Fresh Texas Beer

Last Friday I had lunch at the Flying Pig in Malvern.  Along with my usual cheesesteak I had Flower Power from Ithaca Beer Company.  Both were excellent.  That night after work I stopped in at TJ's in Paoli for a couple.  First up was a Crooked Tree IPA from Dark Horse Brewing Company.  This is a solid IPA.  I followed that with a Union Jack IPA from Firestone Walker.  Of course, this was awesome as usual.

I started to think I was having the same old beers in the same old places when all of a sudden I find myself in San Antonio, TX on business.  I found this brewpub called Freetail Brewing Company.  It was about 20 minutes from the airport but worth the trip.  I had a flight of 7 beers and all were good (some were very good).  Then I had a glass of their sour beer with a name I can't remember.  I do remember it is their red ale, Danny Mijo,  aged in barrels and soured.  This was a fantastic sour beer.  I swear I was getting some heat from this one (like some pepper beers I've had), but they said it must have been my imagination.  Regardless, it was a joy to have one of these.

Friday Night Delights

So I went to The Flying Pig in Malvern for lunch and had a cask-conditioned Racer 5 from Bear Republic.  Yeah, it was awesome.  Then I had a Firestone Walker IPA and it was awesome too!  I guess my weekend was starting out pretty good.  The grilled chicken sandwich I had was pretty good as well.  Fresh mozzarella, grilled chicken, roasted peppers in a nice wrap.

After work I stopped in at McKenzie's in Frazer.  I had a couple of Two Threads which is a nice sour ale (Saison) similar to their Houblonette which I have raved about.  I also had their Bertha which is a big malty beer and pretty good if you like that style.

Now I'm home having a couple of Storm Kings and life is good.

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.

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.