736. Pollyanna Brewing – Mazzie Pale Ale
I’m back up in the Chicago suburbs for work again this week. When I was up here a couple weeks ago, I stopped at Beer House Chicago on the recommendation of @SubBeerBia. It was a pretty good experience, so I thought I head back there again tonight – especially since it was within walking distance to my hotel. They were having a special event with Pollyanna Brewing Co, a new brewery in Lamont, IL. Since the beers were on...
727. Stillwater Artisanal Ales – As Follows Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Today was my last day of work at State Farm Insurance, so my coworkers took me out for a nice dinner at Epiphany Farms Restaurant. I have some tremendous co-workers, and it was great to get together with them tonight. Of course they know I’m a beer geek, and I haven’t had too many beers from this brewery, so I figured I’d start the evening with this one. Location: On tap and served in a short tulip style glass at...
713. 3 Floyds Brewing Co. – Zombie Dust
As I mentioned in my last post, we’re taking an extended weekend up to Michigan, and stopped at Three Floyds brewery for lunch. I just enjoyed the War Mullet Double IPA, and my wife (at my suggestion) ordered the Zombie Dust. The To-Go line outside of the pub was easily 30 people deep, as Zombie Dust was just released today in cases. My wife liked it a little, but asked me to finish her beer. After lunch, I tried to wait in line...
662. Revolution Brewing – Double Fist Double Pale Ale
It’s been a fairly relaxing weekend, cleaning up around the house and catching up on reviews from last weekend when we did a small tavern tour of Chicago. After working on some of those reviews, I had a craving for a beer. I picked up this one on a work trip to Chicago this past fall, when I was looking for local brews. I’ve heard good things about Revolution, so I was looking forward to trying their double IPA. I also put...
634. Steven’s Point Brewing Co. – Beyond The Pale IPA
I’m out to dinner with my friend Joe, who is in town for work this week. We’re at Medici in Normal for dinner and a few craft beers. I was having the fish tacos, and wanted to go with something I thought might complement them a bit better than the Central Waters Scottish ale I started out with. After being pretty impressed with the Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale from Steven’s Point a couple weeks ago, I thought I’d...
591. Alesmith Brewing – X Extra Pale Ale
It was a long day at work, and it’s looking like Tuesday night is our only night when we don’t have commitments for the kids. Since we didn’t have anything going on tonight, I reached in the beer fridge and grabbed this 22oz beer. My friend David (owner of David Reed Photography), who I used to work with back in the day, keeps an eye on my blog and has periodically sent me beers from his hometown of San Diego. A...
590. Founders Brewing – Dry Hopped Pale Ale
I’m not sure exactly when or how I got this beer, but it seems like a good evening for it. We spent most of the weekend working on the house, and cleaning up. This afternoon, my son had a baseball game and we got home and had some dinner. I cracked this one open with dinner, which consisted of ribs and roasted vegetables. The bottle says that it was bottled on 6/18/12, so it must’ve been in the beer fridge for about a...
570. Deschutes Brewing Co. – Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale
I can’t remember the last time my wife and I had a date night, but tonight we hired a nanny for the summer and we’re letting her watch the kids as a trial run. We went out out to one of our favorite spots in town for a date night – Reality Bites. The atmosphere here is dark and intimate and it’s pretty much what you’d call a “tapas bar.” They have a few craft beers on tap, and this was one I...
568. Bell’s Brewery – Pale Ale
With the drugs I’m on following my heart surgery, I’m limiting my beer intake to a beer or two a week. I’ve still got a bunch of beers in the beer fridge to catch up on, and I was looking for something lighter. I can’t remember how I picked up this beer, but I think it may have been in a mixed six-pack at the local liquor store. The bottle says, “A blonde ale made from a delicious blend of pale malts with...
567. Anderson Valley Brewing – Poleeko Gold Pale Ale
I’m happy to tell you that my heart surgery went well. It’s been almost a month since my surgery, and I’m finally starting to feel a little bit back to normal. I had a little bit of nerve damage, but other than that, it was pretty smooth. It’s also been a month since I’ve had a sip of beer, and I’ve been craving some. Tonight we went to one of our favorite local pizza spots – Flinger’s...
530. Oskar Blues Brewery – Dale’s Pale Ale
I picked this beer up when I was on vacation in Florida this past summer. I stopped at a Total Wine and got several beers that I couldn’t get back here in Illinois. A six pack of this was perfect for enjoying on the beach in Florida. I got a chance to do a few reviews during my vacation, including an awesome stop at Pegs, but this final beer from the six pack has been sitting in the beer fridge waiting for my review since then....
527. Tallgrass Brewing – 8-Bit Pale Ale
The kids have the day off school today for a teacher in-service day. So, I had to stay home with them. It was nice to get some work done around the house this morning, and I just took a break for lunch. Since I didn’t have to go to work today, I thought, “why not have a beer at lunch?” My friend Joe gave me this beer while I was helping him move this past fall, and I figured it was time to pop the top on this kick...
