A Variety of Beers

Last Friday I had to watch 2 of the kids while my wife had the 3rd at a Girl Scout meeting.  Since we all needed dinner I decided to take them to Appalachian Brewing Company in Collegeville.  I had a Grinnin' Grizzly first.  This is a Christmas beer and although I'm not usually a fan of spiced beers this one was OK.  But...the Fresh Hop IPA I had after it was much better.  Very nice indeed.

On Saturday, we had lunch at Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown.  I had a Helios which tasted different than what I remembered it to taste like.  Rather than an easy-drinking Saison, this was almost like a stronger Belgian-style ale.  I followed that with a Yakima Glory.  Ahhh, that's more like it.  This is a nice, darker-yet-hoppy beer. 

Later in the day on Saturday, I found myself at Rock Bottom in King of Prussia.  I had a cask-conditioned IPA which was actually better than I expected.

Today I had lunch at TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli.  I had an IPA from Nebraska Brewing Company.  I enjoyed the heck out of this one.  But...it was $6.50 which I thought was a little steep.  My TJ's Burger was pretty awesome though.

It's That Time of Year Again

Tonight I tapped a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in my basement.  It is just one of the reasons why this is my favorite time of the year.  This is a really solid IPA and maybe it's just me but it seems especially good this year.

Iron Hill in Phoenixville

I went to Iron Hill in Phoenixville yesterday afternoon for a couple of beers.  I started with their Pumpkin Ale.  It was a pleasant beer with a mild pumpkin flavor.  Then I had a Roggenbier.  This is a rye beer the describe as "Traditional German dark, rye beer with a huge fruity nose from Bavarian ale yeast. Hints of unsweetened chocolate and caramel from the specialty malts mix with a touch of spiciness from the rye".  It's hard to believe that I actually like this malty beer but I did.  I then had a Hoppopotamus.  OK, this one is changing my opinion about Iron Hill.  They call this a Red Ale but I would call it an IPA.  Either way, it is one good beer.

While sitting at the bar, I noticed that Johnnie Walker Red Label not only has a red label but the words "Red Label" written on the red label.  Ditto for the Black Label.  Seems a little redundant to me although I suppose there could be color-blind bartenders out there.

A Fine Thursday

I had lunch at TJ's in Paoli yesterday.  Along with my wonderful Cajun Chicken sandwich (thanks for bringing back the Le Bus rolls TJ's) I had a cask-conditioned Brutal IPA from Rogue.  This was awesome.  I don't know how much I paid for it but now I see it on their Kegkicker specials for $3 during happy hour.  Maybe later today???  I also had a So Fresh & So Green Green IPA.  The name is puzzling but the beer is OK...not great but OK.

After work I stopped in at the Flying Pig in Malvern.  I started with a Mach 10 from Bear Republic.  This was good as usual.  So was the Stone 15th Anniversary that followed.  This is a nice Black IPA.  I also had a Rogue Mocha Porter.  It had a nice flavor but seemed very weak (watery) to me.  Maybe it was the big alcohol from the earlier beers.

Joboy's Inaugural Visit

First, to catch up on some ancient history, I had the following beers at TJ's last Friday night and forgot to write about them.  Red Rocket Ale from Bear Republic Brewing Company.  This is a great red ale.  Then I had a Victory Village Ale from Victory Brewing Company.  This is a very good brown ale with a definite coffee taste.  Then I had a Indie Pale Ale from Cisco Brewers.  This is a very good IPA.  Finally I had a cask conditioned IPA from Climax Brewing Company.  I am not a big fan of this one.  I guess cask conditioning brings out the flavor of beer so if it's a good beer then it becomes a very good beer but if it's not such a good beer...

This past Saturday I had a really good beer day.  I went to a cask conditioned festival at General Sutter's Inn in Lititz, PA.  All of the beers were cask conditioned and all of them were from the UK.  First up was Dissolution IPA from Kirkstall Brewery.  This was a fantastic IPA.  I followed with a Meantime London IPA from Meantime Brewing Company.  I didn't care for this one at all.  I drank that one quickly and moved on to a Out Of Step IPA from Offbeat Brewery.  Again, I was not particularly fond of  this one.  I ended with an Old Speckled Hen.  I've had this in a can before and have always enjoyed this beer.  I had high expectations coming from a cask but it was just OK.  About as good as when I have a can (which is pretty good) so my expectations may have been unrealistic.

Afterwards, I went for my inaugural visit to Joboy's Brewpub in Manheim.  This is a friendly place and owner Jeff did everything he could to make me comfortable.  I started with the red ale which was pretty darn good.  Then I had the IPA which was fantastic.  I ended with a porter which was an enjoyable end to my visit.  But in between I had one of the finest meals I've had in a long time.  I had a pork sandwich with a Memphis-style BBQ sauce that was out of this world.  Along with my sandwich I had collard greens and a heaping helping of fried okra.  Man, was that good eatin'.  I can't wait to get back out there again.  Next time I'll take my family.  I saw plenty of families coming in and I asked Maria Jo (the Jo in Joboy's) about it.  She said they were definitely family friendly.  I need to find a good excuse to get out to Lancaster County again...and soon.

Sadly, on the way home I stopped in at the Drafting Room in Exton for a quick one.  I chose the ESB from St. Boniface.  I really like this brewer but this one didn't sit right with me this night.  It may have been the other beers I had before it...I don't know.  I'm still a big fan of St. Boniface.