This beer comes in a 330mL, slightly amber tinted, bottle. It says "strong beer" on the label, and is 6.6%/vol. I'd agree that qualifies it as strong.
It was fairly easy to pour. The head formed with big bubbles. From what I understand, this is usually a sign of artificial carbonization. The head didn't last very long either, disappearing in about 2 minutes.
My reaction from my first sip was not a positive one. It has a very distinctive taste, and one that lingers for a long time. Very hoppy, which is odd because I usually like hoppy beers. I felt dread each time I put the glass up to my lips, and the feeling didn't pass until the glass was empty. If you want to get drunk fast on expensive beer, this is the way to do it.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Erdinger Weißbrau Dunkel
Before I begin, I must apologize to any beer aficionados that my opinions are based upon my own uneducated observations. I am also aware that I do not have the correct beer glassware, having only (high quality) beer flutes available instead of glassware appropriate to the type of beer being drunk.
That said, on with the review:
This German wheat beer comes in a 500mL amber-coloured bottle. The alcohol content on it is a healthy 5.6%/vol. Not enough to call it a strong beer, but definitely not on the light side.
My first reaction after pouring my first glass of this beer was that it looked like a German knock-off of Guinness. But the similarities end there. It is a dark beer and has a lot of head (when poured improperly as I did). But it doesn't have same bitterness that Guinness has, and a little bit of light manages to make its way through the dark brew.
Its taste is clean and slightly sweet, and actually a bit on the weak side. For a wheat beer, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it didn't have any citrusy flavours added (after a bit of research, I discovered that adding citrus to german wheat beers is typically not done.) It has a very subtle malty aftertaste, that is not overpowering and quite pleasant.
The taste certainly grows on you. After each sip, I appreciated its initially weak flavour a little bit more. I'm actually disappointed that this is the first beer I reviewed, since that means I probably won't have another bottle of it for quite some time.
That said, on with the review:
This German wheat beer comes in a 500mL amber-coloured bottle. The alcohol content on it is a healthy 5.6%/vol. Not enough to call it a strong beer, but definitely not on the light side.
My first reaction after pouring my first glass of this beer was that it looked like a German knock-off of Guinness. But the similarities end there. It is a dark beer and has a lot of head (when poured improperly as I did). But it doesn't have same bitterness that Guinness has, and a little bit of light manages to make its way through the dark brew.
Its taste is clean and slightly sweet, and actually a bit on the weak side. For a wheat beer, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it didn't have any citrusy flavours added (after a bit of research, I discovered that adding citrus to german wheat beers is typically not done.) It has a very subtle malty aftertaste, that is not overpowering and quite pleasant.
The taste certainly grows on you. After each sip, I appreciated its initially weak flavour a little bit more. I'm actually disappointed that this is the first beer I reviewed, since that means I probably won't have another bottle of it for quite some time.
A new beginning...
It has been a while since my last blog post. And while I'd like to say nothing much happened since, in reality quite the opposite has been true.
Bean has been growing steadily, and slowly taking over my life. I've heard that babies do this, so it hasn't come as a big shock to me.
My marathon training has been kicked into high gear. I'm now poised to crush my PB time come Fargo Marathon.
And lastly, our basement has been renovated and we now have a kickass man-cave, complete with a well-stocked bar. And I decided to take this opportunity to re-invent my blog as a beer blog. I will be periodically (attempt for 3x per week) testing a different beer from around the world and writing up what I think about it. My first post will be about Erdinger Weissbrau Dunkel.
Bean has been growing steadily, and slowly taking over my life. I've heard that babies do this, so it hasn't come as a big shock to me.
My marathon training has been kicked into high gear. I'm now poised to crush my PB time come Fargo Marathon.
And lastly, our basement has been renovated and we now have a kickass man-cave, complete with a well-stocked bar. And I decided to take this opportunity to re-invent my blog as a beer blog. I will be periodically (attempt for 3x per week) testing a different beer from around the world and writing up what I think about it. My first post will be about Erdinger Weissbrau Dunkel.
Monday, October 18, 2010
One Bad Race, One Good One
Two weeks ago, I ran in the 12 hour Lemming Loop. I started off strong, and was doing fairly well the first few laps of the 5km course. Then I tripped on a root. I had been nursing a minor groin pull for a few weeks, and this trip "tweaked" the muscle in an unpleasant way. I trudged on. The next lap, I tripped on another root and the muscle was tweaked a bit harder. I trudged on.
As I was approaching the 41k mark, 5 hours into the race, I had to dodge a puddle by running over a bump in the trail. I took it at an odd angle, and the "tweak" in my groin began to throb. For the sake of my body, I had to call it a day. I limped into the aid station, hung around, felt sorry for myself, and went home to mope for 2 weeks.
During those two weeks, I ran as little as I could. I took rest days, had short runs on the weekends, and limited myself to 1 fast run on Wednesdays. I figured my season was over, and I should just resolve to running on easy-mode.
Last weekend, I had my last race of the season. It was a 22km trail race. My groin wasn't hurting in the slightest, and I was feeling well rested. I had resolved to make this a "fun run", and the first 50 or so metres of the race I was just jogging along. Then something in my head snapped.
I've never been able to "just run" a race. I have a ridiculous competitive streak in me. I said out loud "What the hell, this is the last race of the year" and I increased my pace to slightly-faster-than 8 min/mile. And I felt great. I navigated the hills and the roots, without tripping or slowing down. The only part of the course that I had to slow down for was a 1 mile stretch where the ground got really soft and uneven, and I had to watch my footing. I finished the race in 7th place, and came within 2 minutes of my half marathon PB!
I'm now a convert to the church of rest days and tapers. I'm going to take the rest of the month easy before I start my speedwork in November. This most recent race has rekindled my dreams of running a marathon sub-4.
As I was approaching the 41k mark, 5 hours into the race, I had to dodge a puddle by running over a bump in the trail. I took it at an odd angle, and the "tweak" in my groin began to throb. For the sake of my body, I had to call it a day. I limped into the aid station, hung around, felt sorry for myself, and went home to mope for 2 weeks.
During those two weeks, I ran as little as I could. I took rest days, had short runs on the weekends, and limited myself to 1 fast run on Wednesdays. I figured my season was over, and I should just resolve to running on easy-mode.
Last weekend, I had my last race of the season. It was a 22km trail race. My groin wasn't hurting in the slightest, and I was feeling well rested. I had resolved to make this a "fun run", and the first 50 or so metres of the race I was just jogging along. Then something in my head snapped.
I've never been able to "just run" a race. I have a ridiculous competitive streak in me. I said out loud "What the hell, this is the last race of the year" and I increased my pace to slightly-faster-than 8 min/mile. And I felt great. I navigated the hills and the roots, without tripping or slowing down. The only part of the course that I had to slow down for was a 1 mile stretch where the ground got really soft and uneven, and I had to watch my footing. I finished the race in 7th place, and came within 2 minutes of my half marathon PB!
I'm now a convert to the church of rest days and tapers. I'm going to take the rest of the month easy before I start my speedwork in November. This most recent race has rekindled my dreams of running a marathon sub-4.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Strange Morning
During my morning run, I ran into one of my junior high and high school detractors. I didn't even realize it at first. As I was passing him, I gave him the runner's nod and wave. It wasn't until I was about 2 feet past him that I realized he had a look of recognition on his face, and of surprise. We both gave double-takes when I was around 10 metres past him, both of us glancing over our shoulders. Suspicion confirmed.
He had two young children with him, no doubt his own. I wonder if he was afraid I would say something to him in the presence of his kids that would undermine their faith in him. I wonder what I would have done if his kids weren't there. Would I have turned around, chased him down, and given him a piece of my mind for all the years of torture he imposed upon me? I don't know. Instead, I continued on my run with food for thought.
He had two young children with him, no doubt his own. I wonder if he was afraid I would say something to him in the presence of his kids that would undermine their faith in him. I wonder what I would have done if his kids weren't there. Would I have turned around, chased him down, and given him a piece of my mind for all the years of torture he imposed upon me? I don't know. Instead, I continued on my run with food for thought.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Big Week
Only 3 more days until my second "A" race of the year. I'm getting antsy. I'm running my easy workouts much harder than I should, and still running my hard workouts when I shouldn't.
Still... I'm feeling strong. I just hope I put in enough long runs in the past few weeks to help me survive my 12 hour race.
Still... I'm feeling strong. I just hope I put in enough long runs in the past few weeks to help me survive my 12 hour race.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I'm Sorry
I've been neglecting my blog for too long.
With less than two weeks until Lemming Loop, my training has been so-so. It's probably too late to do anything significant now, except try and not overtrain in the few days remaining leading up to my "A" race of the year.
My longest run since Voyageur was a 20 mile LSD two weeks ago. And I didn't even get to have back-to-back LSD runs at all. I'm feeling like I'm unprepared for this race (as I was last year). Fortunately, I'm feeling faster than last year, and have race results to prove it. And I have been getting at least 40 miles per week in. Not as much as I'd like, but far better than no miles at all.
In a way, I can't wait for this race to come and go. This has been a long training season for me, one with huge gains in aerobic fitness and speed. I'm itching for a rest.
All that being said, I do have some decent goals for the upcoming Lemming Loop. Last year, I completed 85.6km in 12 hours. This year, I have set 3 goals for myself:
1. Complete 100km 2. Complete 90km 3. Complete 85km
The #1 goal is what I'm aiming for. If I miss it but still succeed in my #2 goal, I'd still be happy. If I miss my #2 goal, I want to be able to do at least as well as I did last year. I seriously doubt I would miss my #3 goal, seeing as how I was limping for 40+km last year. As long as I can keep my knee from falling apart, I should do awesome.
As a frame of reference, I ran the Voyageur 50 mile race in 11:30, which comes out to 80.4km. And that course was exceptionally hilly (by Winnipeg standards). I figure if I can keep up 13 minute miles, my #1 goal will be in sight.
With less than two weeks until Lemming Loop, my training has been so-so. It's probably too late to do anything significant now, except try and not overtrain in the few days remaining leading up to my "A" race of the year.
My longest run since Voyageur was a 20 mile LSD two weeks ago. And I didn't even get to have back-to-back LSD runs at all. I'm feeling like I'm unprepared for this race (as I was last year). Fortunately, I'm feeling faster than last year, and have race results to prove it. And I have been getting at least 40 miles per week in. Not as much as I'd like, but far better than no miles at all.
In a way, I can't wait for this race to come and go. This has been a long training season for me, one with huge gains in aerobic fitness and speed. I'm itching for a rest.
All that being said, I do have some decent goals for the upcoming Lemming Loop. Last year, I completed 85.6km in 12 hours. This year, I have set 3 goals for myself:
1. Complete 100km 2. Complete 90km 3. Complete 85km
The #1 goal is what I'm aiming for. If I miss it but still succeed in my #2 goal, I'd still be happy. If I miss my #2 goal, I want to be able to do at least as well as I did last year. I seriously doubt I would miss my #3 goal, seeing as how I was limping for 40+km last year. As long as I can keep my knee from falling apart, I should do awesome.
As a frame of reference, I ran the Voyageur 50 mile race in 11:30, which comes out to 80.4km. And that course was exceptionally hilly (by Winnipeg standards). I figure if I can keep up 13 minute miles, my #1 goal will be in sight.
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