Remember those police blotter things that small towns would have in their local news rag? It would be like -

2:30AM - Police respond to dogs barking at 343 Forest Rd. Jim and Doris Stevens say that their dogs Jake and Samson don't normally bark like that.

And then - 11:40PM - Police respond to a man who says some kids were cutting through his back yard. Police find beer bottle in the garden.

(If that were anywhere around Deering HS in Portland, police, along with a parent coalition, would have done extensive fingerprinting and DNA testing of said bottle. But we're talking small town police blotters here)

I think that's what I'm going with here for blog format - little tidbits from the beer world.

But first, a little reflection. I'm 6 months in here on the blog (7 actually, but 6 sounds more worthy of evaluation), and I find myself reflecting on performance vs. expectations. It's been hard to find the muse at times. But I rather think that the beer blog should result more from inspiration and worthy occurence or event than be forced to exist from nothing. I guess what I'm saying is I sometimes feel like my posts should come more frequently, but they come when they come. It's not like I have a game schedule to report on, or that the blog intertwines with my professional life, etc. I am constantly looking for something to write about. Some of my friends have told me their favorite posts are the ones that provide some listing of different beers under whatever category (winter brews, hot weather brews, etc.) - that they've actually gone out and bought the things that I mention in the blog in order to try something new. It sure is fun to hear that. There's so much great beer out there, and so many people just buy the same thing (although it might be a great same thing) over and over again. Just think how boring it would be if you ate the same dinner every night......

So - any suggestions for a "list" topic for the next blog entry?
Maybe Top 10 beers with BBQ, Top 5 beers to serve at your wedding, just thinking out loud.

OK - Beer Blotter:

Sebago Brewing Company is currently pouring in their Single Batch Series (I think that's what they call it) - Full Throttle Double IPA.
Oh man, was this wonderful. You know I kind of lean IPA a lot of the time, and this brew was exceptional. Deep, deep coppery amber color and a really big hop. And yet, fruity and utterly quenching like it's step-brother and widely distributed Sebago Frye's Leap IPA (still standing strong as one of my top 3 IPA's of all time). Single Batch Series means you can only fill your glass on-premise, at one of their locations - South Portland (Maine Mall), Portland's Old Port, and in Gorham Village. So schlep it over to one of them, and order yourself some calamari and a Full Throttle Double IPA. I promise you won't be disappointed. You might even thank me.

Miller Chill. What? Interestingly, I've been running around all year saying that I wished someone would make a "Chelada Style" beer for the summer.
There actually is a such thing as a Chelada, or a Michelada, which can be seen in Mexico, although apparently not very often. The Chelada style - which is basically squeezing a couple of limes over ice, adding beer, and salting the rim of your glass (and not necessarily in that order) - sounds in theory to be possibly tasty and refreshing. More of a I'll-try-one-because-I'm-in-a-different-country than a please-someone-try-to bottle-it-so-I-can-get-it-at-RSVP kind of a thing, if you ask me.
And the Michelada - that one adds a much more sinister twist - that's basically the same thing, but adding Tabasco, some Worcestershire, and maybe some Tomato juice.
And yeah, and I'll take my order of Calamari above with some Hershey's chocolate syrup, some maple syrup and a dash of curry powder.
Anyway, I'll give Miller Chill teeny props for a hot summer day, watching beach volleyball or something. For the mainstream domestic beer drinker, I guess I can see it. But it's kind of like Vanilla Mint toothpaste - is it really necessary?

My Fridge - my fridge has seen a few new faces of late. There's been no shortage of the summer faves - Sebago Hefeweizen, Sebago IPA, Gritty's Summer, Geary's Summer, Red Stripe, Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat, Smuttynose Pale. But there's been a recent influx of Red Hook's Longhammer IPA. I like that one a lot. Great label and package too. I've also brought a few items in from away - Offshore IPA (Martha's Vineyard), Cisco Brewer's Whale's Tale Pale Ale (Nantucket) and Endurance Pale Ale (Mercury Brewing, Ipswich, MA). Can't get 'em in Maine, but been bringing them home from Cape Cod. Great stuff.

Well, that's the Blotter for now.
If you think of it, give me a topic for the next list.
Summer Rules. Beer Rules. Sox Rule. And Jon Lester is my hero.

Cheers,

Scott Dutton

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