Week 8: Like a Kid in a Candy Store

1. Weyerbacher Fireside Ale

2. Manayunk Brewing Co. Yunker's Nocturnum

3. Founders Breakfast Stout

4. Russian River Pliney the Elder

5. Sly Fox Phoenix Pale Ale

6. Rogue Mogul Madness

7. Stone Arrogant Bastard

8. Earth, Bread and Brewery St. Arthur Stout

9. Pretty Things St. Botolphs Town

10. Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

Where do I start? Since there really is no way to tell you what I enjoyed most this week, here are a couple words about each.

The Weyerbacher was downright fantastic. Smokey and malty, dark and sweet and very smooth throughout, this Dark Ale was perfect for a cold night. I believe that the Yunker's Nocturnum is done for the season. She was a Strong Belgian, definitely a bit fruity with some added spice.

OK, OK...Founders Breakfast Stout is a Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout. This is just flat out decadent. For a treat for the nose and palate, enjoy this in a snifter so that you can take in all the balanced abundance. I bought this in a four pack so that I can enjoy a few more before warmer weather starts to surface here.

Those three would have made a great week by themselves, BUT I just happened to pop into the Kyber and see that Pliney The Elder was on tap. Just three times this winter did I happen to come across what I feel is the best Imperial IPA. A woody aroma where the hops jump out at you. The grapefruit taste lingered on my palate while that piney taste resurfaced again and again. Amazingly well-balanced for any IPA lover.

The Sly Fox Pale Ale is a perfect Pale Ale from our canning friends from Royersford, PA. I would like to talk a bit more about the Rogue and Stone Ales from this week, but you already know how truly great these breweries are.

The last three brews on this list all tried to top each other. Earth, Bread and Brewery makes damn fine beers. St. Arthur was a chocolaty dry stout, light on the cocoa but big on taste. Pretty Things Brown Ale was just plain nutty. Probably more complex than I was able to notice -- there were hints of brown sugar, mild on the hops -- but something to reach for when you see it. That is my way of telling you to seek it out. Lastly, is the great dark beer brewers from Duck-Rabbit. A ruby dark ale, sweet and citrusy for a brown ale, I wasn't sure if she was loaded with fruit or caramel.

I truly felt like a kid in a candy store this week.

Cheers for now.

Week 7: I Never Met a Chocolate That I Didn't Like

1. Rogue Chocolate Stout
2. Triumph Love Potion
3. Yards Brawler
4. Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball
5. Victory Fest Bier
6. Dock Street Man Full of Troubles Porter
7. Dock Street Sexy Beast Chocolate Stout
8. Southampton Imperial Porter

Cupid's decadent treats were served as usual in the form of chocolate this week. I found no better way on Valentine's Day/Week to show my love than with a few dark brews and one "love elixir." With the white blanket covering the streets of Philadelphia, last weekend was filled with train rides from West Philly to Old City and up to where No Libs and Fishtown collide.

Initially I was very taken aback by Triumph's Love Potion. This Abbey Triple was a fruity and complex high alcohol treat whose sugars and yeast strain were indeed a potion.

However, "If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable" (Seneca). A beautiful quote that describes why Dock Street's Sexy Beast Chocolate Stout lured me in from a snowy sea. I enjoyed this brew one year ago when I believe it was known as "Sexual Chocolate." Possibly having gained some strength with a few more pounds of chocolate, she was indeed a beast. An Imperial Stout that is smooth and malty, nutty and decadent. Apparently boiled with 22 pounds of chocolate and no sugars, I say enjoy this as a dessert after a long week or grab a growler and enjoy the following week.

Cheers for now.

Week 6: Saintly Snow Days

1. Victory Hop Devil Ale
2. Victory Bottom’s Up Brown Ale
3. Victory St. Victorious Dobblebock
4. RJ Rockers Bell Ringer
5. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
6. Unibroue Trois Pistoles
7. Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Welcome to another Saturday morning. For those of you in warmer climates, this week was Philly Blizzard Week, or Blizzard of 2010, or Snowzilla, Snowmagedan and Snowverkill. What that means for me and this blog is what to drink during a snow storm. I wish that I would've had some Victory Storm King, and I will be sure to keep it in stock from here on out. If anyone knows of any other fitting beer titles for such an event (not Winter Warmers), let me know.

The week began with 28.5 inches of snow over two days. What that means for me is getting out of the house to enjoy a bit of winter blowing in my face. So for two days it was Victory Hop Devil as that was all that was served at the one tavern in walking distance. But once cleared and a few days passed, still jonesing for some Victory, I found myself in Downingtown, PA, home to Victory for some dinner and a drink. Of all the choices I went for their Bottoms Up Brown Ale, as I have never seen it before. And although it was a tasty Brown, it was still only average.

So once arriving home, knowing well that there was a Victory St. Victorious hiding in the fridge, I began to indulge. St. Victorious is a Dobblebock. Poured a nice dark brown, it had a decent head that wafted beautiful notes of smokey caramel and cocoa, with subtle fruit and appeared in its taste. Gravitating towards these smokey beers this winter, it was just what I was looking for to contend with "The Devils" hops from earlier in the week. It was a malty treat for those waiting for Spring.

Beers of Tampa Bay - Introduction

When I first moved down here to the Tampa Bay area in 2005, I was shocked and disappointed. I had moved here from the very fine beer environment of Philadelphia, only to find that my options for beer were basically Yuengling, Guiness, and a handful of random European beers. The beer scene was not only barren, it was non-existent. Well five years later, a number of great beer haunts have opened and/or expanded. Some of my favorites include: Mr Dunderbak's, New World Brewery, Datz Deli, Cigar City Brewery, the Independent, and Peg's Cantina. This area went from practically no beer, to having a bunch of great beers from around the country, as well as one of the best new breweries in the country in Cigar City.
I won't go into a specific beer review in this post, but I will share with you an idea of the kind of great brews I've had in the last couple weeks at a few of the above haunts.
New World Brewery: Victory Hop Devil on draught from up in my home-town area!
Cigar City Brewery: Winter Warmer Warmer Winter aged in Apple Brandy Casks (sweet, but yummy); Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - a brown ale that actually tastes like a fresh-baked cookie; Blueberry Maduro - light on the blueberry, but the Maduro is such a yummy brown ale that it doesn't matter. It's so great to be able to have a few one-off pints in the brewery.
Peg's Cantina: Gulfport Original On Draft (GOOD Beer) brewed by Doug, the assistant brewer at Cigar City in small stove-top batches. Berliner Witbier - a light abv sour wheat that got great reactions and sold out quick; Nut Brown Porter - smooth, nutty, and nice; Imperial Stout - it's definitely an imperial, and a highly drinkable one at that!
Datz Deli: the Bruery (out of California) Rugbrod - a really tasty rye brown ale; Left Hand Fade to Black - one of my favorite porters of the year, super smooth, with just a hint of that porter smoke at the back end; Dogfish Head 90 Minute - an old favorite from one of the best breweries in the country, and always nice to find on draught.
Mr Dunderbak's - a great German deli that has a ton of beers on tap. One night right after new years, I enjoyed an Avery Collaboration not Litigation, a Bell's Two Hearted Ale, a Clipper City Heavy Seas Winter Storm Imperial, and a Cigar City Jai Alai IPA. I love this place.

So there you have it - a little idea of what we're drinking down here. Besides the great beers and places I mentioned above, our bottled beer availability has grown tremendously as well, so I'll be sharing both what I drink in the bars as well as what I drink at home. I'll try to share some of my thoughts on the beers I'm drinking as well. Hopefully that will entice some of you to go find these beers out in your neck of the woods. I'll also conform to Kevin's format after this post so that there's some consistency here.

Keep drinkin....!

Week 5: It's a Rogue Nation My Friends

1. Troegs Mad Elf
2. Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale
3. Rogue Dead Guy
4. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
5. North Coast Old Rasputin
6. Rogue Chipotle Ale
7. River Horse Triple Horse

I went for 7 different brew styles this week. Troegs Mad Elf is the only beer that we have to wait until the winter for. Poured a beautiful red, she was a bit spicy, as well as sweet. For a strong belgian dark ale, I think it took having a second one to feel the winter warmth of that 11%, but the complexity to her taste kept me sipping and discovering new flavors. But hold up...I was about to talk about something else.

Rogue Chipotle Ale. I have never had this. I think that with such an extensive lineup that Rogue offers, I constantly reach for Shakespeare, Juniper, Mocca and Dead Guy. Chipotle is exactly what I expected. Malty and spicy. The peppers are quite evident in the aroma and each sip. It's got some smokey-breadiness to it and all the flavors plaster themselves to your palate. It's a sipping beer, very reminiscent to a Rauch. Kind of like a movie that you are not sure if you want to finish, I kept with it and found many nuances that I liked in the end.

Week 4: WOW

1. Bells Hopslam

2. Weyerbacher Hotel
3. Sierra Nevada 13^th Release
Harvest Wet Hop Ale
4. Sly Fox Ichor (Quad)
5. Troegs Nugget Nector
6. Sly Fox Odyssey
7. Sly Fox Rauchbier
8. Sly Fox Oatmeal Stout
9. Arcadia Ales IPA
10. Arcadia Ales Hopmouth
11. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

You gotta love the weeks where the average night of going out to dinner results in some great beer tastings. This past week was an almost entire Pennsylvania beer week. It is kind-of hard for that not to happen. These are not by any means "default brews." Weyerbacher, Troeggs and Sly Fox have quite a selection, and Sly Fox is coming up with some mighty tasty big bottles as of late.

The week started off at a great little spot in Philly, Varga Bar, where the food and beer pairings were outstanding. The days then rolled into a a quick snack and drink at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown, a night at Sly Fox Brewing Company with our comrads at The Slingluff Gallery, and a week ending usual dinner in Manatawny (apparently reservations are now very required).

We are never out this much.

Ok, so how did this week pan out. Well....the Bells are ringing. Yes, Bells Hopslam was superb. If you are a lover of their 2 Hearted (I know you are), then you will be taken aback by this. I was fortunate enough to have this served extremely fresh at Varga Bar and then my distributor threw in a bottle for me the other day.

Poured a beautiful hazy gold and a bubbly head, Bells slammed you with honey, pear, maybe peach and few other citrus flavors that I wasn't ready for. Although this sounds as if the aroma and taste were super sweet, it is well balanced with a killer amount of hops. My palate was in awe. If you didn't read that it had an ABV of 10%, you would never believe it. Super clean finish to boot.

I plan on writing about these Sly Fox brews pretty soon. They are well known as a cannery, but their tapped and big bottle beers have a lot going on. I do recommend their IPA, Odyssey.

Cheers until next week.

Week 3: A Strong Finish

1. Victory Hop Devil Ale
2. Yards ESA
3. Southern Tier Porter Dark
4. Guinness Draught
5. Victory Old Horizontal
6. Lagunitas IPA

This reads like it was an off week, but come on, six different breweries is a great week. Philadelphia makes in incredibly easy to find and drink what you want, crave or happen to stumble upon. I am trying not to repeat any brews from weeks before. So although a few Dogfish Head's and Terripen's made it in to the mix, there was also a fair amount of Merlot.

This was flat out an easy week. I have been craving Victory Old Horizontal for a few weeks now. It's everything that you would expect from an American Barleywine. Standing tall at 11% ABV, this Strong well balanced brew has all the hops, malts and fruits in the right places. Starting off a bit bitter, it finishes with a citrus/caramel that lasts with each sip throughout. Again, it is well balanced, not overwhelming, and more than enjoyable. As promised from its title, it will leave you flat out your back in a deep sleep all night.

Cheers for now and next week I should have an overwhelming list.