911. Double Mountain- India Red Ale IRA
Jul29

911. Double Mountain- India Red Ale IRA

We had an incredible day today. We drove up the Columbia River gorge, stopping at several waterfalls along the way. We finally hit Hood River at lunchtime and had lunch on the patio at Full Sail Brewing. It was super hot, so after a quick tour of the brewery, we tried to stop by Double Mountain, but it was packed. So we drove to Mount Hood and stopped at Timberline Lodge. After trekking it back to Portland, we relaxed and I cracked...

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843. Widmer Brothers Brewing – Brrr Hoppy Red
Jan28

843. Widmer Brothers Brewing – Brrr Hoppy Red

We’ve been cleaning the house all day, preparing for family to come over tonight after my in-laws 50th anniversary dinner. I was ready for a beer about two hours ago, but I’m finally grabbing one now that we’re mostly finished up. This one was the first one out of the beer fridge, because I received it last week, in a shipment from my friend @Bettywriter. She sent me three Widmer beers she had left over from the...

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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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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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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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772. Great Lakes Brewing – Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale
Jun12

772. Great Lakes Brewing – Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale

TGIF! It’s been a pretty good week, and I thought I’d celebrate it with a big beer on our deck. I’ve had this one in the fridge a while now, but I think I picked it up as part of a mixed 6-pack at the liquor store. The bottle is dated 11/29/13, but I figured it would be OK since it’s a big beer. The bottle says: The Beer With The Bite Aptly named after the notorious German vampire from the 1920s, our imperial...

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718. Greenbush Brewing – Remnant of Dragon
Aug08

718. Greenbush Brewing – Remnant of Dragon

We’re in St. Joseph, Michigan for an extended weekend, and looked around to see what breweries might be in the area. We discovered that Greenbush Brewing was just a short drive away, and the menu looked pretty good, so we thought we’d try it for dinner. We spent most of the day at Silver Beach, so the kids were worn out and didn’t appreciate the hour-long wait to get in. They were a bit crabby, so I was happy to...

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694. Lompoc Brewing – Proletariat Northwest Red Ale
Apr11

694. Lompoc Brewing – Proletariat Northwest Red Ale

It’s been a week since I’ve had a beer, since I came down with a cold, and tonight was the kids’ school indoor carnival. It’s 500 kids hopped up on candy and sugar running all over the school to play homemade carnival games with parents chasing behind. Needless to say, I needed a beer when I got home. Fortunately, this beer arrived in the mail a few days ago from my generous friend @BettyWriter who lives in...

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679. Port Brewing Co. – Shark Attack Double Red Ale
Mar06

679. Port Brewing Co. – Shark Attack Double Red Ale

As I keep mentioning, things are pretty stressful right now with everything we have going on. Both my wife and I really needed a beer, so we headed to Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal. They usually have some pretty good beers on tap, and their NY style pizza is decent (avoid their normal pizza, as the sauce is super sweet). Location: On tap and served in a tumbler style pint glass at Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal. Numbers: 9% ABV, ~270...

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641. Ninkasi Brewing Co. – Believer Double Red Ale
Dec23

641. Ninkasi Brewing Co. – Believer Double Red Ale

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in St. Louis this weekend to spend the holidays with my family. After a long day of shopping, and some Mexican food (and beer) for lunch, we had some Imo’s Pizza for dinner. After dinner, I decided to open up a beer I brought with me. I brought this one back from my trip to Seattle last year, and figured it was way overdue for enjoyment. Location: Poured from the 22oz bomber bottle into...

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626. McGuire’s Irish Pub – Irish Style Red Ale
Nov26

626. McGuire’s Irish Pub – Irish Style Red Ale

It feels good I don’t have work tomorrow, do I can kick back and relax tonight. I’m staying home with the kids since they’re off school tomorrow. Tonight we just finished dinner and we’ve got the old school Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on TV. I saw this beer peeking through in the beer fridge and remember finding it at the Walmart in Destin, FL when we were there on vacation at the end of September. Location:...

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609. Wicked Weed Brewing – Cardinal Sin Belgian Red
Oct06

609. Wicked Weed Brewing – Cardinal Sin Belgian Red

It’s a gorgeous, sunny, but cool, fall day, perfect for sitting on the back deck and enjoying a beer. All morning, I’ve been working with my son to catch up on his homework from when we were gone on vacation last week, so I thought I’d enjoy a beer during our lunch break. As I mentioned, before I left on vacation, my sister gave me a bunch of beers from her trip to Asheville, North Carolina a few weeks ago. I already...

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574. Flat Branch Pub & Brewery – Red Wheat
May31

574. Flat Branch Pub & Brewery – Red Wheat

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in Columbia, MO – home of my alma mater, the University of Missouri – for a fraternity golf tournament. My friend Bill and I already stopped for some great burgers at Booches and a Stag beer. Avid readers of the blog know I usually hit up Flat Branch Pub & Brewery for a couple beers when I’m in Columbia, and this trip was no different. Bill and I met up with his...

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559. Finch’s Beer Co. – Fascist Pig
Mar22

559. Finch’s Beer Co. – Fascist Pig

Well, it’s been an interesting day with several good things happening. Today, I found out I got a promotion, and then got a phone call from Mayo Clinic. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but I need heart surgery for a mitral valve repair. My surgery date was supposed to be May 16, but today I got a call asking if I could come in next Friday (yes, in one week). To celebrate both of these, my family and I went out for...

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483. Northwest Peaks Brewery – Redoubt Red
Oct05

483. Northwest Peaks Brewery – Redoubt Red

After visiting Reuben’s Brews, my cousin and I walked down the street to this brewery. It was closing up for the evening, but my cousin and I were able to talk the guy working into letting us have one beer (and one growler and bottle to go) before they closed up.  Thank you to the brewing intern working there for letting us stay slightly past closing time for me to enjoy this beer and buy some beers to go.  I loved the feel of...

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407. 4 Hands Brewing – Reprise Centennial Red Ale
Mar03

407. 4 Hands Brewing – Reprise Centennial Red Ale

As I’ve mention in my last few posts, I’m in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, enjoying my semi-annual tour of microbreweries around the city.  We hit Perennial Artisan Ales the night before, and today we are at 4 Hands Brewing in downtown.  This is one of St. Louis’ newest microbreweries, having just opened in December.  They have four core beers on tap, including: Divided Sky Rye IPA, Reprise Centennial Red, Cast Iron...

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403. Perennial Artisan Ales – Vermilion
Mar02

403. Perennial Artisan Ales – Vermilion

As I mentioned, I’m in St. Louis for another mini-micro tour with my friend Joe (meaning we hit a bunch of St. Louis’ microbreweries over a weekend, which there have been several new ones in the last year or so.  I got in late, but we had dinner and I had an Oatmeal Brown from 4 Hands.  Now we’re on to Perennial Artisan Ales.  I stopped here very briefly over the holidays and picked up a few beers to go, including...

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401. Rock Bottom North Indianapolis – Merry Prankster Red IPA
Feb25

401. Rock Bottom North Indianapolis – Merry Prankster Red IPA

We’re in Indianapolis for the weekend, celebrating my wife’s birthday by taking the kids to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.  We had a great lunch at Bazbeaux’s Pizza, along with a few local craft beers, and then a great day at the museum.  We checked into our hotel and watched the my Mizzou Tigers take on the kansas jayhawks.  After a tough game, the Tigers lost and it was time to find dinner at a place...

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382. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Bourbon Barrel Aged Deadhead Double Red
Dec03

382. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Bourbon Barrel Aged Deadhead Double Red

We were out getting our Christmas photos done at the local pack ’em in, rush ’em through, up-sell them like crazy photo studio.  Talk about an incredibly stressful afternoon!  Fortunately, the photo studio is right next door to the local brewpub Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works.  We decided to relax and enjoy a beer or two while waiting on our photos.  I decided to go for the biggest thing on the beer menu to help...

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363. Green Flash Brewing – Hop Head Red Ale
Aug27

363. Green Flash Brewing – Hop Head Red Ale

I’m still at Bruegala beer festival in Bloomington, IL, and I’ve taken the opportunity to try a few new beers.  This is one I’ve had before, but didn’t get a chance to review it.  Ever since I got a recommendation on Twitter from@Lauren_BILLYves – who as it turns out, is Lauren Hinkley, the daughter of Green Flash Brewing founders Mike and Lisa Hinkley, I’ve tried several of their beers, including...

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