450. Cigar City Brewing – Jai Alai India Pale Ale
I’m back from my family vacation, and it’s taken me a week to adjust. I was able to smuggle several beers out of Florida and bring them back home to add to the list. I bought a 6-pack of this beer my first night in Florida and was planning to review it down there. However, I drank these mostly at night, so it wasn’t ideal to take a picture. I thought about getting more when I visited Cigar City Brewing my last...
438. Two Brothers Brewing – Outlaw India Pale Ale
We’re out on the golf course for my fraternity’s annual golf tournament. My friend Joe had several craft beers in cans we were able to sneak onto the course (what an “outlaw”). I started out with a couple of these cans and grabbed this quick picture on the back of our cart. Joe gave me a couple cans to take home, so I was able to pour one in a glass and write down better, more thorough notes a couple of days...
433. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Black IPA
I’m in Columbia, MO this weekend for my fraternity’s annual golf tournament. Followers of this blog will often see me trying new beers on my trips to the town of my alma mater, and this trip was no different. We arrived in town and immediately stopped at a new beer bar in town called 44 Stone. They had a very good craft beer list with a ton of great bottles available. I’d had several of the craft beers on tap,...
432. O’Fallon Brewery – 5-Day IPA
As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up my wife from the train station in St. Louis, and we stopped at Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square for a drink. I started off with their house beer, an amber wheat Chocolate Ale, brewed by O’Fallon. I was less than impressed, and decided to go with something bolder and hoppier. Location: On tap and served in a regular pint glass at Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in...
428. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Vertex IPA
I was just at Destihl in Normal, IL on Monday with my friend Joe, where I tried their Strawberry Blonde ale, Downstate Pale Ale, and St. Dekkera Reserve Bela Imperial Pilsner Sour Ale. On Wednesday evening, I found myself at Destihl’s Champaign location. My friend Fred, the head brewer here, recommended I give it a try if I was feeling like something a bit hoppy. Location: On tap and poured into a tulip shaped glass at Destihl...
400. Upland Brewing – Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA
As I mentioned in my last couple posts, we’re in Indianapolis, Indiana for my wife’s birthday. She wanted to take the kids on a roadtrip to the Children’s Museum here. Before heading to the museum, we stopped at a local pizza joint – Bazbeaux’s Pizza – for a pizza and a couple of local brews. I started with the Upland Dragonfly IPA and she and I shared the Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale. As we...
398. Upland Brewing – Dragonfly IPA
Today is my wife’s birthday, and to celebrate, she wanted to take the kids to Indianapolis to visit the Children’s Museum. We were looking for unique places to eat, and a friend had recommended Bazbeaux Pizza. They had some great pizza as well as some local craft brews. I figured I’d start out easy with this IPA, and then afterward try their Double Dragonfly before heading off to the Children’s Museum....
392. New Belgium – Belgo IPA
Today is my last day at the position I’ve been in at work for almost seven years now, and I’m moving on to a new position at the same company. So my co-workers planned a happy hour in my honor. I hadn’t had this one yet, so when my boss offered to buy me a beer, I went for this one. I’ve been considering brewing a Belgian IPA of my own, ever since I had Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch at this same bar over a...
368. Boulder Beer – Barrel Aged Mojo IPA
I’m in Boulder, Colorado for work, and we’re free for the evening. I was excited to make it back to Boulder in order to try a few beers I couldn’t get back at home in Illinois. After a stop at Twisted Pine Brewing and trying their Hoppy Boy IPA and Bough Breaker Barleywine, it was time to get some dinner. Right around the corner was Boulder Beer Company, which had a nice menu and some great beers. They also had a...
366. Twisted Pine – Hoppy Boy
I’m in Boulder, Colorado for work and wanted to try to hit a few breweries while here. After an unsuccessful stop at Upslope Brewing, we headed out for dinner. Before heading to our dinner location, I asked the group if we could stop at Twisted Pine Brewing for a couple of beers, since I haven’t been able to have any of their beers. According to them, “Hoppy Boy India Pale Ale is the flagship beer of Twisted Pine....
361. Southern Tier – Oak Aged Imperial Unearthly India Pale Ale
Another special release during the Bruegala beer festival, this one sounded pretty good. I’ve had several Southern Tier beers, and they do a pretty good job with some big flavored beers. I made an IPA aged on oak chips once and was surprised by how good the mix of hops and oak flavor tasted. This one was a much bigger beer, and it didn’t disappoint with an equally big flavor. Location: Enjoyed a 3oz sample, in a...
359. Firestone Walker – Nectar Ales Nectar IPA
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m at the Bruegala beer festival in Bloomington, Illinois. At this festival, you buy a punch card with so many samples on it, but some beers cost 2-3 punches. I stopped at the table with Firestone Walker, because their Double Jack was only 1 punch (it’s an incredible beer, review coming later). While I was there, I noticed these Nectar Ales, also brewed by Firestone Walker. I thought...
