The Man picked up a few new seasonal brews at his local grocer - Samuel Adams Octoberfest and a Pumpkin Ale, made by Buffalo Bill's Brewery in California.
Now you might be thinking, "Man, how the hell can you betray us? You normally drink lagers, pilsners and the occasional whiskey!"
True, but even The Man needs a break from beer butt. (Beer butt, adj.: a term that describes the state of your colon the morning after drinking cheap beer; also know as beer shits, beer ass, and the runs.) And The Man has figured out that spending a few extra bucks on a six pack means a few less trips to the can the next morning. Besides, both were on sale.
So here goes... first up: Samuel Adams Octoberfest
According to the label, Octoberfest started in 1810 when "a large festival was held in Munich, Germany to celebrate the wedding of the Crown Prince of Bavaria. The festival was repeated the next year and gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest."
But this comes from Jim Koch, a genius among beermeisters, because Sam Adams is actually brewed by Anheuser-Busch and Jim Koch markets it exclusively. Pretty genius if you ask The Man. But does The Man believe everything he reads? No. According to Wikipedia that sounds right... but Wikipedia isn't always right. So The Man went to another source: German Fun.org. And they concur, so The Man is a believer.
So how's the beer? Good. In fact, it doesn't have that caramel-y taste of a regular Sam Adams... it almost tastes like there are faint traces of spices in it - but in a good way. To be frank, it has a taste that captures the season of Fall in a bottle. Can you slam 12 of them like you could, say, a Coors Light? No. But it is a very good seasonal beer, nearly as perfect as Bell's Oberon is for Summer. The Man gives it 4.5 ball scratches out of a possibile 5.
Next up: Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale
The Man saw this and thought "What the f*&k is this? Pumpkin in beer? You must be kidding." But then The Man walked by the "discount" rack and saw singles for .99 each and figured "What the hell, if it's that bad it'll just get pawned off on guests or will get pounded during one of The Man's late night drinking binges."
So The Man picked up a couple of these. And was really, really surprised. It was spicy. It tasted like pumpkins. And some small part of The Man felt like The Boy, reminiscing about door to door Halloween trick or treating, picking apples at the Cider Mill and hayrides. And The Man was happy.
Now if there's one thing The Man knows, it's a good thing when he sees it. But he also knows when there's too much of a good thing. This beer is the perfect gift to present a friend when they come over to watch the game - but don't plan on having more than a few... otherwise The Prophet within The Man forsees a miserable tomorrow full of trips to the can and a burning sensation back there.
The Man gives the Pumpkin Ale 4 ball scratches out of 5. Pick up this gem and some Octoberfest next time you head to the store - and you can thank The Man for it!
Tagged: beer, Samuel Adams, Pumpkin Beer, Octoberfest, Buffalo Bill's Brewery
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