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).