Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Beer Pairings

Biggest question this holiday season besides who to invite to dinner, is what beer to serve with the meal. Thanksgiving is probably the most confusing holiday when it comes to beer. In October it’s time for Oktoberfest, then in December, sip on your favorite Christmas Ale. But what do you drink in November? When it comes time for Thanksgiving, all of the Oktoberfest beers are gone from store shelves and you can’t start celebrating the Christmas season until you have trampled down some old ladies and little kids at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.


If you are going to make it through spending an entire day with your family, you can’t expect to make it through without a few beers. So until a brewery comes out with a Thanksgiving Ale or Thanksgivingfest, the Brews Brothers are here to help you answer the age old question, what beer to serve at Thanksgiving.



For the lover of stout beer: North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin. This beer is enough for a Thanksgiving feast in and of itself. It will fill your mouth with flavor, your heart with warmth and might just give you the ability to withstand your cousin’s annoying boyfriend. 


  
For the trite: Sam Adams Boston Lager. It’s Thanksgiving, this is probably as close to what the pilgrim’s drank as you can get. And this balanced lager tastes awesome with turkey.



For your friend who “doesn't really like beer”: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider. Yea, it might not be beer but this apple cider has just the right amount of sweet tartness to balance grandma’s pumpkin pie. 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal, but remember, it's not complete without a brew!

Stay Thirsty, Stay Classy,

-Captain Z & Thirsteve

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Save-On - Tobacco & Beverage






My current favorite place in this world is Save-On - Tobacco & Beverage.  It was brought to my attention through a good friend a couple months ago.  Soon after that, they received a promotion to "Best Friend."  Save-On used to be a 7 Eleven, so it's not too shiny on the outside.  However, it is now the sweetest beer store I've ever been to.  It must have also been a Mentor Beverage at one time, because that is what shows up on Google Street View.  I apologize I was unable to get the refrigerated beer (which I was standing right in front of) in the picture. I was trying to be covert..

They have over 3,000 beers, the most chill women working there, a walk-in beer fridge, and the option to mix-and-match a six pack, all while remaining competitively priced.  They mostly carry domestic beer, but they have a decent selection of imports.  I wish I was there right now.  The only problem is I think there might just be one Save-On, and it's at 7411 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, Ohio, 44060.  So if you aren't around that area, you are probably out of luck. 

I stop by this store every once in a while to grab new stuff to review, and it seems every time I am there, they are inviting me to a beer tasting.  I'm not sure how often they hold these events, but it is just another unique selling proposition of this store.

I don't splash around in the kiddie pool of watered down beer.  I cannonball into the deep end of 3,000 quality beers at Save-On.  Check it out.

Always Thirsty,
-Thirsteve