Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

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My first review was Yuengling Traditional Lager, which is a beer I know well. This time I felt I needed to challenge myself a little so I picked a beer I never heard of before called, Dominion Oak Barrel Stout.

It’s brewed by the Old Dominion Brewing Company located in Washington DC, which has been around since 1989. The Oak Barrel Stout was originally only available at their Brewpub, but in 2003 they reformulated it for bottling. It’s an American Stout with a ABV of 5.2 percent.

Appearance (4/5): It comes in a brown bottle with a deer on the cap. When I poured it into a pint glass it was very dark (black) with about one inch of brownish red head. It looked amazing, but then quickly faded away.

Smell (3.5/5): As soon as I opened it I could smell oak, spice, and vanilla. I took a few more deep sniffs because I swore I smelled something smoky that reminded me of bacon. Sadly, I only smelled it right after I opened it, so I am not sure if the smell is even there.

Taste (3/5): It had a very light taste and seems a little watery, but that’s not always a bad thing. There was just enough of the flavors your would expect: oak, vanilla, and sweet malts.

Mouth Feel (3/5): It may look dark but it was not a thick beer. Also, even though there was no sustaining head or noticeable carbonation, it still had some bite to it.

Drinkability (4/5): This would be a good beer in the summer. Since it had a light taste with a nice bite to it, it was actually refreshing. It kind of reminds me of a pale ale.

Overall, I give this beer 3.5 out of 5 bacon strips. You can read other reviews about this beer at BeerAdvocate.com.

Feel free to comment with your own review of this beer. You should be able to find it at your local six pack shop.

Independent Blogger Community

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I have been in the hosting business since 2003, with Pagewaiter.com. I never planned on making a living at it, I just wanted a way to help offset the cost of hosting my many websites. After five exciting years I found it difficult to manage my growing number of customers and my many projects. So this year I decided to close up shop and no longer sell hosting publicly. I will still offer hosting to friends and friends of friends, but that’s all.

To keep the domain name active I have brainstormed a great idea. I am going to turn Pagewaiter into a Community of Independent Bloggers that support each other with blog promotion, training, brainstorming, and open discussion. It’s going to be a one page website with a list of member bloggers.

The backbone of the community will be a member’s only message board where the bloggers talk about blogging practices, promotion strategies, technical support, success stories, interests, and general chit chat.

Members will pool their strengths and help each other out. I have been part of groups like this before and they helped me learn a lot. For them to work well, all member bloggers need to be active players in the community.

If you would like to be a part of this let me know, I will be setting up the new site in the next few days. If you would like to be part of this just use the contact forum on this site to reach me. All I need is your blog’s address and a little information about yourself.

Note: As of right now my hosting companies site is still up. I hope to have that changed by the end of the week. Also, I already have four members signed up so far. I want the group to start with 10 members, then after a few months start adding more. So that means there are six more spots left.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

A few days ago I told you about how I got 15 different beers for Christmas. I also said that I will review them on this site after I read a few beer blogs. Well I have done that, so this is going to be my first review. The first beer I am going to pick out of the group is Yuengling Traditional Lager. I figured I would start with this one since it’s one I drink often.

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Yuengling Brewery is located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States. Yuengling Traditional Lager is the company’s flagship beer. It is an American Amber / Red Lager with an ABV of 4.9 percent.

Looking at other beer sites they review beer based on five factors, appearance, smell, taste, mouth feel, and drinkability. I am going to try and use the same factors on my site.

Appearance (3.5/5): It comes in a green bottle. When you pour it in a glass it has a dark golden, almost copper color to it. The head is thick at first, but quickly fades away.

Smell (4/5): Smells like a normal beer to me with a hint of spice and malt. I hope as I review more beers my nose gets better with this one.

Taste (3.5/5): When I drink it there is kind of an apple flavor to it. Then it changes to a bready taste. I’m not sure what it is but it finishes with a refreshing after taste. I think as I try more beers I will find what it is that I like in a beer.

Mouth Feel (4/5): Light and refreshing. I have some beers that feel thick and this is not one of them. It almost feels soft, if that’s possible for a liquid.

Drinkability (5/5): This is my go to beer; just about every bar in Pittsburgh has it on tap. It’s always my first choice when I’m out.

Overall, I give this beer 4 out of 5 bacon strips. You can read other reviews about this beer at BeerAdvocate.com.

Feel free to comment with your own review of this beer. I am no beer expert so if you can offer me any tips that would be appreciated too.

Vote for Jim Gaffigan, He Loves Bacon

Comedy Central is hosting a Stand-up Showdown and right now Jim “Bacon Lover” Gaffigan is in 3rd. He needs your help, so vote for him once a day every day. You can vote for him here.

Bacon Unwrapped has reported that Jim will eat a piece of bacon for every vote for him. If your not sure who he is, here is a video of his bacon standup.