599. Brooklyn Brewery – East India Pale Ale
Sep02

599. Brooklyn Brewery – East India Pale Ale

It’s Labor Day, and this morning we took the kids to the local parade. We came back and had lunch on the deck, and it seemed like the perfect afternoon to grab a beer and chill out for a bit. I grabbed this beer out of the door of the beer fridge, where I still have a few beers my friend Joe gave me when I helped him pack for his move to Atlanta last year. The bottle says, “East India Pale Ale is our version of the sturdy...

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594. Terrapin Beer Co – Monk’s Revenge Belgian Style India Pale Ale 2012
Aug26

594. Terrapin Beer Co – Monk’s Revenge Belgian Style India Pale Ale 2012

I helped at my son’s soccer practice this evening and was ready for a beer when I got home. I got this beer last year from my friend Joe, when I helped him pack for his move to Atlanta. I’ve enjoyed several Terrapin beers, and another Belgian IPA – Raging Bitch from Flying Dog, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The bottle says, “Step back in time for this holier than thou union of two great brewing...

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582. No-Li Brewhouse – Born & Raised IPA
Jul18

582. No-Li Brewhouse – Born & Raised IPA

I picked up this beer during my trip to Seattle this past fall. I was looking specifically for local/regional beers that I couldn’t get back at home. I hadn’t heard of this Spokane, WA, brewery before, so I thought I’d pick up a bottle to bring home with me. However, when I got home, I think I saw a bottle or two from this brewery at my local liquor store. It was still a new/different brewery I hadn’t had...

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555. Green Flash Brewing – West Coast IPA
Mar11

555. Green Flash Brewing – West Coast IPA

Tonight is my monthly homebrewers club meeting, and I had a half hour or so to grab some dinner beforehand. Regular readers will see that I love Flinger’s Pizza Pub for their pizza and craft beers on tap, and conveniently, it’s right down the street from Fat Jack’s, our meeting place. Since I was on my own, I had their tomato basil rolls – which were excellent – and this beer. Location: On tap and served...

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553. Lagunitas Brewing – A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
Mar06

553. Lagunitas Brewing – A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale

After the happy hour at Station 220 ended, where I had the Boulder Freshtracks and a bottle of Old Rasputin, I still had a little bit of time. So, I ran by Medici in Normal to grab a beer during “Wednesday Warriors” (where if you have a beer on 10 Wednesdays during the year you get a t-shirt and discounts). Now the first beer I ordered ran out (just the luck I was having if you read my last post), and they had a bunch of...

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548. Cathedral Square Brewery – Hail Mary Belgian-Style IPA
Mar03

548. Cathedral Square Brewery – Hail Mary Belgian-Style IPA

It’s Sunday night, and I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and relax after sending the kids up stairs to get ready for bed. I’ve found another corner of the beer fridge, with some beers (like Perennial Hommel Bier) I brought back from my many trips to St. Louis to see my dad. I’m not sure how long these St. Louis beers have been in the beer fridge, since they don’t seem to have dates on them, but...

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546. Boulevard Brewing – Grainstorm Black Rye IPA
Mar01

546. Boulevard Brewing – Grainstorm Black Rye IPA

We’ve been having a rough go of it lately, and so to escape things for a bit, my wife and I took the kids out to Flinger’s Pizza and Pub tonight for dinner. Nothing beats their tomato-basil cheesebomb (especially when you can’t eat meat on Fridays during lent), and the craft beers on tap. I usually try to stay away from beers like Boulevard that I can get easily, but this one looked interesting. It was confirmed when...

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544. Perennial Artisan Ales – Hommel Bier Belgian Style Ale
Feb26

544. Perennial Artisan Ales – Hommel Bier Belgian Style Ale

My dad lives in St. Louis, so we get back there often. I remember stopping by the brewery to buy a couple of beers (including this one), but I honestly can’t remember when, and the bottle doesn’t have a date on it. The bottle says, ” In the hop capital of Belgium, Hommell is the word for Cumulus, the plant genus where Hoppes resides. Our Hommel Bier defies tradition by combining North American malts, Pacific...

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543. Big Al Brewing – Big Hoppa India Pale Ale
Feb21

543. Big Al Brewing – Big Hoppa India Pale Ale

The snow is really coming down outside, and I’m glad to be inside eating a hot pizza. After I pulled the Epic Simple Ale out of the beer fridge, I saw this one behind it. I also picked this one up during my work trip to Seattle a few months ago. I’d heard a lot of good things about this brewery online (and their support of the local homebrew community), and was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to stop there (although...

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537. Abita Brewing – Abita Jockamo IPA
Feb10

537. Abita Brewing – Abita Jockamo IPA

It’s Sunday night, and I finally got the kids to bed. There’s not much I find more relaxing that sitting down at the kitchen table and enjoying a beer, and this was a great chance to do so. I went to the beer fridge and found the corner that has a few slightly older beers in it. I picked this beer up as part of a mixed 6-pack of local beers on a business trip to New Orleans about a year ago. During that trip, I actually...

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536. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Tasmanian India Pale Ale TIPA
Feb09

536. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Tasmanian India Pale Ale TIPA

It’s just a relaxing Saturday, and after spending the morning cleaning house, it was time to sit and watch some college basketball. I had heard many good things about this beer from St. Louis friends, and on Twitter, so I bought a 6-pack of this beer a month or two ago. I’ve already had a few, but I’m finally getting around to sitting down and doing a review of it. The bottle says, ” A Special Release IPA, TIPA...

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535. Victory Brewing – Hop Devil
Feb08

535. Victory Brewing – Hop Devil

It’s Friday night and after the week we’ve had, my wife and I really needed to go out for pizza and a beer. We went to Flingers Pizza & Pub here in Bloomington, IL, because they have a great tomato basil “cheesebomb,” as well as some great craft beers on tap. This was one of a couple craft beers on the menu I hadn’t had yet, but had been looking forward to trying. Location: On tap and served in a...

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