When one door closes, another on opens. The end is just another new beginning. When you surrender your huge empty collection, you get money for new beer!
Source: https://www.pinterest.pt/goldensaintbeer/ with a little Zeke design on top.
Yesterday was one filled with chores and projects I put off 'til the weekend. Thus is the reason I am posting my weekly #beersaturday post on Sunday. You could count my Beer Hall Restaurant Review @zekepickleman/mercer-beer-hall-a-zeke-hive-review-cas my entry but I got beer content for days!
Lets check in on my endings and new beginning this week.
Good bye sweet friends
Before we get started, let us mourn the loss of the best damn empty collection on the planet. During my rounds yesterday, I returned over 500 of the most colourful, varied and tasty ex-beers on the planet. Before Covid, you would bring this many back and claim to not be an alcoholic, but hosted a party. Now, you are not allowed to have a party for fear of spreading a disease, and have to swear you did not hose a party, but are just an alcoholic.
Either way, bon-voyage to the collection that started late 2019 and lasted almost through summer.
Last Week's Haul
When we met last week, I was embarking on a mission of old favourites and new discoveries. Having shopped directly at the local breweries in support of them and my taste buds, I hadn't visited the beer store in a while. When I did, I discovered a beautiful mix of my current go-to brews, and a number of new additions begging to be reviewed by the Blockchain Beerologist. Let's take a look at a few of them.
Signal Brewing - Wave Pale Ale
This strange label belongs to Wave Pale Ale https://www.signal.beer/bottle-shop from SignalBrewing Company The label obviously caught my eye because of the design layers, attention to detail (stippling for shading for example) and this mechanical face inviting me to take a chance. So I did.
I wasn't too optimistic on this one as a Pale Ale can mean many things to many people. Usually, it suggests a light simple and mildly hopped taste with a reasonable body. Had I taken the time to read the label, I would have noticed my trigger words including New England, hazy, and 6.1% ABV. Definitely suggesting something more serious than a cool Wave and a modest Pale Ale.
This picture was taken outside so you cannot attribute that rich, peach colour and hazy consistency to my interior background paint as sometimes happens. The designers make use of all label space on the can but it doesn't feel noisy or crowded. It has an extra couple ingredients in Malted Wheat and Oats but that is forgiven by the purity Germans as the wheat can add nicely to the complexity and haze, and the oats make it even smoother on the palette when done properly.
What a pleasant surprise. Brand new brewery to discover (in Corbyville no less!), neat design, and a seriously good beer I would file as...
"Will buy again!"
Electric Storm Sour IPA
Long time followers and drinkin' buddies will recall https://www.sawdustcitybrewing.com/ as one of my all time favourite breweries, mainly because of Lone Pine (west coast)IPA https://www.sawdustcitybrewing.com/our-beer/lone-pine-west-coast-ipa/ Having such a special place in my heart (palette), I immediately buy at least one of the latest brews when I see them. Electric Storm Sour IPA would be no different especially since there is a guitar amplifier on the front of the label.
The label gets even better then you roll it to the right as a flaming Flying V is displayed over the good news which is 40+ IBU (the higher the number, the hoppier you can expect the taste) and Mosaic hops (1 of my 2 preferred hops.) You just have a feeling this is going to be a good beer.
Now I generally would prefer just a sour or a non-sour IPA for the merit each of those brew hold and not get into the noise of contrasting beer styles. Electric Storm Sour IPA https://www.sawdustcitybrewing.com/electric-storm/ seems made just for me! It was neither distractingly nor underwhelmingly sour. The hops were strong enough to be tasty but not ruin the sour.
The knockout punch was the fact that the copy on the back of the can appears it was written by me, or for me at least. Face-melting, smashes, and the proper spelling of RAWK! I am tapping out. Sawdust city has won again.
Truth be told, I would prefer Lone Pine or even Twin Pines but I really did enjoy this beer. Will buy again.
White Bronco Juicy IPA
This review did not start out well for Sandwich Brewing Company https://www.facebook.com/sandwichbrewing/ You can see they don't even have a web page, the logo is not overly progressive, and I prefer to decide whether or not I find an IPA juicy. IT was a new IPA on the shelf during a trip of buying new beers and this is probably the only reason it made it into my basket.
The ingredients list looks like that of a sandwich (wheat, oats, yeast) and I had not yet tasted a beer from this brewery which is only a couple hour drive from Beerology HQ. Maybe too much white space for this bronco but I would give it a fair shake as any IPA is worth the gamble and discovery.
As I pour it out and notice the nice orange hue, the third panel on the can grabs my attention. Hazy, citrusy, NEIPA but with a mid-west twist? This may not be bad after-all.
The first drink of this is a delightful slap to the mouth but my brain lights up as it is legit! Solid body with considerable hop character and that nice sweet balancing you would expect with a New England IPA with oats. Just fantastic!
Surprisingly enough, this is by far my favorite of all 3 new brews highlighted in this post! It easily makes it into the "I would buy this again" category and may actually vault into my "Current top 10 go-to brews" if I find it on the shelves again. Let's not get hasty but I do hope there is more so I can taste it again along side the likes of Cowbell Hazy Days, Great Lakes Haze Mama, and Collective Arts Life in the Clouds.
Well done Sandwich Brewing! Get in touch with me for my expertise in Digital marketing at https://towncriermarketing.ca and specialization in Beerology!
Mission Accomplished!
This brings you to the end of a tasting session which took us on uncharted paths into the latest IPAs in my region. I am almost through all of the new beers but the rest will have to wait for next week. Til then, they will be fuel to get me through the busy weekend and meet you next week.
Thanks again for joining me!
#BEERSaturday!
I have had hundreds of beers with my #BEERSATURDAY crew. It is week 167 already and our livers are holding strong! @detlev/the-thirsty-week-167-calls-you-to-join-the-beersaturday-on-hive is your link to the longest-running beer-drinking club on any blockchain. Take some pictures, tell some pub tales, and become a Beerologist by posting your own suddsy story with 
I am honoured to curate for:
