals is key, and becoming quite common. If you’re reading this, you probably already have a place in mind, but it’s time for expansion. Beer is as much about the shared participation as the ingredients.
I am no expert in this topic, and will not act like one. The next couple months will be undertaken with an extremely susceptible and objective mind and tongue. I aim to garner a greater sense of my refinements, how they are developed, the cultural relevance, and people who make them possible. If all goes clockwork, I will at least capture a timely voice and the occasionally pickled mind.
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