Bully and Me

It's been some time fellow beer drinkers. Actually, its been way too long time since my last blog, but I figured to check in. The last few weeks have been hetic. Work has been busy with some very interesting challenges. I've really gotten comfortable living in my condo. And more wild is the fact that I finally got my English Bulldog.

For some reason, I've always had the desire to get an English Bulldog. I've never made it a secret that this is something that I would want to pursure. After finally getting the courage to make a new friend, I got my white English Bully puppy that's named Mrs. Utley. Clever, right. Maybe I could start a dog blog, Bully and H? How's that sound?

Today was longer than expected so I needed a beer. With Lauren's party last Friday, we had plently of left over beer. I scanned my crowded fridge and saw Sam Adam's Irish Red. Earlier tonight I noticed a friend on facebook enjoying this beer. I figured, why the hell not. I decided to grab my Sam Adam's pint glass and found this beer to be a little darker than your typical Sam's lager. I must have been a bit excited as I poured my beer too fast that I created too much head, which produced spillover. I did the typical slurp to try to limit the amount I would need to clean up.

I found the aroma to the beer as sweet as the taste. I don't know if I was as thirsty as my bulldog, but I finished my brew quick enough that I considered a second. This beer was refreshing, however I didn't find this as good as some of the products Sam's brews. I got this beer out of their fall seasonal sampler pack. While most of the beers in this case I enjoyed - like the pumpkin or octoberfest, the Irish Red wasn't one of my favorites.

Chicken Parm and Beer?

I was fairly aggravated Monday night. After a stressful eye exam that lasted over two hours I was needing a beer, desperately. On a night like this, I would imagine I would head to the brewery or some micro brew bar to drink some beers, and take the stress off the day. Instead, I met up with my parents at Maggianos. The last time I went here for dinner I was disappointed by their beer menu, or lack thereof. I guess I can't really complain or say that I'm surprised as most Italian restaurants I've been to only serve wine. Heck, a few years back I went to Italy and realized they don't drink much beer. I also understand that Italy is the wine capital of the world, but I wish they would spend more time on their beer. The server listed the draft selection and I went with the safe bet: Sam Adam's Summer Ale. For a second I considered to go with the Peroni or even Stella Artois, but decided to go with a light beer I know I would enjoy. The beer was good and definately relaxed me, however Summer Ale doesn't really pair too well with Chicken Parm.

Too Much Sam Adam's

Our original plan for Saturday night was to hit up a few bars, and meet up with Lauren's friends. I ended up at the same beer store that I went to the prior night, and noticed the Sam Adams cutout staring at me. The cutout was all I needed to be persuaded as the taste of cherry wheat quickly flooded my memory. My beer decision was two 6 packs of Sam Adams: Sam's Cherry Wheat, and Sam's Latitude 48 IPA. Although I have a man crush on IPAs, I found the cherry wheat more enjoyable and only drank one of the IPAs. I finished a few beers, and found myself exhausted and wanting to go to bed. I'm disappointed to say that I didn't get out to check out any bars in CT that night, and didn't get to drink more beer. Instead, I was asleep by midnight.

 

 

Lunch with Sam

Saturday morning/afternoon was a bit rough, but that's usually the situation when I stay up to see the sun rise. I finally got out of bed around noon, which was a treat considering most mornings I'm up by 7:30 for work. I was in for an even bigger treat when I got to watch the Phillies on the YES Network (I was in Yankees Country). After watching an inning or two of Cole pitching I headed to lunch to get some food and grab a beer or two. As I was a bit hungover and exhausted from the night before I wasn't in the mood to travel too far so we ended up at Maggie McFlys which is a themed bar/restaurant after a pilot? I've been there before and remembered they had a decent beer menu. After listening to the waitress tell me what they had on draft I realized this place was close to Boston. The beer menu was loaded with different and unique Same Adam products, and throughout the restaurant there was Sam Adams signs, mirrors, and lights. For my first round I went with the Sam Adam's seasonal Noble pilsner which had a light taste and color. The beer was a little too light for my liking so for my second round, I decided to change things up and ordered a Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat. I can't remember ever trying this beer, and honestly before I ordered it I didn't think I would care for it. In my head, I pictured a very light beer that tasted like miller light with a hint of cherry. When the waitress served the beer, I couldn't help but notice how much darker it was than I expected. Then the moment of truth came, and I took my first sip. I was instantly greeted by a heavier cherry taste and instantly fell in love.

http://www.maggiemcflys.com/ordereze/default.htm