Getting Around This Weekend

Friday after work I went to the Flying Pig in Malvern for a couple of beers.  First up was Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Company.  This was a pretty unremarkable pilsner.  Perhaps because our local pilsners from Victory and Sly Fox are so good my expectations are skewed.  I followed that with a Cape of Good Hope Imperial IPA from Yards Brewing Company.  Again, I found this to be an unremarkable beer.  Later that night I made it to the Craft Ale House in Limerick.  I started there with a Mongo DIPA from Port Brewing Company.  Now that's more like it.  This is a very good DIPA.  Finally I had a Founder's Breakfast Stout.  I have said before that this is the best Stout I've ever had but tonight for some reason it was just very good.

On Saturday I went to Appalachian Brewing Company in Collegeville.  I started with Batch 666 which they told me was a "stout-like" beer.  This was a nice enough beer but doesn't compare to that Breakfast Stout I had last night.  I followed with a pumpkin ale which was very good.  Not over the top with pumpkin but just right.  It looks like this...

On the way  home I had to pass right by Iron Hill in Phoenixville so I stopped in there to see what was going on.  I started with a Saison which was good.  I followed that with a Hoppopotamus which is an American Amber Ale.  This is a very very good beer.  I enjoyed the heck out of that one.  But, $6 for the Saison and $7 for the Hoppopotamus seems a little high to me.



Another Belated Posting

Still catching up from the weekend so here goes.
Friday at the Flying Pig in Malvern to go along with a great cheesesteak I had a Le Merle from North Coast Brewing Company.  This is a very good Saison but I needed something a little darker to go with my cheesesteak.  I got a cask conditioned Midnight Sun Porter from Williams Brothers Brewing Company out of Scotland.  It went well with my sandwich.

For dinner my wife and I went out to Daddy Mim's in Phoenixville.  I had a most awesome Seafood Court-Bouillon (COO-B-YOON).  Shrimp, crabmeat, crawfish and scallops in a Creole sauce.  It was excellent.  We had 2 bottles of wine with dinner.  The first was a 2006 Roar Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir which I thought was very good and my wife thought was excellent.  The second was a 2006 Seasmoke Botella which I thought was equally good but my wife...not so much.  After dinner we enjoyed the festivities that are Phoenixville on a first Friday of the month during a summer month.  Which includes outdoor concerts and plenty of people watching.  We stopped in at the Iron Hill where I had a cask-conditioned Hoppopotamus.  This big red ale is probably the best Iron Hill has ever had.

On Saturday I made it to Union Jack's Inn on the Manatawny for a quick two.  Up first was a Union Jack IPA from Firestone Walker Brewing Company.  This is a most excellent IPA.  I followed with a quick Mongo IPA from Port Brewing Company.  This is an excellent Imperial IPA but I don't recommend having a "quick" one of these.  I didn't have the time to savor it and frankly it went straight to my head.  No complaints.

A Fine Saturday Afternoon

After watching the first half of the Penn State vs. Akron game and being comfortable with the 31-0 lead, I thought it might be a good idea to head over to the Craft Ale House for something to eat. I started with a Russian River Blind Pig. Yep. Still good. I sampled a Furthermore Knot Stock. It had an interesting black pepper taste but I decided to pass. Next up was a glass of water and a Kira Belgian White. Yea, I know I should have had the Kira first but that's the way things go sometime. Anyway, the Kira was as good as you might expect. Those Belgians don't know how to make a mediocre beer.

Gary tapped a La Chouffe N'ice and the gal at the bar was kind enough to give me a sample. See comments above regarding those Belgians. However, I was in an Oscar Blues Ten Fidy kind of mood. Actually, I ordered what amounts to a roast beef sandwich so the Ten Fidy was the perfect choice. If you like imperial stouts you will love this one.

I had a brush with fame this afternoon. Jack Curtin was sitting right next to me. Thank goodness he didn't recognize me. It is always embarrasing when fans make a fuss at the bar.

Now it was time to go home. On the way, I remembered hearing some good buzz about Pickering Creek Inn in Phoenixville. It was about 3:30pm and the place was empty. Actually, the place was closed. The kind lady at the bar reminded me that they open at 4:00. I wasn't going to wait but I also didn't want to waste a trip into Phoenixville so I decided to give the Iron Hill another try. Considering previous trips into Iron Hill (at this and other locations) I went in with low expectations...and they didn't disappoint. The cask conditioned Ironbound Ale poured beautifully. Think Boddingtons with a copper color. The taste was like something I used to brew as a homebrewer. Did I mention that I was not that great a homebrewer?

Speaking of home, that is where I need to be. Tomorrow is another day.