Pink Eyed Jim’s Blog

So I’m sitting here watching Rutgers beat Pitt (well hopefully anyway, they’re ahead 17-10 at halftime) and drinking a great beer with a sad story.

I first became acquainted with Dixie Brewing Company’s Blackened Voodoo Lager a few years ago at Cajun restaurant whose name escapes me at the moment, but I will add it later when I find out for sure. I ordered the “cajun meatloaf” or something to that effect, which was a meatloaf made of ground tenderloin with andouille sausage. It was very nice and smoky. And the perfect accompaniment was the beer, whose light caramel flavor and refreshing bitterness cooled the mouth against all manner of smoke and spice.

Unfortunately, when I saw it again at the local liquor store, I was saddened to note that this batch had been brewed in Wisconsin, due to the brewery suffering extensive damage during Hurricane Katrina. It’s quite a sad story, and though I note this article says they were due to reopen during October of 2007, their website still says “Coming Soon.”

I hope that the brewery reopens soon, and I’d love to even mail order a few batches of their beer once they do. It will be a welcome reunion.

Samuel Adams has Released his “Brewer/Patriot” Series of Beers. I’m reviewing one of the four limited-edition beers.

This beer ours out a gorgeous shade of auburn with pretty much no head. It’s unfiltered and thus has a bit of sediment in the pour. Give this one a whiff and you’ll smell sweet sassafras and wintergreen. A sip is at first sweet - evident of the caramelized sugar and molasses added to the wort - with hints of vanilla. Then the sweetness yields to the bold aromatic flavors of the wintergreen, sassafras and licorice.

My only complaint is that this would have been a far better addition to a Fall or Winter release than a Summer one.

3 out of 4 Bill O’Reillys