Beer Friday. Brava

And another week goes on by with no riding. The bike sat in the Jeep for three days at work yet again. Today what promised to be the one day it would happen and it didn't. I got home from work about an hour ago (it's 10:20, it's Friday night). What has become of me? I murmured "sorry" to the bike in the back of the Jeep once home hoping that would make me feel a bit better... No dice.

Luckily I have beer to help drown my sorrows! Brava beer from Lakeport brewing in Hamilton Ontario. Home of the mighty Tiger Cats! Brava doesn't have much of an internet home base, all I could get out of it is it's similar to Corona... Oh dear! I'm not much of a Corona fan so this might just end right now. Oh, what's that? Keep going? Fine!

I poured and it gave me a smile telling me to like it already! I was happy with it's representation. It looked crisp, bold, and clean! Hey! I sound just like a beer commercial!!! And I tried to convey my sudden outburst of joy with the use of more than one exclamation point!!! < When you see that, it means the person is really excited!!! Anyways, there was no point in doing a "pre smell" as my sinuses are all clogged with dirty shop filth, so on to the tasting. I swirled it around in my mouth and it started with potential but quickly died away. It was strange, this beer needed something! Lemon? Again, why must we add ingredients to our beer to make them taste good????

This beer gets 1.5 sud out of 5

Beer Friday. Original 16 Canadian Pale Ale

Oh dear! Have I gone right from "Music Monday" to "Beer Friday" with no content in between again? Nothing, absolutely nothing... Not even a cheesy Youtube video for "blog filler!" I took my bike to work two days this week and failed at the driving to Mill Creek and starting to ride part. I didn't do unproductive things like watch my friend play "Combat ops" or whatever the hell it's called on the Playstation. I did do things with my kids so in the end I won. At least I think I did. That bike sure looked good tonight during the picture shoot though!

Original 16 hails from Saskatoon Saskatchewan. A city much like Edmonton that has people turning their noses up at but once you go there you are amazed on how awesome it is! Wait a minute! I've never been there so I don't really know what it's like! I've heard lot's of good things though.... How about their river valley? Is it fabulous like a certain river valley in this fair land? Yes you say? Well maybe I'll head there this Summer and have a browse...

This beer originated in 1989 when former employees of a certain "unnamed" brewery started their own after the big guys decided to close up shop. Named after what I thought was a hockey slogan "Original Sixteen" I soon realized what a poor Canadian I was and it had nothing to do with hockey. The name came from the sixteen members who started it. Quite cool actually! They remain independent to this day which makes this here beer reviewer stand up and salute!

The pour was beautiful. Golden and gave a generous two fingered head that would make even the most self righteous non beer supporter blush. The smell made me stand back and sniff again... "Could this potentially be the best beer I reviewed thus far?" I thought to myself.  Fearful of letdown I took a sip and was not let down. Yet I wasn't convulsing with beer tasting orgasms like one should on a Friday night. It was good... Great? That's a hard fence to climb over soldiers! My mouth cried for more! Yes, it's smooth and a tad on the creamy side and does what it's supposed to on a Friday night. But... do I want more? Yes!

This beer gets 2.8 suds out of 5

Beer Friday. Boris Bold

After a return to the riding, a return to the beer reviews is promptly on order. "Weeks of slow inactivity on here posting up you tube videos must come to an end!" Said lonebiker.com's executive assistant to the non existent Vice President, Herb Schingleb of Pensacola Florida. Wow! That is one powerful man helping run this blog! I'd better get my shit together!

From Saverne, France comes a beer that packs a wallop! An 8.6% wallop that is, in the past I've been scared of strong beers. In fact you may have read about it, laughing at me and calling me a girly little bitch who can't drink strong beer. Oh ya, I heard you mocking me through through the thick walls of the interwebs, pointing your fingers at the screen and mocking me! Well guess what? Strong beer doesn't scare me anymore! I've reviewed enough on here to not be afraid.

The pour was an adventure as the head was so large I thought it was going to exit from the glass and set on world domination starting with my poor ass in Beaumont, and then moving on to Edmonton, then the province... As soon as it rose it dissipated and I was relieved and quickly put down the phone and hung up on the 911 operator. The first sip gave me no real strong beer shivers and I was a tad relieved. Sadly though, you could tell this is a strong beer. Something I'm really not a fan of. Beer is made to be savoured. Not drunk quickly. And sadly, I think this beer is made to get hosed quickly. I am almost finished my can, which by the way survived a ride tonight (for that I give it high marks) but truth be told. I'm feeling it, and I drank it slow. If you want to get pissed drunk in a hurry, buy this beer! If you want to enjoy a few watching a hockey game, try something else. If you'll excuse me now, the police are at the door.

This beer gets 2 suds out of 5

Beer Friday. Wells IPA

I had wanted to do the first ever wine review on here tonight but was shut down by the higher ups that be. Well the higher ups being NFL football, and realizing I'm not allowed to drink wine on such a sanctimonious weekend of divisional playoffs. Oddly enough I didn't have a drip of beer until now; a good twenty minutes after the last game. So I guess I could have had the wine... You see how I sometimes over think things! This happens quite a bit and can be quite serious and thankfully have meds to take care of my problems. Sadly two of those "meds" are put away for the season and the one that "goes" is having the bicycle version of a quadruple tripass.

Wells makes it's home in England and is actually named Wells & Young's brewery after a merger between Charles Wells Brewery and Young's in 2006. The company is  very proud to be independent and between the two has over twenty five beers in their lineup.

Wells IPA is the leading imported India Pale Ale coming into Canada which is probably why I found it so easily on a somewhat cold snowy Beaumont night. Or is it that Beaumont liquor stores are quite competitive as there is four with a rumoured fifth opening up in such a small town... Fubar

The pour was unsuccessful as I was holding the glass the wrong way giving my a large head of foam that would have been useful if a jetliner crashed into my front yard. The smell was somewhat different compared to most common beers. Fruity hoppy goodness made its way into my nostrils and I was delighted. The taste was a tad nutty (Austin Powers forever ruined that reference) and slightly metallic when drunk from the can. That's why you pour beer into cups kids! As I did...

This beer gets 3 suds out of 5

Beer Friday. Muskoka Harvest Ale

Four months past harvest? Why not! This bottle caught my eye the same way a bag of Doritos would attract many many potheads. It sat there in the store with a light beckoning from above. At first I thought it was heaven but quickly realised it was the lighting in the cooler... Silly me!  Muskoka brewery, from Bracebridge Ontario resides in the heart of Ontario cottage country and it now proudly makes it's second lonebiker beer review appearance (oh , I'm sure they are damn proud!).

Their Harvest Ale is now in it's second year and is their Fall time brew. Yes I know it's now the dead of Winter so you can just pretend it's Fall time now o.k? This beer is packed with a punch. A 6.4% punch that is. I have had trouble in the past with strong beers, so I wasn't going to take shit from this beer. I started to show it who was boss right in the store by speaking loudly at the bottle, you know, making threats. There were other people in the store at the time and they moved away quite quickly once I uttered my menacing threats at the bottle. Ya! I can be badass when I want to be!

Once home I opened it up and was awestruck by the  foggy goodness that was emanating from the bottle. It was at that moment I knew my threats had won over the heart of this strong beer. It sat for picture time with an attitude, and virtually no head. It was a one finger head (and you know which one that is) that quickly dissipated much to that of the dreams of a New York waitress. The first sip was what it was. A tad bitter, and then I had another and appreciated this beer for what it is. A craft beer made only once a year for the farmers... Or maybe the Oktoberfest people... I don't know. This one is a good, different but good. Buy a bottle and share it with friends (it's big) or just hog it all to yourself, the bottle is self closing you know.

This beer gets 3 suds out of 5

Beer Friday. Molson Canadian

New years eve tomorrow night and my weekend has just begun after a fun week of inventory combined with a classic case of reorganizing. I was planning on reviewing one or two tomorrow night  but after this week I couldn't hold back.

If you were on here two years ago you would have read an angry review on Molson Canadian where I; like many a douchebag on the internet had an open forum to trash something without fear of repercussion, and trash I did! What exactly was my problem back then? I have no idea? Some leftover angst form the Canadian custom agent giving me grief about my bike.... maybe. Well Molsons. Lets forget the past and become friends shall we. Even if I don't like you much on this here review?

Canadians have an inferiority complex. I blame that on big brother living next door. Most of us won't admit it but you know it's there. We feel great when attention is given towards us. The Vancouver Olympics was a great example, the Vancouver hockey riots. Not so much... Attention on anybody makes them feel great. Just saying somebody's name in conversation when your with them makes them feel all warm and fuzzy. Just talk to any high level business professional and they will say your name repetitively in a conversation. Molson Canadian has unbelievably great advertising. They hit all of our soft spots in 30 seconds making us proud of who we are. They show us winning hockey games, doing fun stuff in the mountains, playing hockey, doing fun stuff at the lake cottage, and of course watching hockey playoffs.

The pour gave us a nice crisp, cool, smooth and refreshing looking beer! Ironically like a beer commercial would show it. A two fingered head that didn't last long enough to get the camera ready after I set up my Barbies.... I mean my daughters Barbies!  The first sip gave me some good old familiar 22 year old me love. I have not had this in a long time, in fact the last time was when I did the review on here a couple years ago and the taste was really quite... Ordinary. A slight skunky taste to make it more familiar.  Yes Molson Canadian you are ordinary. But don't change  cause I love you the way you are. Your great "Canadians kick ass" commercials and your image.... Ahh, I have tears of pride running down my cheeks.

This beer gets 2.5 suds out of 5

this is wrong... so wrong, yet strangely arousing...

Beer Christmas! Rolling Rock Extra Pale

A return to the beer reviews after a much needed vacation. The lonebiker pro beer police took some much needed time off as the pressure to review beer weighed them down heavily. What a bunch of giant pussies! All they have to do is drink beer and talk about it!

Rolling Rock comes from St Louis Missouri. Home of the Godless Rams and the current baseball champs. They are in St Louis as the giant Anhueser-Bush company now runs them. They started in western Pennsylvania and grew to be a national product which inevitably made Budweiser jealous so they bought them out (oh yes, I'm positive that's how it went down). One of the curious things about Rolling Rock is each bottle and can has the number "33" on it. Nobody know why there is a 33 but the myths are out there, one going so far as saying that number is the highest the Freemasons can get. That kind of shit creeps me out a little. But I get creeped out by clowns so I guess it doesn't take much.

The beer poured nice and golden and showed a giant head that was larger than my hand. Amazing? Is it not? I am quite out of practice with this beer review thing so my beer pouring talents have gone to shit! The taste was quite ordinary, much like you would get out of any Budweiser or Coors. There was nothing that stood out as I swirled it around my mouth, although some shot out my nose when I saw one of my dogs try to hump the angry birds plush toy laying on the ground. That kind of shit cracks me up! Would I recommend this beer? No. It bored me, unlike watching my dog fornicate with small plush toys. That my friends is good quality entertainment!

This beer gets 2.5 suds out of 5