550. Boulevard Brewing – Smokestack Series Dark Truth Stout
Mar05

550. Boulevard Brewing – Smokestack Series Dark Truth Stout

I stumbled across this in the back of the beer fridge, and I have no idea when or where I got it. The label says, “Best by 10/9/11,” so it must have been a while ago. I’m watching my Mizzou Tigers taking on Arkansas and enjoying this beer before I sit down to get some work done. The bottle says, ” Roasted English malts provide a deep, rich texture, Belgian yeast Vistowes plum like fruitiness, and German hops...

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522. AleSmith Brewing Co  – Speedway Stout
Jan14

522. AleSmith Brewing Co – Speedway Stout

I’m at my local homebrew club meeting at Fat Jack’s here in Bloomington, IL.  I thought I’d order a beer before the meeting started, and was surprised to see they had an AleSmith beer on the draft menu.  I didn’t think they had started distributing here yet.  Since I’d heard many great things about their beers, I had to give this one a try. Location: On tap and served in a small, 10oz curved glass at Fat...

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505. Cathedral Square – Bourbon Barrel Aged Holy Moly
Dec22

505. Cathedral Square – Bourbon Barrel Aged Holy Moly

As I mentioned in my review of Urban Chestnut’s Thrale’s, I’m in St. Louis for the holidays and we’re at International Tap House (iTap) in Soulard to watch the Mizzou-Illinois basketball game. We’ve already had a couple of beers while watching the game, as well as some awesome BBQ from Bogart’s down the street.  I wanted to go for a local beer I couldn’t get elsewhere, and this looked like the...

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504. Urban Chestnut Brewing Co – Thrale’s
Dec22

504. Urban Chestnut Brewing Co – Thrale’s

We’re in St. Louis for the holidays and went out with my friend Joe and his wife to watch the Mizzou-Illinois basketball game (I went to Mizzou and my wife went to Illinois). After meeting at Perennial Artisan Ales (hoping they’d have some TVs to watch the game, or some Abraxas I could buy – they had neither), we went to the International Tap House (iTap) in Soulard to watch the game. My friend Joe had this one...

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471. Elliott Bay Brewing – Heaven Hills Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
Oct02

471. Elliott Bay Brewing – Heaven Hills Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in Seattle for work and am having dinner with my cousin at Elliott Bay brewpub.  I started with their dry hopped IPA, and had their excellent fish tacos (which were a bit unevenly matched).  After dinner, as well as some great family conversation, we both finished with one last beer. I’ve always been a fan of bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout, and saw they had this one in the cask, so I...

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462. Goose Island – 2011 Bourbon County Stout
Sep13

462. Goose Island – 2011 Bourbon County Stout

Today’s my birthday, and I had a nice dinner out at Lucca Grill here in Bloomington, IL with my family, and enjoyed a couple of Boulder Beer Mojo IPAs (but I didn’t get a picture so I won’t count it here, yet).  When we got home, I put the kids to bed, and finished off my birthday evening in perfect fashion with this beer.  Thanks to my sister Kelly who gave me a four pack of this beer as a thank you for always...

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461. Central Waters Brewing – Satin Solstice Imperial Stout
Sep12

461. Central Waters Brewing – Satin Solstice Imperial Stout

Tonight I’m at Medici in Normal, IL.  A few members of our homebrew club are working on a beer for the Chicago Beer Hoptacular club competition.  Before the meeting I thought I’d grab a beer.  I didn’t recognize this beer or brewery, so I looked it up on my phone.  The brewery is located in Amherst, WI, and the beer had some pretty good reviews, so I thought I’d give it a shot and add it to my list....

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416. SweetWater Brewing – Happy Ending
Mar03

416. SweetWater Brewing – Happy Ending

I’ve been on a microbrewery tour of St. Louis with my friend Joe all day today.  It’s been a long day, and in fact, I’ve racked up nine new beers today alone, so why not go for an even 10.  We stopped at 4 Hands Brewing near downtown, the International Tap House in Soulard, and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. near downtown.  We finally headed back to Joe’s house and we decided to play a little pool and finish the...

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409. 4 Hands Brewing – Bona Fide Russian Imperial Stout
Mar03

409. 4 Hands Brewing – Bona Fide Russian Imperial Stout

I’m at 4 Hands Brewing in St. Louis, MO, enjoying a few beers in their tasting room, including their Divided Sky Rye IPA and their Reprise Centennial Red Ale.  My friend Joe just had this beer, and recommended I try it myself.  As a fan of Russian Imperials, I indulged in a third beer here before we headed off to another local microbrewery. According to 4 Hands, “Bona Fide Imperial Stout is a collaborative effort with...

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406. Green Flash Brewing – Double Stout Black Ale
Mar02

406. Green Flash Brewing – Double Stout Black Ale

As you can see by my last few posts, my friend Joe and I have been out in St. Louis, hitting Perennial Artisan Ales earlier this evening. After enjoying their Vermilion and Abraxas, we headed back to Joe’s place, where he cracked open a Deschutes Black Butte Porter. It wasn’t quite time to call it a night, so Joe dug into his celler and pulled this one out. Location: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, at my friend...

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404. Perennial Artisan Ales – Abraxas
Mar02

404. Perennial Artisan Ales – Abraxas

After having the Vermilion, my friend Joe demanded we get a bottle of the Abraxas.  He’s had it before and raved about it. It’s an “Imperial Stout aged on Mexican cocoa nibs, ancho chiles, vanilla beans, and cinnamon,” so as you can tell, it’s supposed to have a rich, complex flavor. Location: Poured from a 750ml bottle into a goblet glass, at Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, MO. Numbers: 10% ABV, ~...

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396. Founders Brewing – Imperial Stout
Feb19

396. Founders Brewing – Imperial Stout

It’s the 160th anniversary of the founding of my college fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. A couple of years ago, I started the tradition of enjoying a beer from Founders Brewing on my Fraternity’s Founders’ Day. In the spirit of that tradition, I’m having Founders Imperial Stout tonight, and raising a glass to old Phi Psi. Location: Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass, at home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers:...

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