598. Snoqualmie Falls Brewing – Steam Train Porter
My cousin Stephen lives in Seattle, and after I sent him a package of my homebrew, he sent me back a package of beers from the Pac Northwest. I’ve had a few of them, but hadn’t felt like having the porter he sent. However, it’s a college football Saturday, and I’m watching my Mizzou Tigers’ game. On the bottle it says, “Steam Train Porter is named for the historic trains that line Snoqualmie’s...
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...
596. Rogue Ales – Voodoo Donut Bacon Maple Ale
When I went to Portland, I made sure I stopped at VooDoo Donut and had a bacon maple bar… twice. I’d seen a couple of shows on Food Network and Travel Channel highlighting the place, and I had to say I’d been there. It was a great experience and had some awesome donuts. I wasn’t so sure how this sweet treat would translate into a beer, and I’d considered buying a bottle of it when it came out. However,...
595. Shipwrecked – Door County Cherry Wheat Ale
We went out to dinner out tonight, and when we came home, I went out and picked some of my homegrown hops. After spending time picking hops, I like to grab a beer to remind myself of why I spend the time picking them. However, it was pretty hot outside, so I decided to grab something a little lighter and not-so-hoppy. This beer was given to me several months ago by my friend Jim after his trip to Wisconsin last year. Location: Poured...
594. Terrapin Beer Co – Monk’s Revenge Belgian Style India Pale Ale 2012
I helped at my son’s soccer practice this evening and was ready for a beer when I got home. I got this beer last year from my friend Joe, when I helped him pack for his move to Atlanta. I’ve enjoyed several Terrapin beers, and another Belgian IPA – Raging Bitch from Flying Dog, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The bottle says, “Step back in time for this holier than thou union of two great brewing...
593. New Glarus Brewing – Strawberry Rhubarb
I was back up at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota a couple weeks ago for an appointment, and stopped in both Minnesota and in Wisconsin to pick up beers I can’t get here at home in Illinois. I’ve had a few beers from New Glarus, and have enjoyed them – particularly their raspberry tart (which I haven’t reviewed yet, but picked up a bottle to review later). So, I was expecting this one would be pretty good. It’s...
592. Legend Brewing – Barleywine
Yesterday, my son, who is learning to ride his bike, went off the trail by our house and went straight off a 4 foot drop into a creek. His hand was cut pretty bad and there was lots of crying… As well as daddy having to carry him 1.5 miles back home. Today was a long busy day at work, and we were supposed to have baseball practice. Due to my son’s injury, he didn’t want to go. So, I decided I was going to chill out...
591. Alesmith Brewing – X Extra Pale Ale
It was a long day at work, and it’s looking like Tuesday night is our only night when we don’t have commitments for the kids. Since we didn’t have anything going on tonight, I reached in the beer fridge and grabbed this 22oz beer. My friend David (owner of David Reed Photography), who I used to work with back in the day, keeps an eye on my blog and has periodically sent me beers from his hometown of San Diego. A...
590. Founders Brewing – Dry Hopped Pale Ale
I’m not sure exactly when or how I got this beer, but it seems like a good evening for it. We spent most of the weekend working on the house, and cleaning up. This afternoon, my son had a baseball game and we got home and had some dinner. I cracked this one open with dinner, which consisted of ribs and roasted vegetables. The bottle says that it was bottled on 6/18/12, so it must’ve been in the beer fridge for about a...
589. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Burton Baton
Its one of the first Saturdays that we have nothing we have to do, so my wife and I are relaxing on the back deck. The moment just called for a beer, so I reached into the beer fridge to see what I could come up with. This is one of the big beers my friend Travis gave me from his vacation to Virginia Beach about a month ago. I’ve been wanting to try this one for a long time… ever since I homebrewed my own wood aged IPA. To...
588. Bell’s Brewery – Third Coast Beer
Thank God it’s Friday! I came home from work today and we had a new stove installed and freshly cleaned carpets. Since I still have to install the microwave, I thought it was time to crack open a beer and check it out. I spotted this one near the middle of the beer fridge, so I dug it out. I can’t remember exactly when or where I got this beer, but it has “10292” on the back, so I’m thinking it may be a...
587. Surly Brewing Co. – Bender Beer
As I’ve mentioned before a couple times, I had heart surgery at the end of March. I had the surgery done at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I had to go back up there last weekend for a check up, and I was able to convince my wife to let me stop at a liquor store and pick up some local beer (both in Minnesota and Wisconsin!). I had heard a lot about Surly, and knew that they had their roots in homebrewing. They had several...
