Una visita a Mexico

This week, similar to the last time I posted on this blog, I went for something that was good for my bank account. With Christmas approaching, where I will be needing to save my money for gifts, I wanted to get something that would come in a large quantity for a fairly low price. Of course, I wanted it to be something I enjoyed too.

This is definitely something I frequently drink at Mexican restaurants and something that we always break out on camping trips, when we go to the beach, and anytime you aren't supposed to have glass around. That is, Modelo.

If you're anything like my family, you will bring your favorite coozie to alcohol free zones to disguise your Modelo as a can of soda.

A 12oz. can of Modelo

The thing me and my boyfriend love so much about Modelo, other that the price and the quantity it comes in, is how easy it goes down. I definitely prefer a Dos Equis over Modelo, but Modelo can complement a number of occasions. It isn't too strong where you need to worry about your sobriety, but it definitely takes its place over any light beer someone will offer me.

The taste is balanced. It is pretty ordinary and far from fancy, but sometimes, that's what we want. Definitely on the lighter side, but regardless, I always find enjoyment in the little white can.

The Taste of Home

Since my return to the United States, I'll be honest and say that I haven't been having very much beer. When I was overseas, I spent a lot more time going place to place and trying different beers, some I wasn't even very familiar with. Now that I am back at school, more of my time has been spent doing different assignments and school related activities so I haven't had many opportunities to go out.

This weekend I decided to go to the local liquor store and pick out what the cheapest lager was for the benefit of my bank account. Fortunately for me, it is something that I enjoy fairly often. A good ol' American Budweiser.

A bottle of Budweiser

Normally when I go into bars with friends or family, they only offer Bud Light on draught which is not something I am a fan of. Budweiser, however, I frequently enjoy when I go home because I can find it at all the grocery stores near my house. It's nice to drink when I play pool or binge watch tv shows with my friends and family. It's easy to drink and for me, never disappoints.

Although Budweiser doesn't get the greatest ratings in the world, to me it is crisp, easy to drink, and easy to find. Although I do enjoy this lager, I don't necessarily think there is anything particularly special about it. I pick it up when I want and easy beer to drink for the night without any particular craving on my tongue.

I understand the popularity of Budweiser among my age bracket and I really enjoyed having some this weekend as things were winding down for the night.

Back to the Mainland

After such an exciting week spent in the Motherland of my ancestors, it was time to get away from the Irish beers and settle into something else. I didn't venture too far. My brain went back to mainland Europe to Holland where there is a very well known lager that almost all of us have had at one time or another.

When I was in Ireland, I noticed that the people who were my age often didn't stick to Irish beer. So many of them reached for a Heineken when they got the chance which surprised me. One I returned to the United States, I figured that I would do the same.

A Bottle of Heineken

The first thing I notice when I open the bottle is that the scent isn't the most appealing, in my opinion at least. I'm not sure if it has to do with the greenness of the bottle or the way the beer is made but Heineken tends to have a much "skunkier" scent as compared to other beers. I never let the scent stop me, however, and I unhesitantly gave it a few sips.

Heineken is crisp and easy to drink. I have to admit that at the very least. After having Heineken for the first time in a while, I was a bit under impressed. I was surprised that while I was in Ireland, so many people gravitated towards Heineken instead of some of the delicious Irish lagers. With that said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. It wouldn't be popular if no one preferred it.

There is a light bitterness to the lager that I do enjoy. This definitely isn't the last time I will have a Heineken. It probably won't be something I pick up unless the options are limited, but I did enjoy it going down.

Sláinte

It has been a little longer than usual since I have posted on this blog and boy do I have a good explanation. I spent my entire fall break travelling to different locations in Ireland. With some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen, I took a well deserved break from the world and experienced the wonderful towns, restaurants, people, and beer.

Although not all the beers I was enjoying were lagers, I think it's okay to break my original topic, just this once. 

My first trip to Ireland was last year in June of 2018. It was my first time in Ireland, so I of course wanted to partake in going to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and then the Smithwick's Experience in Kilkenny City. I enjoyed both of them very much but this time, I leaned more towards Smithwick's Red Ale. I find it fairly light, but with a nice flavor and balance. I can easily drink them down and have a good time.

When we got to Cork later in the week, it was time to try the Stout that they're known for: Murphy's. The first sit was delicious. It was just as beautiful to watch settle as Guinness with the labeled pint glass. As much as I enjoyed the Murphy's and as much as the people in Cork prefer it over Guinness, I have to respectfully disagree. It had a great, full bodied flavor but an aftertaste that I did not prefer very much.

Another beer I was introduced to was Rockshore Irish Lager, which, obviously, is a lager. Although it didn't seem much different to the lagers that you find around here, it was very easy going down, with a smooth, crisp flavor that made you want to refill your glass. 

Overall, my trip to Ireland was amazing and I can't wait till next time. To anyone who is planning a trip, don't forget to include these beers somewhere in your travels!

A Trip to the Outback

After a long, busy week, it was hardly on my radar that I needed to taste another lager. This can sometimes be the only little project I enjoy all week and this week was no exception. With all the stress that comes with being a fourth year college student, it is nice to have something to look forward to each week.

It is really a cool thing to be able to give something back to the world through the internet. I have gained a lot through online resources: knowledge, resources, conveniences, and even relationships. I am currently planning a trip to Ireland, where I'll head during my fall break, and websites like trip advisor and yelp have become very useful when deciding where to go and what to do. If it weren't for other people putting their own information back into these websites, I wouldn't have this type of insight.

If I think about it, I'm really doing a similar thing to these citizen journalists who are rating and reviewing their experiences. By giving my opinion and experience of each of these beverages, someone may or may not choose to purchase them.

This week I decided to try something I had only ever had once before. This summer, I went with my mom and her boyfriend to our local Outback for some steak and drinks before I returned to school. I decided to go through with the full experience and ordered a pint of Fosters. This week, I ran across Fosters and decided to give it a try again. I didn't remember it being anything special, but decided it deserved a second chance.

Foster's Lager as shown on fostersbeer.com

I will admit that when I sat down to drink it yesterday, it was a little warmer than it would generally be if you wanted an authentic experience. Fosters' lager has a light golden color and was less refreshing than I remembered it being, which may be attributed to the fact that it wasn't at optimum temperature or that I poured it out of a pint sized can instead of it coming out of the tap.

The carbonation was nice. Although many people who have reviewed Foster's (with much more expertise than I have) claim to taste a slight hoppiness to the flavor, I did not experience that as much. The taste definitely went downhill as it went from a slight chill to room temperature.

Overall, my experience was decent. It definitely would not be my first choice but I am also not opposed to it. It was an easy lager to drink that I will definitely enjoy much more when it's a bit colder. You will probably catch me drinking Foster's and eating steak at the Outback again.

Memory Lane

This week, I was thinking about what lager I should purchase, but once again, I ultimately ended up at the liquor store looking in the beer section trying to decide what sounded good that I don't have too frequently. 

In the future with this blog, I hope to plan out what I am going to be tasting a little better. Part of my problem is that I don't know exactly what is available at the liquor store until I get there, look around, and can't quite find exactly what I'm looking for and settle on something else, which is usually just as enjoyable to me. I will have to take that into consideration in the future and plan things a bit better.

When I first turned eighteen, a month later I took my first trip abroad when me and my family flew to Europe to see London, Paris, and Rome. First arriving into London, me and my family stopped into a pub. 

The first thing I said was "Hey Dad, which beer should I get?"

Remembering that the drinking age in the UK is 18, he looked through the list and picked something out that he thought I'd like. I ended up having my first legal drink in England which was "Stella Artois," from Belgium.

Me in London, England, 2016 with my first legal drink

Stella remains one of my favorite beers to order, especially and bars and restaurants where I can get it on Draught. I love the smooth flavor going down and the ease that I can drink it. Even though I notice that there is a slight aftertaste, it doesn't take away from the experience at all, it just makes me want to order another.

Although you can taste a very slight hoppiness, it is not at all overwhelming and only adds to the experience. Something interesting I noticed is that out of the bottle I seem to get a different experience than when I order it on draught, alike with some other beers.

Overall, I would probably stick to ordering this when I'm out, but it was still a good experience and I'm excited for my next Stella experience.

A Trip To The Islands

As this week has come to an end, I have been looking forward to writing this blog and all that comes with it (a well deserved beer). This week, instead of drinking a beer that I've had and enjoyed before, I decided I would go into the liquor store and pick out a lager that I have never had or heard of before, (as long as it appeared to be appealing on the outside).

There are some lagers I want to try again when it gets to be closer to winter and a bit breezier outside, but with the temperature being close to the 90s, I thought something lighter would be more appealing. 

I went into the store with a Pilsner in mind, but came out with "Longboard Island Lager" which is made by the Kona Brewing Co. in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii. The Kona Brewing Co. website describes this traditional lager as a crisp, pale-gold lager made with choice malts and aromatic hops.

With the presentation of the bottle, I was excited to try this beer, with it's colorful label depicting the ocean. I was expecting a refreshing flavor that I could imagine drinking while lounged back, enjoying the sound of the waves. What I got was something a bit different. 

                                                     Longboard Island Lager as displayed on the Kona Brewing Co. Website


I could definitely see the pale golden color as described. The website was not wrong to describe the aromatic hops in the brew either, however it was strong that I prefer for something refreshing. That may say a lot about me and my opinions on different beers because I acknowledge that in all the variety of beer in the world, Longboard is probably not a beer most would consider too hoppy, but that is just my preference. If there was any more hops added, I probably wouldn't have liked it.

Was this a bad beer? No! Not at all. I enjoyed the one I drank last night and I will certainly enjoy the other five that are in the pack, but would I buy this again? Probably not. Would other people enjoy this? Absolutely. It's just not for me.

Alike most other companies, this brewing company needs to appeal to a specific audience if it wants to be successful. The audience would be people who enjoy beer and drink it more explicitly than implicitly, as this is not a beer you would normally see at a bar on draught.

Overall, I would give the Longboard Island Lager a 5/10. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I tried it, but it probably isn't something I'd buy again.