Take the good with the not so good

Last night on the way back from Massachusetts I was passing right by the Tap & Table in Emmaus, PA.  I went in and enjoyed a cask-conditioned Rastafa Rye Ale from Blue Point Brewing Company.  This is an excellent rye ale and the Tap & Table is a great place to enjoy a beer.

Tonight (Friday) I stopped in at the Flying Pig in Malvern.  I had a Hop Garden Double IPA from Dock Street.  This is a pretty good DIPA but maybe a little harsh with hops.  I followed that with a cask-conditioned Nosferatu from Great Lakes Brewing Company.  This is an American Strong Ale or a double Red Ale.  It wasn't as good as I remembered it.  It was good, just not that good.

Good Draught and a Bad 12 Pack?

I made a rare appearance at the Tap & Table in Emaus.  I first tried a My Antonia which apparently was brewed by Birra Del Borgo (Italy) and Dogfish Head (DE).  This is an Imperial Pilsner.  As is usually the case with Dogfish Head products I didn't care for this beer.  I followed this with a beer from another brewer that I normally don't care for.  At least I keep trying.  And this time it payed off.  The brewer is Brooklyn Brewery and the beer was an Imperial IPA called Detonation.  Hurray, I finally got a Brooklyn beer I can enjoy.  I ended with a Russian Imperial Stout from Rogue Brewery.  Yeah, this is a really good Stout.

I also had a chance to visit the Craft Ale House in Limerick.  I had a Dogtown Pale Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company.  This beer is always excellent. 

Speaking of excellent...one beer that is not excellent is Opa Opa IPA.  At least not the 12 pack that I brought home from Massachusetts.  It is undrinkable.  I suspect that the problem is with the 12 pack I got and not the brewer but I don't know.  I will have to find this on tap on my next visit and hopefully redeem this product.

Great Saturday Out

With daytime temperatures in the teens it was a good day to stay inside.  It was a Saturday full of good beer.  I visited the Bethlehem Brew Works where I sampled all 6 of their seasonals. (1) ACH-47 is a pretty nice Double American Pale Ale.  (2) Hop Monster Double IPA was not that great.  It was OK if all you really need is the alcohol which is 10% abv.  (3) Big Red is a good Doppelbock and that is not a style I usually go for.  (4) Elongator Doppelbock was very good.  It may be that these Doppelbocks were appealing to me because they go well with the French Dip sandwich I was having.  (5) Black Forest Dark Wheat Lager was an interesting beer.  There was kind of a smokey flavor I wasn't expecting.  (6) War Hammer Baltic Porter was a really good porter.  Nice coffee and chocolate tastes.

Next stop was Tap and Table  in Emmaus where I had a Cherry Stout from Bell's Brewery.  Did I mention it was from a firkin?  Wow.  This is a complex beer.  Luckily for me the cherry taste was subtle but the tartness was not.  This was a fantastic beer.  I really wanted to stay and have another couple of beers but my wife and kids were in the car and I was limited to one.

Last stop was Craft Ale House in Limerick.  I started with Hop 15 from Port Brewing Company.  I have already gone on and on about this beer in previous posts.  Fantastic.  Next up was Centennial IPA from Founders Brewing Company.  This is a really nice IPA.  Yeah, I should have had this one before the Hop 15 and I might have been able to taste it better.  I ended with a Dead Reckoning from Troegs Brewing Company.  This is a nice porter...no surprises.

Not Bad for a Wednesday

As luck would have it, I was able to visit the Tap and Table in Emmaus, PA once again this evening.  It is Wednesday night and the place was very active.  As I was alone I was able to find a seat at the bar but if I had company we would have been hard pressed to find 2 seats next to each other at the bar.  I ordered a cask conditioned Blue Point Rastafa Rye ale.  It is advertised at 7.5% abv but you would never know it.  This is a great tasting, great mouth-feeling ale.  Between the alcohol, the candlelight and the live acoutic guitar music (sans singing) I was getting good and relaxed.  I already enjoyed the other 2 cask conditioned beers on an earlier visit (Brewdog Hardcore IPA and Bear Republic Red Rocket) so I decided to "settle" for a regular draught beer.  I ordered a Furthermore Oscura.  I knew nothing about this brewery or this beer but the bartender told me it was a dark lager and something about coffee beans.  Wow, this is an unusual beer.  I could smell the coffee long before the liquid got to my tongue.  Then there was this pleasant coffee taste, not at all bitter.  This beer is not for everyone and I'm OK with that.  More for me.  The only issue for me is that it is after 11:00pm and I am not at all sleepy.  Could it have something to do with the coffee in the Oscura?

A Fine Saturday Afternoon

What a great day. I finally got the chance to experience the new Tap And Table in Emmaus, PA. We arrived at 3:00pm exactly which coincidentally is when they open the doors. I walked in by myself as my wife and kids would rather go for a quick ride in the countryside. I was followed by approximately 8 other thirsty travelers. I assume that says something for the success of this new venture.

I ordered a Bear Republic Red Rocket from the hand pump which is a nice red ale weighing in at 6.8% abv. This was a great beer, I mean a really great beer. I only had 20 minutes tops so I had to make my choices work for me. Unsure what to order next the server suggested a Brewdog Hardcore IPA which was also on the hand pump. Brewdog is from Scotland. I was originally reluctant to order anything not from the USA but I was convinced to give this one a try. You must try this beer if given the opportunity. You may not find it on the hand pump but if you see it anywhere, give it a try. I know what you are thinking...from the UK, no hops. Try this one. It has a bite. My time has run out and my ride is probably waiting for me at the front door.

Next stop is Union Jack's on the Manatawny. I take the wife and kids with me for a nice dinner on the patio. My first one is a Bear Republic Racer X. Awesome but the 9% abv is going to kill a lightweight like me. Then I try a Southern Tier Pumking. OK, I love this brewery but I must admit the Pumking is a little too perfumey for me.

I am not sure what to order but John, the server suggests a Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA. Throughout the years I have thought that this brewer is an over-hyped under acheiver. I give credit to Sam Calagione's ability to get print but the beers always seem mediocre. OK, it's only $5.00. Let's give it a try. Very nice. I am still not conviced that all of Dogfish Head's beers are all that good but I reluctantly admit that I enjoyed this one immensely.

What to round out the night? I had plenty of alcohol already. And although my wife already agreed to drive us home I felt that a low alcohol dark beer was in order. Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout sounds great at this point. I pretended to taste alcohol that was non-existant and convinced myself that this was a great ending to the day.

Until I could get home to my beloved kegerator...