Image property of HSBeer.com

Type: Beer-
American Double/Imperial Pilsner
Name: Heavy Seas - Small Craft Warning Über Pils
Price: $1.79
Made: Baltimore, MD
Alc/Vol: 7%

“Unofficially the original American Über Pils, Small Craft Warning is a rich, golden bock lager with big malt flavor and a crisp hop finish.”

Now I don’t know what makes an Über Pils, but this has been listed in the American Double/Imperial Pilsner category from my research so we will just lump them all together. I’ll be honest though, having the word “Über” in the name may have influenced me into purchasing it which in this case paid off…Überly @(^_^)@

The beer poured a nice golden color with a medium head that dissipates at a good mid level rate and leaves lacing on the glass. The scent gave off a nice bit of malts with a bit of something…citrus? It wasn’t a strong aroma but overall it was enticing.

The most important part, the taste was enjoyable to say the least. It had a nice full bodied heaviness to it, which is not typically what you would associate with a pils. Let me get it straight though, it wasn’t heavy like it was a meal in a glass but for the style of beer it is. The taste had a nice mixture of malts and spices. The dry hoppiness finished off this beer leaving the tip of your tongue dry as if it was asking for more.

The more I drank this beer the more I enjoyed it…and the more I felt it. At 7.0% it was a strong beer that had good flavor, although nothing overly strong about it’s character. I believe it was a good blend of everything which prevent too much from standing out on its own. I give this beer 4 out of 5 bananas which is about as close to Über as you can get.

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New Brew Tuesday: Heavy Seas – Small Craft Warning Über Pils is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer – Euro Pale Lager
Name: Peroni – Nastro Azzurro
Price: $1.59
Made:  Italy
Alc/Vol: 5.1%

“Pironi Nastro Azzurro is the No. 1 premium Italian beer. It has an intensely crisp and refreshing taste with an unmistakable touch of Italian style.”

This little beer comes in a light green bottle, which due to allowing more light in means that it is harder to get a fresh quality version of the beer. This holds especially true when referencing imports. The scent has a typical Euro Pale Lager smell to it, a bit of that grassy nose but it is light. Blended in with this there is a bit of sweetness, almost sour in the nose not faint but not overpowering either.  It pours a nice pale golden color, with a light lacing.

The taste matches the smell with that sweet/sour flavoring. I believe it is the sweetness mixed in with the hops that give it slight sour blend to it. It drinks really easy and smooth, washing over the tongue leaving just the back dry. The tip of the tongue is left with the crisp carbonating feeling. I could pour these back all night, it is a light and refreshing beer which is also part of its downfall. There isn’t a lot that you could pull from this, any defining characteristics that could help me pick this one out of a line up. The aroma and flavors are simple, done well.

I would assume that this would go well with Italian meals. It wouldn’t compete with a spiced red sauce pasta, but I think it would go well with a light citrus seafood dish off the coast. Especially if you wanted to take a break from the red wines. I’m starting to think Italians are big citrus fans, especially after my experience with limoncello. I give this beer 3.5 out of 5, I know it is rated lower on other sites and it doesn’t have a lot of character to it but there is just something about it that I really like. Have you tried this brew before? What’s your take on it, leave your comments below.

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New Brew Tuesday: Peroni Nastro Azzurro is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Now I am no travel expert when it comes to the best travel secrets out there. In fact, truly speaking I’m still a bit of a travel novice. Sure I’ve been to a few countries, and even lived in Brazil for four months but in terms of backpacking, hosteling and all that jazz I’m still preparing for my first big RTW trip. However, I’ve been blogging for a few years, believe it or not and I’ve read a lot of articles on travel and listened to hundreds of suggestions and I’ve come to learn one thing. What I am good at is organizing those suggestions and tips from other travel experts.

I’ve written about how I am using a private Google sites page, to store my documents and important links. Well now I’d like to share what I’ve come up with so far so that if you are getting ready to travel you can benefit from some of these useful tips.

1. Double Check Every Flight

Search for flights on multiple sites, there are a million and one travel sites out there so spend some time searching out which gives you the best deal.  If you know sites that offer specific routes or target a certain region/country then check with them too.  I’ve listed a few below for your convenience including some that are specific to where they serve. The big name search indexes, basically the ones you see commercials for, only list those airlines who will buy into their program so you may miss some cheaper deals with smaller airlines. Which is why it’s recommended to search through multiple sites because different sites may have different partnerships with various airlines.

2. Triple Check Directly with the Airline

If those search engines tell you that you can get a flight for $99 through Southwestern, Continental, or another airlines, then go directly to their website and verify yourself. Maybe you can even get it cheaper or the airlines charge less for baggage which ends up costing you less when you buy direct. Nomadic Matt suggests that you check the airlines foreign website as prices may vary and exchange rates may play to your advantage.

3. Airline Alliance Programs

There are airline alliance programs that may provide more options and cheaper rates due to partnerships when booking directly through these programs. The three largest are  Star Alliance, The Sky Team and One World. Utilizing these options may provide lower costs when looking at purchasing Round The World Tickets or a Continent Pass.

4. Start Your Search Early and Do Your Homework

There are a million and one search engine sites to help you find those last minute deals, which means there really aren’t any last minute deals. In the age of the internet, everyone is their own travel agent. So start acting like one by doing some research. I get weekly emails from airfarewatchdog.com on flights from my local airport so that I know what the average price is for a flight and know when I truly am getting a good deal. This way I give myself plenty of time to check the cost of flights. The closer you get to your departure date the less likely you’ll get a good deal, especially during the holidays.

5. Be Flexible

The more flexible you are the better. Sites make you select a specific date but most give you a  ± 3 days check box. Yet, even better than that some give you a flexible dates option where you just select a month you would like to leave. The more flexible you are the better because sometimes a day’s difference can mean hundreds of dollars more or less for your trip.

Additionally, if you look at nearby airports you may be able to find a significant difference. Smaller airports sometimes have great deals, my local airline is a tiny little one but has the best deals to Florida, so why drive an hour to the closest major airline only to pay more for the same flight?

6. Time of the Week Matters

If you just Google tips on when to or how to purchase cheap airline tickets you are going to hear the same thing over and over. So pay attention because it isn’t a coincidence. Flying is cheaper if you leave on a Wednesday or Saturday, the next best options are Tuesday and Thursdays. Why is that? Well most people want to travel over the weekends and don’t want to take days off work, when they must they are more willing to take a Monday or Friday and just make it a long weekend. Those mid week flights or Saturday flights don’t fill up as often so airlines are going to give you a better deal on those days.

Also, when you buy is important. Most airline deals go off on Monday night and by Wednesday morning they start to rise again. So shop on Tuesdays to get the best deals of the week.

7. Go Old School – Use a Travel Agent

As previously stated, everyone is there own travel agent nowadays. Which means those who are travel agents have to do better than what you can do on your own. Do your homework first, but then talk to a travel agent to see if you can find a better deal. There are also sites like FlightFox.com where you list your trip and multiple travel agents compete for your trip.

8. Connect With Airlines

Many airlines offer rewards programs or, even if you don’t want to sign up for a credit card there are loyalty programs that you can sign up with no obligations. Once you sign up with one of these programs you have the option to get on an mailing list to learn about deals or special offers.

9. Be Patient but Not Greedy

You started your search online, connected with airlines and made sure you are well informed. You have plenty of time to purchase your airline ticket and see the price you were looking for but want to wait for a better offer when all of a sudden prices shoot up. Just like at the gas station prices can fluctuate, and you may have been caught off guard waiting for it to keep going down when in reality it was back on the rise. Know the price you will feel comfortable paying and when you see it, or something close to it take advantage of it.

 10. Get A Refund

Check with your airline because some airlines offer refunds if the price of your flight drops below what you paid for. >Yapta.com is a site that not only helps you track flights before you purchase but after as well. Additionally, they offer to help you with getting your refund and list which airlines are know to issue refunds and for how much.

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10 Tips On How to Find a Cheap Flight is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Type: Beer – Doppelbock
Name: Ayinger Brewery – Celebrator
Price: $3.29
Made: Aying, Germany
Alc/Vol: 6.7%

Now I am not a big doppelbock fan, don’t get me wrong I like my dark beers but more so in the porter/stout. It’s something about those dark fruits that don’t seem to work well with my pallet. Usually, I can barely finish one just like with winter ales. This one wasn’t bad though, in fact if you look up Doppelbock beers on ratebeer.com this is the highest rated. Therefore, this is the cream of the crop of doppelbock, or so I’ve been led to believe.

The scent had a  mixture of dark fruits and other things that was hard to narrow down. It was sweet smelling but not sugary. The color was a dark coffee color, almost black. The taste matched the nose but through a more subtle tone. The beer was not very bitter, not a strong presence of hops. Instead it was malty and rich with a coffee taste that lingers throughout the sips. Doppelbocks have been described as a meal in a glass, to me I’d say a rich, yet heavy dessert (But by no means a dessert beer).

I did like this beer, probably due to the subtle-ness in its flavors that it wasn’t over whelming with the dark fruity richness. I give this a 4 out of 5, not necessarily because it is that high on my taste scale but because I can appreciate that this is a quality beer.

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New Brew Tuesday: Ayinger Brewery – Celebrator is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Image Property of JohnnieWalker.com

Type: Whiskey – Scotch
Name: Johnnie Walker – Red Label
Price: $24.99
Made: Kilmarnock, Scotland
Alc/Vol: 80%

I’m not much of a scotch drinker, but then again I like my whiskey so I’m not that far off. My step-father on the other hand is a Bourbon fan. Some of you will read this and give that satisfactory nod, others are scratching your head. For the latter, all Scotch and Bourbon are a type of whiskey but not all whiskeys are scotches/bourbons. Got it?

Johnnie Walker is a well know name in the world of Scotch, what many don’t know is what the hell is the difference between the colors other than price. To be honest I myself don’t know the order, just that Red is at the bottom of that totem pole and is typically more used for mixing but can be drunk by itself. Which is what I’m doing so that I can truly enjoy the full on taste and report it back to you.

The scent is sweet but that isn’t enough to full me, I’m full aware that under that sweet nose are some sharp teeth.

I have my scotch on the rocks…well rock, with an ice in it, to open it up a bit. The taste matches the scent with the initial sweetness but being the lower quality scotch it has an after bite. I am sure that the higher in quality and aging you go the more the smoothness increases, as much as a scotch can be smooth. A peculiar mid level taste after the sweetness comes through before the strong spiced finish. It has an earthiness to it, I’ve read descriptions that it has a strong peat taste to it, but I’m not familiar with the taste of peat so I’ll go with earthy.

Scotch is not a drink for the faint of heart, and this one has a fiery burn to remind you as it goes down. Maybe that is why they chose the color red? The finish doesn’t leave you with much of a taste, just a dryness to it with that warm feeling down your throat. I think I still have a few more years of tasting around the world of whiskey before I can pull the same tasting notes I do from a beer and in some instances from wine but truth be told I don’t know if I’ll every truly get there.

I give this scotch a 2 and a half out of 5 bananas. It isn’t your rock gut whiskey but it isn’t top shelf either. Good for mixing and OK to sip.

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New Brew Tuesday: Johnnie Walker – Red Label is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Property of RedHook.com

“The generous addition of hops both during and at the end of the fermentation process (dry-hopping) gives our India Pale Ale its characteristic bitterness and piney citrus aroma and flavor.  The medium body, crisp finish, and moderate alcohol and IBU levels makes this one of America’s most drinkable and best-selling IPAs.”

First and foremost I want to say that the real reason I bought this beer was because of the mini bottles, which is especially odd since the name of this brew is Long Hammer. Yet, just looking at the bottles, they make you wanna saw “awwww” but you know in a manly way. Ahem.

Image Property of RedHook.com

This brew has a light, grassy smell almost more lager like. Although my nose has been stuffy the last week so I wouldn’t trust it to be the most accurate. Which typically affects the taste buds but this brew is an IPA so it has a bite no matter what.

The taste is hoppy, as an IPA should but on the scale of hoppiness it is a milder IPA. It has a nice smooth taste, creamy mouthfeel that leaves the tip of the tongue refreshed but the back of the tongue with a dry finish. The spice and hops tinge on the back of the tongue leaving a nice aftertaste. Overall, there is a bit more malts than I would expect in an IPA.

This beer is decent, could be a bit disappointing in the IPA department but overall a decent beer. I give this beer a 2.5 out of 5 bananas. It is middle of the road and light on the hops but has a nice drinkability that anyone who likes a bit of hops in their beer could enjoy. May be a good beer to start your explorations into the world of IPAs.

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New Brew Tuesday: Red Hook – Long Hammer IPA is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Another year has passed, as I read through my 2010 resolutions and 2011 resolutions it is hard to believe that it has been two years since I started blogging. I honestly figured I would be a well seasoned traveler by now but truth be told, life has its own plans for you. It’s been an eventful year with graduate school, getting married, all that drinking and a few mini adventures. This past year we didn’t travel much, and this year will be limited until we take off next November/December.

It is always hard to look at a year passed and think about how fast it all went by, even more so when I’ve continued to dedicate time to blogging. That is, when I’m being a good blogging monkey and keep up on my posts. I think I’ve dedicated more to my New Brew Tuesday posts than travel but that is because of where I am at, for the time being. However I hope that this year marks the beginning of my life’s next chapter, which from the looks will be written in Spanish so I better learn more then cerveza and taco…is banana the same in Spanish?

So how did I fare with my 2011 resolutions? Well let’s see…

Fireworks International Fireworks Competition, Putrajaya, By Amani Hasan on August 31, 2007 via Flickr Creative Commons

Make Money Blogging – Well I’ve had the opportunity to publish sponsored guest posts. Which to be honest is hard. The idea of making money off of this site instead of just spending it sounds great. On the other hand I want to maintain the integrity of the site, so I have to filter through a lot of crap offers and then make sure this isn’t a guest post site, I need to balance it out with my own content.

Finish 90% of Grad School - I am on the ball with grad school and have only 3 classes left, two of which I am taking this semester – they start tomorrow night. Then I have one more class that I will take this summer and finally finish. I really can’t wait to get this one done because I think it takes up so much of my free time that between working, grad school, and volunteer tutoring (grad school requirement) I have little time for my wife and my blog…and I truly love both.

Blog about TESOL, Traveling and Drinking – Well the drinking part was easy but the TESOL aspect has been harder than I thought. Simply because most of the information is theoretical and I am not sure of its practical application. I will continue to work on this and try to share any tips that I come across, currently I am working on creating a list with one of my professors of must have TESOL books based on her 25+ years of working in the field. Traveling has been slow which means so is my writing on it.

Solidify Plans and Set a Date - This one was set and done awhile ago, but then plans had to change. Right now we are thinking end of November-beginning of December. However my father-in-law wants us to stay with him until March-ish when he can retire and return to Peru. The only reason he came to the states was to help my wife get residency but on the other hand anything delaying our departure has me groaning.

2012 Resolutions

Health -I am going to be in hot tropical South America this time next year so I need to work on the beer belly.  The plan is to put into practice Hara Hachi Bu, the Okinawan tradition of eating until you are 80% full. The other is the typical eat healthier and exercise once in a while type thing. I know with work, school and life this won’t be perfect but with the knowledge of sporting my bare belly on the beach I have the hope that I can slim down a bit.

Money - Save, save and then save some more. Right now we have a little over $10,000 in a CD. We have a total of $1,000 combined, a month going into our savings which we hope gets us close to $25,000 by our departure date. We figure that is a good amount to live off of and travel with. Especially since we plan to work in Lima, Peru for a little while after traveling.

Travel – Duh this is a travel blog, so we must travel…but smart so we don’t dip into our savings. We have plans to visit New York for St. Patty’s day and Niagara Falls sometime in June. The Niagara Falls is a belated honey moon gift from our parents with hotel and most of the flight costs covered. New York, we will be hitching a ride to visit my aunt so costs should be maintained there. Then there is that whole one way ticket to South America thing, you know just a little plan, which leads me to…

Get Organized – If we want to make this work and last we have to be smart about our travels. I’ve already started saving resources on our Google travel site, such as hostel & flight sites, legal documents, etc. Yet, there is still much to do, like set an itinerary, a shopping list of items we need to buy, formalize a budget, travel insurance, and the last minute to do list like changing mailing address and other items.

So much to do in a year, but I feel like this is going to be a great one because this is when we take that leap into the traveling world. I also talked with my boss today about our possible travel dates so I don’t feel the need to hide anything with is super great. What are your resolutions for the new year?

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2012 Resolutions – Countdown to RTW is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Coquito in a Bacardi Bottle

Tis the season for eggnog and holiday festivities, however in my hometown the Puerto Ricans bring their own festive drink. It is similar to eggnog but there are a few twists to it, one tropical addition is coconut, which despite its hydrating-hang over fighting powers I hate the taste. Drinkers, don’t fret because I love this drink coconut and all. I can almost deal the the coconut in a pina colada, if it is made strong enough but with Coquito there is no having to “deal with” anything because it is all a delicious pleasure to the pallet.

The hardest part of coquito is finding the empy bottles to fill up your fresh made holiday treat. I took the lazy way and just bought a few bottle off of a friend. It can be pricey for just yourself, but if you make enough bottles it is well worth it in the end and will make you the talk of the holidays. Everyone shares food recipe’s but that is dull, spice it up this season with a little coquito.

Here is a recipe from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup white rum
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

My only recommendation to this recipe is to switch out the water for brandy or a gold rum.  There are many different ways to make it, some without eggs and my brother’s girlfriend made us coquito using ice cream. All very delicious. If you are lucky, or crazy, I’ve had some coquito made with Puerto Rican moonshine which no matter how much flavoring is still moonshine and will leave you hung over till the New Year. Here is a short video clip for coquito by blending the ingredients instead of using a boiler, it’s in Spanish but easy to follow being a video and all.

I love learning about unique holiday drinks, they are always festive and bring memories of home. Last year we talked about Glögg now Coquito, any recommendations for next year?

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New Brew Tuesday: Coquito is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Image property of Yuengling.com

Type: Beer – Red Lager
Name: Yuengling – Lager
Price: $10.80 for a 12-pack cans
Made:Pottsville, PA
Alc/Vol: 4.4%

Ladies and Gentelmen, boys and girls of all ages….(that is according to the legal drinking age of your respective country)…It’s time for our weekly installment of New Brew Tuesday. (Cries of excitement can be heard echoing from the masses, yes I said masses dammit)

Ever since Yuengling has made its way into Ohio I have substituted my regular choice of brew for Yuengling.  I love my Irish Reds, heck who doesn’t love a ginger,  but other than Killians it is hard to find that style of beer let alone at a comparative price to your Buds, Millers and Coors. So this has been a mini blessing to my liver. Now onto the beer.

The scent of Yuengling doesn’t present anything distinctive, light, a bit of malts. The color gives a nice amber hue with a bit of lacing. The commercials would leave you to believe that the head will sit pretty atop your beer for hours, OK maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but so is the commercial. True, unlike the aforementioned poo beers this does have a nice lacing head. However, it dissipates pretty fast, so don’t wait too long to brag about how your beer gives good head.

The taste has a bit of a tinge to the tongue, citrusy or carbonation…maybe a little bit of both. It has a slight bitter finish with a touch of hops and malts blended nicely together. It is a good beer to enjoy, nothing that stands out strongly on its own but a nice soft blend of seasonings. You can really get the malty creamy finish if you swish it around, not that anyone would typically do that other than to sound sophisticated in their beer examination skills.

Overall, I give this brew 3.5 out of 5 bananas. It is a great beer goes down smooth and is from a small family owned brewery at an agreeable cost. It is a safe friend to call upon when you are feeling thirsty and all the other brews have left you with a bad aftertaste, this is your safety.

What’s your thought on this brew?

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New Brew Tuesday: Yuengling – Traditional Lager is a post from: Monkey Brewster

伏見稲荷大社

This is a photo from my trip to Japan last year, when we visited Kyoto. Kyoto is full of amazing sites, many also happen to charge for your viewing pleasure. This wonderful shrine is free, although I did give the typical admittance fee to the monk standing near the entrance. There are various shrines  of various sizes throughout the area and are linked by a criss crossed pathway that is lined with hundreds of Torii, the orange gateways.  To see more check out my video of Japan.

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Flinging Photos: Fushimi Inari Shrine is a post from: Monkey Brewster