Here beer, here

A recent trip to Pioneer on Colombus revealed a whole aisle of craft brewery treats, UK beers in these pathetically small 12oz bottles they insist on foisting on you here, and sundry international items. Good for the Belgians for having no truck with this bottling fascism. In fact, they've gone the other way. I've never seen the powerfully intoxicating Delerium Tremens in 750 ml bottles before. At 8.5% ABV, you'd know about it if you'd downed a couple of these. Anyway, we fridged a dozen or so acquisitions and as most of them were new to me let them come up to a little below room temperature in the glass, as well as trying them cold. Like I was going to wait!

And here they are:

L. tried the first, and not a dropped passed my lips, so I can't comment. Maybe next trip. She wasn't that impressed.

I very much enjoyed this, my first bottled offering from local outfit, Brooklyn Brewery. Their East India Pale Ale stands up pretty well to my expectations from a beer billing itself as an IPA. At 6.8%, they've certainly got the strength in the right sort of area; when I saw how strong it was, I thought the alcohol would kill the fruit and hops that you demand from an IPA, but I have to say they were there in abundance. Thoroughly enjoyable, and this will be a house beer here.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale, 5%. What an interesting beer! My heart sank when I got this home and noticed it said 'ale brewed with pumpkin (no problems, kind of guessed that bit) and spices'. Spice and beer doesn't go. Anyone who has suffered Badger's absolutely disgusting Blandford Fly with its stinging note of ginger will know what I mean. However, whilst there were some spicy notes counterpointing the beer, I couldn't really tell you what they were. A traditional, well-hopped bitter taste predominates, but with a little earthy sweetiness from the pumpkin, and some light, warm notes from the spice. Really subtle, actually. I am glad I tried it.

Goose Island Honker's Ale. Unknown ABV, but I'd guess at 4.6% or so. Encouragingly billed on the label as 'inspired by visits to English country pubs... the perfect blend of hops and malt', this is a pleasant enough Southern English style bitter. I think they could stick their necks out and use a more striking varietal of hop; the basic structure of the beer was great on the palate, but it could have used some high, hoppy astringency to really cap it off. Good work overall, however -- jolly good show, gentlemen brewers of Chicago!

Carlsberg Elephant 7.2% ABV (imported). Ah, Elephant! How I love thee! Let me count the ways: one, the fact that you bill yourself as a 'malt liquor, which I find most appealing; two, your fantastic blast of full-bodied malt which remains tart and poised on the palate despite your considerable strength; four... aw, bugger. This beer is an absolute classic, and for my money one of the very best super-premium lagers. Strong lagers can be a nasty, sugary, claggy mess, but Elephant is indeed a beer to remember. Seeing as the lovely people in Pioneer peddle this for about $1.85, about a quid in the Queen's coin, this is a flat-out bargain, and I won't be forgetting to load up Herbie (of whom more on another occasion) next time we head to Colombus. At the rate I'm emptying the fridge, this could be sooner rather than later.

When you've got Gounod's Faust on the go (Gedda, de los Angeles, cond. Cluytens 1959) and you're trying to get your head around the possible outcomes from the Reversed London opening, it's amazing how much thinking juice you can get through.