Nora McGunnigle

The Goose Island Matilda (Belgian Strong Style Pale Ale brewed with Brettnomyces) is really, really, really awesome. Not really brett-y, the sourness/funk is subtle and incredibly balanced and delicious. Well done!

So, yay, Ohio beer that I can't get in Louisiana! Acquired: Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale, Goose Island Winter Mild, Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre, and a few Goose Island Reserve Ales: Sofie, Matilda, and Pere Jacques. Have not busted into the Goose Island Matilda yet, but here are some quick thoughts on the ones that were sampled: Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA : a solid, tasty IPA. Hoppy with citrus notes. Very drinkable and a beer I almost always reach for when I come visiting this part of the world. Apparently Great Lakes makes a small batch of a Christmas Ale that is supposed to be amazing, but we couldn't find it. Sad! But we had others to drink so sadness was tempered. Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre : I was feeling nostalgic for this while watching Brewmasters (though I would have been more psyched to see Indian Brown Ale). A Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Dried fruit aromas and sweetness on the tongue, balanced by a nice hopp

You ever think, "YAY BEER!!!" because it makes you so goddamn happy? Yes, often under the influence of beer, but who cares? Beer had made me friends that I never would have thought I'd have. Beer is delicious. Beer is basically, as Ben Franklin says (??), proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. (Tom the atheist likes to say instead that "beer is proof that SCIENCE WORKS, BITCHES!") Beer was a huge part of my wedding and of many excellent adventures I've had with my best friend FOR LIFE. YAY YAY YAY FUCKING YAY BEER! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and all that stuff, but mostly, Give Thanks to Beer! Bitches!

Last night we hosted a beer tasting for a few friends at our house. We got a spread of cheese from St. James Cheese Company - a Mrs. Applebys Cheshire, a Lincolnshire Poacher, and a Lagiole from France. Also a wild boar salami and a goose, duck, and chicken pate. Now, the beer! We started with a mellow Mana Wheat Ale from Maui Brewing Company - a Hefeweizen brewed with Maui Gold Pineapple. I actually didn't know about the pineapple until I just looked at the can right now. I think the fruity characteristics that are often present in Hefeweizens really lent itself to the inclusion of pineapple to a very smooth and delicious result. Next up was a Goose Island special series beer called Fleur . It's a Belgian Style ale with steeped hibiscus flowers. Excellent. Goose Island produces some seriously high quality beers, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to try this one. Became more complex and flavorful as it warmed. Hibiscus seems to be somewhat of a trend these d

Enjoyed a lovely evening at The Avenue Pub , as is par for the course on Friday nights with the Beer Advocate gang, including the Beer Buddha . One of the regulars had some visitors from out of town, his daughter and her boyfriend who both work for New Belgium Brewing . Very cool to babble on about beer drunkenly to new people! Who work in the beer business! And don't know me, so they listen! Anyway, even better, they brought presents. Three beers from their Lips of Faith series: Imperial Berliner Weisse , Belgo IPA , and Sahti Ale . New Belgium is not available in either New England or Louisiana so this was a real treat. I have enjoyed their flagship beer, Fat Tire , while in San Francisco, but it's not something I've had very often. I love a Berliner Weisse, and this was a nice one. Nice Brett and lactic sour flavors, but I thought it was a nice balanced beer, suitable as a sour beer intro, but flavorful enough for sour beer lovers to enjoy. The Belgo IPA was jus

It's the anniversary of the passage of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the Prohibition of alcohol (aka the 18th Amendment) Happy Repeal Day!

Ken, I got hammered on Friday night and lost your card. Can you email me at nora.deirdre@gmail.com?

I believe that St. Arnold's is a new product in the New Orleans market. We won a mix six pack for our 2nd place showing in the Avenue Pub's pub quiz the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, with 2 bottles of Texas Wheat , 2 bottles of Elissa IPA , and 2 bottles of Brown Ale . The Texas Wheat pours a bright golden straw color, with an appropriate cloudiness from the wheat. It doesn't taste very wheat-y, though that's fairly typical of American wheat ales, in my experience. It's light in body and the yeast made me think of a German ale, so I was pleased with my palate to read afterward in the tasting notes that the beer was originally a Kristall Weizen and it's brewed with a Kolsch yeast. There's a hop bitterness, but there's not a significant hop flavor profile. In contrast, the Alyssa IPA is pretty heavy on the hops. I dunno why it's called Alyssa. Wait, to the St. Arnold's tasting notes! (They are super detailed.) This beer is named after ELISSA, a