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834. Spiteful Brewing – Mrs. O’Leary’s Chocolate Milk Stout
Dec21

834. Spiteful Brewing – Mrs. O’Leary’s Chocolate Milk Stout

I’m on a mission to make some space in the beer fridge, so I’m doing another review. After the chocolate milk stout I had last night, I found another two in the fridge. I picked this one up during A work trip up to Chicago. I’ve had a couple of beers from Spiteful that were pretty good, so I thought I’d give this one a try, especially with the Chicago connected name. The bottle says it’s batch #27....

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833. 4 Hands Brewing – Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout
Dec20

833. 4 Hands Brewing – Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

To our surprise, school was cancelled today. So I ran back and forth between home and work a couple times to check on the kids and my father-in-law who was watching them. Now that work is finished, I decided to have a beer. I picked this beer up a couple weeks ago when it caught my curiosity at the liquor store. I brewed a peanut butter cup imperial stout once and wanted to see how this one compared. Location: Poured into a large Sam...

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832. Books & Brews – It was a Dark and Stormy Stout
Dec19

832. Books & Brews – It was a Dark and Stormy Stout

I’ve been wanting to do a few reviews to clear up some space in the beer fridge. So tonight I decided to open this Imperial Stout my sister picked up for me when she was in Indianapolis for a football game last year. I was thinking about it, since she’s in Arizona today at another football game, and asked me if there were any beers from there I’d like her to bring home for me. Location: Poured into a TEKU pint glass...

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831. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) – Abominable Winter Ale
Dec18

831. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) – Abominable Winter Ale

There’s an ice storm outside and everything is coated in a thin layer of ice. On my way back from picking up dinner, I slid across the driveway and couldn’t even make it up to the garage. It’s a perfect night for staying in, having a beer, and watching the Saturday Night Live Christmas special. My friend @Bettywriter sent me this beer last winter, and I didn’t quite get around to drinking it, but it seems like...

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830. 4204 Main St. Brewing – Pecan Brown Ale
Dec02

830. 4204 Main St. Brewing – Pecan Brown Ale

My daughter is dancing in the nutcracker this weekend, and had a performance today. I had to leave work early to go pick her up. I’ve got a little bit of time to kill before my dad and sister get here to stay the weekend and watch her dance. My sister brought a six pack of this beer last weekend when she came for Thanksgiving. It sounded like a good beer to have on a cold, gray day like today. Location: Poured into a tall thin...

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829. New Glarus Brewing – Back 40 Bock
Nov23

829. New Glarus Brewing – Back 40 Bock

My boss let me out of work early, so I came home to help get ready for Thanksgiving. My dad is here and my sister is on her way… Time for a beer to kick off the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I picked up this beer during a trip up to New Glarus with my friend Steve a couple months ago. Location: Poured into a New Glarus tall pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 5.5% ABV, ~130 Calories Appearance &...

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828. Triton Brewing – Shot to the Tart
Nov23

828. Triton Brewing – Shot to the Tart

We’ve got two days until Thanksgiving and my wife is having the carpets cleaned tomorrow. So, what does she decide to do? Start putting up Christmas decorations!?! So I’m going to chill with a beer. I’ve got several New Glarus beers handy from my trip to the brewery with my friend Steve, but it feels like I just had their Bubbler. So I decided to finally crack this one open, which was given to me by my friend Kevin...

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827. Ecliptic Brewing – Quasar Pale Ale
Nov16

827. Ecliptic Brewing – Quasar Pale Ale

I’ve been on a role lately, taking time to review a beer when I get home for the evening. I wanted to make sure I cracked this one open before summer was completely over, since it’s a seasonal beer. This was sent to me by my friend @Bettywriter who lives in the Portland area. She knows I brewed with John Harris when I was up there on my Cuinternship, and sends me beer from there periodically. The bottle says,...

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826. Bad Weather Brewing – Windvane Minnesota Red Ale
Nov16

826. Bad Weather Brewing – Windvane Minnesota Red Ale

Our afterschool babysitter had to cancel today, so I had to leave work early. I have a lot to get finished up this evening and was feeling a bit stressed. So, first, I cracked open a Backwoods Bastard and then grabbed this one out of the beer fridge. I pick this one up during one of our trips up to Minnesota. Location: Poured into a TEKU pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 6% ABV, 65 IBUs, 180 Calories Appearance &...

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825.  New Glarus Brewing – Bubbler
Nov14

825.  New Glarus Brewing – Bubbler

We’ve been cleaning up the house most of the day today, preparing for family to visit the next three weekends in a row. I’m settling in this evening watching President-elect Trump on 60 minutes and felt it was time for a beer. I picked this one up during my trip up to New Glarus Brewery a couple of months ago with my friend Steve. Location: Poured into a hefeweizen glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 4% ABV, ~110...

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824. Sixpoint Brewery – Bengali
Nov13

824. Sixpoint Brewery – Bengali

Its been a fairly lazy Saturday, and I’m watching the kids tonight while my wife is out at an event. I’m also editing family vacation movies while college football plays on the TV. A beer is long overdue. I grabbed this one out of the beer fridge. I picked it up during one of my work trips to Chicago in a mixed six pack. Location: Poured into a tall pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 6.5% ABV, 69 IBUs, 11...

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823.  Georgetown Trading Co – James E. Pepper 1776 Ale
Nov08

823.  Georgetown Trading Co – James E. Pepper 1776 Ale

It’s Election Day here in the United States, with two of the most disliked presidential candidates in our country’s history. I voted this morning for what I felt like was the lesser of two evils. So, now that I’m home, and I’m watching the back and forth on the news, it’s driven me to drink. So what better way to commemorate election night than this beer. It was given to me by my friends Fred and Heather...

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822. Brasserie Dubuisson – Scaldís Amber
Nov04

822. Brasserie Dubuisson – Scaldís Amber

TGIF! I stopped on my way home and picked up a 4-pack of Founder’s Backwoods Bastard. It wasn’t cold yet, so I threw it in the fridge. It got me in the mood for a good beer and I decided to finally drink this one. It was sent to me by @BelgianExpert a while ago and I figure that at 12% ABV it might be good to put a little bit of age on it. The bottle says 18/6/2014, which I think might be a best before date. Location:...

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821. Boulevard Brewing – Chocolate Ale with Raspberry
Oct29

821. Boulevard Brewing – Chocolate Ale with Raspberry

Today has flown by. Ive gotten a few things done, but now its time to watch the World Series again this evening. I bought this beer last week to compare it to my homebrewed chocolate raspberry imperial stout. Location: Poured into a teku pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 9.1% ABV, 24 IBUs, % OG, ~330 Calories Appearance: It’s hazy and brick-brown in color with a huge tan colored, fluffy head on it that stuck...

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820. Fountain Square Brewing – Workingman’s Pilsner
Oct29

820. Fountain Square Brewing – Workingman’s Pilsner

I just finished up the third week of my new job and just found out my old job was eliminated (along with several of my colleagues’ positions). I’m celebrating a little bit that I got out of my old job just at the right time, but sad for my former co-workers who will be looking for new jobs. Tonight, we’re sitting around watching the World Series on TV, so I thought I’d crack open a beer.  This one was given to...

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819. Natty Greene’s Brewing Co – Buckshot Amber Ale
Oct06

819. Natty Greene’s Brewing Co – Buckshot Amber Ale

It’s the second to last day of my “between jobs” vacation. So, I thought I’d try and do a few beer reviews. I’m not quite sure how long this beer has been in my beer fridge, but I believe it was given to me by my sister, after her trip to North Carolina. Location: Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 4.8% ABV, ~100 Calories Appearance & Aroma: It’s...

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818. Upland Brewing – Oktoberfest Bavarian Style Lager
Oct06

818. Upland Brewing – Oktoberfest Bavarian Style Lager

I was supposed to play golf with my father-in-law today, but the rain prevented that. And, my son was sick again today, so I had to stay home with him for a bit. After a nice lunch with my wife, I came home and decided to crack open a beer while working on some things around the house. Since it’s Oktoberfest, I decided to have this one. It was given to me by my friend Kevin who brought me several beers from Indianapolis....

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817. Blue Moon Brewing – Rounder Belgian Style Pale Ale
Oct06

817. Blue Moon Brewing – Rounder Belgian Style Pale Ale

I left my job at Advocate Health Care and am going back to work at State Farm corporate headquarters (were I left 2 years ago). I’m taking a week off between jobs. Today was a busy day of running errands, so to chill a bit, I thought I’d grab a beer from the fridge. My wife picked up a mixed 12 pack from Blue Moon several months ago, which is how I got this beer. Location: Poured into a pint glass at my home in...

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816. Imperial Oak Brewing – Odin’s Beard Imperial Red Ale
Sep23

816. Imperial Oak Brewing – Odin’s Beard Imperial Red Ale

A few weeks ago, I was in Chicago for work and a coworker recommended I stop by Imperial Oak Brewing. I had a nice flight of samples, and decided to get a crowler of this beer to bring home and review. Location: Poured into a large Sam Adams Perfect pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL Numbers: 10% ABV, ~380 Calories Appearance & Aroma: It’s deep brick-red and brown in color and somewhat hazy. It had a big, foamy head at...

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815. Matt Brewing – Saranac Black Forest
Aug26

815. Matt Brewing – Saranac Black Forest

I was up in Chicago for work today and stopped at Imperial Oak Brewing on my way home. Thanks to my friend Nate for the suggestion. So, when I got home for dinner, I thought I’d crack open another beer. I can’t remember exactly where or when I picked up this beer, but a quick bit of online research showed me it had been discontinued almost a year ago. Location: Poured into a tall pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL...

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