Need something to watch Tuesday night?

Hopheads rejoice!

Tue. 11/25 - 9:00 p.m. & Wed. 11/26 - 1:00 a.m. EST - Discovery Channel

Mike Rowe and his cast of characters travel to Yakima with an episode of Dirty Jobs.

A visit to a hop farm is his job of choice. While I don't know how dirty it will be, it should be entertaining, and a great time to try my latest thanksgiving ale. I can smell it from here.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/7335

An Album for Beer Drinkin'

Here at the Brouha Blog, our love for beer is matched only by our love for music. Often the two go hand and hand. Some of the best nights combine the two in some way or another, whether it's a concert or just sitting around with friends listening to great music. In the same way that there can be a perfect beer to fit the circumstances, there can be a perfect song or album. We decided every once in a while, we'd try to give our recommendations for the song or album we think goes well with a night of good beer drinking!

The first album we'll talk about in this new series has to be The Doors' Morrison Hotel.

First off, the songs Roadhouse Blues and Land Ho have two of the greatest lyrics about drinking you'll ever hear. See if you can find them. The Doors are easily one of the great rock bands of all times, but it wasn't until recently that I started getting into their later work. I had been missing out. Everyone's familiar with their early stuff (Break on Through, Light My Fire), and with good reason, but some of their later songs are so much stronger. This album is the first to cut back on some of the more experimental elements in their earlier albums. It shows the band delivering straightforward, in-your-face, hard rock. I can't listen to this album without imaging sitting in a dark, dusty bar. Going along with that mood, the album makes me want to drink something dark and heavy, maybe a BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout, which is easily my favorite local beer and one of my favorite beers overall. So get a little rowdy during Peace Frogs and Ship of Fools, sit back and enjoy tunes like Waiting For the Sun and The Spy, and end the night getting down with the jam, Maggie M'Gill. And do it all with a good beer in hand.

A Great Beer on a Great Night

I don't think it would be right to put a post up today without talking, at least briefly, about the election. I must admit that I had a weird feeling on the way to the voting booth yesterday. For the first time in my life I was excited about both candidates, and I was still a little unsure which way I would go. If you were able to skim through all the campaign craziness, you could see that we were truly blessed with a decision between two fine Americans. On the one hand you had a man who had dedicated his life to serving his country and wanted nothing more than to continue to do so. On the other, there was a man who had energized and inspired the American people in a way that was completely unprecedented, at least in my lifetime. Voters couldn't ask for much more. I knew that no matter how things turned out I would be proud to be an American, and I was not disappointed.

I'll leave it at that and turn to another bright spot from last night...Avery's Ale to the Chief. This is a beer worthy of the highest office in the land. A Presidential Pale Ale (Imperial would be the technical term, but as Avery points out this is a democracy!), it's an American Pale with jacked up hop and malt levels that was then dry-hopped with American Cascade hops. It poured a beautiful deep gold with a nice, creamy head that hung around until the final sip. When I poured the beer the room filled with a wonderful hop aroma. My dog even noticed something in the air. The first taste you get is a wonderfully overwhelming citrusy hop flavor that is almost immediately balanced out with a smooth, yet powerful, maltiness. There is really nothing better than a big beer that, despite the ultra high hop levels, can be completely balanced. I'm not sure if it was the perfect pairing, but I had it with some apple pie flavored ice cream (what can I say, it was a patriotic night). Just a quick warning - this comes in big bottles and packs a 8.75% abv, so don't down one of these right before giving your acceptance speech. Overall, it was a beer worthy of the night, and I think I'll have another on Inauguration Day (maybe a couple between now and then, as well).

Time to Hit the Booth!

First of all, I apologize for the fact that this post has nothing to do with beer. Occasionally, our minds wander off our favorite beverage and our attention turns to something else. It happens. We here at the Brouha Blog just wanted to encourage everyone to get out and vote tomorrow. I know we're all tired of seeing the annoying ads and the even more annoying cable news shows, but I think we often lose sight of the fact that...we get to vote! Tomorrow morning we get to go stand in a little booth and decide who we think should lead our great nation. It truly is a wonderful thing.

What's even more wonderful is that the law school decided to cancel classes for the whole day tomorrow! That means I'm going to go vote, come home, watch about five episodes of the West Wing (an Election Day must), and then watch as the ballots are counted and our new leader is chosen. Then, whoever wins, I'll hoist a cold one of these...

...and welcome in the next four years. (See we always bring it back to the beer. That's Avery Brewing Company's Ale to the Chief, by the way. I'll let you all know how it tastes later).

So, an early Happy Election Day to you, America!