El Dia de San Patricio (Ken)

Unlike USA cities and towns, St. Patrick’s Day is not such a big deal here. Helen and I have been in New York for the past three years on this day. In NYC, people are well into their pints before noon. Here, the only sign of afternoon revelers was this group of North American tourists I passed in Barrio Norte.

That evening, wearing my green shirt and festive pin, I headed out with Helen for another round of beer tasting with fellow expat blogger, Alan. We were joined by his Porteño friend, Augustine who picked us all up in his car. It is one of the few times I have been in a private car in Buenos Aires—it is always an adventure. We arrived at Antares in Palermo Viejo and met fellow blogger, Yanqui Mike and his beautiful Argentine wife. Mike has a popular blog that I have been reading for over a year. He was even mentioned in an article in Clarín about bloggers last month. It was nice to meet him get some more perspective on Argentina.




Alan and I were there to kill two birds with one stone—or kill two mosquitoes with one slap as the Argentine saying goes—to celebrate El Dia de San Patricio and review another sampler of beers from another of Buenos Aires’ brew pubs. (I’ll let Alan post the review this time on his blog.) We made our list of over-the-top tasting notes and even had Augustine along for Porteño perspective. His comments were . . .unique, like, “It smells like toes.”

Antares had some bagpipers. The crowd was amused and applauded after each tune. An Argentine song got the biggest applause and quite a bit of singing along. After they marched out, an Irish band started up. Augustine was enjoying himself—he went to an Irish school and this was very nostalgic for him.

Helen and I headed home, and I went back out to Shoeless Joe’s to see what was happening there. It was crowded and young. I went upstairs where it was a bit quieter. I took the long walk home to see what was happening. Not much green, not many silly hats, but people were out. I could still have gotten a table for dinner at 1:30.

Bueller´s Brew Pub (Ken)

For those beer drinkers among you who are in Buenos Aires or planning to visit, you may find yourself growing tired of Quilmes and Stella. My friend and fellow blogger, Alan Patrick and I went out to Bueller's Brewing Company in Recoletta to see if we cold find a palatable pint. We ordered a sample of all six micro brews and delved a bit deeper with a few of our favorites. Here is what we found. You can also read Alan's review on his website as well

Bueller´s IPA

We found this little brew to be not particularly aromatic. It had a slightly cloudy appearance, yet translucent with a hint of gold. It had a modest head that held its own throughout the pint. The hoppy-ness was underwhelming, just a hint, and you had to look for it. The flavor had a hint of apricot or banana. The finish was not as clean as we would have liked with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Not that bitter is bad, but it is definitely there. For an IPA, it does not quite live up to its name.

Cream Stout

This pint behaved like a stout showing definite evidence of nitrogen. It settled very quickly, not nearly as long as one would wait for a Guiness to calm. It had a creamy head with a definite terminator. It was jet black and completely opaque—even at the edges. There was an immediate taste of coffee. Rather like those coffee-flavored chocolates one finds in the selection box. The ones that everyone leaves for last after all of the caramels and fruit creams have long been eaten. The barley was roasted but not to the point of being burnt. It had a coffee start and a chocolate finish.

Light Lager

This lager arrived with an anemic head that dissipated quickly. This lager was clear with a light amber appearance. It was light bodied, but with a definite body. We found it to be slightly complex in a simple way. It had a shandy-like , spritzy quality. There was light, playful carbonation that tickled the tongue. It was a refreshing brew. On a summer’s day, this is the choice. We found it very drinkable. When you drink a Quilmes, it drinks back. This little beer behaves itself and accepts its fate.

Cream Pale Ale

This clear calabasa colored ale arrived with a creamy head that remained throughout clinging to the inside of the glass. It had a malty start that was consistent to the finish. It had a thickness on the tongue, a full-bodied flavor. Yet, like its cousin, the IPA, it is not a particularly interesting beer.

Honey Beer

The head on this pint hold up for you until you are ready to drink. It is a clear standard colored lager with an aroma of citrus. It is sweet with honey comb flavor. Curiously, it had slightly more hop flavor than did the IPA and the Cream Pale Ale. At 8.5% alcohol content, it is the strongest of the beers, yet it hides the alcohol well. This was our favorite of the day deserving a second pint.

Oktoberfest

This is the darkest of the clears at Bueller’s. The head waned a bit while waiting to be drunk. It had a strong yet indefinable aroma that we decided was somewhat akin to cotton candy (or candy floss for our UK readers). The initial sweetness transforms into a malty tartness in the finish. Not a bad beer, yet not it did not make our first tier.

Our recommendations:

If you are headed out for an evening of beer drinking and plan to drink quite a few, stick with Bueller´s Light Lager. For a flavorful paint, take in the Cream Stout. Rounding out our top three is the Honey Beer, yet watch yourself with the 8.5% alcohol in this one.

The Oktoberfest is the lone resident of our second tier. It is worth consideration, but not quite as good as the top three.

Bringing up the rear in Bueller´s lineup of in-house brews are the ales. For anyone who truly enjoys the flavor of ale, you will probably be disappointed.