A Took-it-Easy Weekend. Kona Big Wave.
As I planned, this has been a taking-it-easy weekend. I started (kinda) with a soak in the hot tub Friday afternoon before finishing up work for the day. And I finished it up Sunday (kinda) with another soak in the hot tub.
Lest you think all I did this weekend was visit the hot tub, know that I also ran a few errands... including shopping for beer! 😂 Yes, I've been wanting to try Kona Big Wave, the beer shown in the hot tub photo above, for quite some time now. It's the third beer in the Summer Beer Showdown I started writing about almost two months ago. Yeah, I don't shop for booze as often as I used to.
How was Kona Big Wave compared to the other summer-style beers I tried? Possibly my least favorite of the three. Understand that some of that is down to beer style. Big Wave is an American Pale Ale. I tend not to like Pale Ales, especially the India Pale Ale (IPA) style that's been all the rage the past several years. It's too tart. Imagine feeling a pucker factor like eating a lemon. Except instead of lemon flavor it's Pine Sol. 🤢 Well, APAs are less of that than IPAs, but they still fall somewhere short of refreshing.
I made the mistake of buying a whole case (24) of this beer, though, so I figured I should give it a second chance. BTW, why buy a whole case? Because it's economical! The best way to save money is to buy MORE beer at the same time! Seriously, a 6-pack prices out to almost $2 a can or bottle, while this 24-pack came in at just $1.
The second chance I gave this beer was with dinner. I had a light dinner, a roast beef cold-cut sandwich, and figured this otherwise lightly flavored beer would go well with it. It did! The piney flavor of the APA drops quickly into the background when paired with food. I gave it not just a second chance but a third chance, too (i.e., I opened a third can 😅), when I had a bit of dessert after dinner. Surprisingly this beer goes well with small, sweet desserts.
Would I buy Kona Big Wave again? Uh... no. From my previous taste test I like Maui Bikini Blonde Lager way better. But at least this one's good enough that I'm no longer considering pouring it out.
Lest you think all I did this weekend was visit the hot tub, know that I also ran a few errands... including shopping for beer! 😂 Yes, I've been wanting to try Kona Big Wave, the beer shown in the hot tub photo above, for quite some time now. It's the third beer in the Summer Beer Showdown I started writing about almost two months ago. Yeah, I don't shop for booze as often as I used to.
How was Kona Big Wave compared to the other summer-style beers I tried? Possibly my least favorite of the three. Understand that some of that is down to beer style. Big Wave is an American Pale Ale. I tend not to like Pale Ales, especially the India Pale Ale (IPA) style that's been all the rage the past several years. It's too tart. Imagine feeling a pucker factor like eating a lemon. Except instead of lemon flavor it's Pine Sol. 🤢 Well, APAs are less of that than IPAs, but they still fall somewhere short of refreshing.
I made the mistake of buying a whole case (24) of this beer, though, so I figured I should give it a second chance. BTW, why buy a whole case? Because it's economical! The best way to save money is to buy MORE beer at the same time! Seriously, a 6-pack prices out to almost $2 a can or bottle, while this 24-pack came in at just $1.
The second chance I gave this beer was with dinner. I had a light dinner, a roast beef cold-cut sandwich, and figured this otherwise lightly flavored beer would go well with it. It did! The piney flavor of the APA drops quickly into the background when paired with food. I gave it not just a second chance but a third chance, too (i.e., I opened a third can 😅), when I had a bit of dessert after dinner. Surprisingly this beer goes well with small, sweet desserts.
Would I buy Kona Big Wave again? Uh... no. From my previous taste test I like Maui Bikini Blonde Lager way better. But at least this one's good enough that I'm no longer considering pouring it out.