Victory - Either Extreme

I went to the Victory in Downingtown tonight to return a keg and pick up a new one.  This time I got a Prima Pils.  While there I sat and the bar and nursed a Storm King from the hand pump.  It was awesome as usual.  I always forget to ask for a small so at 9.1% abv and a large glass almost equal to 2 bottles of beer it's like having the alcohol of 4 beers in one.

A Victory for My Tastebuds

We had a party of 11 at the Victory Brewing Company for lunch yesterday.  We were seated at the big round table which is pretty cool.  It was easy hearing anyone seated at the table thanks to some weird acoustics that take a minute or two to get used to.  But the restaurant was loud and we could all hear each other using our normal speaking voices.  I had the Dietrich sandwich.  It's pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on rye bread.  If you like Reubens you will love this sandwich.  It was awesome.  I also had a couple of beers that were also awesome.  I started with the Prima Pils and then on to the Hop Wallop.  I ended my visit with a Storm King from the hand pump.  It doesn't get any better than this.

Snow and Prima Pils

About 2 feet of snow.  That is what fell overnight last night.  So I spent pretty much the entire day shoveling snow.  I did manage to do a little sledding with the kids down the driveway and of course, I did manage to have a beer or two.  The Prima Pils from Victory was good...and cold (see photo below).  This was just a little incentive to keep on shoveling even when I just wanted to go inside and warm up.

Hey Tap #2...You Make Me Whole

Although I love my Victory Prima Pils on Tap #1 in my basement I kept staring at that empty Tap #2 and couldn't help but get that empty feeling in my heart.  It was time to visit Exton Beverage Company.  Actually it was time to visit their website to view the available kegs.  They do a great job keeping their on-line listing updated.  My only complaint is that they don't list their prices along with their selection.  They are however, very good at responding to my email requests for pricing.  After getting their email I decided on Ithaca Flower Power.  After dinner I ran down to pick up my keg.  Once I got there I couldn't resist looking at their available kegs one last time.  Not because I was going to change my mind but because it is so much fun.  You see, they have this big flat screen monitor which shows their available kegs and this time the prices are displayed as well.  They hand you a remote control so you can scroll through the pages of available kegs.  I'm telling you this is better than anything on TV.  So after viewing all the pages and pretending I was making my choice I confidently told them I had decided on the Ithaca Flower Power.  When the guy took my credit card (and saw my name) he said, "Hey didn't you email me earlier today about this beer"?  So much for my ruse. 

I tapped the Flower Power and as I have said before, this is a really good IPA.

Photos, Beers, Groceries and Various Errands

Well...we were in Exton anyway to have the kids pictures taken so if you are that close to Downingtown you might as well go to Victory Brewing Company for dinner and a beer.  I had (1) Hop Wallop cask conditioned, (2) Harvest Ale, (3) Harvest Pilsner, (4) Abbey 5, (5) Wild Devil and (6) Braumeister Pilsner.  All were excellent as you would expect from the Victory.  I also had a Dietrich sandwich apparently made from pastrami produced in-house.  It is essentially a Ruben but it is about the best Ruben I ever tasted, and that's not the beer talking.  Because I like to think I am efficient, I returned an empty keg of Yakima Twilight and picked up a fresh keg of Prima Pils since we were there anyway.

We needed milk and some other essentials so a visit to the Giant grocery store was in order.  We were about to go right past the Sly Fox in Phoenixville but I was pretty thirsty and I happened to have an empty Sly Fox keg in the trunk so I thought it would be a good time to return it.  It's great when you return a keg and not get a refill.  It feels like you are drinking for free.  In this case it was a tall Royal Weisse.  Yeah, this is a great summer beer but I ain't waiting until the summer to have one.

Weekend End

I went to Ron's Original Bar and Grille in Exton, PA for dinner this evening.  It is a Sunday night and I figured things would be slow.  I figured wrong.  I managed to get a seat at the bar and ordered a Bear Rebuplic Double Aught.  This is a pilsner weighing in at 4.2% ABV.  I was disappointed.  I really expect a lot from Bear Rebuplic and I'm starting to see a trend.  I will say that this beer was better than Budweiser.  OK, a lot better than Budweiser but it could not hold a candle to Victory Prima Pils or even Sly Fox Pikeland Pils.

I ordered a Ceasar salad with tuna steak and a Terrapin India Brown Ale.  This is a very interesting beer that I liked a lot (but not a good choice to accompany a Ceasar salad and tuna).  This is a deep brown ale and yet there was plenty of hop character throughout.  I will look for this one again.