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...
166. Wynkoop Brewing – B3K Schwartzbier Draft
We arrived in Denver and got checked into our hotel. When it came to dinner choices, I didn’t really give my co-worker who was with me much choice. However, as long as the place had beer, I was sure he wouldn’t mind. I wanted to hit Wynkoop, Denver’s oldest brew pub, since the last time I was in Denver, it was closed. I thought I’d start with something light, yet flavorful, so I went with their...
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...
164. Goose Island – Summertime
We had our ABNormal Brewers homebrew club meeting tonight and the category this month was German wheat and rye beers. I’m not sure if this Kolsch qualifies, but that wasn’t going to stop me from doing an impromptu review of this beer. It was extremely clear and was bright yellow in color. As you can see, it had a thick, white, soapy head which left some nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was light, but I picked up on a...
163. Anderson Valley Brewing – Hop Ottin’ IPA Draft
Tonight I’m at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington for a steering meeting for our homebrew club, the ABNormal Brewers. They’ve got $2 half pints, so it’s a good chance to try some different and interesting beers and get some work done on behalf of the club. The Anderson Valley IPA was clear and yellow with a very thin head on it. There was an obvious earthy hop aroma to it with some hints of a bready smell...
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...
161. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – India Brown Ale Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, we went out with a couple of our friends in St. Louis. So, for dinner, we decided to head over to the Schlafly tap room and have a few more beers and a nice dinner. Usually I’m a fan of their beers, especially when they’re fresh on tap there at the tap room, however, I think I may have finally found an exception. It was obviously deep brown in color and it had a creamy, thin white head on...
