172. Odell Brewing – IPA Draft
We had a very long day today in Colorado – going from Denver, up to Boulder and the 4 Mile Canyon wildfire, then up to Greely, over to Loveland, and then near the Denver airport for the evening. After a day like that, I was ready to have a big bison burger at Ted’s Montana Grill and put down some good beers. Since I had a chance to try Odell’s St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale, which was very nice, I thought I’d...
171. Walnut Brewery – 1123 IPA Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, we were in Boulder, CO for work and found the nearest brewpub for dinner. After looking at the menu, nothing really stood out, so I thought I’d ask they waitress if they had any seasonals or anything that wasn’t on the beer menu. She said, with a bit of disgust, “We do have this black IPA, but it’s really bitter.” I said I’d have that, and then she asked,...
170. Walnut Brewery – St. James Irish Red Draft
Today we ended our day in Boulder, CO while working on something related to the wildfires in the area. We couldn’t find a hotel in the area, but thought we’d have dinner there before heading back toward Denver to our hotel. As always, I searched the GPS for the nearest brewpub and found the Walnut Brewery. The St. James Irish red was very clear and was obviously, red. The head was thin with some soapy bubbles and the...
169. Odell Brewing – St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale
A friend from my homebrew club – the ABNormal Brewers – mentioned that he had met someone from Odell Brewing and was a big fan of their beers. And, since we don’t get them in central Illinois yet, I thought I’d give their seasonal – St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale – a try. It helps that I suspect by the name that it’s going to have a nice hop flavor to it. The bottle says, “A mystical...
168. Deschutes Brewery – Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale
After a nice dinner and a couple of beers at Wynkoop Brewery we headed back to our hotel. Conveniently, there was a liquor store across the street, so I thought I head in and see if I could find some beers I couldn’t get in Illinois. This Deschutes beer sounded interesting, and after my trip to Oregon, I knew they had some pretty good beers. The bottle said, “From the nothing’s sacred pacific northwest comes a...
167. Wynkoop Brewing – Fresh Hopped Cask IPA
I enjoyed having the B3K Schwartzbier with my bison burger, but now it was time for dessert. While my co-worker decided to get a scoop of ice cream, I went for the cask – which just happened to have a fresh hopped IPA with just-picked hops. I was clear and had a yellowish/orange color with a very thick soapy, bright white head on it. There was a nice hop aroma which was mostly floral and a little bit piney. It had a...
165. Boston Beer Co. / Samuel Adams – Octoberfest Draft
I just found out yesterday that I had to go to Denver today for work. It was super short notice, but I didn’t mind… because after checking the calendar, I realized I could extend my trip by a day and visit the almighty “Great American Beer Festival.” I’m really looking forward to trying some great Colorado beers this week and experiencing my first GABF, but while stuck in Chicago’s O’Hare, I...
162. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Octoberfest Draft
We were at the Schlafly Tap Room for dinner and a few beers. After a bad experience with their India Brown Ale, I still had a craving for a nice malty beer, so I thought I’d give their most recent selection a try – the Octoberfest. It was clear and copper/light brown in color with a thin creamy head which left some nice lacing. The aroma was malty with a little bit of fruitiness also noticeable. The body was light and...
154. Bridgeport Brewing – Blue Heron Pale Ale
I was having a great time at the Oregon Brewers Festival, but most of the beers were starting to run dry, and of those available, I had tried most. So I decided to save my last token as a souvenir and grab some dinner as well as another couple beers at one of Portland’s many breweries. When I went to the Brewers dinner, I got a chance to meet Bridgeport’s brewmaster, Karl Ockert, and, Jamie Emmerson, executive brewmaster...
6. Jolly Pumpkin – Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale
A nice afternoon treat, I broke open a bottle of Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales of Dexter, Michigan. It comes in a large bottle like a Belgian (1pt 9.5 fl oz to be exact) except it is sealed with a normal bottle cap. My bottle was labeled as coming from batch 490 of 491. It has a picture of the proprietors’ Jack Russell on the front, and it says, “One of Bam’s brown eyes is, in fact,...
5. Mendocino Brewing – Red Tail Ale
Mendocino Brewing Company’s Red Tail Ale says that, “this rich, inspiring amber ale is replete with refreshingly complex flavors and a delightfully smooth palate. It’s clean, dry finish makes this legendary ale outstanding!” It has an amber color and a fairly thin head upon pouring it. The smell of caramel malts was immediately noticeable and the aroma was exactly what you should expect from an amber ale. I...
4. Goose Island – 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale came in a twist off cap (which is fine, except that I like pop top caps which can be reused for homebrewing). I was really surprised when I poured it that it didn’t maintain a big frothy head (as I’ve come to expect from wheat beers) but instead it dissipated quickly and maintain very little head. The first smell that hit me was a sort of an earthy lemongrass smell. The body was very...
