Week 17: Spicing it up this week

1. Port Brewing Co. Wipeout IPA

2. Founders Spite Pepper Pale Ale

3. Terrapin Brewing Co. Side Project 2010 Capt'n Kruncles

4. Dock Street Brewing Co. Saison

5. Manayunk Brewing Co. Krooks Mill APA

6. Yards Brewing Co. Philadelphia Pale Ale

7. Lake Placid Brewing Honey Wheat

Philly Beer Week 2010 has begun. Granted, all the beers listed above are from last week, but most of them put my taste buds in high gear. This beer week arrived at an amazing time of the year in Philadelphia. There is, of course, amazing beer events going on all around the city and suburbs, the Manayunk Bike Race has thousands of people a few blocks down from my house right now and the Flyers are on another crazy comeback in the Stanley Cup. Mix all of these things together and you are looking at smiles and stumbles from Philadelphia to Phoenixville.

Back to the beer. Port Brewing! Their Wipeout IPA is a fantastic treat any time. A beautiful head sits nice and pretty giving way to some lovely lacing throughout. A big hoppy nose pulls you in to each citrus sip. Fruit and hops are what this beer is all about. Pick one up, go find it and its friend Hop 15, and have a great night.

After ordering the Founders Spite Pepper Pale Ale, I was instructed to drink it with food. I don't think a salad was what my server had in mind. There was such an overpowering nose that it was locked in my senses until the next day. It was a bit reminiscent of Rogue's Chipotle Ale. The taste was hot. It had a warming feeling down your throat that lingered on your palate. I'm not even sure what peppers I could taste, but a habanera was one of them. There was nothing hoppy about this one. It was down right just a spicy beer that you should totally try with a big meal.

I will try to get something else posted pretty quick. It is quite impossible to get to lots of beer events this week. I will probably only make it to a handful. And you will hear all about it.

Cheers until next time.

Week 16: Listen Here Punk

1. Bells Two Hearted Ale

2. Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

3. Boxcar Brewing Co. Original Ale

4. Brew Dog Punk IPA

5. Allentown Brew Works Hop Explosion

6. Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA

7. 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Gumballhead

These bad boys were a pretty nice mix of hops and malts this week. After a couple of days I thought all the brewing companies that I drank were going to start with the letter B, but I regressed back to A and then numbers.

Well, out of this whole list the only beer that I have ever had was, of course, Bells Two Hearted. It's a top 5 favorite for me, and when I see it on draft it's a no brainer. And I don't know if it's top 5 worthy, but the Anderson Valley was pretty amazing as well. This California brew is exactly what you would expect from a delicious west coast IPA, a flowery/ grapefruit nose with a blast of fresh hops. It reminds me of a Green Flash West Coast, but a bit more balanced.

Brew Dog Brewing has been getting some press lately for their Tactical Nuclear Penguin (yes, the world's strongest beer with an ABV of 32%). Until hearing about that beer, I never knew too much about them. They are Scottish, which means something different than all american hops for once. The description on the bottle was reason enough to give it a whirl, "A Postmodern Classic Pale Ale." I had no idea what that can mean in terms of beer, and I think that I wanted to leave my Literary Theory class out of the tavern that night. It was simply to me a lighter IPA, more like an actual pale, with some interesting hops (Ahtanum, Nelson Sauvin and Chinook and Simcoe). It was shared and poured from a 22oz bottle at Olde Eagle Tavern in Manayunk. It was very drinkable with a nice medium body. It's something to drink if you are looking for an end of the night IPA, especially one to talk about to see if you can pick up all the subtle notes lingering throughout.

Lastly, I want to talk about 3 Floyds Gumballhead. I have been seeking out their Dreadnaught and my search has ended. A reliable source mentioned that it is not distributed in PA and whether it makes it out of Indiana is another story that I have to check on. My Gumballhead was a gift. Fortunately, it was around 90 degrees in Philadelphia that night. Appropriately, Lana drank a Boulder Sweaty Betty, and when we arrived back a home, a hoppy wheat was perfect to cure my sweats. It had a nose of an IPA with a mouth of subtle hops, but not the wheat that you thought you were going to have. It was pretty unique with its lemony/ grassy taste with just enough hop. All in all, refreshing.

Cheers for now. The countdown has begun for Beer Week. Six more days and counting.

Week 15: Time to Celebrate

1. 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die

2. Victory Helos

3. Union Barrel Works Bruges Baastard

4. Springhouse Brewing Robot Bastard Belgian IPA

5. Victory Donnybrook Stout

6. Caldera Brewing Co. IPA

7. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale

With a post very delayed and tired of not documenting what I have been drinking, I am now going to do my very best to deliver these weekly posts like I did all winter.

Where to even begin. The current motley crew listed above is more like 2 weeks of brews that made their way into my belly. It was very exciting to revisit the beautiful Oley Valley and hit up Union Jacks on the Manatawny this weekend. They have a nice selection of rotating drafts and this week the roulette wheel landed on two bastards. Yes, coincidentally, they had two brews with the name bastard in the title (one with two a's). I'm a big fan of Springhouse Brewing Co. They are out in Conestoga, PA, and I have never once been disappointed with what they have put out. Belgian IPAs are always a bit iffy for me. But they tempt me. The Robot Bastard was a bit more floral than hoppy with a pretty unusual taste that I still can't put my finger on. Very sweet to say the least though. It would have been worth a second tulip glass to be able to match the taste.

A couple canning breweries are in this list as well. 21st Amendment was pretty decent, textbook IPA. It is nothing to seek out. I'm hoping for some improvements in the future. I must say though that Caldera Brewing is right on the money. Their IPA was citrusy, piney and well balanced with a full-bodied mouth.

I was fortunate enough to get one of Sierra's 30th anniversary ales last month for my, yes, 3oth birthday. It was sitting for almost a month waiting to be uncorked. It made its way from California to Trenton, NJ, to my refrigerator in Philadelphia. Titled Fritz and Ken's ale, this brew is a collaboration with Fritz of Anchor Brewing. The 22 oz. stout poured a beautiful black color. Very rich and malty. A lip smacker to say the least with its carmel undertones. There are still a few more of these beers left in the series. Seek them out and share.

Cheers for now. Philly Beer Week is only two weeks away!

Week 14: Simcoe and Cascade and Centennial, Oh My!

After a long hiatus of home renovation I think that we are officially back in business here at Brews of Our Lives. I wish that I can say that over the past month I was able to indulge in some amazing beer, but it was nearly impossible. I never made it to a tavern, and the long days of ripping out old flooring and pipes ended each night with whatever I tucked away in the fridge.

I did have a surprise birthday party thrown for me though. A nice theme of bring a delicious six pack. I wish I got to enjoy one of each, but I also wish that I was able to see what everyone brought. All that I remember was that it was the best birthday that I could have had.

But back to the beer. Here are some that I can remember.

Manayunk Brewing Co. California Dreamin IPA
Philadelphia Brewing Co. Fleur de Lehigh
Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA
Greenbriar Artisan Ales Fear Not the Big Hop (Three Floyds Dreadnaught cloan)
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA (finally part of their canning line)

As usual the IPAs were my choice brew style. Each of these (minus Fleur de Lehigh) were so incredibly different. I am not a huge fan of Manayunk Brewing Co., but California Dreamin is quite perfect. It doesn’t taste like an Imperial IPA, and maybe that is where this beer succeeds. It has an amazing hop/malt balance, but probably not on purpose. It pours a delectable hazy orange with an aroma that will make any hophead swoon.

Dark Horse Brewing finally made it to Pennsylvania this past year and lucky for us they have an IPA worth waiting for. Citrusy smooth is all I have to say for these Michigan brewers. Think clementines and hops with a sweet malt backbone and you will find your balance on this crooked tree limb. This also comes in a double.

This week I will attempt to seek out a Three Floyds Dreadnaught and see how The Greenbriar measures up.

Cheers for now. Drink up..summertime is almost here.

Hiatus

We will be resume our weekly beer drinking the first week of May. Well, we will resume our beer writing in May.

Cheers for now.

The Antithesis of Unearthly

Down here in the Tampa Bay area, our beer selection has improved dramatically in the last few years. We've gone from a relative beer backwater to the home of one of the most exciting new breweries in the country - Cigar City. Besides our own regional brews, we have also seen a huge increase in the selection of small batch brews from all around the country. As an apt example, I offer Iniquity - an imperial black ale from Southern Tier Brewing out of Lakewood, NY.

Per the writing on the bottle, Iniquity "is contrary to what one may expect from an IPA; this is an ale as black as night." However, I have to think they're referring mostly to the appearance of this black as night brew. Loaded with chinook, cascade, williamette, and centennial hops, this is clearly an IPA - even at first taste. But while the hops dominate and define this tasty brew, there is an underlying malt character that you might not find in other IPAs - I think the hop bitterness is evident, but the "debittered black malt" balances that bitterness out, making for a very pleasant 9% black IPA bomb.

Find one and drink it!

***For all the PA readers, I was at Cigar City Brewery the other night (and had some great beers), and I heard some bad news for fans from the north. Due to high demand, they're planning to stop supplying the PA market until later this year, after they get a couple new fermenters up and running. If you like the beers and see them around, snatch them up, as they won't be restocked for a while!

Week 13: Ancient Ales, Broken Batteries and Cunning Creatures

You can never predict where your car is going to break down. Ironically and lucky enough for me, I broke down the other night at Sly Fox Brewery in Royersford, PA. The downside to this story, other than the fact that the Camry was rushed to the emergency room, is the speed that its ambulance came to rescue. I think it was 20 minutes…tops. I know, I know…pretty boring beer story.

I began this post with a tale because I am in need of some good ol' fashioned filler. No beer list this week. Sure I tossed a few back, but my lady and I are in the process of home renovation right now. That pretty much means having over the best friends possible, spackle in one hand and a crowbar in the other, and tossing a few back at the day's end. In case you really want to know, we are drinking with our comrades Kenzinger, 60 Minute and Clipper City so far.

What I will do this week is deliver on a much promised review of Dogfish Head’s Theobroma. I picked up two last year upon its release in August. I saved one for the special occasion of the first day in the new home.

So what lies in this beautiful 22oz bottle?

• Cocoa Nibs
• Cocoa Powder
• Ancho Chilies
• Honey
• Annatto

It’s got a great funky fruity smell. I know that there is cocoa on the menu, but that is picked up in the mouth, at least for me anyway. But keep sipping and smacking your lips together and the beehive will come alive. More malts than hops on the backbone, and you get a nice chili taste on the finish. Next time I gotta pick up 3 or 4.

Science backs up the facts on this one that it may be the earliest known alcoholic drink, based on a chemical found in pottery in Honduras.

Hopefully next week I have a couple different brews to talk about. Cheers until then.