The Disgruntled Chemist

Beer Blogging - Steelhead White Dog Pale Ale

Published on 2008-06-23 19:36:00

I just went across the street and got my new Stone growler filled at Steelhead Brewing Co.. There was some disagreement about whether they were allowed to fill the thing, since it wasn't a Steelhead growler, but eventually they went ahead and gave me 2 liters of beer for $7.50. I went in there intending to get my favorite Steelhead beer, their Bombay Bomber IPA, but the worldwide hop shortage has hit them hard and that brew isn't available. Their recommended second choice: White Dog Pale Ale.

Only in Orange County

Published on 2008-06-23 18:52:00

Seen at the corner of Newport Boulevard and 18th St. this afternoon:You can click to zoom to get a better look at the sticker, which says "FORMER DEMOCRAT thanks to Barack Hussein Obama, Howard Dean, the DNC". The first word shows up much better in the negative.And yes, if you're wondering, the driver did look like she'd just stepped off of the cast of one of those OC Housewives show. Sigh. Way to challenge those stereotypes, Southern California.

Beer Blogging - Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

Published on 2008-06-18 18:10:00

This is an exciting moment: I just opened the 2 L growler of Stone 11th Anniversary Ale that I bought last Saturday at the Stone Brewery. I had a 4 oz. taster glass of this at the end of our tour (which you really should take), and it was so good that I had to buy a whole bunch more of it. Plus, I got this awesome growler:The pour: this is a deep black ale that reveals some red and brown when held up to a light. There's a tan, foamy head on top that fades to lace on the glass and the top of

Beer Blogging - Stone Brewery Tour

Published on 2008-06-14 22:49:00

This afternoon I went down to Escondido and took a tour of the Stone brewery with frequent commenter Todd, his wife, and some people they know. It was a great tour, and if you have the chance to go I highly recommend it.We got there an hour or so before the tour started, so we decided to get a beer and drink it in their outdoor beer garden (which is a really nice set-up). I ordered a beer that I'd never had before, the Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Pepper. As far as I could tell, it was j

Beer Blogging - Deschutes Hop Henge Imperial IPA

Published on 2008-06-11 22:50:00

Let's do another one! Next out of the beer fridge is Hop Henge Imperial IPA from Deschutes Brewery up in Oregon. Deschutes is a great brewery and I've never had a bad beer from them, so I've got high hopes for this one:The pour: a very nice golden color and a large, white head. The aroma: it smells a lot like floral hops. There's maybe a little bit of sweet malt and citrus as well.The taste: very good. I wasn't familiar with the term "Imperial IPA", so I looked it up. Turns out it basica

Beer Blogging - Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Published on 2008-06-11 20:09:00

Tonight I'm drinking a bottle of a limited release beer from Stone Brewing, their Imperial Russian Stout. This is a bottle from their limited Spring 2008 release. I bet it's going to be good. The pour: this beer pours into a pint glass thick and viscous, like particularly well-used motor oil. There's a large, brown, foamy head. Held up to the light, it's totally black.The aroma: this is a delicious smelling beer. Seriously, it smells wonderful, and very complex. There's chocolate, black l

Beer Blogging - AleSmith X Extra Pale Ale

Published on 2008-06-01 21:31:00

Tonight I'm drinking AleSmith X Extra Pale Ale from AleSmith Brewing Co. in San Diego. I've seen AleSmith's stuff around before, but I've never actually bought any. I picked this one up the other day at a BevMo in Lake Forest.The pour: poured into a pint glass, this beer develops a huge head with some fairly large bubbles. Despite those bubbles, the top of the head looks almost creamy. The beer itself is a light golden color, and it's a little bit cloudy because there's yeast in the bottl

People still read this thing?

Published on 2008-05-28 16:18:00

I guess they do. I just checked my Sitemeter page for the first time in months, and noticed that my blog just ticked over the quarter million visitors mark this afternoon. And even though the person was from UCI, it wasn't me; I don't use a Mac.Thanks, whoever that was.

Beer Blogging - Red Hook Long Hammer IPA

Published on 2008-05-26 22:38:00

Since that last beer was a little disappointing, I'm going to try another one from the ol' beer fridge. Next up is Red Hook's Long Hammer IPA.The pour: a clear golden color with a big, fluffy white head. It pretty much looks like your standard IPA.The aroma: surprisingly light, considering all that head. You'd think there would be a ton of aroma coming off this beer. What I can pick up smells like I expect from an IPA: just floral hops and no malt. There's no citrus to speak of.The taste:

Beer Blogging - Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale

Published on 2008-05-26 21:31:00

So, how has everyone's Memorial Day been? Hopefully you took a moment to remember why the holiday exists. Hopefully you also ate a steak the size of your head like I did earlier. Now it's basketball time, and it's also delicious (hopefully) beer time. I'm drinking a 22 oz. bomber of Rogue's Morimoto Soba Ale.The pour: the beer is a cloudy golden color, with lots of bubbles in the bottom of the glass. There's a large, white, fluffy head that's in ho hurry to dissolve.The aroma: it's both hop

Beer Blogging - New Belgium Springboard Ale

Published on 2008-05-25 16:02:00

It's a crisp spring day here in Southern California, and as such I decided to drink a spring seasonal beer. Specifically, I have here a glass of Springboard Ale from New Belgium Brewery.According to the description on the side of the bottle, Springboard Ale "combines oats, ancient Chinese herbs and Mt. Hood hops to maintain a balanced equilibrium for such an exhilarating ale. This cloudy blonde has a spirited threshold, and a creamy body, followed by a refreshingly dry finish." The front of t

Booze Meme

Published on 2008-05-25 11:08:00

Yep, another damn meme, this one from Toast.1. Beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks. Rank 'em.1. Beer (because of the variety)2. Liquor3. Wine4. Mixed drinks2. How often do you drink?I'll have one or two drinks every night. More than that twice a week, on average.3. Favorite Scotch?The Balvenie 15 year old single malt. It's a Speyside scotch (same region as Glenlivet) that's a lot richer than most from that region. 4. Favorite Bourbon?Maker's Mark. Delicious in a Manhattan.5. Favorite teq

A meme about a guy

Published on 2008-05-08 22:40:00

[points thumbs at self]This guy!I was tagged by Tart. Let's do this thing.1) Ten years ago I was:Sixteen years old and a junior at El Toro High. This time of year, I would have been in track (I threw the shot), but not practicing because I sprained my upper back late in the season. I was in three classes I enjoyed (Contemporary Issues, Physics and AP Chemistry) and three I did not (AP US History, Trigonometry, Honors English).2) Five things on tomorrow's to-do list:1. Go to group meeting.2. F

Scattergories Meme

Published on 2008-05-03 18:16:00

Toast tagged everybody, and since I need a break from editing, I'll do it. The rules are that all the answers have to start with the same letter as does your first name. 1. What is your name? Steve 2. A four-letter word: shit (one of my most frequently used words) 3. A vehicle: scooter 4. A city: Seattle 5. A boy's name: Sam 6. A girl's name: Sarah 7. Alcoholic drink: Scotch (just add a little water. no ice, philistines!) 8. An occupation: scientist 9. Something you wear: sui

Beer Blogging - Stone Vertical Epic #7

Published on 2008-05-02 23:36:00

This beer is part of Stone's Vertical Epic series. If you're not familiar with the idea, I'll let them tell you about it:As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists & turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a "vertical" tasting. Each one unique to it's year of release. Each with it

Beer Blogging - Maredsous Triple

Published on 2008-04-16 22:05:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged this one before! It's Maredsous - 10 - Triple, and I already know it's going to be good. I'm drinking this along with my dinner, a warm salad with beef that was slow cooked in chianti and garlic. Let's get drinkin'!The pour: it's a very nice red-gold color, and it's fairly clear so you can see all the bubbles in the bottom of the glass. There's a huge, fluffy head that leaves lace all around the glass as it recedes. The aroma: it's malty! There are hints

Beer Blogging - Moylan;s Moylander Double IPA

Published on 2008-03-31 20:11:00

It's finally baseball season! Right now I'm watching the Angels' season opener; they're trailing the Twins 3-2 in the top of the 8th. Let's drink some beer.The pour: Golden red with a lot of fine bubbles that result in a white, thin head. It's a pretty looking beer.The aroma: It smells like an IPA. Lots of floral, fruity hops. I can smell orange, grapefruit, and a little sweetness (honey maybe).The taste: Much more going on here than there was in the aroma. The first thing that hits your

Beer Blogging - Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout

Published on 2008-03-24 23:02:00

I have another excellent beer to drink tonight, from Bear Republic brewery in Northern California. It's their Big Bear Black Stout. Let's see what we've got here...The Pour: This is a deep black beer. Holding it up to the light, I see absolutely nothing coming through. Even with Guinness, you see a little ruby around the edges of the glass, but not with this one. The head is a deep tan, with lots of large bubbles. It's almost creamy looking on top, and it's certainly not in any hurry to di

Beer Blogging - Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Published on 2008-03-24 20:15:00

This one looks good. It's a beer I picked up at a great local liquor store: Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, brewed with Colombian coffee. I've never had a bad beer from Lagunitas, so let's see if the streak continues.The Pour: A dark beer with a tan, foamy head. About like you'd expect from a stout or a porter. It looks pretty good.The Aroma: I know it's a stout, but it smells like an ale. Well, an ale that was brewed with coffee, that is. There are hops and malt together in the aroma, which i

4x4 meme

Published on 2008-03-22 15:33:00

Seen at Tart's:4 Jobs I have had: teaching assistant, construction worker, rowing coach, Staples associate.4 TV shows I watch: Futurama, How It's Made, House, Simpsons.4 Places I have been: Capri, Lasne, Barbados, Sedona. 4 Foods I like: phó, curry chicken, steak, trout

Beer Blogging - Snakebite

Published on 2008-03-17 23:24:00

OK, last one for the night: the Snakebite, which is Guinness floated over pear cider (Wyder's in this case).The Pour: This one is poured just like the Black & Tan, but it looks a lot cooler when it's done because of the contrast in colors between the Wyder's Pear Cider and the Guinness Draft. It's also a lot harder to pour without having the layers mix. You really have to go slow; I find it helps to fill the spoon with Guinness first and slowly pour it over the cider, creating a layer of cide

15 things I've done that you might not have

Published on 2008-03-17 22:56:00

Because through the vagaries of the internet I just saw this post, and also because why the hell not?1. Took the chemistry GRE soaked from the waist down in salt water and pre-mix boat fuel.2. Fell off second-story scaffolding while painting a house.3. Nearly broke my hip in the Swiss alps.4. Had knee surgery performed on me by the San Diego Chargers' team orthopedist. The night before, I got punched in the face in the hallway of a women's-only dorm by the only other guy in the building.5.

Beer Blogging - Miner's Lung

Published on 2008-03-17 21:46:00

This is only sort of beer blogging, since there's also vodka in this thing. Specifically, the recipe for the Miner's Lung is: Pour 3 shots of vodka into a pint glass Fill with GuinnessThat's it. Here are the ingredients:And here's the vodka in the pint glass. The final product:The Pour: Pour 3 shots of vodka into a pint glass, and then fill it with Guinness Draught. A full bottle (11.2 fl oz., for Guinness Draught) should just fit into the pint glass. The final product looks just like Guin

Beer Blogging - Black & Tan

Published on 2008-03-17 21:14:00

I think I'm going to make some drinks with Guinness in honor of St. Patrick's day (and, more importantly, Tart's birthday). First up is a classic, the Black & Tan, which for the uninitiated is Guinness Draught floating on Bass Pale Ale.The Pour: Making your own black & tan at home is easier than you think, and you don't need to buy one of these things. First, fill the pint glass half-full with Bass (or Harp, to make a Half & Half). Then take a cheap metal spoon and bend it at the neck so tha

China's chewy air

Published on 2008-03-12 12:34:00

I saw a picture today at Shakesville of air pollution in China that got me thinking. Here's the picture:Update: My Chinese coworker thinks the visibility reduction in the picture might be a mixture of smog (which this post is about) and a dust storm, which are common this time of year in Beijing. He says that dust comes from Mongolia and blows through the Beijing area on its way to Japan and the United States (there's a group at the University of Iowa that measures China dust in their area).