261. Coniston Brewing – Bluebird Bitter
Jan11

261. Coniston Brewing – Bluebird Bitter

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m at the ABNormal Homebrews meeting tonight and our style of the month is English Pale Ales.  One of the beers we had – and I ended up with a decent amount of – was this one.  The presenter selected it because it won the Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 1998 at the Great British Beer Festival Olympia London.  Unfortunately, the presenter also said that he had no idea how long these...

Read More
256. Magic Hat Brewing – #9 not quite Pale Ale
Jan07

256. Magic Hat Brewing – #9 not quite Pale Ale

I was at Friar Tuck looking for new beers and decided to get a mix-a-six.  I was surprised when I saw this beer, as I didn’t realize we got Magic Hat brews here in Illinois yet.  I had heard about this and finally had one about a year ago at Bridge in St. Louis.  The label says, “The ancient ritual of brewing a distinctly rich and flavorful beer is a performance to behold. Our mysterious mélange of time- honored...

Read More
240. Bass Brewers Ltd – Bass Ale
Dec17

240. Bass Brewers Ltd – Bass Ale

I’m on my way back home already from my trip for work to Dallas, TX.  Yes, I’ve only been in Dallas for about 18 hours, but it’s a quick one.  Last night I documented my trip to Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse – along with their IPA, Brown Ale, and English Pale Ale – and while their English Pale Ale was the best thing I had there, that’s not saying much.  So what better beer to have the...

Read More
239. Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse – English Pale Ale Draft
Dec16

239. Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse – English Pale Ale Draft

After experiencing their Captain’s Choice IPA and their Brown Ale, I’m not sure why we decided to have another beer here.  I guess it was just a long day of work and travel.  My coworker wisely decided to go for the Stone Ruination IPA they had on tap, rather than try another one of their beers.  However, I decided I could get that elsewhere, and while here, I might as well try another of their beers.  So, I decided to try...

Read More
221. Boddingtons – Boddingtons Pub Ale
Nov24

221. Boddingtons – Boddingtons Pub Ale

My brother-in-law and his family are visiting for Thanksgiving week.  He asked me if I knew why Boddington’s had such a different type of head than other beers.  I explained that it was “carbonated” with nitrogen, while normal beers are carbonated with carbon dioxide.  My wife, influenced by her brother, decided to by some and bring it over.  So, I thought this would be a good opportunity to knock this beer off of...

Read More
207. Flatbranch Pub & Brewing – Hudsons E.S.B. Cask Beer
Oct23

207. Flatbranch Pub & Brewing – Hudsons E.S.B. Cask Beer

As I mentioned in my previous post, we’re in my old college town of Columbia, MO, for homecoming at Mizzou.  It’s also the first time that ESPN College Gameday has come to Columbia.  This morning we took the kids down to enjoy the atmosphere (we helped set a new attendance record at ESPN Gameday with over 18,000 fans) and see the set.  Before the show ended, we headed over to Flatbranch to grab an early lunch before the...

Read More
199. Left Hand Brewing – 400 Pound Monkey English IPA
Oct16

199. Left Hand Brewing – 400 Pound Monkey English IPA

We’re on our way to the Oktoberfest celebration in Hermann, MO, and I’ve already had a Schlafly Oktoberfest to satisfy my daily requirement as part of my Oktoberfest Challenge. While my intention was to dig into my freshly home brewed pumpkin beer, my friend also had this Left Hand 400lb Monkey in his cooler and offered it to me. Since I haven’t had it before, and I do appreciate ESB’s and English IPA’s I...

Read More
135. Surly Brewing – Bitter Brewer Draft
Jul23

135. Surly Brewing – Bitter Brewer Draft

By this point on Friday evening, you could say that it was starting to get more than a little crowded at the Oregon Brewers Festival – big contrast to what yesterday and this morning were like.  Therefore, I abandoned my primarily Oregon beer quest and started to go for things that looked interesting and were relatively close to where I was standing.  The “Bitter Brewer” caught my eye because of the name, and so I...

Read More
30. Goose Island – Honkers Ale
May09

30. Goose Island – Honkers Ale

I’m back at O’Hare today, so I thought I’d go for another Goose Island beer, this time the Honker’s Ale. The bottle says, “Inspired by visits to English country pubs, Honkers Ale is the perfect blend of hops and malt. A smooth, drinkable English-style Bitter for drinkers who want more from their beer.” I asked for a non-chilled mug and poured my beer into the mug, that way I could see what I was...

Read More
18. Faultline Brewing Co. – Best Bitter Draft
May03

18. Faultline Brewing Co. – Best Bitter Draft

As I mentioned in my last review, it was a long, long day, so I ordered the next beer in anticipation of enjoying it with my meal.  I ordered Faultline Brewing Company’s Best Bitter, which the menu says, is “an English style amber ale with sweet caramel malt flavors that yield to bitter hop flavors from a good dose of English hops. The Nitrogen/Carbon Dioxide blend gives this beer a creamy head and smooth...

Read More