Nora McGunnigle

OK, so no updates lately because of the planning of the Beers Not Bullets fundraiser which oh by the way sold out and was totally awesome. So many excellent beers but now I must go to sleep for a day or 2, ok zzzzzzzz. Is it wrong to mention I've been too busy drinking beers and thinking about drinking beers to write about drinking beers? I dunno, but I will leave you with this pre-event article which is actually pretty effing awesome. Though not as awesome as the event, 'cause, how could it be AMIRITE??!?!?!?!?

I am not sure if ACBW officially begins today or tomorrow, but the Avenue Pub kicked it off this afternoon with a couple new beers from St. Arnold Brewing Company - the latest in their Divine Reserve limited series (a double IPA,) and their Weedwacker, which is their Fancy Lawnmower Kolch brewed with a Hefeweizen yeast. I've been waiting for a St. Arnold beer to really impress me, and this one did. It was the perfect beer to quench the thirst of a bike ride over with actual flavor to enjoy at the same time. It has a increased hop presence, which made for an enticing aroma. The citrus and floral hop notes combined with the banana-clove smell of the hefe yeast was quite lovely. The combination of the yeast and the hops also translated into the flavor profile as well. A light, flavorful, really interesting beer. I love it when I find a beer like that! So, St. Arnold, well done. I only had a sip of Tom's St. Arnold Divine Reserve Double IPA , but it was definitely a hop bomb p...

If you didn't get to the NOLA Brewing Cascade Crack Cask event at the Avenue Pub last Friday, you missed an amazing beer. Here is how it's described by the brewery: Join the brew crew this Friday for a cask-conditioned "Brewer's Crack." The NOLA version of a black and tan is made with NOLA Hopitoulas and NOLA Irish Channel Stout. Additionally, we have dry hopped the Brewer's Crack with fresh Cascade Hop Cones. Thus, we have Cascade Crack. GODDAMN it was absolutely like crack. I was on my third mug of the stuff when the cask blew at 7pm. LOVED IT. It says a lot that I actually saved some of my beer for Tom who was on his way over (late) to drink. A LOT BECAUSE THAT BEER WAS AWESOME. I know it's not the most sophisticated beer review, but honestly, my review is pretty much a Homer Simpson-esque, "mmmm....beer...[drooling noises]" Oddly enough, I cannot find video of the noises of pure Homer Simpson pleasure [shudder] that I want, so I will lea...

Happy New Year, beer lovahs. (Someone introduced their SO to me last night as their LOVAAAAAH, which is always good for a giggle.) Anyway, I met up with some old college friends at Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar and had a Miller Lite and 2 glasses of sangria. Beer count: 1 Then we drifted down Tchoupotoulas to the Ugly Dog Saloon , where they had NOLA Blonde, NOLA Brown, and Abita Jockimo IPA. We sat out on the veranda and enjoyed the warm weather with a few pints (1 Blonde and 2 IPAa). Beer count (running): 4 Hoofed across the St. Charles Ave circle to the Exxon for a case of beer and brought it back to their hotel room and had a couple (Modelo) while they got dressed to go out. Beer count: 5 Tom picked us up and we went off the the Avenue Pub where the Beer Buddha and his wife and some other Beer Advocaters were congregated. I had a Brooklyn EIPA, a Brooklyn Blast, a sample of a Yeti Imperial Stout (from Great Divide Brewing), and about a third of a bourbon barrel aged ...

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!