What an incredible time we all had at Saturday’s Mr. Beery’s Bell’s Beer Circus. Lots of fun and games, from mechanical shark riding to the HopSlam toss (yours truly won a Bell’s gift basket in the latter). Bell’s rep Cindi Curtis and her merry band of clowns were on hand to keep everyone entertained, as [...]
I really enjoy a great smoked beer every now and then. In fact, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen made last year’s Ultimate Case list. And the pleasure was all mine at Mr. Dunderbak’s this past Sunday, when I had the chance to try two more outstanding smoked brews. Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock (Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla; [...]
Anne and I stopped by Mr. Dunderbak’s the other day for lunch and to enjoy a beer or two. While talking beer with J.B., he introduced me to a truly exceptional Helles lager traditionally featured at Octoberfest. Augustiner Bräu Edelstoff (Augustiner-Bräu Wagner KG; München, Germany; Munich Helles Lager; ABV: 5.7) hails from a brewery that [...]
Anyone who follows my blog knows that I consider Bell’s HopSlam to be one of the world’s best beers. And the acclaimed brewery has done it again, with another superb DIPA that I had at WOB recently. Bell’s The Oracle DIPA (Bell’s Brewery; Kalamazoo, MI; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 10.0) is a real gem. [...]
St. Patrick’s Day was a bit subdued for me this year, as I was getting over a cold, but I still found the time to try a stout with a little something extra. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Guinness Ltd.; Dublin, Ireland; Foreign Stout; ABV: 7.5) is now available in the USA. A higher octane version [...]
It was a spectacular day this past Saturday when the Mr. Beery’s Magic Bus Tour departed to Cigar City Brewing in Tampa for Hunahpu’s Day. Our mission: to drink great beer, enjoy the festivities, and of course to claim our trophy – the 2011 release of Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, [...]
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 [...]