Presenting… the Winners of Beerfest Contests!

Joshua won the Guess What’s in My Pint Contest rewarding him with CDs by UUVVWWZ and The Rural Alberta Advantage.

ginacuce and BBBellezza won the ReTweet Contest.

ginacuce won a copy of the Strictly Background soundtrack.

BBBellezza won a copy of The Young Werewolves CD.

and…

our final contest, the Beer Quiz, was won by NJ native Patti Bright with a score of 7 correct answers. Her prize is a Killian’s bottle opener keychain, a bottle of Apollo, and CDs by Paulson and LA Symphony.

Here are the correct answers to the quiz (questions can be found here):

1. Hamm’s

John Cusack routinely drinks decent beer in his films. Nothing high end, but never piss, either… often local or small-ish breweries.

2. Git-R-Done

I’m sure this isn’t very good, but it’s fun nonetheless.

3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Holy Grail Ale

Unfortunately the beer is not nearly as entertaining as the movie, which itself is quite overrated actually.

4. Goldings

Mentioned in the previous contest post… used in most English ales.

5. Fuller’s

The only British brewery allowed call it’s bitter an ESB is Fuller’s. Many American breweries have bitters called ESB’s, but in Britain the name is a trademark

6. 1987

While Yuengling is the oldest active American brewery, the beer that put them on the map is the same age as my little sister.

7. Ballantine

Now Ballantine is a malt liquor consumed by college kids and drunks, however it was once a highly regarded pale ale.

8. Death Penalty

In some texts it is noted, specifically, that offenders were to be drowned in the swill they had created by watering down the valued beverage.

9. Miller Lite

While it cannot be denied that Miller Lite is crap, it can also be noted that the Philadelphia eagles will be the cream of the crop in the NFC in 2009, relegating the Giants to #2 in the East and displacing the Cards as the NFC champs.

10. Charlie

Charlie was a great one off brew by Weyerbacher… so great in fact that they gave it a permanent name and a place on the seasonal brewing list.

All prizes will be shipped by Wednesday. I hope everyone enjoyed TPM Beerfest. The final post for this week long extravaganza is actually being featured on my wife’s blog, an excerpt is below but the full piece can be found here.

As a beer geek, I enjoy craft brews, almost exclusively. One thing that many geeks like me try to do is buy local. Supporting local brewers supports your local economy and provides you with fresher beer. It’s the best way to do it.

Luckily, I reside in Pennsylvania, home of MANY great breweries. On my webpage, thepaintedman.com, I intend to feature a semi-regular column on my favorite PA craft breweries. I figured, I will share my first of such columns with the readership of this fine website, as well.

Today, I the Chubby Hubby, want to highlight my favorite three PA breweries, Weyerbacher (Easton), Stoudt’s (Adamstown), and Yards (Philadelphia).

Originally turned on to this smooth, easy lager by seeing cases on sale for $12, Labatt’s Honey Lager has become a three season staple for me. If I see it for a good deal, I’ll grab a case without question. Is it very flavorful? No, not really. Is it some incredible craft brew? Absolutely not. Is Honey Lager an easy drinking beer for a warm day? Indeed.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

The beer pours as a beautiful deep gold color. There is a think fizzy white head. The color pairs with wonderful clarity to create a beer that whispers, “Drink me.”

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

There is very little aroma at all, there is a very faint hint of sweetness (likely the honey). The aroma gets a few points for having no unpleasant smell, but that’s about it.

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

The smoothness is what shines through most. There is a light sweetness and some detectable malt flavor. Hops may as well be absent from the brew, as there is no bitterness or hop flavor whatsoever.

Palate:
thepaintedman rates this:

While the mouthfeel is downgraded from a perfect 5 for being slightly overcarbonated, it’s otherwise fantastic. Overall, it’s smooth, aftertaste-less, and wonderfully refreshing!

Overall:
thepaintedman rates this:

This is what all you Miller and Bud drinker should be drinking. Smooth, easy to drink, and very refreshing. Walk away from the awful crap you’ve been drinking and take a step in the right direction… it will hopefully open some windows, which in turn make crack a few doors, and down the road you can be enjoying some 120 Minute IPA or Apollo.

A few weeks ago, I was in Harrisburg on business (running a training session) and decided that I had to stop by Troegs and have a small taste, likely grabbing a six pack of something while I was at it. Upon arriving, the only thing on tap that I hadn’t had at all yet was their most recent in the Scratch Beer series, Apollo Imperial Ale. While not a hophead, I have tried to branch out into the world of hoppiness, which is a specialty of Troegs (Nugget Nectar is a favorite of hopheads nationwide, maybe worldwide). Apollo Imperial Ale certainly falls into that category, delivering 115 IBU’s in each flavor packed sip.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

This big beer has a deep amber color and a haziness, making it unable to see through at all. There is a creamy head that sticks to the sides of the glass. The head maintains throughout the entire drinking experience.

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

Beautiful floral aroma, a bouquet of hops. The strong aroma is very American, though I couldn’t identify the varieties of hops without some help from the Troegs website (Apollo, Columbus, Warrior, Amarillo, and Palisades are all present here).

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

While I’d expect a bit more maltiness by the appearance of the beer, there is enough malt to make the 115 IBU’s more than tolerable to a non-hophead. While not an IPA, it basically tasted like an IPA. It reminded me a bit of Nugget Nectar, likely due to the large quantities of American hops. It was slightly more bitter than my preference, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Palate:
thepaintedman rates this:

Apollo Imperial Ale has a smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish and a very hoppy aftertaste. Overall, not too bad, but nothing to gush over, either.

Overall Rating:
thepaintedman rates this:

If I were a hophead, it’d likely be a bit higher, but I tried to be as objective as possible. Damn good beer.

Later on today is the start of the TPM Beerfest weekend, beginning today with a 10 in 10 post focusing on warm weather beers. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the latest offering by Troeg’s and Sunday’s beer with be Labatt’s Honey Lager. Stay tuned to get your fill of some good beer!

For now, I’d like to take a moment to promote a cause that is very near and dear for me: