288. Live Oak Brewing – Liberation Ale Draft
After a long day, I wanted to stop at The Gingerman for a few beers. It’s a beer bar in Austin (they have a few other locations) that has a ton of beers on tap. For me, it’s a good opportunity to try some new and local stuff. I didn’t even know what this beer was, but it was local, so I wanted to give the Liberation Ale from Live Oak Brewing a try. At liveoakbrewing.com, it says, “Liberation Ale is light in...
287. Kona Brewing – Longboard Island Lager
As I mentioned in my last post, I was out at the Hickory Street Bar and Grill in Austin, TX at SXSW. My new friend Robert and I enjoyed the view of Congress Ave. from their patio while we ate. After starting with a Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, I thought I’d try something else from them along with my meal. The only other Kona beer on their menu was this one, so it made my decision easy. Numbers: 4.6% ABV, 18 IBUs, 13 degrees plato...
286. Kona Brewing – Fire Rock Pale Ale
I’m down in Austin, TX for SXSW and my new friend Robert and I headed out on the town to try to find a place to eat. We found The Hickory Street Bar & Grill, which had a nice patio looking out on to Congress Ave. Although I know it’s probably made by one of the other Craft Brewers Alliance breweries, I was glad to see beer from Kona Brewing on the beer list. I haven’t had any of their beers, but they sounded...
285. (512) Brewing – (512) IPA Draft
When I checked into the Downtown Austin Residence Inn for the beginning of the SXSW Interactive Festival, I got a coupon for a couple free drinks at the attached Champions bar and grill. So, my friend Robert and I headed to the bar before dinner. Fortunately, they had some local brews on tap, so I got a chance to try this local IPA. Numbers: 7% ABV, 65 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was a somewhat hazy brown-orange color with a...
284. Grupo Modelo – Pacifico
We’re finished with the iMedia Brand Summit, and we’ve got a day off before the Social Business Summit, and then SXSW Interactive. Since it was a great afternoon, my new friend Robert suggested was try out Chuy’s Hula Hut for lunch. Since I’m a big fan of Mexican food, and I had a craving for a cerveza, I was in. I nostalgically became a big fan of this beer after my trip to Cabo San Lucas in 1999, where...
283. Real Ale Brewing – Fireman’s 4 Blonde Ale Draft
I arrived at the iMedia Brand Summit I was headed to at the Hyatt Lost Pines resort, just south of Austin. After the second night of the conference, I headed to the hotel bar to see if I could find any local brews on tap. I got lucky and found this one, even though I had to look up where it was brewed, since the waitress didn’t know the brewer. Numbers: 5.1% ABV, 21 IBUs, 12 OG (plato) Appearance & Aroma: A very bright gold...
282. Widmer Brothers – Broken Halo IPA
I’m still sitting in the Austin, Texas airport, now watching the second half of the Missouri-Kansas game in the bar just outside of security. Unfortunately, my Tigers are down, and it doesn’t look good. However, the bar was almost empty, so I could relax and enjoy sipping on this brew during the second half. After having the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager I was looking for something a bit hoppy. Numbers: 6% ABV, 45 IBUs,...
281. Spoetzl Brewery – Shiner 97 Bohemian Black Lager
I just arrived in Austin, Texas for a couple of conferences – iMedia Brand Summit and SXSW Interactive. However, the first thing I had to do when I arrived in the Austin airport was find a sports bar. My Mizzou Tigers were playing my dad’s Kansas Jayhawks in the Big XII tournament. I found one past security and settled in with this Texas beer to watch the game. Numbers: 4.9% ABV Appearance & Aroma: The black/deep...
280. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Bamberg Rauchbier Draft
I wasn’t really planning on having a fourth beer this evening, but it’s my wife’s birthday, and she wanted to have another. So, how could I say no. After the Torrent Black IPA, I thought I’d try another beer from the Brewmaster’s Selections. I really, really enjoyed the Brauerei Heller Bamberg – Hecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen I had during my Oktoberfest Challenge, so I thought I’d give...
279. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Torrent Black IPA Draft
As I mentioned in my last couple posts, it’s my wife’s birthday and we’re out on the town. After a nice dinner at Kobe Steakhouse and swalling a Tsingtao and Asahi Super Dry, we headed over to Destihl for a beer or two and enjoy the evening before having to pick up the kids. Ever since I had Deschutes’ Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark ale and the Walnut Brewery 1123 IPA during my trip out to the Great American...
278. Asahi Breweries – Asahi Super Dry
As I mentioned in my last post, we’re out to dinner at Kobe in Bloomington, IL for my wife’s birthday. Before dinner, I started with a Tsingtao, and wasn’t thrilled with it. So for my next drink, I went for the Asahi. We continued to watch the show and I had this beer with my dinner. Numbers: 5% ABV Appearance & Aroma: It was very clear and was golden-yellow in color. The head was bright white with some big...
277. Tsingtao Brewery – Tsingtao
Today is my wife’s birthday, and to celebrate, we went out to Kobe Steakhouse here in town for dinner and a “show.” It’s usually fairly entertaining, although they’ve got the same gimmicks at all of these types of places. Since we were celebrating, it was a chance to have a beer, and a unique one that I could add to the list. Numbers: 4.8% ABV Appearance & Aroma: It was in the bottle here, but I...
276. Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA India Pale Ale Draft
Tonight I’m at Fat Jack’s for our monthly steering meeting for the ABNormal Brewers. I like that they usually have some different beers on tap, and tonight was no exception. I felt like something hoppy, so I decided to go for one of the only IPAs on the list. Numbers: 7% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was slightly hazy and golden-straw colored. It had a very thick, creamy, bright-white head on it, which left...
275. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Hoperation Overload Double IPA
I had a late afternoon doctor’s appointment and had to run some errands. While running errands, I had remembered my friend Fred, the assistant brewmaster at Destihl, saying how much he liked this beer. So, I decided to stop by. Unexpectedly, I ran into Fred and his wife Heather, along with 4-5 other members of our homebrew club, the ABNormal Brewers. Fred was there to unclog the lines which had filled with hop sediment, and...
Thank You Capital Brewery
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll remember my Oktoberfest Challenge back in October, where I had a seasonal Oktoberfest or pumpkin beer every day during the month. I never thought it would be so hard to find so many seasonal beers. On one trip to the local liquor store, I found a beer from Capital Brewing simply labled “Fest Seasonal beer.” I naturally assumed it was their Oktoberfest. When I...
274. Goose Island – Pepe Nero Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, I was at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington, IL for a Goose Island “mini invasion” where they had taken over 12 taps there. I met up with my friend Fred, who had just finished teaching a homebrewing class at the community college. He was in a good mood, so he bought me this round. Since he was buying I told him to pick what I should have (and I knew I could count on him to pick...
273. Goose Island – Aviator Doppelbock Draft
After going to uptown and Maggie Miley’s for a happy hour for a co-worker, I headed downtown to Fat Jack’s for a Goose Island “mini invasion.” They had taken over 12 of the taps there with different Goose Island beers. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, they were out of their imperial IPA. There didn’t seem to be much for my hop craving, so I decided to try this one. Numbers: 7.6% ABV Appearance...
272. Warsteiner Brauerei – Warsteiner Premium Dunkel Draft
Tonight I’m at Maggie Miley’s in Normal, IL for a happy hour for a coworker (@ChristyBerka) who is moving on to bigger and better things. So, as you can see by my photo, we went out to raise a glass to her. This bar always seems to have Warsteiner on tap, and they always serve it in a huge glass, so I went for the Dunkel. Numbers: 4.9% ABV Appearance & Aroma: As you can see, it had a nice sized, creamy, lightly...
271. Arcadia Brewing – Cereal Killer Barley Wine Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, I was out at Medici in Uptown Normal for a couple of beers. We were catching up on things and making plans for our trip to SXSW next month. After starting with a very good Smuttynose Big A IPA, I decided to go with something a bit maltier. They had this beer on tap, so I thought I’d give it a try. Numbers: 10% ABV Appearance & Aroma: It was deep black, and there was almost no head to it. ...
270. Smuttynose – Big A IPA Draft
My friend, BettyWriter is in town, so we went out for a couple drinks to catch up and put together a game plan for our trip to SXSW next month. We caught up at Medici in “Uptown” Normal, because they usually have a pretty good beer selection. I have heard a lot about Smuttynose, and it seems like they’ve been everywhere lately, so I thought I’d give them a chance. The Big A IPA appears to be a big American...
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