Monday, April 18, 2011

10/11/10 to 11/27/10 - NJ, Boston & GA

This will be a little on the long side. I wanted to get all of Boston into one post. (Dropkick Murphy's "For Boston" is ringing in my ears..)

Started at Adam's house in NJ, then to Boston then to my parents Lake House (Heron's Point) in Georgia.

Click on images to enlarge.
Here we go!

Left:
10/11/10
Lebenon Township, NJ
Adam's House!
Philadelphia Brewing Co.
Philly, PA
Joe Coffee Porter (Abv. ?)
Watery porter with chocolate & coffee hints. Dark rich malts are present but it is a bit muted because of the extra water. Overall it is nice and easier to drink then a traditional porter.
And hey, I didn't get tired!
9.0+
Right:
10/14/10
Mr. Dooley's
Boston, MA
Southampton Public House Pumpkin Ale (Abv. ?)
Amazing nutmeg, coriander & pumpkin scent. Beautiful taste w/hint of cloves? Lite head. Smooth & balanced. Slight bitter aftertaste after a while. Not much pumpkin.
9.4

Wachusett Octoberfest (Abv. 5.2%)
Westminster, MA
Very faint smell. Almost no aroma. No head. Lager-like. Sweet start, slight bitter finish. Kinda flat!
"Draft" in 2007 called it "Top 10 in N. America." I call B.S. on THAT!
8.0

Next page!
Left:
10/18/10
Harpoon Brewery
Logan International Airport
Boston, MA
Harpoon Munich Dark (Abv. 5.5%)
Harpoon Brewery
Boston, MA
Windsor, VT
Malty, slight bitter. Caramel hints. Slightly smokey. Very nice German beer. Smooth.
9.4

Right:
10/18/10
Harpoon Brewery
Logan International Airport
Boston, MA
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series
Harvest Glacier (Abv. ?)
The 100 Barrel Series is a one-of-a-kind creation limited to a single 100 barrel batch.

Hoppy, smooth. Not much head. Hoppy smell with fruit undertones. Not much carbonation. Smooth. Hops taste increase as you drink. Seems like a pale ale.
9

NEXT!
LEFT!
10/18/10
Harpoon Brewery
Logan International Airport
Boston, MA
Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale (Abv. 5.8%)
Harpoon Brewery
Boston, MA
Windsor, VT
Beautiful floral smell. Wow, wonderful taste. Floral, well spiced. Smooth, not bitter. Coppery aftertaste. Very nice, but doesn't hold up to traditional Belgian Pale Ales.
9.2
RIGHT!
11/27/10
Parent's Lakehouse
Heron's Point
Milladgeville, GA
TAP Room No. 21 Brewing Co.
Rochester, NY
Moe's Backroom Lager (Abv. ?)
Malt & Barley aroma. Hints of oak & earthy tones. Sweet & smooth. No hops. Very easy & tasty to drink.
"We want beer. We want beer."
9.4

Mr. Dooley's in Boston was a great bar/pub. I really liked it, not too divey, more like a neighborhood pub with a lot of history and a bartender that knows his craft. They had over 100 different scotchs & whiskeys that I had never even heard of. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing. I can't wait to go back.

Monday, April 11, 2011

9/26/10 to 10/11/10

Sounds longer than it is. (That's what she said! ...wait, huh?)

So... Left side to right... Click to see better...



9/26/10
Home Sweet Home
Abita Brewing Co.
Abita Springs, LA
Satsuma Harvest Wit (Abv. 5.1%)
Light white beer. Sweet, smooth smokey spice aftertaste. Citrus notes. Very nice and drinkable.
9.4+

Then there is a buncha "Yummy yummy in my tummy - Tummy happy 'cause it's so yummy." nonsense.

10/11/10
Lebenon Township, NJ
Adam's House
Magic Hat Brewing Co.
South Burlington, VT
Hex: Octoberfest (Abv. 5.4%)
What a beautiful beer. Not your traditional Octoberfest but still can be considered in that category. Well balanced malt & hops. Spicy hints with a sweet back. Wonderful! Gimme More!
9.6

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Chi'Town - Worst Beer in America? 8/9/10 - 8/22/10

Hang on - this is gonna be a long one AND potentially unpleasant.

Little back story - i travel a lot for my job and i get to try a lot of different beers from different regions of the US. I'm a bit lucky in that aspect. This if from my last trip to Chicago (lovingly called Chi'town) in 2010 for the Chicago Comic-Con. To be honest, I have had great beers in Chicago (of course none of them come to mind...) but not on this trip apparently...

(As always just one click makes it big) ;P

Left:
Garden State Diner
Newark Airport
Newark, NJ

Magic Hat
Summer Waco (Abv. ?)
Red/Amber color - Floral notes. Bitter front, finishes with malt. Nutty? Slightly sour.
9.0+

Right:
8/19/10
Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic-Con
New Holland Brewing
Holland, Michigan
Mad Hatter IPA (Abv. ?)
Lackluster IPA with an annoying head. Sediment on bottom. Nothing but bitter hop. Sour after notes. Blah.
6

8/20/10
Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic-Con
Founders Brewing Co.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale (Abv. 8.5%)
I hate Scotch Ales, so my judgment is tainted. Yuk. Malty, sour and mostly bitter. Malty & Bitter? No Thanks. >:(
6

Lefty:
Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic-Con
Three Floyds Brewing
Munster, IN
Alpha King Pale Ale (Abv. ?)
What is it with this part of the country that they like gritty beer with annoying heads? Might as well be an IPA. Not very balanced. Single loud note of bitter. Meh.
7

(Then an awesome drawing of Alpha Krap! WOOT!)

To be fair, Three Floyds Brewing has a great reputation and they have a lot of fans in my circle of friends. This just didn't do it for me.

Righty:
8/21/10
Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic-Con
New Belgium Brewing
Fort Collins, CO
Hoptober Golden Ale (Abv. 6%)
Medium body, citrus notes, nice hops. Very smooth and drinkable. I like it. Very drinkable.
9.4

8/22/10
Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic-Con
Carta Blanca Cerveza Lager (Abv. ?)
Cerveceria, Mexico (is that a real place???)
Very nice smooth lager. Very drinkable, nicely balanced. Corn based?
9.2

Some times you have great beer, some times you go to Chicago. Wait until we hit Atlanta. That makes up for Chicago! They've got some FANTASTIC beers! 

Friday, April 1, 2011

Florida has good beer...

Florida kicks butt in list of region’s best beers

, Herald-Tribune
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

BeerAdvocate just released a list of the 100 best beers in the South Atlantic region, which it defines as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. The list is generated by user reviews.
By my quick count, Florida breweries make up 36 of the 100 slots.
Cigar City in Tampa leads the pack with 34 beers. CCB actually has the most beers on the entire list, by far.
Funky Buddha in Boca Raton and Swamp Head in Gainesville each got one beer on the list, for their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter (No. 2) and Big Nose IPA (No. 96), respectively.
This is more ammunition to debunk the myth that Florida is a craft beer wasteland.
Read the complete list here.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Josh's Bachelor Party - 8/6/10

(Click image to super-size)

Josh's Bachelor Party - 8/6/10
We only had a few beers this night - the rest of it was liquor... but this place, "The Breslin" had cask beer. I HAD to try them. 

"The Breslin" http://thebreslin.com/ is an awesome Bar & Restaurant in NYC between Broadway & 5th Ave. They just received their first Michelin Star. I highly recommend you eat (and drink!) there if you get a chance.

8 of us sat at the Chef's table (right next to the kitchen) and we were served a glorious roast suckling pig with all of the trimmings. From the Breslin Menu:

SUCKLING PIG DINNER
FIRST
Caesar Salad
with Anchovy Dressing
MAIN
Whole Roasted Suckling Pig with Salsa Rossa & Salsa Verde
SIDES
Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Fennel
Broccoli Rabe
DESSERT 
Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

It was an amazing night, one of my favorite meals ever. Great time, great food, great drinks, great friends. You can't ask for more.

So what is "Cask Beer"? From their website - it is a nice simple explination:

Cask Beer:
Cask-conditioned ale is the traditional beer of Britain. It is pulled up to the bar by a hand pump, just as it is in England's Pubs. Cask ales are best enjoyed at a gently chilled cellar temperature. The Spotted Pig Bitter is made exclusively for The Breslin.

On to the Beer!!!

"The Breslin" (Abv. ?)
Aberdeen
Red Hook, NY

Cask Beer. Sweet. Bitter finish. Slightly coldern then room temp. Seems like a heavy hitter. Slight alcohol at the end.
9.2

"The Spotted Pig" (Abv. ?)
Bitter
Brooklyn, NY

Cask Beer. Very smooth. Nutty. Not a bitter, but very nice. Lighter color then I expected.
9.4 Qualified (Not a bitter)

This is the first time I ever Qualified a grade. This just did NOT seem like a bitter to me. It was more of a nut brown ale, but I really liked it.
Man, I want to go back to The Breslin!!!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

7/22/10 to 8/1/10

(Click images to see full size)

So here we are, getting close to the end of the Montana trip. Without any fanfare, let's get it going:

Left- A drawing I did of the growler of Trout Slayer I bought at Big Sky Brewing. Did I mention how much I love Big Sky Brewing?

Right -
7/22/10
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon
Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Abv. 5%)
It's a Pale Ale. Nice Aroma. Malt balances Hops. Good beer.
9.2

Wow, I wasn't too descriptive in that one. I rule.

Onwards...


(Click to make big) heh

Left- (This is my "Final Thoughts" on Montana...)

Ok - Montana 2010 trip summary:

33 different beers in 15 days. Pretty much 2 different beers a day.
Montana is a beautiful (and tasty) state. From what I remember, I think I hit every brewery I could find. On the last night I found 3 breweries I never got to hit.

Next time, Montana.
Next time.
-PL

Right-
8/1/10
HOME
Florida Beer Company
Melborne, FL
Key West Southernmost Wheat (Avb. ?)
Belgian-style Wheat Ale
brewed with spices and key lime

They suggest I drink it w/oranges lime or both. I had it w/o fruit. Nice beer. I like the lime in a Belgian White but it was bitter at the end and that bitterness lingered.
8+

Then there are some little sketches...

What a weak-ass beer to come home too after the awesomeness that was Montana. But wait until you see Chicago. That's a kick in the teeth. yeesh!

Monday, February 21, 2011

7/18/10 to 7/21/10

Wohh boy, this is gonna be a long-un!
We begin, Left page to Right page (click to enlarge -that's what she said):

7/18/10
West Glacier, MT
Wild Huckleberry Wheat Lager (Abv. ?)
The Great Northern Brewing Co.
Whitefish, MT
Wonderful flavor. Very balanced. Sweet fruit that lingers. The huckleberry is not overpowering but it works perfect with the wheat.
9.6

The left side reads: Wheat lager brewed with pure glacier water and select northwest hops, wheat and barley malt then blended with wild Montana Huckleberry juice.

Right Page:
Golden Grizzly Ale (Abv. ?)
Glacier Brewing Company
Polson, MT
Honey! Lots of notes resonate. A bit overwhelming, but refreshing.
9.4


Next page - Left page to Right page:
7/19/10
West Glacier, MT

Scape Goat Pale Ale (Abv. 5%)
Big Sky Brewing
Missoula, MT
Good pale ale, citrus undertones. Crisp. Nice to drink. Well balanced.
9.4+

Grizzly Wulff Wheat (Abv. ?)
Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co.
Billings, MT
"A filtered wheat beer after the Austrian style Krystall Weizen."
Very nice wheat! Citrus through out, maybe overpowering, very crisp & refreshing. Sour notes?
9
Right page:
7/20/10
Doublearrow Lodge
Seeley Lake, MT
Flathead Cherry Ale (Abv. ?)
Glacier Brewing Company
Polson, MT
Cherry is the star. Wheat beer? Very balanced, bitter end. Goes down smooth. Nice fragrance.
9.2


NEXT!!!
Left page is an awesome drawing my beautiful wife did of yours truly whilst enjoying an ice cold brew.

Right page:
7/20/10 (cont.)
Seeley Lake, MT
Bent Nail IPA (Abv. ?)
Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company
Red Lodge, MT
Straight up IPA. No bells, no whistles. Bitter, hoppy.
9

Seeley Lake, MT
Aunt Nancy's Cabin
Pyramid Amber Weizen Ale (Abv. ?)
Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
Seattle, WA
Malty & sweet flavor & aroma. Caramel? Nuts? Bitter finish.
8.5



NEXT SET!!!
Lefty:
7/20/10
Seeley Lake, MT
Aunt Nancy's Cabin
Alaskan Summer Ale (Abv. ?)
(Limited Edition Kolsh-Style Ale)
Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau, AK
Small hop flavor, citrus undertow. Smooth, malty & sweet. Unique. Hint of nuts?
9.6

Righty:
7/21/10
Seeley Lake, MT
Kokanee (Abv. ?)
Columbia Brewing Company
Creston, B.C. Canada
Sweet barley & malts come thru. Crisp & clean. Corn? A quantity beer, a beer you can drink a lot of and be happy.
9+