909. Buoy Beer Co. – Dunkel Lager
It’s Monday, and Friday can’t get here soon enough. That’s when we leave for Portland to go to the Oregon Brewers Festival. I went there 8 years ago when I won the Oregon Travel brewmaster Cuisinternship, and ever since, my friend @Bettywriter has been trying to get me to come back. Once we finally knew we were going to be able to make it, she sent us several beers from breweries she recommended we visit during our...
861. Pyramid Brewing – 1977 Championship Lager
I love getting mail from my friend @Bettywriter. Every few months she sends me beers from the Portland area. With the NBA finals kicking off this week, I thought I’d have this beer she recently sent me, which celebrates the Portland Trailblazers NBA championship in 1977. It’s a lager from Pyramid Brewing, which has locations in Seattle and Portland. It’s been an awesome Saturday outside, and it’s the only...
763. Ecliptic Brewing – Spica Hefepils
It’s an awesome Saturday afternoon outside and as I crack open this beer and reheat leftover pizza, the biggest decision I have to make is whether to watch the NCAA basketball tournament or the National Lampoon’s Vacation marathon on AMC. This beer was sent to me by my friend Betty who lives up in the Northwest. When I won the brewmaster “Cuisinternship” with Full Sail Brewing, I brewed with John Harris, a...
751. Krombacher Gruppe – Krombacher Pilsner
I’m in Chicago again for work and am staying across the street from Beer House Chicago again. Tonight, there was a girl at the bar trying to get people to buy this beer and their “black Pilsner” (I had to explain to her what a Schwartzbier is. I really try not to be a beer snob) to get a free glass. I thought it was kind of a cool glass, and it was a fairly cheap beer, and I haven’t had it yet. So, I thought...
728. The Veteran Beer Co. – The Veteran Premium American Lager
I’ve been at my new job for about three days now at Advocate Health Care. I’m a bit overwhelmed with all there is to learn, but I’m excited about the opportunity, and think there’s a lot of potential to make a great impact. Tonight’s the first night of religious education for my kids and wife, so I’ve got an hour so by myself to hang out on the deck and have a beer. This beer was sent to me a couple...
724. Bard’s Beer Co. – Bard’s Gold Original Sorghum Malt Beer
It’s the start of Labor Day weekend and what better way to kick it off than with a beer. I didn’t look to see what it was before I pulled it out of the beer fridge, otherwise, I might have picked an IPA or something like that. I’m not sure where I got this beer, or how old it is. Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice at my home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 4.6% ABV, 20.5 IBUs, 11 SRM, 155 Calories...
719. Founders Brewing – Dissenter Imperial IPL 2014
I’m at Fat Jack’s in Bloomington, IL tonight for a meeting about our homebrew club’s For What it’s Wort competition. I was looking at the beer list, and hadn’t heard of this beer from Founders Brewing. They make some pretty good beers, so I didn’t think it was much of a risk to give this one a try. Some quick research on my phone told me it’s a hoppy, flavorful lager, so I was eager to give it...
684. Full Sail Brewing – Reserve 1999 Mercator Doppelbock
Thank God it’s Friday. It’s been a very rough week at work, and this weekend is my daughter’s birthday. So, tomorrow we’re having a bunch of kids at a party at Chuck E Cheese, and then a family party tomorrow night. When cleaning out the beer fridge a couple weeks ago, I uncovered this beer from my “Cuisinternship” at Full Sail Brewing a couple years ago. At the time, John Harris (who’s now...
664. Brauerei Beck & Co. – Beck’s Sapphire
It’s bitterly cold here tonight with -20 windchill, so we just settled down to watch some TV in the warmth of the house. It was kind of a rough end of the day at work, so I almost went for the bourbon rather than the beer. However, I snatched this at random from the beer fridge as I came in from work. I think I picked this up this past fall as part of a mixed 6 pack I got on vacation in Florida. Location: Poured into a slightly...
656. Metropolitan Brewing – Flywheel Bright Lager
Our second stop on the Tales, Taverns & Towns tour of Chicago was the Old Town Alehouse. The had a few local beers on tap, and so I picked a couple of them I hadn’t had yet – this one and Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale – and let my wife pick which one she wanted. So, I ended up with this one. We had a great time at this bar, which had some great artwork on the wall and a great intimate atmosphere, where we got...
650. Mother Earth Brewing – Dark Cloud Munich-Style Dunkel Lager
It’s been a nice Saturday, running a few errands and watching Mizzou beat Auburn in basketball. I’m caught up on beer reviews, so it’s time to enjoy a couple beers from the fridge this evening. I thought I’d start the night with this beer my sister brought back for me from her trip to Asheville, NC a few months ago. It says it was bottled on 022513. Thanks to my friend Joe, I’ve had a beer from Mother...
629. New Glarus Brewing – Two Women Lager
It’s Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, and I’m sitting at home watching college watching football. In particular, I’m watching my Mizzou Tigers take on Texas A&M and “Johnny Football.” It’s a been a tight game, and I decided to crack this one open a couple of these during the game. This beer was in a New Glarus variety 12 pack I picked up a few months ago when we were passing through Wisconsin...
597. Spoetzl Brewery – Shiner Kosmos Reserve
It’s Thursday night and we’re back from baseball practice. I was looking for a lighter, but still flavorful, beer as a refreshing relaxer. I find that Spoetzl’s Shiner beers usually fit that category, so I thought I’d give this one a try. I believe I got this beer from my friend Betty, as part of a mixed six-pack of Shiner beers when she moved from Austin last year. Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice...
578. Anheuser-Busch InBev – Busch Light
There’s something about great burgers and cheap beer (see my recent post on the Stag I had at Booche’s) that I love. and I’m not afraid to say I love Booche’s burgers. However, it’s 4 hours away in Columbia, MO, so it’s a rare treat. I was told about a place around here (Central IL) that supposedly has great burgers as well – Green Gables. It was a 15 minute drive from home, and I was...
575. New Belgium Brewing – Hop Kitchen – Hoppy Bock Lager
As I mentioned in my last few posts, I’m in Columbia, Missouri, home of my alma mater, for an alumni golf tournament. My friend Bill and I have already stopped at Booche’s for a burger and a Stag Beer, as well as Flatbranch, where I had their Red Wheat. Now we’re at Addison’s Bar and Grill meeting up with our friend Tom. I haven’t heard of New Belgium’s Hop Kitchen line, but thought this beer...
573. Pabst Brewing – Stag
This weekend I’m in Columbia, MO, home of my alma mater, the University of Missouri, for a fraternity golf tournament. I met up with my friend Bill and we hit one of my favorite food spots in town – Booches. I absolutely love their little cheeseburgers, and it’s a must for me when I hit Columbia. It’s also kind of a divey, pool-hall kinda place that serves cheap beers like this one. Therefore, to enjoy the...
558. Bell’s Brewery – Lager of the Lakes
My wife and son are out tonight, and I’m relaxing at home with my daughter. She’s playing in the basement, so I thought I’d take the chance to do another review. I can’t remember if I picked up this beer on a trip to the brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan last year, or if I got it in a mixed six pack at the local liquor store. Either way, the bottle has a batch number of 10204 on it. The label says, ” As...
520. Dixie Brewery – Jazz Amber Light Beer
It’s a bit of a lazy Saturday, and I spent the morning taking down the Christmas lights. Like I mentioned in my last review – Abita Restoration Pale Ale – this is yet another older beer I found in my beer fridge that I picked this one up as part of a mixed six pack last December on a work trip to New Orleans. The bottle says, ” At only 92 calories, this award-winning beer retains the taste and character of...
503. Pennsylvania Brewing Co. – 25th Anniversary Imperial Pilsner
Like the other Pennsylvania Brewing Company beers I’ve had, this one was given to me by my dad and sister after their trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They stopped at Penn brewery for dinner, and bought me a few beers. When my sister told the waiter about my blog, he gave her a few extra beers for me, including this one. So, as we get our first few inches of snow this year, accompanied by 50 mile-per-hour winds outside,...
499. Anheuser Busch InBev – Bud Light Platinum
I’m in St. Louis for work, and went out to dinner with my dad, who lives there. We went out to Texas Roadhouse for some steak, and I thought I’d have a beer with dinner. The selection was mostly macrobrews… well, I remember when this one came out, there was quite the buzz about it, so I thought I’d give this beer a try and see if it lives up to the marketing hype. Location: Enjoyed in the bottle at Texas...
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