SXSW and New Beers
As you can tell by my last several posts, I was at SXSW Interactive in Austin, TX. During the 5 days, I got a chance to try several new beers that I could have added to the list. Looking back on my untappd tab, I had Rio Blanco Pale Ale from Real Ale Brewing, Lone Star from Pabst, and several others. However, I promised myself that I wouldn’t post a beer unless I took a picture of it and was able to jot down a few notes about it...
288. Live Oak Brewing – Liberation Ale Draft
After a long day, I wanted to stop at The Gingerman for a few beers. It’s a beer bar in Austin (they have a few other locations) that has a ton of beers on tap. For me, it’s a good opportunity to try some new and local stuff. I didn’t even know what this beer was, but it was local, so I wanted to give the Liberation Ale from Live Oak Brewing a try. At liveoakbrewing.com, it says, “Liberation Ale is light in...
Thank You Capital Brewery
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll remember my Oktoberfest Challenge back in October, where I had a seasonal Oktoberfest or pumpkin beer every day during the month. I never thought it would be so hard to find so many seasonal beers. On one trip to the local liquor store, I found a beer from Capital Brewing simply labled “Fest Seasonal beer.” I naturally assumed it was their Oktoberfest. When I...
Holiday Food & Beer Pairings
Condensed from an article in the Huffington Post – Holiday Food & Beer Pairings by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Cheeses This is the de facto way into many a holiday meal and, while wines may go pretty well with some cheeses, the carbonation and diversity in beer make it a better partner. The bubbles in beer exfoliate the tongue of the fatty weight of the cheese to prepare you for the next bite. Some great combinations:...
Oktoberfest Challenge – Completed
Well, the Oktoberfest Challenge is complete, and it’s been a great month. There were only 2 days during the month when I didn’t have an Oktoberfest or Pumpkin beer (or even a beer that day). I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but I actually learned a lot during this month-long challenge. First, I gained much more respect for folks like Dave Selden of the 999 beers blog and Beer Drinker Rob of the Daily Beer Review. It...
Oktoberfest Challenge – Seasonal Beers
One of the inspirations for this blog was the 999 beers blog by Dave Selden. His quest is to drink 999 beers in 999 days, and he provides excellent tasting notes on each beer. I’m not trying to “one-up” Dave, as I often don’t have a beer every single day. HOWEVER, for the month of October, I’ve challenged myself to try to have a beer every day AND ensure that it is a seasonal beer that relates to every beer lovers...
177. Bluegrass Brewing Company – BBC APA Draft
This was my second last minute trip for work in the last two weeks, however, the one last week gave me a chance to go to the Great American Beer Festival. This week we found ourselves in Louisville, Kentucky for work, and just down the street from Bluegrass Brewing Company. So, we just had to stop in for a bite to eat and a beer. I felt like something a little hoppy, so I went with the APA, which I thought stood for American Pale...
2010 Great American Beer Festival GABF
I was thrilled when I found out I was going to be in Denver for work this week. And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I called the crew from Full Sail Brewing from my Brewmaster Cuisinternship, and they allowed me to extend my internship for just one more day. They let me use one of their brewer’s passes to attend GABF. I really can’t thank them enough, and I really didn’t mind being called...
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...
A Journey to try 1000 Beers
I was looking up a beer one day someone had told me about and somehow stumbled across the 999 beers blog by Dave Selden. His quest is to drink 999 beers in 999 days, and he provides excellent tasting notes on each beer. My quest is similar, but it is certainly not an attempt to literally “one-up” Dave. For one, my tasting notes will certainly not be as thorough as his and will lack the fancy tasting graphs he includes....
