Fall 2023 Update

 So.   It's been a while.

All of my photos going back to March have disappeared from the website.

So, I'm in the process of digging through my archives to get those photos re-uploaded (this is annoying).

A lot has been going on otherwise.

On August 14th, I had a heart attack.

Spent four days in the hospital, and was forced to make a lot of major life changes.

One of those changes, is drastically reducing the amount of beer I am allowed to drink.

Honestly, I probably would have shut down this website, if I had remembered to turn off my auto-renewal.  Since I didn't, I'm around for at least another year (well, like ten months, it renews on September 1st).

I've fallen behind on this website.

All the life changes have really affected my mentality in a pretty bad way, and all the progress I've made since the crap that happened to me last year - it kind of reverted back to a really badly depressed spot.  Dealing with all of this health stuff by myself, and not having someone to help and support me, really kicked that depression up into full gear for a while.  And it took me a while to accept everything, and make the mental commitment to what needs to be done.

So, the updates will be a little more sparse, but I will still randomly be enjoying my single beer from time to time.  

Anyways, my buddy Garrett called me out for being so far behind on the website.  As I've drank with him a few times since he got back from Florida, and none of those beers are up yet.  So, I'm going to fix the missing photos and get the new posts up this weekend.

Pete Davidson is FINALLY hosting SNL tonight.

His original hosting job was scheduled for the weekend that ended up being when the writer's strike began, so I've been waiting since May for this to happen.  Maybe I will dig into the fridge and find something special for tonight?

1783. Cölner Hofbräu Früh

YES.  I cheated today.

I drank a second beer, because Ray brought this Früh mini-keg, and he and Garrett were trying to finish it off, and I decided, "...it's another German beer for the website..."

And it was Germany-tasty.

It wasn't really anything special, it's another "Glorified Miller Lite", but I drank it with a Miller, and he poured the beer for me, so he got himself another cameo on the website.

AMAZING DAY, hanging out with some good people, enjoying football (both European and American College), having some good conversations.  It really helped my mental well-being today.  And then I came home and updated this website.

1782. Augustiner Edelstoff

Garrett and Cara hosted a few of us today to watch the Germany v USA friendly match.

And Garrett found Augustiner at the liquor store, and checked this website (which was when he discovered how far behind I was) and saw that I never documented drinking this beer (I have had it before) but since it wasn't on the website, he bought it to share with me.

And it was German delicious.

Yum yum. 

(I pour it into my own pint glass after we took the photo)

1781. Sun King Scout Badge

Yeah.

YEAH.

Jason texted me a screenshot of this beer.

(one of the downsides of not being on social media is not seeing the delicious beers that get released)

And I immediately knew I wanted one.

So, after the Colts game, a group of us ended up at Sun King Fishers, and I got to enjoy this AMAZING beer.  Sadly, it was so good that I drank three of them, and in the middle of the night, I was up for four hours throwing up.

But...

When I was drinking it, it was AMAZING.

Great flavors, wonderful coconut lingering aftertaste.

I bought a four pack to share while Cara and I played Giant Chess outside, and I ended up with one left to bring home.  And I'm saving it for a special occassion.

1780. Sun King Deep-Fried Sandwich Cookie

This year's Sun King State Fair Beer was available before the State Fair.

Or, maybe this was the first weekend of the fair?  Yeah, that sounds right.

Either way, I was able to get the beer at Sun King Fishers, and then sadly, I never made it to the State Fair this year.  I just never found the motivation to go solo this year.

This beer is GOOD.

I liked it a lot.

Garrett got the Nitro version of this beer, and he let me try it.

It was fine, but it seemed like it wasn't as sweet.

Super tasty.  I had a few of these this day, and I was happy.

1779. Rhinegeist Lawnchair Hotrod

I remember this just being really blah.

I thought it was okay, but nothing I ever need to drink again.

1778. Societe Chronic Con

In San Diego to visit my brother and spend time with my family.

San Diego Comic Con is going on, so I wandered around downtown San Diego, and was able to walk around outside of the Con, and check out the people.  I always love people watching at Comic Conventions.

I had a noon reservation for Kevin Smith's Mooby's Pop Up Restaurant.

I've been to the Louisville Mooby's and the Indianapolis Mooby's (It appears I never uploaded this picture?  So, I need to find this...?) - so I was super excited to add a third.

In each city, they partner with a brewery to brew a different Kevin Smith Themed Beer.

This one was fine.

It was a VERY West Coast IPA, so I didn't love it.

But, I was there more for the experience.  It's always fun to be surrounded by other Kevin Smith fans.

Cara Drinks Cider: Tropicolada

I believe the Millers were still in Tennessee when I got this text about a cider that Cara knew I would love.

From everything she's told me about it, I REALLY wish I had a way to try it.

It sounds like the coconut flavor was solid.

Garrett Drinks Beer: In Graceland

Peanut and Banana Porter.

I would give this a try!

1777. Sun King Synchronized Sipping

Another BLAH beer from Sun King.

It's light, and it's not bad.

But Blueberry and Orange just didn't make for a good mix, in my opinion.

I drank it.  It was fine.

But, I don't care about ever drinking it again.

1776. Yuengling Bongo Fizz

Yuengling's answer to Mango Cart.

Not as good as Mango Cart, but this beer does the trick.

I drank a lot of these this afternoon.

It's light and refreshing, and the mango flavor is there - but not as strong as Mango Cart.

Still tasty and delicious.

1775. Rhinegeist Juicy Truth

I didn't really like this beer.

I only had a few drinks of it.

I felt guilty.

In the past, I would never throw beer away, without finishing it - it was a commitment thing.

It was part of why I started this website, to make myself try things I normally didn't like.

I've changed my mentality since then.

I'm not going to finish something I don't enjoy.

I did NOT enjoy this.

And Husky Luna made a cameo.

(I have FOUR friends who all have dogs named Luna...)

Garrett Drinks Beer: Dernier jour en France

 Garrett's last day in France.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Quatre

This might actually be Day Five?  I don't know?  I don't think Garrett sent me any texts yesterday.  He might have been too excited about getting back to Paris?  I don't know?

Anyways, today he is drinking Ma Petite Française Denise FPA, but I don't know if he liked it or not?

1774. Taxman Expat Toasted Coconut Tropical Lager

Once upon a time, Taxman was my favorite Indiana Brewery.

They still make beers I like, and will buy - but this is not one of them.

I love coconut, and this doesn't have much.

The beer is blah, and nothing stands out - other than the lack of coconut flavor.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Trois, Quatrième Partie

Garrett added another French beer.

It was originally #74 on my FIRST 152 list.

But, then in the summer of 2021, when Caitlin and I were in Disney, and ate at the "Beauty and the Beast" themed restaurant Be Our Guest - I purposely drank this French beer, because "Beauty and the Beast" was originally a French novel.

1773. Guggman Haus Guard Shack

There are a lot of flavors going on this beer, and I actually think they blend well together.

It's billed as a "sour" but there's just the most minor hint of sour here, it's really a tasty tropical fruit punch flavor.  Obviously, there's not as much coconut as I would.  There's a hint of it, but it's also masked with the creamy milk sugar flavor.  But, these fruity flavors all go well together, and make for a really tasty beverage.

1772. Guggman Haus Sour: Raspberry Mango

My buddy Michael hit me up a few days ago and asked about my calendar on Sunday, which was pretty clear.  So, we made the plans to get together at Guggman Haus - it's about halfway between where we each live, and just hang out and chat.  Indy was out of town this weekend, and with no Bayern matches, and none of the guys seem to be getting together for the USA matches, it was just nice to get together and hang out.  We invited the other guys, but no one else was available.  So, we had some beer, talked about sports and movies and TV shows, and it was just a chill afternoon to hang out.  I'm glad Michael hit me up, it is always nice to go out and be in public, instead of the lonely feelings on my couch,  And with Garrett and Cara in France, that's harder to find people who want to hang out with me.

So, I was happy to see a sour from them that I haven't had.

It was tasty.  Good tart flavor.  Nice to drink.  I really enjoyed it.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Trois, Troisième Partie

This beer is from Belgium.

Which I'm sure made Garrett happy it wasn't French.

I'm still jealousy of it, because I haven't tried it...

I'm NOT linking to their website, because it sucks, and doesn't work, and after I put in my birthday and click the "enter" button - NOTHING happens.  So, they don't deserve a link from me.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Trois, Deuxième Partie

Garrett Drinks Beer followed up this morning with a text about finding a beer from Pelforth.

Visiting their website, I love seeing the four bottles that show the evolution of the Blonde Label over the past 100 years.  I like things like that, I don't like the my level of "French Jealousy" I have towards Garrett right now...

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Trois

Garrett's texts are getting earlier and earlier, and they make me want to start drinking earlier each day!

Luckily, this afternoon I'm headed to Guggman Haus to hang with one of my Bayern Brothers, and hopefully add a beer or two today, myself.

Garrett added three beers (Pale, Lager, and Amber) from Fidèle, and it's breweries like this that make me jealous of what he's getting to drink over there.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Deux, Deuxième Partie

I can only imagine that Garrett and Cara had a romantic French dinner (hopefully some baguettes were involved...) before Garrett found this tasty-sounding 12% ABV:  Les Brasseurs de Gayant La Bière du Démon.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Deux

Woke up this morning to another beet text from Garrett.

Looks like today's delicious is:

Fischer Doreleï Bière Ambrée (which some internet searching shows this is a Heineken product?)

and

Ninkasi Triple (which sounds absolutely amazing!!!)

1771. Brew Link Double-O

So, I took some of the beers that Ryan Miller gave me, and passed them on to my buddy John Peddie - so that he could try them for his BEER BLOG (I mean, I guess it's really a real blog that covers more than beer, but that's where he talks about beer, so I consider it a Beer Blog, despite the fact it's more than that...  Whatever...)

ANYWAYS!  I made sure I could catch Peddie at work, and when I arrived, I was happy to find that he had a gift for me in return!

And it's a gift that I am REALLY excited about.

This is a beer I've been wanting to try for years.

And I thought I had tried Brew Link before - I really thought Brandon Yotter had given me some back when we worked together.  But, according to my own website - I've never drank anything from them.

I was never willing to go all the way out to Plainfield to their Brewpub, and even though I saw some of their beers at the liquor store - if it's an Indiana brewery that I can visit, that's how I like to try their beers for the first time.  But, it never happened.  Peddie reminded me that they took over the former Two Deep Brewery - and now I need to find the time to head in there (it's still a trek from me, but half the distance to Plainfield).

So, after work today, I finally made the time to hit the grocery, and I just couldn't convince myself to buy an entire package of Oreos (I really try to avoid sweets, due to my lack of self control) - so, instead, I grabbed a small package of the Cakesters Oreos, and I thought that would be good enough.

So, the beer is good - but I think my expectations were too high.

I like the beer, it's nice and chocolatey and a little creamy.

I think I wish it was a little sweeter, it's just kind of dry upfront, and oddly, doesn't stay dry.

Which is good, and I like that.  As it warms up, it doesn't seem to alter the flavor very much.

Pair it with the Cakesters also doesn't really seem to have much an affect.

So, it's a really tasty beer, that's only fault is that it didn't live up to what I wanted.

Garrett Drinks Beer: Jour Un

My brother, Garrett Miller and his wife Cara are over in France right now.

And if you know Garrett, you know that's terrible for him - and how much he hates the French (or at least how much him and I play up our dislike for French Footballers/Clubs).

Well, he's using this trip to the best of his ability and making me jealous - by drinking French beers while he is over there.

Day One:

Pietra and Leffe (Beer #77 on the First 152)

The Tomb of Millerkhamun

Yesterday, I was headed down to Franklin to meet up with my buddy Troy, so we can grab dinner at The Willard, and then go to the Artcraft for their 35mm print showing of "Dazed and Confused".

My phone rang, and it was Ryan Miller.  He had an offer for me, and we agreed on a meeting time today.

When I showed up at the house he was moving out of, he opened the beer fridge in his garage, and said, "I have nowhere to store these at the new house.  Whatever you don't take, I'll have to throw away, so take whatever you want."

And looking in his fridge, I must have felt the same emotions as Howard Carter when he opened Tutankhamun's tomb.  There were Dark Lord beers, there is a special Dark Lord variant, multiple Bourbon Country variants, there were Taxman Evasion variants that have been aging since 2018.  There's random Sun King small batch beers, Untitled Art beers, New Glarus beers (not available here in Indiana), and there's a Lost Abbey. 

The fridge lit up like the briefcase from "Pulp Fiction".

Ryan's only stipulation is that I have to hold onto the Dark Lord Variant for him to come over and drink with me.  And that's something I have no problem doing.

I barely drink at home there days, but every now and then - I'll find something special from this lot to enjoy.

1770. Hi-Wire Boogie Board

So, I had high hopes for this beer. 

I have a place of affection for Hi-Wire.

This has all kinds of fruits, that I like.

But...  then.... it also has guava.

And the guava flavor over-powers all other flavors in this beer.

And that's disappointing.

I'm happy I tried the beer, it's good, but I wish some of those other fruits came through more than the guava.  I doubt I will ever drink it again.

And Cara makes a Miller Cameo.

1769. Mashcraft Shiftwork

Hm.  Interesting small world, as I look back to make sure I hadn't previously drank any of these beers tonight.  All three of these breweries that were here tonight - Caitlin and I had visited their brewpubs together, all on the same day - when we hit eight breweries for Stout Day 2021.  That's neat.  Small - brewery - world.

Anyways, this beer was blah.   Probably the worst of the night.  And like, it's not BAD, but it just wasn't as good as the Hefes tonight.

1768. Garfield Hervey Street

Second Hefe of Sudzfest, this time from Garfield Brewing - another brewery that I went to once with Caitlin.

This was a tasty hefe, just a little bit more "pop" of flavor with this one.

Very light, and easy to drink with great flavor.

Nick, Michael, and I all ended up drinking this most of the night.

793 REVISITED: Planetary Astro-Combs Hefeweizen

And this is exactly why I REVISIT beers sometimes.

My original post for BEER #793 talks about it being watered down.

My buddy Nick invited me down to the GAK Park, because Sudzfest was going on.

And I will accept any excuse to hang out with Nick, but it's nice when German heritage and beer are also involved.

New breweries tend to have a watered-down problem, and that's what it looks like happened with Planetary.  Based on what I said when Caitlin and I went there, compared to drinking it tonight - there's a world of difference.  Today's Astro-Combs was full-flavored and tasted exactly like what I want from Hefe.  It was a lot better this time.

1767. Sun King Brett Fusion

Garrett took the kids home, while Ben, Cara, and myself rolled over to Sun King so that Cara and I could play some Giant Chess together.

This beer was okay.  It wasn't as sour as I was hoping for from the "brett" - but it was still tasty enough.

Sadly, it was a little more dry than I tend to enjoy.

1766. Bad Dad Running with Scissors

Pizza sounded like a good idea for dinner, so the whole Miller clan, myself, and my buddy Ben all met up at Pies & Pints for dinner.  I've never had anything from Bad Dad, so this popped my "Bad Dad Cherry" and it was sadly an IPA.  But, it was pretty light and I didn't mind this beer.  Clay makes his Miller Cameo in this photo.

And then Garrett and I got really immature with "Scissoring" while drinking this beer...

1765. BIER Party Pal

A BIER double feature today.

Garrett also bought this Pale Ale, and it wasn't really my jam.  

It was fine, but it was dry and more bitter than I prefer.

1764. BIER Munich Dunkel

BAYERN MUNICH MATCH at the Muller Haus!!!

Garrett had purchased a few beers for the day, the first one being BIER's Munich Dunkel - appropriate for match day.  I'd never had it, and it was fine.  Exactly what a Dunkel should taste like.

Luna tried her hardest to get a drink of the beer, and Mason makes a Miller Cameo.

1763. BrewDog Wit Space

I've been holding on this beer for a while now.

Not for any specific reason.  It was one of my only beers in my fridge (I still have some of that Deshitl coconut-not-coconut-at-all flavored crap, that I haven't brought myself to drink yet, in there also...)

Tonight, I'm having a mini-solo-celebration.

It's the weekend!

Yesterday was May the Fourth, and Jason and I released out fourth annual May the Fourth podcast episode.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, and I got some Qdoba for dinner.  (Would have preferred Luciana's, but I haven't been back there in the past year...)

AND, this week at work, I was told on the 17th, I will be moving into my office.  We have hired a new girl to do the front desk/phones, as I have continued to advance with the company, it's more to celebrate - and I'm still sadly doing it alone.

"Dateline" is back tonight with a new episode, and so I'm going to chill with this wit beer and watch the episode.

The beer is fine.  It's light, it's minorly dry, but still drinkable.  There's an odd flavor in the aftertaste.

Not bad.  Not great.  Drinkable.

1762. Scarlet Lane Bruce's Groovy Brew

On the day that I went to Pax Verum with the Joe's Crew, it was decided that we were going to go see Bruce Campbell's Bruce-O-Rama when it came to town.  Bruce was coming to do a game show and screen "Army of Darkness".  A group of six of us decided to go...  And then I completely forgot about it until three days before, when Snow texted the group about our meeting time and place.

And as excited as I was for the event, I didn't know how much more excitement was in store, when we showed up and saw that Scarlet Lane did an "official" beer for the event.

So, there is a beer that's missing from this website - and it's one of my all-time favorite beers, and I don't know how it never got posted.  A few years ago, Horrorhound's annual event had a screening of "Scream" downtown at the IMAX, and I went solo and drank a beer from Scarlet Lane called Screamsicle.  IT WAS AMAZING.  It had the perfect blend of orange and lactose to make it orange-creamy, and tasted exactly like drinking a dreamsicle while it was melting.  It was amazing - and I don't know how or why it never got posted on here.  If I ever re-activate my Facebook, I need to find the photo from that night, because I know montaged a few pictures from that disappointing evening (the cast never showed up to the Q&A we were promised at the showing, because their lines were too long at Horrorhound...)

Anyways, Scarlet Lane was a favorite brewery when Caitlin and I were together.

I enjoyed their horror elements, and she was often happy with their stout options.

So, I'm a big fan of Scarlet Lane, and was so happy to see them make a beer for tonight.

The beer is fine.  I don't love it.  It's a little drier and most bitter than I enjoy, but not to a terrible level.

It was very drinkable, and the whole group enjoyed a number of them together.

1761. Guggman Haus Biergarten Day Munich Dunkel

It was a Bayern Munich morning, so when there's a beer with Munich in the title, I know I need to try and enjoy one of them.

This beer was good, nothing exciting or special - but it tasted exactly like the Dunkel I wanted and expected.  Perfect flavors, enjoyable to drink to a chilly match day.

1322 REVISITED: Guggman Haus Guggenweizen

I was in the mood for something light and easy, and I was pretty sure I'd done the Hefe before, but it sounded good (sadly, a lot of their options when I was there - didn't really appeal to me...).

Side note, to that side note about things on the their menu.

I love being in the company of people who know people who work places.

It's happened many times in my life, and sometimes I just vibe with an employee that I get some special treatment.  Tonight, we were blessed to try a Bourbon Barrel Aged Milk Stout.  And it was amazing.  It wasn't on the menu, it was tapped, but they weren't really selling it - but eventually Ray was able to get a snifter of it.  I enjoyed my two samples I was given (first sample, then when Ray got his snifter, the couple next to him asked about it, and another round of samples was handed out).  That beer was DELICIOUS, and I don't like coffee at all.  But all three flavors went together so well.  I should probably avoid doing a snifter for the website, but...  it was yum-yum.

So, I'm drinking another Guggenweizen.

And this is something I'm learning with REVISITED.

The colors of beers change over time.  Obviously the recipe has seen some tweeks.

When I drank beer back a BEER #1322 it was A LOT dark and orange-colored.

Now, it's a much brighter yellow-orange color.

My review stays the same.  I like it.  It's exactly what I expect it to taste like.

Prost!

1760. Guggman Haus Sour: Blackberry Pomegranate

A couple of the Bayern Brothers and I ended up meeting up at Guggman Haus before the Indy 11 match tonight.  My buddy Ray has a friend who works here, and he was a really cool guy to chat with.  I also got the chance to talk with one of their brewers there - who is a big Chelsea fan.  So, it was tough to like him, but he was a good dude to talk football with.

So, it's been a few years since I've been to Guggman, I have not been since the expansion, and it's tough to think what it used to be like when I came to write on their patio, or when we had a dude's drinking day that started here, and we were the only seven people in the house on a Sunday afternoon.

The expansion was huge, and there was NOWHERE to sit.  It was slammed. And good for them!  We eventually got to sit at the small bar top they have.  I ate a pretzel that was pretty good.  Their beer cheese was solid, but their "spicy" cheese wasn't enjoyable.  I like stone ground mustard and horseradish, but there was something in there that I didn't care for.

Back to this beer, it was good and tasty.  I nice sour, but I'm not a fan of pomegranate, and that flavor is powerful in this beer.  It wasn't bad, I just didn't really care for it.