A+ to Iron Godess of Mercy, C- to Golden Shower
Sooo….you should know by now that the name of this site is kind of a misnomer, and I talk about whatever I want, when I want. I’m just a food and drink freak that likes to disseminate information, it’s all self-serving. I figure if more people buy the stuff I like, they’ll keep making it.
So my tri-monthly award for best-tea-name-ever goes to: Rishi’s Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong. The Chinese know how to name things, no? Oolong tea ranges widely in flavor and can exhibit a hell of a lot of charcter; it’s tea that isn’t fully oxidized. So depending on where and who and what, Oolongs walk the line between green and black tea. (*They have cholesterol fighting super powers like green tea, too.) This one smells like whole grain and, well….beer. In a good way. The flavor takes two sips to get used to, the tongue has to figure it out. The high-toned twigginess of green, with the rich, soft nutty bits of an English Breakfast.
My sporadic groan award goes to Dogfish Head’s Golden Shower Pilsner. I love Dogfish Head beer. They have a sense of humor, mad brewing skills, and make some of the most inventive and alcoholic beer on the market. But the name is lame. Hypothesis: Beers get away with tongue-in-cheek names that wines cannot. Hot sauces get away with names that nothing else should. This brew is an actual, Czech-be-proud Pilsner of 9%. It’s not that pisswater sold in America, dominating this descriptor and most of the market. It looks at your Budweiser and gives it a….
Oh, well done. Perhaps it’s an appropriate name afterall.
(can’t wait to see the Google stats after this one.)
May 22nd, 2006 at 5:38 pm
A quick point of order.
Flying Dog Brewing (in Denver but originally Aspen) does the Gonzo Porter that helps fund the Thompson memorial.
And the labels are from Ralph Steadman (Thomspon illustrator).
May 22nd, 2006 at 6:00 pm
‘Golden Shower’ is a bit gorge-rising. My own groan goes to a Utah brew named ‘Polygamy Porter’…tagline: “Why have just one?” Ba-dum-bum.
May 22nd, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Master Hieronymous,
You are right. I blush. What the fuck kinda crack am I smoking today? Dogfish still cool and weird.
May 24th, 2006 at 9:28 am
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on Fat Bastard Shiraz!
May 24th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Fat Bastard…..uhhh, they can suck it.
May 24th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Fat Bastard is usually a decent product. But the name? I’m anti-snob, but it’s reverse snobbery (bafoonery?). Great name for a hot sauce or deli sandwich.
“There’s a fine line between clever and stupid.” - Spinal Tap
May 25th, 2006 at 7:17 am
Big LOL@”can’t wait to see the Google stats”
June 23rd, 2006 at 2:32 pm
I know this post is old, but we used to go to Dogfish Head in Rehobeth Beach when it was still a local microbrewery/bar. Fun stuff, but they do make some wierd brews that didn’t make the cut.