My friend Jack and I hit Shamrock Pub last night to check out several beers that were featured during Monday’s Harpoon Tiny Tap Takeover. I’ve been a fan of the Boston based brewery for some time, so it was a great opportunity to try some offerings that aren’t normally seen in the SRQ area. Harpoon [...]
Hung out with the gang at Mr. Beery’s recently when Mick decided to turn us onto a little Flower Power. Ithaca Flower Power (Ithaca Beer Co.; Ithaca, NY; India Pale Ale; ABV: 7.5), named for the 1960s peace movement popular during the Vietnam War era, is a flavorful IPA from the upstate New York brewery. [...]
Saturday marked the one year anniversary for SRQ craft beer pub Growlers. Owners Kevin and Sherry Kolyno put together a great birthday bash, with everything from a delicious barbecue, prize drawings, and killer cupcakes to an impromptu guitar set by local artist Steve McAllister. Additionally, there were five area bands on hand, including my friends [...]
My friend Brad and I hit the Cock & Bull the other night, and one of the featured beers was a Flanders red ale. Reportedly retired, it was on tap here and has increasingly been seen in bottles at various pubs and beer stores. Bourgogne Des Flandres (Brouwerij Timmermans John Martin N.V.; Itterbeek, Belgium; Flanders [...]
Thursday means Trivia Night at Mr. Beery’s, which is a fun filled time where you can actually learn a thing or two. Here’s a bit of trivia for you; what was my session beer when I consulted up in Maryland several years ago? The answer is Brewer’s Art Resurrection (The Brewer’s Art; Baltimore, MD; Dubbel; [...]
Grey Lady Down was a classic 70s disaster film about a nuclear submarine trapped at the bottom of the sea. Fortunately there’s an ale from a Nantucket brewery that’s enjoyable in times of good fortune as well as calamity. Cisco Grey Lady Ale (Cisco Brewers; Nantucket, MA; Witbier; ABV: 4.5) is actually named for the [...]
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 [...]