Yes this blog is mostly about our adventures in wine, but we do occasionally enjoy other libations. For beer, I usually prefer the big, hoppy IPAs, but this weekend I was lured into trying a brown ale: The new seasonal brew from Lagunitas, Wilco Tango Foxtrot. I will shamelessly admit, it was the label that drew me in.  

“In the funky realm of things that make you go “Hmmm…” 2010 may rank way, way up there. From the curious per curiam decision of 531U.S.98 in 2000, to WTC7, to the Superdome, to the Fall of the House of Lehman, to the Nobel President’s Afghan Expedition escalation, to the oxymoronic Jobless Recovery of 2010; we have been confused. So, we done the only thing we could -  we made beer – and lots of it. 6,420M cases of it to be exact. As far as we know, you drank all of it. Thank you for that, because if you had not  we would have been looking for a bailout of our own, and we haven’t heard of any breweries either needing or receiving any of those Yuan-flavored TARP dollars…although we have read that the Las Vegas adult video industry did. Nobody knows why. So, in a world that is once again the proverbial “Ball of Confusion”, craft beer alone seems tocarry its own weight It’s nice to be on the winning team and thank you for your friendship and imbibiliciousness.”

(Thanks to Brewed for Thought for the links)

The name of the beer supposedly has nothing to do with the band. Lagunitas wanted to name their “maltly, robust, jobless recovery ale” in the military alphabet, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF). There are, however, boundless legal issues here so they used Wilco instead. 

The beer is medium bodied with the nuttiness of a brown ale and enough hoppy bitterness to satisfy an IPA lover. Enjoying this beer is a worthwhile activity in and of itself, but if you’re looking for a little something to go along with it, I have a music suggestion. I have found Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco (lyrics by Woody Guthrie) to be a fitting companion.