Pints & Purls Edition 37: Slope Style

This is the thirty-sixth in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  None of the breweries or yarn companies are compensating me – these are just my opinions on my personal experiences!

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Brew: Slope Style Winter IPA

Brewer: Boulder Beer

Malts:

Hops: Horizon

IBU:

ABV: 6.4%

Flavors: Full-bodied with a malty intro and a hoppy outro, this beer combines elements from a good red ale and your IPA needs into one brew.

Knit Pairings:  This beer is perfect for winter drinking after a day at the slopes – cozy and filling.  I suggest pairing it with a good wooly chunky knit with possibly some cables to add some cushy-ness or maybe you’re into stranded colorwork and want to make a classic ski cap with some seasonal motifs!

Notes:

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Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 21: The Great Pumpkin Ale

This is the twenty-first in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  None of the breweries or yarn companies are compensating me – these are just my opinions on my personal experiences!

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Brew:  The Great Pumpkin Ale

Brewer: McAuslan Brewing

Malts:

Hops: Cascade, Willamette

Flavors:  True to its name, this beer tastes like pumpkin fo’ sho’ but it also tastes like beer, which is convenient because it is marketed as such.  The sweet, creamy pumpkin-y goodness is enhances with some pie-type spices such as ginger, cinnamon and clove which makes this brew perfect to feature today – Thanksgiving in the United States!

Knit Pairings:  This beer would pair well with something rich and fun, not your normal everyday knitting.  Because it emulates fall so well, I recommend taking that notion all the way – burnt orange, rustic browns, deep reds like the colors you see around you.  Perhaps even some squooshy cable motifs in a luxurious yarn for a project just for you and no one else (unless you love them very very much).

Notes:  Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and if you don’t, Happy Thursday!

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Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 19: Jubelale

This is the nineteenth in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  None of the breweries or yarn companies are compensating me – these are just my opinions on my personal experiences!

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Brew: Jubelale

Brewer: Deschutes Brewery

Malts: Pale, Crystal, Extra Special, Carapils, Roasted Barley

Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Willamette, Styrian, Tettnang, East Kent Goldings

Flavors: This beer is darker but not so dark that you’ll need an empty stomach to drink it.  The spicy, fruity flavors come through in winds and never bog down the taste buds.  Balanced creamy, carmel-y flavors with crisp hops – like sipping a hot, milky beverage while sitting outside watching the snow fall around you.

Knit Pairings: This beer can stand up to a hearty knit and would complement a classic winter piece – aran cabled pullover anyone?  I suggest using at least a worsted weight yarn, a finer gauge would be totally overpowered by this balanced but deep brew.

Notes:  I love the artwork featured on Deschutes’ bottles, don’t you?!

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Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 13: Cucumber Hibiscus Ale

This is the thirteenth in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  None of the breweries or yarn companies are compensating me – these are just my opinions on my personal experiences!

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Brew: Cucumber Hibiscus Ale

Brewer: Magic Hat

Malts: Pale, Wheat, Caramel

Hops: Apollo, Zeus

Flavors:  This beer smells fruity, tastes crisp with a coolness from the cucumber and a flowery bitter from the hibiscus.  No smooth finish here, it kind of tastes like citrus rind but in the delicious way with a slight tang.

Knit Pairings: The first taste of this beer is surprising but it absolutely grows on you by the end.  Flax or linen yarn is very similar, a bit surprising how it starts out a little crisp and rough but after a wash or two it softens right up and becomes your favorite fabric – and both the yarn and the beer are perfect for summer!

Notes:  Magic Hat has some awesome beers, if you’ve never tried them I highly recommend it!  And their website is entertaining as well, check it out!

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 9: Marble Amber Ale

This is the ninth in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!

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Brew: Amber Ale

Brewer: Marble Brewery

Malts: toasted and caramel malts

Hops: light, aromatic dry hop

Flavors:  This beer is smooth, almost sweet with a carmel-y and nutty flavor.  It’s got a quick, dry finish.

Knit Pairings:  This beer would lend itself easily to quick, fun novelty projects because it won’t dominate your attention span.  It’s a pleasant addition to complicated projects in luxury yarn and will let your projects do the talking.

Notes:

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

 

(I really really apologize about being so MIA lately, I got a new job and I’m still working out how to get allofthethings done in 24 hours, including some sleep, I promise to be better about it!)

Pints & Purls Edition 7: Marble Red

This is the seventh in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!

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Brew: Red Ale

Brewer: Marble Brewery

Malts:

Hops: Crystal, Cascade and Simcoe

Flavors:  This is a robust red, almost smokey but not like a campfire.  It’s malty, crisp and smooth with a medium to light finish.

Knit Pairings:  Because this is a robust beer, I recommend using a hearty, rustic yarn like Fancy Tiger’s Heirloom.  Knitting useful, workhorse projects like warm hats and mitts without too many delicate details would be best.

Notes:

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 6: Alien Amber Ale

This is the sixth in a series of installments that will highlight  some of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  Read more editions here!

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Brew: Alien Amber Ale

Brewer: Sierra Blanca Brewing Company

Malts:

Hops:

Flavors: Malty and crisp, but light, a little bitter, carmel-y although there are no real sweet undertones.  Easy to drink with a medium finish.

Knit Pairings:  This amber ale would be good for projects that have lengths that need attention, but then a break – long rows with a lot of stitches, or lengthy, complicated lace repeats.

Notes:

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 3: Avalanche Amber Ale

This is the third in a series of installments that will highlight  some of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!  Read more editions here!

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Brew: Avalanche Amber Style Ale

Brewer: Breckenridge Brewery

Malts: Two Row Pale, Caramel, Carapils, Chocolate

Hops: Willamette, Chinook, Palisade

Flavors:  Easy to drink, malty but with a crisp, slightly hoppy presence, the finish is clean and quick.

Knit Pairings:  This beer would go well with just about anything.  Because it’s easy to drink anytime, anywhere, feel free to tackle those focus-needing long projects.  Family sized, super cabled afghan? No problem!  Quick set of baby booties that take no longer than a pint or two? Absolutely.

Notes:  Grab a six pack and sit on the couch with your yarn nest around you and see how much of that huge project you can knock out in one sitting! (Maybe bring some food to your nest…or have some walkie talkies so your closest neighbor, spouse or roommate can bring you sustenance when the beer starts taking it’s toll).

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!

Pints & Purls Edition 2: Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale

This is the second in a series of installments that will highlight one of my favorite brews and which knits to go with it!

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Brew: Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale

Brewer: Las Lagunitas Brewing Company

Malts:

Hops: Every hop that starts with the letter “C”

Flavors:  Hoppy, floral, citrusy, a light wheat beer.

Knit Pairings:  This beer has a quick finish, no lingering malt or hops so I recommend drinking it with knitting projects that have quick details.  Something that you don’t want to put down because it’s moving along so moothly, but you need a pleasant little beverage to enhance the experience.  Possibly even a nice summer-y fiber like hemp or cotton because this beer is perfect for warm weather.

Notes: Another one of my absolute faves, this beer is easy to drink and even has a cute pinup on the label!

Let me know what you think!  Suggestions for future beers, more/different information to include, this is a work in progress so I won’t be offended by constructive advice!