#beer quest

Got to the CoinStar machine and it was broken so we had to find a new place to buy beer. Drove 20 minutes away and had to wait in a 15 minute line to cash out but we are indeed in possession of beer.

I think I mentioned in a ye olde post that I am on a mission to try every variety of Sam Adams beer. Tonight I bought the fall variety pack to further my quest. I had had three of the varieties in the pack (Boston Lager, Octoberfest, and Irish Red), but three were new (Black Lager, Pumpkin Ale, and Bonfire Rauchbier). I decided to start with the Bonfire because it sounded really interesting and it had a sweet label. Upon consumption, I discovered that it really tastes like fire and bacon. And if you happen to be thinking "wow, that sounds awesome!" let me assure you, it is not. I am a pretty avid beer fan. I like a wide variety of brands and flavors, and can even stomach the cheapo college party crap. This was legitimately gross. But since I paid like 18 bucks for the twelve pack I drank it anyway. With my nose plugged. Because in my house dorm you do not waste beer. And that was basically my night. On a happier note, the pumpkin ale is delicious.

I had Dancing Camel on tap at Paradiso, a relaxed restaurant on King David Street in Jerusalem. While Dancing Camel is an Israeli beer, its American at heart. The owner and brewer was originally American but came back to Israel. Dancing Camel Trog Wit is a very good beer, it's a belgian style beer (a favorite of mine) that delicately combines bitterness with subtle citrus flavor. The interesting thing is many Israeli's haven't taken to Dancing Camel. The beer drinkers continue to prefer their flagship beer, Goldstar. I had this beer with an Israeli, Shimi and he of course was skeptical. Shimi asked the waiter in Hebrew about it, and then concluded he would drink a Goldstar. Shimi then informed me he was not going to drink a hipster and trendy beer from Tel Aviv but would stick to his Goldstar. My brain immediately cut to Fiddler on the Roof, where they breakout into the song "Tradition". Here's the Video: http://tinyurl.com/64y587y For the record, Dancing Camel is better then Goldstar, but sometimes I guess who've got to stick with tradition. Dancing Camel Trog Wit, is a very solid beer, but it's difficult to track down outside or Tel Aviv and even harder (more like impossible) outside of Israel. So I jumped on the chance to try it, and a worthy beer it is. So when your in Israel take a look for Dancing Camel, but don't be surprised if you end up empty handed, and in that case, just stick with tradition and have a Goldstar.