Being home again immediately brings forth memories of my last summer. Last summer was simple. Wake up, work on car, cook dinner and drink beer, sleep. Like I said...simple. But hey-- sometimes the simple things of life are the most enjoyable. Over that summer I tried almost 150 different beers, just me and my dad, tasting and talking about each one. I had discovered a small liquor store, Park Lane Liquor, on my scrounging of the internet. http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/california/lancaster/park-lane-liquor/7034.htm
It had overall good reviews from several sources on the internet. Lancaster might have been the #1 fastest growing city in the U.S. several years ago, but it still lacks...sophisitcation... (we're slowly getting better though) So a local place that carries good beers was an exciting find. I map quested its address, and headed over there. A slow smile creeped onto my face as I honed in on its location. It turns out, it was this small indiscreet liquor store---right next to my favorite Thai food restaurant. I just had never thought of going in there. I took a step through the door and then took a step back in awe. This evasive lil' store has about 20 sq ft of what you would expect: chips, sodas, cigarettes, gum, etc... But then...from floor to roof, wall to wall, of exotic beers, liquors, wines, champagnes, proper drinking glasses---And at decent prices!!! Since then I've gotten to know the owner better, and since he doesn't really know anything about alcohol, he tries to stock it all. So this was my source and my slice of heaven.
Now to get onto the actual post (did not intend for that long of an intro)
I got back yesterday evening, and naturally, my dad had gone to our store and bought some new beers for us to try. The highlights (Because trust me, there was plenty more drunken last night) in the lineup were: Fullers ESB, Angel City IPA, and Stone Vertical 6/6/6. First off, --Fullers. (I'll cover the IPA and Vertical in a later post) The ESB (extra special bitter) is one of the most popular of their offerings, which can also be interpreted as one of England's favorites since Fullers London Pride (LP) is UK's leading beer-- LP had a nice little product placement in the London car chase of National Treasure 2. I had gotten stuck in North Hollywood for five hours coming home on the Greyhound, so needless to say that when I did get home...I needed a drink. I can't think of a more fitting beer for my first round, than the ESB . The beer filled the glass with shades of amber and chestnut, and a thin, light tan head. Caramel and a distinctly English fruit aroma slowly emanated from the ridge of my glass. For those who have not dranken a lot of English beers, ''distinctly English fruit aroma" is best described as breathing deeply in a substantial and exotic fruit bowl. You never quite get a single fruit, just a little bit of everything: apricots, oranges, berries, pears, apples, dates, it goes on and on. The ESB focuses mostly on apricots, oranges, and maybe a berry or two. It had a slightly-thick body and a light soft carbonation, that went down smoothly. The tongue is then dominated by a bitterness, that soon starts to soften, allowing roasted nuts and caramel flavors to come forth. These are soon followed by an orange and raisin fruitiness, which diminish, and leave a bitter sweet citrus aftertaste. The thing I love about English beers, is that they are inoffensive and polite. An English beer looks proper in the hands of a dandy or a hooligan; it can be both tough and sophisticated. Even an ESB that comes in at 5.9% ABV and a fairly bitter bite, is still easy-drinking and delivers its blow in an almost compassionate way, compared to some of the American or Belgium beers.
It had overall good reviews from several sources on the internet. Lancaster might have been the #1 fastest growing city in the U.S. several years ago, but it still lacks...sophisitcation... (we're slowly getting better though) So a local place that carries good beers was an exciting find. I map quested its address, and headed over there. A slow smile creeped onto my face as I honed in on its location. It turns out, it was this small indiscreet liquor store---right next to my favorite Thai food restaurant. I just had never thought of going in there. I took a step through the door and then took a step back in awe. This evasive lil' store has about 20 sq ft of what you would expect: chips, sodas, cigarettes, gum, etc... But then...from floor to roof, wall to wall, of exotic beers, liquors, wines, champagnes, proper drinking glasses---And at decent prices!!! Since then I've gotten to know the owner better, and since he doesn't really know anything about alcohol, he tries to stock it all. So this was my source and my slice of heaven.
Now to get onto the actual post (did not intend for that long of an intro)
I got back yesterday evening, and naturally, my dad had gone to our store and bought some new beers for us to try. The highlights (Because trust me, there was plenty more drunken last night) in the lineup were: Fullers ESB, Angel City IPA, and Stone Vertical 6/6/6. First off, --Fullers. (I'll cover the IPA and Vertical in a later post) The ESB (extra special bitter) is one of the most popular of their offerings, which can also be interpreted as one of England's favorites since Fullers London Pride (LP) is UK's leading beer-- LP had a nice little product placement in the London car chase of National Treasure 2. I had gotten stuck in North Hollywood for five hours coming home on the Greyhound, so needless to say that when I did get home...I needed a drink. I can't think of a more fitting beer for my first round, than the ESB . The beer filled the glass with shades of amber and chestnut, and a thin, light tan head. Caramel and a distinctly English fruit aroma slowly emanated from the ridge of my glass. For those who have not dranken a lot of English beers, ''distinctly English fruit aroma" is best described as breathing deeply in a substantial and exotic fruit bowl. You never quite get a single fruit, just a little bit of everything: apricots, oranges, berries, pears, apples, dates, it goes on and on. The ESB focuses mostly on apricots, oranges, and maybe a berry or two. It had a slightly-thick body and a light soft carbonation, that went down smoothly. The tongue is then dominated by a bitterness, that soon starts to soften, allowing roasted nuts and caramel flavors to come forth. These are soon followed by an orange and raisin fruitiness, which diminish, and leave a bitter sweet citrus aftertaste. The thing I love about English beers, is that they are inoffensive and polite. An English beer looks proper in the hands of a dandy or a hooligan; it can be both tough and sophisticated. Even an ESB that comes in at 5.9% ABV and a fairly bitter bite, is still easy-drinking and delivers its blow in an almost compassionate way, compared to some of the American or Belgium beers.
(Photos from last summer, in our front yard)
No comments:
Post a Comment