Little Known Presidential Trivia

Among U.S. presidents, Warren G. Harding had the largest dirigible.

Rare photo of one of Warren Harding's fishing trips

Every Sunday he’d pack that helium-filled baby with cold brewskis, lingerie models, and a brass band and take the whole White House staff and their families out for a party. He’d hover out over the Potomac, drop a line, and fish until he was drunk. Harding was an angry drunk, so often White House pages were dropped out in the river during his violent rages. But no one wanted to mess with a man who owned a giant dirigible. Besides, it was Prohibition, where else were they going to get such good beer for free?

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Previously: What do Presidents do when their term is up?

Beer Review: Long Trail Belgian White

Beer: Belgian White
Brewer:  Long Trail Brewing Company
Source:  12 oz. bottle
Rating: ** (6.9 of 10)
Comments:  This straw color beer has a wheaty haze, a medium-size head and lots of carbonation.  It gives off a floral aroma, and the taste is dominated by a fruity flavor, like someone squeezed a lemon in the glass.  Luckily, I like lemon.  This beer has a crisp, fresh summer feel to it, with the only drawback being a kind of sticky sweet aftertaste.  The Long Trail Brewing Company of Vermont makes some decent beers.  Dare I say it?  ROADTRIP!!!

Previously:

• Long Trail Doublebag Ale
• Long Trail Blackberry Wheat

Beer Review: Clarke’s Amber

Beer: Clarke’s Amber
Brewer: (served at) Clarke’s at South Station
Source:  Draught
Rating: * (5.2 of 10)
Comments:  This is the house beer at Clarke’s the pub within South Station in Boston (although I’ve become somewhat distrustful of house beers).  This is not a great beer but a decent cheap beer (only $3 compared to $5 and up for the name brand beers).  It’s not so much amber as a deep mahogany color.  I didn’t detect much of an aroma and the taste is somewhat acidic with hints of a sweet candy flavor.  The head dissipates quickly and leaves only sporadic lacing on the glass.

Clarke’s itself seems like a nice place to toss back a pint, fairly busy on a Friday night even though there’s not much else going on in that part of town.  After dinner and a couple of beers I hopped on the commuter rail to Forest Hills.  Nice!

Beer Review: Bass Ale

Beer:  Bass Ale
Brewer:  Bass Brewers Limited
Source:  Draught
Rating: No Stars (4.9 of 10)
Comments:  The website for this beer promotes it for mixing with Guinness for a black & tan.  I guess that’s because it can’t stand on it’s own, because I found it a bit disappointing.  The pint I had was a nice reddish brown with no head or carbonation.  There was a very faint caramel smell and the taste had a hint of bitterness but mostly tasted like a good piece of toast with a long lasting aftertaste.  It was a decent beer, I’m not trashing it (and maybe I just had a bad pour from the bartender) but not something to get too excited about.