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814. New Glarus Brewing – Scream IIPA
Jul25

814. New Glarus Brewing – Scream IIPA

Last weekend my friend Steve convinced me to go with him up to New Glarus Brewing Company, so he could buy some of their Spotted Cow. A friend of his wants him to brew a clone of that beer for his wedding, and he’d never had it before. It was an awesome trip, and I bought a bunch of beer to bring back with me, including this one. I really enjoy their fruit beers, so I was curious to see what one of their IPAs would be like....

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813. Triton Brewing – Wit or Wit-Out You
Jul22

813. Triton Brewing – Wit or Wit-Out You

I’ve been having a lot of problems with WordPress, but finally got them fixed tonight. So I hope to get back to more regular reviews. It was a super hot day today, about 95 degrees, and so I was looking for a lighter, more refreshing beer.  This beer was given to me a couple of months ago by my friend Kevin who lived in Indianapolis. He’s been a big fan of Triton since they started and brought me several of their beers....

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812. Trappistes Rochefort – 8 Belgian Ale
Jul04

812. Trappistes Rochefort – 8 Belgian Ale

It’s been quite a while since I last posted. I’ve been enjoying a lot of beers, but just not taking the time to sit down and write a review. By starting this blog, I’ve learned how much I enjoy beer, but how writing about every beer I drink is kind of inhibiting. I’ve also had several problems with WordPress, the blog platform this is built on, but I won’t bore you with that. Since it’s the 4th of...

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811. Flat 12 Bierwerks- Hello My Name is Amber
Apr03

811. Flat 12 Bierwerks- Hello My Name is Amber

It’s been a busy Saturday running errands, working on taxes, and now, watching the Final Four tournament. I’ve been drinking homebrew most of the evening, and decided to finally cracked open a commercial beer. This beer was given to me by my friend Kevin, who lives in Indianapolis, and brought a bunch of beers from there for me a couple of months ago. I’ve already had a few of their beers, and haven’t really...

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810. Breakside Brewery – Salted Caramel Stout
Mar19

810. Breakside Brewery – Salted Caramel Stout

It’s Friday night and it’s been a pretty good week. I spent most of the week following SXSW happenings online. Then the NCAA tournament started yesterday. Tonight, my wife and I went out for happy hour and had a couple of Hop Slams at Joe’s Stationhouse Pizza Pub. Right now, my wife is preparing for my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow. Even though I’m still on my diet, I decided to cheat and have this...

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809. Spiteful Brewing – Working for the Weekend Double IPA
Mar13

809. Spiteful Brewing – Working for the Weekend Double IPA

I’m doing SXSW again at home this year, and so, just like at SXSW, I’m having a few beers. I had a couple of Hop Slams at lunch, so I thought I’d have this with dinner. I picked up a four pack of this a few weeks ago during a work trip up to Chicago. The label has some interesting artwork, so along with the name, the fact that it’s a double IPA, and I really enjoyed their Spiteful IPA , I was looking forward to...

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808. Great Lakes Brewing – Rye of the Tiger IPA
Mar05

808. Great Lakes Brewing – Rye of the Tiger IPA

We’re getting ready for a murder mystery party at our neighbor’s house tonight and I thought I’d have a couple beers before going over. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m trying to clean out the beer fridge and finish off as many of the IPAs as possible, since fading hops are probably the quickest to change the flavor of a beer. I picked this one up as part of a mixed 6 pack I picked up while in Minnesota last...

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807. Third Street Brewhouse – Spot Light IPA
Mar05

807. Third Street Brewhouse – Spot Light IPA

I recently started a new diet, which cuts my beer consumption quite a bit.  However, Saturdays are a “cheat day” when I can pretty much have anything I want. So, of course, I had to have a beer or two today.  I found this one in the beer fridge, and remember picking it up in a mixed 6 pack during a trip up to Minnesota last year.  I’ve been trying to pull all of the IPAs I have out of the beer fridge, since the hops...

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806. Rhinegeist Brewery – Franz Oktoberfest
Feb21

806. Rhinegeist Brewery – Franz Oktoberfest

It’s Saturday night and my wife went out with her friends and I’ve got the kiddos. In addition, I started a new diet, which only lets me have beer one day a week. So after having a Hop Slam and a Pay it Forward Cocoa Porter, I had this beer. It’s one of the beers my sister brought me from her trip to Cincinnati. The can says, “an untraditional Oktoberfest bier, with rich and nutty Munich and Vienna malts...

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805. Dogfish Head – 75 Minute IPA
Feb08

805. Dogfish Head – 75 Minute IPA

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and we’re sitting here watching the game (and commercials).  It’s also been one of the worst, most stressful and trying weekends of my life. It’s a really challenging time, and therefore, I really, really needed a good beer to enjoy. The bottle says it’s “A bottle conditioned India Pale Ale with maple syrup. There are some situations when 90 is too much. There are other...

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804. Flat 12 Bierwerks – Walkabout Pale Ale
Jan23

804. Flat 12 Bierwerks – Walkabout Pale Ale

We had a relatively low key weekend, so I thought I’d try to do a couple reviews today. This is one of the beers my friend Kevin brought from Indianapolis. I don’t know much about their brewery, but already had their Half Cycle IPA, which was overly bitter. So, I’m hoping this one is a little better. Location: Poured into a curved pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 5.3% ABV, 40 IBUs, ~140 Calories...

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803. Hi-Wire Brewing – Hi-Pitch IPA
Jan19

803. Hi-Wire Brewing – Hi-Pitch IPA

It’s Monday… time for a beer, but seriously, it was a long day at work, and I was ready for a beer. I’ve also been trying to review beers a little more regularly. This beer was given to me by my sister after her trip to Asheville, NC. The bottle says, “Hi-Pitch, a Western North Carolina take on the West Coast style IPA. Huge citrus hop aromas make this a Hop Head’s dream. Its full body balances well with...

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802. West Sixth Brewing – Pay it Foward Cocoa Porter
Jan18

802. West Sixth Brewing – Pay it Foward Cocoa Porter

I was awoken this morning by my wife cleaning our bedroom, announcing she had a list of things for me to do today. I knocked out most of the stuff on the list, and even went to the gym today. So, I decided to reward myself with a beer tonight. This was part of a bunch of beers my sister brought back from her trip to Cincinnati and gave me for Christmas. Location: Poured into a snifter glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 7%...

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801. Fountain Square Brewery – Soul Ride India Pale Ale
Jan16

801. Fountain Square Brewery – Soul Ride India Pale Ale

It’s been a pretty relaxing Saturday. The only thing we had to do today was go to the neighbors daughter’s birthday party. So when I got home, after I took care of a few things, I decided to sit down and review a couple of beers. My buddy Kevin Marks brought this in a bunch of beers for me from Indianapolis a couple of months ago, so I’ve been trying to make my way through them. The label says, “This American...

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800. Founders Brewing – Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2009 KBS
Jan16

800. Founders Brewing – Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2009 KBS

It’s been a long week at work, since one of the hospitals I oversee public affairs for opened a new patient wing. Since it’s a Friday night and a milestone beer, I thought I’d grab something from the special section of the beer fridge. Before I cracked it open, I had to do a bit of research to see what year KBS this was… so thanks to the beer geeks out there who posted the info letting me know it was a 2009....

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799. Ecliptic Brewing – Regulus Sparkling Ale
Jan10

799. Ecliptic Brewing – Regulus Sparkling Ale

I’m working on my webpage today, and am sitting in the kitchen enjoying the gorgeous view of all of the snow we had last night. I thought I’d knock out a couple of beer reviews, and I’ve been meaning to have this one for quite a while. My friend Betty sent it to me from Portland, after I asked her to send me some beers from Ecliptic Brewing. When I did my Cuisinturnship in Portland, I brewed with John Harris, the...

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798. Lagunitas Brewing – Censored Rich Copper Ale
Jan08

798. Lagunitas Brewing – Censored Rich Copper Ale

I had to drive up to Chicago for work today for a monthly meeting, and was hoping to make it back into town for “Belgian Beer School” at our local HyVee grocery store.  I made it about halfway through, but thanks to my friends Kiel, Fred & Heather for saving me a seat and a few sips of each beer to get caught up! Also, thanks to Adam Schulte of Artisanal Imports for an excellent presentation and samples of great beers....

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797. Sun King Brewing – Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale
Jan03

797. Sun King Brewing – Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale

I’m set on doing a few reviews today, so now that I’ve had dinner and helped put away Christmas decorations it’s time for a beer. This is one of the beers my sister brought me from her trip to Indianapolis. Admittedly, I’ve already had the other three in the four pack and held onto this one to do this review. The can says, “Crafted to be smooth and malty, Wee Mac has a rich hazelnut character with toffee...

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796. Mankato Brewery – Haymaker IPA
Jan02

796. Mankato Brewery – Haymaker IPA

It’s been nice having a long, relaxing weekend, and I’ve been meaning to know a few more beers off the list. I’ve been trying to find and drink all of the IPAs in the beer fridge, knowing that the flavors in those will fade the fastest. I picked this one up as part of a mixed 12 pack of beers from Mankato Brewing when I was up in Minnesota at Mayo clinic.  So far, I’ve only had their Leaf Raker Nut Brown ale....

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795. Triton Brewing – Rail Splitter IPA
Dec29

795. Triton Brewing – Rail Splitter IPA

It was my first day back at the office after the four day holiday weekend, and we had a bad wind and ice storm. Oh, and it delivered about 3″ of rain. There were a lot of power outages, leaks, and trees down everywhere. Needless to say, I’d been craving a beer to relax for the evening. You might remember my friend Kevin brought several beers from Indianapolis a month or so ago. He’s a big fan of this brewery, and...

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