Ales

Fat Tire Amber Ale
New Belgium Brewing Company. Fort Collins, Colorado

One of the greatest decisions I ever made in my life was to spend a bunch of money that I didn't have by aimlessly driving around the country with a couple of my friends for ten days in 1995. It was Spring Break of my senior year at Westminster, and my roommate Junior, our friend Mike Harmisson and I decided that it was time to take a road trip. Our plans: drive West until we feel like driving some other direction. So, we left school on Thursday, and did just that.

On Sunday night we found ourselves in the little town of Durango, Colarado. Three Eastern yahoos on spring break in a Colorado cowboy town, hell bent on living it up and driven by an insatiable desire to be able to tell the boys back home that we were thrown out of some rough-neck bar out West. What we didn't count on was that Durango is actually a pretty nice little town, and on a Sunday night there isn't a whole lot going on. Even when I attempted to show my comerades how to play darts (and almost killed a few tables full of local Durangoans) we couldn't get thrown out. The guys in the biker bar actually liked us - a lot more than weliked them. But the place we settled in at was a cheesy dive with a washed up folk singer who would only take requests if you would do a shot with her. I don't think she actually knew any of the songs that we requested, but it didn't stop us from doing a few shots together and ordering 'whatever kind of beer you make around here.'

That was when I met Fat Tire. I wasn't expecting the 20 something ounce bottle that it came in, but it was worth every ounce. Fat Tire is sharp and fairly crisp. It has a good refreshing yet somewhat bitter taste. More important to me, it capped off a great night on an awesome trip with a pair of truly great guys. We didn't ever get thrown out or start a bar fight, but it was quite the time. If you're ever hanging out in some old Western Colorado town thinking about what beer to have, go for a Fat Tire, it will capture the moment.

Magpie Rye Ale
Big Rock Brewery. Calgary, Alberta

Its a rainy day beer. Not a down in the dumps beer, but an 'its raining outside and I'm glad it is because a nice qiet rain is a beautiful thing' type of beer. The beer tastes like its lable looks - grey, subtle, yet it has some bite to it. It reminds me of a rainy morning in early May. Not cold enough to bother you, but certainly not too warm either. Its full of life, but not a loud boisterous life, more of a subtle, quietly harmonious life.

The rye flavor isn't nearly as strong as other rye ales, but its definately there. It would probably take some palates by surprise who would not agree with my above statements. Magpie is another unsung hero of my refrigerator. Its almost always there, and it is probably my favorite light ale. I don't know of any awards that it has won, and it usually takes a back seat to McNally's other products. Its bitter dryness, combined with mellow, subtle flavors cannot easily be described. That is why I am ending this paragraph early and heading to the Liquor Barn to get a six pack of Magpie.

Caledonian Golden Pale
Caledonian Brewery. Edinburgh, Scotland

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. That is what this beer is all about - its golden (hence the name) and lively, yet it is encapsulates a mellowness that soothes the soul. Its the kind of beer you could drink all day long and not get tired of. It would go well with a meal (excellent at a cook-out I imagine), or just by itself.

I'm usually not a fan of the pale ale, because frankly, they're just a little too pale. I won't name names, but there have been many an American brewery that almost destroyed the whole pale ale genre (hats off to Sierra Nevada and a few others who haven't). Caledonian does what a good brewer should do when making a pale ale - rather than overpowering you with flavor, that use the finest, most delicate ingredients and let them speak for themselves. Their Golden Ale uses organically grown barley and hops, which not only pleases many of the health food lover freaks that I know, but also produces an aromatic sensation rarely paralelled by other beers.

I cannot imagine anyone not liking this beer. In the immortal words of Jim, the slobbering drunk that I met at BW-3's a few years ago, "Its a very drinkable beer." It won't offend anyone, it will lighten up a heavy day with its golden rays of sunshine, and for those who stop to smell the hops as well as the roses as they drink their beer, their nose will be forever grateful.