Hit up the Detroit Beer Co. this evening. Sampled some of their frosty beverages after having a hearty meal in nearby Greektown.

Local 1529 I.P.A.

This India Pale Ale is aggressively hopped and has intense maltiness. High hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. Medium fruitness with relatively high alchohol. Medium body, light amber color.

A good description, maybe low fruitness rather than medium. Also, the high alchohol is very pronounced by a esthery taste at the end of the sample. I definitely enjoyed the very high hop factor, but I’m not sure I’d return due to the high alchohol aftertaste.

I got to have a little taste and treat at the Cambridge Brewing Company while visiting Boston, Mass. I highly recommend their amber:

Cambridge Amber

Well balanced, medium-bodied, with a deep amber-red color, its complex palate covers all the bases. A malty caramel sweetness is followed by notes of chocolates and a dry, slightly roasty finish, complimented by a touch of fruity spicy hops. Brewed with American pale malt, U.S and British caramel, chocolate, and roasted malts, and a blend of Willamette, Galena, and Centennial hops.
OG: 1.048 FG:1.012 ABV: 4.7%

Brewing the third edition of a Red Ale. It is, shall I say, a simple beer.

Ingredients:
—————
3lb. Plain Light Dry malt extract
4lb. Edme Red Ale Malt Extract
1 oz (5.7% alpha) Cascade Lead Hops
California Ale Yeast [White Labs]

Ended up making a little more than 5 gallons, which probably accounts for the low specific gravity of 1.025. However, unlike the last red that was brewed at my place (Red the unmentioned), I am *not* leaving the primary fermentation bucket next to my water heater. ewwww… vinegar.

I heard an article on the Splendid Table today on my way to drop off a DVD at the library (why more people don’t use the library as a free resource for videos, I don’t understand), regarding the original concoction of the pilsner back in the ol’ Czech Republic (well, *new* Czech Republic, but where it was… oh nevermind).

Anyways, still find it interesting the large lack of perspective of typical American beer drinkers. ‘Yeah, I like both kinds of beer, Bud & Bud Lite’

But I digress. The most recent, excellent, beer (besides my own I have gotten to drink was the ‘Tupper Hop Pocket’ by Old Dominion Ale Company which gets an ‘88′ at Beer Advocate. Got to enjoy this particular brew at Bailey’s in Arlington whilst in the Washington, D.C. area for a wedding last weekend. I also had a ‘Red Seal Ale’, which I heartily un-recommend. Too smooth and bodiless for a red.