Beer of the Weekend #34: Eight-Ball Stout
This is my last Beer of the Weekend in Apartment C. Am I sad? Will I shed a tear? Fuck no. I’ve hated this apartment since before I ever saw it. The only reason I moved in was because it was offered to me. The clock was ticking on my apartment search and I was desperate to secure shelter. I took what I could get, and what I got sucked. The apartment itself is okay — a nice two-story, two-bath, two-bedroom deal (not to mention my roommate’s 52-inch plasma TV) — but the location sucks: A dead end street four miles from the beach, where parking is a premium after 6:30 p.m. Of course, I could have moved a long time ago, but I hate moving.
Goodbye, Demion Lane. Hello, Alabama Street.
The beer this weekend, as promised, is Eight-Ball Stout (also spelled 8-Ball Stout), brewed by Lost Coast Brewery of Eureka, California.
Pardon the little aside, but I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while. Though I can’t confirm it, I assume Eight-Ball Stout is named after my most hated friend on the pool table, which lends its name to the most popular game played on baize. Call it a hunch (the design on the label helped — just a little) but I could be wrong. It could pay homage to the Magic 8-Ball, Olde English 800 (nicknamed “8-Ball” by malt liquor connoisseurs), or an eighth of cocaine. Whatever the inspiration it automatically made me think of pool, and I can’t think of pool without thinking of The Que Bar.
The Que was, hands down, my favorite bar. Dave’s Foxhead was a close second. Each Friday and Saturday night we drank a PBR or two at Foxy’s to start the night, then wound our way along Market and Linn Streets to Iowa Avenue and the simple brick façade graced with the “Q” over the doorway. In the front was the bar, sitting, and game area; upstairs was the stage (forever reserved for The Nadas, it seemed); and in the back was 10 tables of smoky, billiard heaven.
But, alas, The Que Bar is no more. Last fall one of the bartenders poured a shot directly into the mouth of a patron and the bar lost its liquor license, a veritable death penalty for downtown Iowa City. Instead of hobbling on without alcohol sales the bar shut down. Now the building is home to a different, non-pool related bar: The Industry. Boo.
(Here's an oddity: The Que still has a live website. It still exists, but only online.)
I miss you, Que. I dedicate this BotW to you.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Opaque black. No light came through when I held to my lamp. A foamy, cappuccino-type tan head developed and slowly dissipated.
Smell: The aroma itself is delicious. Rich chocolate and roasted coffee malts.
Taste: Very smooth. The roasted coffee malts (which is actually roasted barley) are not too overpowering — but just slightly bitter — because they are perfectly balanced with cocoa sweetness.
Drinkability: Stout style means no binging, unless you want to gain a shit-load of weight.
Fun facts about Eight-Ball Stout:
-Serving temperature: 45-50°F.
-Alcohol content: 6.3 percent ABV.
-Lost Coast classifies 8BS as an oatmeal stout, but BeerAdvocate lists it as an American stout.
-The carrier states that 8BS is, “A rich creamy Oatmeal Stout. Not Just for Breakfast.” I think the Lost Coast designers need a little consistency with their capital letters.
-The 8BS label is a little unimaginative and bland as Lost Coast brews go. Most of the other labels, like that of BotW #13: Downtown Brown, feature a Picasso-esque design.
-The brewery email address is brewwitch@lostcoast.com. Brew witch!
-The underside of the carrier has one of those colorful, gushing, microbrewery descriptions, but this one says something uncommon for beer. The end reads, “For the really adventurous, try serving it over ice cream for a Stout float.” Whoa — beer and ice cream!? My mind is still trying to wrap itself around that recommendation.
-BeerAdvocate, however, doesn’t lists ice cream as one of the food pairings, which include barbeque, cheese (Brie, Gouda, and Swiss are mentioned), chocolate dessert (duh), and various types of meat.
The Quite Man’s grade: At one point while drinking my first glass I proclaimed, unconsciously, “That is good beer.” 8BS is a very descent oatmeal stout, and a fitting, excellent tribute to The Que. A-.
Note to self: Get a BeerAdvocate profile.
Goodbye, Demion Lane. Hello, Alabama Street.
The beer this weekend, as promised, is Eight-Ball Stout (also spelled 8-Ball Stout), brewed by Lost Coast Brewery of Eureka, California.
Pardon the little aside, but I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while. Though I can’t confirm it, I assume Eight-Ball Stout is named after my most hated friend on the pool table, which lends its name to the most popular game played on baize. Call it a hunch (the design on the label helped — just a little) but I could be wrong. It could pay homage to the Magic 8-Ball, Olde English 800 (nicknamed “8-Ball” by malt liquor connoisseurs), or an eighth of cocaine. Whatever the inspiration it automatically made me think of pool, and I can’t think of pool without thinking of The Que Bar.
The Que was, hands down, my favorite bar. Dave’s Foxhead was a close second. Each Friday and Saturday night we drank a PBR or two at Foxy’s to start the night, then wound our way along Market and Linn Streets to Iowa Avenue and the simple brick façade graced with the “Q” over the doorway. In the front was the bar, sitting, and game area; upstairs was the stage (forever reserved for The Nadas, it seemed); and in the back was 10 tables of smoky, billiard heaven.
But, alas, The Que Bar is no more. Last fall one of the bartenders poured a shot directly into the mouth of a patron and the bar lost its liquor license, a veritable death penalty for downtown Iowa City. Instead of hobbling on without alcohol sales the bar shut down. Now the building is home to a different, non-pool related bar: The Industry. Boo.
(Here's an oddity: The Que still has a live website. It still exists, but only online.)
I miss you, Que. I dedicate this BotW to you.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Opaque black. No light came through when I held to my lamp. A foamy, cappuccino-type tan head developed and slowly dissipated.
Smell: The aroma itself is delicious. Rich chocolate and roasted coffee malts.
Taste: Very smooth. The roasted coffee malts (which is actually roasted barley) are not too overpowering — but just slightly bitter — because they are perfectly balanced with cocoa sweetness.
Drinkability: Stout style means no binging, unless you want to gain a shit-load of weight.
Fun facts about Eight-Ball Stout:
-Serving temperature: 45-50°F.
-Alcohol content: 6.3 percent ABV.
-Lost Coast classifies 8BS as an oatmeal stout, but BeerAdvocate lists it as an American stout.
-The carrier states that 8BS is, “A rich creamy Oatmeal Stout. Not Just for Breakfast.” I think the Lost Coast designers need a little consistency with their capital letters.
-The 8BS label is a little unimaginative and bland as Lost Coast brews go. Most of the other labels, like that of BotW #13: Downtown Brown, feature a Picasso-esque design.
-The brewery email address is brewwitch@lostcoast.com. Brew witch!
-The underside of the carrier has one of those colorful, gushing, microbrewery descriptions, but this one says something uncommon for beer. The end reads, “For the really adventurous, try serving it over ice cream for a Stout float.” Whoa — beer and ice cream!? My mind is still trying to wrap itself around that recommendation.
-BeerAdvocate, however, doesn’t lists ice cream as one of the food pairings, which include barbeque, cheese (Brie, Gouda, and Swiss are mentioned), chocolate dessert (duh), and various types of meat.
The Quite Man’s grade: At one point while drinking my first glass I proclaimed, unconsciously, “That is good beer.” 8BS is a very descent oatmeal stout, and a fitting, excellent tribute to The Que. A-.
Note to self: Get a BeerAdvocate profile.
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