I love IPA’s. This was confirmed the moment I tasted Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. I was very anxious to try the 90 Minute and 120 Minute varieties, having heard such good things about them.

A couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to be visiting a friend in Pittsburgh who had been saving a bottle of 120 Minute for upwards of two years, waiting for the right time to open it. He was generous enough to open it right there and share it with me. I was blown away — it’s the brandy of beer. Absolutely amazing.

Many people have told me that 90 Minute is their favorite of the three, but I’ve never been able to locate it. I could only find it by the case, which runs nearly $60. It’s not that I can’t afford it, but convincing my wife that a case of beer is worth $60 is impossible.

The other day I was fortunate enough to find a 4-pack of it for $11. Worth every cent!

I’m not a beer geek, so I’m not going to go on about head and lacing and citrus fragrances. It’s surely a nice-looking beer when you pour it in the glass, and is like the 60 Minute IPA, but richer, tastier, and fuller. Don’t get me wrong — I LOVE 60 Minute — but this just amps up the enjoyment without overdoing things. It’s not overly rich or flavorful; it’s just an awesome beer.

I will buy this whenever I get the chance (and whenever I can get away with spending the money). A+!

Beer brewing is something that I’ve always wanted to try. Someday I very well may. So when I was looking through the Sam Adams selection at my favorite beer store in the area, this one caught my eye: the Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest case. It features the top three winners of their 2010 contest.

Another reason why Samuel Adams is an all-around fantastic company: they make outstanding beer, and they support individual efforts like this.

The 2011 contest is going on right now. So if you’re creative in the ways of beer brewing, you should definitely check into this.

I’ll be giving my opinion of the beers in my next podcast. Cheers!

[ Here’s my first white van speaker scam article ]

What a beginning to the weekend this has been! My Friday evening, which is usually peaceful and relaxing, was suddenly full of adventure and intrigue.

I’m having something of a party tomorrow night, and decided to go out for beer after dinner. I jumped in my car and headed to my favorite beer shop. I came out with armloads of Dogfish Head and Yuengling, eager to get back home and put it on ice. I inadvertently made a wise decision: to get all the beer warm.

I got in the car and the engine wouldn’t turn over. I just heard a clicking as the lights dimmed. And then my key wouldn’t come out of the ignition. I Googled the problem on my Blackberry, and based on some quick research, I concluded that the battery was dead. It was amazing to me that one moment, everything was fine, and the next moment, the battery kicked it.

I called my wife, asking her to bring jumper cables. I was tempted to drink a beer in the parking lot as I waited, but two things occurred to me: 1) the beer was warm, and 2) it may pose a legal issue, as open containers of alcohol in public places are frowned upon by the police.

When my wife arrived, I popped the hoods and began to work. I was horrified at the amount of corrosion on my battery terminals. It was like a cake decorator had gotten into the engine and coated my battery with multi-colored icing. But it smelled like rotten eggs, and smoked as I tried to jump the car.

In the middle of all this, a white van full of young hip dudes rolled up beside us. I was adjusting the jumper cables, and they rolled down their windows and told me about these sweet stereo systems they had in the back of the van, and that they were selling them off for cheap. They were very giggly.

“No way,” I said.

They sat there and insisted that I look at the speakers.

“I’m kinda busy here,” I said. “I’m trying to get my car jumped.”

They proceeded to make fun of me and cuss me out. Then they drove away. All I can say is that if your job is to drive around on a Friday night, scamming people and acting retarded, then you’re a pansy loser. How much do you make for giving up your evenings? Minimum wage? Maybe ten bucks an hour? Run along, kids. I’m going to relax while you work.

So I called the police after getting the license plate number. They transferred me to the State Police, who proceeded to be very rude with me, saying that they get calls about these people all the time, and that they are perfectly within their rights to sell their stuff.

You have to be kidding me! So, it’s perfectly fine to drive around with a load of cheap junk and sell them to suckers by telling them that you’re overstocked and just want to “unload” the speakers for cheap to make a quick buck since the boss screwed up. That’s perfectly legal, and has the blessing of the cops!

My guess is that the cops are getting paid off by these guys. That’s the only reasonable explanation for this.

So, I got the car started up — finally — and rolled over to Advance Auto, which was just across the street. These are the words of the man who changed my battery when he saw the obscene amount of corrosion on my battery: “Holy shit.”

He had never seen a battery that bad. I felt bad that he had to work so hard to clean up the mess and replace a lot of parts that had been eaten away; but at the same time I felt pretty cool that I brought them the worst-looking battery they’d ever seen.

Now it’s over and done with. I thwarted the white van speaker scam retards once again (this makes my 4th encounter — read about my first 3 here) and conquered the frightening situation of my car not starting.

And the weekend is just barely beginning. I’m a bit frightened now to think about what the party has in store for me tomorrow.

It was fate — it had to be. I was at the westernmost Wegman’s in Erie, browsing the beer selection. I wanted something different, which is why I go to Wegman’s to try new beer — I only have to buy a 6 pack, and am not committed to an entire case. I had paced up and down the beer aisle without anything really jumping out at me. That is, until I discovered this porter in an inconspicuous cooler:

Edmund Fizgerald Porter, Great Lakes Brewing

The first thing that flashed through my mind was my bone-crunching version of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which I had put a lot of work into a couple weeks ago. Finding this beer is clearly more than a coincidence. However, being that I wasn’t quite sure what a porter was, I almost passed it up. The label promised a taste that is “smoky, robust, dark and bittersweet.” After a few minutes of deliberation, I finally decided to give it a try. It was $8.49 for a sixer, which is relatively reasonable at Wegman’s.

It turns out that porters are pretty heavy. Not quite like a stout, but still very dark and rich. The description on the bottle is accurate, with the warmness of chocolate and coffee in the forefront. I’m surprised that it’s only 5.8% ABV, as I’m used to darker beers being stronger. On the initial sip, I wasn’t too sure I’d be able to drink more than one or two, the taste was so rich. Not bad by any means, but very full. Well, let me tell you this: it’s not all that hard to drink more than a couple. In fact, it gets easier and easier.

It turns out that Cleveland has managed to do something right, as that is where Great Lakes Brewing is located.

And it turns out that I officially like porters (so far). It’s not a party beer, but rather one to sit down and enjoy with a good hearty dinner — or on a sinking vessel on Lake Superior. I recommend it!