26 December 2014

599. Scarlet Lane Marley's Ghost

In a post-festive mood, enjoying some chicken with Steve Brown, I knocked out 599.  A local seasonal stout. I've been on the fence with Scarlet Lane, I did enjoy their Dorian but not as much as I had hoped. This was a decent beer but nothing special. It honestly tasted a little watered down for a stout - it was very light and easy to drink. But it did have good flavors on both the front and back ends. 


21 December 2014

598. Sam Adams Norse Legend

Juniper is really hit and miss with me. His one is just ok. I didnt like it at first taste, but it mellows out and goes down smooth. Light spice that hit the back of my throat.  Biggest praise for the beer is the smell!


19 December 2014

597. Sam Adams The Vixen

A Cholocate Chili Bock wouldn't be on the top of my list to try. It came in the same pack as the Merry Mischief though, so obviously it was going to be drank.

The Cholocate is there with some mild heat from the chili on the back half. It was okay. Nothing I'm going to go out of my way to drink again - but glad I gave it a shot once. The flavors are fine, and some might really enjoy them. It just wasn't my thing. 


13 December 2014

596. Samuel Adams Merry Mischief

I searched high and low for this beer last winter, to no avail. So, when I found it this year, I knew I needed to pick it up.

A Gingerbread Stout. Yummy. I'm usually not a stout guy, but some good ones are growing on me. This has a wonderful gingerbread flavor and after taste. It's a really good beer, but not something I'll go out of my way to get again, but if it's available and I'm in the holiday mood - this is a good option. 


01 November 2014

595. Three Floyd's Jinx Proof Lager

Nice, light, smooth, and easy are the first words that come to mind. It's good, with some full flavors for how light in color the beer is. It's smells rougher than it actually turns out to be. I like it, but I'm not going to go out of my way to drink it. 


26 October 2014

594. New Belgium Snapshot

Billed as a wheat beer, this a light and easy to drink beer. But not something I would consider a wheat beer. It's just another glorified Miller Lite. Light, crisp, refreshing, ok flavors, but nothing heavy about it. Not cloudy at all. Nothing special. 


593. O'Fallon Brewery Pumpkin Beer

Blah. 
Nowhere near as good as the previous pumpkin beer I had earlier. 

Still, not a bad beer, but nothing I would go out of my way to drink again. If it's your only pumpkin option, it will suffice. The pumpkin flavor seems a little unbalanced, but it is there. Luckily, it's nice and sweet instead of dry and bitter - I do enjoy that fact. 


592. Indiana City Death By Pumpkin

I was planning on buying this in a bottle, but sadly they were sold out. So, luckily I could still get it on draft. 

Really good, easy and smooth. Great little pumpkin flavor, so it doesn't dominate the beer but it leaves the flavor lingering perfectly in your mouth. One of the better ones I've ever had - for someone who doesn't like the taste of pumpkin in general!


23 August 2014

591. Lagunitas Night Time

Very dry and very bitter up front. 
I didn't think I liked it...
...but the lingering cacao flavor makes me want to take another drink...


590. Lagunitas Imperial Red

A very decent beer, a little more dry than I tend to enjoy, but it's very smooth with some mellow flavors that linger. Glad I tried it, but don't need to drink it again. 


589. Revolution Threesome

Very light Tripel that has a punch of flavor. No bitterness, super smooth, with a little spicy kick to it. I enjoy it, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to drink a lot of them. 


22 August 2014

588. Revolution Rosa

Very light and refreshing, the hibiscus flower adds some really interesting and odd flavors to the beer. Enjoyable, and would be easy to drink a lot of them outside. 


587. Revolution Galaxy Hero

Smooth and easy to drink, good flavors with just a little dry bitters on the back end. Still could drink a lot of them without any problem. 




586. North Coast Old Rasputin

Really good quality. 
Dry and bitter. 
No chocolate flavor to help smooth it out. My mouth and throat are dry, demanding more liquid. 
Good quality, not good for me. 


585. Fifty Fifty Eclipse Imperial Stout 2013

My brother had a 2013 Eclipse Lavender Pearl.  This had Java Coffee involved in secondary. 
This beer is not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. The coffee flavor is very prominent up front. Them the chocolate comes up in the back. And that's really delicious!  Very legit/solid beer. Liked it better than I expected!




584. Lagunitas Brewing Company Undercover Investigation Shut-down Ale

Really good flavor, just a little dry and a little bitter. I liked it, but don't really ever need to drink it again. 


21 August 2014

583. Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Really smooth, really enjoyable flavor, mild sour. Goes down easy and tastes great. The peach flavor does not come through much. I dig this a lot.


582. Local Option Blood ov the Kings

Very dry for a wheat beer. 
Leaves my mouth very dry. 
Not really a fan of this brew. 


16 August 2014

581. Indiana City Daydream

Exactly what I expected. 
Exactly what I wanted. 
Solid flavors, easy to drink. 
Simple. 
Nothing more, nothing less. 


580. Sun King Froth of Khan

For someone who doesn't like coffee, it's odd that I enjoy this beer so much. Really good flavors, really easy to drink.

Possibly my favorite thing I've ever had from Sun King. Or, wait, possibly second to Velvet Fog. 



TwoDEEP Redux


I wanted to give TwoDEEP a second chance. I wasn't impressed on my first visit, and I was coming downtown today, so I wanted to stop in again.

The plastic cups at the launch event turned me off. Plastic-aroma while drinking ruins many beers. Perhaps worse than chilled pint glasses. 

Sadly, the glassware did not drastically improve the quality. Most of the beers still lack distinct flavors. The Kunkel is still really enjoyable, but the others were how I remembered them. At the launch, I did not try the IPA, and I was very disappointed in it today. I am not a HopHead, but I can appreciate good flavored hoppy beers. This was dry, no flavor. 

I still dig the vibe, and as they brew more, and offer new flavors, I will still gladly come back and try them, and support what they are doing. I just hope they eventually get something I really find quality in. 

579. TwoDEEP Lake IPA

Very dry. 
Not very hoppy. 
Not sure what to think about it. 
Not something I would go out to try to drink.


578. Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz

Really good taste and flavors, doesn't try to be too much. Plain and simple and really enjoyable.




577. Scarlet Lane Dorian Coconut Stout

Been wanting to try this for a while. Pretty good beer, smooth and easy. The coconut does finally come in very weak at the end. Still leaves a nice aftertaste. 




10 August 2014

09 August 2014

575. Chilly Water New Speedway IPA

I decided to force myself to drink a pint of one of my least favorite styles - just to make me attempt to appreciate it. 

It's a very full flavored and full bodied IPA.  Aroma is really good, but the dry-bitters that most Hopheads love is there too. It's not my style, but I do respect the quality. 

Overall, my afternoon at Chilly Water was enjoyable. Great bartender who was super cool and talked when there was something to talk about. Impressed with the quality, even if I didn't find a new favorite brewery, I am glad that their beers didn't suck and make this trip a waste of time. 




574. Chilly Water Captain Trips

It's taking me a while to adjust to this American Wheat Style. They warn that it is hoppy on the sign, but I don't think it's too bad. Interesting mix of flavors, not my favorite, but not terrible. 


Here is the whole Flight that I did today:


573. Chilly Water Sweet Revenge Pale Ale

Typical Pale Ale, exactly what I expected with some good flavors. Goes down really easy. 


572. Chilly Water Walloon Belgian Blonde

Really good flavors, just a little bitter on the back end again. Still enjoyable. 


571. Chilly Water Built to Last Pilsner

Really good flavor for a Pilsner, much more than I expected. A little dry/bitter on the finish. 


02 August 2014

570. TwoDEEP Red Sunday

Very enjoyable Irish Red. Good flavors, lack of bitters. Goes down smooth. Probably my favorite of the day. 


569. TwoDEEP The Kunkel

Exactly what I expected from a Dunkel. 
Good cacao/chocolately flavors, light and easy. My favorite so far today. 


568. TwoDEEP Jenny Wit

Very full-bodied, but it has a very odd flavor to it. Not terrible, but not something I'm too fond of. A lot heavier than I expected from a Witbier. Possibly a result of the French Wheat?

Today's biggest disappoint is drinking out of plastic cups. I feel that I need to come back in a few weeks - get some proper pictures and a beer taste sans the plastic aroma mixing in...


567. TwoDEEP Nightstick

Typical Cream Ale, tastes very similar to Sunlight. 


566. Bier Brewery 1.21 Gigawatts

Not one of the best Belgian Strong I've ever had, but since it's one of my favorite styles, it's hard to really stand out amongst the ones I do really like. 

It's not, it's just nothing special. I little more bitter than I tend to expect, it leaves my mouth very dry. Still drinkable, and deceptive with the 9% ABV, a few of these could be bad!


26 July 2014

565. Tin Man Brewing Klingon Warnog

It's nothing special, but still a good brew. The namesake gives it a little extra appeal. I will probably drink a couple. 


20 July 2014

564. Dark Horse Scotty Karate

Smells amazing. 
Tastes amazing. 
Very good and enjoyable beer all around. 
I could drink a lot of these!


563. Short's Brew Huma Lupa Licious

A very light and smooth IPA, goes down easy and then dries up with the bitters in the end. Really enjoyable, besides the aftertaste.


562. Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Good flavor, but very bitter. Still easy to drink. 


18 July 2014

561. New Belgium La Folie 2014

I love sours. 
I love this beer. 
Amazing. 
Delicious. An easy sour with great tastes. Perfect. I live it. Thank you, Liz.


560. Indiana City Bye Bye Blondie

This lives up to it's "Hopped Up Blonde" description. It starts off really nice and smooth, goes down easy with light flavor up front, but the hoppy flavors rolls in very quickly and lasts with a lot of dryness. Very interesting blend of flavors. 


The beer was brewed in honor of Shelby, one of my favorite bartenders who has made the last seven months of Sundays a whole lot of fun. I'm really going to miss those awesome Sunday Fundays!



17 July 2014

559. Pipeworks Brewing Ninja vs. Unicorn

The term "Double IPA" tends to scare me. Luckily, this one wasn't too bad. There were some serious bitters on the end of it, but there is also some great citrus up front. Kind of a two-stage taste to it, and I prefer the front end. Still good quality, and I'm happy I tried it.

I never would have heard of it, if not for my buddy Jae who talked about it for a long time because he wanted to try it. Luckily, we have a mutual friend who ended up finding it in Chicago, and got us all bottles. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what Jae and Ryan think about this beer.