Good Weekend After All

Well that was a pretty good weekend.  Friday night at TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli to get the weekend started.  Up first was a Yellow Snow IPA from Rogue Brewery.  I thought this was a very good IPA, just the way I like it.  I followed that with a Monk's Blood from 21st Amendment Brewery.  This is a Belgian-style dark ale.  It was OK.  I got it for the Keg Kicker special price of $3.00 so it was fantastic.  I ended with an Ommegang Abbey Ale.  This was good as usual.

Saturday I took my 2 oldest daughters to Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny for wings, french fries and a couple of beers.  I started with Fegley's Hop'solutely triple IPA.  This is an 11.5% abv bomb.  Unfortunately the taste was a little off for me.  I like big IPA's and alcohol has never been a problem for me but this one just didn't do it for me.  I ended with a Bell's Bourbon Hell Hath No Fury.  This is a Belgian dark ale but it's more like a stout.  It is fantastic.  I can't wait to get another one but that will have to be another day.

Union Jack's and Craft Ale House in One Weekend

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit both Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny and the Craft Ale House.  Union Jack's had an event on Saturday called the 12 Bell's of Christmas featuring beers from Bell's Brewery.  I started with a Rye Stout and followed with a Special Double Cream Stout.  Both were good but if I had to pick one it would be the SDC Stout.  At the Craft Ale House I had a Glacial Trail IPA from Central Waters Brewing Company.  I had never heard of this brewer.  I thought this was a good IPA.  It isn't necessarily memorable and it is more like a pale ale to me but I can't think of anything bad to say about this beer.  I will get it again.

Parties, Beer and Confusion

My 5-year-old was invited to a birthday party yesterday in Limerick and of course she had to go because her mother will not let them miss any kind of party, parade, fair, or activity of any kind.  Luckily the party was being held about 2 minutes away from Craft Ale House.  So my other daughter and I went to pick up the first daughter at the party and found our way to Craft Ale House.  I had an Oberon from Bell's Brewery.  This is a nice American Wheat beer that I will look forward to having as the warmer weather approaches.  Next up was a Hoppin' To Heaven from Hoppin' Frog Brewery.  This is a good American IPA.  Not the best I ever had but I would certainly drink it again.  Finally I had an Iniquity from Southern Tier Brewing Company.  OK, so I thought it was a good beer but I don't get the style.  What is an Imperial Black Ale anyway?  And why do they call these black IPA's.  Doesn't the "P" in IPA stand for pale?  So you have a black pale?  I was a little confused by this beer.  I'm not sure that I am a fan.  I will always be a fan of Southern Tier regardless.

Just Never Happy

I went to the Drafting Room in Exton this evening after work.  Imagine my excitement when I saw they had Wipeout IPA from Port Brewing Company on the chalkboard.  Then imagine my disappointment when after placing my order and waiting with great anticipation for my beer to be delivered I was notified that the Wipeout just kicked.  I had to "settle" for a cask-conditioned Nugget Nectar from Troeg's Brewing Company.  "Settle" is in parenthesis because this beer is no slouch either but I really looked forward to that Wipeout.  After finishing the Nugget Nectar the next best thing on the chalkboard was a Two Hearted Ale from Bell's Brewery.  This too is a really nice IPA but it is on the Drafting Room's "Usual Suspect" list which means you can pretty much be assured that it will be on tap at any given time.  So there you have it.  I had two really good beers after work tonight and I was still disappointed.  Some people are just never happy.

Just Another Friday Night

So I thought it would be a good idea to go to the Flying Pig Saloon in Malvern tonight.  Actually, what happened is that the other great beer bars in the area that actually list their lineup on the internet were not showing that great a lineup.  Since the Flying Pig doesn't list their lineup on the internet (that I know of) I thought I would take my chances.  What a great choice.  My first was a cask-conditioned Dogtown Pale Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company.  I had this beer on draught before and it was really good.  So was the cask-conditioned version.  With Bell's Hopslam on the list I had no choice but to order one.  It was awesome as usual.  Next up was a Mojo Risin from Boulder Beer Company.  It was good but I didn't give it a fair shake as I tried it after that big Hopslam.  I will say this.  It poured awesome.  It was creamy and thick with a great mouthfeel.  It was time to leave and pick up a couple of pizzas for dinner.

As it turns out the pizza was going to take longer than expected.  That's why I get it from Rocco's.  As they are located next to the Sly Fox Brewing Company in Phoenixville I wasn't too concerned.  I went in for a quick Pikeland Pils and then next door to get the pizza.  Life is good.

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.

Great Beer and Customer Service

I knew that TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli had Pliny the Elder from Russian River on tap as well as Hopslam from Bell's Brewery.  The temptation was too much so I stopped in after work for a quick one (and only one).  It would have been a tough decision but since I can't remember my last Hopslam I decided to go with a Hopslam this time even before I got there.  The parking lot was full as was the bar once I got in.  Before I could even squeeze my way to the bar I was greeted by Will who was tending to the folks seated in the bar area.  Will asked if I was here for the Hopslam or the Pliny.  Considering the numerous other good beers on tap I was impressed that he figured which two I would be interested in.  It's great when places like TJ's employ people who know beer and what beer lovers are looking for.  Will suggested a seat in the leather chair while he gets me a Hopslam.  Now that is customer service.  I lifted my glass towards my nose to take in the wonderful floral aroma and I didn't even have to get the glass close.  I took my first sip expecting the possibility that there may be a harsh hop bite but of course there was not.  This is a great beer.  Even the alcohol (10% abv) was well hidden.  Now maybe I can go back tomorrow for a Pliny.