Thurdsday
Fourthsday
October 28th, 2010

An unusually warm late October night saw a quiet but eminently enjoyable DNO. Mid-fall is always a time to reflect and assess. Tonight, HDG is surprisingly un-crowded and I arrived to find Dan and Robert just getting started.

Dan and I started off with the Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale. This was the highlight of the night for me. This rich malty dark brown ale from Denver had a strong and sweet caramel note, but at 7.7% ABV, it also packed a whallop! Aye, Laddie! Robert went with the Thomas Hooker Oktoberfest, a light—but pleasantly satisfying—Märzen-style lager from Bloomfield, CT. (Who knew?)

Next round began with Dan & I opting for the Long Trail Imperial Porter. This black beauty hails from Vermont and had an intense roasted coffee taste. Heaven! And at 8.0% ABV, even stronger! Robert went for the Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest . ("Hey, it's still October!") Compared to the Thos. Hooker, this fell a little flat; maybe it was the long journey from Bavaria...

Dan and I each went for the Tröegs Tröegenator Double Bock. Like the Long Trail, this too came in a girly-glass†. A lager, it definitely had a crispness to it, yet it was quite malty and chewy, with a strong banana note. Robert moved on to a Scrimshaw Pilsener, from California's North Coast Brewing Co.. This was sweet, but somehow "empty." It's a typical pilsener, and at 4.4% ABV, it's not that different from a budweiser—minus the corn adjunct taste, of course!

We had some very good food, including the outstanding Southwestern Chicken Sliders (which I heartily recommend). Robert announced his promotion to Associate Publisher, which considering his humble beginnings ("At Simon & Schuster, the soda machine in the break room made more than me!"), was no small feat! Can't think of a more-deserving guy! We spent a good deal of the evening discussing plans for the upcoming DWO.

I gave the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale a shot before returning to the Claymore. The Dofish was nice, sweet and spicy. It's made with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg! A yummy fall treat that's definitely worth having again!

As another DNO drew to a close, Robert surprised Dan and I with a parting shot—specifically, he bought us each a shot of Jameson's Irish Whiskey on his way out the door. What a great way to cap off the night! Righteous, Bro!



Girly-glass:
n., gir′ ⋅ li ⋅ glas, A small glass, usually 10 oz. in capacity and often tulip or goblet-shaped, used to hold beer with an elevated alchohol content, or an especially expensive/rare beer. (a combination of Middle English gurle, young woman, + Old English glæs, a drinking vessel).





The Double-Edged Claymore Scotch Ale: Aye, Laddie!

ArmCam™: Dan and Steve

Robert as Associate Publisher

Jameson Chaser: The Perfect End