Not So Famous…

I’m actually really excited about a couple things I have planned for this week.

To begin with, this past weekend was Father’s Day. I called my dad and stepdad and wished them happy Father’s Day. I was wished happy Father’s Day by my in-laws. lol. Got a book! WOOT! We had dinner with my in-laws on Sunday. It was a good weekend.

My father and I, however, almost never celebrate Father’s Day on the weekend of Father’s Day. For awhile, we’d take him out one night in the week following Father’s Day to eat at a restaurant of his choosing. With us trying to conserve money, however, this isn’t the best option for us anymore. This week, though, we’re having my dad and his fiancee, Karen, over for dinner, and I have a very special event planned.

In addition to showing him the radness that is Rock Band and Grand Theft Auto IV, we’re planning a comparative, blind beer tasting for this Wednesday. Here’s how it’s going to work:

We’re going to get Budweiser, Coors, Kona Longboard Lager, and Gordon Biersch Pilsener. Two of those are mass-produced, domestic brews. The other two are what I would consider premium, micro-brewed, domestic lagers. (The Pilsener is technically not a lager per se, but it’s a lager-style beer, so I think it’s fair game.

Kim will assign each brew a number, 1-4. She will mark the clear plastic cups with numbers, 1-4. Then, she will pour a small amount of each brew into the cups and distribute. We will discuss the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel of each brew. I will create scorecards that we can mark of each number. I will allow whoever wants to the ability to write any particular flavor comments on each card. Then, after each brew is served, we will have a palate-cleanser of some sort to prepare for the next brew. At the end, we will have the reveal.

I have always been one to bash Bud and Coors. I can’t help it. It’s always my perception that they’re inferior beers. I love the taste of ales so much better than that of pilseners and lagers that there’s really no point in comparing. However, that is the point. Comparing the flavor profile of something like a Newcastle Brown Ale to something even like a Heineken is comparing apples to filet mignon. You can’t expect the taste of a Pilsener to be anything near the flavor profile of an ale of any sort. That brings me to why I’m doing this.

I want to settle once and for all the question of whether Bud or Coors are worth the cans or bottles they’re usually drunk from. I want to be assured, in my own mind at least, whether I would ever prefer Bud or Coors over the micro-brews I always hype. I’ve always said that my problem with Bud and Coors is that there are so many better beers out there. I’m often asked why they’re still the most sold beers out there, and my only answer is that the general public is unaware that there are lighter-colored beers out there that are SO much more flavorful. But perhaps these beers really are worth a taste now and again. Perhaps they are worthy of my palate.

I’m going to compare Bud and Coors, which are lagers to Kona’s lager and Gordon Biersch’s pilsener. The panel of judges will be:

Gabe Houser – Gabe Houser made a name for himself by effectively overdosing on Kilt Lifter one night. (Henceforth termed the Original Night of Radness.) Since then, Gabe has tended to the side of moderation, but enjoys big beers. A one-time beer hater, Gabe was won over by the “Bud” of the micro-brewery industry, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The huge hop character of his “first love” set him on the path to big, hoppy beers. He enjoys face-melters like Racer 5, Hopsickle, and Arrogant Bastard.

Chris Dow – Chris Dow is the Ale Evangelist. Not content with beers that others make, he prefers to create his own taste sensations, regardless of whether they’ll sweep the nation. (He homebrews.) Chris’ beer loves run to the racial, since his Scottish butt loves the good ol’ Scotch Ales. Whether he’s imbibing a McEwan’s Scotch Ale, sipping a Moylans’ Kilt Lifter, or creating his award-winning Crazy Hamish Scotch Ale, he loves the malt. A former hoppist*, Chris has overcome his hop-hating tendencies to embrace the hoppier pale ales that America seems to have fallen in love with.

Robert Dow – A former Bud-only guy, Bobby has been known to sample the darker side of beer now and again. While he appreciates the varied characters of these beers, he often returns to his tried-and-true American mass-produced beers, though has been known to enjoy a Hefeweizen at Outback Steakhouse on occasion.

Karen LaCour – Karen is more of a wine-drinker, but she has been known to drink the mass-produced, American beers. She dislikes the darker beers, however, so her reaction to the theoretically more aggressive Kona and Gordon Biersch could well counterbalance the palates of Chris Dow and Gabe Houser.

Keep your eyes peeled to this spot for the results of the evening. May the best beer win.

* A Hoppist is someone who hates hops unreasonably and for no other reason than “they’re bitter”. Most often used of true beer lovers who for some reason can’t stand the taste of hops. All “fizzy yellow beer” drinkers are, by definition, hoppists, so to apply that term to them is obviously redundant.