The Bloodline

By all means I wanted to have a post up last week. I have a solid draft and everything. Life, as it seems to always do, got in the way. And as I sit here tonight with a couple free minutes while I wait for a side project video I’m working on to render I feel like I can word vomit something of meaning. Let’s talk about the beer that I’ve drunk more than any other the past year.

There’s an empty bottle of Flying Dog Bloodline on my desk. I had it last night I was up late “hustling” on this side project that I’m still working on tonight (and will be working on the next several nights and weekends). Flying Dog Bloodline for those who don’t know, is a blood orange IPA. It’s a dangerous 7% and damn is it good.

I’m not one really for beer reviews anymore so I’m not going to go into mouthfeel and bubbles. I’ll leave it up to you to read the 1,000 or so reviews on BeerAdvocate if you want to know that stuff. I recommend you trying it for yourself and if you trust me, which you should, I think you’ll enjoy it.

I typically work from 7:00am-3:30pm (+/- 15 minutes). I work in a happening area of DC with plenty of bars and happy hours. But I live an ungodly distance away so generally I like to get out of town by 4:00pm. The thing is though most of the bars don’t open until 4:00pm. However there are days when I want a beer before walking to the bus and passing out for the hour+ trip back to suburbia. Thankfully there’s a little sports bar around the corner and I have a coworker I can usually convince to join me for an afternoon beer.

The sports bar though has a small selection – the usual BMCs, Sam Seasonal, usually a Shiner, Stella and … Flying Dog Bloodline.

Bloodline is $6 for a 16oz pint or $7 for a 24oz. Guess what I’m getting? Yeah. Bloodline. Tall, please. Which nearly every time the bartender thinks I’m saying “Bud Light” (and I got served it once). I’ve now added “Flying Dog” before saying “Bloodline” when I order it.

On those rare occasions my coworkers talk me into staying past 4:00pm to go to happy hour I still want to leave at 3:30pm and grab my usual spot at the bar while they all finish up their tasks before we go out and have fun. That 24oz Bloodline at 7% goes down very easily and I’m nervous one day I’ll wake up at the last bus stop some 25mi past my house in the middle of nowhere.

That’s Bloodline to me. That’s the beer I’ve drunk the most over the past year. What’s yours?

Buffalo Wing Factory Releases First Beer Today

Buffalo Wing Factory releases Session IPA

If you are a frequent reader of this site then you know I have a deep affection and history with my friends over at the Buffalo Wing Factory. They’ve been a local staple in the Northern Virginian community for over 20 years and they are releasing their first beer today – Buffalo Wing Factory Session IPA.

5.3% ABV and 25.4 IBUs

The Buffalo Wing Factory, or BWF, is not a brewery so how will did they brew a beer? Beltway Brewing Company in Sterling, VA is a partner/contract brewery. That means that they make beer for other breweries or restaurants using their equipment. Locally-owned Crooked Run Brewing and Adroit Theory Brewing both use Beltway to brew larger batches of their beers. It’s still Crooked Run and Adroit Theory’s recipes but they just use Beltway’s industrial-sized equipment. This is what the Buffalo Wing Factory has now done as well.

BWF had a very small pre-release party on Tuesday where I got to try the new addition to their already packed tap lineup. And for all you Session IPA haters out there, it’s not your typical Session IPA. This beer clocks in at 5.3% ABV with 25.4 IBUs. It’s not hoppy to begin with but will finish with a hint of a bite. In comparison, Stone Go To IPA is 4.5% ABV with 65 IBUs and Founders All Day IPA is 4.7% ABV with 42 IBUs. So with the BWF Session IPA you’re going to get less of a bite, more maltiness up front with a sneaky higher ABV. It also has more body than other Session IPAs that I’ve had. A seasoned craft beer drinker should try this one out and see if they like BWF’s take on the style. This is also a good beer for any new craft beer drinker trying to transition into hoppy beers.

Me and Phuong at the pre-release party

Pre-release party fun

BWF is now crafting more than just great wings

Nick with the new BBQ sandwich

Today this beer will be $2 from open to close at 11:00pm at all four locations. Happy Hour is from 4:00-7:00pm where you can get other craft beers starting around $4. After today the BWF Session IPA will be $4 all day, every day. I’m not positive if they’ll be on the menu today but BWF has created two new menu items that use the beer. First is a beer cheese served with garlic bread, which everyone was raving about at the pre-release party. Second is a BBQ sandwich, which has the beer in the sauce if I remember correctly.

Head on out to your nearest Buffalo Wing Factory tonight and try their new Session IPA. I will most likely be at the Ashburn location around 5:00pm. Come say hi to me and make sure to be one of the firsts to check it in on Untappd too.

TWIB – Wine Bars and The Container Store

Parallel Wine Bistro

After a grueling workweek that included a 15+ hour post production marathon on Thursday, there was nothing more I wanted to do than unwind on Friday night. Mrs. Short On Beer and I met some friends up at Parallel Wine Bistro for dinner and drinks. Parallel has a large and regularly rotating craft beer bottle list despite being a wine bar. The beer prices mostly range from $6-8 and most are $2 off during their Happy Hour from 4:00-7:00PM.

One of the perks of knowing the bartender is getting the handwritten list of new beers not listed on the menu that even the servers didn’t know about (thanks, Liz!). The first beer I had was off this secret menu — Great Divide Rumble. Rumble is an oak-aged IPA. The oakiness took out most of the bitterness from the hops. This was quite interesting for an IPA. It was a good choice to go with the Brie and Manchego cheese plate.

I went back to the basics for my next beer with a Stone Pale Ale while I enjoyed my bistro burger and duck fat fries.

Seeing “duck” on the menu made me crave a Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Parallel does have it but I had a couple still stashed at home so I went with a Port City Porter since it had been awhile since I had had any Port City beers. They make some amazing beers…Optimal Wit, Monumental IPA, Downright Pilsner to name a few. Their porter doesn’t disappoint either. It’s perfect for dessert and gets better as it warms.

The last thing about Friday night I want to mention — here’s a shout out to CJ, our server, who will hopefully be a new Short On Beer reader.

The Container Store

The start of 2014 has me trying to organize everything. It’s not like it wasn’t organized before but I feel like it could be done better. So in the past week I’ve been to the Container Store more times than you probably have been your entire life. I’ll admit it, I kinda like the store. It’s way better than navigating through a crowded Bed Bath and Beyond or a HomeGoods. Don’t tell my wife.

Pre-reorganization had my beers on the floor of the pantry shoved all the way in the back on top of flattened empty 6-pack holders. I just can’t seem to throw away those holders just yet. A few beers would regularly get lost or forgotten about. On the plus side I found a Hardywood Bourbon Sidamo that I’ve been accidently aging for 5+ months. But as I reorganize I want the beers off the floor and in ideal grabbing placement. I am also without a dedicated beer fridge. Go ahead and subtract 3 beer blogger points from my score. So I’m constantly fighting for room in the main fridge for my beers.

I seem to keep 8+ beers at all times in the fridge even though I won’t go through them all that quickly. I need a variety… a couple stouts for after dinner, a couple IPAs for weekends, an ale for guests, a couple Belgians for dinner, and a couple randoms I didn’t like (right now it’s New Belgium Giddy Up) and I can’t seem to get rid of and don’t want to drink.

New Pantry Beer Storage Space

Give me some advice. How is your beer storage system setup? How much room do you take up in the main fridge? How many of what do you keep in there? Leave your advice in the comments section below.

That’s it for this week’s This Week in Beer. Make sure to sign up to receive email updates for new posts by entering your email address at the bottom of the page so you never miss anything! 

My Not Thankful List

I’ve seen a lot of the “I’m Thankful For…” lists recently. While I am thankful for many, many things and people I want to do something different: A Not Thankful List.

$7 Bud Lights

First on the list is $7 Bud Lights. I spent the past week in Las Vegas (post on it coming soon). Besides the complete lack of craft beer, if you weren’t gambling the prices for beers were outrageous. Most macro domestics were $7 or more! However they were a reasonable $5 during happy hour…

My home area of Washington, DC isn’t much better. You can find cheap beer (see the next item on the list) in many places but it’s not uncommon to see these macro domestics for $5-7 as well. Where does that leave craft beer? $8-10+. I can buy a six-pack for $10 of most “normal” craft beer packs. I am not thankful for $7 Bud Lights.

$1 Bud Lights

Second on the list are $1 Bud Lights and other ridiculously cheap “beers.” They cause over-crowding at bars and restaurants because people don’t ever leave during the special. I can’t find a barstool at 6:00pm when folks have been drinking $1 water-downed beers since happy hour started at 4:00pm. What’s even worse is that they make people stupid. I’m paraphrasing this quote because I can’t remember it exactly but, “Homebrews make people laugh while mass-produced beers make people dumb.” Such a true statement. I am not thankful for $1 Bud Lights.

Small Quantities of Great Beers

I get it → small quantity + great quality + outrageous demand = high profits. Russian River and The Alchemist make amazing beers (they have the top-3 beers on BeerAdvocate’s top-250). I’m just not thankful that they are in such small quantities that they’re so difficult to get. I am thankful for friends that get me these beers though – thanks, Dan! I am not thankful for small quantities of great beers.

Slow Internet Speed

Next on the list is slow Internet speed. Not only does this impede my Netflix-watching abilities but it messed up my Conversations with Beer Bloggers with Oliver Gray. I’m long overdue to do a re-record of it – sorry, buddy. December should bring 2+ new episodes. I am not thankful for slow Internet speed.

I Can’t Share a Beer with My Pals

Last on the list is the most important. I’ve been blogging for almost a year and have met, physically and digitally, some amazing people. You guys and gals keep this blog going. My readers keep this blog going. Thank you so much for your support. I cannot explain how grateful I am for it. Here’s to my friends. Here’s to my readers. I am not thankful I can’t share a beer with my pals.

What are you not thankful for? Cheers!