Hurricane Sandy Blog Post

Hello There!

Just as a reason for me not posting in a while, it’s because I haven’t had internet in a couple of days AND I moved into a new apartment this weekend AND then there is a scary storm so all of these things are scary and sad and I’m sorry.

#notsorry

So fine, it’s been hard to post when internet is non-existent. And I can’t very well bring my beers to work because:

1. Not an alcoholic

2. #1

3. Too heavy

But tonight, the night of Hurricane Sandy and the night where power could go out at any moment. It’s basically living real life YOLO. My first pumpkin ale of the night is Williamsburg Alewerks so you KNOW it’s going to get me drunk.

my best friends

I liked Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale. It’s spicy and light enough to be able to drink 6 of them without feeling terribly ill. And I find that’s the only thing you really need from a beer originating in Williamsburg.

I give this beer 6 out of 10 pumpkins. Whatever its another 6, at least its not a 4.

My NEXT beer of the evening will be Schafly Pumpkin Ale, and I’m really excited about since I’ve heard about it. And the internet never lies, so there’s that.

Today in NY. TYPICAL.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is pretty popular amongst the blog o sphere, and so I bet I’ll give it a really high ranking. But also Hurricane Sandy, let’s talk about this. It’s windy as everything and our glass windows are leaking. We have internet working at the moment and the television is still on, but at ANY MOMENT it could become a crisis where the tv goes out and I have to start talking to real life human beings. Horror.

the horror

So yeah I don’t want to have to bond with people. Let’s hope Sandy hits every single apartment building in Arlington besides mine.

Anyways Schafly is just going down really well, pretty spicy but not so much. I’m going really quickly since the internet could cop out at any moment, so I’m just going to rate this one as a 9 out of 10 pumpkins and call it a day.

 

PEACES,

 

SUZ

 

Day 23 of 31: Unita Punk’n Ale

Hello There!

This is my first morning post, and before you say no! Don’t start drinking pumpkin ales before 8 AM, fear not. I drank my Unita Punk’n Ale last night, but was much too exhausted to write about it. Moving apartments is way more tiring when have more than one box of clothes.

#dead

So even though technically I’m a couple of hours off from when I actually imbibed Unita Punk’n Ale, whatever. YOLO right?

Anyways, the bottle of a Unita Punk’n Ale AND the name are actually probably some of the neatest of all the beers I’ve collected.

So the bottle gets points for being minimalist and misspelling the easy to spell word of “Pumpkin”. And fun fact on the top it says “Earth, Wind, and Beer”. Genius. So the beer itself was a little more spicy without the full flavor of pumpkin like I was anticipating, which greatly disappointed me. Especially since having two rockstars the other day in Long Trail and Weyerbacher I really felt as though I was hitting my groove in finding new beers. Guess not. Anyways, the more I drank and watched The Daily Show the more I liked it. So I guess my point is that I really like the end of a bottle better than the beginning. Makes sense.

The man, the myth, the legend

So I give this beer tonight 6.9 out of 10 pumpkins. Eh. That’s all I’ve got on that. Time to face the music (metro) and attempt to put in some long hours of hard office labor before I take take some time off to move.

PEACES,

Suz

 

 

 

Whatever All the days I’ve missed (DEBATE NIGHT): Long Trail Pumpkin Ale + Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Hello There!

So yeah. I’ve missed a couple of days. I would say I’m sorry, but I’ve been just the most busy of people these long weekends of October. Let’s give a rundown of my Halloweekends (see what I did there? It’s called “being awesome with words”)

First Weekend: Fredericksburg Oktoberfest

Second Weekend: Arlington Oktoberfest

Third Weekend: Busch Gardens

Upcoming Fourth Weekend: I get a door.

boom. 

In summary: I will be needing to double up on these next coming days, to get back to my schedule so that I can get to 10/31 without looking like a total loser. Or twamp, whatever. Also tonight is the last and final Presidential Debate. A couple of words on this matter: PRAISE THE SWEET BABY JESUS. I mean I love a good fight between athletic older men wearing different colored ties as the next American but enough is enough. Let’s do this again sometime never ever (until it’s Hillary v. Sarah Palin, then by all means let’s have a seven year campaign cycle).

Countdown for Golden Globes starts a week ago.

Tonight’s a two pumpkin ale night, starting off with Long Trail Pumpkin Ale, brewed by Long Trail Brewing Company based in Vermont (love to drink those guys). To be completely honest and fair, I have a deep deep love of Long Trail Belgian White and I think it is one of my top 5 favorite beers to drink on the regular (reg). So going into this I knew, just KNEW that I would like it.

Not in the slightest.

But omg, OH M G, did NOT expect this level of awesomeness. I’m talking season 2 Grey’s Anatomy, Season 3 Parks and Rec, Season 1 finale of LOST awesomeness. It is sweet but not too much so, it has hint of pumpkins  but not too much, it has hints of spices but not too much; the only fault that I can find is that it’s only 8% alcohol by volume.

come back to snl please thanks

It’s just that…this beer has a bear on the label. A bear that is farming for pumpkins. So right there if that doesn’t get you then God I don’t even know what will.

I give this beer: 9 out of 10 pumpkins. YES YES YES the first 9!! Brilliant! Everyone rejoice!

You sound like you’re from LONDON

Next up we have Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Company. (side note: debate is still going on and Mr Sassy is NOT pleased). As I’m drinking it with Schmolly Le Africa and PartyinEnspants I understand and appreciate the spiciness of this beer. It’s not my ABSOLUTE favorite but it’s no Shock Top levels of awfulness. It’s so spicy that on the label it named all of the spices it put into the beer, which I find to be a refreshing level of honesty. I can handle the truth just fine, Jack Nicholson.

So attractive.

So for this beer, I shall rate it a 8.77 out of 10 pumpkins. As I drink this beer I am liking it more and more. If I had a six pack and the entire first season of Homeland I bet I would drink them all and be really really pleased about it. AMERICA! (debate is almost over, I’m getting in the mood).

yay!

Peace,

Suz

Day 18 of 31: Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale

Hello There!

Big news over here in pumpkin ale land! After a painstaking amount of research involving an inordinate number of grocery stores, liquor stores, and too many Total Wine’s;I believe that I have found MORE THAN 31 pumpkin ales. You read that right, there will hopefully be MORE pumpkin ales than days in October. If only I got a paycheck for every beer I drank this month…dreams. Of death.

Yipes.

This evening’s pumpkin ale of choice is Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale. Brewed with real Vermont Pumpkins, so you KNOW this beer doesn’t like it’s women in binders and believes that Rachel Maddow is a paragon of reason and sense.

It’s fine.

Any hoodley do,  Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale is pretty adorable, tinged with some spices but not enough to make me gag. It’s not too hoppy and yet it’s filled with a delightful aroma that makes me think PUMPKIN PIE and THANKSGIVING and awful racist family jokes and so so much cranberry sauce. Am I being too nice on this? Perhaps, but then again, I am drinking it at 11:50 PM wearing my pajamas and 7 glow necklaces – courtesy of Schmolly Le Africa.

Basically my Friday night. And we danced in front of fireworks…awkward

So for Wolavers Pumpkin Ale I give it 8.32 out of 10 pumpkins. Because I AM SORRY I CANNOT JUSTIFY GIVING IT A NINE OK. Bear with me here people, we are only 18 (technically 19) days into this, so in the 20s I am confident the scores will sharply rise.

He’s like “what’s up? I’m a farmer.”

Alrighty, I’m peacing out due to an exciting adventure at Busch Gardens tomorrow! Bring it on Thrilliamsburg, hit me with your best shot! Seriously though, don’t mess it up.

Suz

Day 17 of 31: Ichabod Pumpkin Ale

Hello There!

Do you know what the most difficult thing in the world is for someone with control issues? TARGET. Especially if those issues involve candy consumption and especially if it is 1.5 weeks before Halloween. Let’s just say some of us struggle with candy issues and there shouldn’t be SALES on giant bags of candy corn.

ITS TRUE

But of course, after one walks into that store, a full paycheck so quickly becomes a credit card debit. Whatever, they have Peanut M&Ms on super sale and I’ll buy them all. No shame, I’ll just run for 10 hours tomorrow. I’m confident that is how “fitness” works.

No pain no gain. Or cramps.

But today’s pumpkin ale should rid me of the rough Thursday that it was, what with a CRAZY PERSON trying to throw a faux MOLOTOV COCKTAIL at the mall near my apartment. Not even a joke on that, a guy literally tried to throw a bomb you find in a zombie video game at the food court of the single worst mall in Arlington. It’s just…exactly what you would expect of a Thursday at the Ballston Mall. Obviously.

Anyways, I am drinking Ichabod Pumpkin Ale, brewed by New Holland Brewing Company. As you can already guess and I know all of you have, the label has an Ichabod Crane character holding a PUMPKIN instead of a head. Fantastic, original, groundbreaking. Just the best ever ever.

Yep.

The beer itself looks pretty cool inside the bottle, since it keeps its head the whole time. Pretty snazzy. It has some good spice flavor but nothing too overwhelming. But it also has an aftertaste that makes me think that whatever I drank just died. And that doesn’t even make sense. It’s 5.2% alcohol by volume which means its 5x as alcoholic as Natty Light. But for the originality of the beer’s name and label, I find myself reaching for my water glass to constantly clear my throat of the terrible flavor of deadness. Like the hops died. RIP hops.

Hops is survived by his litter box.

As my dear friend and fellow former WM swimmer Crossfitty de SoManyCousins pleaded with me last night, so I acquiesce. I am giving this beer a 2 out of 10 pumpkins. Because it tastes like something died and that sucks.

Side Note: After watching the news, the police discovered that the “Molotov Cocktail” was a 40 filled with gasoline. And he was captured eating Cheesecake Factory lunch outside on a patio. JUST. NO. WORDS.

Arlington FTW tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 16 of 31: The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Hello There!

Sometimes on Wednesday mornings it’s a struggle just to wake up and make breakfast.

8AM

Today was one of those mornings. But it took a turn for the positive when I got to my Chinatown Starbucks and there was NO line. That never happens, usually the line has to split off into two lines to make room for the exit (fire hazard) and people get angry/sad/really angry. Goodness it took me only 2 minutes to get my Venti Iced Coffee with Soy and make it back out on the mean streets of DC.

#real life

This evening I shall be tasting The Fear: Imperial Pumpkin Ale. It’s brewed by Flying Dog Brewery from just up the road in Frederick “The City of Clustered Spires” Maryland.  Right off the bat I want to say that I love Flying Dog Hefewizen, it’s one of my favorite regular wheat beers at the moment, displacing Shock Top from my current list. I’m trying to move away from Coors/Budweiser drinks and become a better citizen.

#America

Anyways this beer is…different from the others I’ve reviewed thus far. It tastes like a dark beer without the strength of a stout, but it’s not as watery as say, the Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. (Although I have on good regard that if you swirl the Shock Top like they describe on the bottle it tastes way better – Thanks Jules Von ShinBruise!!).

Horrifying

So I can’t say that this was super awesome, because as my roommate Schmolly Le Africa said, there was very little actual “pumpkin” flavor. Lots of spices and darkness, but not as much of the pumpkin flavor that I’ve come to be able to discern.  It tastes more like an Oktoberfest beer, as opposed to pumpkin pie in liquid form.

So I shall give this beer 7 out of 10 pumpkins. WOAH BIG SHOCKER! I know I know, but I can just TELL that there are people out in the world who would really appreciate this beer and I can’t in good conscience give it a low score because I’m not strong enough to like it. So I just won’t.

sorryi’mnotsorry

Alrighy, after watching the Crossfit Games on ESPN 2 and seeing women who think doing several pullups is a “workout” as opposed to a “torture practice” I will now attempt to wake up early and go for a run. Or a ride on the stationary bike, the lazy sister of running. We shall see.

PEACES,

SUZ

Day 15 of 31: Pumple Drumkin

Hello There!

Another night, another presidential debate. Are they going to be a weekly thing, much like my beloved television shows? Because I’m going to be honest, I’m NOT ok with that. A couple poorly moderated yet highly spirited showdowns between the President and Mr. Mittens can fill a dull Tuesday night with joy. But every Tuesday? COME ON.

Not on Big Bang Theory night

I think the real winner, and by winner I mean giant loser, were the people at the debate tonight. Can you even IMAGINE trying to follow each candidate without the help of CNN’s cameras? I mean I feel for poor moderator Candy Crawley who had to try and get two people who actively hate each other and want the same job to STOP TALKING, but good lord. These guys.

Please stop, please god.

Anyhoodley do, tonight I’m drinking Pumple Drumpkin Pumpkin Ale brewed by Cisco Brewers in Nantucket. So fancy right? But first out the gate, this label is fantastic. It’s a lil Pumpkin man just hanging out with some pumpkins. Which I suppose is like a person hanging around a bunch of decapitated heads, but whatever , too deep for a Tuesday.

Awesome

I really like the name too, Pumple Drumpkin. I would absolutely name my pumpkin beer Pumple Drumpkin if I had thought of it first. Damn the man. Onto the flavor, it wasn’t as heavy and deep as I’ve come to really appreciate in my pumpkin ales, because when it’s really watery you lose the flavors of the spices and it makes me sad. So this wasn’t one of the greats, nothing to really write home about. But I enjoyed the concerted effort on the part of the brewery to invest in a unique brand.

tip of the hat to you, good sir

I shall give Pumple Drumpkin a 6.5 out of 10 pumpkins. Due to the great weight I placed on the fun name and label it jumped over other beers even though the taste was not up to par. And by par I mean the 15 other pumpkin ales I’ve tasted. Ah well, tomorrow is another day, and hopefully another awesome beer.

But really I don’t.

Peaces!

Suz

 

 

Day 14 of 31:Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale

Hello Again!

It’s been ages since we were last here, about 5 whole minutes. Enough time for me to eat a large amount of Kettle Korn and make some Garbanzo beans in the microwave. Food of the 47% I tell you. Full of fiber and sugar.

Stanley the Manley knows whats up

So since we are doing some time-traveling back to Sunday (yesterday) I shall write as though I am living on that day. Fun Fact: if you pass out at 8pm? You wake up way more refreshed and energized than if you do not do that. I mean I wasn’t so enthused with life that I was going to go on an exercise bender or something, hells to the no. But if I sat very still and didn’t move and had the AC turned up full blast, death wasn’t my first thought.

HELLOOOO WORLD

Sunday was a good day, as in the opposite of Saturday in that I remember all the things that happened. There was some football watching (RGIII) and some PUMPKIN PATCHING. There is a delightful pumpkin farm in Centreville, VA known as Cox Farms, where they have a Corn maze and some slides and other things that are the crack cocaine of 5 year olds.

3 words: Goat Petting Zoo.

My dear roommate Shady McSkinntyon and a former WM swimming alum Jersey Von DolphinTat accompanied me (drove me) to the pumpkin patch. It was lovely, lots of screaming babaies and ample places to take all new Facebook profile pics. Because thats the only reason I even TAKE photos anymore, you know?

Anyhoodley do, at the pumpkin farm where I purchased a huge bag of Kettle Korn, some apple cider, and one $17 pumpkin. So it was a good day of purchases, even though a BETTER day of purchases would be when people give you all of the things for free. One day….

Look at all the fucks I give!

But man oh MAN was the apple cider good. Like really really good. I loved it. Kettle Korn was ok, I’ve had better (aka more sugar). But all in all fantastic way to spend my afternoon. Unlike Felix Baumgartner…

So he had the best Sunday then. Story topper.

Like my GOD. He jumped from SPACE and landed on EARTH. Sweet jesus science, ballsy. But whatever I’m actually not jealous at all, because I literally never want to go 1. Into Space 2. Jump from space back to Earth.

My pumpkin ale of choice tonight is a recent acquisition: Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale! My recent I mean that I bought it on Sunday after the pumpkin patch as an impulse purchase. Go Total Wine!! It’s the mecca of Northern Virginia. An entire store filled strictly with wines and different beers and snacks and LOVE. The best.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2013 HOSTS!!

Anyways, back to Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale.

It was nice and light, with a spicy flavor but not too overwhelming. A lil bit underwhelming to be honest, after having a Blue Moon and others I really think the key for my pumpkin ales will be the spice to water ratio. But it could have been worse, and since it was my second pumpkin ale of the evening, I’m inclined to be more leinent with my scoring.

I give this pumpkin ale 6 out of 10 pumpkins.  It wasn’t what I expect a tier 1 pumpkin ale to be, all frothy spicy pumpkiny goodness (soon) but not as watery as some other beers I’ve downed (here’s looking at you, post road).

Welp, now I’m almost almost caught up, just another double tomorrow and I’ll be good to go. Until another weekend happens…

shame

PEACES,

Suz

 

Day 13 of 31: Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Hello There!

I know what you all are thinking right now. Suz! It’s not Saturday! Why on earth are you writing a Day 13 Pumpkin ale post when OBVIOUSLY it’s Monday? Because Saturday:

#rough

Yes. There was yet ANOTHER beerfest to attend, and I’ll be damned if I was going to skip an October Beerfest because I was “sleepy” and needed to do “laundry”. Eff that. So I packed up my metro card, got my shades on, and partied like I was in a developing part of DC. How was it, you ask?

1. Vague

2. Sunny

3. Don’t remember

But thanks to the generosity of friends, I managed to eat more Mexican food and have a lovely time. Another plus of starting a massive beerfest at 12pm? Passing out during the dinner time and waking up so disoriented that you cannot even properly IMAGINE what day it is.

Around 6PM

So anyways, I got what I deserved blah blah blah (hello cut on my chin. WHERE DID I GET YOU?). And so now I will have to double post for two days to catch back up to my 31 days of joy.

Tonight I am drinking Post Road Pumpkin Ale! Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery in California (jokes).  My thoughts? Kinda tastes like shit. Watery and generally not good. Barely taste the pumpkin spices and it reminds me strongly of the Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat.  I was just very disappointed.

not good enough

Eh. Anyways, I give this pumpkin ale:

like the label though

5 out of 10 pumpkins. I guess I’m not feeling mean enough to give it at 3, but it in no way deserves 5 fantastic pumpkins. NO WAY. The label was cool and I like the name Post Road Pumpkin Ale, but I don’t really like anything else about it.

Anyhoodles, I am going to go and attempt to finish this POS of a pumpkin ale, and then open a new one, because I am two days behind. Mother of Pearl, procrastination is not for the faint of liver. Or those who are sleepy (I’m not don’t worry about it at all).

Mondays, Am I Right?

Peaces!

Suz

 

 

Day 12 of 31: Terrapin Pumpkinfest

Hello There!

Oh thank heavens to betsy it’s Friday because I was not ready/willing/able to sit at a desk for another day. Even though I do really enjoy seeing my bank account go from really embarrassing to able to eat lunch every day.

Cookies are Lunch

After a long day of checking the specifics on Salon deals (Go Keratin or go home), there is nothing better than coming home to Mr. SassyMcSassyton canoodling on my bed. Except everything is better than that. But something that makes it all ok? Finding out the Bring It On was playing on ABC Family. Let’s just get it out right now, thank GOD for ABC Family. Why?

1. Harry Potter weekends

2. Pretty Little Liars

3. Devotion to all movies featuring Amanda Bynes pre-pot smoking/cupcake stealing fiasco. Why does she do these things to us? Doesn’t she know that What A Girl Wants is in the upper echelon of Sunday afternoon movies?

This isn’t Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and you are not Violet Beauregarde

Bring It On is one of those movies that really ages well with time. It’s not just phenomenal and funny, it also is basically any of the Step Up movies BEFORE they existed.  Spirit fingers and incorporating all different dances into one fantastic scene? CHECK. Hipsters getting with popular jocks? CHECK. It’s like every teen movie made since 1997 has paid homage to Bring It On, and for that I am grateful.

Looking at you, Tina Fey

Tonight’s pumpkin ale of choice is Terrapin Pumpkinfest, brewed by Terrapin Brewing Company from Athens, GA.

The best thing I can say about this pumpkin ale? The label. It’s a fun turtle dressed like a farmer because the turtle “terrapin” is making a pumpkinFEST since he is a farmer. It makes all the sense in the world and I like it.  Things I don’t like as much? The actual pumpkin ale. It’s spicy but not in a positive way, more in the way that you taste a spice and put the drink down because it’s been in the cupboard for too long type of way.  I can’t really get a handle on the pumpkin flavor and I am constantly distracted by the picture of a farmer turtle. For reals, that’s awesome.

A TERRAPIN who is a FARMER

I give this beer 5 out of 10 pumpkins.  Didn’t wow me, didn’t make me go into anaphylactic shock. You win some and you lose some.

COME BACK HOME AMANDA

Alright homie gs, I’m about to do the horizontal sleeping (because I’m not an astronaut).

Peaces,

Suz