Thirsty Thursday - Kronenbourg 1664

Kronenbourg 1664 will forever hold the distinction of being the first beer I enjoyed on European soil.  After taking the red eye into Paris earlier this year, I was tired, hungry, and sufficiently jet lagged by the time I found a café just off the Champs-Élysées.  Glancing at the bar, I noticed 1664 was the only beer the café had on tap, so I decided to give it a whirl.  This was an excellent decision.

1664 is a pale lager, so it's similar in taste to a Heineken.  It wasn't a coincidence that 1664 was the beer on tap in that café, since the brew has 40% of the market share in France.  During my week long stay in Paris, this was the beverage I enjoyed everyday.  My family & I even stocked it in our apartment's refrigerator so we could enjoy a beer on the balcony in the evenings.

Once I returned to Texas, I presumed there wouldn't be any 1664 in my near future unless I planned for a return trip to France.  As luck would have it, my old Tulane buddy, Brian, mentioned that he'd seen it in a few stores around Houston once I told him how much I'd enjoyed the beverage.  I was happy to discover that the liquor store closest to my office in The Woodlands actually carried it.

Now when I get nostalgic about my family's Parisian vacation, I can grab a six pack of 1664 and queue up the photos & videos from our trip on the TV.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

Thirsty Thursday - Abita Amber

Oh, Abita Amber.  You're still my favorite beer nearly a decade after we were first introduced.  If ever a beverage was to be present throughout multiple stages of my life, this was certainly the one.

Each year for Mardi Gras while I was studying at Tulane, I'd stock my dorm room fridge with a few different items.  12 cans of Red Bull for making Red Bull & vodkas.  Some Cokes to make rum & Cokes.  A few bottles of wine.  A 12 pack of Budweiser for random guests who would come over to bum booze.  And a case of Abita Amber for me & my friends.

Before I moved to Delaware in 2005, I bought 4 cases of Abita Amber to transport with me to my new home for fear I wouldn't be able to find it on the East Coast.  Aside from wanting to enjoy a bottle occasionally, I thought bringing some to share with my new friends in the Air Force would be a good way to bond.  Fortunately, I discovered that Abita Amber was indeed available in Dover, Delaware, so I didn't have to be quite so selective about when or with whom I shared a bottle.

Thankfully since moving to Texas, Abita Amber is easy to find at most grocery stores and liquor stores in the state.  This means during crawfish season, Abita Amber can be the beverage of choice.  Saints football starting back for the fall?  Abita Amber again.

I've enjoyed bottles of Abita Amber with my cousins inside a barn in Lynn, Alabama.  I've enjoyed Abita Amber with Air Force buddies at Jacques-Imo's on the Upper West side of Manhattan.  And, yes, I've enjoyed bottles of Abita Amber with my wife & little brother at the Dragon's Den in New Orleans.

It's kind of a neat feeling to have a wealth of positive memories and emotions rush back just by way of having a beverage with dinner.  I've developed that kind of intimate connection with this particular brew.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

Thirsty Thursday - Saint Arnold Summer Pils

When I went to the Beverage Shoppe earlier this week to pick out a selection for the Thirsty Thursday series, I anticipated choosing more of an autumn-themed brew.  As I looked at the store's offerings, though, the Saint Arnold Summer Pils stood out to me since the looming Labor Day Weekend traditionally signals the end of summer.  It does have a way of catching your eye both in the store and at at a bar due to its tie dyed packaging.

Ever since moving to Texas in 2007, the summers have represented the calm before the storm.  In the summers of 2008 & 2009, I actually had downtime from grad school for at least 4 weeks each year.  My parents also tend to visit Texas from Saudi Arabia during the summers, and my brother has spent each summer with us between semesters at Auburn University.  The busy season at my job is also during the fall.  Since I prefer to support microbreweries, my beer fridge usually has Saint Arnold Summer Pils stocked in it during the summers.  Given that backstory, I've developed a bit of a sentimental connection between the presence of the brew and catching up with the family during downtime.

As Autumn seemingly kicks into full swing next week, indulging in a final six pack of Summer Pils this holiday weekend only seemed appropriate.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

Thirsty Thursday - Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Located in Delaware, the Dogfish Head Brewery is an excellent craft brew maker that came to my attention upon moving to Dover in mid-2005.  The first time I had their 90 Minute IPA, it was paired with a delicious cheeseburger at the Dogfish Head Brewpub located in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Since the brew has a 9% ABV rating, you can only find it bottled in 4-packs.  This is the kind of beverage you pour into a glass and enjoy over the course of an hour.  It's remarkably flavorful and merits truly savoring each sip.  I drink this beer the same way I approach a nice scotch.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

Thirsty Thursday - Saint Arnold Oktoberfest

I enjoyed my first Saint Arnold Oktoberfest in the fall of 2007.  Since that time, it's become synonymous with the start of football season in the Western household and a bit of a tradition to keep it stocked in our fridge until the holidays.

From a taste perspective, Oktoberfest is perhaps the smoothest, easiest to drink of all the Saint Arnold seasonals, and second only in their entire brew lineup to Lawnmower in that regard.  The hint of sweetness in the beer definitely contributes to that ease of consumption rating.  Taking a swig of Oktoberfest is akin to drinking your favorite soft drink with a cheeseburger: it just feels natural and right.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

Thirsty Thursday: Abita Andygator

I thought it only appropriate to begin the Thirsty Thursday weekly series with Abita Andygator, seeing as how tonight was the first preseason game of the New Orleans Saints' 2010 season.

This used to be my brew of choice circa 2003 - 2004.  Every Wednesday & Thursday night, my friends & I would go to either the Bulldog or Balcony Bar on Magazine Street in New Orleans and get pitchers of this beverage.  At the time, it was marketed as a barley wine and was claimed to sport an 11% ABV rating on draught.  The brew held an elusive mystique since you could only find it at the Abita Brew Pub in Abita Springs, and a mere handful of other locations around Louisiana.  For college students, it also packed a great bang for your buck.

Beginning in the Fall of 2008, Abita decided to expand the beverage's market and begin bottling the brew.  In the process of shedding its draught-only status, the recipe seemingly changed, too.  In its currently form, it's advertised as a Helles Doppelbock and distributed in 22 oz bottles.  The ABV rating has also dropped from 11% to 8%.

The back of the bottle reads:

"The Andygator is a fearsome beast...much too big for any little bottle. Don't let his toothy grin, slightly sweet flavor and subtle fruit aroma fool you: this cold-blooded creature is a Helles Doppelbock that can sneak up on you. Sip, don't gulp and taste the wild of Abita Andygator."

Even in its modern form, I still consider it a delicious brew and try to keep a minimum of two 22 oz bottles in my beer fridge at all times to share with out of town guests.  You can find it in the Houston area for between $4 and $6 per bottle.  There's also distribution along the Eastern seaboard and throughout CA & OR on the West coast.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.