I was lucky enough to head out of the house during the week (two small children usually makes that difficult) and get down to National for the Half Pints takeover on March 21st. This was my first visit to National so it was interesting to see what it was like. I really liked the communal seating style and the general arrangement. We were sitting against the wall farthest from the bar and that is the ONLY place where there are TVs. The TVs show sports or the "train"-type schedule with beer. It was almost impossible to see the game from where we were sitting and the menu was close to unreadable. There are printed menus at the tables but I'll get to why this was a problem for us. The food was outstanding, even if the portions were a little small. I had a prime rib sandwich with fries and both were delicious and made me want more. Our server was pleasant although the noise level in the place caused me to have to repeat my order more than once.
My other beef is that many of my beers (except for my flight) came served in frosted glasses. For me this is a big no-no in a craft beer place who should know that the colder you make craft beer, the more nuances you lose. I talked to another person who was there and they said one of their party also received frosted glasses but for ciders, not beer.
On to the beers:
Lil Scrapper - I've had this one in the bottle many many times but it really is exceptional on tap. For me the hops really came forward and were snappier and more citrus forward than I normally get out of the bottle.
Deschutes Hop Henge - I'm not going to review this one as I'm not 100% sure this was what I got. When we went to order it an hour later we were told the keg had been tapped earlier the same day. Whether that meant I got the last pint or whether I was served a mystery beer I'm not sure.
Dry Hopped Bulldog Amber - I like the Bulldog as a beer but got absolutely no additional hops in here at all. Solid beer but was looking for the dry hopped addition.
Hogshead Red IPA - Really glad to try something from these guys. Nice amber/red color with a great hop finish. There is something different in the middle that I couldn't put my finger on but my companion suggested a metallic taste that I often get with English IPAs. Definitely would drink this if I could get my hands on it regularly in Calgary.
Le Temps Noir - Just as good, if not better on tap as in the bottle. Just a solid beer that oozes that vanilla flavor it picks up from the bourbon barrels. What a fantastic beer to end with.
Also had the opportunity to meet Nicole, co-owner of Half Pints. She was great to talk to and I would have loved the chance to chat more about the brewery and their beers but another time.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Hawaii Update!
I've been sucking at the updates but here's to hoping it's better in the new year....which we're already in. Anyway...
Haven't been around here lately to try anything new and exciting. I've seen a couple tweets from Sherbrooke Liquor and Willow Park about cool things coming in (most notably for me RED RACER IPA) and there have been some really cool events around town. I haven't been able to go to a lot of them being so far in the south (which no craft beer place has rectified) but CRAFT has had launches for Red Racer and Brew Dog, National had a launch for Phillips, and Beer Revolution had their awesome IPA festival. I was fortunate enough to head down for that one and finally got to try Mikkeller's 1000 IBU on tap which was great.
Just got back from a two week vacation in Kona HI which was great. The weather was considerably better than our last trip to Hawaii two years ago when we went to Kauai. Kona is probably the driest area out of the islands so we had sunny hot weather for almost every day we were there. As for beer, we decided that our house beer was going to be Sierra Nevada's Torpedo. It was available at Costco for $24.99 for a 24. To let that sink in, I can't even buy Lucky Lager here in Calgary for that cheap. There were other liquor stores around the island and I stopped at Kona Wine and Spirits and Lighthouse Liquors in Hawi. Both of these had some unique brews that I picked up including Ballast Point's Victory at Sea and Deschutes' The Dissident. Victory at Sea was a great Imperial Porter that had fantastic coffee notes and a great balance. The Dissident was one of the best sour beers that I've had in awhile. Not mouth puckering but enough to know it was there yet still let the original ale characteristics shine through along with the red wine. I found prices on a lot of stuff to be a little high if you were straying outside of a grocery store but pretty typical for Hawaii. We were able to get Red Chair from Deschutes, for example, for $9 a six-pack but the Victory at Sea was over $12.
I really wish I could give a report on Kona Brewing but sadly we got there late on our last day on the island and the wait was just going to be too long. Additionally they had not ONE IPA on tap which was really frustrating. We did get to go to Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea though and I highly recommend it. Not only do they have a stellar IPA (Overboard IPA) and great red ale (Red Giant) but their mexican food might have been my favorite that I tried. Definitely worth the short(ish) drive from Kona. If you do want to sit outside though bring a parka. It was +30C when we left Kona and was 18C in Waimea.
As far as going out to drink we pretty much stuck to one place: Humpys Ale House. This place is definitely geared towards craft beer drinkers. Fantastic beers on tap (my favorites: Anderson Valley Heelch O'Hops, aforementioned Big Island Overboard IPA, and the always tasty Rogue Old Crustacean barleywine). The view is stellar, situated right on Alii Drive and looking onto the ocean. We spent a few nights here having a pint and watching the sunset. Food is pretty tasty as well and their poke stack is one of the best I have tried.
If anyone else has any recommendations on places to drink craft beer on the big island, let me know in the comments or on Twitter @calgarycoder. Cheers!
Haven't been around here lately to try anything new and exciting. I've seen a couple tweets from Sherbrooke Liquor and Willow Park about cool things coming in (most notably for me RED RACER IPA) and there have been some really cool events around town. I haven't been able to go to a lot of them being so far in the south (which no craft beer place has rectified) but CRAFT has had launches for Red Racer and Brew Dog, National had a launch for Phillips, and Beer Revolution had their awesome IPA festival. I was fortunate enough to head down for that one and finally got to try Mikkeller's 1000 IBU on tap which was great.
Just got back from a two week vacation in Kona HI which was great. The weather was considerably better than our last trip to Hawaii two years ago when we went to Kauai. Kona is probably the driest area out of the islands so we had sunny hot weather for almost every day we were there. As for beer, we decided that our house beer was going to be Sierra Nevada's Torpedo. It was available at Costco for $24.99 for a 24. To let that sink in, I can't even buy Lucky Lager here in Calgary for that cheap. There were other liquor stores around the island and I stopped at Kona Wine and Spirits and Lighthouse Liquors in Hawi. Both of these had some unique brews that I picked up including Ballast Point's Victory at Sea and Deschutes' The Dissident. Victory at Sea was a great Imperial Porter that had fantastic coffee notes and a great balance. The Dissident was one of the best sour beers that I've had in awhile. Not mouth puckering but enough to know it was there yet still let the original ale characteristics shine through along with the red wine. I found prices on a lot of stuff to be a little high if you were straying outside of a grocery store but pretty typical for Hawaii. We were able to get Red Chair from Deschutes, for example, for $9 a six-pack but the Victory at Sea was over $12.
I really wish I could give a report on Kona Brewing but sadly we got there late on our last day on the island and the wait was just going to be too long. Additionally they had not ONE IPA on tap which was really frustrating. We did get to go to Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea though and I highly recommend it. Not only do they have a stellar IPA (Overboard IPA) and great red ale (Red Giant) but their mexican food might have been my favorite that I tried. Definitely worth the short(ish) drive from Kona. If you do want to sit outside though bring a parka. It was +30C when we left Kona and was 18C in Waimea.
As far as going out to drink we pretty much stuck to one place: Humpys Ale House. This place is definitely geared towards craft beer drinkers. Fantastic beers on tap (my favorites: Anderson Valley Heelch O'Hops, aforementioned Big Island Overboard IPA, and the always tasty Rogue Old Crustacean barleywine). The view is stellar, situated right on Alii Drive and looking onto the ocean. We spent a few nights here having a pint and watching the sunset. Food is pretty tasty as well and their poke stack is one of the best I have tried.
If anyone else has any recommendations on places to drink craft beer on the big island, let me know in the comments or on Twitter @calgarycoder. Cheers!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Vegas Surprises
It's been a long time since I was in Vegas (4 years to be exact) so I was really looking forward to heading back for a conference. The last time I was in Vegas it was nearly impossible to find good craft beer on the strip. When I did go to the one place that was supposed to have a good selection (Monte Carlo) they were closed or tapped out.
This year was completely different. Not only did I find great beer but I found it in multiple venues. Everything from brewpubs to restaurants to bottle shops. My favorite restaurant was The Yardhouse which is at the south end of the Strip. They had a ton of great beers available and drinking Green Flash IPA from a massive glass just tastes better. Uinta's Dubhe Imperial Black IPA was a very nice finish after a meal as well.
Most convenience stores on the strip had at least one selection for a walking pop. This usually ended up being the Coronado Brewing Company's Islander IPA. If I really lucked out there were Hop Stoopids and one or two other choices that could be had.
As far as bottle shops, the Whole Foods at the south end of the strip had a great selection. I could have easily spent $400 on beer for the room with gems like Rogue's XS IPA (in the cermaic bottles!), Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch (Weasel), and a ton of other seasonals. The other great place was Lee's Discount Liquor which again was south of the strip. They had a fantastic selection of beer and other spirits with prices being comparable to other places in Vegas.
My favorite beer this time around though was a local beer brewed by Tanaya Creek Brewery. They had a Monsoon IPA that clocked in at 8.5% ABV. It was a nice refreshing hoppy brew which made walking the Strip (and the aching feet that followed) more enjoyable.
All in all I had a fantastic time in Sin City and look forward to seeing what has happened with craft beer the next time I'm back (hopefully it won't take 4 years!).
This year was completely different. Not only did I find great beer but I found it in multiple venues. Everything from brewpubs to restaurants to bottle shops. My favorite restaurant was The Yardhouse which is at the south end of the Strip. They had a ton of great beers available and drinking Green Flash IPA from a massive glass just tastes better. Uinta's Dubhe Imperial Black IPA was a very nice finish after a meal as well.
Most convenience stores on the strip had at least one selection for a walking pop. This usually ended up being the Coronado Brewing Company's Islander IPA. If I really lucked out there were Hop Stoopids and one or two other choices that could be had.
As far as bottle shops, the Whole Foods at the south end of the strip had a great selection. I could have easily spent $400 on beer for the room with gems like Rogue's XS IPA (in the cermaic bottles!), Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch (Weasel), and a ton of other seasonals. The other great place was Lee's Discount Liquor which again was south of the strip. They had a fantastic selection of beer and other spirits with prices being comparable to other places in Vegas.
My favorite beer this time around though was a local beer brewed by Tanaya Creek Brewery. They had a Monsoon IPA that clocked in at 8.5% ABV. It was a nice refreshing hoppy brew which made walking the Strip (and the aching feet that followed) more enjoyable.
All in all I had a fantastic time in Sin City and look forward to seeing what has happened with craft beer the next time I'm back (hopefully it won't take 4 years!).
Friday, November 2, 2012
Willow Park BeerFest 2012
Well another BeerFest has come and gone and as usual Willow Park cranked it up a notch. While I was a little disappointed that some of my favorite breweries weren't represented or were sparsely represented, that was quickly overcome by other breweries and by food options that really were exceptional. The cheese provided by Springbank Cheese is always good but the meat from Second to None Meats was really stellar.
Notes and observations:
- Wild Rose Cherry Porter was fantastic. I was not a huge fan last year but the balance is back and I'm super happy. It's in stores now so go grab a bottle (or 3).
- Had a chance to try Tamarack Brewing. Solid IPA and look forward to having this as a pint. Also had the opportunity to talk to Lanny McDonald who was there representing the brewery. Very accomodating and nice.
- Managed to get to the line at the Brew Dog table where they cracked a bottle of Sink the Bismark. Fantastic and just wicked. Syrupy and full of flavor and you barely notice that it's high ABV.
- Stopped by Grizzly Paw and chatted with head brewer Michele. They have some awesome stuff coming very soon and will be a real treat for craft beer fans.
- Talked to the guys from Fernie Brewing. I was shocked by how good their pumpkin beer was this year and tried their Sap Sucker Maple Poter. I have no idea why I've been overlooking this brewery as it was really good as well.
While I could go on for ever, those are the highlights for me. Great event and look forward to it again next year.
Notes and observations:
- Wild Rose Cherry Porter was fantastic. I was not a huge fan last year but the balance is back and I'm super happy. It's in stores now so go grab a bottle (or 3).
- Had a chance to try Tamarack Brewing. Solid IPA and look forward to having this as a pint. Also had the opportunity to talk to Lanny McDonald who was there representing the brewery. Very accomodating and nice.
- Managed to get to the line at the Brew Dog table where they cracked a bottle of Sink the Bismark. Fantastic and just wicked. Syrupy and full of flavor and you barely notice that it's high ABV.
- Stopped by Grizzly Paw and chatted with head brewer Michele. They have some awesome stuff coming very soon and will be a real treat for craft beer fans.
- Talked to the guys from Fernie Brewing. I was shocked by how good their pumpkin beer was this year and tried their Sap Sucker Maple Poter. I have no idea why I've been overlooking this brewery as it was really good as well.
While I could go on for ever, those are the highlights for me. Great event and look forward to it again next year.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Renovation Heck
My life has been completely taken over by renovating my basement so thusly no posts recently. The good news is that renovating the basement has made me thirsty so I've worked through a lot of beer. I haven't compiled
Faves
Mad Tom IPA by Muskoka Brewery - This is a fantastic IPA and one I discovered at a store close to my house. Nice malt balance with citrusy hops. Highly recommended
Orange Dragon by Alley Kat - What more can I say about this series? While I haven't loved every single one (I'm looking at you Yellow Dragon), the rest of them have been really solid with some nice standouts. Orange Dragon continues this trend. I'm only sorry I haven't stored more of these away for tasting later.
Pumpkin Head by Fernie Brewing - I haven't had anything by Fernie mostly as I haven't heard a lot of good things about their beer but since I'm trying to work through all the pumpkin beers available I grabbed this and was pleasantly surprised. Darker than some of the other pumpkin beers I've picked up with good pumpkin flavor and nice spice nose and taste. Good job guys.
Humulus Ludicrous by Half Pints - Awesome again this year. My parents brought me a bunch for my birthday this year and this one packs a hoppy whallop.
Not So Much
Jumping Jack Pumpkin Ale by Tree - Just nothing in this one to draw me in. Not enough pumpkin or spice and just tasted bland. Wouldn't recommend it.
In other news, Beer Bash 2012 is just around the corner at Willow Park Wine and Spirits (November 1). I got a ticket for my birthday so I will be there with bells on. Looking forward to the awesome selection that is usually available and hopefully I'll see some YYC beer geeks there too. I try and tweet from the events using @calgarycoder so if you can't make it you can check out some tweets from there as well.
Faves
Mad Tom IPA by Muskoka Brewery - This is a fantastic IPA and one I discovered at a store close to my house. Nice malt balance with citrusy hops. Highly recommended
Orange Dragon by Alley Kat - What more can I say about this series? While I haven't loved every single one (I'm looking at you Yellow Dragon), the rest of them have been really solid with some nice standouts. Orange Dragon continues this trend. I'm only sorry I haven't stored more of these away for tasting later.
Pumpkin Head by Fernie Brewing - I haven't had anything by Fernie mostly as I haven't heard a lot of good things about their beer but since I'm trying to work through all the pumpkin beers available I grabbed this and was pleasantly surprised. Darker than some of the other pumpkin beers I've picked up with good pumpkin flavor and nice spice nose and taste. Good job guys.
Humulus Ludicrous by Half Pints - Awesome again this year. My parents brought me a bunch for my birthday this year and this one packs a hoppy whallop.
Not So Much
Jumping Jack Pumpkin Ale by Tree - Just nothing in this one to draw me in. Not enough pumpkin or spice and just tasted bland. Wouldn't recommend it.
In other news, Beer Bash 2012 is just around the corner at Willow Park Wine and Spirits (November 1). I got a ticket for my birthday so I will be there with bells on. Looking forward to the awesome selection that is usually available and hopefully I'll see some YYC beer geeks there too. I try and tweet from the events using @calgarycoder so if you can't make it you can check out some tweets from there as well.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Updates
Mikkeller Tap Takeover at Beer Revelution
I was super excited to head over and taste the beers that were available at Beer Revolution for their Mikkeller takeover. I was really tempted by some of the bottles (which I heard were fantastic) but my wallet cried at shelling out $16 for a 330ml. I settled for the Draft Bear Imperial Pilsner which I really enjoyed. Crisp and clean but with just enough hop to make a hop-head like me happy. I started out with a non-Mikkeller beer, opting with the Alley Kat Indigo Dragon on cask. This was a fantastic beer with a great hop nose and finish. It was sweeter than I remember in the bottle and for me was better than the Yellow Dragon but a lot of it is hop preference. I ended the evening with the ever tasty Beer Geek Breakfast. This oatmeal stout is just thick and you can eat the head with a spoon for dessert. I loved the chocolate and coffee flavours and it was the perfect ending to a great tasting.
Churchkey
I was in Washington DC for business and have heard awesome things about Churchkey. We went two nights in a row and were not disappointed either night. It didn't hurt that our visit coincided with DC Beer Week either. Churchkey has about 50 beers on tap or in cask with another 500 in their bottle binder. My first night I stayed with a lot of local beers including The Corruption IPA. Really awesome place and would definitely visit again.
I was super excited to head over and taste the beers that were available at Beer Revolution for their Mikkeller takeover. I was really tempted by some of the bottles (which I heard were fantastic) but my wallet cried at shelling out $16 for a 330ml. I settled for the Draft Bear Imperial Pilsner which I really enjoyed. Crisp and clean but with just enough hop to make a hop-head like me happy. I started out with a non-Mikkeller beer, opting with the Alley Kat Indigo Dragon on cask. This was a fantastic beer with a great hop nose and finish. It was sweeter than I remember in the bottle and for me was better than the Yellow Dragon but a lot of it is hop preference. I ended the evening with the ever tasty Beer Geek Breakfast. This oatmeal stout is just thick and you can eat the head with a spoon for dessert. I loved the chocolate and coffee flavours and it was the perfect ending to a great tasting.
Churchkey
I was in Washington DC for business and have heard awesome things about Churchkey. We went two nights in a row and were not disappointed either night. It didn't hurt that our visit coincided with DC Beer Week either. Churchkey has about 50 beers on tap or in cask with another 500 in their bottle binder. My first night I stayed with a lot of local beers including The Corruption IPA. Really awesome place and would definitely visit again.
Monday, July 23, 2012
The Well Went Dry
Unfortunately I haven't been updating from the homebrew side of things lately as both kegs ran dry and I haven't been down to the US to refresh my supplies. That all changes this week as I head down to pick up an old favorite and a new request. My old favorite is the Surly Furious IPA clone and the new request is Dawson's Kriek as requested by my wife. She's not a beer drinker by any stretch of the imagination but has been drinking some lambics over the past year or so. She's also tried a couple of the sour ales that I've brought through the door as well. We'll see how this one goes, I've never homebrewed a beer that takes so long to make (4 months).
I've tried a bunch of new beers lately and will try to update when I can. Out of all of them I would say the best brewery has been 8 Wired. They have a really solid IPA and a porter which is fantastic on its own but also cuts straight through when having a cigar. The other one worth mentioning is the Smashbomb Atomic IPA from Flying Monkeys. Tasty and citrusy. Not quite the same as my favorite Red Racer but since they pulled out of the AB market I've been looking for a new staple IPA. Biggest disappointment was the Summer Solstice from Anderson Valley. I've only had one other more offensive brew in my craft beer drinking days. That said, I know someone who loves this beer so to each their own. I just couldn't get over the cloying sweetness of this and it really shocked me for a summer beer.
I've tried a bunch of new beers lately and will try to update when I can. Out of all of them I would say the best brewery has been 8 Wired. They have a really solid IPA and a porter which is fantastic on its own but also cuts straight through when having a cigar. The other one worth mentioning is the Smashbomb Atomic IPA from Flying Monkeys. Tasty and citrusy. Not quite the same as my favorite Red Racer but since they pulled out of the AB market I've been looking for a new staple IPA. Biggest disappointment was the Summer Solstice from Anderson Valley. I've only had one other more offensive brew in my craft beer drinking days. That said, I know someone who loves this beer so to each their own. I just couldn't get over the cloying sweetness of this and it really shocked me for a summer beer.
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