Got It Goin’ Bossanova.

Say it ain't so!!!

I’m so sorry.

My new growler coozy is keepin' it real, cold.

Welcome back. It’s the sultan of suds here to disperse another week’s worth of beery brilliance. For example, did you know growlers are so named because of the “growly” sound they make when you pour the beer?

You can look forward to my reviews of SweetWater Tavern’s Yippie-Ei-O Springbock and Red Tape Ale growlers coming soon.

This week we have an increasingly more popular selection, Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale and an old favorite, Dominion Lager.

Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale

A beer I’m seeing around more often and for good reason. Brewed by Magic Hat Brewing Company in Burlington, Vermont. Magic Hat has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, and we’ll be spending more time with some of their other offerings in the week’s ahead.

This golden colored ale is dry and hoppy with a pleasant, lingering finish. This is definitely a beer drinkers beer which runs about $8 a sixer.

Special beer snob note: the carrier’s sidewalls cover the bottle, this prevents light from skunking your beer. Intentional or not, this is a nice touch because light is bad for beer.   Should light reach your beer prior to consumption remember this, clear bottles offer no protection(”..were streakin’ the quad”), green is good (”I’m from Holland, isshn’t dat weird?”) and brown is better (”It’s the one that says bad mutha fuka”).  Keep this in mind when bottling your home brew.

Another 5 belly beer. …what can I say? I know how to pick ‘em. (and I know how much you like to look at our super sexy Beer 101 model.)

Dominion Lager

A former personal fave and still a champion, this is the beer that started it all for me. Some Dominion products are still brewed locally in Ashburn, VA. Back in 2007, Dominion sold to Bud who later sold to Inbev, which is a whole other post altogether. (Quick preview - that sucks.)

Dominion Lager is still the beer to which I compare all others. It will run you about $8 a six-pack. Many local restaurants label and serve this on draught as their own lager, so you’ve probably already had one.

My surveying sample was bottled on 02/26/09…two months ago, nice. I like to know when my beer went in rather than when to drink it by. I once kept a beer in the glove compartment, you know, just in case I needed one. Me and my fellow GiGB editor drank that battery acid and we finished it (care to fess up too, Todd? I do believe that was your idea…) If it’s still wet, I’ll drink it but I do like to know what I’m getting myself in to.

Dominion Lager is crisp and refreshing with a slightly fruity finish but not too sweet, very satisfying and versatile when pairing with food. It is also versatile when paired with another 8 or 10 of his brothers. 5.4% alcohol by volume.

5 beer bellies even though it’s not as local anymore. It used to be a point of pride having such a good beer bottled right around the corner. Stinks.

Gotta get more… “33″, a Vietnamese beer I found at Pho Cyclo in Merrifield, VA at less than $4 a bottle. BTW the Pho was good too. 33 is another traditional lager (you should be picking up on the theme by now.) *BOLO for the official rating.

(*BOLO = be on the lookout. You won’t be told again.)

Happy drinking.

It looks like we’re in store for a hot, sunny weekend here in the greater NOVA area.  A great weekend for drinking a cold one outside.

As such, Joe the beer guru, is on assignment (he’s outside drinking right now.)  We’ll see what he is able to compile for us later today - it might be a little bit slurry.

If so, we’ll let clearer heads prevail and have his column ready to go for Monday.

See you tomorrow @ 4:30PM

Okay donks, let’s get to it.

There are two basic styles of beer; Lagers and Ales. They look different, but more importantly they taste different. And as shocking as this may sound, the reason they taste different is because of how they are made.

We take our research very seriously

Ales have been around a lot longer than lagers, take less time to brew and traditionally are fermented at higher temperatures.

Ales were actually very dark in the beginning. An interesting tidbit about pale ale - pale ale is considered pale because, as compared to its predecessors that were darker, it’s pale. Weird I know, but it tastes good so let’s not worry about it.

Lagers are a more modern creation and take longer to brew.  To “lager” a beer is to store and age it for a period of time, part of the brewing process, usually in tanks and anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months, so make enough to last until the next batch.  Lagers by definition require lower temps and are “lagered” for longer periods of time than Ales.  Beer is not made overnight and takes time to ferment, carbonate etc..

Again we will get more in depth as we go on (that’s what she said) but just know that if you don’t have ice, a refrigerator or a really cool cave, then you are making an ale. This is why you will find that warmer places brewed ales and colder places, lagers. That was until we all got refrigeration.  One more thing to remember: Ales are top fermented and Lagers bottom fermented, again, more on this later…let’s rate beer, ya!?

We’re going to try to rate a couple of beers each week, depending on how many we can get our livers on. Let’ s hope for some good weeks, eh? We encourage you to play along at home or while out drinking, responsibly of course.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog entry.

We’ll be using a 5 beer belly scale with 5 being the best.

This week we’ve rated a light beer and a regular beer, kinda like Beast Light and Beast Heavy.

Regular Beer is a “full caloried” beer and will always be your best bet for full flavor - do you ever drink a light wine?

Yeungling Lager
If you haven’t tried it yet, do it. It’s my current fave, and will set you back about $10 a 12 pack. A traditional Lager, smooth and very drinkable, and will satisfy a wide range of pallets. If you’re in PA, just order a “Lager” and this is what you’ll get. I might be moving.

We give it 5 beer bellys.

Light Beer is beer that is reduced in either alcohol content or in calories, as compared to Regular Beer. Light beers are made to a standard to be considered “light”.  True connoisseurs may bitch at us for even mentioning light beers, but based on sheer sales numbers, they must be included in our endeavor. Typically Light Beers are criticized for being less flavorful than full-strength beers, and “watered down.”

Heineken Light
This is a great light beer and if you put these in your fridge you might even forget that regular Heineken does taste a bit better. You’ll pay a premium at about $15-16 a 12 pack. When we rate Heineken Heavy we’ll give you the names of some very comparable beers at a lower price that will fool you in a blind taste test. For a light beer this has great flavor and body and is very similar to is “heavier” big brother. It also has fewer calories, carbs and alcohol than a regular Heineken.

4.5 beer bellies for this one. On principles alone, we have to deduct 1/2 a gut ‘cuz it’s a Light Beer.

Remember, we like beer so don’t criticize the high ratings just yet. We’ll get to some crappy beers, so don’t worry.

Have a great weekend, everyone. And Happy Beer Drinking!

The ‘Nova’s newest feature, Beer 101, premieres in its full form today at 4:30 EST.  That should give everyone plenty of time to give it a quick read and still make it out to Happy Hour.

See you at 4:30.

Balance? Ha! I laugh at you!

Alright animals.  The groundswell of loyal ‘Nova readers has grown to near double digits in the last week or so.  And being the ingenius marketing moguls we are, we thought it best to “tease” a few of the hot topics heading your way.

Beer 101

My main man Joe, aka the Henchman of Hops, aka the Big Boy of Barley, Mr. Malt himself, will be dropping beer knowledge on us all in his regular feature, Beer 101.

NFL Draft Preview

We won’t waste your time speculating on which team will take which player.  Rather, we’re sifting through the Draft archives to determine a definitive position by position analysis of historical First Round picks.  Are you tired of your team taking lineman with their first rounder instead of that stud WR?  We’ll tell you historically who the correct pick should have been.

Das Schadenfreude

Another new ‘Nova feature in the queue.  We’ll be reviewing some of the best guilty pleasures from the decade of decadence and trickle down economics.  The 1980’s provided us countless memorable albums, movies and TV shows.  We’ll be dusting off the Betamax players and cassette decks and compiling  definitive lists highlighting the best of the worst.

We’ll do all the work, you just have to read it.  And maybe you could tell someone else to read it.  And then, maybe have that other person tell someone else to read it.  Oh, and leave some comments.  Comments are good.  And if there is any more time, maybe post links to the Bossanova on other blogs.  Really, this seems like a pretty fair trade.  So don’t let us down.

We’ve got a brand new feature here at The ‘Nova.

Beer 101 is not how many beers you should have in a week, although…sounds like a pretty good week.

The goal of Beer 101 is to help you better understand the beers you love, the beers you know and the beers you had no idea even existed.  You’ll find out why you love your favorite beer and what to buy when you’re unable to get that precious brew.

The good news is bad beer is still beer.  And the more we drink, the smarter we get.

Join us on our swervy journey as we give our two cents on the only drink Coffee is afraid to meet in the octagon.

Mmmmm.....beer