Peak and Victory

A friend brought me a bottle of Pale Ale from Peak Organic Brewing Company out of Maine.  I think I liked this beer but I'm not sure.  It was refreshing enough but I was at the bottom of it before I knew it.  I have a bottle of their IPA as well but haven't tried it yet.  I'll look forward to it.  Meanwhile, I tapped my new keg of Mad King's Weiss from Victory Brewing Company.  This Hefeweizen is better than I remembered it.  What a nice start to the warm weather season.

Another Victory

Well, it was time for a new keg of Victory since I recently kicked the Prima Pils (the Hop Rod Rye is still going).  I headed off to Victory after work today.  While there I had a Whirlwind Wit which was a little light for my taste and then I had something simply called Saison.  I assume it is different from the V-Saison they used to have.  It was a nice beer...really nice.  I would have loved to bring home a sixtel but the pickin's were pretty slim at the retail shop tonight.  I ended up taking home a Mad King.  This beer is no slouch either but it would have been nice to score a Braumeister Pils or Helios or something a little harder to come by.  Once I got home I didn't feel like tapping the Mad King and instead opened a bottle of In-heat Wheat from Flying Dog Brewery.  I had these bottles in my fridge since Christmas.  To my surprise it turned out to be a really nice Hefeweizen.  I'm glad I have a couple more waiting for me.

Nice Long Weekend

I managed to get a couple of good beers this weekend. The family went to Uno's Chicago Grille in Exton for dinner.  Along with really good pizzas I had Big Erns West Coast IPA form Weyerbacher.  Apparently Weyerbacher makes this as Uno's house beer.  It is really good with a nice floral nose and grassy flavor.  On Saturday I made the trek to Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny with my 2-year-old.  They were having their Easter Hopfest event with an amazing line-up.  Apparently everyone agreed it was an awesome line-up as I never even parked the car.  The lot was full.  The neighboring roads were full.  I left without stopping and headed to the Craft Ale House in Limerick.  I had a Jack D'Or from Pretty Things.  This Saison is starting to grow on me.  I thought it was really good.  Later in the day I made it to Ron's Original in Exton.  I started with a Lost Abbey Carnivale.  Another very good Saison.  I followed that with a Walker's Reserve Robust Porter from Firestone Walker Brewing Company.  This is a nice porter.  Nothing extraordinary but nicely done.  I ended with a Sextant Stout from Ballast Point.  I might have had something to eat but just getting a drink was a challenge and I'm not sure why.  I have seen it a lot busier there at other times and the bartenders usually keep up.  My Sextant Stout was a nice tasting stout but kind of light and no mouthfeel or noticeable alcohol but good tasting nonetheless. 

Finally on Sunday I went to McKenzie's in Malvern for a Tuna Caesar salad and a couple of Houblonettes.  I hope they keep this one on forever.  This is a very, very good saison.

First Taste of Tall Grass

I stopped in at Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny yesterday afternoon.  I had my first taste of beer from Tall Grass Brewing Company out of Manhattan, KS.  It's called Oasis and they describe it as "a Double ESB/IPAish beer...".  I thought this was fantastic.  It had a nice grassy flavor with a big floral nose.  This one really hit the spot.  I can't wait to have another one.

Prisoner of Hell

I made a quick stop in at the Flying Pig in Malvern tonight after work.  I had a Prisoner of Hell from Dock Street.  This is a Belgian style Strong Golden Ale.  It was OK if you like this style.  I am still a big fan of Dock Street.

I Must Be Getting Old

Yesterday I went to Union Jack's Congo Hotel in Barto for a beer because I was in the area.  I had a Stone IPA.  This is a nice IPA and it did the trick.  The day before I went to the Craft Ale House in Limerick to have a couple of cold ones.  I started with a Weyerbacher Oscar.  This is a "hoppy hef". That is, a hefeweizen with a little more hops than is traditional.  I thought it was pretty good.  I followed that with another Weyerbacher product.  It was their IPA Project #4743.  There was nothing wrong with it but it wasn't the greatest IPA I've ever had.  I ended with a Bell Ringer from RJ Rocker's Brewing Company.  They are out of Spartanburg, SC and this particular beer is an American Strong Ale.  I enjoyed it.  I also tried a Long Trail Triple Bag.  It was OK but not my style.

In the last week or so I had other beer adventures that I didn't have time to blog about so here is an abbreviated entry.  At TJ's in Paoli, I had a Double Jack (DIPA) from Firestone Walker.  This was my first taste of this brewer and based on Double Jack I think I am going to have many more experiences with this brewer.  At the Pickering Creek Inn in Phoenixville I had an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Company.  This is a very good example of the style.  At the Flying Pig in Malvern, I had a Carneval from Lost Abbey.  This is like a dry Royal Weisse.  Very nice.  Back again to TJ's in Paoli for a cask conditioned Racer 5.  Awesome as usual.  And one day in the not so distant past I made my way to Teresa's Next Door in Wayne.  I had a Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company which is always fantastic.  I followed that with a USALive from Mikkeller.  This is a nice Belgian Strong Pale Ale with just a hint of funk from the brettanomyces.  This is a very interesting beer.

Road Trip - Texas

I went to Dallas, TX on a business trip this week.  I had dinner one evening at Red Lobster and had a Shiner Bock along with it.  Heck, I'm in Texas I have to have a Shiner Bock right?  It was OK.  The next night I had dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.  This is a chain but don't let that stop you from going.  We started with raw oysters and calamari.  For my entre I had a crawfish etouffee served with dirty rice.  It was awesome.  I drank a Samuel Adams Noble Pils.  This was a nice clean beer.  Nothing extraordinary but a nice, pleasant pilsner.  My last night in Texas I decided to go to the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Plano.  This was a big place and located in a very trendy area.  I had a nice lobster bisque along with a Caesar salad with blackened tuna.  The tuna  was cooked just right (almost sushi).  I started with a Czech Pilsner.  It was similar to the Samuel Adams I had the night before.  Nice and clean but not extraordinary.  I then had a Hefeweizen.  This was very enjoyable and true to the style.  I ended with a Marzen, a style I don't particularly care for.  It too was true to the style.  It was sweet but definitely well-made.  So while in Texas, I had several beers that were enjoyable and well-made but I didn't get an extreme beer.  It's good to be back in Pennsylvania.

Out in the Country

I took a quick trip to Ortino's Northside this afternoon with my 2-year-old.  She had a root beer and I had an Anniversary Ale from Port Brewing Company.  I'm not sure what anniversary it was but the beer was a nice DIPA.  Not the best I ever had but very nice indeed.  I think part of the problem is my expectations are way high when I'm about to have a product from Port Brewing Company.  Regardless, it was a pleasant beer and I'm glad I got it.