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.

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

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! 

Florida has good beer...

Florida kicks butt in list of region’s best beers

By Alan Shaw, 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.

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!!!

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!

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+

7/16/10 and 7/17/10

Left page to Right page...
(click on images to make them bigger...heh)

Big Sky Brewing Company (Yes the beer room in the lobby of the brewery, freakin A!!!)
(Missoula, MT)

All of the following are brewed by Big Sky Brewing Co., Missoula, MT:

Elephant Rock Imperial Saison (Abv. 11.3%)

big bite, spices dissappear quickly, but is refreashing.

8

Red Rye Ale (Abv. 6%)

Bitter front. Finishes nice (<- Wow, elephant rock potent ->)

8.5

Weekend @ Bernie's Pilsner (Abv. 5.5%)

Clean, crisp, balanced. Very nice. Little bitter at end.

9.2+

(OK, we went to another bar/brewery after this... I was a bit buzzed - that elepant rock was POTENT, but I'm not 100% sure what the brewery was called... oddly enough I could tell you how to get there from downtown Missoula... I love Missoula - awesome town.)

Kettle House Brewing Co.

(Missoula, MT)

Cold Smoke Ale (Abv. ?)

Dark, malty and smooth. Chocolate? Nice & Light tasting ale.

9.4

(Unfortunatly, I left off the brewer here... I'm guessing it was whichever brew pub we were at)

Brick & Morter Porter (Abv. 10.5%)

ouch...that ontop of the elephant rock? No wonder...

Malty & smokey. Coffee aftertaste (strong) Very good porter!!! Can't drink a lot of it...Can't drink a lot more.

9.4

Oh boy... off to a nother bar. I spelled some-thing wrong. (This was a GREAT day!!!)

Deschutes Brewery

Bend, Oregon

Inversion I.P.A.

Very much an I.P.A. Hoppy (happy?) bitter malt front.

8.5/9

7/17/10 (KIM'S BIRTHDAY!!!)
West Glacier, MT (I AM PRETTY SURE THAT WE WERE IN MISSOULA FOR KIM'S BIRTHDAY, BUT WHAT DO I KNOW. I'LL JUST DISAGREE WITH MYSELF.)

Double Haul I.P.A. (Abv. 6.5%)

Kettle House Brewing Co.

Missoula, MT

Straight IPA with a bitter finish. Not much flash.

8

Big Sky IPA (Abv. 6.2%)

Big Sky Brewing Co.

Nice I.P.A. Bitter with flavor. Taste lingers. Nice Hops thru out alll...

9.4

Then on the other page I drew some stuff... meh...

Going to Big Sky Brew Company was really cool. I *think* the other brewery might have been Kettle House... I need to ask Aunt Nancy. Man, I hope I can drink like her one day. Like everything, I guess it just takes practice...

7/14/10

From left to right.
(Click on image to enlarge)

7/14/10
Campsite 20 miles south of Missoula, MT

Long Creek Brewery

Marion, MT

Tri-Motor Amber

Long Ale (Abv. ???)

Very Sharp & crisp citrus front. Smooth Finish. Surprising taste for an amber. Very acidic.

9+

Bayern Brewing, Inc.

Missoula, MT

Bayern Dancing Trout (Abv. 5.3%)

Sediment in the bottom. Hop & citrus smell. Light. Citrus start followed by hops. Wheat beer? Tangy. Very nice.

9.2

Bitter Root Brewing

Hamilton, MT (We drove thru there today!)

Sawtooth Ale (Abv. ???)

Straight up American Ale. Hops & Malt are in balance. Sweet finish. Very smooth & crisp. I could drink this all day.

9.6

Big Sky Brewing Co.

Missoula, MT

Summer Honey (seasonal) (Abv. 5%)

Wonderful summer ale. Honey shines thru. Little watery & bitter (slight) end. Refreshing. Spice aftertaste (slight) which is neat.

9.4 solid

"We make water fun!"

Such a great tag line by Big Sky Brewing Company. Love it.

This was an awesome time. We camped right next to a beautiful river with crystal clear water. Kim and I were with Aunt Nancy, who set the camp up for us. It was an amazing night with great beer and great company.

7/12/10 (cont.) and 7/13/10

Left page: Now why the heck did I leave that page blank? I guess I gotta get someone to draw something there for me. Anyone interested?

(click on image to enlarge)

Right page:
7/12/10
Iron Horse Saloon
West Yellowstone, MT

Madison River Brewing Company

Belgrade, MT

Yellow Hoppy Hefewiezen

Spice & Citrus Balance, Smooth finish.

Crisp & Light

9

Harvest Moon Brewing Company (Not the one in New Brunswick, NJ)

Belt, MT (see?)

Beltian White

Very nice white. Well spiced & balanced.

Refreashing. Very nice Beer!

9.6

Brewed with Coriander and Orange Peel.

NEXT UP!!!

Left page: Bitch Creek (heh)

Right page:

7/13/10 (somewhere in Montana I suppose)

Grand Teton Brewing Company

Victor, ID

Bitch Creek (ESB) - (Extra Special Brown) (Abv. 6.0%)

Bitter, malty finish but bitterness lingers.

9.2

Big Sky Brewing Co.

Missoula,MT

Trout Slayer Ale (Abv. 4.7%)

Wonderful all around beer to drink. I could drink
this all day.

9.6+

Big Sky Brewing Co.

Missoula, MT

Moose Drool Brown Ale (Abv. 5.1%)

Probably the most popular beer out here. Very good malt & hop balance.
Finishes great & goes down smooth.

9.4

Below are two drawings of the Trout Slayer Ale & Moose Drool beer bottle labels that I drunkenly did...

I freaking loved Trout Slayer Ale (as you'll come to find out). The laptop I'm working on now even sporting a Trout Slayer Ale Sticker. Word Life.

7/10/10 to 7/12/10

Left page:
At a Tiki Bar in Livingston, MT
(yes a tiki bar in Montana... just awesome)

Blackfoot River Brewing Company
Helena, MT
"Real Good Beer, Made by Real Good People"

Blackfoot OPA (Organic Pale Ale)

Sharp. Full body. Nice bite. Small Head.

8.5

Right page:
7/11/10
West Yellowstone, MT
Iron Horse Saloon

Grand Teton Brewing Company

Old Faithful Pale Ale

Citrus, well balanced, smooth finish. Small/no head. Low hop, but present.

9.2

NEXT UP!!!

Left Page:

7/11/10

Belgrade, MT

Madison River Brewing Company

Honey Rye (Avb 5%)

Lite citrus front, slow hop aftertaste. Smooth finish but watery.

8

7/12/10

West Yellowstone, MT

Wolf Pack Ale House

Madison River Brewing Company

Stimulatior Bock Lager (Abv. 5.8%)

Crisp, light, very refreshing.

9.6

Red Lodge Brewing Company

Red Lodge, MT
Red Lodge Glacier Ale (Avb. 5%)

Malty, but not too heavy. Low hop finishes with a slow burn.

8

Right page:

Kilowog Drinking a beer by Christian Almay

Lots of fun...

So a quick re-cap. This blogging is not easy. I need to figure out a faster system. I'm running outta beer doing this.

NOT GOOD.

And lo' there was a... Beginning!

START HERE.

I started this Beer Bible on a trip to Montana.

Montana boasts the most craft breweries per capita; more than any other state, so it seemed appropriate spot to start this journey.


(click on images for better quality)

For some reason I chose to leave the frontispiece blank - eventually I'll ask an artist friend to draw something there. If I get around to it.

The first page, and the first beer entry on this journey reads:

Beer Journal - Started: July 10th, 2010

Livingston, MT

Neptune's Brewery
119 North L St.
Livingston, MT 59047


"Speak Softly. Wear a loud shirt."



Sheza Titan Belgian Blonde (abv. 9%)

Pint. Small head. Bitter front. Citrus back.

7.5

I'm not sure how I want to fill this online journal... I don't know if I want to tell extra details about the location or a small antic dote about what was going on during the "tasting". I'm not sure anyone would care. Then again, this is mostly for my amusement. Just don't know. I guess that is the beauty of EDIT.