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.