77. Stone Brewing – Arrogant Bastard Ale
It’s been an incredibly crazy couple of weeks and there’s not much sign of things letting up. I’ve been trying to catch up on my reviews, but I figure there’s no better time to break into the Stone brewing beers my friend from San Diego sent me than a nice Friday evening. The kids are having a slumber party with their cousins and I’m ready to finally try the Arrogant Bastard I’ve heard so much...
76. Dark Horse Brewing – Raspberry Ale
At our homebrew club meeting this week, I was in charge of giving the presentation. This month’s topic was fruit beers. So I was responsible for giving a presentation and buying some commercial examples for members to sample. I tried to get a variety that included beers with different types of fruits. The beer I chose with raspberry in it was this one from Dark Horse Brewing in Michigan. I decided to crack it open on this hot...
75. Sierra Nevada – 2009 Summerfest Lager
I found this Sierra Nevada 2009 Summerfest Lager when I picked up a few different beers (as I mentioned in my Boont Amber Ale review) in a “mix a 6” 6-pack at a local liquor store. I was a little hesitant, since it would probably be about a year old and likely sat in the store at about 73 degrees that whole time, but I went for it anyway. The bottle says that it is 5% ABV. When I poured it in the glass, it had a dark...
74. New Holland – Mad Hatter IPA Draft
We were out and about and decided to treat the kids and ourselves by hitting a local pizza joint named Lucca Grill. We had the A la Baldini pizza, which was awesome as always, but we were also able to enjoy a couple of the good beers they had on tap. I had the Mad Hatter IPA on draft, and my wife had the Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweisen (review on that one coming shortly, as my wife made us go buy a 6-pack after enjoying the one on...
73. Anderson Valley Brewing – Boont Amber Ale
A few months ago, the topic of our homebrew club meeting was amber ales. The presenter brought in a few examples, but the one that seemed to impress me the most was the Boont Amber Ale by Anderson Valley Brewing. However, he said that he could only find this beer up near Chicago, and nowhere downstate Illinois. So, when I went into one of the local liquor stores and saw this in the “you pick 6” section, I was really...
72. New Holland – Pilgrims Dole Wheat Wine Draft
We had our monthly homebrew club meeting and I was presenting on the topic of fruit beers, so before I had to present, I thought I’d grab something a little strong to relax a bit. The board at Medici in Normal (seen in the upper left of the pic) indicated that the New Holland Pigrimx Dole Wheat Wine was a high alcohol beer and served in a goblet… So that’s what I went for. It had a hazy brown color, and had almost no...
71. Boulevard Brewing – Pale Ale Draft
We were are Lil Rizzo’s down at the Lake of the Ozarks for my grandma’s 80th birthday party. My first beer was an Anchor Steam, and for my second beer, I went with the Boulevard Pale Ale. I figured we were close enough to the Kansas City brewery that it had a good possibility that it would be fresh and hoppy. When it arrived, it had a nice amber color and was very clear. It had a thin creamy head, but there did appear...
70. Anchor Brewing – Anchor Steam Draft
We went to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend to attend a surprise party for my grandma’s 80th birthday. We went to dinner at Lil Rizzo’s and I tried to get something different, so I thought I’d try the Anchor Steam on draft. It was clear and copper colored, and had a very thin head on it when it arrived. The aroma is very difficult to describe, but I would classify it as a mix of a musty smell with an almost...
Stone Beers via Mail from a Friend
I just want to say a HUGE Thank You to my friend from San Diego, California, who sent me these three 22 oz Stone Brewing beers. Aside from the fact that he knows that even in the summer it’s not as nice here as it is there, we don’t get Stone beers here in Central Illinois, so I really appreciated it (along with the fact that I’ve heard Stone’s beers are pretty awesome). I’ve heard a lot about the...
69. Shmaltz Brewing – He’Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale
I’ve got a lot of different beers in the beer fridge from a few Brewers, so I wanted to grab a beer from a brewer that I only had one beer from. I looked in the fridge and grabbed the He’Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale from Schmaltz Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, New York. The bottle says that it is “A rich and robust dark brown ale” and it says “Why is this beer different from all other beers? As...
68. Ska Brewing – Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale Draft
I screwed up and thought our homebrew club meeting was tonight. After scrambling to get my presentation together, running to the store to pick up examples, and rushing over to the venue, I was dead tired. So, I decided to stop all the running around and grab a beer. I wanted something light and refreshing, but also a bit hoppy, so I went for the Modus Hoperandi on draft. It was a hazy darker orange color and had a thin head on it. ...
67. Broadway Brewery – American Pale Ale Draft
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m in my old college town of Columbia, Missouri for a fraternity alumni golf tournament. Our foursome actually tied for first place (supposedly, but I played with 3 lawyers, so if you don’t believe our score, try suing us). After a looong day on the golf course, drinking a lot of Bud Light and some O’Fallon Wheach (both to be reviewed later), we headed out for the...
