Monthly Archives: April 2007

Moretti La Rossa Doppio Malto

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Birra Moretti La Rossa Doppio Malto

I picked up a bottle of Moretti’s Doppelbock while I was getting a Godmother at Bay Cities. I used to drink their pale lager every once in a while with a college friend who had studied abroad in Italy.

She used to drink it at the bars there, surrounded by old, mustachioed Italians who looked exactly like the guy on the label. This isn’t too surprising, considering their logo was meant to capture the essence of the Italian Everyman. Sort of like the Italian version of Bud Man or Barry Duffman.

From Birra Moretti’s website:

One day Commander Leo Menazzi Moretti saw a nice, moustached, old gentleman sitting at a table in the Boschetti Restaurant in Tricesimo (Udine). Commander Moretti believed that it was this old gentleman who embodied the character and personality of the actual beer – genuine, traditional and authentic. Commander Moretti didn’t let the opportunity slip but approached the gentleman and asked his permission to take a photo of the man drinking Birra Moretti. When asked what he wanted as a reward the gentleman replied “Cal mi dedi di bevi, mi baste” which in friulano dialect means, “a glass of what I am drinking, is sufficient for me”. They took the photo and it was later published just after the turbulent period of World War 2.

Over the years, the old gentleman or Mr. Moretti, as he is now known, has been played by a variety of actors and later in the 1970’s the famous designer, Bruno Bozzetto, produced a series of cartoons that used Mr. Moretti and his faithful tankard of Birra Moretti. Finally in 2000 Mr. Moretti came to life with a new advertising campaign where he is surrounded by expert contributors to the secret behind the quality and tradition that is Birra Moretti. Today, Mr. Moretti is played by the famous actor Orso Maria Guerrini.

La Rossa pours a nutty amber brown. Sweet, caramelly malt smell and a bit bready. I did a great job pouring, an inch of head settled down to a thin film that perfectly covered the murky brown beer. Nice taste, malty and nutty. Tastes better cold.

  • Appearance: 2.5/3Birra Moretti La Rossa Doppio Malto
  • Aroma: 8.5/12
  • Palate: 3/5
  • Flavor: 15/20
  • Overall: 7/10

Rating: 3.6

Coachella 2007

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Down in Coachella for the weekend. Stuck with seven dollar Heinekens. Bleh.

Well, I came for the music, not the beer. Thank god for a cooler full of Tecate. Getting pumped for some great bands today; Kings of Leon, New Pornographers, Ozomatli, !!!, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Chili Peppers. We’ll see what else catches my fancy.

Last night we got there just in time to miss Amy Winehouse, but caught the tail end of the Arctic Monkeys and Stephen & Damien Marley. Then we checked out the Italian DJ Benny Benassi and the Brazilian Girls before laying out on the grass and taking in some Bjork. So many bands, you really have to pace yourself.

I do have to say, I’m a little sad to miss this years Hollywood Beer Pong Tournament at El Guapo.

Who am I kidding? I don’t miss it at all. El Guap is a terrible place to play Beirut. Who wants to pay 12 bucks for a pitcher of Miller Lite? Keep Beirut where it belongs: in the backyard.

Carlsberg Elephant

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Carlsberg Elephant

Carlsberg Elephant is a malty, piss yellow beer with a heavy smell. Head is fizzy and immediately disappears. Tastes skunky and bitter. Palate is thin and grainy. That malt liquor taste is way more liquor than malt.

Elephant is 7.2% alcohol, which would explain why I thought it tasted so bad. It seems like they are more focused on making a strong lager than making a good tasting beer. I can’t remember the last time I had regular ol’ Carlsberg, but I remember it tasting much better than this.

  • Appearance: 1/3
  • Aroma: 5/12
  • Palate: 2/5
  • Flavor: 10/20
  • Overall: 5/10

Rating: 2.3

Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse

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Hacker-Pschorr WeisseI think I’ve found a new favorite hefeweizen. I took a bottle up with me when I went camping a few weeks ago. Hacker-Pschorr is 5.5% alcohol by volume, it pours a cloudy honey-amber color. Light and fruity aromas. Wheaty, of course, with faint smells of banana. Lots of bubbles and good head, fun to swish it around in your mouth. Solid Hef taste, light bodied and refreshing banana flavors. Crisp and clean, a great beer for a hot spring day.

  • Appearance: 1.5/3
  • Aroma: 10/12
  • Palate: 5/5
  • Flavor: 17.5/20
  • Overall: 8/10

Rating: 4.2

Ralph’s on Lincoln, Across from Bay Cities

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Its overwhelming how much beer they have here. I guess its not that surprising considering the overall size of the store. I would hate getting groceries here, its just too big. Helpful hint: the beer is in the front, to the right.

Great for picking up a six pack of something new for yourself, or a 30 pack of Bud to take to a party. They’ve got your Pyramids, your Pete’s Wicked Ales, a couple Redhooks (IPA and ESB), some Widmer, some Gordon Biersch.

Glad to see they’ve got Firestone Double Barrel and Pale Ale. It’s also nice to see beers like Anchor Steam and Shiner Bock hitting the mainstream here in LA.

ALSO, in addition to the cans, they have Modelo in the bottle. I am a huge fan of Negra Modelo, and obviously la Negra es mucha mejor, but still, I don’t know where else you can find Modelo Especial in bottles. (UPDATE: Nevermind, I’m seeing it all over town now)

More interesting 6 packs: Lost Coast’s Downtown Brown and Great White, Deschutes’s Mirror Pond and Black Butte, Oregon Honey, Karl Strauss, Flying Dog’s Old Scratch and Road Dog, Mendocino Red Nectar, North Coast’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Spatin Pils and Oktoberfest, and Warsteiner.

Not a bad place for 12 packs, either. Blue Moon, at least 4 types of Sam Adams; Boston Lager, Light, Black Lager & Winter, plus all the other stuff you’d expect – Newcastle, Guinness, Heineken, Sierra Nevada. They’ve even got a little love for Canadians, with twelvers of Molson and Moosehead (Moosehead? When was the last time I saw this stuff?)

Single Bottles: A little disappointing, but to their credit, they have Franziskaner, Chimay Premiere (red) and Grand Reserve (blue), and Fischer Amber.

While they don’t score huge on obscurity points, they’ve got several beers you’ve probably never heard of, dozens that you’ve probably never tried, and a ton of your favorite go-to beers. Definitely check this place out.

Ralph’s on Lincoln, Across from Bay Cities

Redhook Long Hammer IPA

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Redhook Long Hammer IPAGrabbed a pint at Sonny McLean’s. They also have the ESB and the Blonde on tap, althought the last couple of times I’ve been there, they’ve been out of the Blonde and it hasn’t been replaced. Maybe they are making way for another Anderson Valley beer?

Interesting to know that Red Hook was just ranked #12 of this year’s top 50 breweries

The tap itself is shaped like (gasp) a long sledgehammer. The pint poured a light yellow with no head. Spicy aroma, I guess that’s the yeast. Very pungent smell, a lot of character to it, almost citrusy. Alright texture, hardly any bubbles. Taste is flat, but earthy, and a bit metallic. OK for an IPA, but I would rather have a pint of the Blonde, or their Copperhook.

It’s funny, I used to know a kid in elementary school whose name was CJ Longhammer. If Longhammer was my last name, I would probably have a much higher opinion of this beer. Like my aunt and uncle, Bridget & Mike Miller. They love them some Miller.

I guess by this reasoning, I should be a big fan of Sticke Alt, but unfortunately, it’s a style I have yet to try. Maybe next time I’m in Deutschlandia.

  • Appearance: 1/3
  • Aroma: 10.5/12
  • Palate: 3.5/5
  • Flavor: 12/20
  • Overall: 6.5/10

Rating: 3.45

Singha Thai Lager

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Singha Thai LagerThis lager comes from Boon Rawd Brewery, in Bangkok. Boon Rawd? I will give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume its not some lame made-up words like “Häagen-Dazs,” but seriously, it sounds like it’s the name of one of Kim Jung Il’s panthers from Team America: World Police (whoops, wrong link, but how ironic they named their local Minuteman chapter Team America).

Singha pours a crystal clear yellow, with a spicy aroma and a thick, frothy head. A tiny bit skunky. There were almost no bubbles, which made me wonder if I had served it below the correct temperature. I put my hands around the glass to let the beer warm up a tad. As much as I like cold beer, sometimes you get more flavors out of it as it warms. The sharp taste and velvety texture add character to this otherwise unremarkable malty beer. I would order a glass at a Thai restaurant, but wouldn’t go searching for it.

  • Appearance: 1.5/3
  • Aroma: 8/12
  • Palate: 4/5
  • Flavor: 13/20
  • Overall: 6.5/10

Rating: 3.3