126. Lompoc Brewing – Son of C Note Draft
My mission to try more Oregon beers that I probably can’t get back in Illinois continued at the Oregon Brewers Festival. Before traveling to Oregon, I found out, as part of my Brewmaster Cuisinternship, I was going to be on a radio show called Beer O’Clock with Lisa Morrison, the Beer Goddess. I listened to the podcast of the show, so I knew what to expect, and on one of the shows they were talking about a beer from...
119. Lucky Labrador Brewing – Summit IPA Draft
After having a few non-Oregon beers, none of which had a whole lot of hop flavor, I decided it was time to reverse the trend. So, being somewhat of a hop head, I thought I’d look through the list of beers at the Oregon Brewers Festival and see which claimed to be the hoppiest. The Summit IPA from Lucky Labrador appeared at the top of the list with an estimated 111 IBUs (I believe the human palate can only sense up to 100), and...
111. Bridgeport Brewing – Hop Czar Imperial IPA Draft
Although I was not very impressed with Pelican Brewery’s Guillotine Strong Ale, I thought I’d check back in with Jamie to see if he had enjoyed anything he had tried. He was drinking Bridgeport’s Hop Czar Imperial IPA and said it was pretty good, so I thought I would give it a try. It was the only beer at the Brewmasters’ Dinner which was being served from a firkin with some recently added fresh dry hops. I...
104. Double Mountain – Hop Lava Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, I stopped at Double Mountain Brew Pub around the corner from Full Sail to have some dinner. I was told they had the best pizza in town, so that’s what I ordered. When my food arrived, it was also time for another drink. I was debating between a couple of their beers, but a local sitting next to me recommended the Hop Lava. The menu says, “This big, glowing, powerful IPA is packed with...
98. McMenamins Edgefield – Hammerhead Draft
I arrived in Portland, Oregon for my Travel Oregon Brewmaster Cuisinternship at Full Sail Brewing, and got a recommendation from a friend that lives in the area. She recommended stopping at McMenamin’s Edgefield Brewery. Now, if you’ve never been to the area, and/or search on McMenamins, you won’t be entirely sure what it’s all about. Well, the McMenamins fix up old areas and turn them into tourist spots. ...
91. Founders Brewing – Centennial IPA
We had our homebrew club picnic today at the hideout of one of our club members. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but it is a great place with a small pond, a big grill, and a little cabin. The pond is stocked with big fish, which my son and I enjoyed catching most of the afternoon (at least when we weren’t swimming or paddling around in the canoe). You can see the photos below. When we stopped for lunch, it was the perfect...
85. Bell’s Brewery – Two Hearted Ale Draft
With my parents in town for the long holiday weekend, we decided to go out to eat tonight. My mom is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, so we had to find a place that had the game on. I had only been to Wings Etc. here in town once before and was not very impressed. Well, tonight was no exception… There were no beer list at our table, and when I asked the waitress what was on draft she said, “Coors, Miller Light, Bud...
83. St. Louis Brewery Schlafly – AIPA American India Pale Ale
It’s the holiday weekend and my parents stopped by on their way through to a wedding. Almost every time my parents come to town, they bring us a couple of Imo’s pizzas. The pizza is a local favorite in St. Louis, and was one of mine when I lived there. So, along with my favorite St. Louis pizza, I thought I’d enjoy a beer from there as well. Fortunately, when I went back for a golf tournament a few weeks ago, my...
81. Sierra Nevada – Harvest Wet Hop Ale Draft
The nice thing about the beer special where we were having our homebrew club steering meeting is that they were 10oz specials, so I didn’t feel too bad about ordering a third beer. After the lager and cream ale, I wanted something hoppy, so I went for the Sierra Nevada Harvest West Hop Ale. It had a very nice, thick, creamy, tan head on it. It was an almost brick-red color, but very clear. The aroma was surprisingly subtle...
74. New Holland – Mad Hatter IPA Draft
We were out and about and decided to treat the kids and ourselves by hitting a local pizza joint named Lucca Grill. We had the A la Baldini pizza, which was awesome as always, but we were also able to enjoy a couple of the good beers they had on tap. I had the Mad Hatter IPA on draft, and my wife had the Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweisen (review on that one coming shortly, as my wife made us go buy a 6-pack after enjoying the one on...
68. Ska Brewing – Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale Draft
I screwed up and thought our homebrew club meeting was tonight. After scrambling to get my presentation together, running to the store to pick up examples, and rushing over to the venue, I was dead tired. So, I decided to stop all the running around and grab a beer. I wanted something light and refreshing, but also a bit hoppy, so I went for the Modus Hoperandi on draft. It was a hazy darker orange color and had a thin head on it. ...
65. Flatbranch Pub & Brewery – Ed’s IPA Draft
It was great catching up with 3 of my fraternity brothers at Flatbranch Pub & Brewing on the Friday night before our annual golf tournament. One of the other three is also a homebrewer, so we were trying as many of the craft brews here as we could. We’ve both discussed that a good judge of a brewpub is how good their IPA is – so that’s what we ordered, Ed’s IPA. It was clear and amber in color with a very...
58. Breckenridge Brewery – Lucky U IPA
It’s been a few days, but I’m finally getting back to into the swing of things after the long holiday weekend. It’s been a long day, so I was really looking forward to a good IPA, and I grabbed Breckenridge Brewery’s Lucky U IPA. The label says that it’s, “A Hoppy homage to a Denver landmark the Tivoli Brewery. Drink up fortuitous one, help support the Tivoli Brewery preservation.” When I...
55. Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe – Indica India Pale Ale
It’s a really nice Saturday afternoon on Memorial Day weekend. My parents came to town and are watching the kids while my wife and I shop for a minivan. It’s been a good morning visiting dealerships and test driving cars, and we stopped back at home for lunch. I was looking for a nice IPA, and fortunately, just picked a few up on Friday. I decided to go for the Indica India Pale Ale from Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe. ...
50. Founders Brewing – Red’s Rye P. A.
I spent my early evening at work, working outside this evening, so when I finally got home I wanted to go for a nice refreshing IPA. In the beer fridge I had quite a selection of Founders beers to select from and reached for the Reds Rye P. A. Ale. The label says that it’s “hopped up and brewed with rye,” it’s got 6.6% ABV and 70 IBU’s. It poured a dark amber, and reddish color, and had a decent head,...
27. Goose Island – IPA India Pale Ale
I was stuck in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport for a few hours and my phone showed that there is a Goose Island Pub in the airport. I finally tracked it down, and to my disappointment, it was more of a hot dog stand which sold bottles of Goose Island beer. I was already bitter at the American Airlines gate agent that wouldn’t let me on the earlier flight despite there being plenty of seats… So, I wanted something that...
21. The Ram Restaurant & Brewery Rosemont, IL – Big Red IPA Draft
It had been a long day of traveling and I hadn’t eaten much, so I was ready for a big meal at The Ram Restaurant & Brewery in Rosemont, IL. I ordered “The Beast,” not realizing that it was a 1 pound hamburger. It was huge! After having their Butthead Amber Ale before my dinner arrive, I was ready to try their Big Red IPA. The menu said, “An American style IPA, our Big Red combines the distinctive and...
17. Faultline Brewing Co. – Cask Conditioned IPA Draft
We’ve had a long, long day. We left Chicago at 7 a.m. this morning and have been working all day. We finally arrived at Faultline Brewing Company around 8 p.m. (Pacific Time, so that’s 10 p.m. Chicago time). It looked like a good place to eat, and it was a brewery, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. Whenever I go to a brewpub, I always try to have what’s in the cask, so I ordered the cask conditioned IPA. ...
15. Mendocino Brewing – White Hawk Select IPA
It was good to be home for the weekend. The weather was fairly nice, partly cloudy and a bit cool. It was an afternoon that was calling for a nice IPA. As you can probably tell, I’ve got a sampler pack of Mendocino brews, so I decided to try their White Hawk Select IPA. According to their website, “White Hawk Original IPA has a rich distinctive hop character and bold malt flavor. This Select IPA has a unique aroma, a...
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