For those of us familiar with IPAs, Russian River Pliny The Elder and its more potent sibling Russian River Pliny The Younger (Russian River Brewing Co.; Santa Rosa, CA; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 11.0) appear at or near the top of most Best Beers lists. But another IPA of this brewery, named for a [...]
It’s great when you can find an IPA that gives you the best of both worlds. One with a robust hoppy character that you expect from this style of ale, but at the same time balanced enough to not overpower the additional flavors. Great Divide Titan IPA (Great Divide Brewing Co.; Denver, CO; India Pale [...]
Stopped by Gecko’s tonight to meet friends for drinks, and saw that they had an IPA from Magic Hat in bottles. I’d heard good things about this beer, so I decided to give it a try. Magic Hat Blind Faith (Magic Hat Brewing Co.; Burlington, VT; India Pale Ale; ABV: 6.2) is a crisp and [...]
Anne and I stopped by Mr. Beery’s Friday night for their Evening with Sam Adams. In addition to several beers not normally available in the Tampa Bay area, there were raffles for bottles of Sam Adams offerings including Utopias. Remy Fromm, who is the brewery’s District Manager for Southwest Florida, was on hand as well [...]
It’s one thing to drink a really great IPA. It’s quite another to drink one that’s been aged in oak barrels. And I had the pleasure of savoring two of them recently, including one from a certain well known Tampa brewery. Great Divide Rumble (Great Divide Brewing Co.; Denver, CO; India Pale Ale; ABV: 7.1) [...]
Anne and I took a ride on Saturday and decided to check out The Brew Garden in Clearwater. Across from Ruth Eckerd Hall, this brewpub features over 30 beers on tap, dozens more in bottles, and a nice bar menu offering everything from an antipasto plate to sandwiches. I ordered a Southern Tier Creme Brulee [...]
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 [...]