Schlafly Extra Stout
When Stella called me from the Beer Cave yesterday to ask me if I had tried the Schlafly Extra Stout, I told her that I hadn't and probably should try it. At the time I was in my backyard wearing shorts and pushing my kids on the swings. I don't know about you, but nothing about a nice day when we can play outside screams “I want a stout”. I was a bit taken aback by the very question simply because I wasn't expecting Stella to be in a liquor store at the time and had given no thought to any evening beverages. After contemplating calling her back and telling her to get something lighter, I decided ah what the hell, I can drink a stout or two tonight.
When she got home a short time later, I got the burgers out of the fridge to throw on the grill and cracked open one of the Schlafly's. Because I was going to be grilling while drinking it, I decided to drink it from the bottle, which I hardly ever do, but I can be a philistine every once in a while. The first taste I had was exquisite, almost perfect. I'm not kidding, I was ready to anoint it the best stout around. It could have been because I'd been swinging for an hour and nothing makes you quite as thirsty as a little swinging. I was really enjoying the bottle while I was grilling the meat.
Once the burgers were done I came inside and poured the rest of the bottle into a pint glass. The Schlafly is a very nice dark brown color with just a hint of redness. I let Stella try a little of the stout knowing she wouldn't like it, but I'm always hopeful that she will. She just doesn't like stouts. Well, dear readers, she liked this stout, “It's not as bitter or coffe-ey as all the other ones”. And she's right, it has a nice chocolatey sweetness and doesn't have a super bitter aftertaste. Stella liked it so much she popped open a bottle for herself to go with her fried egg topped bacon cheeseburger.
After dinner Stella made some oatmeal cookies, one of my favorites. Even though it was a balmy 72 degrees in the Bull E. Vard mansion and running the oven didn't help, I decided to crack open another stout to drink with my oatmeal cookie. Ohhh, that was inspired. Actually it wasn't, even someone impressed with triple hop brewing could have come up with that pairing. I wish I would have tried the Schlafly Extra Stout earlier in the year when it was still cold out, but for one warm March evening at least, it was the perfect choice.
When she got home a short time later, I got the burgers out of the fridge to throw on the grill and cracked open one of the Schlafly's. Because I was going to be grilling while drinking it, I decided to drink it from the bottle, which I hardly ever do, but I can be a philistine every once in a while. The first taste I had was exquisite, almost perfect. I'm not kidding, I was ready to anoint it the best stout around. It could have been because I'd been swinging for an hour and nothing makes you quite as thirsty as a little swinging. I was really enjoying the bottle while I was grilling the meat.
Once the burgers were done I came inside and poured the rest of the bottle into a pint glass. The Schlafly is a very nice dark brown color with just a hint of redness. I let Stella try a little of the stout knowing she wouldn't like it, but I'm always hopeful that she will. She just doesn't like stouts. Well, dear readers, she liked this stout, “It's not as bitter or coffe-ey as all the other ones”. And she's right, it has a nice chocolatey sweetness and doesn't have a super bitter aftertaste. Stella liked it so much she popped open a bottle for herself to go with her fried egg topped bacon cheeseburger.
After dinner Stella made some oatmeal cookies, one of my favorites. Even though it was a balmy 72 degrees in the Bull E. Vard mansion and running the oven didn't help, I decided to crack open another stout to drink with my oatmeal cookie. Ohhh, that was inspired. Actually it wasn't, even someone impressed with triple hop brewing could have come up with that pairing. I wish I would have tried the Schlafly Extra Stout earlier in the year when it was still cold out, but for one warm March evening at least, it was the perfect choice.
