I enjoy a good helles bock, especially one brewed in the classic Bavarian tradition. So I opened a bottle the other day of a beer given to me by my friend J.B., that hails from a brewery that’s been crafting beers since 1229. Hofstettner Heller Bock Saphir (Brauerei Hofstetten – Krammer; St. Martin, Austria; Maibock; [...]
Niels Henrik David Bohr (1885-1962) was a Nobel Prize winning Danish physicist who made significant contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. Additionally, he was one of the physicists that worked on the Manhattan Project. In his honor, Danish brewery Mikkeller has collaborated with Cigar City on a beer that’s truly the bomb. Cigar [...]
Stopped by Mr. Beery’s over the weekend and was glad to see a collaboration ale between The Bruery and Cigar City was on tap. As the story goes, both breweries came up with the recipe over pints at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver during the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. The Bruery Marrón [...]
From the brewery that brought us Unearthly and Gemini, comes yet another superb DIPA. Southern Tier Hoppe (Southern Tier Brewing Co.; Lakewood, NY; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 8.0) is a hop head’s dream. This honey colored ale hits you right off the bat with hefty notes of Amarillo and Columbus hops, giving it a [...]
Anne and I were in St. Pete the other day to check out the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, and decided to hit a couple of our favorite haunts afterword. Belgian ales were the theme of the day after enjoying the festivities. Our first stop was The Ale and the Witch. I started with a Witches [...]
For those of us who have traveled down the New Jersey Turnpike, the best thing about Exit 13 is the IKEA in Elizabeth. Fortunately there’s an Exit 13 that has something to offer besides stylish, sometimes easy to assemble Scandinavian furniture. Flying Fish Exit 13 (Flying Fish Brewing Co.; Cherry Hill, NJ; Foreign Stout; ABV: [...]
Marzens tend to be traditional Fall beers, but I had the chance to try a different take on this beer style at Crum’s Bar and Grill recently. Cigar City Marzen Spring Lager (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FL; Marzen; ABV: 5.5) is also known as Cigar City Oktoberfest Marzen when it’s released during the autumn months. [...]
You can add Crum’s Bar and Grill to a growing list of exceptional brewpubs in the Tampa Bay area. Located in downtown St. Petersburg, and owned by Chris Crum and Lanette Miller, Crum’s Bar and Grill offers craft beer, food, and live music in a hip casual setting. Speaking of which, there’s 52 selections of [...]
The last time I was at the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room in Tampa, I learned something new. Did you know that bats pollinate blue agave plants, which provide the ingredient found in tequila? So it’s fitting that I tried a double cream ale, named for the bat, that’s aged in tequila barrels. Cigar City [...]