In the last post I posted a few pictures of the bar in progress. It’s a little farther on than in those pictures, but it still has a long way to go. Because I’m impatient and also still figuring out what I want to do with the whole setup, I decided to make a mock-up of the bar. I had this idea of using The Rasterbator to make a divided image and mount it in the IKEA frames that I still have from the bar at the Vienna house. But seeing it in action I’m not sure if it has the cool factor that I wanted, it may look different in real life… The front of the bar will be stained in 3 different shades of ‘ebony’ stain with 1x 1/2 wooden strips as dividers. I need to find a place to buy them or how to make them (without table saw swirl marks. I also need to do a test stain on some scrap wood to make sure I can get the effect that I want. Why can’t photoshop be in real life, I would get things done much quicker.
Beer
Schu-Review : Left Hand – Fade to Black ale
Beer, Life
Fade to Black
Beer Review:
Chocolate coffee sweet molassasy thick feel bite of hops. This is a good black ale. You have to be in a dark beer mood to drink it, but you’ll be rewarded if you do. There’s so much flavor inside this bottle, the smell of dark chocolate, the taste of strong coffee. It has a thick sweet texture with a formidable bite of hops at the end. At 8% ABV it’s pretty strong, so a 6 pack will probably do you in for the night. But the beer is so strong tasting that I’d recommend stopping at 3. Overall it’s just a good beer that I will seek out again.
Bottle Review:
This may be one of the best designed bottles that I’ve seen in a while. I could be that I’m really into this old english ribbon-y font right now, but I think it’s timeless. The cut of the label and how it’s just filled with so many details that it almost becomes texture. You kind of just feel like a badass when you’re drinking it. When a beer is called ‘Fade to Black Ale’ you need an awesome bottle to match it.
Schu-Review : 4 out of 5 Schus
Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster’s Reserve Grand Illumination Ale
Beer, Life
Long name, short number.
Beer Review:
This beer has a very long name, I mean seriously… it’s 7 words long and they aren’t short words either. It’s made in Williamsburg, VA which is about 3.5 hours from my house and always makes me think of being in the 4th grade. The first thing I thought of when drinking this beer was how thick it was and how much I liked the smell. It has one of those sugary, molassassy, caramely barley wine tastes. After the first sip you notice the bite of hops. A big bite like a gnarly dog made out of tiny green leaves. the hops sting the nostrils with their pungent aroma. It’s a formidible scent. After you get that kick of hops the alcohol comes at the end and stomps you in the tounge again. The beer leaves your mouth feeling tight like it was once covered in shag carpeting then ripped out. But this is a good thing! This beer reminds you why your drinking American Craft Beer and not some macro-brew swill.
Bottle review:
Unlike the beer inside the bottle and label are pretty plain. Reminds me of visiting Williamsburg, the people get dressed up as colonial folk, but you’re still aware that they are a dentist from Newport News. The only fun element is the spark in the middle and the ridiculously long name.
Conclusion:
I like this beer. You’re not going to win any hipster friends with the bottle. But the beer inside is what counts anyway. Its a strong thick barley wine in a style that I think Patrick Henry would approve of.
4 out of 5 Schus
Southern Tier – Old Man Winter
Beer, Life
Old Man Winter
First off. I love Southern Tier beers. I’ve been sting that since my first sip of Unearthly Ipa. But I’ve come to think I should be saying, I love Southern Tier beers that come in big bottles. I like almost every one that comes in the 22ounce bottles, but every time I get a six pack of ST, it’s just so… regular.
Its not like this is a bad beers, it’s just so ordinary. I mean it’s 100 times better than a keystone light, so lets not get crazy. It just has that bitter dry mouth hoppy flavor that is the signature of so many microbrews out there. I’m gonna rate it right in the middle, just average.
2.5 schus
Top 50 US Craft Breweries by Sales – The Checklist
Art, Beer, Life, Projects
1989 Topps Back
Easy on the printer
The other day I saw this map that someone had created from a list of the top US craft breweries. I thought it was really well designed and looked great. But it was missing something… I was noticing how many of these breweries I recognized and had tried their beers. I thought, I want to check them off when I try their beers. Then I thought back to when I was a kid and collected baseball cards. So today I designed a checklist to be printed out and checked off. My inspiration was the 1989 Topps set, which I always considered my favorite. The first one is from the back of the cards, which might be a little hard to print out (but it is more accurate). The Second one is inspired by the front of the card and will be easier to read and print.
Craft Beer tribute video
Beer, LifeThis video is a little long and sappy, but it does make you want to go out and have a really good beer. I really like Craft beer, my favorite recently has been Southern Tier Unearthly IPA. I just feel like ST puts so much flavor into their beers. I’m not the kind of beer snob that can’t enjoy a few Miller lites now and then. But these brewers really do put in some work and produce beer that they can be proud of.