Anne and I spent the weekend down in Naples, and Saturday night we found a gem of a cafe. Owned by Colin Estrem, Avenue Wine Cafe calls itself “A Wine Bar with a Craft Beer Addiction”. Indeed, this hip establishment offers an extensive craft beer list to go along with the selection of wine, cigars, [...]
Another Independence Day is upon us, and I look forward to celebrating with family and friends this July 4th weekend. I’d also like to recommend ten session beers to savor as you fire up the barbecue and/or watch the fireworks display. I’m thinking American Pale Ales, American Amber Ales, American Amber Lagers, American Pale Wheat [...]
Today starts the 4th Annual Philadelphia Beer Week, which runs thru June 12. If you’re fortunate enough to be in town over the next week or so, there will be a lot of excellent beers on hand. And one local ale was voted by The New York Times as one of the country’s best pale [...]
The place where the water in a river or stream originates from is known as the headwaters. And an ale that uses pure water from the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek is worth heading upstream for. Victory Headwaters Pale Ale (Victory Brewing Co.; Downingtown, PA; American Pale Ale; ABV: 5.1) is a crisp and [...]
The Art Institute of Chicago is a must see on your next trip to the Windy City. The museum houses more than 300,000 works of art, from ancient artifacts through the Impressionists era right up to modern works. And the city has much to offer in the way of artisan ales as well. After an [...]
Anne and I stopped by Orlando Brewing on Friday. The only certified organic brewery in Florida, Orlando Brewing is located in an industrial area close to downtown, and is a funky, laid back brewpub that features 20+ beers on tap, including several guest varieties, as well as live music on weekends. John Cheek is the [...]
I remember the first time I walked into Mr. Beery’s with a couple of friends a little less than two years ago. Owner Mark Tuchman was on hand, and we all hit it off immediately. Before the end of the night, Mark was breaking open complimentary bottles of Ken Schmidt Maui Stone Coffee Macadamia Coconut [...]
Stopped by The Shamrock yesterday afternoon and was pleased to learn from James that a porter I have wanted to try was on tap. Described by Ommegang as a “Belgian Love Affair”, I was quite eager to try this latest offering from the Cooperstown brewery. Ommegang Seduction (Brewery Ommegang; Cooperstown, NY; Porter; ABV: 6.8) is [...]
I received a couple of sample bottles from Newcastle of an ale that’s part of their Limited Edition series. As I’d enjoyed their Newcastle Winter IPA from a previous sampling, I was looking forward to trying this latest offering. Newcastle Founders’ Ale (Caledonian Brewery; Edinburgh, Scotland (UK); English Pale Ale; ABV: 4.8) is a fine [...]