Friends, it's a happy time when a Sam Adams mix pack comes out. As you all know, darker, winter beers are this Captain's favorite, but summer/spring beers are wondrous too. The most recent mixed 12er I picked up has 2 of each of the following: Boston Lager, Sam Light, Blackberry Wit (finally!), Hefewiezen, Summer Ale and Pale Ale.

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It's been a busy 2009 so far, beer readers. I've had time to sample some new brews, but I haven't been able to tell you folks about them. My humble whatevah. Anyway, here's a review for you. Enjoy with a side of beer. Mission Street's beers are very good. You may recall earlier this month when I discussed their Pale Ale. Well, what's the logical progression? Yeh... India Pale Ale. These beers run you$5.99 a 6-pack. Good recession brew.

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A  fine young beer, friends! And a Trader Joe's-available (in fact, it may be an exclusive... someone research that and get back to me*) beer at that, so we're talking $5.99 a six pack. Most affordable! But let's not muddle around over who paid what for who when and why and where and let's focus on this very decent brew. Mission Street's Pale Ale defines its category: it has a nice golden-amber color beneath a white, medium-thickness head. The body is light and full of active carbonation. The aroma of hops defines its scent---pine and mildly grapefruit hops, to be precise---and its flavor is a lovely interplay of hops bracing a mildly sweet bready malt. It finishes hop-dry and refreshing.

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Friends, let me be frank. I don't much care for Becks. It is a prosaic beer in the German style. OK, a prosaic German beer (it is imported... it can have that much from me). As most of you know, good ol' Captain Beer isn't one for light beers. If you want to cut calories, put down the pastrami sandwich. If you want to drink beer, drink beer! I'll get off my soapbox now. OK... so... Beck's Premier Light:

Meh. Not so hot. Very light malt flavor, the littlest bit of floral-bitter hops in the finish. I mean, the beer has 64 calories---where is the flavor going to hide? It's refreshing, it's extremely "drinkable"* meaning... refreshing. That's about it. But... when you add..

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This is one of the best stouts I have tried in months. It hangs right up there with some of Rogue and New Belgium and other such top-tier brewery's offerings. It's... delicious. Go... go get some. Don't bother reading this post, just go---hey get back here! OK. That's better. Have a seat... relax...

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And... yet another deep doff of the cap. What... a... beer. I finally spotted a Sam Adams Holiday Pack the other day and leapt onto it, shattering every bottle and injuring a small Navajo boy. I wept at the lost beer for several hours and then, assured the young lad was resting soundly, went out for another Holiday Pack. And this baby packs a punch. Of great beer. We're talking 2 Boston Lagers, 2 Winter Ales (oh man), 2 Cranberry Lambics (aw yeah), 2 Old Fezziwig Ales (ooh spelling... I really should check that...), 2 Holiday Porters (hell yeah) and 2 of these babies. Or, in latin effin beerum bliss, man. Um.

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All I can think of at the moment is that scene in Dances With Wolves where Kevin Costner is yelling "Tatonka!" and making little horns with his fingers. Always good for a larf. Watch that movie and see how many times he flops onto his back in a comical manner... I believe the count is 4 which may not seem high but when you focus on it, it... is. OK... on to the beer! BJ's, a limited California chain, has some great food and some damn good beer, not to mention excellent prices on their 5 and 7 glass five ounce beer sampler flights. A great way to have a lot of great beer. I could (and likely will eventually) write at some length on each of their 6 standard beers and rotating seasonals, but I'm going to focus on their Tatonka Stout this time. Thus the heading of this review. Yeh...

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  I'll start as I usually do when discussing a beer brewed by a macro-brewery---I had my reservations, I prefer to support smaller breweries, I didn't expect much, etc etc. Well... this is a good beer.

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Yes, the calendar says late autumn but, except for 3, maybe 4 days last week, the thermometer says 80 degrees out. And the barometer says... says... oh my god, you ATE the barometer!? Jesus, man! What were you thinking!?Well, we'll deal with that mess later. For now... yes... Pacifico--a summer beer's near-vernal reprise.

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There has been a lot of hoopla about this Budweiser / ImBev business recently, huh? Yeah. Great. As this Captain has said before, I care little for who owns Bud. Or any huge brewery, really. Keep Sam Adams and Yuengling and certain others under the same ownership, I implore you, but for the mega fellahs? Meh. I do find it amusing though, that this new pseudo-craft offering arrogantly titled "American Ale" hit the shelves at about the same time as the ownership of the brewery jumped across the pond to Belgium (a country that knows its beer, at least).

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