National Drink a Beer Day!!!

Hey everybody and happy Tuesday! Or should I say Happy Drink a Beer Day? Yes, that's right, today is a holiday and even better, it's a holiday dedicated completely to beer. What could be better? So go on, don't be shy, and crack open one or two in celebration this evening... or afternoon, as the case may be. What will I be drinking tonight? Glad you asked. 


As luck would have it, today is actually a double holiday day, with the other fun celebration centering around a delicious strawberry dessert. So, in commemoration of both National Drink a Beer and Strawberry Cream Pie day, I will be lounging around tonight with a glass of Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde in hand, an absolutely delectable combination of both. 



Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde is a fruit beer brewed in Texas but widely available in the Boston area (my thinking is that if it's gotten up this far, it's reaching my friends in the MidAtlantic states as well!). It pours an orangey-yellow color with a thick, bubbly white head and decent retention, though very little lacing. It smells.... like strawberries. And not in a bad way. The scent that reaches my nose first isn't that fake, cloying strawberry syrup strawberry, but fresh, clean strawberry, reminiscent of jam cooking away on the stove. I immediately am intrigued and drawn in by the yummy fruitiness I have inhaled. On the first sip, Pete's tastes remarkably like a pale ale, with lots of toasted malts and graininess, though the strawberry flavor does follow. In the mouth, the strawberry is definitely less pronounced than in the aroma, but I would certainly prefer that to a cloying strawberry cough syrupy mess. In this case, the hints of strawberry are very well integrated into the beer as a whole, presenting as a well balanced and refreshing treat. Oddly, this beer got panned on BeerAdvocate, receiving only a C, or mediocre, rating. I myself have given the beer at B+ , or very good, and I do think that it is just that - very good. It isn't spectacular, it's not world-renowned, but there aren't very many strawberry beers on the market, and this one is very drinkable and both tastes and feels good. Besides, what else are you going to drink to celebrate the two arguably best obscure holidays revolving around food and drink? Pick up a 6-pack!!!


For those of you not strawberry inclined, what are you drinking tonight?!