Projo Beer Blog

Sing it with me, to the tune of Rudolph: "They wouldn't let poor Eli, join in any drinking games!"

Three people have eyed the bottle on my desk today very suspiciously, with one even asking whether I had taken up drinking at work.

Nay. But when buying lunch today, the Stewart's Fountain Classic Root Beer, was looking like a mighty tasty non-caffeine balance to the large Dunkin Donuts Turbo Ice and subsequent Starbucks coffee I'd imbibed this morning.

Granted, I probably need a six pack to offset that much caffeine, but it was a start. And to my delight, the root beer was as tasty as anticipated -- neither too sweet, nor too fizzy.

A little cross-pollination here as I share an item I wrote last night for the New England New Media Association listserv.

We asked: "Anyone else doing beverage features or blogs online?" You answered. Check out southcoast247.com, a site targeting younger audiences that is produced by The Standard-Times in New Bedford, Mass. Debbie Opp, Internet sales coordinator for the S-T, pointed out the site's Drinking section, which includes Beer Factor, a column dedicated to the love of beer, and the Beer Bargain of the Week, among other features. Opp says the site is entirely written, edited and produced by part-time "kids" in their 20s. God bless 'em. My favorite piece of the site so far has to be the rotating slogans in the upper left of each page of the site, including "More fun than reading Moby Dick again." Indeed.

A visit last Friday to Liberty Warehouse Liquors in Buzzards Bay, Mass., became a spontaneous pilgrimage, as I encountered Sierra Nevada Summerfest. Upon spying it in the cooler, I practically heard angels sing and envisioned a heavenly glow around the six pack.

Come to find out later that the brew is less new than I thought. According to the Sierra Nevada site, it won a gold medal at the California State Fair in 1999. But for me, it was a first date.

The beer has a pure, golden color, akin to that of ginger ale or apple juice. It's got a hint of citrus, but it's more grapefruit than lemon, keeping it in line with the hearty flavor of the brewery's more widely known pale ale. It's lightly carbonated, so pours with a thin head.

If you're not a fan of the wide array of lighter, fruitier summer brews, this is an ideal alternative. Thirst-quenching for sure, but it tastes more like a beer than a cocktail.

Confession: Truth be told, I my blinding joy Friday was initially caused by mistaken identity. I believed I had encountered an Anchor Steam summer brew while in the midst of my ongoing search for a purveyor of their porter. While I am extremely happy with what I actually discovered, the quest continues. Now I'm seeking both Anchor Steams, however, after learning from their Web site that they do, in fact, have a summer beer.

This weekend's find was a Bavarian beer from Ayinger Brewery. It was on the shelf with the big 17oz bottles of beer. The one bottle cost 4 dollars, which is a lot, but I wanted to try something out of the ordinary. (Research for the blog).

>> Continue reading: Ayinger Beer

A friend brought the Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale along for the limo ride as we headed to our wives' 20th high school reunion Saturday.

>> Continue reading: Brooklyn Brewery

I've been tiptoeing into podcasts this week, and in so doing came across beercasting.com. File this under "Nice idea, poor execution."

>> Continue reading: Beercasting