Drinking Notes

In a whiplash-inducing fashion, we cannot simply do cocktails forever in this blog. Sometimes you are just too tired to get off you butt to mix, so this series is dedicated to the stuff we take straight.

First, we are looking for a beer for Cindy to take to football games. Light, refreshing, and approachable are keys to what we require. Our hunt started with Scuttlebutt.

Scuttlebutt Brewing

Drinking Notes Series

This Everett, Washington, brewery offers a solid gamut of beers. We chose four of its beers to try: the Amber Ale, the Homeport Blonde, the Porter, and the Tripel Seasonal. The Amber Ale is closest in taste to the regular domestics with double the bittering units of, say, Miller Light. Hoppy in smell and not real distinctive in flavor, the Amber Ale was our least favorite of the four. The Homeport Blonde is Cindy's beer so far. Crisp and lemony with less hops than the Amber. The Blonde is also great looking in a glass, but might not have the strength of flavor for the boys. Tripel is a high-alcohol pale ale; Scuttlebutt's Tripel fits the bill with a pale ale at 9% alcohol and with scents of pears and grain. It doesn't have a strong flavor profile but tastes clean and light on a hot day. Scuttlebutt's Porter is probably the most interesting of the bunch. It pours out blacker than black with a small head. It has a coffee aroma and flavor leading to a hoppy finish with a layer of milk chocolate throughout. All in all, none of the four have dominating 'beer' taste, which is great for Cindy, our beer newbie, while possibly disappointing for our beer connoisseurs.

Potential cocktail compliments: All most all Scuttlebutt will get obliterated in a cocktail, but the Porter might work in a 1700s American tipple called the Rattle-Skull - make it before I do with the following recipe. Mix all in a mug - 3/4 ounce dark rum, 3/4 ounce brandy, 12 ounces (1 bottle) Scuttlebutt Porter, juice of half a lime. Grate nutmeg on top.