The Brew Ha Ha will be heading down the road to Durham Saturday for an afternoon of food, fun and, of course, beer, at the 14th annual World Beer Festival in the Durham Bull’s Athletic Park. In honor of that occasion, and in keeping with Thursday’s Dive story on the same, I went out this week in search of a growler of the coveted “Sweet Josie” American brown ale from Lone Rider Brewery in Raleigh. “Sweet Josie” recently won the gold medal in the American brown ale category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo., and Sumit Vohra, the company’s CEO, went on the record in our story, speaking about what a blast the World Beer Festival in Durham is. Unfortunately, the coveted “Sweet Josie” is a little too sweet and a little too coveted, and by the time I made it to Weaver Street Market they were all gone. Not too worry, though, because I scored a six pack of their “Peacemaker” pale ale instead, trusting that a brewery that can kick ass in Denver must certainly be able to brew more than one stellar style of beer.
I wasn’t disappointed. “Peacemaker” is full-bodied and sour, a real kick in the pants for a humble drinker like myself who was expecting a tame single pale ale. Oh no. The “Peacemaker” is named softly, but carries a big stick, and it’s not afraid to clock your ass upside the head with it. I would describe its hoppyness as three-dimensional: from the tip to the back of the tongue, both sides and even the roof of the mouth, everything comes into contact with the acidic body. It’s a bitter beer, for sure, but bitter like a refreshing citrus fruit, as opposed to something harsh like wormwood. The most noticeable aftertaste is grapefruit, which insists on making its presence felt long after the last sip. This is a beer for fans of stronger pale ales (double, India, etc.) who appreciate the sometimes clearer quality of beers with lower alcohol contents (5.7% here). Cook a bowl of macaroni, and instead of throwing in disgusting faux-cheese sauce toss in a pound and a half of real, fresh blue cheese. Then serve it up with a glass of “Peacemaker” and enjoy a dinner that isn’t too heavy, but compensates with pungent flavor galore. Just don’t plan on making out with anyone afterwards…
That’s it for this week’s Brew Ha Ha. Check back later in the weekend or early next week for coverage of the World Beer Festival in Durham this Saturday. Until next time, happy drinking!
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