I picked up a bottle of Dogfish Squall IPA (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Milton, DE; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 9.0) at Total Wine & More the other day. It’s described as an unfiltered, bottle conditioned, and dry-hopped version of their 90 Minute IPA. Quite frankly, it beats the latter hands down. The taste is [...]
You’ve got to hand it to the Scots. The land that brought us bagpipes, golf, Scotch whiskey, and 007 can now lay claim to brewing the world’s strongest beer. Tactical Nuclear Penguin (BrewDog Ltd.; Fraserburgh, Scotland (UK); Imperial Stout; ABV: 32.0) is the latest creation from BrewDog, and at 32% ABV, it has surpassed Germany’s [...]
Anne and I went over to Savannah for a few days during the holidays, and everything was very festive. The weather was great and we took in the sights. There was also several beers worth noting as well. The Captain’s Porter (Moon River Brewing Co.; Savannah, GA; Porter; ABV: 6.0) is a sweet and very [...]
I’ve been wanting to try Life & Limb (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; Chico, CA; American Strong Ale; ABV: 10.2) since first hearing about it from my friend Wayne Mahaffey. A collaboration between Dogfish and Sierra Nevada, it took a lot of effort to find it, but the hunt was definitely worth it. I was able [...]
With the holidays upon us, in addition to Old Man Winter, I’m reminded that it’s time for the winter seasonals. Here are several beers that should leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Sweetwater Festive Ale (Sweetwater Brewing Co.; Atlanta, GA; Winter Warmer; ABV: 8.6) is an excellent seasonal for this time of year. The [...]
I got together with my friends Steve & Dave this past Saturday to watch the SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Florida. The Crimson Tide had been pointing to this game since losing last year’s championship 31-20 to the Gators. The Tide used a great game by Heismann Trophy candidate Mark Ingram (189 total yards [...]
We stopped by BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Pinellas Park on Sunday for dinner, and noticed that they had an abbey ale as the special on draft. Beer Advocate had it listed as retired, but BJ’s is brewing it again. I can definitely attest, after a couple of pints, that everything’s back to Normal! BJ’s [...]
It’s an annual right of passage at the beginning of February that two world renowned Imperial IPAs make their mark upon the craft beer world. The first, Russian River Pliny The Younger (Russian River Brewing Co.; Santa Rosa, CA; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 11.0), has become the Holy Grail for many beer enthusiasts. While [...]
With the explosion of the craft beer industry, it seems like ales and lagers are giving wine a run for its money as the drink of choice. In fact, many breweries have started to age their ales in oak barrels which give them a distinct wine like character. This “crossover” is producing beers that appeal [...]