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446. Margaritaville Brewing Co – Landshark Lager
Jul30

446. Margaritaville Brewing Co – Landshark Lager

As I’ve mentioned in my last couple of posts, I’m on vacation with my family in Florida.  Today we stopped for lunch at a place on John’s Pass called Gators so my son could try gator nuggets.  It was a great place to sit waterside and watch the boats, birds, people and the drawbridge (which you can see is open in the background of my photo).  Their beer list was limited to the typical big brewery beers, but I...

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445. Mother Earth Brewing – Sunny Haze German Style Hefeweizen
Jul29

445. Mother Earth Brewing – Sunny Haze German Style Hefeweizen

I’m on vacation in Florida, and on our way down we stopped in Atlanta to stay with my friend Joe, to take a break during the 17-hour car drive down. Joe picked up a couple of local craft beers that I couldn’t get in Illinois or Florida, and made sure they were in the can, so I could drink them on the beach. Well, I’m not on the beach yet, but I cracked open one of these while sitting on the veranda looking down the...

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444. Birra Moretti – Birra Moretti La Rossa Birra Doppio Malto
Jul28

444. Birra Moretti – Birra Moretti La Rossa Birra Doppio Malto

My family and I arrived in Florida today on our family vacation. We rented a condo on Madeira Beach. After getting in this afternoon, we dumped our stuff at the condo and went for a drive north toward Clearwater. After exploring for a bit, we were hungry, and used Yelp to help us find Cristino’s. It’s an italian restaurant which reviews said made great pizza. They were right! Since it was hot, I started with a Peroni, and...

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443. Lazy Magnolia – Indian Summer Spiced Ale
Jul27

443. Lazy Magnolia – Indian Summer Spiced Ale

My family and I left for vacation today to spend a week on Madeira Beach, Florida.  We’ve driven about 10 hours today and arrived at my friend Joe’s place in Atlanta.  We’re crashing here for the night before finishing our trip tomorrow.  Joe knew that there was nothing I wanted more after the long drive than a good beer.  He offered a bunch of different beers, and I decided to go with this one before going to bed....

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442. Piece Brewery & Pizzeria – Dysfunctionale
Jul26

442. Piece Brewery & Pizzeria – Dysfunctionale

Several weeks ago, I was in Chicago to watch my sister play football (she plays for the St. Louis Slam professional women’s football team). While there, we stopped at Piece Brewery & Pizzeria for a late lunch before the game. I had a couple of beers (as did my wife, although I had much of hers). Since I’d never been here before, I wanted a growler, and I couldn’t leave with it empty, so I took this beer to go....

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441. Big Muddy Brewing – Vanilla Stout
Jun11

441. Big Muddy Brewing – Vanilla Stout

After our homebrew club meeting this evening, I headed over to Flingers Pizza and Pub in downtown Bloomington, IL for one last drink.  They have craft beers on tap there for half price on Mondays, and I was fortunate they had one I haven’t had yet.  I’ve seen beers from Big Muddy on the shelf at the local liquor store, but haven’t tried any of their beers yet. Location: On tap and served in a regular pint glass at...

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440. Green Flash Brewing – Imperial India Pale Ale
Jun11

440. Green Flash Brewing – Imperial India Pale Ale

I’m at our monthly homebrew club meeting at Fat Jack’s in Bloomington, IL, and I was looking for something I haven’t had yet.  I’ve had a few Green Flash beers, and they’ve generally been pretty good.  So, I didn’t feel like I was going out on a limb to try this big hoppy beer from this brewery.  According to the brewery, “San Diego IPA, as it has come to be known by many, is pale in color,...

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439. Half Acre Beer Company – Daisy Cutter Pale Ale
Jun02

439. Half Acre Beer Company – Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

As you could tell by my last few posts, I’m in Columbia, MO for a golf tournament.  We’re out on the course and I’ve already had a Two Brothers Outlaw IPA my friend Joe brought back from a recent trip to Chicago.  He also brought back this one from Half Acre Beer Co.  It was hard to review it on the course, so Joe shared another can with me to take a little more time review later in the evening. Location: Enjoyed in...

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438. Two Brothers Brewing – Outlaw India Pale Ale
Jun02

438. Two Brothers Brewing – Outlaw India Pale Ale

We’re out on the golf course for my fraternity’s annual golf tournament.  My friend Joe had several craft beers in cans we were able to sneak onto the course (what an “outlaw”).  I started out with a couple of these cans and grabbed this quick picture on the back of our cart.  Joe gave me a couple cans to take home, so I was able to pour one in a glass and write down better, more thorough notes a couple of days...

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437. Flat Branch Pub & Brewing – Kristal Weizen
Jun01

437. Flat Branch Pub & Brewing – Kristal Weizen

My friend Joe and I met up with our friend Bill who lives here in Columbia, MO.  We’re in town for our fraternity’s annual golf tournament, and we’re on our third stop of the evening, along with my fifth beer.  I wasn’t exactly sure what type of beer this was, but it sounded interesting and I thought I’d give it a try.  Here’s what was listed on the brewery menu: “Kristalweizen is a clear,...

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436. Flat Branch Pub & Brewing – Belgian Golden
Jun01

436. Flat Branch Pub & Brewing – Belgian Golden

As I’ve mentioned in the last few posts, I’m in Columbia, MO for my fraternity’s annual golf tournament.  After stops at 44 Stone for a couple beers, and Booches for more beer and burgers, my friend Joe and I met up with our friend Bill who lives in Columbia.  The rest of the crowd went to Harpo’s, and instead, we headed to Flat Branch Pub & Brewing for a few more beers.  According to the menu: “A...

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435. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Yakima Wheat Ale
Jun01

435. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Yakima Wheat Ale

After a quick stop at a new beer bar in Columbia, MO named 44 Stone, and enjoying Schlafly’s Black IPA and Avery’s Hog Heaven, my friend Joe and I checked into the hotel.  We met up with the guys we’d be playing golf with the next day at Booche’s in downtown Columbia.  It’s a pool hall with some of the best little hamburgers anywhere.  Joe and I each ordered several burgers as well as a pitcher of this...

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434. Avery Brewing – Hog Heaven
Jun01

434. Avery Brewing – Hog Heaven

After starting with Schlafly’s Black IPA, I was ready to get the weekend started. The new beer bar in Columbia, MO – 44 Stone – also had this nice craft beer on draft. Knowing I had a long night ahead of me (and an early morning to get up and play golf), I oped for the 4oz glass of this big beer. According to the brewery, “this dangerously drinkable garnet beauty is a hop lover’s delight. The intense dry-hop...

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433. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Black IPA
Jun01

433. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Black IPA

I’m in Columbia, MO this weekend for my fraternity’s annual golf tournament.  Followers of this blog will often see me trying new beers on my trips to the town of my alma mater, and this trip was no different.  We arrived in town and immediately stopped at a new beer bar in town called 44 Stone.  They had a very good craft beer list with a ton of great bottles available.  I’d had several of the craft beers on tap,...

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432. O’Fallon Brewery – 5-Day IPA
May25

432. O’Fallon Brewery – 5-Day IPA

As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up my wife from the train station in St. Louis, and we stopped at Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square for a drink.  I started off with their house beer, an amber wheat Chocolate Ale, brewed by O’Fallon.  I was less than impressed, and decided to go with something bolder and hoppier. Location: On tap and served in a regular pint glass at Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in...

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431. O’Fallon Brewery / Bailey’s Chocolate Bar – Chocolate Ale
May25

431. O’Fallon Brewery / Bailey’s Chocolate Bar – Chocolate Ale

In my last post, I mentioned I was in St. Louis for the weekend, taking the kids to the zoo on their day off school.  My wife had to work and was taking Amtrak into town to meet us.  Her train was delayed a bit, so I stopped at 4 Hands Brewing, had a pint of their Prunus Saisonand picked up a growler to go.  My wife’s trip wasn’t great, so she wanted to stop at a bar for a drink before heading to my dad’s house.  We...

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430. 4 Hands Brewing – Prunus Saison
May25

430. 4 Hands Brewing – Prunus Saison

I’m in St. Louis for the weekend, visiting my dad and taking the kids to the zoo.  Since the kids had the day off school, I took the day off work and took them to the zoo.  However, my wife had to work and is taking the train in to meet us.  I headed downtown to pick her up fron the train station, and since her train was delayed a half hour, I stopped in at 4 Hands to have a drink and pick up a growler to go.  According to the...

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429. Argus Brewery – California Steam
May16

429. Argus Brewery – California Steam

I was just in Champaign, Illinois at Destihl, having a Vertex IPA.  When I called my friend Fred (head brewer at Destihl) to ask what to have, he asked me if I could pick something up from there and bring it back to him in Normal, IL.  I delivered it to him and we stopped for a quick beer at Medici in Normal.  I was scanning the list for something I haven’t had yet, and with it being a fairly hot day, I thought I’d go for...

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428. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Vertex IPA
May16

428. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Vertex IPA

I was just at Destihl in Normal, IL on Monday with my friend Joe, where I tried their Strawberry Blonde ale, Downstate Pale Ale, and St. Dekkera Reserve Bela Imperial Pilsner Sour Ale.  On Wednesday evening, I found myself at Destihl’s Champaign location.  My friend Fred, the head brewer here, recommended I give it a try if I was feeling like something a bit hoppy. Location: On tap and poured into a tulip shaped glass at Destihl...

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427. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Strawberry Blonde Ale
May14

427. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Strawberry Blonde Ale

I’ve mentioned in my last couple of posts, but my friend Joe is passing through central Illinois on his way home to St. Louis from Chicago. We’re having dinner at Destihl, the local brewpub, along with a few beers. I started out with their St. Dekkera Reserve Bela Imperial Pilsner Sour Ale, and then followed that with their Downstate Pale ale with my dinner. After dinner, I thought I’d go with something a bit lighter...

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