Friends, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that my friend Jackson and I did not win any libation awards yesterday at the Natty Greenes monthly homebrew competition. The good news, however, is that our beer is more than drinkable and was well received by our peers. We fought valiantly, wrestling the likes of some 30 Coffee Stouts, American IPA’s, Irish Reds, Porters, and the crowned Orange Creme Ale. Valiant, but alas folly.
We knew the task was high risk – high reward as we gamble variables such as brewing all grain, adding fresh citrus, bottle fermenting, beer jargon beer jargon beer jargon. Long story short: it came out pretty damn good and we’re stoked to have a few cases stashed away in the fridge for future consumption.
Back to the matter at hand, Booze of the Month! You cannot find our fittingly named Unique Blonde beer in the stores, but what you can find are a selection of craft wheat beers similar in style and profile. Wheat beers like hefeweizens, belgian blondes, and wits are awesome for the summer with their sweet, aromatic and round character so here are a few of my personal favorites to cool down your summer in unfiltered style:
Allagash White: My all-time favorite wheat beer brewed in Portland, Maine. Ideal on tap if you can find it and try it without any lemon or orange slices added, it’s sweet enough as it is.
Big Boss Hells Belle: Raleigh’s Big Boss brewery makes another wit, Blanco Diablo, but I prefer the intensely alcoholic Hells Belle with it’s bright, unreserved bite.
Bell’s Oberon: Another top-quality wheat beer brewed in Michigan but apparently ready to set up an East coast HQ in Asheville. With New Belgian & Sierra Nevada already breaking ground, Asheville’s gearing up to surpass Portland, OR as Beerville, USA!
Thank you to all of our loyal friends and readers who came by to cheer for our Unique Blonde, and a big congratulations to reader Chris for winning fan favorite with his American IPA, smoother than JLo’s apple bum after a fresh polish. Until next month’s homebrew competition, happy witting.
Chris June 28, 2012
Hey thanks for all the shout outs – had a good time at the homebrew comp and hope to be there next month with the sour cherry ale. Drop me a line sometime if you’re serious about the future booze of the month feature. We can throw some ribs on the smoker and make a day out of it. Good luck in the kickball playoffs!
Paulie June 28, 2012
No worries Chris, that beer was smooth as eggs! We should definitely smoke up some ribs, maybe make a bbq sauce out of that sour cherry. Seeya on the kickball pitch!
Nossi @ The Kosher Gastronome September 4, 2012
I would have voted for your beer…it was delicious! Thanks again!
Paulie September 4, 2012
Ha, glad you liked it Nossi. Cheers!