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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372. Good People Brewing – Casked Mumbai Rye IPA, Dry Hopped with Columbus
Aug31

372. Good People Brewing – Casked Mumbai Rye IPA, Dry Hopped with Columbus

I’m still on the road for work, traveling from Denver, Colorado to Birmingham Alabama today.  We arrrived and got settled into the hotel and headed downtown in search of good local beer.  Thanks to a recommendation from my friend @jkaiseresq we stopped at The J. Clyde for dinner and beers.  He had also recommended several local breweries and fortunately, they had a beer from each on the list.  I decided to start with this...

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368. Boulder Beer – Barrel Aged Mojo IPA
Aug29

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...

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366. Twisted Pine – Hoppy Boy
Aug29

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....

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361. Southern Tier – Oak Aged Imperial Unearthly India Pale Ale
Aug26

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...

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359. Firestone Walker – Nectar Ales Nectar IPA
Aug26

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...

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354. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Baldock IPA
Aug14

354. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Baldock IPA

My wife and I had a date night this evening and went and saw a movie (Planet of the Apes).  After the movie we decided to stop at Destihl for dinner and a beer.  We had the chicken wings, which were awesome.  She had the hefeweizen, which was way, way sour and obviously contaminated.  Fortunately, for me, the IPA didn’t seem to be contaminated.  The menu said, “copper-colored, crisp and dry india pale ale with high floral,...

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353. Flossmoor Station – Rail Splitter IPA
Aug09

353. Flossmoor Station – Rail Splitter IPA

I’m at my homebrew club meeting tonight and decided to buy a drink before the meeting.  I was looking for something I haven’t had before, and the Rail Splitter IPA caught my eye.  I had no idea who made it, and another guy at the meeting and I sat there with our phones trying to figure it out (after we both ordered one).  Initially, I thought it was from Triton Brewing in Indianapolis, since theirs was the only Rail...

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350. Terrapin Beer Co. – Hopsecutioner IPA
Jul29

350. Terrapin Beer Co. – Hopsecutioner IPA

This beer was given to me by my friend Joe, after his trip down south a couple of months ago.  He seems to be a fan of Terrapin beers and gave me a few of them, including this one.  I was looking forward to something with a good hop flavor, so I thought I’d crack this one open after dinner this evening. Location: Enjoyed the bottled beer, in a Sam Adams perfect pint glass, at home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 7.2% ABV, 78 IBUs,...

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339. New Belgium – Ranger IPA
Jun10

339. New Belgium – Ranger IPA

I’m out with my family for dinner tonight and was ready for a big beer.  Fortunately, they had this freshly tapped beer to satisfy my craving for something hoppy. Location: On tap at Joe’s Station House Pizza Pub in Normal, IL. Numbers: 6.5% ABV, 70 IBUs, 14.6 OG, 2 TG, 185 Calories Ingredients: Hops: Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade; Malts: Pale, C-120. Appearance & Aroma: The beer had a Soapy head on it which left some very...

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334. Square One Brewery – IPA India Pale Ale
Jun03

334. Square One Brewery – IPA India Pale Ale

We’ve already stopped at Urban Chestnut, Six Row, and The Stable, so our next stop on our mini tour of St. Louis microbreweries was Square One Brewery.  I’ve been here a few times, and there’s something about how these tap handles line up with the arched window that I find artistic.  Oh, and the beer here pretty good too.  However, much like we discovered at Six Row, it seemed that the selection was limited to the...

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333. Bear Republic – Ryevalry
Jun03

333. Bear Republic – Ryevalry

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m on a “mini-micro” tour, visiting 3-4 microbreweries in St. Louis with my friend Joe.  We stopped at The Stable, a craft beer bar and nanobrewery, because I had a gift certificate from my sister.  Since I’d already had a couple of Double IPAs this afternoon, including the STLIPA at Urban Chestnut, and the Double IPA at Six Row, I thought I’d try this Belgian style double...

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