Another Fine Weekend

So here's the run down on last weekend. 

Friday, I started at the Flying Pig with a pizza steak and a Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA...both were awesome.  Then I had a Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA.  I asked who the brewer was and they didn't seem to know.  If I could ever figure out the internet I'd do a search and find out but so far all I can do is guess that it is Laughing Dog (possibly in collaboration with another brewer I never heard of).  The alcohol was right there, right up front.  No attempt to hide the 10% abv.  Otherwise, it was a nice enough beer.

Later at the Drafting Room I had a Ryevalry Belgian IPA from Bear Republic Brewing Company.  My first Ryevalry a couple of weeks ago was fantastic.  This one not so much.  It was still very good but I had built it up in my head and my expectations were quite high.  This time I got the Belgian taste but it came off as kind of perfumey for my taste.  Next up was a Sierra Nevada Exportation "barrel aged" beer camp beer.  Apparently the owner of Exton Beverage attended beer camp and this was the result.  It smelled like wine and was quite sour (in a good way).  I would love to have this again but will probably never get the chance.  I believe this is a one-off.  Only time for one more so I have to make it a good one.  It's Angel's Share Brandy Barrel-Aged from The Lost Abbey.  This 12% abv behemoth was the perfect end to the night.  It smelled like wine (not surprisingly) and tasted like caramel and at the end had a fruity (prune) taste.  Very nice and complex.

On Saturday it was a quick trip into Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny.  I had another Lost Abbey beer.  This time it was Devotion Belgian-style Ale.  This is a nice enough ale, especially for a hot day like it was.  But, it was not extraordinary.

On Sunday I had dinner at Appalachian Brewing Company in Collegeville.  I started with a Purist Pale Ale and a grilled Caesar salad with blackened tuna.  The pale ale was nice enough but the salad was interesting.  They actually grille the lettuce quickly, thus the "grilled Caesar".  It was very good and the tuna was rare, just as ordered.  I followed with a cask-conditioned Hoppy Trails IPA.  As compared to the draft version, this one had a big floral aroma and a creamier mouthfeel.  It was a very good beer indeed.  I had a sample of the draft IPA for comparison and they were like two different beers.  The draft version is a good IPA but that cask-conditioned version...NICE.