Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier

In these trying times of economic hardship, housing market woes, political standoffs and general American mess, the little things can pull us through. These are simple victories we all need to note today and recall to memory tomorrow, next week or maybe next year to give ourselves some perspective that the sky isn't actually falling. There's just so much more to live for other than the daily market numbers, oil prices, or the current tax rate. Some perfect examples may be your hometown NFL team pulling off a suprising Monday Night Football upset, or you found a penny on the sidewalk, or maybe you are even caught in a freak lightning hail storm at 11,000 ft, somehow make it back to town alive and the local bar opens it's doors to accomodate your need for a pick me up.

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That last part was exactly what happened to me on a recent trip to Steamboat Springs with my wife and parents. We suffered down the mountain, to the nearest town and made our way into the only bar we could find: Antlers Cafe in Yampa, CO. That all sounds pretty normal for family trips, but the thing to note here was the selection in this tiny cafe in a town of only 400 people. To be honest, the selection was minimal (only 3 brews on tap), but one of them was Samichlaus Bier...ON TAP!!

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Samichlaus Bier is a truly amazing Belgian brew that I've only seen in a few spots in KC. I've enjoyed this spicy ale a few times, but only from a bottle and only from limited venues. At 14% ABV, the situation couldn't have been more perfect. When ordering my second, I didn't even consider the day's drama, the symptoms of mild hypothermia, and the fact that someone had to drive us home.

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Serving Type: Tap

Glassware: Tulip

Color (hue and head): Deep copper. Minimal head, dissipates quickly

Clarity: Translucent cloudiness

Aroma: Spices, smokey brown sugar

Taste: Spice, brandy, raisins, burnt sugar

Grade: 93/100 (A-)

Musical pairing: Beach House - Norway

Surroundings: Wet and freezing clothers. Warm an toasty brew to warm our bellies.

Can I Buy You A Drink?

Ladies, listen up. That guy at the end of the bar is doing the frat boy, head nod flirting thing, motioning for you to come over for a drink. Good looking or not, make sure you check what he's tipping back before you take up his invite. Yep, it's just as expected...a rum and coke. That guy doesn't really care about you or your health. He's only interested in...um...your 401k? While assets are important to most men, your health should be priority #1. Women's Health agrees, citing a really smart guy's research into the heart disease fighting abilities of the brew. 

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/good-health?cat=21146&tip=21150

You really should be looking for the semi-cute micro brew drinker hanging out with other "healthy" types and not being so blatantly obvious about checking out your 401k. Wink. He cares what he puts into his body and will probably get you a fresh brew too. Gatorade got nothing on a good pale ale. Here's to your health!

R.I.P. One80 in KC

One of our favorite places in KC (outstanding cocktails) is being revamped to build a true triumvirate of beer awesomeness (go look that up). According to KC Beer Blog, One80 is being revamped to create The Beer Kitchen, which looks to focus on a rotating menu with some rare, yet affordable beers...uhhh, AWESOME!

http://kcbeerblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/done80.html

More importantly, the change allows me to refer to this new gastropub as Zombie One80, bringing me back in line with the teachings of the Bill Simmons school of journalism.

Side note: As you can see from the comments in the post, The Riot Room continues to build an impressively solid list of beers on tap. 40 taps with these kinds of choices? GTFU! Definitely worth checking out what might be KC's best kept drinking secret. When you get there, tell Dallas that you want to try the Avery White Rascal or Affligem Blond.