556. North Coast Brewing – Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale
After stopping at Flinger’s Pizza Pub for a Green Flash West Coast IPA and a couple of pizza rolls, I headed to our homebrew club meeting at Fat Jack’s. I looked to see what was on the menu I hadn’t had yet, and this one caught my eye. I’d seen it at the liquor store, and heard good things about it, so I thought I’d give it a try since it was on draft. Location: On tap and served in a curved glass at Fat Jack’s in...
555. Green Flash Brewing – West Coast IPA
Tonight is my monthly homebrewers club meeting, and I had a half hour or so to grab some dinner beforehand. Regular readers will see that I love Flinger’s Pizza Pub for their pizza and craft beers on tap, and conveniently, it’s right down the street from Fat Jack’s, our meeting place. Since I was on my own, I had their tomato basil rolls – which were excellent – and this beer. Location: On tap and served...
554. Spoetzl Brewery – Shiner Hefeweizen
Today is the first day of SXSW, and although I’ve been there before, I’m not able to go this year. However, I’m missing being there a ton and am taking advantage of their live streams of some of the keynote speakers. In order to truly make it a “SXSW experience at home” I wanted to crack open a Shiner while watching. Fortunately, my good friend @BettyWriter sent me a mixed 6 pack of Shiner beers right...
553. Lagunitas Brewing – A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
After the happy hour at Station 220 ended, where I had the Boulder Freshtracks and a bottle of Old Rasputin, I still had a little bit of time. So, I ran by Medici in Normal to grab a beer during “Wednesday Warriors” (where if you have a beer on 10 Wednesdays during the year you get a t-shirt and discounts). Now the first beer I ordered ran out (just the luck I was having if you read my last post), and they had a bunch of...
552. North Coast Brewing – Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
I’ve been having a great time hanging out with co-workers at a happy hour for a few of them who are moving on to bigger and better things. After having the Boulder Freshtracks, I thought I’d try something different. I ordered a beer, and the tap blew. The only only remaining one that looked good was the Schlafly Pale Ale. Guess what? That one blew too. To avoid further issues with the taps, I ordered this bottle, which...
551. Boulder Beer Co. – Freshtracks Wet-Hopped Singletrack
Tonight I’m at a happy hour for a couple of co-workers who are moving on to other positions within the company. We’re at Station 220 in Bloomington, IL., and I was a bit surprised to see they had 6 different craft beers on tap. I hadn’t heard of this one before, but I like Boulder’s Singletrack Copper Ale (I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed that one yet), so I thought I’d give this wet hopped...
550. Boulevard Brewing – Smokestack Series Dark Truth Stout
I stumbled across this in the back of the beer fridge, and I have no idea when or where I got it. The label says, “Best by 10/9/11,” so it must have been a while ago. I’m watching my Mizzou Tigers taking on Arkansas and enjoying this beer before I sit down to get some work done. The bottle says, ” Roasted English malts provide a deep, rich texture, Belgian yeast Vistowes plum like fruitiness, and German hops...
549. Perennial Artisan Ales – Peace Offering
As I mentioned with the Perennial Hommel Bier I had, my dad lives in St. Louis and I visit there often. I stopped by Perennial once and picked up a couple of beers, but I can’t remember when it was, and there’s no date on the bottle. The bottle says, ” Peace offering is un-American brown ale, brewed with a few hundred pounds of maple roasted Missouri squash. We hope you enjoy our take on autumn in that the flavors...
548. Cathedral Square Brewery – Hail Mary Belgian-Style IPA
It’s Sunday night, and I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and relax after sending the kids up stairs to get ready for bed. I’ve found another corner of the beer fridge, with some beers (like Perennial Hommel Bier) I brought back from my many trips to St. Louis to see my dad. I’m not sure how long these St. Louis beers have been in the beer fridge, since they don’t seem to have dates on them, but...
547. AleSmith Brewing – Old Numbskull Barley Wine Ale
I’ve heard a lot of great things about AleSmith beers, and really wanted to try them, but we haven’t been able to get them here in central Illinois. Fortunately, my friend David, who lives out in San Diego was willing to send me a couple of them. If you live in the San Diego area and need a photographer, please give him a shout – davereedphotography.com. So, as I sit here and watch my Missouri Tigers on TV, I decided...
546. Boulevard Brewing – Grainstorm Black Rye IPA
We’ve been having a rough go of it lately, and so to escape things for a bit, my wife and I took the kids out to Flinger’s Pizza and Pub tonight for dinner. Nothing beats their tomato-basil cheesebomb (especially when you can’t eat meat on Fridays during lent), and the craft beers on tap. I usually try to stay away from beers like Boulevard that I can get easily, but this one looked interesting. It was confirmed when...
545. Uinta Brewing – Crooked Line Detour Double India Pale Ale
A few months ago I was in Seattle for work, and picked up a bunch of beers that I couldn’t get back here in Illinois to bring home in my suitcase. I hadn’t heard of this brewery before, or seen any of their beers, so I was excited to give it a try. However, I went to the liquor store the other day, and saw this beer on the shelf. I’m still excited to give it a try though. The bottle says, ” Detour blazes the...
544. Perennial Artisan Ales – Hommel Bier Belgian Style Ale
My dad lives in St. Louis, so we get back there often. I remember stopping by the brewery to buy a couple of beers (including this one), but I honestly can’t remember when, and the bottle doesn’t have a date on it. The bottle says, ” In the hop capital of Belgium, Hommell is the word for Cumulus, the plant genus where Hoppes resides. Our Hommel Bier defies tradition by combining North American malts, Pacific...
543. Big Al Brewing – Big Hoppa India Pale Ale
The snow is really coming down outside, and I’m glad to be inside eating a hot pizza. After I pulled the Epic Simple Ale out of the beer fridge, I saw this one behind it. I also picked this one up during my work trip to Seattle a few months ago. I’d heard a lot of good things about this brewery online (and their support of the local homebrew community), and was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to stop there (although...
542. Epic Ales – Simple Ale
When I was in Seattle for work a few months ago, I stopped at the Malt and Vine to pick up some beers I couldn’t get here in Illinois. Along with several beers from Russian River, I got several local beers (of places I didn’t visit, which is amazing, because I stopped at 12 breweries during my visit). This one appealed to me because of the simple label and Epic name. The bottle says, “Using only water, Washington...
541. Southern Tier Brewing Co – LIVE Bottle Conditioned Pale Ale
My sister is a big fan of my home brews, and shares those I give her with all her friends. She also tells them about this blog, and a few of them have sent me beers to review. This one (and another, with a review coming soon) were sent to me by her friend Brittany who lives not far from the Southern Tier brewery in New York. Thanks Britt! The bottle says, “Brewed with 4 varieties mod hops and 4 types of malts.” it also has...
540. Brasserie Dubuisson – Scaldis Refermentée Amber Ale
I’ve recently discovered I have a heart condition and have had to cut back a little bit on my beer intake. Therefore, I’ve been trying to keep it to no more than one a day. If I can only have one, I’m going to go big, like this one. A few weeks ago I corresponded back and forth with @belgianexpert on Twitter, and found out Wendy was located in Chicago (only a little bit north of me). Little did I know, she really is...
539. Firestone Walker Brewing Co – Double Jack Double IPA
It’s a nice Sunday evening, and I’m watching the Amazing Race. Earlier in the day, I was cleaning up in the basement, and found a stash of beers I was hiding from myself. I’m not sure how this beer ended up in there. While it probably ages well at 9.5% ABV, it’s not meant to last. The date on the bottle is 11/7/11, so it’s not too bad (a little over a year old), but it was time to drink it....
538. Cigar City Brewing – Batch 69 Double Cream Ale
It hasn’t really been a great day today, and I really needed a big, strong beer. I went to the beer fridge and decided to grab this one, which I picked up when I visited the brewery this past summer on vacation in Tampa, Florida. It seem like a unique style, so I grabbed this one of the several beers they had there at the brewery. The bottle has a July 30, 2012 date on it, and it says, “Batch #69 is a Double Cream Ale, a...
537. Abita Brewing – Abita Jockamo IPA
It’s Sunday night, and I finally got the kids to bed. There’s not much I find more relaxing that sitting down at the kitchen table and enjoying a beer, and this was a great chance to do so. I went to the beer fridge and found the corner that has a few slightly older beers in it. I picked this beer up as part of a mixed 6-pack of local beers on a business trip to New Orleans about a year ago. During that trip, I actually...
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