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Occasional ramblings by an anesthesiologist/mother (and sometimes her husband).

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Sometimes it pays to be smart.

Friday was a long day at work. I knew that I needed to pick up beer afterwards, since we were out. Our usual place is the Consumer's Beverage location on Eggert Road, since it's near our usual Wegman's. Since it's completely out of the way of my route home, I decided to hit the Consumer's on Elmwood in Kenmore, since it's only slightly out of the way.

Lucky move.

When I got there, the first thing I noticed was that it was a lot nicer than our usual location. The second thing I noticed was the half dozen gentlemen in various articles of clothing that all happened to have the logo of J.W. Dundee Brewery. Now, ES1 & I have been big fans of Honey Brown lager for some time. I decided, therefore, to check it out.

It turns out that they were in the process of expanding their line. They were giving free samples of their new beers, and a free pint glass to anyone who purchased a 6 or 12 pack.

I first tried their Festive Ale. It was quite good, though nothing to scream "Yip, yip, yip yahOOOO!" about.

Next, I tried their IPA. Being a big fan of India Pale Ales in general, I looked forward to it. I enjoy Dogfish Head's 60 minute IPA, Middle Ages Brewery's ImPaled Ale, and, of course, the Defiant Class of beers, the Inferno Pod Ale. This one, I had to say, ranked up with the best of them.

Finally, I tried their Porter. This one was so new, that it was not yet in bottles. If you wanted to buy it, you had to buy a growler. I've always liked porters, such as Sam Adams' Holiday Porter. ES1 is not a big fan of them in general. I tasted it with an eye towards not just my own enjoyment, but what she might like.

The porter was a thing to behold. Full bodied and smooth, with a flavor that stays with you. I knew we had a winner.

The gentlemen helped me to get myself a growler of the Porter, and to find the 6-packs of the IPA. Since I was walking out with both of those, they felt that it was fitting that I get not one, but three of their glasses with their complements. I walked out with the porter, the IPA, the glasses, and a case of Labatt Ice, just to make sure we always had the staples around.

ES1 & I have immensely enjoyed the Porter. The officially half gallon growler of Porter actually yielded 5 pints. For 6.99, that makes it $1.40 per pint - pretty darn cheap for quality beer. We may have to get another growler before Thanksgiving. Between that, the 18-year old Macallan, and the Johnson Estates Port Wine, it should be a good evening.

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