Green Flash or Free Glass?

Today was a trip to the playground but on the way all three kids fell asleep.  Not wanting to waste a golden opportunity I pulled into Union Jack's Congo Hotel in Bally.  I ordered a West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company.  Yeah, this is a really good IPA.  I think the last time I had one of these it was at the Congo Hotel that time as well.  I almost ordered a Bock fromYuengling Brewery.  They were having a "keep the glass" special.  I decided to go with the Green Flash and forego the free glass.  Maybe some other time.

Racer 5 and Tomato Pie

First thing today was the Easter Egg hunt.  Next my 4-year-old went to a party for one of the girls in her daycare class.  Then, finally it was time to hit the road.  Our goal was to visit my mother but first we would try to get the kids to sleep in the car.  Our usual drive in the country didn't produce the usual results.  All 3 kids stayed awake.  Since we traveled so far I decided to go into Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny anyway.  Surely the kids could be good for 15 minutes while daddy is in the bar.  I ordered a Wilco Tango Foxtrot from Lagunitas Brewing Company.  Talk about a well balanced beer this is it.  Sure there was plenty of malty goodness but they must have used a massive amount of hops to make the balance.  This was a nicely bittered beer.  Back at the car the kids were getting pretty restless so it was time to get to my mothers house.  Along the way I stopped and picked up a tomato pie which I had ordered earlier in the morning.  I got the tomato pie from Corropolese in Douglassville.  This is the best tomato pie on the planet.  A short time later I was eating tomato pie and drinking Bear Republic Racer 5 out of a bottle.  Not a bad comination if I say so myself.

Flying Pig, Flying Dog, Flying Fish...Whatever

I stopped in at the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern after work this evening.  First up was a Raging Bitch Belgian-style IPA from Flying Dog Brewery.  I have always maintained that this is a dumb style.  Belgian beers are great.  IPA's are great.  But that doesn't mean that if you combine the two styles you will end up with something great automatically.  I did however enjoy this beer.  For now I am going to credit that to the fact that it was my first beer on a Friday night and almost anything would taste good.  After that I had a Nugget Nectar from Troeg's Brewing Company.  This was a safe choice.  I knew I would love it.  I am a little disappointed in myself because there were other more adventurous beers I could have tried.  Maybe I should have tried that Exit 1 from Flying Fish Brewing Company, I don't know.  I left the Flying Pig and ordered a pizza on the way home.  I had a couple of minutes to spare so I stopped in at the Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  They had something new and unfamiliar on.  It was called McBanes Sly PA.  To be honest, it tasted like Rt. 113 IPA to me but what do I know.

Hoppe Yes, Pty No

I stopped in at TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli after work because I wanted to try Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale from Souther Tier Brewing Company.  This brewer never disappoints me.  This is a nice clean-tasting amber beauty and although I could not taste much alcohol I know it is in there because I actually started to get that good relaxed feeling after only one.  I talked to Will on my way out.  He told me that Pliny the Younger only lasted about 10 minutes during their event last week.  People were lined up along the sidewalk in front of TJ's at 11:30am.  He also told me that althougth they sold 66 tickets for a glass of Pliny the Younger the keg yeilded a couple of beers shy of that number.  Imagine being the poor bastard that bought a ticket and waited a couple of hours only to be told the keg had kicked.  Yeah they got their money back and yeah it's hard to have a bad time at TJ's but it still had to be disappointing.  Not familiar with Pliny the Younger?  I read an interesting article about Pty (that's apparently what the cool folks call it) by Joe Sixpack on Philly.com if you would like to become acquainted.

Playground Wipeout

I was such a beautiful day today and the kids were asking to go to a playground so that is what we did.  However, on the way one of the kids fell asleep.  As luck would have it we were close to Ortino's Northside in Zieglersville.  Me and my 5 year-old went inside for a drink.  I had a Wipeout IPA from Port Brewing Company.  I love this IPA as well as this brewer.  We only stayed for one as we were late for our visit to the playground.  Good thing too.  Out in the car my other daughters were awake and eager to get moving.

What To Do on a Gorgeous Saturday Afternoon

What a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  As my wife and kids were leaving for a visit with my in-laws upstate I told her it was such a gorgeous day I think I'll go to the Craft Ale House in Limerick.  And that's what I did.  I had a Dogtown Pale Ale from Lagunitas.  I have had this beer before and it is an excellent pale ale.  There are IPA's out there that are not as hoppy as this pale ale.  I ordered a short rib sandwich and Gordon Imperial Red / Double IPA from Oskar Blues Brewery.  Both were excellent.  I heard a lot of people at the bar talking about yard work and I don't have any shortage of yard work at my house.  So after only 2 beers I decided to head home and do some work in the yard. 

Friday Night With The Family...Sort Of

With my oldest daughter out of the house for the past week visiting her grandmother I thought we might do something different this Friday night.  I took my two daughters and my wife to Pizzeria Uno's in Exton.  Actually I met them there after I made a detour to the Drafting Room in Exton for a quick one.  I got a Gemini imperial IPA from Southern Tier Brewing Company.  This was quite a nice beer but in a blind taste test I would have never suspected it was and Imperial IPA.  As it turns out I had time for another quick beer so I ordered a Double Trouble Imperial IPA from Founder's Brewing Company.  I usually like this beer but tonight it seemed kind of harsh.  It may be because of the low-hopped beers I have been enjoying lately and that I have on tap at home.  I left in time to meet my wife and kids on the parking lot of Uno's.  We went in and had a nice dinner.  I had a Dead Guy Ale from Rogue Ales Brewery.  It was OK and I'll leave it at that.  My wife suggested I stop at Ron's Original Bar and Grille on the way home.  She was OK taking the kids home and settling in.  As usual I followed her advice.  As usual, Ron's parking lot was packed but as luck would have it I found a spot right out front.  I went in and there is where why my luck ended.  I did manage to get a beer but I was standing.  The beer I had was an IPA from Left Hand Brewing Company.  So far I haven't been impressed with this brewer and tonight is no exception.  Not a bad beer...just nothing exceptional either. 

Hops and Other Stuff

I went to Exton Beverage after work this evening and picked up a sixtel of Rye Pale Ale from Terrapin Beer Company.  My wife knew I was going to Exton so, as always, she thought of an errand I could run for her while out that way.  So after stopping at Target to pick up a prescription for my daughter I decided to stop in at the Drafting Room for a quick beer before heading home.  It had to be a quick beer because I had a keg in the back seat getting warm.  I was excited about the Drafting Room because they had a big IPA event last Saturday which I was not able to attend but I figured they would have some of the featured beers on tap still.  I was right.  I had an Apex from Bear Republic Brewing Company.  It is an awesome Imperial IPA.  I left satisfied then went home and tapped the Terrapin.  It's nice to have a pale ale on for a change.  At first I miss the big hops of an IPA or imperial but then I remember there is more to beer than hops.  This beer is a good reminder.

I Get Around for an Amateur

Saturday afternoon the weather was so miserable (high winds, heavy rain) that I thought it would be great to go out and have a nice beer or two.  I went to the Craft Ale House in Limerick where I found many folks with the same mindset...lousy weather, go out for a good beer.  I ordered a Curieux from Allagash Brewing Company.  This was described on the menu as a tripel with notes of coconut and vanilla.  No kidding.  Both flavors were well represented.  It was a very nice tripel albeit American.  When I got out to the car the kids were still asleep so my wife suggested I go to Union Jack's Congo Hotel for another beer.  As usual I followed my wife's recommendation.  I got to the Congo Hotel and like the CAH it was busy.  I managed to get a seat at the bar and tasted a Legbiter Irish Ale from Strangford Lough Brewing Company which I believe are out of Northern Ireland.  I suppose it was on because of St. Patty's day.  It was a nice enough beer but not what I was in the mood for.  Now Troeg's Nugget Nectar was just right.  Does anyone know why Troeg's doesn't have this as a year-round offering?  It is such a nice beer.  I would have loved to stay longer but suspected the kids would be waking up any minute and in fact they were awakening just as I got to the car.

On Sunday my wife was out of town visiting her parents with my oldest daughter.  That left me with my 1 year-old and my 4 year-old daughters.  Since my wife was out of town my mother volunteered to sit in the car with the sleeping kids while I went into Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny.  I only stayed in long enough to enjoy a Hopsecutioner from Terripan Beer Company.  I like this American IPA and I really like this brewery out of Athens, GA.  My mom did a great job filling in for my wife while she was away.  Thanks mom.

So summing up my weekend I visited the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern, the Sly Fox in Phoenixville, Craft Ale House in Limerick, Union Jack's Congo Hotel in Barto and Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny in the middle of nowhere.  All in all it was a good beer weekend.

Just Another Friday Night II

Another Friday night and I feel the need to have a really nice beer somewhere so I stop at the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern.  As you may recall I often stop at the Flying Pig when all the other bars in the area are not displaying a great line-up on their on-line tap list.  Flying Pig does not have an on-line tap list and often benefits from this omission, you might say by default.  Well, they usually don't disappoint and tonight is no exception.  I first order a Hopmouth from Arcadia Brewing Company.  This is a nice DIPA.  Not great but not bad either.  I followed that with an Irish Red Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company.  Well that was my first mistake.  Of course you shouldn't follow a DIPA with an Irish Red Ale.  I couldn't taste the Irish Red.  That is my fault.  But...although I love Great Lakes I think I would not give this beer high marks whether following a DIPA or not.  I have enough doubt though, that I will give it another try when I see it again in the future.

I take my leave and head towards home.  As luck would have it, when I placed my order for the pizza I was told it would be a 30 minute wait.  That leaves me enough time to have a quick one at the Sly Fox in Phoenixville.  I find a seat at the bar and order an Abbey Xtra.  This is a nice dry Belgian-style ale.  I would love to stay for another but my pizza is ready.

Cheers.

A Victory For My Basement

We had a party this past weekend and that was the end of both sixtels I had on tap in my basement.  So I stopped in at Victory Brewing Company tonight in Downingtown to exchange an empty for a full one.  They had a sixtel of something called Smokin' Oats Porter.  Having never had this beer before I thought it would be a good idea to go over to the bar and have one to see if I might want to invest in a sixtel.  It was a very nice porter (smokey as you might expect).   But coming from Victory I was expecting big alcohol or big hops or something extreme but this was more of a traditional porter.  Again, a very good porter.  I would have enjoyed it even more if I could have found a seat at the bar but I have rarely gotten a seat at the bar since the big make-over.  I wish the Victory never expanded the restaurant.  But I digress.  I decided to get a sixtel of Mad King's Weiss to take home.  I wouldn't call Mad King an extreme beer either but it is a great beer and somehow I feel special bringing it home because you can't get this stuff in bottles.  So if you want to enjoy a Mad King you can have one at the brewery, you can take a growler home or you can take a keg home. 

Sunday in the Country

Out and about in the country today we ended up at Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny.  All three kids were asleep in the car and my wife didn't object so I went in for a quick one.  I had something from Dark Horse Brewing Company on Friday that I really enjoyed so I thought it would be a good time to try something else from this brewer.  Today it was a Fore Smoked Stout.  This is an OK stout but nothing special.  It kind of reminded me of the stouts I brewed as a homebrewer.  That's all the draught I had today.  However, I was drinking bottled beer from a mixed case of Founder's that I bought last week and I have to say (if I haven't already) that the Red's Rye is as good from a bottle as it is on draught.  I have had this in kegs at home and on draught at various bars but I insist that the bottled version is just as good as the draught.

Friday Follies

Friday night after work and I decide to go to the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern for a quick drink after work.  I ordered a Crooked Tree IPA From Dark Horse Brewing Company.  I had one of these back in September and didn't really care for it.  I thought it was time to give it another try and I'm glad I did.  This is a great tasting IPA.  The hops are not overdone and there was no unpleasant aftertaste as I remember from before.  Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I had it the first time, I don't know.  Since I was having such good luck I decided to try something else.  Up next was a West of Center Pale Ale from Dock Street Brewing Company.  This is probably the darkest pale ale you are ever going to find.  I liked it a lot.    It had quite a bit of malt flavor especially coming on the heels of that IPA I just drank but I definitely enjoyed this one.  Leave it to the Flying Pig to ensure that something(s) tasty is always going to be on tap.

With My Luck...

It was this time last week that I enjoyed a Pliny the Elder at Ron’s Original Bar and Grille in Exton. So last night I checked Ron’s draught beer list and saw that the Pliny was still on. I found that hard to believe because Pliny just doesn’t last that long at other watering holes. I have heard stories of kegs getting kicked in less than an hour from when they were tapped. I had to go to the Exton Mall to pick up a few things anyway and Ron’s is so close that I just couldn’t resist. I had to see if the Pliny was really still on. I call it market research. Unfortunately when I got to Ron’s parking lot it was full. Not only was it full, some folks were circling the parking lot waiting for a spot to become available. That is not something that I am going to do. I don’t care if they are giving the beer away for free. If I wanted to live like that I would move to the city. So I left for home…not knowing if the Pliny was really still on or not but I suspect it was as Ron’s is pretty good about updating their on-line draught list.




This morning (Friday) I noticed that Pliny has been removed from Ron’s draught list. In a weird way that kind of makes me feel better. I say to myself that with my luck, had I decided to fight the crowd and go into Ron’s last night the Pliny probably would have kicked just before I ordered mine.

Too Much of a Good Thing Saturday

Well it took me until Monday to post about my adventures on Saturday.  That is partly because of my adventures on Saturday.  First I went to Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny.  I had a Double Trouble from Founder's.  This is a great DIPA.  I followed this with an Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey.  You just have to try this beer if you can ever find it.  It was absolutely incredible.  It tasted like prune juice and I mean that in a good way.  I paid $8 for a 10 oz glass and I was happy about it. 

Later on in the evening I found myself at the Craft Ale House in Limerick.  I had an India IPA from Weyerbacher Brewing Company.  I usually don't go out of my way for a Weyerbacher but this one was pretty good.  I would go out of my way for this one if I know it is on somewhere.  I followed that with an Old Guardian Barleywine from Stone Brewing Company.  If you like barleywines you will love this beer.  I happen to love barleywines.

And yes, my wife was driving.