322. Lucky Bucket Brewing – IPA
If you’ve been following this blog, you may have noticed a lot of reviews lately, and they’ve been a few weeks old. I’ve been really trying to get caught up, and finally have. It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I’ve been planning to homebrew for the first time in over 6 months. I’ve got the boil going and it was time to take a break and grab a beer. My beer fridge is packed, as I’ve been...
311. Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery – White River IPA Draft
This is my second beer here at Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery. I started with the American Pale Ale, which wasn’t as hoppy as I had hoped, but it went pretty good with my burger. Fortunately, I don’t have to travel again until tomorrow, so I stuck around for second beer. Their porter was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter, but I had a craving for hops, and this seemed to be the best option after the American...
307. Harpoon Brewery – Harpoon IPA Draft
I had a nice weekend at home, but I’m back out on the road for work again this week. The storms throughout the Midwest have been awful, so I’m not sure we’re going to get out of DFW on time. That gave us plenty of time to have a nice dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood House in the airport. Fortunately, they had these very large glasses and this Harpoon IPA on tap to pass the time until we find out what time we’ll...
302. The Abbey Brewing Co – Immaculate IPA Draft
I’ve got a “day off” in Miami, so I decided to head down to South Beach and get in a little run and a little sun (despite the fact that I had my laptop there with me to get in a little work). After a morning on the beach, and getting a nice sunburn, I looked to see if there might be a good brewpub or microbrewery nearby. That’s how I stumbled across The Abbey Brewing Co. As I took tasting notes on my phone, I...
296. Stone Brewing – Cali Belgique IPA Draft
Last night I was at the Stone Brewing kick off event at Fat Jack’s. I found out they also had an event at Medici in Normal, and tonight I’m at Medici for a “Tweetup” for an upcoming social media conference – @Midwest – I’m participating in. The last Belgian IPA I decided to try here – Flying Dog Raging Bitch – I really, really liked, so I thought I’d give the one from Stone...
285. (512) Brewing – (512) IPA Draft
When I checked into the Downtown Austin Residence Inn for the beginning of the SXSW Interactive Festival, I got a coupon for a couple free drinks at the attached Champions bar and grill. So, my friend Robert and I headed to the bar before dinner. Fortunately, they had some local brews on tap, so I got a chance to try this local IPA. Numbers: 7% ABV, 65 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was a somewhat hazy brown-orange color with a...
282. Widmer Brothers – Broken Halo IPA
I’m still sitting in the Austin, Texas airport, now watching the second half of the Missouri-Kansas game in the bar just outside of security. Unfortunately, my Tigers are down, and it doesn’t look good. However, the bar was almost empty, so I could relax and enjoy sipping on this brew during the second half. After having the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager I was looking for something a bit hoppy. Numbers: 6% ABV, 45 IBUs,...
276. Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA India Pale Ale Draft
Tonight I’m at Fat Jack’s for our monthly steering meeting for the ABNormal Brewers. I like that they usually have some different beers on tap, and tonight was no exception. I felt like something hoppy, so I decided to go for one of the only IPAs on the list. Numbers: 7% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was slightly hazy and golden-straw colored. It had a very thick, creamy, bright-white head on it, which left...
275. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Hoperation Overload Double IPA
I had a late afternoon doctor’s appointment and had to run some errands. While running errands, I had remembered my friend Fred, the assistant brewmaster at Destihl, saying how much he liked this beer. So, I decided to stop by. Unexpectedly, I ran into Fred and his wife Heather, along with 4-5 other members of our homebrew club, the ABNormal Brewers. Fred was there to unclog the lines which had filled with hop sediment, and...
267. MacTarnahan’s – Summer Grifter India Pale Ale IPA
When I went to Oregon for my Brewmaster Cuisinternship this summer, I asked my friend Betty to send back several bottles I got while at Full Sail. When shipping the bottles back for me, she slipped this one in along with them. I think she’s a fan of MacTarnahan’s since she brought out their Amber Ale when we went to lunch in Portland, and she sent me a bottle of their Winter Hum Bug’r Porter as a pay off on a bet. ...
266. Full Sail – Brewmasters Reserve Hop Pursuit
After having the Hopivore yesterday, I was still craving a big, bold, hoppy beer. You can pretty much say that this one spoke to me, since was really in pursuit of a hoppy beer. When I got this beer, it was literally from the Brewmaster’s Reserve, when John Harris, Brewmaster at Full Sail – Riverplace, dipped into his hidden fridge and gave me several beers when I was there for my Brewmaster Cuisinternship. The bottle...
263. Stone – Stone IPA India Pale Ale
As I mentioned a few months ago, a friend from San Diego mailed me three Stone beers for my challenge (Thanks again David!). This one was hiding in the back of the beer fridge, because I was really looking forward to it. I wanted to make sure it would be enjoyed at a time when I could really savor it. Especially after having the Ruination, I was excited to get a chance to try this one. Numbers: 6.9% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance &...
